SNAKEBITES & STOMPING
Part 1
Greater is He!
Genesis 3:15 & Romans 16:19-20
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Pastor Brian Matherlee
Open with video from “The Passion of the Christ”
Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”
From the very beginning Satan and mankind have been enemies. The devil seeks to harm us from every angle.
In the coming weeks we’ll be looking at specific attacks of the devil and specific tactics to overcome. But today we’ll look at the general provision of God.
In Genesis 3, God is speaking to the serpent and an important truth is disclosed. Satan will strike….but the offspring of Eve (Jesus) will crush Satan. In other words, what Jesus does to Satan is a blow of defeat…not a wound. Why is this important?
• What Satan does to us is temporary. What Christ has done is permanent. He has broken the power of sin and death!
• It is important because it points out that we are not meant to live in bondage to sin.
• Romans 6:6-12, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”
The Apostle Paul gave good advice and encouragement in the following verses:
Romans 16:19-20, “Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet.”
We have multiple defenses against the devil and his attacks. What are these that crush Satan?
1. Repentance
a. James 2:17, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
b. James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”
i. The need for action is inherent in Christian faith. It’s not true faith without the movement towards conforming to the Word and will of God.
ii. James points out that the demons have a belief in God that terrifies them. But that knowledge won’t save them. In the same way, your knowledge of God’s existence will not save you.
iii. Saving faith is by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and will always be evidenced in a change in your life.
2. Word of God
a. Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”
b. Jesus understands completely what we go through. God saw to it that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert before his public ministry began. Jesus had to be tempted and in the Scripture he found the weapons to overcome the temptation.
c. We fall into sin, much of it familiar and oft repeated, because we are neglecting and ignorant of God’s help in the Bible. Satan cannot win an argument with God and the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
d. Each week during this series we will be introduced to what author John Piper calls a “Fighter Verse”.
e. This week it is James 4:7
f. Fighter verse--James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
3. Jesus—in Name & Spirit
a. I John 4:4, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
b. Mark 16:17, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons.”
c. There is no other name that has the authority of Jesus. The third commandment directs us to revere God’s name and not misuse it. The name of Jesus has power because of the Person of Jesus. When we honorably pray in Jesus’ name. When we honorably speak or act in Jesus’ name there is the abiding power and presence of Jesus.
d. Jesus told us that he would send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our guide, comfort, the One who lets us know right and wrong.
e. God has not left us powerless against the devil.
f. We might feel powerless at times. Our human weakness figures into the equation often. We cannot let our weaknesses or excuses con us spiritually.
g. Never say, “The devil made me do it.” The devil cannot make any of us do anything. WE DO BECAUSE WE WANT TO….IT’S THAT SIMPLE!
h. Don’t forget the power of His name, the Presence of His Spirit.
4. The Body of Christ
a. Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
b. Coming together is a tool to fight the devil. How?
i. Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Accountability and challenge for excellence)
ii. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Encouragement & support)
iii. Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (If God is for us….where the Spirit of the Lord is—peace, etc.)
Are you being attacked in a specific way? You are not alone in the fight. Ask God for deliverance from temptation. If you have not cut the source of temptation off and it is within your power to do so, then begin today to burn those bridges.
