"The Cross that Wins my Battles"

Texts: Colossians 2:15; Revelation 12:11

Introduction / Hook

Life has a way of making us feel like we’re constantly in a fight. For some, it’s the fight against financial pressure—trying to keep food on the table and lights in the house. For others, it’s the fight against sickness—your body is under attack, and the medicine is not enough. Some of us are in the fight of relationships—marriages under strain, children under pressure, friendships under stress. And then there are those internal fights nobody sees: depression, anxiety, guilt, shame, the weight of your past, and the fear of your future.

And if we’re honest, sometimes we feel like we’re losing more rounds than we’re winning. We’re swinging, but we’re tired. We’re pushing, but the pressure keeps building. We’re praying, but the answer seems delayed. That’s why these passages are good news: Colossians 2:15 tells us that at the cross, Jesus “disarmed principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” And Revelation 12:11 declares, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

That means, brothers and sisters, that I don’t have to fight wondering if I’ll win—the fight has already been fixed. The cross was not just a place of suffering; it was the stage of victory. And here is the good news for somebody in church today: the cross is not just where He died—it’s where I won. #YouWin

Antithesis

But here’s the tension: too many believers live like the battle has not yet been decided. We talk as if the enemy still has full authority. We walk around weary, burdened, and defeated, as though Satan is winning. Some of us pray timid prayers because we don’t really believe victory belongs to us. We live with a “maybe God will do it” mentality instead of a “God already did it” conviction.

We act like soldiers who don’t know the war is over. It’s like celebrating after the buzzer has sounded, not realizing the scoreboard already shows the outcome. Satan whispers, “You’re still bound. You’re still guilty. You’re still losing.” And many of us believe his lies. We think we’re fighting to get free, fighting to earn victory, fighting to overcome.

But here’s the deception: the war was not left undecided at Calvary. When Jesus cried out “Tetelestai!”—“It is finished”—He wasn’t announcing surrender; He was proclaiming victory. And ever since that moment, the enemy has been a defeated foe trying to make God’s children forget the battle is already won.

Thesis

So here’s the truth of the text and the testimony of the Gospel: the cross is not merely a symbol of suffering—it is a banner of triumph. What looked like a moment of weakness was actually the revelation of God’s strength. What looked like the end was actually the beginning.

At the cross, three things happened that assure me the victory is mine:

The cross disarmed the enemy.

The blood secures my victory.

My testimony enforces the triumph.

That means my fight today is not to win a battle but to walk in a victory that was already secured.

Relevant Question

The question then becomes: If Jesus already won at Calvary, how do I live in that victory today? What does it mean when Scripture says He “disarmed principalities and powers”? How do I apply the power of the blood to my battles right now? And what does it mean that my testimony has power over the enemy?

In other words: How does the cross win my battles in the struggles of life, and how do I live like the victor and not the victim?

The Cross Disarmed the Enemy (Colossians 2:15)

Paul tells the Colossians that Jesus, “having disarmed principalities and powers, made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” This is courtroom and battlefield language combined. It means that every weapon, every charge, every stronghold the enemy held against us was stripped away.

On Calvary, Jesus canceled the devil’s legal rights. Satan’s weapons were sin, death, and condemnation. But the cross addressed each one:

Sin was forgiven.

Death was defeated.

Condemnation was canceled.

Now, the enemy has no real power left—only the power of deception. He’s like a roaring lion, but his teeth have been pulled. He can bark, but he cannot bite. Beloved, understand that when your enemy approaches you, that it is already defeated even before it approaches you. The enemy is counting on the fact that you don’t believe that it is defeated. The enemy is not your brother or sister, or humanity for that matter. The enemy is not your pastor or those of the household of faith. The enemy is not your family, friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife....Paul says in Eph. 6:12

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Who did Christ defeat at the cross? People...no because people are still here...evil and good. Separating from people does not mean that you have defeated the enemy because we are not at war with people. In the Old Testament, Israel’s warfare was deeply tied to their identity as God’s covenant people, their spiritual mission, and the cultural-political realities of the time. Unlike modern wars fought primarily for land, resources, or political power, Israel’s battles were often framed in theological terms. However, in the New Testament, the church does not engage in physical warfare in the way Israel did in the Old Testament. Instead, spiritual principles replace the military framework.

Illustration: Imagine a criminal standing before the court, waving around charges against you, but the judge already stamped “case dismissed” on the file. The enemy can shout accusations, but the case is closed.

Viral Quote: “The devil is not undefeated—he is already defeated.”

