The Winable War — Charlie Orr

Revelation 12 and the Winnable War

Let's open our Bibles this morning to the book of Revelation chapter 12. Revelation chapter 12 beginning at verse number 7. I would like to speak on this subject this morning the winnable war the winnable war.

Verse 7. And there was war in heaven and Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and The dragon fought and his angels and prevail not neither was their place found anymore in heaven and the great dragon was cast out that Oh serpent called the devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven Now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and They loved not their lives Unto the day.

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare

I believe this morning that I don't have to spend much time Convincing us here in this room that there is a war on and whenever we Even begin to approach the issue of revival we get hot heat from hell.

I Don't want to exalt the devil today. He's a defeated foe. Amen. But I believe today we ought to be aware that there is a warfare going on that can be won by the Saints of God as I pastored for a number of years and did revival ministry is Is sad saddening to my heart and saddening to our hearts.

You see so many Saints that are defeated. Number one because they are ignorant of the devices of the devil. Number two, they're ignorant of the weapons that been provided through Calvary in Jesus Christ and Number three because of the passivity that's involved when you've been beaten so much finally you give up.

How many of you have run across people that have absolutely given up? Here's their testimony. Well brother or you just don't know what I've been through. You don't know the tragedies of my childhood. You don't know the tragedies in my church.

You don't know this city and don't you like this and you don't know the culture we're living in. Don't you know that we're in the last of the last of the last days? Things gonna get worse worse worse and let's just hang on and hold out to Jesus comes back.

And let's just be a ragtag crew. That's all whipped. I'd like to see some young warriors and older warriors to say let's chase hell with a water pistol. I mean love to see a glint in somebody's eye and say listen.

I've seen the glory of the cross and the devil's defeated and I've just let him know it. I Like what one prayer warrior said in the Hebrides awakening. I ran across 11 tapes that Duncan Campbell did in a camp meeting in Pennsylvania and I Got the tapes and I listened through all the tapes and on one of the testimonies one of the dear brothers Was aware that the meeting was jammed up and Duncan Campbell said that he spoke to this young man and said brother I sent you're closer to God than I am.

Would you pray and said this brother prayed a unusual prayer? He said Lord, excuse me while I address the devil. He said devil you're here in this meeting and devil. You're frustrating the purposes of God and devil you're defeated flow both and on the basis of the blood of the Lamb and the work of the cross.

I Bind you off this meeting and said for me and fell down in the kitchen and got converted within an hour. How many people do you and I know in our churches that are victorious warriors? That are full of faith in the Holy Spirit of God and when they wake up in the morning the demons of hell say oh my.

They're up again the Spirit of God. They're dead to self. They they've already got of the intercession spirit less than a hundred more or do they wake him say? Aloha miss flapjaws up again. Already talking about the pastor.

Already feeling sorry for herself. Let's take a vacation. We've got her beaten. My question to us today myself dear brothers and sisters is this have we won the war in our own personal lives? Number one, let's notice the warfare that we fight and it's threefold.

The Supernatural Nature of the Battle

Number one is Supernatural it's in a realm you and I can't see it's a realm that you and I cannot understand unless God Gives us revelation through his word and sensitivity in his spirit. I wish I'd known this years ago when I was pastoring that you wrestle not against flesh and blood.

Somebody said resist the devil he'll flee from you resist the deacon. He'll fly at you. Most of my battles as a young pastor was fought with people trying to wrestle with them trying to deal with them and I got Ambushed right and left until I realized there was a demon or devil behind him and once I dealt with the demon or devil they pipe down.

God put a lid on. They were manageable. God could get to him. It's a supernatural battle. Number two. It's a serious battle. Be sober. Be vigilant for your adversary the devil as a roaring line Walketh about seeking whom he may may devour.

Most of us include myself sometimes aren't very sober. We're not very vigilant. We're not aware of the tactics of the devil. I mean we let things go to the end until it's so bad. That is crisis time. I like to catch problems early.

I My maintenance man leave and in the midst of this I was walking out of my Office down the hallway to the restroom and the Sunday school door was open to a class and the teacher wasn't there and that's when trouble comes and I heard a man saying do you hear why brother so-and-so is leaving the church and he went on this long Exposition of how the pastor and the staff had treated him bad and how his feelings were hurt.

And he was leaving for wrong reasons the reason he left he took a position somewhere. Now, what did I do with fear and trembling? I walked a room said hello. How are you? And then immediately I addressed the issue.

