In the past two messages, I believe that I have made the
case for the fact that Christians must be prepared properly
to guard against satan’s deadly arrows.
Eph. 6:18 - 18praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with
all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
A. These arrows come in the form of some quite
common sins.
1. One reason for Christians to confess their
faults, one-to-another, is to bring to light the
commonality of satan’s arrows of destruction.
James 5:16 - 16Confess your trespasses to one another,
and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The
effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
We will not defeat these darts of temptation if we are
guarding areas that are very unlikely to be the areas of
temptation.
A. We must put on the whole armor of God and we
must identify the enemy, and after we have
identified the enemy, we need to face him.
1. When we only look at the horrible areas...the
areas that we probably do not need to worry
too much about........we expose our backs to
the area in which satan will definitely try to
defeat us.
In the last two messages I have addressed the following
areas of commonality:
A. Doubt and fear....the destroyer of faith.
B. The critical spirit......it’s still alive and in the
Church.
C. Misplaced priorities and/or procrastination.
D. Guilt.........for sins that have been covered by the
blood of Jesus Christ.
E. Envy, covetousness, and jealousy.....different
names.......same results.
Today, we will conclude with three final areas......common
areas to all of us who name the name of Christ.
A. Even though they are common, don’t let this fool
you.......they are life threatening.
Romans 6:23 - 23For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1. This is the reward of ALL SIN!
a. Because we count it as “common” or
we can say that “everybody does it” does
not take away from the fact that the ends
of these common sins.....IS DEATH!
I. First, we see a very common arrow of satan......an
unwillingness, on the Christian’s part, to admit that I
am the one that the messages......the admonitions......the
exhortations........the rebukes...............are dealing with.
A. This is spiritual denial.
1. All of the messages in the world cannot
penetrate this kind of heart.
B. We understand that messages apply to many
individuals.
1. Our job IS NOT TO MAKE THAT
APPLICATION!!!!!!!!
a. Those that are making these applications
are busying themselves and distracting
themselves from the truth, as it applies to
themselves.
b. Those that are doing this are attempting
to justify their sins and shortcomings by
pointing out the sins and shortcomings
of others.
II Cor. 10:12 - 12For we dare not class ourselves or
compare ourselves with those who commend themselves.
But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and
comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
1.) This does not justify anybody’s
sins
a.) Our yardstick of comparison
is not to be found in others.
II. The next area which is all to common in the Church..
is the area of complacency.
A. If satan can cause us to be satisfied with
something less than what God wants.....satan has
won and God has lost.
I Thess. 5:5-6 - 5You are all sons of light and sons of the
day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6Therefore let
us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
1. Being faithful to Christ is not a static thing....
being faithful to Christ is an ever moving
thing.
a. Hopefully we were faithful, we are
faithful, and we shall continue faithful
to the end.
1.) We have no Sabbath in this life...
we cannot take our ease and
ever think that we are through
laboring for Christ.
2. This applies to us as a congregation and it
applies to us, as individuals.
a. Just when we gain the victory in one
area, satan fires another fiery dart in
another area.
** Just remember this......everything is always the same
to a dead man.
3. Complacency kills by degrees.
a. We are slowly lulled to death.....we have
killed our consciences....we have
accepted wickedness as normal....even
O.K......we have ceased to feed on The
Word of God.
EXAMPLE: The old worn out....often told story of the
frog in a pot of water, comes to mind....(tell
it)
1.) WE ARE AT WAR......AND THE
SOONER WE WOULD
THIS AND LIVE
ACCORDINGLY....THE
BETTER EQUIPPED WE
WILL BE TO FOIL SATAN’S
ATTACKS.
3. If everything is going great and you have
no spiritual problems.....or only a few minor
ones.....WAKE UP......satan has lulled you
to sleep, spiritually.....you are in the grips
of complacency!!!!!!!!
** We have not been equipped for spiritual battle because
the Lord thinks everything is O.K.
1. Until we get the word from the Lord, we need to
fight on......the battle is not over.....we are not
yet in spiritual Zion.....it is not yet time to take
our ease.
III. Finally.....satan strikes us in the same area that
defeated him...........this is the area of pride.
A. Pride happens in the hearts of those who have
supplanted God with themselves.
1. Pride will stop compassion and concern from
from taking place.
a. If we think so highly of self.....there is
no room for anybody else in this
swollen heart.
2. Pride will also stop love.
a. First it stops our love for God.
1.) When we love ourselves more
than God.....there is no room left
in this puffed-up heart for Him.
b. Pride also stops our love for our fellow
man.
1.) When we are so full of ourselves,
there is no room for a sacrifice
of ourselves for others.
3. Pride will stop a Christian from striving for
righteousness.
a. Pride produces
SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.
1.) A proud person will overlook and
defend his/her sins and faults.
a.) In a way they become a
pathological liar.....that is....
they believe their own
reasons and excuses which
say that they are doing right
in the sight of the Lord.
4. Pride will blind the spiritual eyes.
a. When pride takes over, spiritual issues
take back seat to what this proud
person wants.......or wants to do.
** Make no mistake.......pride is a killer.
1. A proud person cannot live within the framework
of true Christianity.
a. A proud person rebels against anything that
would cause this person to ever submit to
anyone..........God included.
CONCLUSION:
There is really no way that we could highlight every
temptation of satan.
A. What we have tried to do is to highlight eight
deadly darts of satan.
1.) Doubt
2.) A Critical Spirit
3.) Misplaced Priorities and Procrastination
4.) Guilt
5.) Envy, Covetousness, and Jealousy
6.) Spiritual denial...non-personal application
7.) Complacency
8.) Pride
1. These are common to us all.
a. At one time or other, each one of us
has probably given in to one or all of
these sins.
b. Hopefully we have repented of this and
placed those sins under the blood of
Jesus Christ.
1.) Just as hopefully.....we have left
those sins behind and are pressing
on to do the will of God.
Remember one thing, however.......WE ARE AT WAR!!!!
A. Nobody has declared a “cease fire”.
1. Do not let the enemy sneak up on you......do
not be looking in areas where it is quite
improbable that he will attack........satan will
distract us, if he can.
a. We need to look to ourselves and
realize and accept the areas in which we
are susceptible.
1.) When we recognize those areas of
possible attack, we need to turn
around and face them with the full
armor of God at the ready.
