***STANDING ON BUSINESS

THERE’S A WORD FROM THE LORD , COMING FROM THE BOOK OF PETER

1 Peter 5:8–9

And you should find these words as printed

Look what it says,

Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

The personnel in the Armed forces put in long hours and give extra effort to find out about the enemy. The focus and objective of the Armed forces in a war is to defeat the enemy. No army of any country goes to war to lose! Whether the army is attacking or being attacked they want to overcome the enemy. America is at war with an evil enemy in Isis that is a threat to the middle East, the world, and this country as well. A country needs the proper perception of the enemy and the proper power against the enemy. Enemies can and should be overcome! The underlying problems of the world: disease, death, destitution, dysfunction, are all because of the enemy of man’s souls.

There is

• pain, persecution,

• affliction, attacks,

• bombings and berating,

• suffering, sickness,

• turmoil, trials,

• wars, wounds,

• hunger, and helplessness

• all because of the attacks of the enemy.

The Devil and the demons know that their time is drawing to an end and they are persistently and effectively attacking individuals, families, countries, churches, and every Christian. Those who are lost are oblivious to the reality of Satan and many are under his control and dominion. Many Christians have been sidetracked, derailed, snared, and overcome by the enemy. May God wake up the church today to the reality of the devil and the reality of the war that is going on!

Years ago the Yankees ace reliever Joe Page had a dream one night. He said he dreamed that he was in heaven, and was assigned the task of forming a baseball team of all the great stars available there. He asked, “But who will we play against?” Then the devil telephoned and challenged Joe to a series. The devil said, “Four games out of seven and no miracles on either side.” Page scoffed, “What chance have you got? Every great ball player goes to heaven when he dies!” The devil responded, “I’m not worrying, because I’ve got all the umpires.” Sometimes it seems like Satan has all the “umpires.” Sometimes it seems that no matter what we try we end up getting defeated by the devil.

Peter declared the opposition of the enemy and the overcoming of the enemy. Christians can resist the enemy (Satan) only as they rely on the Lord Jesus Christ (the Savior). To remind the church about the reality of the devil and his power and his attacks and to challenge the church to exercise their faith in Jesus by living for Jesus in the world. Are you conscious of the enemy? Are you under the attack of the devil? Are you relying on the Lord Jesus for deliverance? Are you beat down and discouraged and feel like giving up? These verses reveal some facts about overcoming the enemy.

I. The reality of the war (8–9)

Whether we realize it or not or think much about it or not, America is still at war with Isis. When we are not directly involved we tend to lose focus. Peter reminds the believers that they are directly involved in this war. They were under physical persecution from the Rome legion because they were under spiritual persecution from the roaring lion.

A. Our perception: our disposition in the fight (8a)

“Be sober, be vigilant;

Peter in the closing verses of this letter reminded and challenged the church concerning the war that they were in. Peter gives a word about the churches perception. The saints are to have the proper disposition in the fight. Our attitudes and outlook is to be proper if we are going to overcome the enemy. If Satan can deceive us and distract us and dilute our spiritual perception so that we are lax and apathetic then he has us where he wants us. The call to all the saints down through the ages still stands tonight. God calls for us to be sober and vigilant in this war.

FACT: A soldier in physical warfare that is not alert, attentive, and active against the enemy is in danger and endangers others as well. Sober: (nepho, nay’-fo;) to abstain from wine (keep sober), i.e. (figurative) be discreet:-be sober, watch. This is definitely a call to be physically sober, but the word means much more than that. Christians are to be spiritually sober.

• Christians are not to be caught off guard because they have been caught up in the things of the world.

Christians are to have the proper spiritual perception. When Christians are sober they will not be taken by surprise when the enemy attacks, they’ll not be overtaken when the enemy attacks because they are sober. Our disposition in the fight will give us a proper perception of the foe. When we have the proper perception we will realize where the attacks are coming from. When we are attacked and slandered, ridiculed and persecuted, isolated and mistreated we know that the attacks are coming from Satan.

Ephesians 6:10–12 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Do you have the proper perception? How is your disposition in the fight? Are you sober about spiritual realities? Are you sober about the attacks in this world?

◾ When we are sober we can realize that the enemy (Satan) is behind the murder of the unborn.

◾ Abortion is a sin against God and a crime against man.

◾ When we are sober we can realize that the homosexual issue is a spiritual issue. Gay marriages have been conjured up in hell and are been promoted on earth by the devil.

Church, are we really sober? When we are sober we will have the proper Biblical perception of right and wrong, of good and evil, and of what is of God and what is not! The church has a call to be sober. We also have a call to be vigilant! Vigilant: gregoreuo, gray-gor-yoo’-o; to keep awake, i.e. watch (literal or figurative) be vigilant, wake, (be) watch (-ful).

Romans 13:11–14 says, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

It is high time for the church to wake up! The fact is that we are at war with an unseen enemy who has myriads of powerful soldiers as his disposal. The church must be sober and the church must be vigilant.

◾ You cannot convince me that we are vigilant as a church when

◾ most of our members never come to church,

◾ many never come back on Sunday nights,

◾ most of our members do not consistently read the Bible,

◾ most of our members never witness and tell others about Jesus,

◾ and never invite others to come to Christ or come to church.

