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11/20/10. Revelation 12:1-17. Victory Through The Blood Of Jesus- The Lamb of God. – Message

Victory Through The Blood Of Jesus – The Lamb of God

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Link to Revelation Messages and Questions        Link to Kevin’s Bible study materials

Revelation 12:1-17                                                                                                         Lesson 12

Key verse 12:11                                                                                                               Delivered by Kevin E. Jesmer 11/20/10

 

“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

 

As I was preparing this message I realized that there this chapter is so rich in meaning. There is the battle between good and evil and there is the message of the God protecting the persecuted church and there is the victory shouts of the saints around the throne. How can I do service to this passage by trying to cover it all at one time? I can not. I want to break it up into two lessons. This first lesson will focus on the victory that God has given his people and how we can live in that victory even today. In the next lesson we will take a closer look at the main characters. But, first, the Christian’s victory through the blood of the Lamb.  As we read this passage, we find one of the main characters in this passage. We see the dragon or Satan. Look at verse 3, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.” His seven heads represent great worldly wisdom and his ten horns… vast power. As we survey the Bible we find that this dragon was an enemy of Jesus even before Jesus’ birth in this world. He is the one who leads the whole world astray and plants a spirit of rebellion in people’s hearts. He is very powerful, more powerful than any mere human being. But he is not invincible. Satan is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and by the testimonies of faithful witnesses who love Jesus more than life. Through a study of this passage May we resolve to trust in Jesus’ shed blood alone, learn to love Jesus more than are own lives and taste true spiritual victory as we walk with our Lord Jesus Christ.

One thing is very evident here. These Christians all shared a deep sense of victory. Let’s read verses 10-12a, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!’
” Within these verses we learn the secret of the deep sense of victory that these suffering Christians felt in their hearts. And we can learn how we to can share in their song around the throne of God. Hopefully we all can be those who sing so triumphantly, even today. How can they be so victorious? Let’s see.

First, they overcame them by the blood of the Lamb. Look at verse 11a, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb…” There is one famous hymn that we sing, “Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus.” One verse states, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” The term “blood” is found 460 times in the Bible. If you consider all the “blood” related phrases, like altar, sacrifice, atonement, reconciliation, covenant and priesthood, etc, then almost every page in the Bible has something to do with blood.  The word, “blood” is synonymous for the cross, on which the Prince of Glory, Jesus, died. In verse 11a we see the word “blood” linked with “Lamb” revealing the way God has chosen for bringing a world, bent on rebellion, back to himself. Jesus, the Lamb of God is God’s way of salvation.

Let’s think about the blood of the Lamb. In the Old Testament, a sacrificial animal was offered in place of the one who desired to be restored. Some offered bulls. Some offered lambs. If they were poor, some offered pigeons. Mary and Joseph offered two pigeons. Whatever the case, the animal had to be without blemish. It had to be the property of the one who was sacrificing it. They would come to the priest, lay their hand on the head of the innocent animal, symbolizing the transference of identity, and with their own hand, they would take the knife and cut its throat. The blood that flowed would be poured onto the altar for it was necessary for the blood to actually be placed on the spot that represented God’s presence. This was a visible representation of the way God ordained to restore people that had lost their fellowship with him. When then person identified himself with the blood, that was poured on the altar, it meant that he believed in God who was seeking his redemption.

 

The sacrifice was necessary because of the person’s sin, but God also looked at the heart of the one making the offering. He saw the desire of that person to be reconciled. In other words God looked at the intent of the heart. He saw that the person loved God with all of their mind, soul, and strength. The beauty of the sacrificial system is that it shows how God, who had been offended by our sin, whom we had rejected, still loved us and was seeking a way that fellowship could be restored, a way to forgive us and bring us back to himself. This is God’s grace.

 

All of these sacrifices in the Old Testament could not take away sin completely however. People had to come back again and again to make sacrifices. But God honored them when the people offered with true faith the shed blood. And all of their sacrifices actually pointed their hearts to the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (Jn 1:29) The day that he was crucified was the Passover. All the worshippers, millions of them, where bringing their own animals to the altar in Jerusalem. Some carried them. Some bought them at the market. While all this was going on, Jesus was led outside the gate and nailed to the cross at Calvary. As he hung there, his blood ran red down the tree forming a red pool at his feet. His voice was lost among the jeers of his tormentors. The Bible says that we esteemed him not. (Is 53:3) His breathing became more labored. His body convulsed with pain and at last he lifted his voice and he cried out, “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30) And as he spoke the, curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Lk 23:45) What does this mean?

