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(The Better Covenant) 5 - Satan Defeated
Zac Poonen

Zac Poonen (1939 - ). Christian preacher, Bible teacher, and author based in Bangalore, India. A former Indian Naval officer, he resigned in 1966 after converting to Christianity, later founding the Christian Fellowship Centre (CFC) in 1975, which grew into a network of churches. He has written over 30 books, including "The Pursuit of Godliness," and shares thousands of free sermons, emphasizing holiness and New Testament teachings. Married to Annie since 1968, they have four sons in ministry. Poonen supports himself through "tent-making," accepting no salary or royalties. After stepping down as CFC elder in 1999, he focused on global preaching and mentoring. His teachings prioritize spiritual maturity, humility, and living free from materialism. He remains active, with his work widely accessible online in multiple languages. Poonen’s ministry avoids institutional structures, advocating for simple, Spirit-led fellowships. His influence spans decades, inspiring Christians to pursue a deeper relationship with God.
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Sermon Summary
In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of not letting anger linger in our hearts. He refers to Ephesians 4:26, which warns that unresolved anger gives Satan power over our lives. The speaker encourages believers to apologize, ask for forgiveness, and let go of anger before going to bed, so that Satan cannot gain a foothold. He also highlights the need for steady growth in our Christian walk, comparing it to the constant forward movement of the sun. The speaker concludes by reminding listeners that in the new covenant, we come to God as a loving father, and that anger should be directed towards the dishonoring of Jesus' name and exploitation of others, rather than personal offenses.
Sermon Transcription
We want to continue our study in the New Covenant or the Better Covenant. The last few studies we were considering how the New Covenant is superior to and better than the Old Covenant. And I mentioned that this doesn't mean that we are not interested in the Old Testament. We're talking about the Old Covenant that God established through Moses, which we saw yesterday was obsolete and abolished. And if we don't understand the terms of the New Covenant and our privileges under the New Covenant, I believe that we can never enter into the fullness of what God wants us to experience during our earthly life. My own experience with many, many believers has been that this is the fundamental reason why they never seem to come into what the Bible calls the rest of God. Their life seems to be perpetually in unrest, and they seem to have an up-and-down experience, sometimes on the mountaintop, sometimes in the valley, sometimes praising the Lord, sometimes depressed. And yet that is not the path that God has designed for His people. Proverbs 4.18 says very clearly, the path of the righteous is like the shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day. It's like when sunrise is compared there to the new birth, and the midday position of the sun is compared to the time when we become like Jesus, totally, sinlessly perfect, when Christ comes again. But from the moment of new birth to that midday position, where we become like Christ, there must be a steady growth, like the light of the sun that shines brighter and brighter, and you know the sun never backslides. It's always going forward, forward, forward, forward. That, Proverbs 4.18 says, is the will of God for everyone who is righteous, who lives by faith. If that is not our experience, you will discover the reason is invariably that you are trying to live under the old covenant, trying to live the Christian life under the old covenant, and it just doesn't work. So let me just review what we have already covered. First of all, we saw that in the new covenant, we don't come to God as God, but as a father. This is fundamental, this is the foundation. If you don't get this right, we're going to have a lot of problems along the way. We come to God as father. We refuse to come to him on any other basis. In the Old Testament, they could not come like that. Every heathen religion teaches man to fear this awesome God who is out to punish them. Jesus said that he was our father, and we must be absolutely clear on this. Then secondly, we saw that in the old covenant, they were under law, and the distinctive word of the law was, thou shalt or thou shalt not. But in the new covenant, we are under grace, and the word in the new covenant is, I will, I will write my laws in your heart and mind. God's grace comes to help us in our time of need. It is sufficient for our need. If we try to live without that grace, then of course we fall, and it is human struggle. Then it is an up-and-down experience. And then thirdly, we saw that in the old covenant, they live by sight, and that in the new covenant, we live by faith. We don't look for visible signs. When people testify about visions and signs, it is not an indication of spirituality. A lot of people who claim to have these visions, maybe they do have them, I don't question that. But I've seen a lot of carnality in their lives. They don't know how to control their temper, even at home. What's the use of seeing angels if you don't know how to talk to your wife? I don't think your wife's impressed of you just because you saw angels. So it's a life of faith, not of sight. And then we saw yesterday another characteristic of the new covenant, that the Holy Spirit could dwell within. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit could only dwell upon a person. The Spirit came upon David. The Spirit came upon Samson. The Spirit clothed Gideon. It says in Judges 6.34. It's something like a dress. It's like a shirt or a dress that we wear. It can be taken off. And the Spirit left people. Spirit came upon Samson and left Samson. But when the Spirit was upon him, he could do mighty works on the outside. We saw that in Hebrews 11, by faith. Every one of those Old Testament people did things by faith on the outside. They didn't live by faith. No. None of them lived by faith. They did certain actions by faith. Splitting the Red Sea, pulling down the walls of Jericho. And many people are taken up with these external things. But in the New Testament, we live by faith. The Spirit comes within. That's the meaning of John 7.39, when it says, the Spirit was not yet given in this way, because Jesus was not yet glorified. The first human being in whom the Spirit dwelt was Jesus. And God became man. He lived on earth as a man. And he lived in the power of the Holy Spirit that dwelt within him. And came upon him after his baptism. So we see that Jesus is our example in all these areas. In every area, he is our forerunner. There is a difference between the Spirit being upon and the Spirit being within. You take the case of Samson. When he saw a lion. Now, our natural tendency is to run when we see a lion. But when Samson saw a lion, and when the Spirit of God came upon him, he could catch that lion and tear it to pieces. But when he saw Delilah, she tore him to pieces. Because there was another lion inside Samson. It was called the lion of sexual lust. He could not conquer that. The Spirit came upon David and he could slay Goliath. He could face Goliath. But when he saw Bathsheba, he fell. Because within these men was another lion. There was one stronger than Goliath inside David's heart. That was the giant of sexual lust. He could not conquer that one. So that clearly proves that the lion inside is much more powerful than the lion outside. And this is what God could never accomplish in man during the age of the law. The greatest men who lived under the law could not deal with sin within. Their heart was constantly defiled. Many of them could not even keep the external law, thou shalt not commit adultery. But now under the new covenant, the Spirit comes within. Jesus said in John 14, the Holy Spirit is now with you, but he will be in you. And within you, he will fulfill the righteousness of the law. He will write the law in your heart. God will work in you in the new covenant, like it says in Philippians 2, to will and to do his good pleasure. That is to write, put his law in our mind and in our heart. To will and to do. To give me a desire to do it and the ability to do it. I'm sure all of us will acknowledge that it was God who gave you the desire to do God's will. That wasn't of your own making. The good news is, the same God who gave you the desire to do God's will, has also promised to give you the ability. God works in us not only to will, but to do his good pleasure. We need to have faith for that. Now today we come to the fifth area where there is a distinct difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. Our subject today is Satan defeated. In the entire Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, we never read of a single Old Testament prophet or saint fighting Satan. Never. The closest we come to it is that sometime when Daniel was praying in Daniel chapter 10, but even there it was Michael who was fighting Satan, not Daniel. Do you know who the Old Testament people fought? The Israelites, the Philistines, the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Moabites and many otherites. These are the ones they fought. They fought human beings. In the new covenant, let me read to you, Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 12. We have looked at many distinctive features of the new covenant and many ways by which we can identify whether you are under the new covenant or the old covenant. For example, I told you the other day, sin shall not be master over you because you are not under law, but under grace. So one way to know whether we have come into the full blessing of the new covenant is to ask ourselves, does sin have the mastery over us? Does sin have the mastery over us? If sin has the mastery over us, well, we are still under law. You may be baptized in the Holy Spirit, you may speak in tongues, but you are still under the law because sin has mastery over you. That is the test. Do you know God as the Father or a distant God? Do you want to live by sight or by faith? It is very easy to know whether you are under the new covenant or the old. Here is one more test, Ephesians 6.12. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. That means we don't fight with human beings. But we fight against those evil rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Do you fight with human beings? You are under the old covenant. Whether it is Philistines or Amorites or your neighbor or your wife or your boss or anyone. If you fight with human beings, you are under the old covenant. A new covenant Christian, his position is, we wrestle not, we do not fight with human beings. In fact, one of the first qualifications to fight Satan is that you stop fighting with human beings. Many Christians never enter the new covenant because they are fighting with human beings. Their enemies are enemies of flesh and blood. They have got a bitterness against this person who did some wrong to them and some grudge against some other person over there and somebody who did something to them 20 years ago. How can these people ever fight with Satan? Their heart is full of bitterness and grudges and unforgiving attitudes and anger towards human beings. They have got their guns trained on human beings. We must have only one enemy, Satan. And unfortunately some Christians have got their guns trained at other Christians. That is even worse. We have got one enemy, Satan. We must stand for the truth, expose wrong doctrine and express our convictions. Sure, but enemies, only one, Satan and his demons. We wrestle not. And if you want to enter the new covenant, I want to encourage all of you who are here to make a decision today. That from today, I will never fight with human beings. I may stand for a doctrine, but even for a doctrine, I am not going to fight about it in an unchristlike spirit. I want to concentrate all my guns on Satan and his demons and leave God to deal with all my earthly enemies. God can well take care of your earthly enemies. The apostle Paul once said in 2 Timothy 4, Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm, he says. The Lord will repay. I am not going to waste my time fighting about him or talking about him. The Lord will deal with him. I have got to fight with Satan. I wrestle with principalities, powers, rulers, wicked forces. Is this only for apostles and some special category of leaders to fight with Satan? It is for every believer. Is Ephesians 6 written for Christian leaders or for all believers? Is the armor of God which we need to fight against Satan only for leaders or for all believers? Every believer must take this position. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. That is the first step. The second thing we need to know is that Satan was defeated on Calvary's cross. I want to show you two verses especially that make that very very clear. First of all in Hebrews in chapter 2. We are talking about the defeat of Satan. Now he was not defeated under the old covenant. This is the thing I want you to see. Satan was not defeated until Jesus died on the cross of Calvary. Many Christians know that when Jesus died he took our sins. But many Christians do not know that when Jesus died he defeated Satan. He took away Satan's power and armor from him. Imagine if you did not know that Christ died for your sins on the cross. You would be still carrying your sins. The guilt and weight of your sins would be upon you. And when you do not know that Christ defeated Satan on the cross. Well that is exactly what Satan does not want you to know. So that he can have power over you. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 14 and 15. It says since then the children, that is us, share in flesh and blood. He himself likewise also partook of the same. That is the Lord Jesus. Why did he do that? One of the purposes with which he did it. Was that through death, that is on Calvary's cross. He might render powerless, that means take away the power of him who had the power of death. That is the devil. The devil was not destroyed. He was defeated. We know the devil is not destroyed. That is still in the future. But he was defeated. His power was taken away from him. And the reason was so that he might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. The fear of death is the greatest fear that human beings have. Every other fear is smaller than the fear of death. And all human beings lived in the fear of death. A lot of believers live in the fear of death today. But here it says not a single believer need live in the fear of death. It is called a slavery here in verse 15. It brings a slavery, an enslavement. Fear is Satan's weapon. And God does not want you my dear brother and sister to take a single decision in your life on the basis of fear. Of circumstances or people. We may have feelings of fear. But we don't live by feelings. We may have feelings of doubt and fear. So many feelings. But we don't live by feelings. We live by faith. We don't live by what our senses tell us. So what if there are feelings of fear? We are not going to take decisions on the basis of fear. We are going to take decisions on the basis of faith. Knowing that Satan was defeated on Calvary's cross. And so we see, Satan had the power of death until Calvary. If you read Hebrews 2.14 that seems to be pretty clear. Him who had the power of death. He doesn't have it now. But apparently when Adam sinned. He handed over all that God entrusted to Adam to Satan. And Satan got the power of death. And Jesus took that power away from him. On Calvary's cross. It says in Revelation chapter 1. The Lord says to John. Today I have the keys of