Dealing with Our Foe

The early Methodist evangelist, George Whitefield, was one of America’s most effective preachers, who won thousands to Christ. He was vigorously opposed by Charles Chauncy, pastor of Boston’s famous First Church. Rev. Chauncy objected to the idea of instantaneous conversions and to the emotional excitement caused by Whitefield’s ministry.

In 1744, on Whitefield’s second visit to Boston, the two met. Rev. Chauncy said, “So you have returned, have you?”

“Yes,” replied the evangelist, “in the service of the Lord.”

“I am sorry to hear it,” Rev. Chauncy said bluntly.

“So is the devil,” retorted Whitefield. The devil hates any preacher who fearlessly and effectively sounds the gospel trumpet. (AMG Bible Illustrations, Bible Illustrations Series (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2000).)

Today’s message is on Satan. It may seem strange to you to attend a worship service and hear a message on the devil. But it is good for you to be informed about your foe, the enemy of your soul. As they say, an ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of medication. In this case, it is beneficial to understand that he is...

Satan is not who you expect.

Satan is not the slender man dressed in a red suit with a pitchfork. He is much more subtle and horrifying than that. Here, in our passages, he is described as a prowling and roaring lion on the hunt. He the designer of fiery darts and carries out evil schemes. He is malicious, formidable, intimidating, hungry, and relentless. And yet, he is able to be defeated. That is why Paul instructs us in Ephesians 6:10-11:

English Standard Version (Chapter 6)

“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.”

The word for scheme is μεθοδεία. It is where we get the English term “method.” In our lit. (only Eph) only in an unfavorable sense (s. μεθοδεύω) scheming, craftiness, in deceitful scheming Eph 4:14. Pl. wiles, stratagems. (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (μεθοδεία))

So we can deduce from this that the devil is all about deception. He will lie to you, twist God’s truth and con you into thinking that living for and satisfying yourself is the best decision. He is the author of worldly philosophy and thinking; godlessness is his aim.

You will notice that the major creeds do not address the existence of Satan. That is probably because they do not need to. The Latin “credo” is a positive term, that which we give our hearts and minds to.

The answer to Question number 127 of the Heidelberg Catechism, what is the sixth petition in the Lord’s Prayer, states:

“‘And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil.’ That is: since we are so weak that we cannot stand by ourselves for one moment, and besides, since our sworn enemies, the devil, the world, and our own sin, ceaselessly assail us, be pleased to preserve and strengthen us through the power of thy Holy Spirit so that we may stand firm against them, and not be defeated in this spiritual warfare, until at last we obtain complete victory.” (The Heidelberg Catechism, Cleveland: United Church Press, 1962, p. 124-125)

But just like Stockton Rush and the crew of Oceangate failed to calculate the risk of their dive to the ocean’s floor, we ignore the devil’s existence to our own peril. He is alive and well and exists to possess and oppress, to devise and manipulate, to thwart and to torment. C.S. Lewis said:

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” (Frame, 776)

What has Satan done in the past? The Bible speaks about him both implicitly and explicitly. He is thought to have been a fallen angel. His fall preceded the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. He is compared to the king of Babylon in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. Listen to these words:

Isaiah 14:12–15 ESV

12 “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.’ 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

Pride is the element here. Satan believed that he was more important and mightier than the God who made him. But he was sadly mistaken. And because there is no room for pride in heaven, so he and his followers were cast out. And his reputation goes before him.

He incited Adam and Eve to pride and rebellion against God. in Genesis 3:1

Genesis 3:1 ESV

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

And Genesis 3:4-5

Genesis 3:4–5 ESV

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Who is Satan? A liar.

His very name means slanderer. He is the accuser of the brethren in Revelation 12:10. Jesus called him the Father of Lies in John 8:44

John 8:44 ESV

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

This was based on his own experience in the wilderness in Matthew 4.

