1/11/18. What About The Devil s Attacks?

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1 1 2 1/11/18 What About The Devil s Attacks? Some people think if they have not committed certain sins they do not have to repent to be saved and they will go to heaven instead of hell. 1. The reality is that for a person to end up in hell they have to do not one bad thing. 2. How deceived are those who do nothing about their spiritual lost-ness and think they won t end up in hell! People are either children of God or of the Devil. * In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 1Jn. 3:10 To remain in a fallen state, you have to do nothing! 1. Jesus said the devil is a liar, the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning and he does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Jn. 8:44 2. After the fall of Adam and Eve God said to the Serpent, And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. Gen. 3:15 3. Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. 1Chron. 21:1 4. Zechariah tells us, Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan, The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Zech. 3:1-2 Let us see what the Bible reveals about his attacks by looking at three things. I. The devil and his three conversations. II. III. The devil and his three-fold attack. The devil and the three keys to spiritual warfare. I. The devil and his three conversations. * There are only three places in Scripture where we have the actual conversation of Satan and they teach us some very important things. A. The first conversation is recorded in Genesis as Satan slandered God to man. Gen. 3: He slandered God to man by questioning God s word to stir up doubt. Gen. 3:1c-d * Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2. He slandered God to man by saying God lies, to bring about mistrust towards God. * You will not surely die. Gen. 3:4b 3. He slandered God to man stating God was trying to keep them from what was good and beneficial that they rebel and disobey. * For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will

2 3 4 be like God, knowing good and evil. Gen. 3:5 4. Some believe the rebellion in heaven by Lucifer took place between verse one and two of Genesis 1 by the using two passages. a. The first is in Isaiah, For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is no other. Is. 45:18 * The context is the prophecy of Cyrus as the instrument of God to judge Babylon and that He is the sovereign Creator of the earth and man. b. The second is in Jeremiah, I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were broken down At the presence of the LORD, By His fierce anger. For thus says the LORD: The whole land shall be desolate; Yet I will not make a full end. Jer. 4: ) Though prophecies do have a two-fold fulfillment at time, they do so forward not back to the past. 2) Jeremiah s prophecy is speaking of the future judgment of Israel, Babylon is the short-term and long-term is the events of the day of the Lord for Israel and last the earth is burned up with fervent heat and all will melt at the end of the Millennium. 2Pet. 3:10 c. Some even use these two passages for the Gap theory that teaches there was a creation and destruction between verse 1 and, then a recreation starting verse 3to insert the period of dinosaurs, but it is not necessary for the focil record is evidence of a worldwide flood. Gen. 1:1-3 1) At one time I also was open to this possibility, but I no longer can accept the gap-theory for three reasons. 2) First, the creation account in Genesis 1:1-2 is the condition prior to the chronological process of God s creation, there is nothing in the text that reveals a destruction, yet some translate the word was as became to plant the idea of a prior destruction. 3) Third and the most authoritative, the Bible teaches that death did not exist prior to Adam and Eve, it entered in by Adam s sin, to suggest otherwise,

3 5 6 is to put speculation on equal authority to Scripture. Rom. 5:12 B. The second conversation is recorded in Job where Satan slanders man to God. Job Satan slandered Job before God saying he was faithful only because God had protected and prospered him. Job 1:9-12 a. So Satan answered the LORD and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? vs. 9 b. Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. vs. 10 c. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face! vs. 11 d. And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. vs. 12 * Job maintained his integrit. Job 1: ) And he said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD. vs. 21 2) In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. vs Satan slandered Job before God a second time saying if Job s health was removed, he would curse God. Job 2:4-6 a. So Satan answered the LORD and said, Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. vs. 4 b. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face! vs. 5 c. And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life. vs. 6 * Job maintained his integrity. Job 2:7-10 1) So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. vs. 7 2) And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes. vs. 8 3) Then his wife said to him, Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die! vs. 9 4) But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. vs. 10

