Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

The Cross: For Satan the party’s over Colossians 2:15 An Earthly Cross, Its Heavenly Significance Sermon 03 Country singers Brooks and Dunn have a new hit, God must be busy. Can I share a portion of the lyrics with you? That anchor man says the fight began somewhere in the Middle East. The world prays for peace. There's a single mom just got laid off when she lost a job to some foreign hands in some faraway land. Last night in Oklahoma some twister took thirteen and they're praying that They find the missing three. God must be busy. That highway sign went from slow ahead to traffic's dead. Thought it couldn't get worse than that Amber Alert. They say she's 4, Colorado plates, headed out-of-state in a Chevy van. It's hard to understand. You can see it in the faces of all those highway strangers, they're praying that God keeps that girl from danger. God must be busy. And I know in the big picture I'm just a speck of sand and God's got better things to do than look out for one man. I know he's heard my prayers cause he hears everything, he just ain't answered back or he'd bring you back to me. God must be busy.   God must be busy…as Jesus was dying on the Cross that Friday, don’t you think that those standing there might have been thinking, “God must be busy?” But in the halls of Hell, Satan and his demons were very busy. They were laughing hysterically with delight. I wonder if they were thinking, “God must be busy.” They were partying and celebrating. I’m sure that by 6:00 p.m. the party was in full fling! It was the party to end all parties. Devilish laughter filled the air! From time to time Satan rose to make a speech to the cheers of the teeming throngs. He exuded the calm confidence of someone who’s won his greatest victory. It was hard-fought to be sure and until the last moment he was nervous, but then it happened, and when it did, he knew he was the victor at last. That old curse was finally gone…we’ll see who crushes who’s head. Hours passed…the music and revelry grew even louder. They danced and sang and drank and cheered and laughed the night away. By Saturday morning, when you’d have expected the crowd to thin out, it grew larger–and louder–and even more raucous. If anyone had gone home, his place would be taken by ten other demon revelers, and their host graciously stayed and partied with them. By Saturday night demons from distant realms had joined them, making for an even wilder celebration. Speeches were given, followed by one toast after another. Then, more dancing and in the darker corners, wild debauched behavior. But then it happened! No one knows the precise moment but in the early hours of Sunday morning, a messenger arrived whispering something in the ear of the host, who grew faint at the news. Recovering quickly, he ordered several demons to check it out. A nervous murmur ran through the crowd. Within minutes the news had been confirmed. Just that fast it happened. The music stopped, the dancing ended, and on Sunday morning the party in hell was over. Hell’s rejoicing was short-lived. The party that started on Good Friday ended on Easter Sunday. What appeared to be Satan’s greatest victory turned into his decisive defeat. The Cross meant that for Satan the party’s over.   Turn to Colossians 2:13-15 (p. 834). Did you catch that? “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he [Jesus] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” How did it happen? What did the cross mean to Satan? Let me suggest Six Answers from Scripture to that question. 1. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s head was crushed.It’s an election year so we’re hearing lots of predictions about what’s going to happen this fall. And we do have an interest in trying to imagine what the future holds. It’s difficult, however, to even know what’s going to happen tomorrow, much less with the upcoming presidential election.   Recently, I read of a man who was a very qualified TV meteorologist but did a terrible job at forecasting the weather. He became something of a local joke when the newspaper began keeping a record of his predictions and did a story showing he’d been wrong almost 300 times in one year. Because of the bad press, he was fired from his job. He eventually moved to another part of the country and applied for a similar job at another TV station. The job application asked him to state his reason for leaving his previous position. Want to know how he answered that question? This is what he wrote, “The climate didn’t agree with me.”   Noted physicist, Niels Bohr, insightfully observed that, “Prediction is a very difficult art…especially when it involves the future.” But not with God…in Genesis 3:15 God made a promise. We could call it a prediction, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel." This is the first promise given after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. It’s also the first gospel sermon ever preached. Theologians call this the protoevangelium or the first gospel. These words spoken by Yahweh contain the first promise of redemption in the Bible. Everything else in our Bibles flow from these words in Genesis 3:15. As the acorn contains the mighty oak, so these words contain the entire plan of salvation. English preacher, Charles Simeon, called this verse "the sum and summary of the whole Bible." Although you may not notice it at first glance, Jesus Christ is in this verse. He’s the ultimate Seed of the Woman Who one day would crush the snake’s ugly head. In the process His "heel" would be bruised on the cross. In short, this verse predicts that Jesus would win the victory over Satan but would Himself be wounded at the same time. When Christ died on the cross, Satan struck his heel.   