Father, your Son himself has warned us that as we hear your Word, which was just read,
and as we think upon your Word together now, that it is possible for us to be one of four types of soils.
And Father, Jesus has just warned us about this.
Father, you know those of us who, even as we were listening to Jesus,
we did not pay attention that the devil took the words from us.
You know those of us, Father, who almost instantly were paid attention but then drifted off somewhere else.
You know those of us, Father, who are too consumed with worry to really hear what you say.
We give you thanks and praise, Father, that your Son would so speak to us and warn us,
and that the desire of your heart would be that we will be good soil.
Father, we cannot be good soil on our own.
We ask in your mercy and in your kindness that you would so pour out your Holy Spirit upon us this morning,
that we will be good soil that hears your Word and receives your Word and holds fast to your Word with joy,
so that we will bear fruit with our lives, bear fruit that brings you glory.
So, Father, please pour out your Holy Spirit upon us.
Make clear your Word.
May it go deeply into our hearts and our wills and our minds and our lives.
And this we ask in Jesus' name, your Son and our Savior.
Amen.
Please be seated.
Okay, now I've found my stopwatch.
The devil is real.
He is our enemy.
He is alive.
He is active.
He is doomed.
And in the face of his opposition,
we are to testify with our lips and with our lives
of our Savior, Jesus Christ crucified.
The devil is real.
He is our enemy.
He is alive.
He is active.
He is doomed.
And in the face of his opposition,
we are to testify with our lips and with our lives
of our Savior, Jesus Christ crucified.
The devil is real.
He is not a metaphor,
an analogy,
a symbol,
a process,
a myth,
or a mere storybook character.
He is not a primitive way
of talking about mental illness
or evil.
Even though politicians
have evilly used the devil
to demonize other people,
their misuse
is not the proper use.
The devil is not a tool
of politicians
to label others
or enemies
and stir up mobs
and armies
to battle.
The devil is not misunderstood.
He is not a hero.
He is not a rebel.
He is not a freedom fighter.
He is not hip.
He is not cool.
He is not the yin
or the yang
to God.
He is not an antithesis
leading to a new synthesis.
He is not energy.
He is not our friend.
He is not our ally.
He is not our means.
He is not our tool.
He is not a joke.
And in ourselves,
he is more powerful
than we are.
The devil is real.
He is our enemy.
He is alive.
He is active.
He is doomed.
And in the face
of his opposition,
we are to testify
with our lips
and with our lives
of our Savior,
Jesus Christ,
crucified.
If the devil
does not exist,
then the two Bible passages
that we read
are a complete
and utter
waste of time.
If the devil
does exist,
then today's passages
are unbelievably
practical
and important.
So,
today,
my sermon
will be a little bit
more like a Bible study
than a proper sermon.
I really only have
one point.
And I'm going to keep
saying that one point.
I've already said it
three times.
I'm going to say it
a fourth time.
The devil is real.
He is our enemy.
He is alive.
He is active.
He is doomed.
And in the face
of his opposition,
we are to testify
with our lips
and with our lives
of our Savior,
Jesus Christ,
crucified.
That's the message
of Revelation 12.
So,
if you have your Bibles,
please open them up
to Revelation 12,
and we're going to
read the text,
mindful of what it is
that the Bible
is teaching.
that there is
in existence
a real devil
who stands
in opposition to us.
As I stand
and speak to you
right now,
he stands
in opposition
of what I say.
So,
any Sunday,
if you've forgotten
your Bible
or you don't own a Bible,
there's always some Bibles
up here at the front.
You're always welcome
to take it,
and if you want,
you can keep it
as a gift from us.
So,
Revelation 12,
let's look at
the first six verses,
which gives
a sort of
a vignette,
an overview,
in very,
very powerful
imagery
of the basic
story
of the devil.
In just six verses
with very,
very powerful imagery.
And for some of us,
if you're like me,
I'm not actually
a very visual
type of person,
although I really love
watching movies,
but I like words
the most,
I like sort of
ideas the most,
and that means
probably that
when I read
certain,
like,
Colossians or something,
like,
I'm reading something
in my sweet spot.
Others of you
like poetry,
and you like
playful types of things.
Others of you
like images,
and the Bible
is for the whole,
all human beings,
and so,
here the Bible,
in its most
concentrated teaching
on the devil,
will use powerful images,
and for those of you
who are,
who love images,
this will teach you
very powerfully.