death. Death is like a door. And Jesus said to John. I have the keys. John was living at a time when all the apostles had died. He was the last one alive now. All of them had died a violent death. They were killed or crucified, beheaded, so many things. And the Lord was comforting John by saying don't worry. I've got the keys of death. Nobody can kill you until I open the door. That applies to us too. I thank God that I serve a Lord who has the keys of death. That door can never be opened for me. By the enemies of the gospel. By road accidents, cancer, anything. It can never be opened until Jesus determines the day and the hour. When I should go through. If you believe that. You won't have any fear. You won't have any fear of going to any part of the world. If the Lord calls you to go. I'm not saying you should go if the Lord doesn't call you. But if the Lord calls you. Fear will not stop you. Impossible. Because you say well the keys of death are in my Lord's hands. He took it away from Satan on Calvary. And through his resurrection he conquered death. Satan was defeated. We no longer live in fear of death. And because we don't have the fear of death. We don't have any other fears either. We can stand like Jesus before Pilate. And say you got no power over me. Pilate said don't you know I have power to crucify you. And Jesus as our forerunner said no you don't. Only what my father gives you. And we can say that today. Colossians in chapter 2. Is the second verse. Colossians chapter 2. It says. It talks about two things that Jesus did on the cross. Verse 14 and 15. One. He cancelled the certificate of debt. Consisting of decrees that was against us. Which was hostile to us. That is the debt we owed to God. Because of our sin. Jesus took that debt certificate and tore it up. When he died on the cross. He paid the price. And then. That wasn't all. He nailed that to the cross. In verse 15. The second thing he did on the cross. Was he took away the armor. From the rulers. The evil rulers and authorities. That Satan and his hosts. And made a public display of them. Having triumphed over them. In the cross. So Satan thought. He had got Jesus. When he killed him on the cross. Little did he realize. That he himself. Was going to be defeated there. When Christ died. Now this is so important for us to know. It is very very important for us to know. That Satan was defeated on the cross. Just like I said the other day. You must know. That your sins were all forgiven. On the cross. The blood of Jesus cleansed your past. You have got to finish with that. You must not think. There is one sin left. Which was not cleansed in the blood of Christ. If you want to move on. In the same way. You must know. That Satan and every single demon. Was defeated on the cross. I remember some years ago. A young lady was brought to my house. And she said well. She was not a believer. She said every time somebody prays for me. I fall down. I said well. We will pray for you. You will not fall down. Just sit on that chair. And I asked her to. Pray the sinners prayer. And whenever I tell people. To pray the sinners prayer. And accept Jesus into their heart. I always tell them at the end of it. Also to speak to the devil. Just like you can speak to God. You can speak to the devil. And tell him Satan. I do not belong to you anymore. I belong to Jesus Christ my Lord. You have got no power over me. You were defeated on the cross. Jesus Christ is my Lord. He came in the flesh. And I told her to say that. I said tell Satan. You were defeated on the cross. And suddenly she looked at me. Changed her voice. And said. I was not defeated on the cross. I knew I was dealing with a demon there. So I turned to the demon inside her. And said you are a liar. You were defeated on the cross. You are a liar. Get out of her in Jesus name. Left. You do not need more than a word. To cast out a demon. If you believe. That he was defeated on the cross. Then I told that lady. Now say. Tell Satan. You were defeated on the cross. Just half a minute later. She said Satan. You were defeated on the cross. I do not belong to you anymore. Jesus Christ is my Lord. You know. We come across situations in India. Where all your theology will not work. If you do not know how to cast out demons. Just like Jesus did. The Lord has given us authority. This is the reason why he baptizes us. In the Holy Spirit and fire. To give us authority over demons. So that they listen to you. They are not afraid of you. But the mighty name of Jesus. There is no other name they are afraid of. You can try the name of any other God. They will not listen. The name of Jesus. The name of Jesus. They fear and tremble at that name. And I know times. When sometimes. Dealing with some of these demon possessed people. They look so fierce and turn around at you. And glare at you. And for a moment. You are taken aback. And to build up my faith. I ask myself this question. Was this one of those demons. That escaped at Calvary. Or was one of these. Is it one who was defeated. And I know it was defeated. I say. Well then it is okay. You can glare at me. I glare back at you. In Jesus name. Get out of him. Or her. There is no demon. That can stand. Before the name of Jesus. In 27 years. Let me give you my testimony. I have never seen. One. Single. Demon. Not