Welcome, everybody.

Welcome, Westco, Rancho, San Dimas.

I'm in Revelation 12.

We're in a series called Shocking.

I want to begin by reading the text on which the sermon will be based.

So this is Revelation chapter 12.

I'm going to read 13 through 17.

Here's what the Bible says.

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle.

so that she might fly to a place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for time, times, and half a time out of the serpent's reach.

Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.

But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God's commands.

and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

I want to talk to you about what I see as one of the most shocking truths that we find anywhere in Scripture.

And I want to set the stage by telling you a rather sad story.

I was in Europe the last couple of weeks talking to some of the people that we're working with in our European initiative to reach the next generation for Christ on that continent.

basically in all the European countries.

While we were there, I received word from Stella, who manages what we call Chosen Children of Promise in Nairobi.

And if you know anything about this ministry, it's an amazing ministry where we work in the slums and we're trying to save one child at a time by giving a quality of education, by giving three meals a day, by giving clothing.

And many of you are sponsors of those children.

It's an amazing ministry.

I told you the story of you.

Years ago, it might even have been last year, where Robin and I were there, and Stella is very strategic.

She took me on home visits, and I met a little boy by the name of Christopher.

He didn't know who I was.

I didn't know who he was, but we went into his little home there, where his auntie tries her best to feed and clothe them and to take care of them.

And when Christopher was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said, I want to be a pastor.

And so immediately, Robin and I looked at Stella and said, we're his sponsor.

So we started sponsoring little Christopher.

My buddy Rick Reed went over to Nairobi not too long ago and also spent some time and got to know Christopher a little bit.

Well, we received word while we were there that little Christopher passed away.

He was in his house, and this happens a lot in Africa where they're using coals to heat the room, and the mother went away to try to earn a living and left little Christopher and his little sister there.

And because of the lack of ventilation and carbon dioxide, little Christopher and his little sister passed away.

And we received that news and Robin and I, it just devastated us.

And sometimes I look around at the world and I wonder, God, why do you allow the devil so much freedom?

And if you're like me, you're tempted to say, you know, if I were God, I would increase the devil's limitations.

It appears to me that...

He simply has way too much freedom to wreak havoc on the world.

We talked a few weeks ago about how Job made that same accusation.

Basically, Job said to God, God, the scales seem too lopsided to me.

There's far too much evil in the world.

And remember what God's response basically was this, hey, Job, when you're able to run the physical universe, then you can tell me how to run the moral universe.

And we talked about how we have no idea, if you think about it, How often God says, this far and no further.

We have no ability to discern how much limitation actually takes place where evil is concerned on this earth.

We have no idea how many times God does say, this far and no further.

And then I began to wonder, given the fact of the way we treat each other, our entitlement, our narcissism, our self-centeredness, I don't know sometimes why God just doesn't wipe all of us out.

Then there's the idea of cause and effect where God told us numerous times in the scripture that when we move away from him, the more pain and suffering there's going to be on the earth.

In fact, I started thinking about little Christopher.

There is a multitude of sin that's taken place to get little Christopher where he is.

I mean, a multitude of sin and depravity and corruption played a huge role in his horrible living conditions that eventually led to his death.

And I've said, numerous times that the issue in our world is not a lack of resources, but in the abuse and the corruption of all that God has provided.

And humanity has this uncanny ability to take credit.

all the beauty and wonder in our world while blaming God for all the ugliness.

And the bottom line in our world is that with increasing rebellion and unrighteousness will come sin and evil and corruption and pain and suffering.

In fact, we're told that in the last days, in 2 Timothy chapter 3, there will be terrible times.

Tell me this doesn't describe where we are today.

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power, have nothing to do with such people.

The reason we decided to do a series called Shocking is because it appears that everyone right now is talking about the end of the world, what Christians often refer to as the last days.

I've heard the world, World War III, almost every day.

I've paid attention, trying to listen and read news stories.

Almost every day, we used to hear it from time to time, but almost every day, World War III.

