The Devil (1 Peter 5:8-10, ESV)

INTRO: 2016.01.03 The Devil (1 Peter 5:8-10, ESV) Welcome to the first Sunday morning of 2016. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and great New Years, as Sarah and I did. It s funny we were driving back to Owensboro after time with our family when we realized we re beginning to experience thirds here. This was our third Christmas in Owensboro. This is our third New Years. March will be our third Easter and by late spring we ll reach three full years at OCC. Hard to believe, but what s exciting is we ve had some time to get to know this community, time for the community to get to know us, time to put some things in place here at the church, and I believe, by God s grace, there are great things in store for Owensboro Christian in 2016. We ll actually be talking more about that in the coming weeks. Something to look forward to. All of us go into a new year with it new hopes of stronger relationships, a trimmer waistline, a better job, just an overall healthier life. But we don t have to make it far into January to realize that our goals and resolutions are going to run up against resistance. Mark it down in 2016 you will face battles health battles, family battles, career battles but the most significant battles you ll face aren t relational or financial; they re spiritual. Ephesians 6, in the New Testament, says, 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-12, ESV). TRANSITION: In the movie The Usual Suspects, Kaiser Sose (played by Kevin Spacey) says the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn t exist. As you enter 2016, realize many of you are fighting the wrong battles. I m not trying to be mean, you re simply fighting the wrong battles. You re fighting your family; you re fighting your boss; you re fighting your teammates; you re fighting your friends; you re fighting the government; you re fighting the culture. All those things are important, but they re just skimming the surface of the spiritual battle that s going on beneath, which is why we re beginning 2016 by talking about our spiritual enemy who goes by many different names. 1

OUR APPROACH: One of the best ways to learn about people in the Bible is by looking at the names the Bible gives them. Biblical names reveal information about a person s character, their intentions, and ultimately their destiny. 1 So over the next five weekends we re going to do sort of a profile on the devil by looking at some of the names given to him in Scripture. We ll focus on a new name each week. And we re starting today with his most common title simply The Devil. But before we begin, I think we d all benefit from the advice C.S. Lewis gave at the beginning of his famous book The Screwtape Letters. Lewis writes, There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devil. One is to disbelieve in his existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest. 2 My goal in this series isn t to create an excessive or unhealthy interest in the devil. My goal is for each of us to leave with a better biblical understanding of who the devil is, what he can do, what he can t do, and how you can stand against his schemes à Stand for Prayer. THE DEVIL: The name Devil appears 30x in the New Testament. The Greek word is diabolos. It s a combination of two words, Ballo = to throw + Dia = through/across. Put them together and the words mean to throw something through with the idea of scattering the parts. If it helps imagine pulling the pin of a grenade, tossing it in the midst of some cargo, and then watching it explode. What happens? It destroys everything in the vicinity. Or imagine a bowling ball smashing through the pins. You have to be a good bowler for the analogy to work. If you throw a lot of gutter bowls the analogy breaks down. But if you ve ever seen a good bowler they launch the ball down the lane, strike the pins, and send them all scattering. That s the idea behind our enemy s most common name. The devil wants to strike you in the mouth and leave you reeling. He wants to separate you from what s most important, your family, friends, church, co- workers, the Truth, even God Himself. That s why 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to 1 We see this with God the Father, whom the Bible refers to as Creator, Provider, and the Sovereign One. We see it with Jesus the Son, whom the Bible refers to as our Rock, Redeemer, and Cornerstone. We see it with the Holy Spirit, who is called our Advocate, Counselor, and Comforter. 2 C.S. Lewis, The Screrwtape Letters (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1942) IX. 2