leave. A person. When commanded to leave. In the name of Jesus. You don't have to yell. You don't have to scream. You just do what Jesus did. Tell that. Do what the apostles did. Tell that demon to go. In Jesus name. It will go. This is real. God has given us authority. And that is the day. When I. When this woman said. When the demon said through her. I am not defeated. That I realized. That Satan. Does not like to be reminded. That he was defeated on the cross. And that is the day. I decided. That I am going to remind him of that. As often as possible. That you were defeated on the cross. Many days. I say. Satan you were defeated on the cross. You can't touch me. I would encourage you to say that. Satan is real. Just as real as. Any human being around you. Tell him. What your savior did for you on the cross. Tell him to his face. You were defeated on the cross. You can't touch me. I don't belong to you. Jesus Christ is my Lord. It will build up your faith. And it will deliver you from fear. Why do I say this? It says in Revelation in chapter 12. How people overcame Satan. In Revelation in chapter 12. We read that. Satan is called. The deceiver. Of the whole world. Verse 9. Jesus called him a liar. A murderer. One who hates his brother. Is a murderer. John reminds us. Satan was a murderer. Jesus said in John 8.44. I want to tell you about certain sins. That are very close to Satan. Let me just mention them quickly. First of all. Pride. He became the devil. Through pride. If it was not for pride. He would have remained as an angel. It wasn't the love of money. Or sexual evil or murder. That made that archangel into a devil. It was pride. Sin came into the world. Not through disobedience. But through pride. And whenever we are proud. Spiritually proud. Whenever you look down on somebody. Because he is less spiritual than you. Or because. He belongs to another race. Or he doesn't know the bible like you. Or he belongs to another denomination. Whatever the reason. Whenever you are proud. Of your natural abilities. Or your spiritual abilities. Whether you know it or not. At that moment. You are holding hands. With Satan. That's why we got to hate pride. To hold hands with Jesus. We have to humble ourselves. Like he did. Another thing Jesus said. Was that Satan was a liar. Do you know that the first sin. Mentioned in the bible. Is a lie. The first lie that Satan said. Was what he told Eve. You shall not die. Even if you eat that tree. Sin is not serious. It doesn't matter. God loves you. Don't worry. God won't punish you. That was the first lie with which. Satan deceived man. And he is deceiving man with that even today. Sin is not serious. God won't punish you. God is a loving father. You will not die. You will surely not die. Do you know the multitude of people who believe that. God won't send you to hell. How can a loving father. Send anybody to hell. Do you know the multitude of Christians. Nobody preached about hell like he did. Because he knew the dangers that man faced. Satan is a liar. Whenever we tell a lie. Even when a little child tells a lie. He may not know it. He is holding hands with that first liar. Satan. He is a deceiver. When you tell a lie. When you pretend. Here is one way of telling a lie without opening your mouth. When you pretend. To be more spiritual. Than you really are. That is a lie. You are holding hands with Satan. That is why Jesus told the Pharisees. Who pretended that they were spiritual. How can you escape the damnation of hell. You fellows are holding hands with Satan all the time. How shall we overcome him. If we don't get rid of pride. If we don't get rid of lying in our lives. He is a murderer. Jesus said. From the beginning he has been a murderer. He was the one who instigated Cain. To kill his brother Abel. That is 1 John 3. He who hates his brother. Is a murderer. Love does no harm. To his neighbor. Whenever you plan and scheme. To do any type of harm. To another human being. Leave alone a brother. To another human being. You are holding hands with Satan. When you hate somebody. He who hates his brother. Is a murderer. And you know that no murderer. Has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3. How can you ever imagine. That you are going into God's kingdom. If you hate somebody. That is impossible. It's as impossible as an idol worshiper. Going to heaven. In fact that person has got a greater possibility. Than the Christian who hates his brother. He who hates his brother. Is a murderer. And no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Many Christians. In many groups. Whether they know it or not. They are holding hands with Satan. And they do not have eternal life. They may have had it once. They don't have it. I don't know whether they ever had it. That is for God to judge. I am not getting into that matter now. But this I know definitely. That there is no eternal life in them right now. No murderer has eternal life. That is the third characteristic of Satan. Hatred. Pride. Lying. He is called here in verse 10. The accuser. Of the brethren. Whenever we. Back bite. Gossip. Speak evil. Steal a person's reputation. By tearing his reputation to pieces. Speak about a brother. Without even knowing the facts. From hearsay. Whether you knew it or not. In all those moments. You were holding