How To Put The Devil Under Your Feet

HOW TO PUT THE DEVIL UNDER YOUR FEET

Rom. 16:20

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: DEER SEASON

1. It was Saturday morning as Jake, an avid hunter, woke up ready to go bag the first deer of the season. He walked down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and to his surprise he found his wife, Alice, sitting there, fully dressed in camouflage.

2. Jake asked her, "What are you up to?" Alice smiled. "I'm going hunting with you!" Jake had many reservations about this, but reluctantly decided to take her along.

3. When they arrived at the hunting site, Jake set his wife safely up in the tree stand and told her, "If you see a deer, take careful aim and I'll come running back as soon as I hear the shot."

4. He walked away with a smile on his face knowing that Alice couldn't bag an elephant, much less a deer. However, within ten minutes, Jake was startled as he heard an array of gunshots.

5. Quickly, Jake ran back. As he got closer to her stand, he heard Alice screaming: "Get away from my deer!" Confused, Jake raced faster towards his screaming wife. And again he heard her yell, "Get away from my deer!" Followed by another volley of gunfire!

6. Now within sight of where he had left his wife, Jake was surprised to see a cowboy, with his hands high in the air. The cowboy was saying, "Okay, lady, okay! You can have your deer! Just let me get my saddle off it!"

B. TEXT

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you” Rom. 16:20.

C. THESIS

1. If I asked you where war is taking place today, most likely you’d point to the insurgency of the extreme Muslim group ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

2. But Scripture tells us there is a global battle being waged between the forces of Darkness and the forces of God. There battles in the heavenly realm between angels and demons.

3. This battle extends all the way down to the battle for each individual person. Satan wants to destroy you and God wants to save you; you must make the choice which side you’re on.

4. We’re going to look at 3 aspects of this battle. Follow along with me as we look at “How to Put the Devil Under Your Feet.”

I. STEP 1: THE BATTLE OVER YOUR HEART

A. GOD WANTS ALL OF YOU

1. You have 2 alternatives: to be in Slavery to the Devil and spend an eternity in Hell, or completely Surrender your life to God and spend eternity in Heaven.

2. The call of Jesus is: “If any man/ woman would come after me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Me.”

3. God says, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” Deut. 30:19.

4. Many people don’t want to surrender all of their lives, but that’s what Jesus demands. God can only bless what belongs to Him.

5. ILLUS. Imagine you were going to cook an omelet. You needed 5 eggs, but all you had was 4 good eggs and one blue-colored, stinking, rotten egg, swarming with parasites. Theoretically, wouldn’t the 80% good eggs outweigh the one bad egg? Would you want to eat such an omelet? Likewise, God wants to live in us but is grieved away when we retain rotten, stinking sins in our lives.

6. How effective could our army be in Afghanistan if it had been infiltrated by ISIS spies and saboteurs? We’d be greatly compromised. When we allow sin in areas of our lives, we are compromised with the devil and God can’t use us. God wants us to surrender our lives to Him.

7. We’re in a war against an enemy who is seeking to destroy us. You’re either on God’s side or the devil’s side; there’s no middle ground. God wants ALL or NOTHING. If you’re not going to aim to win the war, then why go at all?

8. You can’t succeed as a victorious Christian unless you go “all in.” Think of WW2: God will only accept an “Unconditional Surrender.” To win, God must have all of us and we must have all of God.

B. WARRIOR’S CREED

1. I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

2. My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living.