Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: 1 Peter 5:8-9

Theme: Satan is the great enemy of God s people and we are in the midst of a great spiritual battle.

This will be our last message in Peter’s 1st epistle.

Though I mentioned verses eight and nine in my last message, I thought I need to back-track to these verses and treat them in more detail.

Peter reminds the Christians he is addressing that Satan is a devious, wicked, and a ruthless enemy.

In tonight’s passage, Peter compares Satan to a roaring lion who desires to devour its prey.

I got on line this week and asked Goggle, “Why do lions roar?” Goggle told me that lions roar for a number of reasons, but the #1 reason they roar is to signal “This is my territory.

Enter it at your own risk.”

In essence a lion’s roar is an act of intimidation.

In these verses Peter gives us a threefold insight into Satan ...

Recognize Your Enemy

Respect Your Enemy

Resist Your Enemy

Tonight I’d like to preach about that roaring lion and use Martin Luther’s hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God as an outline.

I. RECOGNIZE YOUR ENEMY

ILLUS.

In the early 1970's a popular black comedian named Flip Wilson, entertained his audiences with his imitation of a loud, rowdy, socialite named Geraldine.

She wasn’t really bad, but she always seemed to find herself in questionable circumstances.

As she recounted her escapades to the audience there would be that slight pause, then she would smile and sing out in that high-pitched voice, “The devil made me do it!”

It always got a laugh.

1. well, you need to know that the devil can’t make you do anything

2. but Satan is the power behind evil spiritual forces that war against our soul, and our mind, and our emotions, and our bodies

“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 6:11–12, ESV)

a. this is a reference to Satan, his demonic allies, and Earthly centers of evil that includes both men and institutions

1) these powers are our great enemy ... spiritual forces of evil and worldly forces of evil

b. but too many believers go through life unaware who their enemy is let alone that they are engaged in spiritual warfare

ILLUS.

One of my favorite stories from history took place in the early days of WWI.

At the outbreak of the war, the British Colonial Office despatched a coded message to all it’s British Colonies in Africa.

The message said, “War declared.

Arrest all enemy aliens in your district.”

The Colonial Office received a prompt reply from the governor of one remote colonial capital.

It read, “Have arrested ten Germans, six Dutch, four French, two Italians, three Austrians, and an American.

Please advise immediately who we’re at war with.”

3. Christians are in a state of spiritual war, but many do not know or understand who the enemy truly is

A. SATAN IS REAL

1. we need to start with the obvious — there is a Devil and he is the great antagonist of your life ... you are in the midst of spiritual warfare with him

a.

Peter writes, “Your enemy the Devil ... “

b. in the Bible, the terms used for the Devil are terrifying

1) roaring lion

2) great seven-headed red dragon

3) strong man

4) god of this world

5) prince of the power of the air

6) the accuser of the brethren

c. these are all meant to picture Satan as a supernatural being, and a force of tremendous evil and power

2.His master plan, and supreme effort is to get control of the Church, not to destroy its organization, but to diminish, and pervert its Divine ends

ILLUS.

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, and philosopher.

He wrote that there are, “Four kinds of persons: those who have zeal without knowledge; those who have knowledge without zeal; those who have neither knowledge nor zeal; and those who have both zeal and knowledge.”

The last is the kind of person the Church needs more of.

a. Satan diminishes and perverts the Church by encouraging a zeal for worship and praise, devoid of a knowledge of the Scriptures

1) the result has led to all kinds of worship excesses — of worshiping in the flesh and in error rather than worshiping in spirit and in truth

2) zeal without knowledge is dangerous because we can be deeply and sincerely passionate and completely misguided because we don’t know the truth, or we aren’t submitting to the truth

ILLUS.

Speaking of his Jewish kinfolk, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”

(Romans 10:2, ESV)

a) this was the kind of zeal Paul had when, as was Saul, he persecuted the church.

b.

Satan also diminishes and perverts the Church by encouraging a knowledge of the doctrine and theology that is devoid of zeal in worship and Christian living

1) we can become scholastic bookworms who seek to know more and more about God without knowing Him, who seek to win arguments without winning souls, who are puffed up with knowledge but lacking in love, who know the Word but fail to do what it says

c. Satan also diminishes and perverts the Church by encouraging sin and scandal among God’s people (sadly the Church is rarely without sin and scandal)

3. when Peter speaks of the Devil as a roaring lion, he speaks of that which he knows

a. in the Gospel of Luke, at one point Jesus is blunt with Peter

1) at the Lord’s Supper Jesus tells him ““Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.

And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.””

(Luke 22:31–32, ESV)

a) this is reminiscent of Satan coming after Job, who demanded that God give him a crack at the Patriarch

b) the Devil wished to shake Peter’s faith so forcefully that he would fall, proving that God’s faithful servant was lacking

b. and to some degree Satan was temporarily successful with Peter

1) in the Garden of Gethsemane we find Peter falling asleep while Jesus is praying

2) during Jesus’ trial before the Jewish High Priest we find Peter denying he even knew Jesus

3) at the crucifixion, Peter is no where to be seen

4) in Galilee, rather then prayerfully waiting for Jesus as instructed, Peter returns to his old trade of fishing

c. but in the last chapter of John’s Gospel we witness the restoration of Peter who finally begins to live up to his name ... Rock!

1) it was on the shores of Lake Galilee that Peter turned again and became the spiritual leader of the Apostles

4. Satan is real

B. SATAN IS IN REBELLION AGAINST GOD

1. he was once called Lucifer, son of the morning star

2. the prophet Ezekiel describes his glory and his pride which resulted in his fall

“ ... Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings.

On the day that you were created they were prepared.

14 You were an anointed guardian cherub.

I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.

15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.

16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.”

(Ezekiel 28:12–17, ESV)

3. Lucifer was created, as were all angels, for the purpose of glorifying God

a. but there came a point where Lucifer desired glorify for himself rather than giving glory to God

“ “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!

How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:12–14, ESV)

1) do you hear all the I will statements in that passage?

b.

Satan’s pride willed him right out of heaven and into perdition