SATAN’S WORLD
By: C. Mason Davis
I like to start each message with a little “wake-me-up” story.
A few minutes before the church service started, the congregants were sitting in their pews and talking. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the exits in a frantic effort to get away from him. Soon everyone had exited the church except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew without moving. Satan walked up to the old man and said, "Don't you know who I am?" The man replied, "Yep, sure do."
"Aren't you afraid of me?" Satan asked. "Nope, sure ain't," said the man. "Don't you realize I can kill you?" asked Satan. The man said, "Don't doubt it for a minute" "And you're still not afraid?" asked Satan. "Nope." More than a little perturbed, Satan asked, "Well, why aren't you afraid of me?" With a serious demeaner the old man replied, "Been married to your sister for the last 48 years."
Will everyone who is able please stand while I read today’s scripture.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
1 Peter 5:8 reads: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
Please pray with me…
We, as believers must learn to be clear-minded and watchful, as our enemy, the devil, is actively seeking to harm us, like a predator stalking its prey. It says in James 3:15: “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish.” The wisdom of this verse comes from above, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, and full of mercy and good fruits. This "earthly" wisdom is characterized though by jealousy and selfish ambition, leading to disorder and every evil practice. 2 Corinthians 4:4; “In which 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." “The god of this world” is referring to Satan, signifying his power and influence over the earthly realm. Unbelievers and believers are blinded by Satan's deception, preventing them from seeing the truth of the Gospel. 1 John 5:19 says: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” Whether we realize it or not, we should all be aware that this is Satan’s world. Satan knows no boundaries. He is working constantly to keep us from a life of faith but instead to believe that sin and evil is normal, and that it’s the best way to success and getting everything we desire as long as it’s not a life in Christ. But as God is for you, Satan is against you. That's his job. You may think that every time you sin that Satan’s making you do wrong. No. You've just got a nature of sin that will do the job for him.
In today’s world, Satan has captured the medias of the world…all of which belong to him…the movies, newspapers, schools, educators, governments, social media, except those medias that are dedicated to Jesus Christ. There's no neutral ground. And every unsaved person in this world is controlled by Satan. Satan’s 3 most used tactics are deception, distraction, and discouragement. The moment you take a stand for Jesus Christ Satan declares war on you. That's why when Paul got to the end of his life, he took a great big gasp and said, "I have fought the good fight." It's when someone becomes a believer that Satan's greatest battles are fought against that believer. The Christian life is never easy but there's always victory. Peter says, "The victory was provided for us in the blood of the Lamb." The victory was already won at Calvary for all of us who choose to believe in Him. Because of this, sin has no claim on us. It states in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Do you ever ask yourself why God allows evil in this world? Some common explanations include the concept of free will, where humans have the capacity to choose between good and evil, and the idea that suffering can be a catalyst for growth, compassion, and spiritual development. It is our gift of having free will and cognitive thought that allows us to make decisions on our own. But to know what is good, there has to be bad in order for us to know what good is by comparing the two. The truth is, it takes more effort to be good than it does to be bad. Another truth is that those who believe and live by the Bible are much happier and content than those who don’t.
Now, having free will means that we’re responsible for our own decisions. Without free will, God would have created nothing but people who all act the same like preprogrammed robots of which there would be no satisfaction to God in watching over them. But God loves praise. He wants us to choose to praise Him. Something that robots can’t choose to do as they can only follow their programming. But with free will, it’s up to each person to have faith in God or reject Him. Therefore, we either choose the greatness of our God, or we choose the bad of evil. It’s our choice. God’s redemptive purpose is to bring everyone to believe in Him through faith and love. God can even use evil and suffering for a greater, redemptive purpose. This could involve using suffering to bring about positive change, to teach valuable lessons, or to demonstrate His power and love in overcoming adversity, such as he did with Job.
