OPEN: Several years ago, I watched a PBS Special that covered the events leading up to the "Battle of the Bulge" during WWII.
It was the autumn of 1944 and Germany had been beaten back behind its borders. The Nazi war machine was in tatters and the repeated bombing raids of the Allies all but assured that Hitler’s forces would never rise again.
Around the perimeter of Germany’s borders, the Allies spread a thin line of forces. One person observed that Allied forces were was so scattered that a man could slip between its lines without being observed.
All across Europe, there was celebration. Parties, dances, speeches all rejoicing in Germany’s defeat. The war was effectively over. The only problem was (pause) somebody forgot to tell Germany.
Even as his forces were being shattered and driven back Hitler was devising a plan for one last onslaught. Underground factories churned out more weapons, armament and ammunition. More of Germany’s young and old men were conscripted and trained for war. And as Europe rejoiced, Hitler planned.
His goal was not to drive back the Allies into the sea, as much as it was to divide the British to the North and Americans to the South, so demoralizing them that they would sue for peace on his terms.
Hundreds and thousands of men died because somebody forgot that the enemy still lived and that the war was NOT (completely) over.
APPLY: What Paul is telling us here in Ephesians is the enemy still lives. The war IS NOT completely over. And you had better not let down your guard. We MUST put on the whole armor of God and prepare for battle.
I. Why? Because, the enemy is just waiting for a chance to take you out.
Notice what Ephesians 6 tells us about Satan:
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." (vs. 11)
“… our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (vs. 12)
"…put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…" (vs. 13)
"…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (vs. 16)
What this is telling us is that the devil seeking to destroy us, seeking to pierce our souls with his flaming arrows of hatred. And a day of evil will come knocking at our doors one day threatening to demoralize our faith.
IN ADDITION…
Ephesians 4:26 tells us we must be careful not to give Satan a “foothold” in our lives.
II Timothy informs us that certain people have been “taken captive” to do the will the devil.
In Revelation 2:10 Jesus told the church at Smyrna to “not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you."
And Peter tells Christians they must “…be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
There are people (even those who claim to be Christians) who don’t believe the devil exists…
They have a right to be wrong…. But they are wrong. The Bible tells us Satan does exist (even if we can’t see him).
ILLUS: One man once observed: "Sicknesses are tied to viruses and bacteria - can’t see them, but I know they are there and my doctor advises me how to respond.
So also with Satan - we can’t see him, but God assures us he is there and that he is a formidable enemy."
The very idea of "Satan" is a scary concept. And so some people just pretend he doesn’t exist. Others simply choose to ignore him. They live as if this Dark Lord doesn’t exist…
ILLUS: They read their horoscopes or go to "palm readers." They buy ouija boards for their children. They their family is "entertained’ with TV shows and movies that exalt demonic activities. These are things condemned by God, but people dabble in them because they’ve come to the conclusion that if they just "ignore" Satan - he’ll go away and not bother them….
II. In war, one of worst mistakes that anyone can make is to UNDERESTIMATE enemy
And one of the reasons we tend to underestimate Satan is because we know he’s defeated. The Bible tells us so…
Hebrews 2:14-15 "Since the children have flesh and blood, he (Jesus) too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."
Revelation tells us that when Christ ascended on high, a great war took place
"Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down— that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ’Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.’" (Revelation 12:7-10)
The enemy HAS BEEN defeated. But notice what else Revelation 12 tells us:
"Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." (Revelation 12:12)
Did you catch that?
Satan HAS been defeated….but he’s still alive… AND he’s furious. He knows his time is short!
One of the most dangerous times for a soldier is when an enemy knows he is defeated… but he still lives and refuses to quit.
ILLUS: Several months ago, President Bush declared the war in Iraq to be over. Was it over? Technically, yes it was! Saddam’s armies had been routed and the war was officially over.
HOWEVER, more people have died since the war ended, than died during the war itself.
Why? Because, the enemy still lives, and they aren’t going to give up easily.
This Dark Lord may be finished in heaven, but he has no intention of slinking away into some dark corner. His intention is to reek as much havoc on earth as he can manage.
He hates us. Well, more accurately - he hates Jesus and he wants to hurt Him. And since we belong to Jesus, Satan figures that if he can hurt us… he can hurt Jesus.
III. Now, that being said… Satan does have a problem
In the movie "Lord of the Rings" - the Dark Lord is symbolized by an all seeing eye, and is painted as being virtually unstoppable. THAT Dark Lord has few if any limitations…
However, Satan (the REAL Dark Lord) has one significant limitation
1 John 5:18 tells us “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.”
In fact, James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Whoa now, wait a minute, Jeff… first you tell me that Satan is a dangerous enemy. Now you’re telling me he can’t touch me? That doesn’t make any sense! Well… yes it does, if you read those verses closely – because they both say pretty much the same thing.
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
· Notice that your assurance in driving off Satan is based on your submission to God
· If you submit yourself to God, then you can resist the devil… and he can’t stand before you
1 John 5:18 tells us “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.”
· Once again, this is talking about a person who submits to God
· This person has made up their mind to not give sin a “place” in their lives.
That’s why Ephesians 4:26-27 warns us "’In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."