Religious scholars, religious people are assuming that the conflict in the Middle East that seems to not be going away is simply a prelude to what they call Armageddon.

Others say that because the Chinese and Russians are now involved, this is a conflict that is a precursor to nuclear war.

And now we have the government releasing information about aliens.

Now, I know you've got a lot of questions.

I will answer those when I'm ready.

for now.

I will answer them.

But for now, people are asking now more than ever, is there intelligent life on other planets?

And I really don't know why we're asking that question, because as I said before, there's no intelligent life on this planet, so why would we think there's intelligent life on other planets, right?

Yeah.

Social prognosticators are talking about the inevitable breakdown of society and the planet.

Scientists are talking about a global catastrophe.

And even every religion right now, and I'm serious about this, other than probably Hinduism, probably not Buddhism as well, but every other religion, primary, main religion, is claiming that the end is near.

The Jews say that after October 7th, when Hamas murdered civilians, men, women, and children, that the result is there is this great movement now in Israel among the young people.

They have been now incentivized to ask questions they have not asked for a long time.

Concerning religion, God, their purpose in the world.

What are we fighting for?

What is our heritage?

Who are we as a people?

We have learned in the last year that synagogue attendance has increased.

The study of the Torah increased.

Interest in Judaism increased.

And for some in Israel, even interest in Yeshua, Jesus Christ, has increased.

It's undeniable.

There's a renewed passion.

and a turning back to God in some form in Israel, which has piqued the interest of Jewish scholars because they believe that Messiah has not yet come, and Messiah will only come when the Jewish people return to God.

So they now are looking for the return of their Messiah, and in their minds, when Messiah comes, the Jews will finally be vindicated as the people of God and the true chosen ones.

Christians especially those who love to major in end-time theology or eschatology.

They're claiming that what's being played out right now in the Middle East has been prophesied in the book of Revelation, and clearly they tell us the end is near.

They say that what is happening in Iran and the Middle East and Israel coupled together with the reality that China and Russia are now getting involved into this conflict with the West is all part of a chess match that leads to the end.

The day when the final battle they call Armageddon, the destruction of the physical universe, occurs so that the new kingdom can be ushered in.

Many Muslims, not only the Christians and the Jews, Muslims feel the same way.

The end is near, they claim.

In Iran, there is a group known as the Twelver Shia Ifna Ashar.

This is the largest branch of Shia Islam.

It strongly believes that Mahdi...

or the 12th Imam, who apparently lives somewhere in hiding and no one knows exactly where, but they believe that he will soon appear and set things right once and for all.

And the thing they believe that will catalyze his return, now listen to this, is when Iran appears on the brink of destruction.

When Iran appears on the brink of destruction is the time that Mahdi will appear and restore power and authority to Islam, vindicating them as the people of Allah.

establishing their rightful place on the earth.

That's one of the reasons that Iran and the regime, or at least part of the Iran regime, will never give up.

There's a part of them that wants the destruction to come because in their minds, the sooner the destruction comes, the sooner Mahdi will come and restore the power and authority on earth to Islam.

Then the whole world will be forced finally to submit.

Islam means submission.

Now, I don't have the time to do a full apologetic on these issues, but I still need to point out a major difference.

Number one, Islam truly believes that a literal Messiah will come and vindicate the Muslims.

The Jews believe a literal king like King David or Solomon will come and vindicate the Jews.

Christians believe that the Messiah has already come and will come again and will vindicate himself and set up an entirely new kingdom.

that vindicates no man, no ruler, no man-made kingdom, no race of people, but instead vindicates the kingdom of God, the kingdom Jesus Christ established in the hearts of men and women of all nations through the power of the cross.

That kingdom becomes a present reality.

That kingdom is extended to all peoples, to the Arab, to the Jew, the European, the Asian, the black, the white, all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But here is the shocking truth.

So notice the difference.

Notice the difference.

In Christianity, God has no interest in any earthly kingdom.

He has no interest in any earthly people other than the people of God.

God's goal is not to highlight one group of people over another group of people other than those who follow him from all nations.

But the shocking truth about this passage, and I wish we could deal with the entire passage.

