Jesus is powerful.

If you believe in and follow him, you probably already think that.

But the more we learn about his power and goodness, the more confident we become. A greater understanding of his power and goodness also brings us greater peace. Let me provide an example.

As I’ve been explaining, spiritual warfare is real. The battle is not against “flesh and blood” as Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, but against “the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

When Jesus burst onto the scene, two of his immediate priorities were preaching about the kingdom of God and casting out demons. (See Mark 1:39.) 

That last part is what many of us tend to shy away from. And yet, Satan is mentioned by every New Testament writer. Every single one. That name means “the adversary” and is used 44 times. He’s called “the devil” 60 times. He’s also called “the accuser” (Revelation 12:10), “Apollyon” (Revelation 9:11), “Beelzebub” (Matthew 12:24), “the dragon” (Revelation 12:7), “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “the serpent” (Revelation 20:2), “the tempter” (Matthew 4:3), and even “the prince of this world” by Jesus himself in John 12:31.

Yes, the chief demon features very prominently in both the New Testament writings and in our own world.

But as I said at the outset, Jesus is powerful. 

He is greater than any dark, sinister force or being you could ever come up against. Not only did Jesus resist Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4), but he never sinned (Hebrews 4:15), cast out demons with verbal commands (Mark 1:25), and put demonic forces to open shame by triumphing over them on the cross (Colossians 2:15). 

Since we are “in Christ,” his victory is ours! (1 Corinthians 15:57).

We are victorious over darkness because Jesus is victorious over darkness.

Jesus is powerful—because of his teaching, because of his love, because of his truth—but also because of his victory over dark, sinister forces. 

This sort of information might make you uncomfortable. But if God wanted us to live with our eyes open to what is really happening in the world around us, it must be for our ultimate benefit. 

We are victorious over darkness because Jesus is victorious over darkness. As a result, we can have greater confidence and peace in him.

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Notes and extra content:

–“Clashing with the kingdom of darkness and demons.” Sermon. September 15, 2024. Click here. 

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.