Today we are not personally involved in a battle for land or a battle for freedom. But we are engaged in a conflict between two cosmic kingdoms, the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of Satan. And we are engaged in a battle over the souls of mankind. See, while Christ seeks to save all mankind, Satan seeks to destroy all mankind. And when we look around us today, we can sure get the feeling like Satan is winning. Like the kingdom of evil and darkness is moving forward in our world today. Evil permeates our society. False religion is rising, and hostility is ramping up.
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What happens with us is when Satan appears to be winning, Morale among Christians can tend to diminish. We can become discouraged by the darkness, and the courage to continue in this cosmic fight for the souls of men can seem all but lost. The question that I want to ask us today is where do we find the courage to continue in this cosmic battle to wage war against the forces of evil and darkness? But the weapons of our warfare are not swords and spears, and they are not guns and bombs. The weapons of our warfare is the scripture and Christ and the Holy Spirit.
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How do we find the courage to fight? Well, just like those continental soldiers, we have a conquering king that not even death itself could defeat. And when we live as Christians in a world that is opposed to all that is God and his son, Jesus Christ, when we look to Christ our king and the power that he wields and the suffering that he went through for us and the way that he leads us into battle and we know for sure will lead us into victory, it gives us a renewed sense of hope, a renewed sense of courage that the cause is not lost and we can therefore go forward.
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This is important for us today because we need to remember that no matter what is going on in our world today, and no matter which side of Israel and the Jewish people you are on, we must remember that they are precious souls for whom Jesus Christ gave his life on the cross. And that he has called us as believers to use the gospel that he has so graciously extended to us and to bring it back to the Jews that they might be saved.
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Can I just say this, that truly intelligent people will not live in an echo chamber and simply hear their own thoughts parroted back to them. Truly intelligent people will not just try to scream louder than the other side. Rather, they are willing to hear, they're willing to listen. They're willing to think for themselves and cut through the garbage and decide for themselves. I believe here in our city we have plenty of people that are like that. It's our responsibility to go and find them, just like Barnabas and Saul are doing here.
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Mark it down, folks. The enemy of Christ does everything he can to kill and destroy. In John 8:44, Jesus said that the devil was a murderer from the beginning. First Peter, chapter 5, verse 8. Peter says, Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Revelation, chapter 12 calls him the great red dragon. And it says this, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. Understand today that while Jesus seeks to give life, Satan seeks to take life. He wants to destroy you. He will work by his cosmic forces of kings and kingdoms and false religions and dark magic to deceive the whole world. Why? To cause them to swerve from the truth. To turn aside from the life giving truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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God has made his truth crystal clear. The way to him is through Jesus and Jesus alone. And Satan does everything he can to make you think there's another way. It might be by works of your own righteousness, by keeping the Old Testament law, by some deeper spiritual insight, by some other religious system. Or that the way to hope and life is found in the prosperity offered by this earthly kingdom, he uses dark magic sorceries to display his power so that anybody going down the right way of the Lord might be swerved away into death. That's how he still works today.
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Elymas was defeated by the hand of the Lord. That this man who boasted himself as an all wise, all knowing, all intelligent person has now been humbled and brought. He who claimed to lead others forward now must be led by the hand by others. He who claimed to see everything, now sees nothing. See, the power of Christ always humiliates the power of the devil. It always does and it always will.
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See, in this fierce cosmic battle, we learn why we should courageously continue by looking unto Christ. And that is because of this fundamental truth. Evil can't win because Christ can't lose. Evil can't win because Christ can't lose. He is Lord. Overall.
[00:29:38]
Well, listen, folks, we are engaged in a spiritual battle today. And the devil himself, through other agents, is laying down every card he can. He is working through kings and kingdoms. He is working through pills and drugs. He is working through organizations and political leaders. He is working through dark magic and sorcery. He is working through false prophets who even claim to be a part of the Christian faith, and yet they are false. He does everything he can to cause people swerve out of the way, even if it's violence, assassinations, mass murder, and genocide. The devil is laying down card after card after card. And many times, as Christians, it can feel like that he's winning and the cards are piling up and he's claiming round after round after round. But what I want to tell you friends this morning is that we have a car card that trumps all others. And that card is King Jesus. That he is the living savior who died on the cross and rose again and lives forevermore. And even though in this life it may feel like Satan is marching forward, and even though it may feel like we are falling back, I want you to understand today that Christ always wins. Nothing can defeat him. He trumps all others.
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What this lady understood is that because Jesus Christ is her savior, though death take her life, it cannot have her soul. It belongs to Jesus. And so I want to tell you today that even if Satan came after your life as you proclaim the gospel and he took your life, if your faith is in Jesus Christ, he doesn't win, he loses forever. That Christ has secured your soul by the blood of his cross. And therefore, when you have trusted in him, there's nothing that can Steal your soul. It is eternally secure. And though you die, evil does not win. Christ wins because you spend eternity forever with him. And the Book of Revelation tells us that martyrs have a precious place at the throne of God. Christ can't lose. And because Christ can't lose, we should take courage.
