Don’t Cross the Line in the Sand

You can only watch so long and then you have to set things straight.  When Luke and Jhett were playing in the sand at our house, they were trying so hard to make a road for their trucks and I couldn’t stand it anymore.  I knelt down with my piece of 2 x 4 and made the road in the sand for them.  They were happy and I was happy! 

Because of Satan’s temptation and Adam and Eve’s rebellion, it was time for God to set things straight.  He walked into the Garden and Eden and with his finger of truth, love and justice, God drew a line in the sand.  God wanted Adam & Eve to see:

• who was their friend and who was their foe
• what was good for them and what was bad

God showed that life was not an open beach anymore with no restricted area.  God drew a line in the sand.  That same line is seen today in Revelation 20 as the Holy Spirit reminds us,

Don’t Cross the Line In the Sand

Clearly Drawn To See

 Before we go much further, let’s be clear about the main point of The Book of Revelation.  This is not to be a horror show from hell about to come on us in the Last Days.  It’s a celebration of victory because of Jesus.  In Jesus’ Revelation to St John we Clearly See the two sides of the line that is drawn in eternity.   And angel “threw him into the abyss, and I saw thrones.”  When it comes to spiritual matters, it’s not a good thing to stand on more than one side of the line.  You can’t play for both teams.  Adam and Eve had just concluded they could get good things from God and get good things from Satan.  God came and drew the line for Adam and Eve and all of us: “I am the Giver, he the thief.  I speak truth; the devil lies.  I am your blessing, the devil is your curse.

The application is for us as well.  God clearly draws the line when he says, “You can’t serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).  You can’t love both God and the things of the world.   In today’s Gospel, Jesus may have had blood relatives on that side of the line, but he knew the faith-relatives on his side sitting around him in the room.  The line was drawn: “For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35).

The devil wants you to stand on his side of the line and lies to you that you will win with him, but it’s only a cursed lie.  Jesus stands on the other side of the line where you will always win because of his victory.   Jesus defeated Satan when he died on the cross.  The war between God and Satan was never a fair fight, if you can even call it a fight.  The Devil Does His Worst, Yet Jesus Always Wins.  Satan is destined to lose just as he had lost from the very beginning of his rebellion against God.  So John sees this encouraging vision:

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. ² He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, bound him for a thousand years, ³ threw him into the abyss, locked it, and set a seal on it, so that he could no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years come to an end. After this he must be released for a short time. 

Jesus wins.  Jesus has Satan bound, chained, restricted and limited for a thousand years—the time between Jesus’ first coming and his second coming, and that includes right now.  Right now, Jesus limits Satan in a special way, John says, a way that keeps Satan from deceiving the nations.  Satan uses deception when it comes to sin.  Satan wants your sin to stay on the table.  That makes him happy if your sin stays on the table and isn’t dealt with God’s way.  So he works his lies in the world.  He works his lies among souls.  One lie is that you aren’t all that bad.  You don’t need a Savior.  Nothing serious to confess, no damnable sin on your hands.  You are a much better person than most.  He deceives the people of the nations with these lies so they are blinded to the sin on the table and don’t deal with it.  The other way is if you realize your sinfulness then Satan would have you think that there’s no help for you.  “You’re the only one who’s that bad in their heart.  You’re the only one in this church whose committed that offense.  You can’t pray to God for forgiveness after what you’ve done!”  And in your despair, sin stays on the table and Satan is happy deceiving the people of the nations.

God’s two main teachings in the Bible deal with both of those lies.  God says to the proud, “No, you are a sinner.”  But God also says to the despairing, “Yes, there is help and mercy for you.  I sent you my only Son!”  It is Jesus that never crossed the line and died on the cross for sins—the key that locks Satan away.  That Jesus rose triumphant is a chain that holds Satan’s lies back.  For us to hear and know the love of God is like putting a clamp on Satan’s mouth, a leash around his neck and fencing him in the backyard.  Jesus does it through the Word.  By faith we Clearly the See the Line Drawn in the Sand to avoid the power of Satan.  As God’s Own Dear Children we see Jesus

Clearly Seen To Stand

Ever since Jesus’ ascension, God wants us to remember the powerful victory of Jesus in our lives.  That’s because all too often we see Satan at work. Listen:

And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.  

The apostle John and believers with him watched helplessly as their Christian friends were persecuted and put to death under Roman rulers.   Where is the victory there?  What did the church have going for it?  Doesn’t it seem like Satan is winning?  Doesn’t seem like the Church is falling?  We might ask the same:

• When we hear of the execution of Christians around the world;
• When we hear all false teachings and beliefs that make it difficult to share the truth;
• When see sin in our own jealousy, greed, boasting, judging others, lust, and hatred 

Isn’t my own sinfulness something of Satan and not God?  Doesn’t it often seem to get the best of me?  Doesn’t this make me think I can’t clearly see where I’m standing?

How good that God would show us this account to see where his people stand!

They had not worshipped the beast and his image, and they did not receive his mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years came to an end.) This is the first resurrection.

The mark of the beast is unbelief.  And their first resurrection is from spiritual death (unbelief) to spiritual life (faith).  Yes, they had faced serious persecution, but God used this persecution to spread his people to new places.  As Christians ran for their life, they were Clearly Standing on Jesus Christ.  We see this continuing today as the gospel is being proclaimed all around the world.  The Holy Spirit uses the powerful Word of God to lead us to repent and Clearly Stand on the Word of forgiveness and life.

This vision is more than just a line in the sand.  It’s a vision that encourages us to recognize the power of Christ in his Word.  Stand on the right side of the sand and be anti-Satan.  Continue to grow in God’s grace, in Christ’s love, in the Spirit’s truth.  Here with the Word, our souls clearly stand with Christ over Satan.  We are the ones described in John’s vision!

“⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. Instead they will be priests of God and of Christ. And they will reign with him for a thousand years.” 

There is no greater joy and no greater comfort than for us to be able to have our funerals and say to one another, “He’s (or she’s) alive!”  Their souls are in heaven standing with Jesus!  Jesus wants us to know that all believers are a resurrected people.  All believers are raised by God from spiritual death.  He wants us to see our soul’s association with our Lord who lives.

This vision is more than just a line in the sand.  It is a statement of victory.  The devil will do his worst, but Jesus always wins!  Yes, we are going to struggle with Satan and his temptations, but Jesus wins.  So, where do you stand?  God has shown us:

• Who is our friend and who is our foe;
• What was good for us and what is bad

God has reminded us that life is not an open beach anymore with no restricted area.  So, Don’t Cross the Line in The Sand.  It is clearly drawn for you to see in God’s Word.  It is Clearly Seen in God’s Word so You Can Stand with Jesus.  Yes, God wants you to stand with those seen in the Revelation.  God came to set things straight with Adam and Eve, and with all of us by promising to send the Serpent Crusher—Jesus Christ. Your soul stands with him, lives with him and reigns with him forever.  Amen.