Actually, I had planned to.

but we'd be here for a few days.

So I can only deal with that one aspect, that shocking truth, and it's this.

Satan is permitted to pursue the people of God in numerous attempts to destroy them.

That should wake us up.

The book of Job declares that Satan is an accuser and destroyer who wants to provoke.

He is intent on introducing enmity between God and us.

And in this text that I read previously, something crucial is discovered, and it is the absolute key to understanding how the evil one is going to work in your life.

Now, let me go back to early part of chapter 12.

I did not read because it sets up the entire chapter, and again, I can't go through the whole thing.

I've done that in the past, but I just don't have the time to do that right now, but I do need to make this statement.

That is, in verse 4, we're told, that the dragon, now if we had time to go through it, it's very clear the dragon is the devil, stood in front of the woman.

And the woman could be Mary, it could be Israel as a nation, it could even be the church.

Regardless, we know she represents the people of God.

So the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

Now I want you to notice, as soon as Jesus is born.

The devil goes on the attack.

He doesn't wait till Jesus is full grown.

He doesn't wait till Jesus can walk and talk and hear the voice of his father.

He begins at the cradle or in the manger right away.

And as you read the Christmas story, he is working overtime from all sides.

He tries to destroy the relationship between Mary and Joseph, taking advantage of an unwed pregnancy.

He works overtime through Herod to destroy every male child two years and younger.

He tries to ruin Mary, Joseph, and the child during their exile and journey into Egypt.

Even before that, you can say that he backs up even earlier than that.

Because in Genesis, he works in the mind of Cain, bringing envy and jealousy and ultimately murder that he might destroy the lineage through which the Messiah will come.

In Noah and the flood, he works overtime to influence all men toward wickedness.

so that God would destroy all that he had made, canceling out the very people through whom redemption would come.

Satan is the man behind and the influencer behind Haman's plot in ancient Persia, where an edict is passed to eradicate all Jews in a socially declared genocide.

Satan is the real power and influence behind the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Canaanites, the Midianites, Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 BC.

the Rhineland massacres.

If you know anything about those, they're in the medieval times.

And in modern times, he is the mind and the power behind the Houthis, Hamas, other Islam extremists and Hindu extremists.

The real power behind all genocides attempting to eradicate the people of God, including the Holocaust, is Satan.

He seeks first to destroy the people of God.

physically, and then he seeks second to destroy the people of God spiritually, that there might be enmity between God and us.

Now, I wish we had more time to delve into all of that, but you and I know that he will never succeed, right?

He will never succeed as an ultimate objective.

He may win or seemingly win some battles, but he's already lost the war because God always has a counter move.

Christ has secured our salvation.

Correct?

Now, in verse 10, we read of the same chapter, 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 Messiah.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down and they triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb.

So the true people of God, whether it's you Mary and her child, whether it's the nation of Israel, he will not wop out the descendants through whom the Messiah came.

Neither will he be able to ultimately destroy the true Israel, which are the people of God, you and me.

Because he knows that, because he knows that, he turns his attention somewhere very specific that's shocking.

and that you've got to know about.

Now, before I tell you where that is, notice verse 12, therefore rejoice you heavens and you who dwell in them, but woe to the earth and sea because the devil has gone down to you.

He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short.

Now, how many of you have ever read that and think, thanks a lot.

You kicked him out of heaven where he was your problem.

And you send them down here where he's ours.

You ever thought about that?

That's like emptying the El Salvadorian prisons and sending them to America.

That's like letting hardened criminals out of LA prisons and sending them to San Dimas, Laverne, West Covina, and Rancho.

That's like kicking the giant fans out of San Francisco and sending them to LA.

You got it?

So the good news is that salvation has come, but the bad news is that Satan shows up.

Somehow, he plays a significant part in God's overall story of redemption.

Somehow.

Nevertheless, to borrow a line, what you going to do when he comes for you?

Look at verse 17 again.

Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

Now, there's a lot of discussion about who the woman is, who she represents.

