The Greatest Threat to the Church

According to Ephesians 6:12, it’s with “the rulers…the powers…the world forces of this darkness…the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

This threat is dangerous because the Enemy uses people to carry out his wicked schemes

In the NT, we see him using people like Diotrephes, “who loves to be first among them, [and] does not accept what we say” (3 Jn.9).

Or people like Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-10).

Or people like the Hellenistic Jews who complained they were being neglected by the church (Acts 6).

Or people like Euodia and Syntyche who were not living in harmony in the Lord (Phil.4:1-2).

Every church has had it’s share of people who were used by Satan and not by the Lord and it occurred in the church

That’s why Paul wrote in Acts 20 to the “elders of the church” in Ephesus (v.17) to be aware that after his departure “savage wolves” would come “in among you, not sparing the flock” and “men” would arise from within the church “speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (vv.29-30).

There are various titles given in the NT that identify who I am talking about

He is called “the prince of this world” in John 12:31 and 16:11.

That means that he “rules a world that includes men and angels who are separated from God and are His enemies by nature” (C. Fred Dickason, Angles Elect & Evil, 126).

Charles Spurgeon said...

Satan knows right well that one devil in the church can do far more than a thousand devils outside her bounds.

Spots In Our Feasts Of Charity, Volume 14, Sermon #797 - Jude 1:12

That’s why all churches deal with many adversaries not just one

He has...

...cunning servants about him, that hunt for the precious life with double diligence. A Good Start, Page 259

Charles Spurgeon

This enemy is also called “the prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2.

That means he is “the ruler of the empire of this atmosphere” (Dickason, 127).

He is also called “the god of this world” (2 Cor.4:4)

As “the god of this world,” he blinds the minds of those who do not believe so they cannot be saved

J.I. Packer says this is so because “he exercises over people and because of the servile obedience that they render to him. They are taken “captive” by him “to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26).

By this point you should know who I am talking about

He is the ruler of demons (Mat.12:24)

Lucifer (Isa.14:12)

Satan (means adversary or opposer) (Rev.12:9)

Devil (slanderer) (Lk.4:2)

The serpent of old (Rev.12:9)

The great dragon (Rev.12:3)

The evil one (Jn.17:15)

The destroyer (Rev.9:11)

The tempter (Mat.4:3)

The accuser of the brethren (Rev.12:10)

He’s a liar and deceiver (Jn.8:44)

He’s the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience (Eph.2:2)

That’s just a few of the names and titles that identify our enemy

Satan is real

Demons are real

We can expect their evil influence to increase in the world and in the church (Dickason, 234).

That’s why our battle is real

So my question this morning is, “How are we to deal with him and his demons?”

Do we have any defense?

Yes

I want us to look at 3 ways we are to deal with the greatest threat to our church

The first is...

I. Recall

There are certain facts that must govern how we think about him

First we need to...

A. Understand His Power

Because he is all the things mentioned by his names and titles we should be cautious of him

That means we should never think lightly of him

He has great power and “puny man is no match for him” (Dickason)

There are many that run around trying to rebuke him or bind him or command him to do something

But we do not have that kind of power

If you study the NT, the only people with such power were Jesus, the apostles and those closely associated with the apostles

Second we need to keep in mind that...

B. He is Sovereignly Restricted

He is a creature like you and I are creatures created by God

His power is limited

His activity is limited

He can only do what God permits him to do

We see that in the story of Job

Job 1:6-12, “6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” 8 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” 12 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.”

So Satan attacked his animals and his family

Job lost his oxen and donkeys (Job 1:14), his servants (v.15), his sheep (v.16), his camels (v.17), and his sons and daughters (vv.18-19)

But did he do what Satan said he would do?

Did he curse God?

No, he “tore his robe and shaved his head, and fell to the ground and worshiped” (1:20) and said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD” (v.21). “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (v.22)

This could have been you or me

Just like Job we could have had the same response he had

After Satan failed to entice Job to curse God, we hear in Job 2:1-6, “1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” 3 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” 4 Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 “However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” 6 So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.””

This second test set in motion a series of tests for Job that you can read in the rest of the book of Job but Job never gave in and did what Satan said he would do

Instead it was his wife that told him to curse God

This is another example of how Satan can use people in your life to contribute to your fall

But notice two times we hear God say to Satan…first “do not put forth your hand on him” (1:12) and second “spare his life” (2:6)

Satan couldn’t do anything to Job apart from God’s permission

The same is true for you and me

God is sovereign and in control of our lives not Satan

So you need to recall this when you are tempted and tried and attacked by Satan and his demons and not be ignorant of his devices and schemes and purposes

Satan “accuses, deceives, plants doubt, tempts to pride and fleshly satisfaction, divides brethren, discourages, distracts—all this to oppose God’s purpose” (Dickason, 235).

But praise God...

C. Jesus Purchased Victory for Us on the Cross

He defeated and judged Satan by His redemptive death and resurrection

and they are subject to Him and to His final judgment

1 Corinthians 15:28, “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

In Ephesians 1:19-22, Paul wanted the church to know “19...what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,”

Colossians 2:15, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”

1 Peter 3:21-22, “21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”

Jesus triumphed over Satan and demons

Just like Genesis 3:15, “15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.””