I said my dear brother. I love you. But what you said was wrong. It's not the truth and let me tell the truth. You know, how you overcome a lie by speaking the truth in love and a Couple those ladies they were in their 70s, you know when I walked to room you thought the devil had walked in.

They put the evil eye on me. But you know after I began to speak and I in my spirit began to tell the devil you don't have a right to Cause any trouble around here. You're a liar and a thief. Do you know what happened that night.

One of the ladies came to me and said thank you pastor for pastoring us the next day. Guess who came by my office the fella that had been doing the talking and repentant and God put a lid on a problem.

Amen serious Supernatural but it's strategic, you know, the devil and his demons have at least 6 ,000 years of experience dealing with humanity. They know our family lines they know what we've done and they know where we've given ground.

They know how to push our button, you know, as long as they can push the button they gonna do it. One man came to this great great great Bible president was having trouble with the devil and He said would you hang your coat up on the wall?

And he looked around said I can't and the president said why he said there's there's not a hook to hang it on. He said that's your problem. You've got a hook and the devil can hang his coat on it all the time.

Are we aware of his strategies? When we begin to pray for revival. We're aware when we leave this place today. That I've gone out of many meetings the glory of God on the scene great revival and I've opened my door and the devil met Me at the door.

I've left my church when I passed before and come back. They've come back in there five wildfires going on. Old couple from Florida taught me this thing. I'm putting a wall of fire between heaven and earth around your family and your church while you're gone.

So the devil can't get through it works. It's a strategic battle if the devil can get to Lou and Ralph he will. Some of you shared testimonies. He'll try to blow you out before you get home. So you won't have a testimony.

It's strategic. It's supernatural. It's serious. That's the warfare number two. Who are the warriors. Who are the warriors? Well, obviously in this text we see our adversary the devil and he's called several things now I want to quickly go through some of the names of the devil.

The Devil's Names and Tactics

He's called the great dragon. Whenever you saw dragons mentioned in the Bible, that's a dreaded and hostile power cruel and ferocious. He's on the prowl. I've got a cat that my daughter owns. My mother-in-law gave the cat to us with not my permission.

Amen, and He's an outdoor cat this cat Prowls all the time. He kills rabbits birds. Squirrels, he even tried to catch a rattlesnake and got bit. You talked about having expensive cat. I was praying the cat would die.

That cat's expensive. I watched him one day. He would take a step and just get so still you barely could see him and take another step and take another step and then. Right the right moment. Oh He's got you.

Let me tell you the devil though. He'll watch us for a year and The minute we drop our guard he's there. Have you seen churches? Bible caught on the scene. It's not a year later. It's worse than when it begins with now revival wasn't the cause the devil was and they dropped their guard.

He's a great dragon number two, he's called the old serpent now when you think of a serpent cunning and crafty. Now one of the greatest moves of the devil today. He comes as an angel of light and as much being said that's revival my friends.

You men and women know are is not and we ought to address the issue with love and firmness. Subjective experiences. It's not necessary about. And the enemy will come and it will look just like the Lord but unless you're discerning, you know the book you'll you'll be off.

Let me ask you a question. What's the most dangerous clock one that's off an hour or one that's off five minutes? Obviously the one that's off five minutes the one that's off an hour, you know quickly.

It's off the five minutes. You might not know but they're still off. That's why I missed in Lewis and Evan Roberts wrote the book war on the Saints to try to counteract the the counter revival that the Devil had in the Welch revival.

It would do us well to read the unabridged edition of that to find out how the devil's working especially in the area of passivity today. He's called the devil in the word devil there in the Greek is Diabolos.

He's a slanderer. He's a father lies. He'll tell you a lie and try to make you believe here's one of the greatest lies. He tries to tell us we're not worth a hoot and will never be worth a hoot. That is true, but it's not in Christ Jesus we've been accepted in the beloved Son and we have thrown rights and Because we have thrown rights if God's accepted me fully on the devil.

He's also called Satan. The open enemy of God our adversary then he's called the accuser of the brethren now now the devil loves to accuse. He loves to accuse us. Number one in the area of unconfessed sin if he can do that He can whip us more now when God convicts.

I love what Lou and Ralph have taught when God convicts reports out one thing. Leads us to repentance. We get cleansed in the blood and we get free when the devil speaks. He throws the whole book and even after you confess you still feel dirty.

Have you ever had someone who's a Christian accused you of something that wasn't the truth and you got under their condemnation? How many of you ever had somebody clean your clock and they enjoyed doing it this right hand?

I don't see if I'm in the right place clean your clock. I mean if we're in this long enough if the devil knows we're carrying two chips on our shoulders. He had the nicest of people call us things. He loves to tell us we can't have victory.