And so,
here we get this,
these first six verses
go like this,
and a great sign
appeared in heaven,
a woman clothed
with the sun,
with the moon
under her feet,
and on her head,
a crown of twelve stars.
She was pregnant,
so neat that as soon
as I said she was pregnant,
a baby made a noise,
isn't it?
Do you know how hard
it is to organize
things like that
in a sermon?
It takes weeks,
we practiced every day
just for a baby
to make a noise
just at that exact
right time.
She was pregnant
and was crying out
in birth pains
and the agony
of giving birth.
And just sort of
pause here.
We'll go through
the whole story
to get you
the whole vignette,
and then we'll go back.
So, verse two,
she was pregnant
and was crying out
in birth pains
and the agony
of giving birth,
and another sign
appeared in heaven.
Behold,
a great red dragon
with seven heads
and ten horns,
and on his heads
seven diadems.
His tail swept down
a third of the stars
of heaven
and cast them
to the earth,
and the dragon
stood before the woman
who was about
to give birth
so that when she
bore her child
he might devour it.
She gave birth
to a male child,
one who was to rule
all the nations
with a rod of iron,
but her child
was caught up
to God
and to his throne,
and the woman
fled into the wilderness
where she has a place
prepared by God
in which she is
to be nourished
for 1260 days.
Sort of a very powerful image,
as I've joked
or said several weeks
in advance,
I actually asked Jeremiah
to play a Christmas carol
today
because there's
an obvious connection
to the Christmas story.
You might not remember,
but in the book of Revelation
it's a book about Jesus,
about what he's done,
what he's doing,
and what he will do.
And so here we get
a story that includes
the birth of Jesus,
something which has happened
when John wrote this
about almost,
well, over 90 years prior
to John writing this.
This is when Jesus
would have been born.
And so let's just
sort of capture
some of the images.
Who is the woman?
Look again,
verse 1,
and a great sign,
and it's the same word
that's used
if you read John's Gospel,
it keeps calling,
it calls the,
John calls the miracles
of Jesus
in John's Gospel,
he calls them signs.
And he means that
they're a mighty act of God,
something that God does,
which points to something,
which points to,
I mean,
in and of itself,
it's real,
but it not only is real,
it's like a window,
and it's like a window
with someone pointing
to ask you to look
at some great reality,
some great truth,
some great insight,
or wisdom,
or stark knowledge
that comes from God.
And so the vision begins,
and a great sign
appeared in heaven,
a woman clothed with the sun
and with the moon
under her feet
and on her head
a crown of 12 stars,
and she was pregnant
and was crying out
in birth pains
and the agony
of giving birth.
And in a sense,
what we capture here
is that John gets
a vision of Israel,
he gets a vision of Eve,
and he gets a vision
of her lineage
of which the Messiah
would be born,
and he has a vision
of Abraham,
and he has a vision
of Isaac and Jacob,
and he has a vision
of Israel
and all of its history
because the woman
is Israel.
The imagery comes,
if you go back
and read the book
of Genesis,
the imagery comes
from the story
of Joseph
and his dream
that he tells
before he's sent off
to Pharaoh,
before he has
all of his misadventures
because his brothers
sell him to
slave traders,
and the imagery
comes from Joseph's dream
of the moon
and the sun
and the 12 stars,
and so the woman
is Israel,
and John pictures
Israel
from whom
the Messiah will come
because salvation,
as Paul says
in Romans,
salvation is
from the Jews.
Salvation is
from the Jews,
Romans 2,
and he pictured
as a woman
in glory,
a great sign,
and then it moves
to the dragon,
and notice immediately
how the dragon
is dethroned.
The woman
is a great sign,
but the dragon
is just another sign,
another sign.
Verse 3,
and another sign
appeared in heaven.
Behold,
a great red dragon.
Think of Smaug,
those of you
who've seen the movie,
with seven heads
and ten horns,
and on his heads
seven diadems.
His tail swept down
a third of the stars
of heaven
and cast them
to the earth,
and the dragon
stood before the woman
who was about
to give birth
so that when she
bore her child,
he might devour it,
he might eat it.
I'm not going to see
that in a Christmas
pageant very often,
although maybe
it would be very
interesting to do
an adult pageant
with a whole pile
of adults
dressed up
like a Chinese dragon
waiting to eat
the baby
as it emerges
from the womb.
