Faith to Stand (part 1)
Put simply, the Christians life is a war. An unseen battle rages not just around us, but within us. Deep within our heart a life-and-death struggle rages for our soul. No on can run from the battle line; it’s impossible to hide from the attack.
The reality of this war is that there is no neutral ground–no demilitarized zone. No cease-fire will be called; no white flags will signal the surrender of the enemy. This is a war to the death; winner take all.
Every member of the human race is involved in this conflict. You cannot observe this war as a conscientious objector. Everyone who has accepted Christ as their personal Savior is on the front lines. Those outside the body of Christ are the prisoners of war awaiting their rescue before it’s too late.
My intention was to complete John 15 today in preparation for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season that is before us. But I believe God has a better plan for us. We’ll return later to the gospel of John, but today we are going to begin a series called “FAITH TO STAND” that I believe is critical to our individual spiritual growth as well as our growth and development as a church for two reasons:
1. Individually and as a church we have experienced victory. God has provided for us; He has given us a new start–a fresh beginning.
2. Our purpose is to fulfill God’s purpose for this church and our lives. We want to walk and talk like Jesus, to be His hands extended to our world.
Beware, when we experience victory and purpose to be like Jesus we will face the attack of the enemy. As Susie told me last night, “the rear flank does not see as much action as the front line.”
“Faith to Stand” is taken from 1 Corinthians 10:13. If you don’t know this verse of scripture you will.
+ “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (NIV)
This is our promise–a promise we can hold onto during difficult times. Through every battle; with every temptation God will be faithful to strengthen us to stand.
Throughout the series “Faith to Stand” we will make a careful study of the temptation of Christ in Luke 4:1-13.
+ Luke 4:1-13 1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone.’" 5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 8Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’" 9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written: "’He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’" 12Jesus answered, "It says: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’" 13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. (NIV)
WHAT CAN WE HOPE TO LEARN?
1. We will better understand the tactics of the enemy. We’ll discover Satan’s strategy and plan of attack.
2. We will learn how to overcome the enemy and walk in victory through the example of Jesus. We will discover that spiritual warfare is a winnable war.
3. We will see when we are most vulnerable and open to the attack of the enemy. We will learn to recognize the ambushes that Satan sets to destroy our lives.
4. We will come to see Jesus in all of His holiness. He is the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. No sin can be found in Jesus; He is holy!
As we begin our study today let me also mention that some of this series will be drawn from the pages of the book "FAITH UNDER FIRE" by Steven J. Lawson. I recommend this book if you want to make a serious study on how to overcome the attacks of the enemy. I promise this series won’t just be a “book report.” If I did that, then there would be times I would have to tell you Lawson says such and such, but I think he’s wrong; we’ll let God sort that all out later!
The title of this mornings message is “YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL.” It seems to me that we don’t hear a great deal about Satan or hell within the church today. Perhaps we think if we don’t mention it, then maybe it will just go away!
Before we take a running start, I want you to hear this song by the late Keith Green. This song was written from a newspaper article about a demon exorcism which reported the demon shouted at the priest, “My job is easy, because no one believes in me anymore.” Song: “No One Believes In Me Anymore”
One of the keys to any military victory is that you must know your enemy; you have to know who it is that you are fighting. What can we learn from the temptation of Christ about our enemy the devil?
1. SATAN IS A REAL ENEMY!
+ Luke 4:1-2 1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. (NIV)
Luke is not speaking figuratively; he is recording a historical event that actually took place in the life of Christ. Jesus had just come from being baptized in the Jordan river where He had really gotten wet. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into a real desert for a definite period of time–40 days and nights. Everything about what Luke records is real, so what makes us think the devil or Satan is just a mythical creature or an evil force? Satan is a real enemy.
Let me ask you a question. How many of you believe that the unseen Holy Spirit which filled Jesus and then led Him into the desert is real? We all believe that! The same Holy Spirit now dwells in us.
Then if we believe in the unseen Holy Spirit, we also must acknowledge the reality of the unseen devil who opposed Christ in the wilderness. Satan is a real spiritual being–to be specific he is the fallen angel known as Lucifer.
Satan is not a mythical creature with horns and a pointy tail wearing a red suit. He is the enemy of your soul who has one objective; he wants to destroy you. Jesus said,
+ John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (NIV)
Can I let you in on a little secret? God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, but likewise Satan hates you and has a terrible plan for your life. This means war! You have a real enemy.