He loves to tell us things are just fine. He likes to live our spiritual condition. That's how he operates. But also in this text we find an army of overcomers now. I'm glad that they Overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives from the dead.

I'm glad the Bible specifies that we're more than conquerors through him that loved us. I was an athlete in high school. In college I never liked to lose a ball game. We never had a party after we lost the game at the last minute my senior year.

We had a great basketball team. It was overtime with this Sorry team was beating us and we tied them up and went to overtime. They were winning by one point. I broke away for a layup brother Ralph clear basket.

Overtime the best player on the team won the five best in the conference. I knew I'd go up to shoot the ball and I was so nervous. I shot it over the basket. I choked. We lost the game. Did I go back to the Locker room and say boys must go have a party.

We lost the game. Hallelujah. No, I was so down I didn't want to talk to my girlfriend. I didn't want to talk to my parents. I'm moped. Why because I had been The one that lost the game a lot of Christians are shouting on credit.

Shouting about things that's not even gone. I mean they got a crowd. They got music. They got a great pastor. They're doing this and if God showed up, it's scared to death. But I'm glad today you and I can be more than conquerors through him that loved us now the last thing I'd like to say This morning says what are the weapons that we are to use in this?

The Blood of the Lamb as the Judicial Weapon

In this text there three. I just won't talk about today. Number one. There's the judicial weapon the Judicial weapon verse 11 and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb what can wash away my sins?

Nothing, but the blood of Jesus what can make me whole again? Nothing, but the blood of Jesus. Now when we think about using this weapon, it's not just a magical potion. I think we need to know exactly what the blood has done for us and what the blood has done before the Lord the blood Has justified us.

What does it mean to be justified now now being justified by his blood. Romans 3 9. It's the act of God. It's an act where it's God declares. Who's righteous in Jesus Christ now now this is so beautiful.

You know, all of us here are Saints. If you're not a saint you're an ain't and I know that's bad English. Now if we're a saint and God through his blood looks at us, he sees all of us righteous. Why is that important?

Well, if I know who I am in Christ Jesus, the devil doesn't have to tell me I saw I said, yes, you're right devil. I have sinned but look at the blood that is free. Well preacher what I do when somebody tells me I've done them wrong and and I've repented and made restitution and they still accuse me.

I won't listen to him anymore. They're out of order. If God's declared me righteous in Jesus Christ in the future by my ex I'll treat them better than I used to. They can keep on railing. We don't have to listen that in our spirit.

We're justified number two. It brings us redemption first. Peter 119 were deemed by the precious blood of the Lamb. We're bought back with a great price. We're in the devil's jailhouse. God bought us out with his blood and now we're in the kingdom of God.

Amen. He is our propitiation. Romans 3 25. Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. Your propitiation means His blood satisfied the law of God and God's wrath against sin.

It's satisfied. God satisfied when he sees the blood. Then it brings reconciliation. Ephesians 2 13. But now in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes afar off or made nigh by the blood of Christ. That means we're brought back into fellowship with the Lord and given great peace.

Isn't it wonderful to know that we can have peace with God and the peace of God? Through the blood of Jesus Christ. And also it talks about Sanctification in Hebrews 13 12. Jesus also that he might sanctify The people with his own blood that means he has set us apart.

Unto himself it occurs by the blood. Listen, we can't sanctify ourselves. We are sanctified in Jesus Christ. Then also it's our communion. It continually cleanses us from all sin. The blood of Jesus Christ.

1st John 1 7. Hebrews 10 19. We have boldness to enter into the holiest by what the blood of Jesus. Now, this is so beautiful. All I have to do is know what the blood has done for me. What the blood has done for God and the blood gives you and I an interest into the Holy of Holies to pray with God.

And talk with God. It's not what we've done. It's what he's done. That gives us the privilege of going before the Lord. It's also our protection. Members over there in Exodus. He said when I see the blood I'll pass over you.

The blood protects us because the blood has given Us the opportunity to be one with God. Then you know that judicial weapon ought to be used every day. In our hearts, we ought to realize that because it is justified as it has sanctified us.

It's our propitiation. It's our protection. It's it's our peace with God. Let me tell you what folks We ought to just say thank God if I confess my sins up to date. I'm full of the Spirit of God. I'm as right with God as though I can ever be.

The devil has no part of me because I'm seated in the heavenly places with Jesus Christ. We're shooting down on the devil in the person of Christ. Now now now now in our modern church work now you folk are fundamental in what you believe.