And here,
John is seeing
something even older
than the birth
of Israel,
even older
than Genesis 2
and Genesis 3,
even older.
John has a vision
of what happened
long before
there were any
human beings
of the ancient
rebellion
led by a powerful
archangel
that captured
the hearts
and the minds
or whatever the
equivalent is
for an angel
of a third
of all of the angels
and a third
of the angels
joined the devil,
the great dragon
in his rebellion
against God.
A third of them
fall from their place
in God's glory
and his splendor
in the heavens.
A third of them
follow him
and they fall
from heaven.
They're thrown down
and they come
to the earth
and they are aware
of the great sign
of the woman.
The devil is aware
of the great sign
of the woman
and the significance
of the child
and so it is
that the devil
is there waiting
to devour.
And for those of you
who know the Bible,
all of a sudden
you hear Matthew chapter 2
and Herod
and all of a sudden
you're thinking
of the early parts
of Matthew
and of Luke
and of the devil
tempting Jesus
in the wilderness
and all of a sudden
you're thinking
of the book of John
and how after
Jesus institutes
the Last Supper
that the devil
enters Judas
and Judas goes out
to betray Jesus
that he might be killed,
a shameful criminal's death,
that the Jewish people,
that the mother,
that the mother
would turn on the child
and hand the child
to the devil
for his death.
All of that captured
in this powerful image.
And then the story continues.
She gave birth,
verse 5,
to a male child,
one who is to rule
all the nations
with a rod of iron.
But her child
was caught up to God
and to his throne.
And the woman
fled into the wilderness
where she has a place
prepared by God
in which she is
to be nourished
for 1260 days,
three and a half years.
And here,
in a very, very short,
powerful image,
in a sense,
you get the whole picture
of the gospel.
You get Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John
all completely
and utterly compacted
that the devil
who desires
to devour Jesus,
the baby,
will be born
and at the end of the day
the baby will be
beside God in heaven
no longer as a baby
but the one
who rules the nations.
And the woman,
Israel,
the woman,
the people of God
is in a place
of wilderness
which means
that as it is
always the case,
as it is the case
for our congregation
today,
even though we do not
picture ourselves
as dwelling
in a wilderness
but picture ourselves
in post-modern,
post-industrial,
highly affluent
Canada
that just won
a gold medal
in men's hockey
and we don't think
of ourselves
or understand ourselves
as being in the wilderness
but the image
of a wilderness
in God's nourishment
is that God's people
always are completely
and utterly dependent
upon God
for being fed
and for being protected
and for staying
the people of God
and that it's never
a matter of us
being able to do this
purely and utterly
in our own strength
because we always dwell
in a wilderness
after Genesis 3
that we are completely
and utterly dependent
upon the nourishment
and the grace
that comes
from our Heavenly Father.
The devil is real.
He is our enemy.
He is alive.
He is active.
He is doomed.
And in the face
of his opposition,
we are to testify
with our lips
and with our lives
of our Savior,
Jesus Christ,
of our Savior,
Jesus Christ,
crucified.
The Bible,
this text,
God wants us
to take the devil seriously
but he doesn't want us
to take him
in a brooding way.
He doesn't want us
to obsess about the devil.
He doesn't want us
to be fearful of the devil
and he does not want us
to take the devil
on his own terms.
He wants us
to be attentive,
to be prayerful,
to be realistic,
and to be confident
in him.
Now, I don't mean
to insult anybody here.
I really don't.
But one of the problems
that we have
is that we think
that we're smarter
than the ancients.
And we don't quite
put it into words
but we think
that because we have
running water
and flush toilets
and we have
fancy smartphones
and we have
a lot of money
and we have
antibiotics.
By the way,
none of which
we've made.
I mean,
maybe there's
one person here
who could figure out
how to make
a smartphone.
Maybe I'm
insulting you here.
Maybe there's
two people in the room
who could actually
figure out
how to make
a smartphone.
The rest of us
just know how
to play with
the icons,
okay?
But part of
our modern world
and I don't mean
to insult you
because it's
all of us
is that we have
this very,
very deep conceit
that because
we have
running water
and flush toilets
and indoor plumbing
and iPhones
and all of that
that we're somehow
smarter than
ancient people
and there's no
question that
our culture
is far better
with technology
and techniques
and science
than the ancients
but we definitely
aren't smarter
than them.