You need to recall this

This is why the Reformers would say you need to preach the gospel to yourself everyday

Why?

Because if you don’t, you can forget

When Peter talks about adding faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love to your life, he says in 2 Peter 1:8-9, “8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”

That’s why we are to “be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2 Pet.1:10).

Did you know that Jesus also prays for our victory?

In John 17:15, He prayed that we might be kept from the evil one

John 17:15, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”

He also prayed for Peter’s faith that it would not fail

Jesus said in Luke 22:31-32, “31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.””

He prays for us and is our defense against Satan

Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

1 John 2:1-2, “1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

So we need to recall these truths from the Word of God if we are going to be victorious over Satan

Secondly we need to...

II. Resist

A. By Submission to God

James 4:7, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

This is repeated in 1 Peter 5:9.

To submit means “to place under”

This is a military term and could literally mean “to rank under” (MacArthur)

If you want to “resist the devil” you have to put yourself in the place of submission to God

Both James and Peter says when you submit to God you “resist the devil”

The idea of “resist” (anthisetmi) means “to stand against” or “to oppose”

Again James is continuing his military metaphor

James is saying, “There is no middle ground, no neutrality. As he has just made clear, ‘friendship with the world [Satan’s domain] is hostility toward God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God’ (4:4; cf., 1 John 2:15-17).

To stand with the Lord is to stand against everything sinful and worldly that formerly was appealing, corrupting, and enslaving” (John MacArthur, James, 204-5).

James says once you “submit to God” and “resist the devil,” he will “flee from you”

Just as the devil left Jesus after the temptations in the wilderness (Mat.4:11), he will also flee from those who resist him

Here is a pledge that the devil can be defeated but it’s not by words, phrases, and gimmicks, it’s by submitting to God and resisting the devil

The second way we can stand against Satan is by...

B. By Putting on the Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-18, “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, …”

Paul is showing every believer what has been given as a provision for the battle

“There are defensive garments, useful garments, and offensive weapons included” (Dickason).

Jesus has provided all we need to successfully resist and defeat the devil

We must appropriate (“put on”) these provisions to attain victory in our lives

So we need to Recall, Resist and last...

III. Rely

Victory is found ultimately in relying upon God

We do that by relying on 3 things:

First is...

A. The Power of Christ

There is no higher authority or power than Christ

God has given to Him all authority in heaven and on earth

Jesus said to His disciples after His resurrection in Matthew 28:18, “...All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Jude said in Jude 25, “to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

John said in Revelation 12:10, “10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”

Paul said in Philippians 2:9-10, “9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”

God has also given Jesus authority to forgive sin - Matthew 9:6, “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.””

God has given Him authority over unclean spirits - Mark 1:27, “They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.””

God has given Him authority over death and life - John 10:18, “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.””

God has has given Him authority to execute judgment - John 5:27, “and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

Acts 17:30-31, “30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.””

So we need to rely on the fact that our submission is to Christ

He has authority over everyone and everything, including Satan

We must rely on the power of Christ and second we must rely on...

B. The Providence of God

God cares for the believer and guards him as the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:10)

We are not to be fearful of men or angels (Hebrews 13:5), nor of events in this life or even death itself (Romans 8:38–39)

God is for us, and no one can prevail against us - Romans 8:31–32, “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

He will provide all we need, and we are not to be overcome with anxiety over it - 1 Peter 5:7–9, “7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

God is our refuge and He will defeat our enemy - Deuteronomy 33:27, “27 “The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’”

We must rely on the authority of Christ and His providencial care in our lives

And we must rely on...

C. The Promise of God

When we have done all to stand, we shall stand; for God is able to make us stand (Ephesians 6:10–11, 13)

His promise is clear: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7)

When we have resisted him in the faith, standing firm in Christ, he must flee. It is the promise of God.

CONCLUSION

Are you recalling, resisting, and relying on God?

Are you recalling that Christ is more powerful than Satan?

Are you recalling that Satan is sovereignly restricted by God?

Are you recalling that Jesus purchased victory for us on the cross?

Then are you resisting Satan by submitting God and having the armor of God on?

And last are you relying on the power of Christ?

He has all authority

Satan has no authority except for that which God has given him

Are you relying on God’s providencial care to take care of you and strengthen you in the battle?

Are you relying on His promises?

Satan is defeated

He will soon be destroyed

Stop giving in to him and start resisting him

You must understand that he is the greatest threat to the church

And if you’re not walking in obedience to Jesus, then you are being used by him to do his will

One of the ways you can resist him this morning is to give your life to Jesus Christ for salvation

Until you do, you are still under his control

Remember Ephesians 2:1-3?

Listen to what it says about those who are not saved

You are dead in your trespasses and sins

You walk according to the course of this world

You walk according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is working in the sons of disobedience

and you’re living you life according to the lusts of the flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind

What must you do?

Repent and follow Jesus instead of Satan

I want to invite you to give you’re life to Jesus right now as we pray

Don’t let Satan rule your life any longer

Maybe you are a child of God but you have given in to Satan’s schemes

You also need to repent and come back to Jesus

Which ever applies to you, you need to do

Let’s pray

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