But I've been in a lot of churches where they're trying to remove the blood out of the hymn books. I mean, it's rare to hear a saint use the blood of Christ against the devil. And sometimes when they do it if you're not In line with the Lord, it does no good.

But when you know it and the enemy knows that he can't stand the blood. He can't stand to hear us talk about the blood of the Lamb that was shed on Calvary's cross that washed away our sins. He doesn't like that and he wants us to be passive about it.

That's our judicial weapon, but number two let's talk about the evidential weapon. The evidential weapon and by the word of their Testimony now the word for word is the Greek word, of course logos. But the word for testimony is the same word.

We get the word witness from are the word martyr from actually means martyr. Now, you know what that means you and I ought to be living epistles known and read of me. And we ought to understand the power of this book now I'll tell you I'm so grateful that it's a young young young Christian.

Testimony as Evidence of Overcoming Faith

I had a pastor that told me this was the infallible in every word of God and told me to meditate on it. To study it to memorize it to live it and he said every time God speaks to you Charlie. You've come to the altar the first six months.

I was a Christian out to the altar every service. You know, why a lot of us don't have evidential weapon. We quit obeying what he told us to do a long time ago. I mean evidence means that we are doers of the word and not here's only deceiving ourselves.

My dear friend manly Beasley. He's gone to be with Jesus. Brother Russell knew him. Well, some of you may have met him the last six years of his life. I had intimate fellowship with manly watched him closely.

He lived what he believed and he used this story one time. He said I hope when I die it can be said of me what is written of me. Can it be said of us what's written of us? That's why a lot of people get turned off to our Christianity.

They don't see what we say we believe. He said I hope maybe one day the Lord carries my children will have children and their children will have children and he paints this picture he said I hope one day that they'll be up in the attic and they'll be musing through some old items and they'll run across an old picture and and My great-great-grandson will say who dad and my grandson will say.

That's your great-great-granddaddy manly Beasley. I Met him when I was a young child what he liked. And he said I would hope and pray. My grandson would say Oh, he was a man that when he walked in the room God walked in with.

He was a man that could get God in one hand and the need of man in the other and bring them together. He was a man that loved God with all of his heart and all this soul and all this mind and all this strength.

He was a man. That was a living epistle known in red of men. And he said he was a man that believed in revival. He said I wish that will be true if we died today. And 30 years from today somebody picked up our picture what could be said of us that would be living reality of Christianity.

You know what chases the devil off if someone knows you're real and they can since you walk with God. They won't mess with you a lot. There have been some people I knew that were right with God. I wouldn't buy.

I was afraid to deal with the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. You and I pull up. It's a full day preachers that don't know God. That's why they get eaten alive by their congregations, there's no option anointing power fervor.

Just playing games in it for the salary. I'm one of them. It burdens me. I Look out in the congregation. I pastor that bad group of people. And I'm no better than the rest of them, but I'll tell you I only see a few red-hot for God.

It burdens me. But I see us being satisfied with numbers and nickels brother Lou Ralph and just Satisfied with the quo and but the glory is not around and yet the devil knows that he plays all kind of games because there's enough Enough evidence in our community that our church is alive.

I've intentionally. It's a pastor. Tried to set up a situation where there's not a lot of drawing card beside the Word of God. Good him singing good praying a few activities come here the word. You know what happens when you get them that way they stick when you preach the book.

We put a lot of hooks. Bait on hooks today that get them in if you don't put that bait anymore. They'll leave you Christian rock. Why are you addressing that faster? It's out of the pit. I'm not trying to be controversial.

I'm just trying to help you. I Came out of the rock culture. It grieves God. When you like to see a group of young people get together and say listen, let's not play this stuff. Let's pray and have a prayer meeting preach the word brother Charles.

Evidential weapon judicial weapon number three the sacrificial weapon and they loved not their lives unto the day. When you love not your life unto death one of the other translation said they held their lives cheap.

It did not shrink even from death. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and Acceptable unto God which is a reasonable service. Be not conformed to this world.

Sacrificial Living and Revival

But be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you'll know the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. You know, we have such an easy time in our culture that sacrifice is a curse word to many Christians.

All night prayer meetings. What are you talking about preacher? My time is valuable. Whose time is it minor gods? It's the last time we were led to sacrifice and we knew we're doing it just for the Lord and we didn't brag about it.

We did it for God. Where are the Saints that are being shipped off to farm fields men who are paying the price? Men and women who have laid down their lives. Where is that group of young men and women being raised up?

They know we've got people saying what is it in for me pastor? David Brainerd was a man you've read his diary that would sit out in a snowstorm and pray until the snow melted around. He has her did his life for Christ.