So where on His body were the nails pounded in? His hands and His feet–right through His heels. On Friday about sundown, when they took the dead body of Jesus down from the cross, it appeared Satan had won the battle but on Easter Sunday morning, the true Victor walked out of the tomb, alive from the dead. Satan delivered a terrible blow to Jesus on Good Friday. No doubt he thought he’d delivered a knockout punch but he was wrong. All he did was strike Jesus on the heel. As painful as it was, that suffering was nothing compared to what Jesus did to Satan. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s head was crushed. 2. When Jesus died on the cross, He destroyed the works of Satan.   1 John 3:8 says that “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” This word "destroy" doesn’t mean to annihilate, it means to "render powerless." Like a mighty machine which has lost its power, when Jesus died on the cross, He "pulled the plug" on Satan. Jesus came to liberate us from Satan’s power. This doesn’t mean that the devil’s work has been absolutely and finally destroyed. That will take place later. It does mean though that Satan’s power has been deprived of its force and rendered inoperative. Satan is still active doing his wicked works. He’s still our enemy but he was defeated at Calvary.   In this present age Satan seems very powerful, but he can do nothing without God’s express permission. He’s like Samson after Delilah gave him a buzz job, unable to do anything on his own. The day is coming when his utter impotence will be revealed to the universe and those who followed him will discover that they were following a toothless lion. 3. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s power of death was broken forever. Two old retirees, Jake and Saul, were two retired widowers who resided close to each other and did constant welfare checks on each other. One day, as he’s drinking his morning coffee, Saul opens the morning paper and turns to the Obits page. He gets the shock of his life when he sees his own obituary in the column. He realizes that the query for info on him by the local newspaper a few months earlier was in preparation for this event. He correctly surmises that it’s a mistaken entry from their database, premature and erroneous. But it still excites and ticks him off. So he calls Jake up. "Jake, are you up yet?" Jake sleepily answers, "Yeah, but I'm just starting my coffee." "Jake. open the newspaper to page 31." "Why, what's in the paper?" "Jake, get the paper and open it to page 31 NOW!" "Ok, Ok, I've got the paper here, so what's on page 31?" "Jake, open the paper to page 31 already!" "All right, don't be such a pain so early in the morning. So what's on page 31 that's so important?" "Jake, look at the bottom of column 4." "Why? What's the story about?" "Jake, read the story on the bottom of the column already!" "OK, OK, I'll start reading the column if you’ll stop yelling in my ear!" The paper rustles for a few seconds…then there’s a long silent pause. Finally, Jake comes back on the phone and quietly and almost fearfully asks, "So Saul, where are you calling me from right now?"   Death is our enemy but Jesus on the Cross conquered death. Turn to Hebrews 2:14-15. “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy Him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."   Of all the fears that grip the hearts of men and women, none is greater than the fear of death. We don’t like to talk about death. In fact, we’ll do just about anything to change the subject. That’s one reason we turn to alcohol, drugs, sex, pleasure, and the pursuit of power. It’s also the reason we’re fanatics about our health. Down deep in the human heart there’s a fear of death that Satan uses to keep us enslaved.   Please don’t make a jump here. Satan has no power to kill you or anyone else. He can’t do anything without God’s permission, but he plays upon our fear of death to keep us in the chains of sin. That’s why Scripture says that the sting of death is sin (1 Cor. 15:56). When the unsaved die, they die with their sins still upon them, like a heavy burden, a vast weight bearing them down to hell. They die miserable, angry, frustrated, and fearful because they don’t know what to do with their sins. What a difference it makes to die having your sins forgiven.   A prominent citizen in town was dying. As he lay in his rich and lovely home, the best doctors surrounding him, he whispered, with a note of despair, "I'm leaving home, I'm leaving home." Across town though there lay a lonely Christian in simple surroundings. Her modest home contained only the most basic of life's essentials. In her eye though was a gleam. Before she died she was heard to say, "I'm going home, I'm going home."   Death is hard enough to face if you’re a Christian but it’s intolerable without the Lord. Yet every day countless thousands march into eternity with the leaden weight of sin hanging around their necks.   One person who’d recently had a loved one die said it succinctly in just two words: "Death stinks." Yes, it does, which is why the Bible says that death is the last enemy that will be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26).   John Wesley used to say of those early Methodists, "Our people die well." Dying well is a lost art. In Christianity’s early days believers spent much time preparing for their own departure. They understood that the way you die is a final opportunity to give a strong testimony for the Lord Jesus.   Now I’m not suggesting that death is a friend or that death is a natural part of life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Death reigns because of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:12-14). But now through Jesus Christ we have his infallible Word that "whoever lives and believes in Me will never die" (John 11:26). Like most pastors I’ve quoted those verses during funeral services. It’s great to do it when the dead person is in the casket right in front of me. After all, that’s when the full impact of Jesus’ words really hits home. Do we believe Jesus or not?   