Satan’s Tactics
Do you ever get the feeling that Satan has changed?
When I look at how evil our world has become and consider the temptations that people are faced with, I am tempted to say that Satan has changed. I’m tempted to say that the nature of sin has changed.
Sometimes it appears that our ancestors had an easier life because it seems that they weren’t faced with many of the problems that we see today. After all, Moses didn’t have to deal with pornography on the Internet. Isaiah wasn’t tempted to sniff glue or smoke crack. David didn’t have to face the temptation of cheating on his taxes. And surely Paul wasn’t tempted to drive too fast.
But when I read my Bible, I realize that Satan is no different today than he has ever been, the nature of temptation and sin is really no different, and the nature of the human race certainly remains the same.
So, what I’ve decided to do tonight is to take you all the way back to the beginning. Back to the very first human beings, back to the first temptation, and back to the first sin. And I hope that by doing so, we can learn better how to understand the nature of temptation, the nature of sin, and the nature of our tempter - Satan - and how we as Christians can better fight against the evil that so desperately wants to defeat us.
Genesis 3 tells the story of the temptation of Adam and Eve and the consequences of their sin. So, I would like to encourage you to pay close attention and read along with me as we take a few moments this evening to study this story and consider it’s implications for our lives today.
But before we do, please bow with me as we go to God in prayer.
Context: God has created the world and all that is in it.
And as a grand finale He creates man. Genesis 1: 26-27. A man named Adam and his helper named Eve.
He has given man a beautiful paradise in which to live and work, all the food he can eat, and only three simple commands:
The first and second commands are found in chapter 1 verse 28 where he says ". . . Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" ( which was the first commandment) "and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (which was the second commandment).
So, we see here that God has given these two commands (which, by the way are positive commands, not negative commands - as human beings it seems that we are often more tempted to do the forbidden as opposed to not doing what is commanded to do) and no others (according to the scriptures), and as far as we know, man has obeyed, or is in the process of obeying these two commands - being fruitful and multiplying and subduing and ruling over the earth.
Then, in chapter 2, verse 16, Adam and Eve receive their first negative command ( in other words, a "thou shalt not" type of command) ". . . And the Lord God commanded the man, "you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
And after this command is given, you don’t have to read too much further until you see old Satan come along and rear his ugly head.
As we read this text, we should realize that not only are we getting to see the very nature and the very tactics of the one who tempts us to sin against our God, but we are also privileged to learn from the mistakes of God’s first people.
You see, it might be a little different if we didn’t know anything about Satan and how he goes about tempting and deceiving people. A person might even be so bold as to shake an angry fist at God and say "How am I supposed to avoid sin and fight temptation when I don’t even know anything about my enemy?" But folks, we can’t say that because God has given us Satan’s game plan.
Now, I don’t know if you have noticed or not, but I tend to use a good many illustrations from when I used to play football and from when I was in the Army. And I know that there are a good many of you who never played football, and a good many who were never in the military. So, don’t worry. All my illustrations don’t come from those two sources.
However, I feel that in this particular instance, both my military and football experiences can help me illustrate what it is that God has given us here - as well as other places in the bible.
Æ Football - We watched the game films of our opposing team to help us know how to develop a strategy for defeating them.
Æ Army - We watched military intelligence films of how our enemy (Soviet Union, Iraq) operated so that we would be better equipped and trained to defeat them in battle.
What God has given us here is Satan’s game film. He’s given us the spiritual intelligence films of our enemy so that we may know how to defeat him. So let’s keep that in mind as we begin reading in Genesis chapter 3, beginning with verse one.
3: 1 . . .Now the serpent (called such in the book of Revelation) was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, ’You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?"
1. Satan disguises himself in seemingly harmless physical forms.
a. They had no one to teach them that snakes were
bad, no mom and dad and no Discovery channel.
2. Satan is crafty and deceptive.
a. He comes at us in ways that we don’t expect.
He bamboozles us into thinking that there is
some sort of hierarchy to sin. He tricks us
into thinking that some sin is bad, some is
really bad, and some is just really awful.
I know that in my own life, I’ve let him trick me into bargaining with God. I can even remember times, several years ago, when I would pray to God and say, "Lord, if you will help me get over these big sins, I can handle the rest. I can avoid the little stuff like lying, jealousy, envy." But you see, it doesn’t work that way. There is no difference. But Satan attempts to tell us otherwise by approaching us from directions and in ways that are deceptive.
3. Satan twists and distorts the Words of God.
a. II Peter 3: 15 and 16 (He tried to do it to
Jesus in the desert, he did it to Paul’s
teachings through unstable people, and he
continues to do it today through us and those
around us.
3: 2-5 . . . The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ’You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it or you will die.’" 4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
4. Satan lies.
(He does it today by rationalization.) We want to Justify our sin. We want to call something o.k. that is not o.k. We need to learn to call sin, sin! But, also, on the other end, as we seek to recognize sin, and mark it as sin - we can just as easily call something sin that is not - the apostle Paul warns us about these things in the 14th chapter of Romans, in the letter to the Galatians and in the letter to the Colossians.
We need to learn to let the word of God tell us what sin is - and not what our own mental ability and reasoning tells us sin is. Because, when we rely on our own wisdom, we will always go beyond God’s will by either not doing enough, or by doing too much.
5. Satan attempts to make us doubt God.
He does it today through modern philosophy, questionable science, and mystery religion. Just pick up a newspaper or watch television for a while. In program after program, sometimes subtle and crafty and sometimes plain, out-in-the-open efforts - are made to make us doubt God and his word.
Verses 6-end of chapter: God curses Satan, Eve, and Adam - but Satan is silent.
6. Satan deserts us after we sin.
How many of us have ever had the old devil come and comfort us after we began suffering from the consequences of our sins? None!
After thousands of years, mankind continues to be plagued by the prince of darkness. Many people attempt to justify their submission to him by saying that he has become more powerful or that his tactics have changed. Folks, he ain’t changed a bit.
But what is even more encouraging is the fact that our Great God hasn’t changed either!
**In Psalm 102, verses 25-27, the writer says these words concerning the unchanging nature of our God: "Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away but you are the same and your years have no end.
**In Malachi 3, verse six, the bible says: I the Lord do not change!
** And in James 1, verses 16 and 17, the bible says: Don’t be deceived, by dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
And in addition to the fact that he does not change, He has given us the Bible and His Holy Spirit to lead and to guide us against the wiles of Satan. Not only has he given us Satan’s game film, not only has he given us Satan’s military strategy, he has given us the tactics and the protection to defend ourselves, and to strike offensive blows against the Prince of Darkness!
No where in the Bible is is this more clearly illustrated than in Ephesians 6: 10 - 19 . . . "(10) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (12) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms. (13) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (14) Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (15) and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (16) In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (17) Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (18) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (19) Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, (20) for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
So, my friend, do you want to see through Satan’s disguises?
Do you want to avoid his craftiness and deception?
Do you desire to know when he is twisting and distorting Gods words?
Do you yearn to recognize his lies?
Do you want to avoid Satans ploy to make you doubt God?
Do you want to have friend who will never desert you even when Satan does?
Do you want others to know about Jesus?
Do you want preachers to preach the truth?
Do you want your fellow brothers and sisters to be victorious in their fight against Satan?
My friends, our great God has provided for us. Let us take hold of what he has given us and fight the good fight.
If you are not a Christian, come today and leave Satan and his world and accept Christ as your Savior. Unfaithful, fallen to Satan, come and be renewed in Christ today!