 

In the past, the way to the “Most Holy Place” was only accessible by the High Priest, and only on the Day of Atonement, where he would pray for the nation. He would bring in a censor, the blood of the sacrifice and pour it on the mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant. But now, when Jesus died on that cross, everything that was represented by the priest, everything that had been portrayed in these ceremonies for thousands of years, everything that had to do with attaining salvation, had now come to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish. Now, because of Jesus, we do not have to go through the endless sacrifices any longer. Through faith in the blood of Jesus, the one who hung on the cross of Calvary for our sins, we now become priests and we enter through the veil into the presence of the glory of the Almighty God! It is all because of the magnificent grace of Jesus. Praise God for opening this new and wonderful way for us when we repent and believe in Jesus!

 

When Jesus died on that cross, he died for all of us. We were sold into sin, and the wages of our sins was death. And yet God so loved the world that he was willing to bear all of our judgment on himself on the cross. He was willing to offer his One and Only Son that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life! (Jn 3:16) We are not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold, nor the blood of countless animals, nor by the traditions of humanity. The Bible makes it very clear that we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ alone. This is the essence of the Gospel. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn 1:29b) Jesus has taken away the sins of the world through his shed blood. This is great news! This is the message that we proclaim because it is the message that brings redemption. “…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” (Is 1:18b) The blood of Jesus goes deeper than any stain that our sins can create. This is the victorious gospel that we make it our aim to proclaim to the ends of the earth. Open your mouths and preach it! The Gospel is victorious! We can hear the saints proclaiming it around the throne even today, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 12:11a)

 

Next, the word of their testimony. Look at verse 11b, “…and by the word of their testimony;…”The word of their testimony” has to do with the way that God has chosen to communicate his Gospel to a world that is lost in darkness. People try to reveal the message in many ways. But the way that God has chosen is the testimony of those who have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus. Every believer has a testimony, for every believer has been touched by the Jesus’ grace in one way or another. In the same way, every believer has a ministry. We are all part of a royal priesthood and have been given the authority to go and declare the praises of him who called us out of the darkness and into his wonderful light. We need to know what our testimony is and be bold in declaring it.  This is how God’s work and ministry grows. God raises up those who believe. They know the grace of God. They share their testimony in meaningful ways with the world. They declare their faith and the work of God grows. It begins to multiply and those who believe on account of your testimony, should, in turn, go and tell others.

 

We need to know what our testimony is. Part of discovering this is confessing our sins to God and tasting his forgiveness and as we live in Jesus he heals us and strengthens us and helps us to bear fruit. Over the years I wrote a dozen or so life testimonies. I even wrote a 100 page life testimony where I explored all the ways that Jesus called me and worked in my life. With God’s help I could clearly and “point”fully share my life testimony with college students since 1986 and a few have been touched by it. I pray that all of you can discover what Jesus has done and is doing and will do in your life and share it clearly with others so that they can be blessed through it.

 

The victory that Jesus gives his people is revealed in the way Peter gave his testimony, when he confessed that Jesus is the Christ. He said. “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” (Mt 16:16) This was the crescendo in Jesus’ discipleship raising ministry, for his top disciple finally discovered Jesus’ true identity. Jesus turned to this rough and tough fisherman and said, “…On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Mt 16:18b) This rock is the solid foundation of Peter’s personal testimony about Jesus. Peter’s confession became pivotal for the other disciples to, in turn, confess their faith. When he held onto the testimony in his heart and proclaimed it and continued to proclaim it, Satan could not overcome the church.

 

The Christian church must be on the offensive to be victorious. The people of God move out into the field to confront the enemy. Their swords are drawn, their banners are unfurled and they boldly declare that Jesus Christ is Lord! “He has overcome!” That is why the faithful in Revelation are celebrating around the throne of heaven. They have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. And so can you.