hands with Satan. The accuser of the brethren. Determine my dear brothers and sisters. If you haven't determined that before. To get rid of pride. Lying. Hatred. And a spirit of judgmentalism. And accusation of others. Leave their judgment to God. He doesn't need your help. To judge those people. God can do it very well himself. Let's not join hands with the accuser of the brethren. But it says here. They overcame him. By the blood of the lamb. All the accusations of Satan. They said well the blood has cleansed me. And then it says by the word. Of their testimony. Verse 11. The overcomers are people who speak a word. Of testimony. This is not talking about testimony in the meeting. The context proves that they are giving their testimony to Satan. They are speaking to Satan and telling him. I don't belong to you. You can't touch me anymore. You can't touch my body. It belongs to Jesus Christ. This is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You can't touch me anymore or my body. Jesus Christ is my Lord. That's a word of testimony. I want to say one or two more things. Which can bring us into fellowship with Satan. 2 Corinthians chapter 2. And verse 10 and 11. Here it speaks about. Having an unforgiving attitude towards someone. And I want you to see these two verses together and see how. An unforgiving attitude brings. Satan. To the place where he is far over your life. When you forgive anything. I forgive also. For indeed what I have forgiven. If I have forgiven anything. I did it for your sake in the presence of Christ. He is talking about forgiving this man. Who had sinned and who has now repented. In the church in Corinth. He says why do we do this? So that. No advantage be taken of us by Satan. Satan gets a power. Over any believer. Who hasn't forgiven somebody else. We got to be careful here. An unforgiving spirit. Is something that gives Satan power over your life. Here is another thing to beware of. One more thing. Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4 it says. Anger. Undealt with anger. Gives Satan power over our life. It says in Ephesians 4.26. Be angry. But do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger. And don't give the devil an opportunity. In your life. You see the devil coming in there. What does it mean to be angry without sinning? There is an anger. Without sin. And there is an anger with sin. Whenever we are in doubt. Here is a little guideline I can give you. Whenever you are in doubt about anything in scriptures. Just like if you read an English word. In the newspaper or in a book. And you didn't know its meaning. You go to a dictionary. And turn to that meaning. Turn to that word and read its meaning. In the same way. Whenever you come to a word. In the New Testament that you don't understand. Don't go to the dictionary. The word. Has been made flesh. In Jesus. Jesus is our dictionary. He said learn from me. What humility means. What gentleness means. Matthew 11 verse 29. For I am gentle and humble of heart. If you want to learn humility. You can never get it from the dictionary. Look at Jesus. If you want to learn what righteous anger is. And what unrighteous anger is. Very simple. Don't go to the dictionary. Go to Jesus. Where did Jesus get angry? And where did he not get angry? First of all, where did he not get angry? When they called him the devil. He didn't get angry. Prince of devils. They called him a false prophet, heretic, lunatic. And they spat on his face. They pulled his beard. They whipped him. They did all types of evil to him. He never once got angry. All anger. When people hurt us. Or call us names. Is sin. Where did Jesus get angry? Says in Mark chapter 3. When he saw the Pharisees not willing. For that man with a withered hand to be healed. He looked at them with anger. He was angry. At their indifference to human need. That's what the living bible says. When he saw their indifference to human need. When they would not allow a poor man. To be delivered. Whenever he saw people being exploited. In the name of religion. He was angry. When he went to the temple. And he saw people making money. In the name of religion. In the name of God. Exploiting poor widows. He was angry. So we get a helpful guideline. From the dictionary. From the word made flesh. Righteous anger. Is that which does not concern me. In any way. When people get hurt. Other people being exploited. People exploiting poor people. In the name of God. Anger should burn within me. But when people harm me. And call me names. My duty is to forgive. This is where the world is upside down. The world is under the control of the devil. How do we know that? They get angry when people hurt them. And they don't get angry. When other people are being hurt. When in the name of Jesus being dishonored. By the devil. When we come under the control of Jesus Christ. We are never angry. Whatever people may say or do against us. But we are burning with anger. When in the name of Jesus dishonored. By people who exploit poor people. And poor widows take their money. To live in grand style. Like a lot of preachers are doing today. If that doesn't make you burn with anger. I want to say you are not like Christ. Don't let the devil get an opportunity. And it says here even if you slip up. And get angry. You are off. Sunset. Is the