Regardless, by the time we get to verse 17, it's very clear that the church of Jesus Christ, those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus, We are the target.

We're the target.

He failed to exterminate Israel.

The people through Messiah would come.

He fell in his attempt to put enmity between us and God because God remedied that through the cross, right?

Therefore, we stand in no condemnation.

And you can say that for every move Satan makes, God has a more powerful and more effective counter move.

In fact, we read about that counter move.

Look at Revelation 12, 14.

But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent.

You don't have to guess what that means because it's right out of the Old Testament, Exodus 19, verse 3 and 4, Moses went up to God and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, this is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel.

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself.

On eagle's wings means that during times of attack, you don't simply survive.

You thrive, you soar, the people of God, when the attacks come.

In other words, don't worry when the threats come, and they will come.

The armies of Satan may chase you.

Satan himself may tempt you, try to deceive you, but take heart.

Keep moving forward.

Trust God, and he will open up the sea and swallow all of your enemies.

Then look at verse 15.

So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman.

that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood, which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

This is an Old Testament prophecy found in Jeremiah 46, verse 6-8.

You've heard me say numerous times that people are afraid of revelation.

You don't need to be if you understand the Old Testament references.

In the Old Testament, there's a prophecy given by Jeremiah concerning...

the defeat of the Egyptian army.

And here's what it says.

Do not let the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape.

So Jeremiah says, even their swift and strong warriors in Egypt will not escape.

They will stumble and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

Who is this coming up like a flood?

Whose waters move like the rivers?

Egypt rises up like a flood and its waters move like the rivers.

And he says, I will go up and cover the earth.

I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.

So Egypt boasts that they will go up and flood the land and destroy the cities and the people.

But God says, let the enemy boast.

Let them talk trash.

Let them spew accusations and temptations.

Let them try to discredit and destroy and disarm you.

He will lose.

I will swallow up all his attacks and grant you the victory.

So that's the promise that we're given through this chapter in the book of Revelation.

That yes, the bride of Christ will be attacked, but no weapon formed against us will prevail.

The land will open and consume the floodwaters.

There's no need to fear.

Satan will not win.

In fact, he's already defeated, which is why in Matthew 16, and I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Now, listen, that means that the church of Jesus Christ will never be defeated.

She will last for all of eternity.

But here's the question.

Are you coming with it?

The church will never be destroyed.

The people of God will never be destroyed.

But are you coming?

Satan will attempt to destroy the people of God, and he has.

But God will raise up a Noah, an Esther, a Boaz, a Moses, a Joseph, a Samson, a David, who will champion the cause of the people of God and saved him.

He will attempt to destroy the world.

to destroy the Christ child.

But God will carry them away into Egypt, both literally and symbolically to protect and save.

But the point of the passage is out of his anger and rage that he've lost, Satan will now turn his attention to the third group.

Who is it?

One more time.

And the dragon was enraged with the woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

It's us.

Now listen, please hear me on this because we could go in so many different directions here, but because of what's happening in our church, what God is doing, I want you to hear this.

Every advancement in the way that people live has come about because somebody saw what could be and was no longer willing to accept what is.

It's true of every major invention known to men.

Somebody somewhere imagined a breakthrough, not yet visible to human eyes, and they pressed on until the vision became a reality.

They refused and rejected the naysayers.

They saw failure as a path towards success.

And the starting point always occurred when a person or a people refused used to settle for the status quo.

and believe that things could be different.

All of my training in Bible college and seminary, for some reason...

I was continually told that God would not do this, that God would not do that.

I was never told that God could not, just that God would not.

And the more I heard this, the more I got suspicious.

Why are you constantly denouncing a move of God?

Why do you keep telling me what God cannot do?

And then I would read the book of Acts, and in the book of Acts I would see people who believe that God could do immeasurably more than you could ever ask for or imagine.

And I see people who would leave their lives for the sake of pursuing God, and then God would show up.

Somewhere in the course of my life, I dropped everything, and I said, God, I just want more of you.

Have you ever done that?

I'm confused about so many things, aliens, governments.