We're definitely
not smarter than them
and in fact
you want to know
something that
one of the problems
just,
you know,
talk to maybe
Gary Graber
afterwards or something
he could point you
to some ancient text
but one of the
problems that we
have often
if we read
like the church
fathers,
people who are
writing in like
the 3rd and 4th
and 5th century
but one of the
problems we have
and even later
like guys like
Aquinas and guys
like Calvin
even later,
one of the problems
we have is that
their use of language
is so subtle
and so careful
and so reasoned
and so balanced
we can't follow it.
we have a hard
time reading it
and then we think
oh well we're
just smarter than
them.
We can't actually
follow the subtlety
of their thought
and so here
this becomes
very important
because you see
the Bible
is an ancient
text.
I'm reading right
now a very
very fascinating
story.
It's,
I don't know
how many of you
have read it.
I'm really loving
it.
It's by a woman
by the name
of Rosaria
Champagne Butterfield
and she was
a postmodern
literary critic
a queer theorist
head of the
woman's studies
faculty at
Syracuse University
and it describes
her conversion
and it's a
fascinating read
about how
for some of us
when we came
to Christ
it was maybe
a bit traumatic
but relatively easy
but for someone
like her
to come to faith
as she describes
it,
it was a train wreck
and it's,
she's very,
very,
very articulate
in the problem
that she has
as a postmodern
scholar
taking the Bible
seriously
and the whole
conflict within her
as she's drawn
to the Bible
yet at the same
time all of the
habits of her
thought make her
despise the Bible.
It is great reading.
You have to order
it on Amazon
or something like that
but I highly recommend,
I'll probably do a blog
about it so you can
find it a bit more
easily.
But you see the thing
is that when we come
now to Revelation 12
because we're so used
to just thinking
we're smarter
and because we just
like to gallop
through things
we don't sort of
capture the subtleties
of this piece
of writing
that John did
almost 2,000 years ago
and it's a very,
very subtle writing
because you see
first what John does
is he gives us
this vignette,
this powerful
encapsulated teaching
of the devil
and then he's going
to give a series
of three other
sort of things
which sort of
play on this
first story
and as he plays
on the story
he brings out
new truths
for us to understand
but if we gallop
through the text
we just think
he's contradicting
himself
but you know what?
Ancient writers
understood contradictions
and so when we
read the Bible
rather than reading
the Bible
and thinking
that it's filled
with contradictions
the better question
to ask is
what is the subtlety?
what is it?
How is the Bible
asking us to slow down
and ponder
and meditate
and note the subtlety
rather than race through
and think it's contradictory?
And so John does
an act of great subtlety
so the first story
tells of the dragon
with his tail
sweeping down
a third of the stars
of heaven
now in verses
seven to nine
he's going to return
to that story
and look at it
from a different angle
let's listen
verses seven to nine
now war arose
in heaven
he's still going back
to before Genesis
chapter one
Genesis chapter two
Genesis
long before that
he's going back
and he's telling
the story again
bringing out subtleties
of that initial story
with these three
simple verses
once again
with very powerful images
now war arose
in heaven
Michael and his angels
fighting against
the dragon
and the dragon
and his angels
fought back
but he
that's the dragon
was defeated
and there was no longer
any place for them
in heaven
and the great dragon
was thrown down
that ancient serpent
who was called
the devil
and Satan
the deceiver
of the whole world
he was thrown down
to the earth
and his angels
were thrown down
with him
and in the original language
it's the language
is instantaneous
it's as if
it's as if in a movie
that I'm talking to you
and all of a sudden
as I'm talking to you
like this
my hands are still moving
I'm still talking to you
but all of a sudden
I find that I'm on
Parliament Hill talking
and it just happens
like this
and that's the language
that there's this
mighty act of power
that comes upon
the devil
and his angels
which we now know
of as demons
and they think
they're fighting
Michael and all
and the next moment
they're not
they're here
read the Narnia Chronicles
read all of the Narnia Chronicles
and all of your questions
about how time
and heaven
and different times
all work
and Lewis will
challenge
and incite
and give you
all sorts of interesting
insights about time
and Narnia time
and earth time
and time
and time of this battle
and our time
and how it works together
serious suggestion
by the way
read the Narnia Chronicles
for wisdom about this
but this is the story
different way of telling
of the third
falling down
and note once again
how it is
that the member
at the beginning
I said
I said that the devil
is not
either yin
or yang
to God
he is not
the antithesis
to God
leading to a new synthesis
he is not like that
in the text
in a very very subtle way
completely and utterly
dethrones
the devil
the devil might like
to be betrayed
and many people
in our culture
betray him
as if it's somehow
the devil versus God
but who fights?
