The Good Guy Wins

You light a lamp for me.
….The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. Psalm 18:28

Luke 11:21-23(<<click to read the passage)

For some reason, I am drawn to action movies where the main character is greatly outnumbered but despite the cards being stacked against him, he comes out the victor – bloodied and beaten, mind you – but victorious.

At the core of the plot, there is usually someone powerful and strong, who no one can stand against. The “bad guy” rules with an iron fist and everyone does his bidding – there is no choice, for it is obedience or death.

Then unbeknownst to all enters the “good guy”. In the movies, he is not perfect and is not always a man with scruples, but he takes a stand against the “bad guy’s” henchmen and against all odds defeats them. Eventually, He defeats the “bad guy”, too.

Reading yesterday’s passage, where Jesus spoke of the ludicrous idea that He was driving out demons in Satan’s power, these two verses jumped out at me.

Satan is the “bad guy” supreme. He is a “strong man” who rules this earth with an iron fist. And, just about everyone does his bidding. He is in control. He is the one who runs things. And regardless of following him willingly or unwittingly, death is guaranteed in the end – there is no other choice.

But then the “Good Guy” supreme enters the scene. Against all odds, he takes His stand. And in this case, even after defeat, after defeat of the “bad guy’s” henchmen, the “bad guy” gets his way, and the “Good Guy” is taken out – He is executed for all to see. And the “bad guy” thinks, “The end! I won!”

But he did not win! He played right into the hands of the Eternal Father. What he thought was his greatest victory instead became his eternal defeat! Jesus alone is the uncontested champion of eternity!

Read this passage with those thoughts in mind.

When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his belongings are undisturbed and secure. But when someone stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he robs him of all his armor on which he had relied and divides his [goods as] spoil. Luke 11:21-23 (AMP)

The devil is defeated – he still rules but his fate is sealed. Revelation 20:2, 10 (NLT) speaks of his destiny.

2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years.

10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

As is the norm with me, a hymn came to mind. Martin Luther wrote A Mighty Fortress Is Our God in 1529 and the first three stanzas of its text set it all before us.

A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

June 16^th, 2020, Tues, 8:41 pm