· You see - one of the ways in which Satan can get a hold on us is if (for example) we don’t control our anger…
o if we go to bed angry
o if we nurse the anger and wallow in it
o …and rejoice in how RIGHT we were and how WRONG the other person was.
· Satan just loves that… because he knows he can use it against you to tear you down and even destroy your relationship with God.
ILLUS: I once had a terrible argument with a close friend, and that friend said some things that hurt me badly. I don’t remember what we were fighting about, but I do know that I was right and they were wrong. Even after the argument, I found myself "replaying" that argument in my mind… recalling how right I was and how wrong they had been. And I did it again and again and again - because it felt so good. Have you ever done that? (I asked for a show of hands and almost everyone’s went up). Of course you have. I kept it up for the better part of an hour… Satan was having a field day.
And then God began knocking on my door. He reminded me that what I was doing was wrong. That it would destroy me and everything I stood for. I had to repent of that evil I had allowed to take hold of my heart. I mean, the other person was still wrong, but I had to repent.
When you sin in your anger – Satan gains the foothold in your life. BUT if you submit to God and learn to forgive those who have offended you, Satan has no choice but "flee from you" because you’ve resisted him by obeying God.
IV. Let’s revue… You have an enemy - he wants to destroy you
BUT, he can’t touch you…
… as long as you are obedient to God
… as long as you’re walking beside your Father
… as long as you are aware of his tricks and designs on your soul
1 Peter 5:8 tells us we should "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Be self-controlled and alert… pay attention… don’t take your enemy lightly
Satan may be defeated, but he’s still dangerous.
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.” (Ephesians 6:13)
Do everything you can to beef up your Christian armor
… so that when the time comes that you’re faced with difficult decisions
… when the time comes that your faith is under attack
… or when your heart is so deeply troubled that you can’t hardly stand it
Then you’ll be able to stand your ground, resist Satan
V. Now, there’s ONE LAST THING we need to talk about this morning.
There’s a bit of "urban wisdom" going around that says that if you are clever enough or smart enough, or you’re good enough, you can whip Satan.
ILLUS: Any of you remember Charlie Daniel’s song: "Devil went down to Georgia"? The song tells the story of a Georgia boy who is challenged to a fiddle contest by Satan. If he wins he gets a fiddle made of gold. But if not, the devil gets his soul. Guess what happens?
The other bit of "urban wisdom is that if you are pure enough in heart you can beat Satan. The hero of "Lord of the Rings” – the movie upon which this sermon series is loosely based – overcomes the Dark Lord because he is pure hearted and compassionate. Able to hold off the temptation of power the ring represents.
Let me let you in on a Secret: that’s not the way it works.
ILLUS: When Christians try to take on Satan on their own, it turns out more like the story of a young minister who was taking his wife to task for breaking her promise not to buy a new dress.
"It must have been the devil’s fault," she murmured. "He tempted me."
"You could have said, ’Get thee behind me, Satan,’" replied her husband.
"Oh" she said, “I did.”
“But he whispered over my shoulder, ’It fits you beautifully in back, too.’"
The Bible teaches us that we CAN NOT take Satan on by ourselves. He’s far too clever for us, too smart for us, too powerful for us. YOU CANNOT BEAT SATAN
Jude 1:9 tells us " even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Even the archangel Michael didn’t presume to take Satan on by himself.
Even the highest of all God’s angels realized how formidable Satan was.
AND YOU NOTICE what Michael said to Satan? He said: "The Lord rebuke you!"
"The Lord rebuke you!"
You see… if you’re going to whip Satan, you gotta pull out the big guns. You gotta pull out Jesus. Because, on YOUR own – on MY own – Satan will find something to drag us down. Satan knows your weaknesses, your secret shames, the past that you’d just as soon no one would ever discover. He knows all that. And he’ll use it against you. Scripture tells us Satan is the “accuser of the brethren.”
In and of ourselves, we are easy targets. Satan will find a way of reminding you of your past sinfulness and using it to drag you down, causing you to become defeated and filled with despair.
THE ONLY WAY YOU’LL EVER DEFEAT SATAN IS TO LEAN ON JESUS
The only way you’ll ever defeat Satan is to lean upon His mercy and forgiveness
Otherwise, you’re an easy target
CLOSE: Christian Song writer Don Francisco understood this and he wrote these words describing the struggle:
Sitting by my window on a rainy afternoon
Everything inside my head was playing out of tune
I was thinking of the fool I’d made of me the night before
In front of God and everyone, I’d sinned and sinned some more
Well I thought of all the things I’d done, I winced at things I’d said
I wallowed in self pity, I hung my weary head
And right when I was so far down that even up looked wrong
That’s when Jesus gave to me the chorus of this song
He said "Satan the accuser has been whispering in your ear
You just tell him you’re forgiven, he’s got no business here
’Cause it doesn’t matter what you’ve done - it matters what you’ll be
There is no condemnation when the son has set you free."
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES:
The Dark Lord - The Lord of The Ring = Ephesians 6:10-6:18
The Fellowship of the Ring = Matthew 16:13-16:19
Who Is The Lord Of The Ring = Matthew 4:1-4:11
Return Of The King = Revelation 19:4-19:16