John Stott comments that for the Christian, death has become a "trivial episode," just a minor inconvenience and nothing more. If we know Jesus, death is like closing our eyes one moment and a moment later opening them in heaven.   Unbelievers don’t have that privilege nor do they understand our confidence as we enter death’s door. For them death is the end–or so they think. For us, as believers, it’s the next step in our eternal life with God.   4. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s prisoners were released. Luke 4:18 tells us Christ came to set the captives free and to release the oppressed. Who are the captives Christ came to set free? We’ve already seen that the lost are enslaved to the devil through their fear of death. Christ came to open for us those prison doors and set the captives free.   It’s probable that there’s even more to this. In his book, I Believe in Satan’s Downfall, Michael Green speaks of the ancient doctrine called the "Harrowing of Hell." In the early church many people believed that between his crucifixion and resurrection, Christ went to the regions of darkness and proclaimed his victory over the devil and the demons. Some suggest that Christ liberated the righteous souls who were in the "paradise" part of Hades and thus "led captivity captive." Turn to Eph. 4:8-10. Personally, I believe that the term "captivity led captive" refers to the public humiliation of the demonic forces mentioned in Col. 2:15. This idea of the harrowing of hell is also referred to in 1 Peter 3:18-20, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water.”   The death of Christ brought startling changes in the spirit world, most of which remain hidden to us today. I think the Bible gives us hints and glimmers of the truth, just enough to let us know that something monumental happened "behind the scenes" as a result of Christ’s death.   5. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s demons were disarmed. Years ago a missionary in Africa was to preach the Gospel in a remote village. He’d ride his horse to the places where he was to preach but this time the horse came to a place on the path, and it stopped, refusing to move. The missionary got off his horse, looked round to see what was going on and he saw a huge snake near a big stone and he was scared. Having heard stories of dangerous snakes in Africa, he started to calculate what solution would best help him out. He decided to quietly move back to his horse and go back home, deciding he’d apologize later to the congregation for not coming. Then, he started feeling guilty, knowing that he’d have failed in his duty if he did that. So he summoned up his courage and picked up some stones, throwing them at the snake. To his surprise the snake didn’t move. He moved back and threw some more; then he realized that the snake was already dead. He’d wasted half an hour, worried and frightened about a dead, harmless snake.   Colossians 2:15 declares that "having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." To "disarm" someone means to take from them the means by which they might hurt you. If a man has a gun pointed at you, he’s not disarmed until you take the gun away from him. As long as he has the gun, you’re in big trouble. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the guns out of the hands of the demons and He publicly humiliated them.   All of us have seen victory celebrations and ticker tape parades for sports teams who have won the Super Bowl or the World Series. What Scripture is alluding to is an ancient ticker tape victory parade but not for a sports team but for an army. Picture the Roman legions returning from a successful war. As they enter Rome, vast crowds line the streets. On and on they march, a seemingly endless parade. Then, come the victorious generals, each one accompanied by singers, dancers, and musicians. In that day though at the end of the procession they would have their conquered enemies march in the parade. So in the victory parade you spot a long line of weary, dirty, emaciated men. Their hands are tied, they shuffle one after another. They’re the defeated soldiers, now brought back to be displayed as proof of Rome’s invincible power.   When Jesus died, something fantastic happened in the spiritual realm. While it was invisible to human beings, it was seen by all of the angels and Old Testament saints. They watched as Jesus, like a conquering Roman general, entered the infernal regions and disarmed the universe’s "bad guys" one by one. Then, He marched them in full view of His Heavenly Father so that every created being would know that He’d won the victory.   This means that although demons have great power, they’ve been disarmed and cannot harm us unless we "re-arm" them by our sinful compromise. Though they attack us, if we’ll use the "shield of faith" provided for us, every fiery dart will be quenched.   Sadly, many believers live in needless fear of the demonic realm because they’ve never understood the victory Christ won for them. Some suffer demonic oppression because they nurse bitterness and other sinful attitudes, and dabble with evil. That’s like giving Satan a loaded gun, saying, "Why don’t you go ahead and shoot me?" He’s always glad to oblige you. 6. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s doom was guaranteed. In John 12:31 Jesus declares that "now the prince of this world will be driven out." In John 16:11He adds that the "prince of this world now stands condemned." We learn of Satan’s final end in Revelation 20:10, "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. There he will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Someday Satan will be cast into Hell forever and ever!! Conclusion: That brings us to the end of the story. At the cross Satan was disarmed, disgraced and defeated. The words of Martin Luther tell us what this means: And though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; One little word shall fell him.   