Jesus Wins

The Bible in 50 Words:

God made, Adam bit, Noah arked, Abraham split, Joseph ruled, Jacob fooled, Bush talked, Moses balked, Pharaoh plagued, People walked, Sea divided, Tablets guided, Promise landed, Saul freaked, David peeked, Prophets warned, Jesus born, God walked, Love talked, Anger crucified, Hope died, Love rose, Spirit flamed, Word spread, God remained. (WalkThru.org)

• Alternate Ending: “Jesus Reigns”

The Book of Revelation

A picture of the epic struggle between good and evil (God and Satan).

• The primary message of Revelation is that Jesus Wins.

Today’s Sermon: One day, Jesus will return in all his glory to win the final battle over sin and death (Revelation 17-20).

• That inspires us to not give up, not to give in, and not to get complacent.

The Enemy of God

The entire time God has been working to save lost sinners, another powerful force has been working in our world to oppose him.

Who is this enemy of God? Satan, which means “The Accuser.”

What Kind of Enemy are we Facing?

• The serpent (Genesis 3)
• A red dragon (Revelation 12:3)
• A roaring / devouring lion (1 Peter 5:8)
• The Father of Lies (John 8:44)
• A thief who steals, kills, and destroys (John 10:10).
• An enemy who sets traps to take us captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:25-26)

This is why we are instructed to prepare ourselves for battle by equipping the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Vision of the Battle in Revelation

Scripture: Revelation 12:7-9, 17

• Satan leads the world astray and is waging war against everyone following Jesus.
• Good News: We know who wins the war.

Scripture: Revelation 17:14

• Satan will wage war against God and his people, but the Lamb (Jesus) will triumph over them.
• We are in a fight, but we’re not fighting alone. And we know that Jesus wins.

But What Happens Now? 

• Jesus wants us to have realistic expectations of what our lives will be like while the battle is still being waged. 
• Scripture: John 16:33-34. We will have trouble, but Jesus has overcome the world.

Jesus’ Final Victory

Scripture: Revelation 19:11-16; 20:8-10

• Jesus is our conquering King who will defeat sin and Satan once and for all.
• This final victory is the key to eliminating sin forever and allowing us to once again dwell with God — the way we were created to do.
• Revelation 21-22 is a vision of what it will be like for disciples of Jesus to spend eternity with God in Heaven. God has accomplished everything he set out to do!

The Message of Revelation

• Don’t Give Up. — Persevere through the hardships.
• Don’t Give In — Resist the Devil’s attacks.
• Don’t Get Complacent — Stay focused on what matters most. Don’t be the lukewarm Christians from Revelation 3:16.

How? By remembering we are part of a bigger story: the story of our salvation.

Living in Light of Eternity

It’s easy to lose sight of our true story and to forget that our lives on Earth are just a fraction of our eternal destiny.

• If your first million years of eternity were represented by a 50-foot rope, your life on Earth would be about a millimeter.
• If your first million years were represented by the 3,000-mile road trip from San Francisco to New York, your life on Earth would only be the first quarter mile.

Satan wants to convince us that our short life on Earth is the only thing that matters.

• The tragic reality is that millions (or billions) of people have sacrificed their eternity for the momentary happiness and comfort of this life.
• To resist these attacks, we must stay rooted in the bigger picture story of salvation that we read about in the Bible. 

Call to Action: Hebrews 12:1-3

• Fix your eyes on Jesus
• Stay committed to the race
• Get rid of all the distractions

Study and Reflection

Read: Luke 4:1-13. This is the account of Jesus being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness.

• How would you summarize what took place in this passage in your own words?
• What, if anything, does this passage reveal about the nature of Jesus?
• What does this passage reveal about Satan — his desires, power, techniques, etc.?
• Have you ever noticed that Satan couldn’t force Jesus to do any of the things he was tempting him to do? His only hope was to convince Jesus to choose it for himself. What does that teach us about the nature of the temptations we face? (See 1 Corinthians 10:13 also).
• Jesus sets a wonderful example of cutting through the lies of the Devil with the truth of God’s Word. What other resources and weapons do we have at our disposal in our fight against Satan? Hint: Ephesians 6:10-20 lists many of them.
• One of the messages in Revelation is that we should never give up, never give in, and never get complacent. What do those points mean to you, and how does Jesus set us an example in those areas? Not only in this passage, but in his whole ministry?
• Bryan mentioned the sad reality that countless people have traded their eternity for the pleasures of momentary happiness. Why do you think people are so willing to do that?
• What is one thing you feel called to do differently as a result of the sermon and this study passage?
• Challenge: Pray for someone in your life who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus yet. Pray for God to give you the opportunity to share the message of salvation with them.