In combating the evil of Satan when we’re trying to keep the evil from distracting and deceiving us, we need to utilize the weapons that God has given us to use in spiritual wars, often referred to as the "full armor of God.” God has supplied us with 7 weapons for use in a spiritual war which are: truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, the hope of our salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. Not only must we know the Bible, we must also know what kinds of people we’re witnessing to. From athiest to non-believers, doubters to Liberals, we should study what these kinds of people believe, don’t believe, and what they think they know about God, Jesus, and Christianity, and how they debate and argue the subject of faith vs. non-faith so we can be prepared to combat any falsities they throw at us.
Thankfully, before Jesus left our world, He commanded us to follow “The Great Commission” and make disciples of all nations. Nations meaning to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ and make followers of him to all people groups near and afar. It's a call to evangelize, baptize, and teach individuals from every nook and cranny, nation, ethnicity, and background.
Matthew 28:16-20; Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The Great Commission is about making discipling to others and perhaps making disciples, too. As Jesus commands the church to go and make disciples, we must, therefore, make sure we do not relegate this to a "Great Suggestion", or the "Great Omission!" We pray and labor in such a way that the church will not just be doctrinally sound, but also missionally faithful. It covers the Authority, the Assignments and the Assurances from Jesus. So, let us be faithful in the Great Commission because Jesus gave Himself for us and we owe it to Him to follow His commands. I pray that God uses this message to help you in being faithful, and in being a disciple and disciple-maker!
I want to tell you that God's Great Commission is actually very straightforward. The Great Commission that Jesus gave to the church, to his people, is very simple: That we are to make disciples. A disciple is both a teacher and a student. A disciple is a follower. It's like an apprentice. You watch his life. You learn from his life. You copy him. You mimic him. You disciple after him. What Jesus is saying is: “Your Great Commission, your mission, the command I leave to you is that you must help people follow Me. Make disciples of Myself. Help them to learn of My values, My ways, My teachings, to follow My life, in My character, My ministry, My heart posture, and how I deny Myself, take up the cross in order to follow the Fathers will.” That's the Great Commission!
I’d like to read an obituary that every church and every person can relate to. The obituary reads: Churches were saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members, Someone Else. For many, many years as a part of this church Someone Else did far more than a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, everybody said, “Let Someone Else do it.” Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results; “Someone Else can work with that group.” It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the most generous givers. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone assumed Someone Else would make up the difference. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do. Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did? When you are asked to help from now on, remember, we can’t depend on Someone Else anymore.
Finger pointing…
I also want you to know that the Great Commission that Jesus left for his people is not about making buildings, money, programs, services, building classrooms, or hosting events. These things may help some when deciding upon a church to attend, but our mission is to disciple to others above all else. We’re to help people know and follow Jesus so they may glorify God. Discipling is a great way to learn as we teach. In other words, you shouldn’t disciple just to fill the pews of your own church, but it’s a must that you disciple to bring those who need Christ into a budding relationship with Him. I think that's very exciting! Many believers don’t disciple for many reasons. Maybe they’re not prepared, not confident, too shy, or know how. The truth is, that when you learn and practice to witness the easier it gets. People hate being rejected because it makes you feel that it’s not worth the effort. That’s just your pride discouraging you. But the better you become at it the more committed you’ll become, which means the harder Satan's going to work against you. As competitive as is our nature, are you going to let Satan beat you? Another reason it seems harder is that we are a generation of people who expect instant results, instant success, and instant gratification. We are now living in the land of entitlement. But we can’t live like that. We must be patient because everything good in life will come in God’s time. But what hurts us as Christians is that we are too easily dejected and discouraged. Just be brave and when you feel Jesus calling on you, don’t think, don’t act, just respond to him saying, “Here I am.” Just know that when you’ve got Jesus, you’ve got it all!
When you go out to disciple to people, you’ll most likely understand how telemarketers feel as they call people. Being hung up on and told, “no” a lot. Rude responses, too. Just remember that there’s no better feeling than being successful when you put yourself out there in the name of Jesus when discipling and helping someone turn to Jesus. When you know you’ve succeeded, you’ll feel the breath of God in your lungs and your body becomes filled with the Holy Spirit to the extent of feeling like you’re gonna explode. Some call that feeling “pride,” but I call it “rewarding.” You’ll be rejuvenated to continue your witnessing through all the rejections you’ll receive. Don’t take a “no” to heart. Even when you’re rejected, you’re most likely planting a seed into that person who may one-day look to Jesus for a better future, especially in their darkest times. At times, you may run into a combative non-believer who thinks they know it all and want to debate why they’re right and you’re wrong.
Prayer is the best way you can start anything in life, especially when discipling. Ask Him for strength, bravery, and to help you speak the words that each person needs to hear. But remember, if you ask not, you’ll receiveth not. Utilizing the Bible when discipling is a must. Why? The Bible is the primary source of truth about God, His plan for humanity, and how to live a life pleasing to Him. The Bible is not only our foundation for truth, but it is also for guidance, spiritual growth and instruction, it equips and gives examples of discipleship, and it addresses the challenges to every issue of life you can experience, back then and now. After all, there’s no better book ever published that makes a better “thumping” sound. But seriously, I not only call the Bible “God’s Instruction Manual to Life,” but no matter what challenges or issues get in your way, you can always turn to the Bible for the solution. For example, Proverbs 21:19 states, “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.” Translation: “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t no one gonna be happy.” That issue and solution was true 3,000 years ago just as much as it’s true today. You might just have to translate a bit which is why you need to read and know the Bible well.
There is an unfortunate truth we all know too well. The scariest word spoken to anyone is the name, “Jesus.” It has even scared me when someone knocks on my door and says they want to come in to talk about Jesus. When sharing God’s Word with others it’s proper to know that not everyone wants to hear God’s truth, and even though we may not agree with them, their personal choices should be respected (Matt 10:14; Acts 13:50-51). We should never try to force the gospel or Bible teaching on anyone, but be willing to share when opportunity presents itself. So, always be kind. If you see someone falling behind, walk beside them. If someone is being ignored, find a way to include them. If someone has been knocked down, lift them up. Always remind people of their worth. Be who you needed when you were going through hard times. Just one small act of kindness could mean the so much to someone. Don’t just show them the path to Jesus, but lead them down that path. 2 Chronicles 7:14 states: "If my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their lands."
Lately, college-aged and high-school-aged youth are turning away from the liberal beliefs and teachings and have instead, turned to Christ. They are flocking to contemporary Christian concerts and churches that have that dynamic in their worship. They are turning to the churches where they can have fun, laugh, meet other’s, all-the-while learning about Jesus and God’s Word in more of a relatable way to life today. In time, attending church services will be an anticipation of excitement rather than being a chore. Last August at Ohio State, three football players started to play gospel music loudly outside their dorms in a courtyard while soapbox preaching about Jesus. Within 2 hours, there were over 2,500 students attending and school wasn’t even in session yet. Over 60 students were baptized that night having given themselves to God. A couple of months ago, a small worship circle in a farmers field became a gathering of around 20,000 where over 6,000 were Baptized. But there are all ages of people turning to God during these tough times. There is no better time than now to become awaken, not woke. There’s something happening in our world that is causing a great revival. The youth, college aged and young adults are turning from the liberal false and woke teachings taught in schools and universities, to faith in Jesus. Could this be the beginning of another “Great Awakening?” Or is this the beginning of the Second Coming? One of the signs of the Second Coming is a great revival, which could mean that this latest “revival” could be the beginning of End Times. Think about that.
Alas, there’s nothing to fear. Just remember that Heaven is our home. We’re just here recruiting. That dying without Jesus in your heart is the real tragedy. Dying as a Christian is never a tragedy because death is our passport to glory. But as long as you have Jesus, you have it all! Amen!
