Satan’s Deception (Sermon 6/2014)
1 Peter 5:6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
In World War II, the Allies planned the greatest sea-land invasion in Europe’s history on June 6th , 1944. The US along with Britain planned a full front line assault against German occupied France in the battle of Normandy. The success of this invasion required a lot of deception. The Allies deceived Germany, so Germany could not put the full force of their might to repel the attack. If the Germans had only 24 to 48 hours in advance that they were to be attacked….it could have been disastrous. The Allies used several methods, knowing this end battle was the real goal.
German agents operating in Britain were given false information; secondly, US and other countries against Germany used inflatable tanks and airplanes, German spy planes were allowed to take pictures of inflatable tanks at British ports thinking they were real. The photos confirmed German intelligence, or so the Germans thought. The deception worked, the Normandy invasion was a success, and Germany diverted their resources from the main battle to false battle and that caused a great victory against Germany in WW2.
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The Spiritual war is all around us, and Satan is a master planner, he constantly feeds the world false information about himself and his plans. Many people, including Christians don’t believe he existence, while others see Satan as joke, a cartoon character.
ILL:Two little boys were walking home from Sunday School where the lesson had been on the Devil and one asked the other “What do you think of this devil business?” “Well” said the other boy, “You know how Santa Claus turned out--- it’s either our Mom or your Dad.”
But, like the battle of Normandy, his deceptions about himself, make his assault on a lot of folks easier, because people don’t expect it. Some don’t believe he exists!
**The Bible provides the intelligence and the war plan for the Christian to understand just how Satan operates, so his strategies and deception will not take us in.
We are at war and under attack. Understanding who our enemy is and how he operates, allows us to prepare for the attack, putting us on the offensive, rather than the defensive.
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Jesus told Peter in Luke chapter 22 that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat…..he also wants to sift us like wheat….
To sift wheat in Jesus time was to place the wheat on a large stone and tromp on it and beat it to loosen the grain….then throw it up in the air to separate the grain from the stalk.
That’s the reason Apostle Peter knew how to give advice in our Scripture today…. He said to Be sober, be vigilant……Peter also said in verse 9 to Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world
****Peter is saying…resist him and stay strong in your belief. The same way we fought against Germany together believed that their plan would work to defeat their enemy…and it did….but, they did it together…..if I have a prayer need… I usually send an E mail for folks to help me pray…..
But, it doesn’t have to be a request…we should prayer for each other every day because Peter says we all have the same afflictions in as other Christians all over the world.
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But, we bring a lot of those afflictions on ourselves by deception from Satan!
It not just personal deceptions …..the world is being deceived by Satan more now than ever.
Let’s look at some of those deceptions that he uses….remember how the war of Normandy was won….it was staging a false war at one place to win a war in another….that’s deception.
Hollywood is the worst deception in the history of mankind I believe….they promote gays and call it human rights…..there are TV shows called “Modern Family…its nothing more than a show for gays.
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Large companies invent expensive ways for kids to kill and call them Games…some kids are sitting at those games so long they can’t tell if it’s a game or reality.
Our government takes prayer out of our schools and kids are shooting other kids …then the media builds the story up and drags it on till another kid kills even more...he thinks he winning the game!
Then the first thing the government wants to do is get rids of guns…..guns don’t kill….people pull the trigger.
**************God didn’t get rid of all the rocks because Cain killed Abel with one.
****It’s all deception coming from the Devil
Every movie that comes out Hollywood ….that modern day Sodom and Gomorra is about evil things and killing…and demonizing filth….
That’s how Satan is winning the war in America…
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Satan has had plenty of experience with tricking people….he started way back with Adam and Eve when he told Eve…because of their disobedience…”God said thy shall surly die”...But, Satan said “thy shall not surly die” …when God said they would in their disobedience.
Satan attacks the way people think, that’s the reason he seeks access to that area in our life, where he can gain control of our thinking.
This is why people are perishing without Christ, that’s how Satan accomplishes his work.
He has “Blinded” their “Minds”, so they won’t believe. This is not just about religion; it’s about the way we think. …Satan is a lion on the hunt, looking for prey….he uses people’s minds to blind them.
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them
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Satan will use every tool he has to prevent people from seeing the Gospel. It’s no accident that Jesus is mocked by modern man and the Bible barred from work and schools. Christians are persecuted because Satan’s goal is to blind the lost.
Well what can we do?.........Our job is to rescue the blind by leading them to Jesus.
We are at war also against the works of Satan.
**** Satan is at war against the works of Jesus. ….the Bible is our sword that we use in the battle for the souls that are deceived.
**********Gods battle with Satan began long before the Garden of Eden.
It started I believe before the foundation of the world as we know it. Satan said he would rise above God because of his pride….. Lucifer or Satan, the Devil whichever one you want to call him was one of Gods most beautiful and most intellect being He ever created…he stood as an Ark angel…in Gods presents…but, God gave him choices just as God did us…but Satan’s desire was to take Gods throne…..lets look in Isaiah
Isaiah 14:12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
**Satan’s enemy is God, he opposes Him in every way, so that being the case, those who know Christ and have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, is against everything we stand for and do for God.
Believers are Satan’s enemy; his goal is to destroy the lives of God’s servants.
That’s why he is called the accuser of our brethren? He is asking for the Lord’s permission, because he does not have any more authority, then what’s been given to him.
Satan accuses us before the throne of God, he wants to destroy us but, Christ is our advocate or “Lawyer” before the throne.
The ones who overcame Satan, the accuser did it through the blood of the Jesus. Satan was defeated at the cross.
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“A lot of people who attend Protestant or Catholic churches have beliefs and don’t agree with the teachings of the Bible and their church, according to the latest release from the Religion Research
There are some things that many Christians have held on to in their beliefs:
Three-quarters or 75% of all adults believe in the Trinity.
Seventy-nine percent accept that "every person has a soul that will live forever, either in God’s presence or absence."
76% have the idea that "the Bible can only be correctly interpreted by people who have years of training in theology."
On other things, the research found some…. Really disturbing beliefs:
Six out of ten Americans (59%) don’t believe in Satan, calling him a symbol of evil, that’s the common view among Catholics.
More than one-third (35%) believe that it is "possible to communicate with others after they die."
42 % believe that, when Jesus was on earth, he committed sins.
Half of all adults argue that anyone who "is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven."
44% believe that "the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.
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Satan is real……God is real and both are very much alive and working in our life.
But, Satan has many ways of deceiving us but, I believe the most deceiving of all is the false religions…the ignorance in beliefs….
I’m not a scholar by no means but, when Jesus said I am the only way truth and life and no one comes to the Father but, by me…….I believe Him….because my Lord lives….our Lord defeated Satan at the cross of Calvary.
1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy
We suffer now for the cause of Christ….but our Lord has promised a Heavenly home to live with Him forever more.
Death of this body is just a part of living but eternal life is because of Jesus His promises you trust.
Love in Christ Jesus, Ronnie Miller www.themillersbiblestudy