time limit God has given. If you got angry at 6 o'clock in the morning. Make sure it is settled by 6 o'clock in the evening. Now you don't have to wait till 6 o'clock in the evening. You can settle it by 6.01 in the morning itself. But. It is the outer limit. You know for people who haven't got victory yet. The man who has got victory deals with it immediately. Repents. Confesses. Forsakes. You are not permitted. To carry over your anger. Overnight to another day. I remember once. When I was. Conducting a marriage. In India. I gave that young couple one exhortation. I said never never never. Go to bed. Without your. Disputes settled. Don't ever go to bed. Both of you. Without anger eliminated. Without forgiveness. Give forgiveness. Because the Bible says. Don't let the sun set on your rock. About 13 years later. Or 12 or 13 years later. That brother came to me and said. Brother Zach. I just want to tell you something. By the grace of God. I have obeyed that exhortation. You gave me. 12 years ago at our wedding. It thrilled my heart. That there were people like that. Who really took that exhortation seriously. Never. To let the sun go down. With their anger still residing in their heart. And they have a happy marriage. These are the type of. Homes we seek to build in India. And everywhere. Not perfect homes. Not people who never slip up. But people who are quick. To apologize. Quick to ask forgiveness. Quick to get rid of their anger. So that. Before they go to bed. Satan gets no power. Over their lives. I want you to turn to a verse. That Jesus spoke to his disciples. In Luke chapter 10. Luke's gospel chapter 10. He told. His disciples. In verse 18. I was watching Satan. Fall from heaven like lightning. I have given you authority. To tread upon serpents and scorpions. Over all the power of the enemy. And nothing. Shall injure you. Look at that verse. That applies to us. If you are a disciple of Jesus. He says to us. I have given you authority. Over all the power of the enemy. Notice these two different words. Authority. And power. These are two different words. Authority is greater than power. I give you authority. Over all the power of the enemy. Satan has got more power than us. In the days of Job. We know he could bring fire down from heaven. He could stir up the Sabians and the Chaldeans. To attack Job's property. He could bring a storm. And bring a house down. He could do many things. And we know around. I have seen many examples in India too. Of Satanic power through black magic and all that. He has got a lot of power. He can do a lot of things I can't do. But I have got authority. In India. In many many parts of India. We don't have traffic lights. At a junction of an important road. There would be a policeman. Standing on a little box. Directing the traffic. From the center of that junction. And here you can have. Ten massive trucks. Coming down at a hundred kilometers per hour. That can run down. Hundreds of policemen. And this little policeman. Just lifts up his hands. And all those ten trucks. Stop. Isn't that amazing. That's authority. What the trucks of God is power. He has got authority. In Jesus name. Thus far. And no further. And the devil stops. Resist the devil. It says in James 4.7. First of all submit to God. Resist the devil. And he will flee from you. Have you read that? Many times we get the picture of the. Christian running for his life from the devil. I don't get that in the Bible. I see the devil running for his life from the Christian. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. And the Bible also tells us at what speed he will flee. Three hundred thousand kilometers a second. Have you read that verse? It's in the Bible by the way. We just read it in Luke chapter ten verse eighteen. He falls like lightning. Do you know the speed of lightning? Three hundred thousand kilometers a second. Resist the devil. In Jesus name and he will flee from you. I believe that. He cannot stand. Unless there is sin in your life. Unless there is pride. Lying. Hatred. Anger. An accusative spirit. Unforgiving attitudes. Then you haven't submitted to God. Then you can shout and yell and scream. In Jesus name I resist you. I resist you. He will laugh at you. He will say Jesus I know. Paul I know. But who are you? That's what he says to many many Christians. Jesus I know. Paul I know. And today perhaps he can mention other names as well. I know all these people but who are you? I know all about your life. I know all about the bitterness there is in your life. The anger which you have not confessed or given up. The grudges. The lying. The deception. The hypocrisy. The pride. The arrogance. You are trying to resist me. Who are you? I know how you go around accusing brothers behind their back. You and I are in fellowship. How can you resist me? This is the sad thing. We are fighting human beings when we should be fighting the devil. Are you under the old covenant or the new? He cannot stand before us. The son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. That's why we are not afraid as we look into the future. You know many things can happen. So much terrorism in the world. Life itself has become uncertain. I know that people go from one country to another. People from India. It's a poor country. A lot of unemployment. A lot