devour (NIV 11). I like this verse because it does several important things. It reminds us our enemy is real. It tells us he wants to inflict damage. It provides a picture we can understand, i.e. a roaring lion. But it also reminds that just like a lion the devil is a created being. We ll talk about how he became what he became next week, but make no mistake he is a created being. And like any created being the devil has limitations. 3 ü First, the devil has supernatural power, but not the divine power of God. Always remember this. Like any opponent, the devil deserves your respect but he does not deserve your reverence. We are instructed by the Bible to fear God and God alone. The devil has a great deal of power we need to acknowledge that but he does not have the power of God. He s limited. ü Second, the devil is knowledgeable, but he is not all knowing like God. The devil doesn t have foreknowledge of the future. 4 He cannot read your mind. 5 He cannot control your body or exert influence over your life unless you give him the power to so. Don t help him out! Don t watch or listen to filth that will enter your mind and poison your heart. I m speaking to someone in this room this is the year you need to stop the pornography. Don t wallow in it any longer. It s not an outlet for you; it has control over you. Confess to someone and get help. Don t participate in anything designed to help you speak to the dead or with demons. Avoid anything that inebriates you to the point you lose control of your senses (e.g. drunkenness, drug use, hypnosis). Anytime you weaken your resistance you make yourself more vulnerable. ü Third, devil has the swiftness of angels, meaning he can travel quickly from place to place, but he does not have the omnipresence of God. 6 The devil can t be in more than one place at a time. And while he is capable of personally tempting anyone he chooses, he is not capable of personally performing every temptation. Like you and I, he must focus his efforts on one situation or one person at a time. And the good news for us is he probably has bigger fish to fry than you or me. Odds are you and I will never have a face- to- face bout with the devil himself. But the bad news is even if he isn t personally coming after you, he is able to influence you through other means. 3 This is important to remember. Many of our ideas come from places other than the Bible, like movies or television. 4 Isaiah 46:9-10 5 Matthew 26:14-16; Luke 22:3-4; see also Daniel 2:27-28. 6 Hebrews 1:7. 3

o We discover this by how the Bible uses the word Anti- Christ. Some of you may not be familiar with that term, Antichrist, but if you are familiar with it you likely think of a political figure coming at the end of time to destroy the world or you might even imagine the devil himself, in the flesh like we find in many popular movies. But you ll be surprised to know the Bible never uses the name Antichrist for the devil. The word appears only 4x in Scripture and never in the Book of Revelation. You ll find it only in 1 st and 2 nd John where it refers to anyone who stands opposed to or against Christ. It s a fitting description of the devil, but the Bible tells us there are many antichrists in the world 18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come (1 John 2:18, ESV). The point is the devil accomplishes his work in a number of ways: He does some of the work himself He utilizes his own army of demons/fallen angels to do work for him He uses evil people, armies, and nations He uses well- intentioned but misguided people, armies, and nations He uses Christians who lose sight of who Jesus is and what he s about He can even use our own foolish choices against us. He does this by taking our good desires and twisting them so that we pursue them in unhealthy ways. Or taking our natural desires and making them ultimate desires so that they become more important than they should be, even more important that God. o The devil works in all of these ways, which is why the Book of Revelation depicts him as a dragon the evil power behind all evil powers. But be don t be fooled. While this is his true identity, it s not the way he presents himself. Think about the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4. The devil doesn t approach the Son of God with horns and a cape. He comes subtly. You re hungry, why don t you turn those stones into bread? You trust your Father, don t you? Put Him to the test. Make Him prove He will come through for you. The devil is a deceiver. What he offers looks innocent but it s designed to divide and conquer. That s why Paul says, Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, 4

disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds (2 Corinthians 11:14-15, ESV). 7 RESISTING THE DEVIL: My point is simply that the devil has many methods of attack sharpened by thousands of years of practice. He knows the dysfunctional patterns of your family; he s observed your strengths and weaknesses; he s aware of your poor decisions, past and present; and he will use all of these to bring you down, to separate you from God and everything else important. That s why I said some of you are fighting the wrong battles. Your greatest enemy isn t sitting next to you or back at home or at the next locker or cubicle. You aren t even your own greatest enemy. Your greatest enemy is spiritual. That s why one of Jesus earliest followers named Peter wrote this to Christians. I read part of it earlier, 1 Peter 5, 8 Be sober- minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9, ESV). The Bible gives us very few examples of people resisting the devil through incantations or crucifixes or priests and other popular images from culture today. The best way to resist the devil s schemes is through faithful obedience to God, daily prayer with God, the avoidance of evil, and saturating yourself in the Word of God. COMMUNITY FAST: This is why to go along with this series I want to challenge you to a fast through the rest of January. It doesn t have to be a fast from food (though it could be). It might be caffeine or television, the Internet after you get home from work. Your phone. Maybe you decide to fast from lunch each day so you can spend that time in prayer and study. Or maybe you fast from Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or ESPN. The point is to identify something that dominates your time or attention; something that you rely upon too much or is proving to be a bad influence in your life and committing the time you would have spent on that to seeking God together as a church. 7 See also Galatians 1:8. 5

