THE THIEF
John 10:10
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
LET US PRAY
Who is this thief?
He is one who desires to be like the Most High.
How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground.
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest side of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.
I will, occurs here five times. (Repeat the, I will’s)
Two things occasioned Satan’s fall; pride that presumed to supplant God’s rule with his own, and self-will that asserted independence from the Most High.
In our own lives we must beware of selfish ambition that sets itself above God and pride that takes glory from God.
We must understand that they are the hallmarks of Satan’s rebellion through which he became God’s enemy.
He is the tempter
He searches out our areas of weaknesses and uses them to attack us.
Lust of the eyes (our desire to please our physical appetites)
Lust of the flesh (our desire for personal gain)
Pride of life (our desire for power, self rule, self glory)
Genesis account: Gen 3:1-7 (turn with me there in your Bibles)
Genesis 3
Ge 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, ’You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?"
Ge 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
Ge 3:3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ’You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ "
Ge 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
Ge 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Ge 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Ge 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Matthew account: Matt 4:1-10 (turn with me there)
Matthew 4
Mt 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Mt 4:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
Mt 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
Mt 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, ’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ "
Mt 4:5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
Mt 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ’He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ’In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ "
Mt 4:7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, ’You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ "
Mt 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
Mt 4:9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
Mt 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ’You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ "
Mt 4:11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
He is darkness
His work is done in darkness.
Darkness means anywhere you cannot be seen committing an act of sin
Nighttime
Your innermost thoughts
Behind closed doors
He is a liar and the father of it.
The first recorded words in the Bible from him are lies.
“Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
When you lie you make him your father
Jesus said this in John 8:44
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
He walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Those who are weak
The unsuspecting
The willing
The followers
Anyone that, he can get under his control.
He is the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience
Radio – music we listen to – promotes violence, sex, drugs so on.
Television – shows we watch—promotes sex more now than ever – promotes homosexuality as being ok – shows like Will and Grace.
Movies – more violent and bloody than ever before, nudity runs rampant, look for it to get even worse.
He transforms himself into an angel of light
Enticing children with candy and other goodies in order to kidnap, molest and possibly kill them.
Sometimes appears as a gentle old man searching for his dog.
Pretending to be someone or something that he is not.
Church member who seems to confess Christ but lives like the devil.
A good friend who stabs you in the back
Someone who offers help to everyone but gives it to no one.
He is real, he is not a myth, and he is out to get you.
The Bible says: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Satan rules over the darkness and his host of demons are everywhere
His princes of evil are assigned to different areas
They use their powers to initiate every evil thing imaginable
Murder, rape, brutality, burglary, robbery, child molestation, pornography, drugs, alchohol and many many more than we could ever imagine.
They start out small – put a small thought into your head.
If you don’t believe Satan and his demons are real – just take a moment and look just around New Bern itself. What do you find --------------?
Yes there is a thief and he is the devil, Satan, Beelzebub, the old serpent and he does not comes except to steal, to kill and to destroy.
He wants to steal your children
He wants to kill your family
He wants to destroy your chance of getting into heaven
He is real, he is not a myth, and he is out to get you.
But wait!!
Let’s look again at John 10:10 the second part
Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
The Bible says in Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
One of the church’s greatest demands is to discern between the spiritual struggle and other social, personal, and political difficulties.
Otherwise, individual believers and groups become too easily detoured, “wrestling” with human adversaries instead of prayerfully warring against the invisible works of hell behind the scenes.
This is clearly Spiritual warfare
Paul admonishes us to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the forces of hell. It is clear that our warfare is not against physical forces, but against invisible powers who have clearly defined levels of authority in a real, though invisible, sphere of activity. Paul, however, not only warns us of a clearly defined structure in the invisible realm, he instructs us to take up the whole armor of God in order to maintain a battle-stance” against the unseen satanic structure. All of this armor is not just a passive protection in facing the enemy; it is to be used offensively against these satanic forces. Note Paul’s final directive: we are to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Thus prayer is not so much the weapon, or even a part of the armor, as it is the means by which we engage in the battle itself and the purpose for which we are armed. To put on the armor of God is to prepare for battle, Prayer is the battle itself, with God’s Word being our chief weapon employed against Satan during our struggle.
The Bible tells us to neither give place to the Devil.
If you are doing something that is not right, stop doing it.
If you have sin in your life, get it out.
If you set a place for him at the table, he will surely come to eat.
Close the door on him, don’t let him into your life or your family’s life.
The Bible tells us to submit ourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
If we submit ourselves to God and His authority, the devil can surely have no authority over us.
Resist him and he will flee from you.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge, and my fortress: my God: in Him will I trust.
Surely He shall deliver me from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
(Psalm 91:2-3)
Jesus said:
“These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
You can also overcome the world if Jesus is living in you and you in him.
Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Rev 2:7:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
Rev 2:11
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”
Rev. 2:17
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”
Rev 2:26-26
“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
He shall rule them with a rod of iron:
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels—
As I also have received from My Father
And I will give him the morning star.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Rev 3:5
“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life. But I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Rev 3:12
“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the City of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. and I will write on him My new name.
“He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Rev 3:21
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Are you an over comer?
If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
You are an over comer.
Read Revelation Chapter 21.
