The Weapons of the Enemy
A Culture of Prayer • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Recap of last Sermon on the weapons of our warfare.
The word for warfare here.
Now we’ll study the weapons of the enemy.
Scouting the enemy. Public enemy number one of the universe. knowing his strengths and his tactics is important.
11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Satan’s origins:
Satan - adversary
Devil - accuser; slanderer
Ezekiel - Human king of a country, Tyre, an arrogant king… who raised himself high to the position of god, but later Ezekiel started alluding to a similar story that was of cosmic origins...
Ezekiel 28:12–14 (NKJV)
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
: : : :
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
Verse 17 talks about the pride that built up inside this being...
17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
Isaiah compared the arrogant king of Babylon to an ambitious divine being who has “fallen from heaven” (Isaiah 14:12).
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
It’s important that we remember the origins of satan, because we are reminded that he is a mere created being. He has nothing on God.. he has no power against Jesus, amen!
But the Bible still tells us from the text today:
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Be sober (does it mean do not be drunk ) which is to say be self-controlled
Be vigilant (be watchful) - WATCH AND PRAY
he walks about - he prowls - stalks its prey quietly, there should be an element of surprise
Roaring Lion - sound the alarm, noise when threatened
prowling and roaring do not go together - lion loses the element of surprise — we are aware of his presence
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
say the word RESIST
to oppose, to stand against, how do we resist the Devil? - like Jesus did - with the Word of God.
Ephesians 6 - withstand, stand, withstand — having done all to STAND!
Before we can truly resist the devil, we must submit to God.
Don’t be prideful — “i am the only one left, standing for you” (like Elijah) — there are many others..
Peter said: “knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:9b)
Pray for the brethren - for all the saints
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Be aware of the weapons of the devil. last time we talked about our weapons of the warfare. now to defend ourselves...
The weapons of the Devil: (4 D’s)
Deception
Defilement
Downgrading
Division
The battleground is the mind. The weapons of satan come in the form of thoughts.
Satan’s Weapons
Deception by lies.
He is the father of lies
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Satan has children.
Satan also disguises lies as truth.
Illustration of a bottle of poison
Satan’s ploy to exchange God’s truth into a lie.
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Doctrinal issues - a little leaven, leavens the whole lump.. distorting, twisting God’s word
Cultural Issues
Susceptibility to deception has its roots in pride. People who are prideful can be self-deceived. They believe what they want to believe.
Satan’s Weapons
2. Defilement of what is holy.
Compromising truth
pressure from the world
fear of being labeled
desire to be accepted
Mixing lies with truth
truth becomes flexible
the Bible is retrofitted to one’s
The sinning saint
Willful sin
16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
chose the NASB - it is a very literal word for word translation..
A true Christian is Dead to sin
Satan’s Weapons:
3. Downgrading of our standing before God.
downgrades the child of God’s position - SEATED IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS
Questions salvation
Does not understand his identity in Christ - YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD
Draws significance from what people say
The thoughts come in the mind
b. downplays the active work of God
that God is hands off
Satan’s Weapons:
4. Division of God’s people.
Strifes
Rebellion - THE CUNNING CRAFTINESS OF DECEITFUL PLOTTING
b. Discord
Satan fuels misunderstandings, gossips
There’s a verse that covers all these weapons of the enemy and our response to it:
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
You are a saint of God, you are God’s child, and you belong to the greatest heritage of God here on earth - the body of CHrist- His church!
The weapons of Satan are nothing compared to our weapons
17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.
Unforgiven sin - is the greatest hold of satan against people..
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
DECLARATION OF WAR:
I rise against the enemy.
And push back his work.
In my life, and in my family.
I reject his deception,
and stand on the truth of God’s word.
I denounce satan’s attempts,
to downgrade my standing before God.
I am a precious child of God.
I am a saint of the Most High.
God wants me to be a warrior for Him.
So Lord by Your grace,
protect me from defilement.
I am dead to sin,
and alive to You in Christ!
I disavow...
the divisive tactics of the enemy,
and preserve the unity of the church.
No weapon formed against me,
my family,
and my church,
will prosper.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus!
AMEN!