of difficulties. Poverty. There is insecurity even there. Which is the safest country in the world to live in today? The psalmist says. I will dwell in the secret place of the most high. The shadow of the almighty. That's the safest place in all the world. The shadow of the almighty. I get a picture of Jesus walking ahead of me. Towards the sunlight. And me behind him. In his shadow. Just following him. And I don't have any fear. That's the safest place in all the world. The devil can't touch me there. And he can't touch you. Wherever you are. If you are in the center of the will of God. It could be in some remote heathen country. Or it could be in a secure so called Christian country. The only safe place is the center of the will of God. Where your sins are confessed. Where your conscience is clear. Where you have got rid of these demonic attitudes that I mentioned. Satan cannot touch you. He will be an overcomer. Wherever you are. And as we look into the future. We don't have any fear. Many things can happen tomorrow. Which I don't know. Next week in my life. In my family. In my circumstances. Between 21 and 22. I know where Satan is going to end up. Therefore I don't live biting my fingernails. Wondering what's going to happen. I thought of it something like this. You know India has got as many cricket enthusiasts as Australia. And let's imagine that I saw a cricket match live. India versus another country. And I saw it live on television. And I saw that India won. And then someone who was working and didn't get the opportunity to watch that match live. Comes home in the evening. And sees the replay of that on television. And he doesn't know the result. And he sits there watching. And the Indian wickets are falling and he is tense. But I am not tense. I am relaxed. He says. Is the fellow not loyal to our Indian team? Oh yes I am loyal. But I know the final result. That's why I am relaxed. You are tense. You are biting your fingernails. Hey the wickets are falling. Are we going to win? I say relax. How do I have that confident relaxed attitude? Because I have already seen. This is a replay for me. I have already seen the final result. That's our position as Christians. I have read Revelation chapter 20. If you haven't read it. Please read it. Read it again. I have seen the final result. I know we have already won. There is a replay going on I know. Let it go on. I am not only on the winning side. I have already won. Satan was defeated on the cross. God who sees the end from the beginning. Has already told me what his end is. All authority is being given to me. And to you. Let's exercise that authority. And live with the dignity. Becoming. Of a new covenant Christian. Let's pray. Has the devil succeeded in bringing some fear into your heart. Concerning the future. Is he able to nag you with doubts. Fears. Fear of death perhaps. Made you perpetually insecure. Do what God's word says. Submit to God. Confess these particular sins that I mentioned today. If any of them are found in your heart. Forsake them and determine that you will never again. Hold hands with the devil in any of these areas. You are determined to walk in the light. Satan has got power only in the darkness. And say Lord. I submit to you totally. I confess sin that needs to be confessed. I believe the blood of Jesus cleanses me. And now I resist Satan in Jesus name. He has got no right over me. He can't touch my body. He can't touch my mind. He can't touch my spirit. He can't touch my family. He can't touch my property. He can't touch anything of me. He was defeated on the cross. Satan you were defeated on the cross. All of your demons are defeated on the cross. You've got no power over us. We've got authority over you in Jesus name. And we resist you in Jesus name. Thank you Father. Thank you Lord Jesus for the victory you won on the cross. I pray that that victory will be established wherever your children walk on this earth. That the victory of Calvary will be established wherever every place where the soul of our foot shall tread. You've given to us in Jesus name. Thank you Father. May it be true in every one of our lives. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.
(The Better Covenant) 5 - Satan Defeated
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Zac Poonen (1939 - ). Christian preacher, Bible teacher, and author based in Bangalore, India. A former Indian Naval officer, he resigned in 1966 after converting to Christianity, later founding the Christian Fellowship Centre (CFC) in 1975, which grew into a network of churches. He has written over 30 books, including "The Pursuit of Godliness," and shares thousands of free sermons, emphasizing holiness and New Testament teachings. Married to Annie since 1968, they have four sons in ministry. Poonen supports himself through "tent-making," accepting no salary or royalties. After stepping down as CFC elder in 1999, he focused on global preaching and mentoring. His teachings prioritize spiritual maturity, humility, and living free from materialism. He remains active, with his work widely accessible online in multiple languages. Poonen’s ministry avoids institutional structures, advocating for simple, Spirit-led fellowships. His influence spans decades, inspiring Christians to pursue a deeper relationship with God.