Michael
I mean God
I mean
it's not like
even like
like the championship
fighter of the world
trying to fight
some old guy
like me
I mean it's
it's not even
in the picture
the devil doesn't even
reach the level
of fighting God
he fights Michael
the devil and his angels
now known as demons
fight Michael
and the angels
and gets completely
and utterly defeated
he gets thrown down
helpless in a moment
and now finds himself
on earth
and the text
describes
in a very very
very powerful way
the very very nature
of who it is
that the
who the devil is
in fact
in these verses here
in these verses
in this very very powerful
and important verse
verse 9
and the great dragon
was thrown down
that ancient serpent
who is called the devil
and Satan
the deceiver of the whole world
he was thrown down
from the earth
to the earth
and his angels
were thrown down
with him
in this very very
powerful passage
we will understand
the most common way
that you or I
will experience the devil
on Friday
Thursday and Friday
and Saturday
technically
I was in Vancouver
I left for Vancouver
on Thursday morning
I came back
Saturday afternoon
actually I was supposed
to leave Thursday morning
but my plane steering
didn't work
and the pilot wisely thought
maybe that's not a good idea
to take off
when the steering
doesn't work
so we actually spent
like four or five hours
in the airport
so we arrive in Vancouver
and I'm going to Vancouver
because I'm on the board
of the Anglican Network
in Canada
the denomination
we're part of
and it's a board meeting
and the primate is there
and all the bishops
are there
and lots of
it's a full room
important people
and I've been asked
by the bishop
to do the morning devotional
20 minutes
and on Friday morning
and I have to stand up
at the table
and my notes
are way down low
and I
because my notes
are way down low
as I'm in my talk
I realize that
I've lost my place
and I'm wandering around
in my talk
and it's a terrible thing
for a speaker
to realize
that they've lost
their place
in their notes
and they don't quite
know how to get back
to it
and I did the best
I could
and I wrapped
the talk up
and I sit down
in my seat
but the second
I sat down
in my seat
instantly
I just felt
that I had done
a terrible job
I felt guilty
I didn't even feel
like I could
raise my eyes
and look at people
and even though
later on
during the coffee break
I had six, seven, eight
people tell me
how good the talk was
how much it meant
to them
that it was spirit anointed
I just was so overwhelmed
with this sense
of accusation
and condemnation
I'd done a terrible job
that I'd let the bishop down
it colored everything
I was experiencing
and this lasted
for 24 hours
and it was only
the very next day
like about 24 hours later
that I'm on the plane
I'm working on my sermon
and I realize
that the very thing
that's being talked about
in the text here
is what I actually
have been experiencing
for 24 hours
what I had been experiencing
was more than just
having made a mistake
and having messed up
what I was experiencing
was a profound sense
of condemnation
and accusation
that was different
than conscience
I don't know if any of you
have had that experience
but if you've had
any type of experience
of great internal
accusation
and condemnation
then you have experienced
the devil's touch
because it tells us
right here
the very fundamental way
that most of us
will experience
the devil in our lives
and I'm not talking
about conscience
I mean there's sometimes
I've done
I have done some
very bad things
in my life
and you probably
have done some
very bad things
in your lives as well
things that if we were
to share them
openly
we would
other people
we would be horrified
by it
and there is a proper
place for guilt
and the proper place
of guilt
is to realize
that we've done
something wrong
and to feel
some type of sorrow
an appropriate amount
of sorrow
and to turn to God
and ask for forgiveness
and to make an amendment
of life
and ask forgiveness
for the person
that we have wronged
and there is a sense
whereby there can be
an appropriate type
of memory
of the wrong
that we have done
but this is radically
different from being
locked
and imprisoned
in a time
of accusation
and condemnation
that colors
everything that you say
and everything
that you feel
and all that's going
on around you
and it was
while I was flying back
I was thinking
here I am
talking about this
and I didn't even
recognize that I was
experiencing it
and verse 9
is so powerful
and the great dragon
was thrown down
defeated
that ancient serpent
brings you up
the idea of Genesis 3
