Three Defeated Foes & Why That’s Important – Satan

INTRODUCTION

Every year around this time there always seems to be a buzz in the air. It’s an attitude and atmosphere of praise as we remember and reflect upon the sacrifice of Christ but also celebrate His incredible victory over the three most powerful enemies this world has ever faced: Satan, Sin, and Death. For those of you who like video games, you’ll appreciate this illustration: It was like Jesus making His way through each level and, one by one, as He came to each boss, He dealt the bad guy a decisive and final blow to the head and moved forward to receive His reward – there is truly no one like our God!
But why is it important to know that each one of these three foes has been defeated and dealt with the deathblow? Also, while their power has been officially stripped from them, at what point will the effect of their former reign be finally done away with? Let us consider each one over the course of the next three days.

THE FIRST ENEMY – SATAN

The ancient serpent-figure from the third chapter of Genesis. This wicked snake came into God’s paradise and like a monster attacked God’s kids. Parents, reflect on that for a moment and imagine what you would do if someone came in and assaulted your children! How would you respond? You would likely want the exact same thing the LORD wanted: Justice! In fact, God wanted justice so much that He made a promise to this devil that He would one day send the Serpent-Crusher who would enact the death penalty on this snake (Genesis 3:15).

While the influence of this maniacal beast is still prevalent and far-reaching in our world today, he along with his cohort of demons have been overwhelmingly conquered by the Cross of Christ. Colossians 2:15 says that “He [Christ] disarmed the rulers and authorities [Satan and his minions] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him!” Basically, the Cross of Jesus Christ was the nail in the coffin – it was the introduction of the atomic bomb that brought about the end of the war! However, just like when WWII was brought to an end, the only way for everyone to know the truth was for word to spread around and across the globe. Yes, the Devil has not been completely done away with yet, but he forever lost all of his leverage when Jesus died and rose again! Now, he is simply awaiting trial for which he will be eternally judged for all his crimes.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER?

This is important because one of Satan’s main weapons against believers in the Old Testament had been that of accusing them of sin (Zechariah 3:1). The reason this was a big deal was because if there had been no answer to that serious problem, then it would call God’s character into question if He were ever to allow sinners to be saved from Hell. However, because Jesus died in our place, He nailed all of our debt with Him on the Cross. Thus, Satan can accuse and slander all he wants, but no longer can he attempt to call God’s character into question because God Himself satisfied the demands of the Law and has thus made salvation available to all who believe.

Thus, Satan was defeated.

About the Author

Cameron Neace is the pastor of Watermark Church. Born & raised in Missouri, he & Caitlin and their two cats, Pierogi & Poptart, have called Union home since 2023. In his free time, Cameron enjoys playing board games, writing, reading, & drinking coffee.