God, I can't figure all this out.

All I know is that the water that springs up within a man and fills his soul.

The overarching, oversensing joy that comes into your life when you pursue God.

God, that's what I want.

And I got more serious than I'd ever been about my devotional life and my prayer life.

And I began looking around at the people I'd surrounded myself with.

And I started asking questions like, are they going where I'm going?

Are they pursuing what I'm pursuing?

Are they closed?

to the work of the Spirit or open to the work of the Spirit?

Are they afraid that God might do something they can no longer explain?

Are they satisfied with just doing ministry and church like we always have and getting the same result?

Maybe the people that we minister to are not seeking God because we're not seeking God.

Maybe there's no urgency for righteousness in their lives because there's no urgency for righteousness in our lives.

Maybe there's no expectation for the move of God in their lives because there's no expectation for the move of God in my life.

And my heart began racing and my resolve immovable.

Now, when I got to that point in my life, what do you think happened next?

Smooth sailing?

Everything just fell in place, didn't it?

Come on.

What happened?

Boom.

It's like there was a stinking target on my back.

And now the devil says, oh, you're going to get, oh, no, I can't do this.

I'm going to come in and I'm going to attack the baby before this thing grows.

This is Satan's modus operandi.

And the dragon was enraged with a woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The translation, as soon as you make a decision, to reject the status quo and chase after something more in your life, in any area of your spiritual life, Satan unleashes his attack.

See, before then you were harmless.

He don't leave you alone.

You're no danger to him.

But you get serious about something.

You get serious about pursuing God.

You get serious about pursuing a healthy marriage.

You get serious about sharing your faith.

You get serious about something like Watch out now.

Tithing?

Woo Your world will fall apart because he knows he has to squelch it in the beginning.

He is no match for what God can do in you once the roots go deep.

And that's why many Christians fail to accomplish greatness.

They have no staying power.

They have no root.

And what did Jesus say happens when you have no root?

Matthew 13, 20, the seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.

But since they have no root, they last only a short time.

When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Alternatively, in James chapter 1, verse 12, blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him staying power.

The Greek word is hupomone.

There's no quit in you.

Folks, anybody can start, but few finish.

And do you know why?

Because the beginning is where the devil focuses his attack.

Once you get it off the ground and you go deep with God, he's powerless, powerless.

Jim Cimbala is the pastor of the Brooklyn Tab, and I got to visit there many years ago, and I'll tell you, I was amazed when I attended.

It's a church in the poor part of the city.

His story is remarkable.

We stood in line on a Tuesday night.

There were more people attending the prayer meeting than attended the weekend services.

It went around the block, people trying to get in.

And the people who attended, it's like a little taste of heaven.

Every group is represented.

Every people group, every culture that it seems.

And you've got drug addicts, prostitutes, pimps.

sexual abusers and abusees.

You got sinners lined up for blocks trying to get into this prayer meeting because they've heard the story of healing and restoration in the name of Jesus Christ.

But when Jim and his wife Carol had just begun their ministry in Brooklyn, and it was a ministry that many naysayers told them, and I believe naysayers in a lot of cases are empowered and inspired by the devil.

And the naysayers told them that you can never go in there as white Americans into Brooklyn and start a church like this.

Jim, in his book, The Church That God Blesses, tells the story about how in the early days of the church, he received a phone call from a pastor in South Dakota who said that he and his wife were feeling a strong call to work in the inner city, and they're coming to New York to meet.

with Jim and Carol.

Jim and Carol were novices in ministry, and they said they were just getting things off the ground.

They didn't know how much they could help or share, but they would share what they had.

The couple shows up two weeks later with their two children, small children, and they set up a time to meet with Jim and Carol.

Jim said he wasn't sure what to do because they had this long conversation.

It seemed a good conversation.

They asked a lot of questions, but he knew that this couple from South Dakota with two small children had no place to stay.

So he offered them an apartment upstairs in the church.

It wasn't much, but an elderly lady already lived up there, so they at least have company.

The next day, Jim writes in his books, was Friday.