and the serpent
leading to the fall
of the human race
it's the same word
who is called
the devil and Satan
Hebrew and Greek words
so that both Hebrew speakers
and Greek and Latin speakers
would get the point
and both of them
mean accuser
destroying accuser
who wants to condemn
not just somebody
who says
yeah yeah
I think that person's guilty
it is accuser
that's the very very nature
of who it is
that we have to deal with
the deceiver
of the whole world
the deceiver
the accuser
of the whole world
and many of us
maybe have not experienced
demonic
great great demonic oppression
or involved in witchcraft
maybe there are some in here
who that's part of your story
maybe it's part of what's brought you here
this morning
you have not yet come to Jesus
but here's the fundamental thing
I guess I'm going to say
two things
the first thing is this
that in light of this sense
of condemnation and accusation
there are six really important words
for us to learn
and I meant to look it up
I can't
it's not my words
it's somebody else's
and maybe some of you will later on
tell me who it is
but it's these six very important words
in my place
condemned
he stood
the cross
when Satan tempts us to despair
word of a hymn
when we get imprisoned
in condemnation
and accusation
there are human means
that we can do
and use to help with this
it might be that a conversation
with a friend
will really help
it might be that a pat on a shoulder
or a hug
will really help
it might be that
like maybe in my case
I go for a run
and that can help
and there are really good things
you know a cup of tea
a cup of coffee
a friend's pat on the back
a hug
you know
from someone who loves you
just you know
some time
these are all good things
and God doesn't
doesn't despise
such common
ordinary means
of grace
and of experiencing
his goodness
but the primary thing
that we need to remember
and that the devil
will want us to forget
completely and utterly about
is as
his voice
is loud
and insistent
and persistent
we are to remember
I am to remember
you are to remember
six
simple words
thinking about Jesus
dying on the cross
in his
sorry
in my place
condemned
he stood
in my place
condemned
he stood
all those accusations
all that condemnation
he loved me enough
and he loved you enough
that thought that
it was worth it
out of his love
for the father
and his love for you
and his love for me
that in
in my
place
condemned
he
stood
six words
for the rest
of your life
in
my
place
condemned
he
stood
here's the other thing
some of us
will experience
a far greater
touch of Satan
in our lives
and I am going
to be very
very unhip
and I am going
to be very
uncool
and
I am going
to tell you
this
have nothing
to do with
Ouija boards
have nothing
to do with
crystals
have nothing
to do with
seances
have nothing
to do with
spells
or any type
of magic
whether white
or black
have nothing
to do with
parapsychology
do not seek
out types
of meditation
or trances
that involve
animal guides
or other
physical objects
as your guides
avoid all
mantras
where you
do not
know the
words
or any
type of
repetition
that does
not involve
exalting
Jesus
flee from
such things
flee from
talismans
flee from
idols
flee from
spirit guides
flee from
trying to
learn levitation
flee from
learning out of
body experiences
flee from
seeking anything
to do with
extraterrestrials
any psychic
flee
and flee
not to
me
I mean
we will
pray for
you
but flee
to
Jesus
and the
story
continues
how's my
time
we're doing
good
remember I
said there
was a
subtlety
so there's
this big
story
in six
verses
then there's
these three
verses where
there's a
focus on
on Satan
and his
nature
and then
there's three
verses in
my in my
version ESV
it's written
as prose
but it's
actually should
be written
as poetry
it's a hymn
of victory
and it's
verses 10
to 12
here it is
and I
heard a
loud voice
in heaven
saying
and in
this in
the original
language this
word saying
implies music
as well
now the
salvation
and the
power
and the
kingdom
of our
God
and the
authority
of his
Christ
have come
for the
accuser
of our
brothers and
sisters
has been
thrown down
who accuses
them day and
night before
our God
and they
that is those
who are in
Jesus
have conquered
him
how have they
conquered him
because we're
cute
because we're
smart
because we have
flush toilets
because we know
how to use an
iPod
because we think
we're very very
clever
where we're very
athletic
where we're very
rich
how have we
conquered him
and they have
conquered him
by the blood
of the lamb
and by the
word of their
testimony
for they love
not their
lives even
unto death
