Satan's Devices - Reality Check!

REALITY CHECK !

TEXT: 1 Peter 5:8

Every once and while when it comes to my walk and relationship with God

I need what I am going to call a “Reality Check !”

And what I mean by that, is that I need to be snaped out of my complacency,

I need to be shaken out of my own personal delusion...

And set back on the right course - with a healthy dose of reality.

And in my view – our text this morning does exactly that,

It stands as a Spiritual Reality Check for us all.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

You know, I don’t tend to teach alot about the Devil in my preaching

And most of us don’t tend to think about the Devil in our daily life and living,

But he is real – and the declaration of that here in God’s Word...

Should stand as a “Reality Check” to us all.

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever had a Reality Check? Because life is full of them.

Now my general experience is that,

No one really wants to receive a Reality Check…

But they can actually serve a useful purpose.

For example, there was the time back in school where I decided

I didn’t need to study before a Maths test - and I got 25%!

Reality Check – You need to study before you sit an exam.

Who would of thought - right?

For me, Reality Checks are usually represented by life lessons learnt the hard way.

They are really a lightbulb moment so to speak

Outlined by leaning and discovery.

I guess it goes without saying then, that all of us at some point,

Have received a Reality Check in our everyday lives.

But let me ask you this – why should our spiritual lives be any different?

I don’t know about you…

But I probably receive more Reality Checks from God’s Word

Than I do from anywhere else.

And for good reason – Because I need them.

Sometimes I think we are really good at

Being encouraged in the Word…

At coming to Worship and Praising and glorifying God for who He is…

At praying to the Lord for strength and help in lives…

And all of that stuff is of paramount importance to every Child of God.

Psalms 1:2 tells us to:

Delight in the law of the LORD; and in His law… meditate day and night.

Likewise Colossians 3:1-2 declares:

1 Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

It’s good that we focus so intently on the Lord - because God is real !

His Love is real… His Grace is real…His Salvation is real.

But Reality Check…

If God is real – and we all believe whole heartedly that He is,

Then Satan is real too.

And guys we cannot afford to lose sight of this reality.

Satan is the enemy of the Saint.

In fact, the name Satan itself means: "adversary."

Satan represents everything that is diametrically opposed to you

And your right relationship with God.

The Holy Scriptures actually talk a lot about Satan.

The “Devil” as most of us know him,

Is also called by a number of other names including Lucifer.

And lest not forget who Lucifer was…

He was an Angel of Light the Scriptures teach and his name means: “Shinning One”

He is seen as "the anointed cherub" in Ezekiel 28:14,

And this is what the Lord has to say about Him:

15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity [or sin] was found in thee. (Eze :28:15)

So Lucifer was made perfect. He is not perfect now because sin has corrupted him,

But he was created perfect by God.

The Lord then goes onto say:

17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:

Guys – Lucifer was beautiful to look upon ok - but he became proud.

In fact, we are told that his wisdom became corrupted,

Or rather his thinking became warped...by reason of his brightness.

Reference made there to his brightness really speaks of his “shinning splendour”.

So guys, the Bible says that Satan was something rather impressive to look upon.

Sorry to burst your bubble people

But Satan is not red, with two horns, a long tale and a pitch fork.

Reality Check…

He was made perfect by God, beautiful to look upon, and was an Angel of light.

So that was Satan then...

And the Scriptures go onto teach us about Satan now declaring him to be: