Greetings dear friend, welcome back! It’s always so good to study together!
In our last lesson, we began looking at how to have victory over Satan. We read about David, a shepherd from Bethlehem, sent by his father to check on his brothers, and while there he defeated the Philistine giant Goliath. He used Goliath’s own sword to destroy Goliath, and in so doing, he emboldened the Israelites to go and conquer their enemies. Then he returned to his father, victorious.
Similarly, the Lord Jesus, the Shepherd from Bethlehem, was sent by the Father to this world, and while here He defeated the devil. He used death, Satan’s own weapon, to defeat Satan, and in so doing, He empowers us by His Spirit to overcome and conquer our enemies. Then He rose from the dead on the third day and returned to His Father, victorious.
Today we will continue to look at this subject of how to have victory over Satan.
Do you remember what it was like living in the darkness of sexual impurity? I sure can. Satan had tricked me and trapped me. I was his captive. I remember so clearly the extent of the power he exercised over me, the deception and bondage I lived in, the inability to say no to his temptations.
No matter how much I vowed to stop viewing pornography or willed myself to stop gratifying the lusts of my flesh, I seemed to have no power to do so. This was real slavery, real captivity, and it lasted for many years of my life. During my time of captivity, the devil, as a roaring lion, was devouring me!
Question 1. What was this time of Satanic oppression like for you?
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.
This type of oppression and captivity is what we are referring to when we speak of having victory over Satan. We are talking about being released from his traps, escaping deception, experiencing the power to say no to lust, and finding freedom from his oppression and domination over us.
Freedom is living in the light of openness, honesty, and truth, rather than sneaking around in the darkness of lies, cover-ups and hiding. It is experiencing the authority of Christ through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, giving us the ability to walk out of sinful bondage into the glorious liberty of the sons of God (Romans 8:21). We’re never sin-free in this life, but we can be free from bondage to sin!
So how does this freedom happen?
Our passage today tells us how to overcome Satan and be victorious over him. Let’s look at it together:
Revelation 12:9-11 ESV 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 to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (10) And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “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 has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. (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.
Question 2. According to Revelation 12:9-10, what does Satan do to the church?