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Number one, since Christ wins, you should go public. You should go public. Just as Paul and Barnabas publicly proclaimed Christ in the synagogues at Salamis and among the government at Paphos, we should be willing and have courage to go public with our faith. Don't keep your faith to yourself. Share it with others. Share Christ with your friend that you watch sports with all the time, or with your co worker that you see every day, or the neighbor that you cordially talk to in the front yard. Share Christ with them. Be public about your faith. Give the gospel in that speech in class. Pass out gospel tracts on Pearl street, on the CU campus where you're allowed to on the bus. Post them on public bulletin boards. Go on Saturday outreach into the neighborhoods of our community. No matter how hostile our world seems to be getting, because Christ always wins, you ought to courageously step out and go public with your faith.
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Number two, since Christ wins, be bold. Be bold that just as Paul boldly confronted Elymas evil, we too must be willing to confront evil. Today we're not talking about being hateful or vindictive toward other people, but we are talking about a willingness to call evil what it is not to tiptoe around moral issues that are destroying lives. Issues like abortion or gender or sexuality. Because the reality is, is that Satan is using these things to deceive and to destroy lives. He is using pills and drugs and marijuana and shrooms to ruin minds and destroy bodies. He's using political figures and campaigns to deceive people, to twist what is plain and clear and to make it perverse and muddy.
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The reason we confront evil, see, is not because we hate. It's actually because we love. It's because when we set our eyes on these things, we see right through them to the devil who is using them to to kill and destroy. It's because we realize that even the deceivers can be saved. Even those who seek to ruin and destroy lives right now, when they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and understand it and believe it, the power of the Spirit can bring transformation even to the most deceptive forces among us. But I also want you to understand, Church, that the deceived can be saved as well. Those held under political spells can be saved. Those who are deceived into getting an abortion, something they can't forgive themselves for, can be forgiven by Christ. And they can find joy and life in him once again.
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Listen. It's because we know that people like Elymas and people like Sergius Paulus, their eternal lives are stake. And we want to see Christ deliver them from his devices so they can experience life in Christ. Do we realize that every card the devil plays, Christ trumps them all. That there is no soul that is beyond salvation. I want to encourage you, friends, that we need not fear, we need not back down, we need not be silent, because we carry that card with us that trumps all others. And that is the undefeated, conquering king, Jesus Christ.
[00:40:39]
Would you consider for a moment here that it was Satan who deceived Eve in the garden? It was Satan who sought to destroy Job. It was Satan who raised up armies to wipe out Israel. It was Satan who moved Herod to kill Jesus shortly after his birth. It was Satan who filled Judas to betray Jesus that he might be crucified and die on a cross. And when Jesus was buried in that tomb, Satan thought he won the war. But three days later, when Jesus rose from the dead, he proved that while Satan may have bruised his heel, Christ crushed his head. He destroyed our enemy and defeated him in that moment.
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And when you go to the Book of Revelation, chapter 12, it gives this testimony that the devil is cast down when he tried to kill Jesus. And he is cast down when he tried to destroy Israel. And he has cast down when he tries to destroy God's New Covenant people. Satan's entire testimony is defeated, defeated, defeated. And one day Christ will return and he will defeat him once and for all and cast him down once and for all into the lake of fire forever and ever. And the tempter will be banished. And we will lay our burden down when we see Christ. He defeats the devil every single time.
[00:42:18]
But there's one final application here. If I could speak to those of you who have not yet trusted Christ as your savior, that since Christ always wins, you should believe. You should believe. Just like Sergius Paulus when he saw the overpowering hand of the Lord, believed you should believe as well. See, there's no chance that Christ can lose. And that means there's no chance that evil can Win.
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Why is that, you might ask? It's because Jesus is God. John, chapter one tells us, speaking of Jesus. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. By him the worlds were made, and without him we was nothing. Made that is made. Jesus is perfectly one with God the Father and God the Spirit and God the Son. The Holy Trinity, the Godhead three in one that we sang about today. Glory be to God the Father. Glory be to God the Son. Glory be to God the Spirit, the Lord. He. Three in one, one and three is our salvation. And that is who Jesus Christ is. He is God. Holy, perfect, righteous, eternal, all knowing, all wise, all powerful, present everywhere at one time. Everything that you've ever thought God is Jesus is. He overpowers all.
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And yet this God was incarnated in human flesh. And he lived the sinless life we never could. And he died a sinner's death in my place and yours. But on that third day, he rose from the dead, conquering evil, conquering Satan, conquering death and hell and the grave. And he promises that you can be risen to life everlasting. He is going to return and he's going to destroy Satan once for all. And he's going to renew heaven and earth. And he's going to reign on his throne and dwell among us in a kingdom of perfect righteousness, justice and peace. Friend, that's the kingdom your soul really longs for. A world where there is no sin, no violence, no betrayal, no pain, suffering or death. Isn't that what you long for? I sure do.
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The question is, how do you get there? God tells us in His Word. And it's rather quite simple. If you believe Jesus died for your sin and rose again. And if you call on him to rescue your soul, God promises to forgive all your sin. God promises to give you eternal life in that kingdom if you'll simply believe. Call on Him. Would you do that?
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Today, Church, the battle rages on. But we've got no reason to feel defeated. We've got no reason to doubt. We've got no reason to give up. As though all hope is lost. No. Our general, our captain, our king is leading us in this battle. And when we look to him and we remember that victory is certain, we find the courage to continue. So don't give up. Don't fear. Don't stay private, rather go public. Be bold. And friend, I challenge you. Today, believe.
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