And it was an eventful weekend, a lot of church activities, where the new couple from South Dakota could mix and mingle with a lot of other people in the small congregation.

And Jim said the first sign of trouble was when a young mother and her daughter, who were very loyal to the pastor, called Jim and said, you got a real problem on your hands, and it's that new couple from South Dakota.

They're saying some real unkind things to other people about you.

Jim said he dismissed it as probably a misunderstanding, went back to his work.

But that night when he started to pray and have his time with God, the Holy Spirit told him, you need to confront this couple.

And so now let me read to you the account from his book.

I arrived at church about 9.30 a.m., went to the kitchen where I usually had some coffee.

The minister and his wife joined me a little later, and we sat together at the table.

I wanted to get that woman's phone call off my mind before the day went much further, so I related to them the report I had received about their conversations with others.

Was it true what she reported to me?

If so, why would they say such false and hurtful things?

The pastor and his wife looked at each other for a moment and then he spoke.

Maybe we should tell him now, honey.

What do you think?

She looked up in a weird kind of way and began to laugh very slowly and in very low tones.

Yes, tell him now.

It's time.

He stood up very quickly and whirled at me.

You're through here, Jim.

It's all over for you and your wife.

You'll never preach here again.

God has sent us to take over and to get things right.

Then they both started laughing in these low-pitched tones.

Jim goes on to say, I tried to reason with them.

They kept up their accusing.

They had spoken to other church members and said that they also wanted us out, including the elderly lady who lived in the small apartment.

She had loaned the previous pastor $15,000 to purchase the building.

And the couple claimed that if Jim and Carol did not immediately resign, she would call in the loan.

So Jim knocked on the door and sure enough, they had turned this elderly lady, who they thought was the closest of a close friend against Jim and Carol.

He goes on to say, I was stunned.

How could this couple have done all this mischief in less than a week?

What evil power am I dealing with anyway?

As I stood next to the elderly woman, I turned and saw both of them near the door grinning at me with a kind of devilish glee.

For the first time, I saw what I was up against.

I yelled, you devil.

Suddenly, the man let out a horrible, loud cry, started running toward me at full speed.

I had an instant to react, but I just closed my eyes and stood still.

He stopped less than a foot from me, and to this day I am so glad the Lord was watching over me and that that man didn't hit me.

Pastor Jim told the couple to leave immediately or he would call the police.

He helped them pack up their stuff, loaded it into the car, and the couple, quiet and powerless, drove away.

But here's the reason I tell you this story.

Jim finishes by saying, as I recovered from this exhausting incident, key questions remained.

Why did Satan make such a determined assault on this tiny little church?

Why?

Had he tried to drive away an inexperienced, fumbling young pastor and his equally untrained wife?

The devil had definitely attacked our struggling little church.

But why?

Did God have something wonderful in store for us?

Did God's plans incite Satan's malicious assault?

I know that Satan is limited in his knowledge, but is it possible that he saw something developing and instigated this attack?

Perhaps he had an inkling that very soon, dozens and then hundreds, and today thousands would gather together every Tuesday night to pray and intercede in Jesus' name for men and women held captive to sin and Satan.

And he says, maybe, maybe he knew that former drug addicts, lawyers, former homosexuals, doctors, blacks, whites, Latinos, and Asians would one day lift up their voices together to praise God.

for transforming their lives.

Maybe he knew that one day my untrained, shy wife would stand before 275 Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir members and proclaim to the world through song that the Lamb has overcome.

He says, and this is the part that got me, whenever people stir themselves to seek the Lord, whenever someone steps out in faith upon God's promises, whenever a fresh consecration is made to yield oneself totally and completely to him, That is the time when Satan's most cunning attacks occur.

Satan always tries to snuff out the fresh new thing God is doing.

Listen, I took that and I applied it backwards into the most difficult seasons of my life.

And it was uncanny.

I cannot believe how applicable this principle really is.

That every moment as a pastor, whether it was in Africa or New Zealand or Savannah or...

Southern California, every time that I feel I'm on the verge or we're on the verge of something great, the enemy comes in right away.

