ICCC
“The Always Hungry Lion?”
1 Peter 5:8-14
3-7-04
Any lion trainer will tell you that there is no such thing as a tame lion. The animal may be on his good behavior today and be a whirlwind of ferocity tomorrow. He may eat off your hand, or permit you to put your head in his mouth, but tomorrow he may tear you limb from limb if a sudden fury arises within his wild heart.
1. Satan (adversary), his most common name, used some 52 times.
2. The devil (slanderer), used 35 times.
3. The prince of the power of the air
4. The god of this age
5. The king of death
6. The prince of this world
7. The ruler of darkness
8. Leviathan (one who dwells in the sea of humanity)
9. Lucifer (light-bearer, shining one)
10. The dragon
11. The deceiver
12. Apollyon (destroyer)
13. Beelzebub (prince of demons)
14. Belial (vileness, ruthlessness)
15. The wicked one
16. The tempter
17. The accuser of the brethren
18. An angel of light
19. A liar
20. A murderer21. The Enemy
22. A roaring lion
The name we are going to focus on today is the last one on the list, the Lion. We tend to look at lions from the perspective of movies like the Lion King or The Wizard of Oz and think that lions are all cute and cudley. But this morning I want to give us a more accurate picture of the type of lion that Satan really is. He is not at all like cowardly lion portrayed in the Wizard of Oz, he is more like the lions you would see on Wild Kingdom, when there is a lonely wounded animal and a pack of lions swarm it and eventually lunge at it in full attack mode with only one thing on their mind, and that is to satisfy themselves by devouring the helpless animal.
1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour ” When we are not connected to Jesus Christ and we are off all alone that is exactly when the lion chooses to swarm and attack us. Satan knows that when we are not connected to Jesus we too are vulnerable and in danger of being attacked and devoured.
Be Watchful (1 Peter 5:8–9)
One reason we have cares is because we have an enemy. As the serpent, Satan deceives (2 Cor. 11:3); and as the lion, Satan devours. The word “Satan” means “adversary,” and the word “devil” means “the accuser, the slanderer.” The recipients of this letter had already experienced the attacks of the slanderer (1 Peter 4:4, 14), and now they would meet “the lion” in their fiery trial. Peter gave them several practical instructions to help them get victory over their adversary. I believe that these instructions can also help us to have victory over our adversary.
I. Respect him—he is dangerous. I worked for my father for a couple of years and my dad is a Master Electrician. I remember in the beginning I was so careful not to touch any wires. I think dad knew how scared I was to get shocked so he went out and bought me some wire testers and with those things I was able to test everything before I touched it. But I remember watching dad back then and still today work around high voltage with no fear whatsoever, I asked, How do you do it?” And dad smiled and said, “Well, the first thing you have to do is respect it. Then you can handle it.
Satan is a dangerous enemy. He is a serpent who can bite us when we least expect it. He is a destroyer and an accuser. He has great power and intelligence, and a host of demons who assist him in his attacks against God’s people. He is a formidable enemy; we must never joke about him, ignore him, or underestimate his ability. We must “be sober” and have our minds under control when it comes to our conflict with Satan .
II. Recognize him—he is a great pretender. Because he is a subtle foe, we must “be vigilant” and always on guard. His strategy is to counterfeit whatever God does. According to the Parable of the Tares, wherever God plants a true Christian, Satan seeks to plant a counterfeit. He would deceive us were it not for the Word of God and the Spirit of God. The better we know God’s Word, the keener our spiritual senses will be to detect Satan at work. We must be able to “test the spirits” and know the true from the false (1 John 4:1–3) says, Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God
III. Resist him. This means that we take our stand on the Word of God and refuse to be moved. Ephesians 6 instructs us to “stand... withstand... stand.” Unless we stand, we cannot withstand. Our weapons are the Word of God and prayer and our protection is the complete armor God has provided. We resist him “in the faith,” that is, our faith in God. Just as David took his stand against Goliath, and trusted in the name of Jehovah, so we take our stand against Satan in the victorious name of Jesus Christ.
A word of caution here: never discuss things with Satan or his associates. Eve made this mistake, and we all know the sad consequences. Also, never try to fight Satan in your own way. Resist him the way Jesus did, with the Word of God. Never get the idea that you are the only one going through these battles, because “your brethren that are in the world” are facing the same trials. We must pray for one another and encourage each other in the Lord. And we must remember that our personal victories will help others, just as their victories will help us.
Had Peter obeyed these three instructions the night Jesus was arrested, he would not have gone to sleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, attacked Malchus, or denied the Lord. He did not take the Lord’s warning seriously; in fact, he argued with Him! Nor did he recognize Satan when the adversary inflated his ego with pride, told him he did not have to “watch and pray,” and then incited him to use his sword. Had Peter listened to the Lord and resisted the enemy, he would have escaped all those failures.
1 Peter 5:9 says, Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Both Peter and James give us the same formula for success: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Before we can stand before Satan, we must bow before God. Peter resisted the Lord and ended up submitting to Satan!
IV. Be Hopeful (1 Peter 5:10–14) And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
With the help of Silas,a whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Peter closed on a positive note and reminded his readers that God knew what He was doing and was in complete control. No matter how difficult the trial may become, a Christian always has hope. Peter gave several reasons for this hopeful attitude.
A. We have God’s grace. Our salvation is because of His grace (1 Peter 1:10)
B. We know we are going to glory He has “called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus.” This is the wonderful inheritance into which we were born (1 Peter 1:4).
C. Our present suffering is only for a while. Our various trials are only “for a season” (1 Peter 1:6), but the glory that results is eternal.
D. We know that our trials are building Christian character.
Peter has given to us a precious letter that encourages us to hope in the Lord no matter how trying the times may be. Down through the centuries, the church has experienced various fiery trials, and yet Satan has not been able to destroy it. The church today is facing a fiery trial, and we must be prepared. But, whatever may come, Peter is still saying to each of us—BE HOPEFUL! The glory is soon to come!