4 7 8 C. The third conversation is recorded in the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Lk. 4: Satan tried to tempt Jesus to satisfy the physical hunger of His body for strength by turning stones to bread, rather than drawing strength from the Word. Lk. 4:3-4 a. And the devil said to Him, If (since) You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. vs. 3 b. But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. vs Satan tried to tempt Jesus to worship him by appealing to His intellect, emotions and will, by offering Him the kingdoms of the world, rather than obey the word of God. Lk. 4:5-8 a. Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. vs. 5 b. And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. vs. 6 c. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours. vs. 7 d. And Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, `You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve. vs. 8 1) This was a lie, the earth belongs to God, the devil is a liar, there is no truth in him. Jn. 8:44 2) The devil has limited dominion and authority, but not ownership, even though he is called the ruler, god and prince of this world. Jn. 12:31; 2Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2 3. Satan tried to tempt Jesus to tempt God appealing to His spirit, desiring Jesus to cast Himself from the temple. Lk. 4:9-12 a. Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, If (since) You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. vs. 9 b. For it is written: `He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you, and, `In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. vs c. And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, `You shall not tempt the LORD your God. vs. 12 Illustration Absalom could not resist the temptations of Satan, so he stole the hearts of the people by his words! The devil and his three conversations teaches us to not talk to the Devil!

5 9 10 II. The devil and his three-fold attack. A. The devil will tempt every man and woman is tempted in three basic areas of life. 1Jn. 2:16 1. The lust of the flesh is from within; that sinful nature that attempts to pervert and distort my physical drives through my body. a. There is nothing wrong with our physical bodies in and of themselves. b. Acts of sin come through thought process and sin nature to possess what is forbidden by God, such as desiring to steal someone s possesions, sexual purity or mate through adultery. 2. The lust of the eyes is from without; that stirs up my emotions and desire to obtain what I see by way of my soul. a. The lust of the eye cultivates a longing of the intellect stiring up our emotions and weakens our will to surrender and sin. b. The woman is more susceptible to her emotions for decisions than a man and swayed much easier. 3. The pride of life is from within; that arrogance to be self-sufficient, boastful, selfwilled and self-centered in my spirit. a. Pride led Lucifer to rebel and corrupted one-third of the angels in heaven. b. Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Prov. 16:18 B. The devil tempted Adam and Eve in the very same way. 1. The woman saw the tree was good for food, appealing to the body senses. Gen. 3:6a 2. The fruit was pleasant to the eyes, the appeal was to the soul; her emotions. Gen. 3:6b 3. The tree desirable to make one wise; the appeal to her spirit to be as God. Gen. 3:6c C. The devil tempted Jesus in these three areas also. 1. Jesus was tempted in His body, as Satan told Him to turn the stones into bread. Lk. 4:3-4 a. Nothing wrong with eating bread. b. The sin was for Jesus to do it as the Son of God apart from the Father. 2. Jesus was tempted in His soul when Satan offered Him the kingdoms, their power and glory. Lk. 4:5-8 a. Involving the intellect, emotions and the will. b. This was a compromise to the cross. 3. Jesus was tempted in His spirit when Satan solicited Him to cast Himself from the pinnacle of the temple, to tempt the Lord. Lk. 4:9-12 a. Jesus was tempted in every area and level of temptation that man can or ever will be tempted, yet without sin. Heb. 4:15

6 11 12 b. That means Jesus experienced the full impact and power of evil in every kind of temptation that no man will ever experience because He didn t give in. 4. Not only did Jesus resist in these three areas. a. Luke tells us Jesus was being tempted for the forty days, then the three major ones came. Lk. 4:2 * Adam and Eve had only the one temptation. Gen. 3 b. Mark says Jesus was with the wild beasts. Mk. 1:13 * Adam and Eve were in the garden with tame animals. c. Mathew and Mark tell us Jesus fasted 40 days and nights. Matt. 4:2; Lk. 4:2 * Adam and Eve did not. d. Satan departed for a season, till a better opportunity. Lk. 4:13 * The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Jn. 10:10 Illustration David in his ongoing willful disobedience to all the checks given to him moved step by step to finally commit adultery and murder. The devil and his three-fold attack teaches us, to not be ignorant to the three areas of attack! III. The devil and the three keys to spiritual warfare. A. The warfare is intense hand to hand combat. Eph. 6:12 * 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. 1. Spiritual warfare is not against flesh and blood, though Satan will use flesh and blood to attack us spiritually. a. The word wrestle pale means wrestling, a contest between two in which each endeavours to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck. b. In Greek wrestling, the loser had his eyes gouged out. * Paul says, Whose minds the god of this age, Satan, has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2Cor. 4:4

7 13 14 c. Six times the word against', appears, he is in constant opposition. Eph. 6:11-12 * Paul tells us he fought the good fight and kept the faith. 2Tim. 4:7 2. These forces vary in rank and authority. * The subdivisions are in both good and bad angels. Eph. 1:20-21; 6:12 a. Principalities, which means first ones, preeminent ones, leaders. b. Power, means authorities and spirits, demons of Satan in the lower atmosphere, that make up his kingdom. c. Rulers of darkness, refers to the world rulers of darkness. d. Wicked spirits, to the spirits force of perniciousness. * We might look at these as privates, corporals, lance corporals, sergeant, staff sergeant, sergeant major, etc. B. The warfare has a simple strategy. Eph. 6:10-11 * Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 1. To defeat the believer in spiritual warfare. a. We need to be strong in the power of His might. vs. 10 b. We need to put on the whole armor of God. vs To deceive the believer. a. Satan has wiles methodeia, it means cunning arts, deceit, craft, treachery. b. The word comes from the verb, to follow up or investigate by method and settled plan to cause us to fall, rather than stand. c. Satan has his methods or stratagems to seek out our most vulnerable areas! * Satan and his angels can transform themselves into angels of light. 2Cor. 11: To enslave the believer. a. To keep us in fear, doubt, discouragement and depression. b. To keep us angry, resentful and bitter by not forgiving. * We are not ignorant to his devices so he not take advantage of us. 2Cor. 2:11 c. Six times the word against' appears in Ephesians in view of the constant opposition. Eph. 6:11-12 * He comes as angel of light, not as a hideous creature from hell with horns! C. The warfare can be resisted and overcome. 1. Jesus resisted and overcame Satan in the wilderness applying the same advice James gives to us. Ja. 4: 7a-b a. Submit to God. b. Resist the devil and he will flee.

8 15 16 c. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. * Ephesians says give no place, literally a foothold to the devil. Eph. 4:27 2. Jesus has provided the necessary weapons. a. The weapons are spiritual. 2Cor. 10:3-5 b. The armor is of God. Eph. 6:10-18 c. The three Jesus used were the Holy Spirit, prayer and the Word. Lk. 4:1-13; Eph. 6:10, Jesus promised He would never allow us to be tempted more than we are able but give us a way of escape. 1Cor. 10:13 * He is our sympathetic merciful High Priest that we may obain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb. 4:15-16 a. Judas Ischariot was destroyed by Satan by his own free will. Jn. 13:2; Acts 1:18 b. The wisdom is to have the Lord between you and the Devil. Jude There are church and Christian traditions that are taught, but not found in the Bible. a. Such as I bind you Satan the phrase is never found, commanded or an example in Scripture in Acts or eipstles, but only in the words of Jesus as He bound the Strong man to deliver the demon in the man, this is the context. b. The other church formula is pleading the blood of Christ, also a phrase not found, no Biblical text commands or allows us to do so, for the blood of Christ cleanses us from our sins and makes us righteous before God, it is not a formula to scar Satan! c. The formula phrases of I bind you Satan and I plead the blood of Jesus are used as a magical saying that absolutely are suppose to stop or neutralize Satan are just not Biblical nor commanded anywhere in the Scriptures! * Christians speak these as authoritative saying that are to cause Satan to flee, while I fear all Satan does is laugh! d. The war is spiritual and there is an ongoing battle in the angelic world that goes on constantly. 1) Angels are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation. Heb. 1:14 2) Angels are used by God to do protect and aid man. Dan. 5 3) Angels are used for judgment. Gen. 19 4) There are two worlds existing side by side in the very midst of us. a)) God and His angels, Satan and his angles, the spirit world and man s, the physical world. b)) The spiritual world is very conscious of us and sees us, while we, physical man is often so ignorant of the spiritual world and certainly unable to see the angelic beings.

9 17 18 Illustration One day the chicken had a conversation with the pig in the farmyard how they might help the farmer with breakfast. The chicken proceeded to say that she would provide the farmer with eggs. The pig was silent for a while and the chicken asked him if there was a problem? He said, well in your providing the eggs you are involved, but in my providing the beacon, I am committed! * Are you committed to the spiritual warfare? If you are, then you will never think you are sufficient in yourself, but keep the Lord between you and Satan, like Zechariah, The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Zech. 3:2 The devil and the three keys to spiritual warfare teaches us to not forget the warfare is spiritual! Conclusion This is what the Bible reveals about the attacks of the devil by these three things. I. The devil and his three conversations: To not talk to the devil! II. The devil and his three-fold attack: To not be ignorant to the three areas of attack! III. The devil and the three keys to spiritual warfare: To not forget the warfare is spiritual!