What’s that "one little word" that brings the devil down? It’s the name Jesus. He fought the fight, He stood His ground on the cross He utterly defeated Satan and proved it by rising from the dead. And if you’ve been following along thus far, there’s only one question left unanswered but it’s a big one: If Christ defeated Satan why is there so much evil in the world? In the words of a popular Christian book, Satan is alive and well on planet earth. He doesn’t look very defeated. Certainly the devil seems to be having a field day. How else can you explain a mother suffocating her own children or someone abducting, molesting and murdering an innocent child? How else do you explain evil around the globe or Satanism on the rise or pornography like a filthy river flowing over the Internet? If Satan is defeated, he either doesn’t know it or else he’s taking the news really well.   I put it that way because our New Testaments presents the truth about the Satan in two different ways. On one hand we’re told over and over again that at the cross, Satan was defeated as completely as anyone can be defeated. On the other hand we’re warned about the devil who roams about as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). We’re told to put on the armor of God so we can stand in the evil day (Ephesians 6:10-17). Isn’t this a contradiction?   The answer is, “No,” but we need to do some careful thinking at this point. What happened at the cross was indeed the total defeat of Satan. In legal terms he was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to ultimate, eternal destruction. However, that sentence has not yet been executed, although there is no way for Satan to escape it (“Lo! his doom is sure.”) We could say that Satan is currently out on bail, wreaking havoc left and right, waiting for the day when he’ll be cast into the Lake of Fire once and for all. Until then he’s destroying lives, breaking up marriages, destroying homes and disrupting God’s work as much as he can.   If you’d prefer a military analogy, the cross was D-Day in World War II. Once the Allies came ashore in Normandy, the German defeat was certain. Although much fighting would ensue and many soldiers would die, the Allies won the war on December 6, 1944. Satan’s D-Day happened when Christ died on the cross. Since then his defeat has been certain, his ultimate surrender guaranteed. Meanwhile, he fights on in his desperate battle, a defeated but still dangerous foe. Satan is defeated but he’s still dangerous. So how should we deal with him? Here are some suggestions:   a) Stand and fight. Eph. 6:11-17 commands us to "put on the whole armor of God," listing out each piece of our personal equipment. We’re to put on this armor by faith so that when the day of battle comes, when temptation stares us in the face, when we feel like quitting, instead we stand our ground, and "having done all, to stand," meaning to stand victorious at the end of the day.   b) Resist the Devil. Resist the devil and he’ll flee from you (James 4:7). This is both a command and a promise. If we’ll submit to God (the first part of the verse), we can be certain that when we resist the devil, he’ll flee from us. We have no power in and of ourselves against the devil, but he has no power to use against us when we fight with God’s power. By ourselves we can’t win; with God’s help, we can’t lose.   c) Use the weapon of prayer. Remember that moment in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus wrestled with His fate? Knowing that He’d soon bear the weight of the sin of the world, He prays in agony, sweating as it were great drops of blood. So great was His abhorrence of sin that He even asks God to take the cup from Him. But even as He said the words He knew His Father couldn’t grant that request. Then came the great relinquishment, "Not My will, but Yours be done." Jesus won the victory in the Garden precisely because He poured out His soul to God. Let’s not think that our battles will be won any other way. If the Son of God must agonize in prayer, how much more must we cry out in prayer to God.   d) Renounce the Devil and confess Christ openly. Perhaps this is part of what Christ meant when He promised that whoever confesses Him openly, He would acknowledge before His Father in heaven, and whoever denies Him, He will deny before the Father (Matt. 10:32-33).   In the early days of the Church, baptismal candidates were asked, "Do you renounce the devil and all his works?" That same question is still asked today in many churches before a believer is baptized. And it’s entirely biblical and should be asked of ourselves on a daily basis. While I don’t believe in praying to the devil, I do believe it’s entirely proper that when we pray we should renounce the devil and pray for God’s help. Isn’t this what we mean when we pray "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One" (Matt. 6:13)?   There’s great hope at the end of the day for all those who struggle against sin. On Easter Sunday morning the word came down from heaven to the devil and all his demons: Turn out the lights, the party’s over.   Christian friend, do you feel defeated? Stand and fight. Do you feel discouraged? Stand and fight. Have you been tempted to give in? Stand and fight. Are you wavering between right and wrong? Stand and fight. And please remember this, the Captain of our Salvation has already won the battle. Satan can harass you but he can’t destroy you. As Luther wrote, “Lo! His doom is sure, one little word shall fell him.”