therefore rejoice
oh heavens
in you who
dwell in
them but
woe to you
oh earth
and sea
for the devil
has come down
to you in
great wrath
because he
knows that
his time
is short
I guess really
there's a two
point sermon
in my
place
condemned
he
stood
the other
point
the devil
is real
he is our
enemy
he is alive
he is active
he is doomed
and in the face
of his
opposition
we are to
testify with
our lips
and with our
lives
of our
savior
Jesus
Christ
crucified
and that's
what this
tells us
and it's
very neat
look again
at verse
11
and they
have conquered
him
by the
blood
of the
lamb
and by
the word
of their
testimony
for they
loved not
their lives
even unto
death
and you
know the
wonderful
thing about
that
in the
original
language
see in
English
you can
only
translate
translators
have to
make a
choice
when they
translate
a phrase
in another
language
which could
be translated
equally
two different
ways
I mean
it has a
double meaning
in the
original
language
but there's
no English
equivalent
to a
double
meaning
and this
testimony
and here's
where it
says
and their
testimony
sorry
by the
word of
their
testimony
it also
means
God's
it means
not only
it also
is at the
same time
saying
God's
testimony
about
me
it's a
wonderful
thing
and some
of your
translations
might make
it sound
as if it's
God making
a testimony
about me
but in the
original language
it does both
at the same
time
and so
in the
face of
in the face
of opposition
of the devil
we are to
testify to
Jesus
when Satan
tempts me
to despair
I'm to
testify
about
Jesus
when all
of a
sudden
a
conversation
at a
Starbucks
or a
hockey
rink
or in
my
neighborhood
or at
my
workplace
and the
conversation
could turn
to the
things
of God
and instantly
we think
of all
these reasons
why we
should not
say anything
we are to
understand
that we are
being tempted
by the devil
to not
testify to
Jesus
and in the
face of
opposition
we are
to testify
to Jesus
and not
only is it
our testimony
of him
but he
says of
me
George
be gripped
by the
gospel
you are my
disciple
be gripped
by the
gospel
I have
chosen you
in Jesus
you are
mine
the devil
might say
all sorts
of words
of accusation
against you
but I
get the
final word
and when
even the
worst
person
puts their
faith
and trust
in Jesus
then we
know in
advance
what God's
final word
will be
about us
and whether
it is
when Jesus
returns
or whether
it is
that I
die
before he
returns
the scriptures
tell us
we are going
to see it
later on
in the book
of Revelation
he says
to us
to you
and me
in Jesus
I am so
glad
you are
home
come into
the kingdom
the place
that I have
prepared
for you
to spend
all eternity
with me
as my
precious
beloved
child
very quickly
the last
few verses
verse 13
and when the
dragon saw
that he had
been thrown
down to the
earth
now it is
a different
thing
it is a
different
image
it is
the subtlety
of the
text
and the
subtlety
of the
text
is going
to be
very careful
here
because the
image of
the woman
is going
to change
it is going
to transmorgify
as these
last images
go along
that John
is asking
us not
just to race
through the
text and
think that
it is filled
with contradictions
but to
notice a
very very
curious
type of
transformation
that happens
to the
woman
in this
final
final concluding
vignette
that sort
of builds
on the
previous
hymn of
victory
and the
previous
vignette
and the
opening story
and to
listen to
who the
woman is
of course
and here
it has
verse 13
and when
the dragon
saw that
he had
been thrown
down to
the earth
he pursued
the woman
who had
given birth
to the
male child
but the
woman was
given the
two wings
of the
great eagle
in other
words the
woman grows
wings
it's as if
she becomes
a completely
new creature
it's as if
all of a
sudden you're
out there
one day
and you see
a horse
in a field
and all of a
sudden if
the horse
was to take
odd wings
and fly away
you would know
it's no longer
a horse
it's a different
creature
a creature
of myth
like in a
sense we have
here a little
bit of picture
of what happens
to all of us
the bible
describes that
we become
new creations
like on one
level when I
become a
child of God
through faith
in Jesus
Christ
by faith
of what he
has done
for me
upon the
cross
his finished
work upon
the cross
on one
level I
remain myself
but another
level I
become a
completely new
creation
it's almost
as if I
grow wings
and so do
you not in
my own
power I
can't do
that it's
only something
that God
can do
only God
can do
that
only God
and when the
dragon saw
verse 13
that he had
been thrown
down to the
earth he
pursued the
woman who
had given
birth to the
male child
he pursued
Israel
but the
woman was
given the
two wings
of the
great eagle
so that she
might fly
from the
serpent into
the wilderness
and here we
have all of
the imagery
of Exodus
and Deuteronomy
and of Isaiah
I will rise
up on wings
like eagles
and all of
the imagery
of the Old
Testament is
being captured
if you read
a commentary
it will go
pages and
pages of
the imagery
which is
being encapsulated
here in
these few
words
but the
woman
verse 14
was given
the two
wings of
the great eagle
so that she
might fly
from the
serpent into
the wilderness
to the place
where she is
to be nourished
once again
still God's
people
for a time
and times
and half a time
the serpent
poured water
like a river
out of his
mouth after the
woman to sweep
her away
with a flood
it's an image
of lies
and deception
and aggression
which he wants
to drown
the woman in
but the earth
came to the
help of the
woman and the
earth opened
its mouth
and swallowed
the river
that the
dragon had
poured from
his mouth
spewed from
his mouth
then the
dragon became
furious with
the woman
and went off
to make war
on the rest
of her offspring
on those who
keep the
commandments
of God
and hold
the testimony
of Jesus
and it's
a very
powerful imagery
and you know
in the very
very first story
in the six
verses on one
level it's
Israel giving
birth to Messiah
on the other
hand
the very end
of course
all of a
nation can't
give birth
to a child
so at the
end of the
image it's
not only
Israel
but it's
Israel
becoming
at that
point
that God's
purposes of
Israel become
real
that salvation
is from the
Jews when
Jesus is born
of Mary
and now
we see
the woman
the same
people of
God
throughout all
history
the same
people of
God
right from
the point
of Genesis
4 and on
and now
the people of
God are not
just Israel
but now
it is Israel
with wings
it's describing
the church
it's describing
the church
us
the church
is the church
and the people
who make up
the church
and the devil's
war against us
see that's why
I say
the devil is
real
he is our
enemy
he is alive
he is active
he is doomed
and in the face
of his
opposition
we are to
testify with
our lips
and with our
lives
of our
Savior
the Lord
Jesus Christ
crucified
I just want
to close
by reading
the passage
from Romans
chapter 8
could you all
stand
you don't have
to open
your Bibles
it's Romans
8 verses 33
and following
actually I'm
going to read
from verse 31
and following
Romans 8 31
and I just want
to read these
words over you
and then we'll
pray
remember
in my
place
condemned
he
stood
Christian life
begins when we
accept that
as true of us
and we
it begins with
that and it
never ends
every second
is lived with
it that's why
we are to be
gripped by the
gospel
and as we're
gripped by the
gospel we're
enabled to bring
God glory
what then
shall we say
Romans
chapter 8 31
what shall we
then say
to these things
if God is
for us
who can be
against us
he who did
not spare
his own son
I didn't think
I was going
to be emotional
he who did
not spare
his own son
but gave
him up
for us
how will
he not
also
with him
graciously
give us
that's you
and me
who are
in him
all things
who shall
bring any
charge
against
God's
elect
it is
God
who
justifies
who is
to
condemn
Christ
Jesus is
the one
who died
more than
that
who was
raised
who is
at the
right hand
of God
who indeed
is interceding
for us
who shall
separate us
from the
love of
Christ
shall
tribulation
or distress
or persecution
or famine
or nakedness
or danger
or sword
or having
a building
as it is
written
for your
sake
we are
being killed
all the day
long
we are
regarded as
sheep
to be
slaughtered
no
in all
these
things
we are
more
than
conquerors
through
him
who
loved
us
for I
am
sure
that
neither
death
nor
life
nor
angels
nor
rulers
nor
things
present
nor
things
to
come
nor
powers
nor
height
nor
depth
nor
anything
else
in all
creation
will be
able to
separate
us
from the
love
of God
in
Christ
Jesus
our
Lord
do I
hear an
Amen
Let's
pray
Father we
ask that
your Holy
Spirit would
move
mightily in
us that
we would
be gripped
by the
gospel that
you would
make us
disciples that
are day
by day
gripped by
the gospel
to bring
glory to
you we
give you
thanks and
praise that
for Jesus
on his
cross that
in my
place in
our place
condemned
he stood
Father this
truth of the
gospel may
it grip
us may
it grip
us and
transform
and push
and pull
and shape
and ground
how we
live our
day how
we confess
our sins
how we
testify to
you how
we are
bold for
you how
we are
humbled by
for you
and humble
for you
Father may
it grip
us and
we ask
this in
the name
of Jesus
your son
and our
savior
Amen