2. SATAN IS A DEADLY DECEIVER!
Satan’s objective is to camouflage his deception as truth. He wants to lead you off “The Way” and into a minefield of sin and destruction.
Luke said that Jesus was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by the devil. I believe this was an all out fight. I don’t think Satan came at the end of the forty days with three quick temptations and then it was over. Rather I believe that throughout the forty days Satan continued to try to wear Jesus down through his cunning deception. Satan was preoccupied during these forty days with trying to lure Jesus into sin.
What is temptation? It is an enticement to evil, a solicitation to sin. If the fish could see the hook it would never take the bate, and therein lies Satan’s deception. His objective is to make sin look appealing. Through temptation the devil sells death as life; that’s the deadly deception.
+ Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against THE DEVIL’S SCHEMES. (NIV)
The schemes of the devil implies his craftiness and cunning. Satan’s scheme is deception. The Greek term “methodeias” translated schemes was used of a wild animal that would stalk it’s prey and then unexpectedly overtake it. Satan is the roaring lion who seeks to destroy you.
3. SATAN KNOWS JESUS AND THE BIBLE.
Can I put it to you simply? Satan is a lethal liar because He knows the truth. The devil twists the truth to fit his diabolical plans rather than letting the truth shape him.
· Think for a moment about counterfeit money. What makes the counterfeiter successful? His goal is to produce currency as close to the genuine as possible. No one will accept a $20 bill with obvious flaws in it; if you put George Washington on it you’re through. The counterfeit makes the false look true.
SATAN KNWOS WHO JESUS IS. The devil recognized Jesus as the Son of God; Satan also knew Jesus as his enemy. Satan waged war in heaven to take Jesus throne; Lucifer wanted to be God. Satan lost the war in heaven, but now he believes he can win the war against Christ on “his turf.”
Notice that twice Satan temps Jesus by saying, “IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD. . .” Satan does not say this because he is uncertain of Christ’s identity; the devil does not question who Jesus is.
Satan’s purpose is to cause Jesus to doubt His real identity; he wants to fill Jesus’ mind with questions and uncertainties. As Satan tries to fill the mind of Christ with doubt, he then offers Jesus a way to be free from his doubt. “Turn these stones into bread. . . Cast yourself down from the temple;” preform some great miracle Jesus and then you can prove who you really are. As we will see Satan does the same thing to us. (Not very creative is he?)
NOT ONLY DOES SATAN KNOW JESUS, BUT HE ALSO KNOWS THE BIBLE, GOD’S WORD. The devil can quote the Bible! Someone has rightly said, “You can make the Bible mean anything.” That’s what Satan will do. He will appeal to the authority of the scripture but twist and distort it’s meaning to achieve his evil devices.
Be careful, Satan knows the truth; that’s why he is a deadly deceiver–“the father of lies” (John 8:44).
4. SATAN IS A WORLD RULER.
Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. I believe Satan supernaturally let Jesus see all the past, present and future world powers. The devil then offered Jesus a short-cut. Jesus could have it all if He would just worship him. Jesus did not dispute Satan’s offer. Jesus didn’t tell the devil that the kingdoms of this world were not his to give.
Jesus called Satan “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 16:11). Scripture speaks of Satan’s control over this planet.
+ 1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (NIV)
+ 2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers. . . (NIV)
+ Ephesians 2:2 . . . you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (NIV)
Satan controls this planet. . . temporarily!
5. SATAN IS A COUNTERFEIT GOD
When Satan asked Jesus to bow and worship Him he was acting out his primary ambition to be worshiped as God.
+ Isaiah 14:13-14 13You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." (NIV)
Satan still wants to be worshiped today. Pagan gods are nothing more than fallen angels; idol worship is the worship of demons (Psalm 96:5; 1 Corinthians 10:19-20).
And it’s worth this important reminder lest we as Americans think we are safe from worshiping “false God’s.” The pursuit of wealth and the things of this world is the same as idolatry.
+ Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires AND GREED, WHICH IS IDOLATRY. (NIV)
6. SATAN IS A MIRACLE WORKER.
Satan is a supernatural being with supernatural powers. Perhaps one of the best examples of Satan’s miraculous power is when Moses went to Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. Moses preformed miracles by God’s power, but the magicians of Egypt copied each of these miracles through the demonic power of Satan.
· Pharaoh called the magicians who also cast down their staffs which then turned into serpents. . . of course Moses’ snake ate theirs! (Ex. 7:11-12)
· After Moses caused the waters of the Nile to be turned to blood the sorcerers of Egypt did the same (Ex. 7:22).