So choose something. Find one or two people who will help keep you accountable. If you re going to fast from Thursday night dinner you might want to tell your family so they don t interpret it as you insulting someone s cooking. And once you ve told the people who need to know don t showcase yourself, just go about using the time you normally spend on that on time with God. As you do this, understand fasting isn t designed to make God love you more; it s designed to train you to love God more. God loves you no matter what. What we re looking for in this New Year is to grow to love Him more. Another way you can do this is by making the public worship gathering a priority for you and your family in 2016. I realize the New Year is a time many people start making church a priority again only to see the commitment slowly fade with time for any number of reasons. I read a great article last night titled A Response to Christians Who are Done with Church. 8 The author acknowledges that no church is perfect (we re not perfect and never will be) but suggests that what bothers us about the church maybe instead should amaze us. God has always been in the business of using broken people to carry his message of hope. There s no better way to learn the meaning of grace than being part of a church community. You might argue well, the church is so consumeristic. So you say, It s about my relationship with God. I can get what I need apart from church. Perhaps the ultimate form of consumerism isn t going to church but walking away from it. When you walk away you re saying I can fill my spiritual needs in a way that is beneficial to me and will cost less of myself. That mindset won t help you love God or others more; it ll help you love yourself more. I m not saying OCC is necessarily the right church for you. I hope you ve found that it is or if you re new that you find it will be. All I m saying is that if you want to win the battles that really matter you need to be part of a church community. God designed us that way. Fasting and community teach us to not seek our own desires but greater desires. They strip away our reliance on other things so that we can meet with God and train ourselves to rely upon Christ. CONCLUSION: We rely upon Christ, because everything the devil attempts, Christ counteracts. 8 http://careynieuwhof.com/2015/06/a- response- to- christians- who- are- done- with- church/?utm_content=buffer1c39f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer 6

The Bible calls the devil a Fallen Angel à but it calls Christ a Faithful Servant The devil hopes to separate us from God à but Christ reconciles to God The devil is our Accuser à but Christ is our Advocate The devil is described as the Evil One à but Christ is described as the Holy One of God The devil is a Liar à but Christ is the Truth The devil is a Tempter à but Christ is our Intercessor The devil is our Enemy à but Christ is our Friend The devil is a Serpent à but Christ is the Serpent Crusher Church, it s a fact, you will face battles in 2016 personal, professional, financial, relational, but most of all spiritual. Romans 8 reminds us of an important truth to cling to as we face our battles 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39, NIV 11). Prayer à Response song about Christ s victory Communion 7

Resources Cottrell, Jack, Demonology: Class Notes (Cincinnati: Cincinnati Christian University, Fall 2010). Hoekema, Anthony A., The Bible and the Future (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994). Kyle, Richard, The Last Days are Here Again: A History of the End Times (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998). Lewis, C.S., The Screwtape Letters (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1942). Pressley, Johnny, The Devil: Class Notes (Cincinnati: Cincinnati Christian University, Fall 2009). Riddlebarger, Kim, The Man of Sin: Uncovering the Truth about the Antichrist (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006). Storms, Sam, Kingdom Come: The Amillenial Alternative (Scotland: Mentor, 2013). www.careynieuwhof.com/2015/06/a- response- to- christians- who- are- done- with- church/?utm_content=buffer1c39f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&u tm_campaign=buffer 8