As long as we're average and mundane and mediocre, he leaves me alone.

He leaves us alone.

But as soon as I say, or you say in your life, folks, even if you're not even a Christian yet, Do you realize as soon as you start to lean that way, boom, he attacks the baby.

He knows once it takes root, once it matures, he's no match for it.

Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

But every time that I've started to branch out in faith and say that this, I don't like the status quo.

I'm tired of people telling me that God cannot move in miraculous ways.

There's something God can't do that a little church can't have impact over the world.

Every time you start to believe or I start to believe that God can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine, boom, expect it, a moral failure, a rogue warrior.

Do you know what it is?

Sorry, a rogue rower.

Do you know what that is?

It's when an organization is signified by people in a boat.

And everybody's rowing, but you've got one person rowing just a little bit out of the way, just a little bit.

And the boat's turning very slowly.

Satan always does it like that.

Just one person causing a bunch of havoc.

It's a malicious gossip, a slanderer.

Even sometimes it's somebody super spiritual and arrogant who believes God sent them to straighten out this organization.

I've seen it in my own spiritual walk.

When I'm on the threshold of a breakthrough, when I say I am not going to ever miss another prayer time or devotional time, what happens?

Car breaks down, wife calls.

When I decide I'm going to make weekend worship a non-negotiable.

When I decide I'm going to make this marriage work.

When I decide I'm going to give my life to Jesus.

I'm going to be baptized.

When I decide I'm going to start reading my Bible, I'm going to get in a growth group.

I'm going to use my spiritual gifts.

What happens immediately?

The attack comes.

I'm asking you.

that when things start to fall apart around you, one of the best questions you could ask, what new commitment have I made to Jesus and his kingdom that is drawing this kind of attack?

I promise you that if you lean into time with God each morning, Satan will nab you while you're still in the infancy stage.

Telephone will ring, phone will go off, work will call, there'll be emergency at school.

Voices will tell you it's a waste of time inside your head, and worse yet, you'll get mental blocks.

As soon as you decide to discover your spiritual gifts and you say, I'm going to use them for the sake of Christ's kingdom, he'll try to nab you in the infancy stage.

Your first experience will be a disaster.

The people you serve with will be difficult.

You're the only one that's not difficult, and you know that.

Every time you feel the conviction to join a growth group, the first group you attend will seldom fit you well.

You look around the room and you think, meet once a week with these people.

I don't think so.

Or the facilitator talks too much or teaches you little to nothing.

Or someone you know from your past is in the room and you think, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life with them in the same room.

Satan will throw everything he can so that you never get to the enjoyment stage.

Because once you get to that stage and you start doing life with other people, man boom It's too late.

It's too late.

You decide to read the Bible.

You ever decide you're going to read through the Bible in a year?

You ever notice how that works for about a week and then all of a sudden your schedule gets all whacked out and the car kills over, your wife calls and the pipes burst, work calls, they need you to come in early.

It's uncanny.

Or is it?

Jeff, it seems to me that I'd be better off just to remain nominal.

That's how, you know, Jeff, if I just don't try to change anything, then the devil won't attack me.

No, but here's the problem.

And we're going to get into this.

Man, when we get in the next two weeks, here's the problem.

If you do that, you descend into darkness.

And you're the type of person that will be deceived when the Antichrist comes.

And when the man of lawlessness shows up who does amazing things, you'll be sucked in because you have no deep root in Christ.

In other words, you're vulnerable.

The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.

He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him.

Folks, we are on the verge of greatness here.

Our church is, do you know what's going on among your young adults and among your junior hires and high schoolers?

Do you know what's going on?

Can I be honest?

Some of you adults, you're going to be left behind, not in the rapture.

You're just going to be left behind.

God is doing an amazing thing.

And just like the Brooklyn Tabernacle, it began with that prayer night on Monday nights.

Lives are being transformed.

You're going to learn a lot more about that this year in November when we do a series.

And you're going to learn a lot about all the things that are happening in our church, in our community, around the world.