Satan is also the chief of fallen angels as stated in Matthew 12:24 and Matthew 25:41

Matthew 25:41 ESV

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Jesus called him the ruler of this world in John 12:31, John 14:30, and John 16:11. Modern movies like the Exorcist or Nefarious depict Satan and/or his demons as inhabiting human bodies, otherwise known as possession.

John Frame summarizes Satan’s activities as mocking the Lordship of God. These activities are listed as

Fighting against the kingdom of God;

promoting and telling lies and false prophecy and

dispensing temptation and accusations.

Frame goes on to state: “But the work of Christ is more powerful. Through his cross and resurrection, Christ has defeated Satan. So although we need to be aware of Satan’s devices, we are able to say no to his temptations.” (John M. Frame, Systematic Theology, 776).

Satan is opportunistic and destructive.

And so how must we respond to Satan and his schemes? 1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us:

1 Peter 5:8–9 ESV

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.

How does he relate to addiction? Addiction is bondage; a vicious hamster wheel in which a person is challenged to break free.

There are stories of addiction. A friend of mine, whose name will go unmentioned, texted me this recently. He has struggled with addiction. He states:

“It’s a war zone in my head sometimes. I fight many battles. I sabotaged my own life, trying to pick up the pieces. I have faith God has a plan for me. It’s hard to remember that when you’re at war with yourself. I’ve let myself slip into what I grew up with. That’s painful and hard to break that generational habit. I’m very depressed; praying for a sign.”

That is what is so subtle about addiction of any sort as that the person does not realize the damage until they have hit rock bottom, or have seen the effects of their destructive behavior.

But Satan is not just about destroying individual lives. He is also about destroying churches through division, false teaching, immorality and other things. I recently ran across a message entitled “How to Kill a Church,” which listed a number of things that threaten any congregation. Sadly, many of these things are going on in many churches in America today:

Don’t Evangelize;

Regularly criticize leaders;

Attend services infrequently;

Refuse to volunteer;

Neglect the youth;

Complain more than encourage;

Stop taking the Bible seriously;

Value personal preferences over souls.

What is required for the fight? Sobriety, vigilance and decisiveness.

Notice Peter’s instruction: “Be sober-minded; be watchful; resist!” So you and I must make the decision now! As I read recently: “Knowing what could be next can help you determine what to do now.”

Requirements to defeat the enemy of your soul are vigilance, action, preparedness, acknowledgement, awareness, and observation.

The way to combat him is by both defensive and offensive measures. Among all of the items listed in the armor of God in Ephesians 6, only two are offensive in nature. Those are Scripture (the sword of the Spirit) and prayer.

In Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, He used Scripture when dealing with His foe during His temptation in the wilderness before the start of his public ministry. At each turn, he quoted Scripture to keep His focus on obedience and faith. We can learn from that. One commentator states:

“Such armor is necessary because Christians face unseen spiritual enemies- demons- far stronger than we and we look to God's power because in Christ he has defeated these foes. He calls us to prayer, the most important weapon in spiritual warfare.” (Systematic Theology Study Bible, Wheaton: Crossway, 2017), 1462).

I was recently deceived. I acted in my flesh when my flight was delayed for a day. I felt violated and taken advantage of. I justified myself in getting upset at the help desk attendant. It was wrong. I had to repent and apologize. It was not her fault. I was foolish. I played right into his hands. Do not let this happen to you. You will regret it.

Finally, fight!

It has been said that in Martin Luther’s home in Wartburg, Germany, there exists a dark spot on one of the walls which was reportedly caused by the breaking of an ink bottle that Luther threw at the devil.

Apparently, Luther heard noises in the wall, and thought the noises were from the devil. Many have explained that Luther actually heard rats crawling in the wall, and perhaps rats would be a more logical explanation, but what does it matter—Luther thought it was the devil, and so he hurled the ink bottle at the direction of the noise!

Charles Goodel adds to this story, “I wish there were more men today who would fling their ink at the devil, whether by the bottleful or in drops from the pen’s point.” (AMG Bible Illustrations, Bible Illustrations Series (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2000).