Application: That means when I face my battles, I’m not waiting to see who wins. I walk in knowing the enemy has already been disarmed. When you go to the airport, courthouses and penal facilities, they have metal detectors that scan people and property for illegal items. This is a two part process: you are asked to empty your pockets, remove any type of metal and to place your belongings into a plastic bin. While you walk through the metal detector, your belongings are scanned by an X-ray scanner. If the scanner goes off, then you are pat searched and sent through the metal detection again. If you set off the metal detector, then a deeper search is conducted...If they find “contraband, they are confiscated and discarded. Well, picture this, God has a weapon scanner, the cross and when the enemy passes through it, Isaiah 54:17 pops up. God allows the enemy to come through but when they reach you, they have no weapons. that says no weapon formed shall The reason why weapons do not prosper is because the enemy has already been disarmed....when you show up, the enemy is defenseless and powerless. That’s a word for someone today.....you win because God disarmed your enemy and rubbed in their faces....

Transition

If the cross disarmed the enemy, the next question is: what secures my victory in the battle I face? Paul says it was the cross, but John tells us specifically—it’s the blood.

The Blood Secures My Victory (Revelation 12:11a)

John says, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.” The blood of Jesus is not just a theological idea; it is heaven’s receipt that the debt has been paid. Every accusation is silenced by the blood. Romans 5:12

Romans 5:12 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Humanity stood accused after Fall of Adam, thus, allowing sin into the world and the penalty for sin, death. Adam’s disobedience corrupted the DNA of humanity as Job eloquently stated that he was born in sin, shaped in iniquity, and in sin did his mother conceive him. No matter how good a person said or felt they were, they were condemned like a common criminal, sentenced to a life of sin that produces death. However, God left an “easter egg” or a preview of who would come to reconcile man to God. He tells Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit that her seed would give birth to the one whose heel would be bruised but that same heel would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Sin separated man and brought death, and it would take another “Adam” to come and pay sin’s debt. The sacrifices of the bulls, bullocks, goats, and lambs ritualistically remedied sin, but it did not provide salvation from sin. Man’s temple sacrifices did not help them overcome as the continually offered sacrifices on the brazen altar. The blood of these lambs were symbolic of the Lamb that would be slain before the foundation of the world according to John in Revelation 5:9

Revelation 5:9 ESV

9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

The blood speaks when I cannot. The blood defends when I am weak. The blood is my covering, my shield, and my security. Satan’s strategy is accusation, but the blood of Jesus is God’s eternal answer: “Paid in full.” If you recall, after 413 years God heard Israel’s prayer and through Moses brought deliverance from Egyptian bondage. God began his assault by turning the Nile into blood and ended with the death of all the first born of Egypt. Tucked away in all this was God’s instructions to Moses prior to the last plague, which was to kill a lamb, cook the meat, take the blood and mark the doorpost, and when death comes and sees the blood, it would “Passover” their homes. Israel wasn’t delivered singly by Moses, by it was done by the blood, for had they not applied the blood, they would have suffered the same fate as Egypt.

Illustration: You can still receive a bill in the mail, even if you already paid it. But if you’ve got the receipt, you can prove it’s settled. The cross is where the bill was paid, and the blood is the eternal receipt.

Viral Quote: “Where the blood has been applied, the battle has already been won.”

Application: This means I can plead the blood over my children, over my home, over my mind, over my struggles. Victory is not secured by my effort but by His blood.

My Testimony Enforces the Triumph (Revelation 12:11b)

The text continues: “They overcame him by the word of their testimony.” Testimony is not just telling your story—it’s declaring Christ’s victory in your story.

The blood won the battle, but your testimony enforces the victory. It is your public announcement that hell has lost and heaven has won. Every time you declare what God has done, you remind the enemy of his defeat. The word testimony is martyria (μαρτυρία), meaning testimony; evidence; serve; with a subpoena. You have a testimony that can help you overcome....I call you to the witness stand.....

Illustration: In a courtroom, the evidence may prove the case, but the witness still has to take the stand. The blood is the evidence, but your testimony is the witness that enforces the verdict.

Viral Quote: “Your testimony is a weapon—it reminds hell of what heaven has already declared.”

Application: Stop letting your trauma talk louder than your testimony. Stop letting pain talk louder that your praise. Stop letting your worry warp your worship. Stop letting anxiety alter your attitude. Stop letting depression deter your faith. Stop letting things and people oppress your praise. Start declaring what the Lord has done. Speak victory until your situation lines up with your salvation.

Transition

But the battle is not just won by what Jesus did for me—it’s enforced by what I declare about Him. That’s where my testimony comes in.

Expanded Homiletical Close (Celebration / Crescendo)

The cross wins my battles because it disarmed the enemy, secured my victory in the blood, and gave me a testimony that enforces triumph. That means I don’t fight for victory—I fight from victory.

At Calvary:

Jesus canceled the record of my sin.

He silenced the accuser’s voice.

He wrote my story in His blood.

That’s why I can say:

No weapon formed against me shall prosper.

I am more than a conqueror through Christ.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Celebrative Shout: The cross is not just where He died—it’s where I won!