· When Aaron stretched out the staff of God bringing frogs to cover the land that too was copied by the secret arts of the magicians.
Unfortunately for Satan, his power is limited.
· When Moses and Aaron struck the dust and Egypt was covered by the shadow of the plague of gnats, the Egyptian magicians could not duplicate what they had done (Ex. 8:18-19).
· It’s also interesting to point out that none of the plagues brought against Egypt could be brought to and end by the magicians of Parraoh’s court. Pharaoh had to call Moses to pray to His God to remove the plague.
Don’t be deceived; all that glitters is not gold. Although his power is limited when compared to God’s, Satan is a miracle worker.
+ Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-- if that were possible. (NIV)
7. SATAN IS A MASTER STRATEGIST.
Satan’s attacks are not a “fly by night,” “hit or miss” operation. Satan looks for the most opportune time to strike with a deadly attack.
Did you notice the timing of Satan’s deceptive temptation and attack against Jesus? Luke said Jesus “returned from the Jordan.” What had just happened at the Jordan? It was there that Jesus had been baptized by John and as Jesus came up out of the water the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard from heaven saying, “this is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Mark’s gospel says that following Jesus’s baptism the Spirit IMMEDIATELY led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. There was no intermission between the glory of Christ’s baptism and the wilderness of temptation. Following the voice of the Father’s approval was the hiss of the serpent; after the gentle dove came the deadly deceiver.
Now this is exactly how Satan will come against us as well. Following those times when we have experienced the glory and power of God in our lives Satan will come with his deception. Satan’s most cunning surprise attack will hit us right after a spiritual victory.
DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD DOES NOT REMOVE TEMPTATION-IT ACTUALLY INVITES IT ALL THE MORE. Spiritual highs can lull us into a false sense of security. It is after we have felt the touch of God upon our lives that we are most vulnerable to self reliance and pride which leads to defeat.
Don’t miss how Luke concludes this section on Christ’s temptation:
+ Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. (NIV)
Satan knows when to attack and when to retreat. The devil was not done with Jesus; he would look for other times to tempt Jesus. For instance Jesus when was preparing his disciple for his death telling them all the things that were going to happen to him, Peter stood up and said “Lord I won’t let this happen to you.” Here is a beloved disciple showing his concern for his master, but how does Jesus respond? He says, “Get behind me Satan, you don’t have in mind the things of God” (Matthew 16:23).
Satan had come again with another deadly attack, and Jesus recognized that it was not Peter speaking. It was Satan again trying to lead Jesus away from the path God had established for Him.
Don’t think that just because you have had a victory in your life over some temptation that Satan won’t bring it up again. He is the master of temptation; he knows the moment to attack again.
8. SATAN IS THE OPPRESSOR OF BELIEVERS.
Demonic possession is a reality; however, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR SATAN TO POSSESS A BELIEVER. What fellowship is there between light and darkness? None! As a Christian you are possessed or filled by the Holy Spirit who dwells within you. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, not a sanctuary for Satan!
Now although Satan cannot possess the believer, he will try to oppress you. Satan will try to grab you and squeeze all the life and joy out of you.
+ Ephesians 4:27 And do not give the devil a foothold. (NIV)
Satan is looking for every opportunity to gain a foothold in your life. What is a foothold? In a military operation it is a area within enemy territory that has been taken awaiting further troops and supplies. It’s the salesman who just gets his foot in the door; he has not been given entrance to the house, but he’s got attention. Satan will use any means he can to gain some control over your life.
Satan will oppress you when he reminds you of your sin that has been forgiven and covered by the blood of Jesus. Satan is called the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). If Satan can cause you to focus on your past by piling up the guilt, then he renders you ineffective. He neutralizes your joy and strength in the Lord.
Satan will also bring opposition against you through persecution and the hatred of this world. Our nation discovered that we have enemies who hate us on Sept. 11th. Will it take the same kind of attack against the church of Jesus Christ to awaken us to the reality that we have an enemy who seeks to destroy us?
+ John 15:18-21 18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: ’No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. (NIV)
Now get ready to shout! Satan is a real enemy; a deadly deceiver. The devil is a world ruler operating as a counterfeit god. Satan is a master strategist and miracle worker; he tries to gain a foothold of oppression in your life. But more important than all that has gone before is what follows. Write this down; don’t miss it. Shout for victory because:
9. SATAN IS A DEFEATED FOE!
+ John 14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me. (NIV)
+ Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (NIV)
+ 1John 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. (NIV)
+ 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (NIV)
