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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

P. Gerard Damsteegt

The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail

It's good to be here after an absence of nearly 2 years.

I like to be here not simply for family circumstances, but there is something dynamic here in Adventist hope that warms my soul.

And I wish that this spirit that you find here would permeate throughout the world in every congregation.

What a difference I experienced 1 week ago.

Was at least 6, 000 miles away from here, in which I wasn't quite sure where I was.

And memories came back in my mind from the time when I was not a Christian.

Nightclub music, in a church, lots of young people, lots of movement, and yet, where was Christ and the Spirit?

When I was sitting here just before this, I read the words here.

And it reminds me of a great revival about 500 years ago in the Christian church when men and women were designated Protestants stood up.

By that time if you go to the basilicas and cathedrals in Europe, you see there an altar here, and you see the pillars and the pulpit is way on the side.

But what the architecture of Protestantism did in the churches bring back the pulpit in its midst and the proclamation of the Word.

Now today I see frequently the pulpits again move, not to the side, outside of the church, because it is a barrier, a communication barrier.

And so frequently our people have become actors.

In fact, if you go to Luther's church in Wittenberg, you see that they have lifted up the pulpit really there and he proclaims this word.

Friends, the pulpit is there to preach the word.

And this is the greatest need in the world today.

Of course, this is a special weekend about the Lord and Savior, His death and resurrection.

And I'd like to focus specifically this morning on a statement that if you really understand this, means victory and offensive in the world.

And then Jesus says in verse 17, blessed are you son, Simon, Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father who is heaven and I say also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock Christ himself I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And so in the light of this special weekend, I would like to reflect upon, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

You know, this is a kind of, what kind of a spirit brings you out?

You know, there seem to be some tensions, a fight.

Jesus put his finger on a warfare, a tremendous warfare and the gates of hell, it seemed to me that that is an, you know, that expression deals with the summum, the headquarters, the strategy, the center of Satan and all his plans.

It shall not prevail against God's church.

Now of course today many people believe that it has to do with Peter and whatever, but the early Christians until the 4th century didn't even believe that this had any reference to Peter.

And so here is a war going on, says Christ.

And no matter what Satan does, it is not possible to do this.

And what is now the personal application of this warfare?

And the personal warfare is that from the time you have accepted Jesus Christ, you are on the hit list.

And remember for every soul that escapes his realm, he has to suffer.

And God's people who accept Jesus, Jesus paid a penalty.

Paid a penalty, and Satan has to suffer, suffer.

And so here then as a child of God, you are in a spiritual war, a war for life and death, the battle of the mind.

And so because of this, we have no time to lose any battle.

It's not a matter of, you know, sometimes you are successful, sometimes not.

As long as this, you know, back and forth going on, Satan has a major chance.

But this is a war, for friends, that we cannot lose.

And don't say, okay, some I win, some I lose, you know, and we try to work the averages.

In fact, let us look what Jesus says in in John chapter 10 verse 10.

Here is a strategy and here is really the uncovering of this war.

John 10 verse 10, Jesus said, "'The thief cometh not, "'but for to steal and to kill and to destroy.'" That's what Satan's aim is.

"'But those who love the Lord "'and walk according to his plan, "'for their lives are on top of the devil's hit list, Jesus says, I have come, that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Destruction and the wallowing the abundance of life.

And you know Satan and Jesus what a difference.

Turn to Luke chapter 22 verse 31 to analyze this what is now going on right now in our church and in the world Luke 22 31 here it is and the Lord said reflecting on Peter's denial Simon Simon indeed Satan asked for you that he may sift you as wheat.

So here is Satan Trying to cause a shaking and a sifting among God's people at the same time if you look in in Matthew chapters 3 and See what John the Baptist had to say about the coming Savior Matthew chapters 3 this is what John the Baptist says in verse 11 and 12.

John says, indeed I baptize you with water and to repentance but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry, and he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

And his winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly sift or purge his dressing floor and gather his wheat into the barn and he will burn up the chaff with the unquenchable fire." Now what you see here is a very interesting dynamic.

You see here in this whole thing here is that Satan sifts to get the good part out your life.

Satan sifts, but get out the good part of a person's life and leaves the chaff.

Jesus sift out the chaff but keeps the good.

Satan hates a child of God and wants to stop them.

However, there are things that keep him from destroying because God has not given him the authority.

Jesus loves the child of God And Christ is seated on the right hand of the Father, interceding constantly for us, pleading, praying, sending his angels so that we will be protected.

Friends, the transformation of life unto death and death unto life.

He has just been arrested before the Sanhedrin.

Jesus looks over the crowd and He says, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in Him who sends me as everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Most assuredly I say to you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

And then of course he brings it to the final events and planet earth.

But he says to his audience, the hour is now when the dead, those here who hear my voice, who are spiritual dead, will What?

So here then everyone who hears the word that is proclaimed, our Savior is unto life and to death.

In every audience Spirit of Prophecy says that people are lost.

Even in Advent Hope, They hear some people that maybe this was the last attempt that they came here and they were planning to walk away and perish.

And so friends whatever we share here, whatever you share with others, your influence is into life or into death.

It's not only for people that give Bible studies, Not only for the preacher, no, each 1 of us here has the influence of life unto life and death unto death.

I'm teaching in an Adventist institution, a university, yet every student that comes in my office, I have a mission.

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The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail

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