As that video and our Worldview magazine remind us on this Missions Sunday…

We have a huge task

Taking the Gospel to 3.3 Billion people who are either inadequately or completely unreached — many of those people are Hindus and Buddhists

I encourage you to read about the task of reaching this huge group of people.

Not only to read but, because you have read, to pray.

Pray especially for the ministry priorities mentioned on page 11. That in the next 5 years:

150 new workers are raised up to minister in the Hindu and Buddhist regions

That 50,000 prayer partners stand behind the Gospel efforts to reach these groups

That God will inspire people to give financially and that He will multiply what is given

Again, this is a HUGE task

But as an old song by John Waller says:

It's time to dream big dreams Lord,

To see Your vision Become reality 'Cause it's for You, by You, And those who Love You wanna do Something so big It's destined to fail without You, Lord Something so great It takes a miracle to do We, Your children Wanna do something big for You

The the task of reaching our world with the Gospel is NOT impossible.

IF we will rely on the power of the Holy Spirit who leads us to triumph over the REAL enemy.

The enemy who, according to our text in verse 9 “deceives the whole world.”

The real enemy is the devil.

Clearly identified in Vs. 12 of our text

Labeled in Verse 9 as the great dragon, the serpent of old

And in vs. 10 of our passage as “the accuser of the brethren”

THAT is who the enemy is trying to keep humanity blinded and enslaved

The enemy is not radical Hindus and Buddhists who are willing to persecute those who follow Christ.

Who are willing to burn down churches, to destroy businesses.

Who are even willing to kill followers of Jesus.

These radicals are people who are being inspired by, led by, energized by the devil.

But as our passage reminds us:

Our enemy, the devil, is a defeated foe.

He WILL be cast out of heaven

And even now WE defeat him by:

The Blood of the Lamb

The Word of our testimony

By not loving our lives even when faced with death for the cause of Christ

Victory Through the Blood and Our Testimony

Let’s read about in our text:

Revelation 12:7–12 (NASB95) And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then 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 brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

This passage speaks of a tremendous defeat of satan and those who follow him.

It is one of several defeats mentioned here in Revelation

The final defeat which we long to see is:

Revelation 20:10 (NASB95) And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

That is the final demise of satan.

Never to be mentioned again.

Rejoicing in Heaven

But even this beginning victory over satan in vs. 9 inspires great rejoicing in heaven.

Hear Revelation 12:10 (NASB95) [Hear the… ] 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 brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

All those who have gone before us have longed for and rejoice to see the day spoken of in vs.9

To see the devil thrown out of heaven

The constant barrage of accusations against them ended

They and WE rejoice to see the dragon defeated just as they and we know how to defeat him.

3 things will cause the defeat of the enemy as he seeks to accuse us before God.

As he seeks to keep the Gospel from going forth in an expeditious fashion

Yes, the Gospel must not only go forth, but there must be an urgency, a sense of time constraints.

An understanding that people are dying and going to hell every minute.

I was very struck by Brother Mundis’ quote of Carl Henry on page 7:

“The Gospel is only good news if it get’s there in time.”

So, through the 3 methods revealed in Vs.11, let us see that dream that is so big it is destined to fail without the Lord.

We will do that ...

The Blood of the Lamb

First of all, by relying on the Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

For the past several weeks we have focused on the Lamb of God in our evening prayer services

And the Blood of the Lamb in our morning services.

This afternoon at 5 pm we will once again gather to pray in the Name of Jesus.

But, when it comes to defeating the accusations the devil levels against us, our only defence is the Blood Jesus shed for us.

Apart from the Blood we are guilty as charged.

We are guilty of hatred towards others, of lying, cheating, stealing, sexual immorality, envy, strife — of gross sin against God.

Ah, but BECAUSE of the Blood, THROUGH the Blood, as we saw last week in Hebrews 9:14 our consciences are cleansed from sinful deeds so that we might serve the living God.

Jesus shed His Blood to cleanse us.

As Hebrews 9:22 (NASB95) … one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Jesus shed His Blood to cleanse us and purchase our forgiveness.

The devil wants to keep us beat-down, defeated, wallowing in despair.

But the Blood of Jesus gives us the victory over his constant accusations.

The Word of Our Testimony

Not only does the Blood of the Lamb give us victory over the accuser of the brethren, but the word of our testimony invades the darkness of hopelessness.

So many believe the lie of the devil that there is no escape from the despair and depression.

There’s no escape from the chains of darkness with which he binds us.

But then we speak the word of our testimony.

When we speak of that amazing grace.

Of how…

I was once lost but now I found.

I once was blind, but now I see.

I was once a sinner, but Jesus has set me free.

As we declare the works of God accomplished by the Holy Spirit through the Name of Jesus, others discover the hope of salvation through Jesus.

Page 28 of the Worldview tells of the conversion of a Buddhist monk.

How did this happen?

First, the Holy Spirit revealed the truth — that his life empty — in spite of all his religious works, his constant pointless study of idolatrous maxims and mantras.

Second this Buddhist monk went to a Sunday service where he heard many testimonies of changed lives

Those testimonies inspired him, gave him the hope of a fulfilled life of purpose.

Those testimonies led him to repent of his sins and surrender to Christ.

Never discount the power of speaking to others what Christ has done for you.

Not what YOU have done, but what HE has done in spite of you.

Isaiah 64:6 (NLT) We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. …

Let’s share the hope of Jesus.

Share the love of Jesus that you have experienced.

Defeat the devil by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony.

Not what you have done, but what Jesus has done in you.

Right Priorities

The final way that defeat the old serpent and get the Gospel to the lost and dying is by having right priorities.

We will be talking about priorities Wednesday night at 6:30 pm as we look at Matthew 6:19-24.

I urge you to come.

The key to right priorities is realizing what missionary Bill Elliot said:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

That’s what this last part of Vs.11 is all about.

We have got to love Jesus more than this world.

More even than our lives.

Jesus modeled this for us on the Cross when He defeated the devil’s plans.

As Hebrews 12:2 tells us: we need to fix our eyes on Jesus who looked beyond death on a cross to the joy of giving salvation to every child, every young person, every woman and every man.

Like Jesus we must realize this world is not our home.

We’re just passing through.

Hebrews 11:13–16 (NASB95) All these [saints of God] died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

So, while we are here let’s live unafraid of death.

Unafraid of the threats of the devil to kill us.

He can’t do it.

God alone is in charge of the time we have on the earth.

HE sets those boundaries.

Jesus died to make us unafraid of death:

Hebrews 2:14–15 (NASB95) Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself [Jesus] likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

We sang it this morning, but perhaps you didn’t really make the connection:

He that the Son has set free is free indeed

May we be unafraid to die so that we might live to defeat the devil.

And we defeat him best when we see others brought to faith in Jesus.

We are called to plunder the kingdom of darkness.

To see captives set free.

Are You Living in Victory?

So, this morning, are you living in the victory that Jesus gives?

Have you been delivered from the darkness of despair?

You can be through repentance and surrender.

Repent of your sins.

Surrender to the loving embrace of Jesus.

Simply pray from a sincere heart:

Lord, I’m guilty of sinning against You.

Please forgive me my sins.

Wash me clean through Your Blood.

I surrender control of my life to you.

Maybe this morning you have done that, but you have believed the lies of the devil.

As Jesus tells is in John 8:44 (NASB95) “… the devil, … does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

You have believed the accuser, you have stopped speaking of what Jesus did for you, you have become enslaved by the things of this life.

That road has led to despair and depression.

Be set free this morning.

Come to Jesus.

Worship team, come, let us sing of victory through Jesus