How Can We Defeat Satan?

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN

SERMON TITLE: HOW CAN WE DEFEAT SATAN?

“For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

TEXT VERSE: Job 1:1-8 “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. (2) And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. (3) His substance also was several thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. (4) And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. (5) And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. (6) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. (7) And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (8) And the Lord unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”

I’m glad I’m the Lord’s servant. Some people think the Lord is supposed to serve them. I don’t want to ask what God can do for me but what I can do for God. A lot of people are asking God to answer their prayers and to strengthen them and so on, and He can but what are we doing for the Lord? Listen to God’s opinion about Job. “There’s none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil.” What a great man Job must have been for the Lord to say there’s not another like him in all the earth. That tells me that Job was willing to stand up for the Lord even thou his daughters and his sons forsook the Lord. They took up the wine in the brothers house and Job prayed for them. Job stayed strong in the Lord. I wonder what God thinks about us tonight as his servants. Are we doing what God wants us to do. Are we going where God wants us to go. Are we saying what God wants us to say. Just coming to the house of God isn’t always good enough. It’s good that we can assemble together in the house of God to worship the Lord but thank God it’s good when we can get out in the field and work. If God was writing a book tonight about a lot of Christians there wouldn’t be those kind of words found it like Job’s had. There’s not a lot of Christians in this world standing up for Jesus. They’ll put everything else first. Their lacking in their Christianity and the spiritual things and the heavenly things of what God wants them to have. I believe God looks down from heaven on his children and there’s not too many of us that would get a report like Job got. I want you to notice this: Job was perfect, upright, feared God and eschewed evil but Satan was right there with him trying to bring him down. It don’t matter what kind of a Christian you are, Satan is going to be around if you are trying to do God’s work. But if we trust in the Lord, we can win.

Job 1:9-12 “Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear the Lord for nought? (10) Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land (11)But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. (12) And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power;(did you notice that all that we have is in in Satans power? It’s right there where he can use things against us to bring us out of the realm of God if we let him. He can’t force us to but he can force us to be led away.) only upon himself put forth not thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” You know the rest of the story. Satan took away all that Job had.