Finally- We are Victorious

Ephesians 6:10–12 (NKJV)

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

There are many pictures of God’s people in the New Testament. In Ephesians, for instance, God’s people are presented through the following pictures: a legislative assembly, a family, a temple, and as the bride of Christ. However, the final picture of God’s people in Ephesians is that of an army.Legislative assembly

A Family

A Temple

A Bride of Christ

An Army

This army is committed to fight a war that is global in its proportions, that affects and includes every portion of this globe on which we live. In fact, even the word global does not do justice to the scope of this conflict. It embraces not only the earth, but extends beyond the earth into the very heavens. In fact, the adjective that correctly describes this conflict is not global but universal. It includes the entire created universe.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

For our wrestling match is not against flesh and blood, not against persons with bodies, but against rulers with various areas and descending orders of authority, against the world dominators of this present darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies.

The conflict Involves all Christians

Whichever version you wish to follow, it is clear that as Christians we are engaged in a titanic conflict that staggers the mind to consider.

Satan has a highly organized kingdom. In that kingdom, there are various areas and levels of authority. The headquarters of this kingdom are in the heavenly regions. That is a staggering fact, but it is quite clear.

The fact that Satan heads a highly organized kingdom astonishes some people, yet there are many clear indications of this in the Scriptures.

Matthew 12:22–28 NKJV

Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus here mentioned another kingdom, the kingdom of God. In particular, He described one point where the conflict between these two kingdoms is brought out into the open. He said, “When I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then you know the kingdom of God has come.” The implication is that the ministry of driving out demons brings the forces of Satan’s kingdom out into the open and also demonstrates the superiority of the kingdom of God because the demons are driven out under the authority of the kingdom of God. In the final analysis, there are two kingdoms in opposition: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.

Colossians 1:12–13 NKJV

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

Notice again, there are two domains or kingdoms. There is the kingdom of light, in which our inheritance lies, but there is also the dominion of darkness. The word translated “dominion” is the Greek word exusia, which means “authority.” In other words, whether we like it or not, Satan has authority. He is the ruler of a kingdom that the Bible recognizes. So these two kingdoms are engaged in mortal warfare, and the war is coming to its climax in our day as this age comes to a close.

The battleground is in the realm of the mind

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NKJV

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Paul said we are living in the flesh, engaged in a war, but our war is not in the fleshly realm. Therefore, the weapons we use must correspond to the nature of the war. If the nature of the war were fleshly or physical, then we could use fleshly or physical weapons, such as tanks, bombs, or bullets. Because the war is spiritual and in a spiritual realm, the weapons also must be spiritual.

words: imaginations, reasonings, speculations, arguments, knowledge, and thought. Notice that every one of those words refers to the same particular realm, the realm of the mind. We absolutely must understand the battleground is in the realm of the mind. Satan is waging an all-out war to captivate the minds of the human race.

Satan deliberately and systematically builds strongholds in people’s minds. These strongholds and fortresses resist the truth of the Gospel and the Word of God and prevent people from being able to receive the message of the Gospel.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NKJV

whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

We have guaranteed victory

Colossians 2:13–15 NKJV

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Let me first warn you that Satan is extremely determined that you will not grasp this fact. He wants to keep all Christians from understanding it, because it is the key to his defeat. The great essential fact is this: Christ has already defeated Satan and all his evil powers and authorities totally and forever. If you remember nothing else, remember that. Christ has already defeated Satan and all his evil powers and authorities totally and forever. He did that through His death on the cross, through His shed blood, and through His triumphant resurrection.

Colossians 2:15 NKJV

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

A triumph is not actually the winning of a victory; it is the celebration and demonstration of a victory that has already been won. Jesus, through His death on the cross, demonstrated to the whole universe His victory over the entire satanic kingdom. However, Jesus did not win that victory for Himself; He did not need it. He won it for us. It is God’s purpose that the victory should be worked out and demonstrated through

2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Matthew 28:18–20 NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Here Jesus said that through His death on the cross, He has wrested the authority from Satan and obtained it for Himself, and that God has vested in Him all authority in heaven and earth. Then He said, “Therefore go and make disciples.” What is the implication of the “therefore”? Jesus says, “I have won the authority; you go and exercise it. You go and demonstrate My victory to the whole world by fulfilling My commission.”

I would now like to make three simple statements about the victory of Jesus.

First, in the wilderness temptation, Jesus defeated Satan on His own behalf. He met Satan, resisted his temptation, and defeated him. Second, on the cross, Jesus defeated Satan on our behalf, not for Himself, but for us. He did not need the victory for Himself because He already had it, but He won the victory for us and defeated our enemy. He disarmed our enemy, stripped him, and made a show of him openly on our behalf. Third, it is now our responsibility to demonstrate and administer the victory of Jesus.