Jonathan Edwards saw him on his dime bed and it greatly impressed his heart. He loved those Indians. He was mistreated. Wesley would be spit upon rocks thrown at. Yet he would go on for Christ. The Moravians love soul so much that they saw a group of men and women who were slaves going to an island.

They'd spend their life over there. They love soul so much several young men sold themselves into slavery just to be missionaries on that island. Where is that spirit today? William Borden you've heard the story.

Gave up a great amount of wealth for the Lord went to Egypt going to a mission field. He died. They said what a tragedy. They found these three words in the fly leaf of his Bible. No reserves. No retreats.

No regrets. Where's that spirit today, you know when the enemy knows you and I could care less about our lives. What can he do to us? What can he do to us if someone's dead? What does criticism do to him?

Nothing? They're dead. The enemy loves to attack our faith. He says don't pay the price. People think you're crazy. Most folks that love the Lord on fire are oddballs as far as the world's concerned and modern Christendom.

Revival that's not a popular word when you preach what real revival is brother Ralph. Modern-day Christendom not gonna fly but when it does come God will sweep them in. What the devil love to do with all of us discourage us not to believe God that revival will come.

I refuse to doubt Her preacher don't you know, I don't have to. I've seen the book. You've seen the book haven't you. You've seen it occur. What would hinder God from sending revival day? He's sovereign.

He can do it when he wants to. We set ourselves up to catch the winds of God, but when it does happen, I hope mine are up. I stayed with a man in South Africa called George Mata Buka. It's a black man.

Very very black. I stayed at his home outside of Pretoria. He was a man that just four months before I stayed at his home. His house was broken into and he was threatened to be killed. Several years earlier because he was such a fine gospel preacher.

He was kidnapped by three men. Thrown into the trunk of a car carried to a small hill outside of Pretoria and they were on necklace him. Put a car tire around his neck put barbed wire around him. That's the car tire with gasoline and set it aflame.

They began to talk about that. I've heard him tell this story. I've met him preaching in his church. And in the trunk of the car, he heard them saying we can't necklace him. We forgot the gasoline. Can but let's just strike a match and throw it in the tank and blow this car up.

It's an old car. We'll steal another car. The minute they struck a match God sent a rainstorm and blew out the match. Well, they said we got this machete. This has cut his neck. He's an enemy of our government.

He's the white man's puppet and. They opened the trunk and they said when they opened the trunk there was George smiling from ear to ear. They said George, why are you smiling? We're gonna kill you and he said these were side two.

And it scared them to death and they backed off said George your God is greater than I. God our God go. He walked for a number of hours to get home. And when he got back to his house There was his wife in his church on their knees praying that George would be delivered.

Now listen when that man walks in the pulpit God walks up with him. Were you afraid lip staying in that home brother char knowing that bandits could come in? Of course not. My time's in the hands of God.

I'm just as safe in South Africa as I am on the freeway freeway in Atlanta. Maybe safer. We're so Tiptoe through the tulips. Let's watch where we're going. Well, I'd love to see some people wide open for Christ.

They said brother or why do you preach the way you do? Why are you so gregarious? I don't know ask him I've been this way since the day I got saved. Have we defeated the devil? Have we routed him? Have a user evidential weapon and the judicial weapon and the sacrificial weapon and when he comes against us we run him off.

Living in Christ's Secured Victory

It's my encouragement to you and myself today. There will be people of God Aware the warfare but more aware of our God. When the devil does come we just treat him as a defeated foe you little old puppy dog.

The devil reminds me of a little Chihuahua puppy. I used to have when I grew up. His name was Sandy. He weighed all of two pounds and he got old and lost all of his teeth. And one day the old man was pumping some oil into the big tank behind the house.

Sandy had a big bark in the way that my house was built in the country. It sounded like a lion coming. I saw a 200 pound man climb on top of his truck at the bark of a two-pound Chihuahua dog. I Laughed out the window pointed at it.

That's the way a lot of Christians are. They're up on the side of the wall and the devil's barking and they don't know that he's nothing but a Chihuahua. Who's had his teeth plucked out at Calvary? We're more than he spoiled all principalities and powers.

We have delegated authority folks. Let's take the devil on as God gives us the option to do it and let him know who has already won the feature. That's about to get in play father. Take this very simple message.

The points that you want to drive home keep them there. Lord those that Lord you won't let go. You do it. May we understand that the war has already been won. Help us to be more aware of your presence in the devil.

But when he does poke his head in you can use these weapons to be victors in you in Jesus name.