But do you know what all this means?

The attacks are coming.

They're coming.

Now, how do we defeat them?

Okay?

We know they're coming.

How do we defeat them?

Let me read verse 10 again.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of God and the authority of our Messiah, of his Messiah.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down.

They triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.

Listen carefully.

You triumph over Satan on the earth the same way you triumphed over him in the heavens by the salvation and power and authority of Jesus Christ.

In other words, you're going to learn to recognize that as soon as you make a decision to do the right thing, To move to another level in your relationship with God, in any area, in any department, you have to learn to recognize it, that it's the devil who is spewing frustration and division and doubt and entitlement and a flood of things that kill, steal, and destroy.

His forte is obstacles.

They will arise one after the next, after the next, but you have the power to silence his attacks and to frighten him away.

Do you know that?

How?

Luke chapter 10 verse 17, the 72 returned with joy and said, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.

Remember what I told you about our experience in Armenia when these Indian girls had been promised if they leave India and come into Armenia that they'll be given jobs, they'll be educated, and then it's a trap.

They're caught, drugged in the sex slave trade.

Some of them managed to escape and there's an international church in Armenia.

It's the only evangelical church in the whole country as I'm aware.

And they have a deliverance ministry and they get these girls.

They don't know everything that's happening around them.

They just know that Satan has moved in and all they do, they sit there with the girls and they just speak the name of Jesus again and again and again and again until the demons leave.

Can I tell you something?

That Jesus says, very truly, I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Until now, you have not asked for anything in my name.

Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.

Speak it.

Listen now.

Speak it.

Speak the name of Jesus.

That's the only power you have.

You can't outsmart him.

When he comes in in the early days, speak it.

Pastor Jeff, what on earth are you talking about?

When tempted to give up, fighting the temptation, you've decided enough is enough, I'm finished with this, and as soon as you do, the attack comes.

Stop, quieten yourself, and speak the name of Jesus.

Just speak the name of Jesus.

When you're fighting an addiction, it's destroying you.

Your wife's telling you, your kids are telling you, you're not listening.

Because every time you get serious about it, something happens.

That's when you stop.

Don't try to fight harder.

Don't try to fight harder.

Stop.

Quieten yourself and speak the name of Jesus over and over and over.

And the devil will flee.

You will be calm and you will be given insight and wisdom to take your next step.

When you're fighting for your marriage, fighting for your prayer life, fighting for your devotional life and the attacks and distractions come, stop.

Quieten yourself.

Speak his name.

Whatever it is, fighting more of Jesus, less of you, and frustrated by your inability to focus or to concentrate, recognize that as an obstacle, as an attack.

Satan's trying to destroy your prayer life, your Bible life, your marriage in the infancy stage.

Stop.

Quieten yourself.

Speak his name.

And know that as soon as you get serious about going to the next level in any area of your spiritual life, this is true of a church, and this is true of an individual, that the attack will come.

It will come.

Stop.

Whiten yourself.

And speak the name of Jesus.

It is the power of Jesus that saved you so that you are no longer at enmity with God.

And it is the power of the name of Jesus now where the devil has to flee.

Peace will overwhelm you.

I know this from experience.

It works.

God will open up the earth and swallow up the floodwaters that try to overwhelm you.

And if you stay the course and speak his name, the victory is yours.

Father, I thank you and praise you in Christ's name for Revelation 12, for the overarching message that yes, the evil one is frustrated, for every move he makes, God has a counter move, that God knows always what's coming and has the power and the will and authority to swallow up the waters.

Father, I pray for every person here.

As they look back on their lives and they see those difficult times, every time they made a decision that I'm going to go deeper, man, I'm going to seek more of Christ.

I'm going to use my gifts.

I'm going to step out in faith and I'm going to trust him that when their lives started falling apart, it was no accident.

They're becoming a threat to the kingdom of Satan.

And they're not going to take territory without a fight.

Help us to stop and realize what's going on.

Take a deep breath.

Speak the name of Jesus.

again and again and again, for there is power in his name.

And everybody said, amen.