 

When was the last time you told someone that Jesus loves them? Everyone who knows Jesus can declare what Jesus has done in his or her life and can in turn share the gospel of salvation with anyone who will hear. We must do this basic thing if we are going to be a ministry committed to discipling the nations. There are so many opportunities afforded to us at NIU.  For the students are living in the dorms, there are 25,000 students living all around them. When I visited the dorms, every time I go on an elevator there were 10-15 students. We interact with hundreds of people a day. Everyone can share their own personal testimony. It is not just the pastor’s job. That’s one reason why Jesus gave you a changed life. It is so you can have a testimony to share with others.

 

Fourth, a commitment to death. Look at verse 11c, “…they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” This refers to the kind of commitment expected of those who testify to the blood of Jesus. You will notice that it is a commitment unto death. Jesus died a painful death on the cross to save us from our sins. We most likely are not called to die this type of death. But when we identify with Christ, when we accept his redeeming grace in our lives, we are no longer our own. We were bought with a price. (1 Cor 6:20) We now belong to Jesus, who loved us and gave himself up for us. And we become his witnesses.

 

Do you know what the word “witness” means on the New Testament? It means “martyr.” Yes. It was understood in this way by the early Christians. Of course they gave verbal testimony, but it was understood that they had to be prepared to die for their faith. It is not that they were looking for it. It was because when they stood firmly and publically on the side of Jesus, they lost the support system of the world. They had no protection from the state. Their property could be taken away from them. Their families turned their backs on them. Thousands of them were hunted down like criminals and led into the arenas to be fed to the beasts. It wasn’t popular in those days to be a Christian. No one joined up because of the promise of health, wealth and prosperity. To be a Christian meant that you would give up all that the world could give. It meant to give up seeking your own comfort and pleasure. Paul tried to teach his people, that they needed to reconcile themselves to the fact that they were dead, dead to this world, dead to sin, but alive to God. Paul even said “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) He also wrote in Romans, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”  (Romans 14:8) If you have this kind of commitment to Jesus then the devil can not get a foothold in your life. You have already faced the enemy in your heart. You have already taken your stand. You already share in Christ’s victory. You are more than a conqueror. In your heart there is a song and a peace that the world can not take away. The world does not understand this kind of commitment. It confuses the world and baffles it when it sees the joyous dedication of believers to follow Christ at any cost.

 

In America today, I don’t think that in our lifetime we will be called to lay down our physical lives. We are more likely to die a slow death of pneumonia in the local hospital. Maybe it will happen in the future however.  Definitely, those believers observed in this passage of Revelation, did. But, today, there are ways we can die to ourselves spiritually. We can die in the deeper reality of our spirit. Should not Christians already consider themselves dead to sin and alive to Christ? We are to be living sacrifices, holy and set apart for God. This is our only reasonable response to the love of God in our lives. We should no longer be conformed to the value systems of this world but be transformed in the renewing of our minds. (Rom 12:2)

 

It is all worthwhile. Look at verse 12a, “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!…” While it does not appear what we shall be, we are certain of this, that when Jesus appears we shall be like him. That day will be new beginning, a beginning of eternity with Jesus. Every knee shall bow and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Jesus Christ is Lord! Not Caesar. Not secular humanism. Not human philosophy, not human technology. Not money! Not even ourselves! No! Jesus Christ alone. Jesus reigns on his throne. He has all authority in heaven and on earth.  That is why the faithful are celebrating around the thrown of heaven.  We need to hear their voices as John did. All of us are prone to discouragement. Those who think the battle they are called to fight is too hard, listen to the voices around the throne in this passage. Listen to the voices from heaven, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” (10)  Satan is defeated. You don’t have to listen to his accusations any more. Because you have one who have overcome. He reigns on that throne and he is the same yesterday, today and forever. His name is Jesus! That is the confidence that we have because of Jesus. And because Jesus is victorious, we too can live in victory. The people of God have overcome. Don’t forget it. Are you living in that victory? If you are not, you are living below your privilege as a child of a king. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of our testimony, and because we don’t love our lives so much as to shrink back from death. In Jesus we are victorious Christians.

 

 

 




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