Our perception is all messed up and our spiritual vision has been blurred by compromise and complacency. Our disposition in the fight has been minimized by sin, selfishness, and Satan. The call for us today is “Be sober, be vigilant!” In verse 8 Peter reminds the church about the reality of the war. First of all he gives a word about our perception: Our disposition in the fight. We also learn in verse 8:

B. His prowling: The description of the foe (8b)

“because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,”

Peter gives the church a wake-up call and a warning. He describes the adversary of the church.

→ He is not our friend, but he is our foe.

Peter didn’t question the existence of Satan nor deny the existence of Satan. The Lord Jesus had taught them about the battle, Peter had been involved in the battle, and he had been a casualty in the fight. Peter knew first hand that they had an adversary. The church would do well to have the proper and fundamental belief that we have an adversary. Peter tells the church to be sober and vigilant and then he proceeds to tell them why they must be sober and vigilant. Adversary: antidikos, an-tid’-ee-kos; an opponent (in a lawsuit); specially Satan (as the arch-enemy) adversary. This word pictures Satan’s work of being the accuser of the brethren to bring charges against them. Satan appeared before the Lord to attack Job.

Revelation 12:7–10 says “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”

We have an adversary that appears before God and slanders us and accuses us. Peter reveals the adversary! The devil is our personal adversary. In verse 8 Peter says “your adversary the devil” Satan is a real, personal, and powerful adversary. He hates the Lord Jesus and he hates the Lord’s church. He is against us spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc.

Peter is instructing the church on the fact that they have a dangerous and destructive foe. The devil is not omnipresent like God is. Satan is a created being. He is a fallen angel. He rebelled against God and he tried to overthrow God and a 1/3 of the angels rebelled with him and God cast him out of heaven. There is coming a day that Satan will be bound along with all the fallen angels and cast into the burning lake of fire where they will bum forever. But until then Peter reminds the church that they have a fierce foe. Devil: diabolos, dee-ab’-ol-os; a traducer; specially Satan (satan) false accuser, devil, slanderer. Peter describes the character of the foe and the conduct of the foe. Peter reveals the person and the purpose of the foe. The devil walks about like a roaring lion. Peter didn’t have the National Geographic Channel on satellite television, but he would have been familiar with the Roman Coliseum where roaring lions where set free to hunt down and kill Christians. The words “walks about” tell us of the mission of Satan. He is restless and relentless. He is prowling about on a mission to destroy and devour.

John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Satan is prowling around and Peter reminds the church of his intent. Peter describes our foe as walking about like a roaring lion. In Scripture Satan is pictured as a serpent, as an angel of light, as a dragon, as a roaring lion. He has different methods and different means to attack.

Warren Wiersbe said, “As the serpent, Satan deceives; and as the lion, Satan devours.”

The devil is prowling around like a roaring lion hoping to pounce on some unsuspecting soul. If you have ever watched the wildlife channel you know that Lions are sneaky, they are persistent, they are powerful, they are intimidating, and they are raging. Satan has been cast out of heaven and his time is limited and he is on the war path. He is doing all in his power to keep and condemn mankind. He is persistent in his pursuit of his prey. He is powerful to tempt, to deceive, to dilute, to devour. He roars and intimidates God’s people and he seeks to render our service and witness ineffective for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter puts it in terms where the brethren can grasp it. This is a simple illustration that pictures the fierceness of the devil and his attacks. Seeking: zeteo, dzay-teh’-o; to seek (literal or figurative); specially (by Hebrew) to worship (God), or (in a bad sense) to plot (against life):-be (go) about, desire, endeavor, enquire (for), require, to look for. This is a very descriptive word which tells us of the persistence of his prowling. He walks about on purpose with a purpose. The devil wastes no shots, fires no blanks, and seeks with no purpose. Peter warns the church and instructs the church to be sober and be vigilant because of the adversary. We’ve learned about our perception: our disposition in the fight. His prowling: the description of the foe; next we see:

C. His prerogative: The desire of the foe (8c)

“seeking whom he may devour.”

Peter reveals the motives of the adversary to the church. Satan is not playing games. He is not seeking someone to fight with, but someone he can destroy. He does not fight fairly; he desires to get the upper hand and crush his opponents. His prerogative is to devour his prey.

◾ He’s not just seeking to discourage us, but he’s seeking to destroy us.

◾ He not just seeking to divide us, but he’s seeking to devour us.

◾ He not just seeking to corrupt people, but he’s seeking to condemn people.

Peter reveals the desire of the foe. Someone has wisely listed Satan’s Beatitudes which reveals much of his desire to devour:

▆ Blessed are they who are bored with the pastor’s mannerisms and mistakes; for they get nothing out of the sermon.

▆ Blessed are they who are not interested in the affairs of the church; for they cause the world to say, “The church is failing.”

▆ Blessed are they who gossip; for they cause strife and division which pleases me very much.

▆ Blessed are they who are easily offended; for they soon get angry and quit.

▆ Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother; for he shall be with me forever.

▆ Blessed are the troublemakers; for they shall be called the children of the devil.

▆ Blessed is he who has no time to pray; for he shall be easy prey.

▆ -Satan.

Peter reveals the desire of the enemy. He is walking about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Satan and the demons of hell have an agenda and they are highly organized to carry out their work. Ephesians 6:12 Paul lists the divisions of Satan’s highly effective and efficient army. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The devil is fighting hard against the church of Jesus Christ. That is why we must be sober and vigilant!

F. B. Meyer wrote, “There is no church-fold which he does not eagerly visit; bent on injuring its usefulness, or snatching away its careless professors … if he can involve the leading professors in inconsistencies which shall neutralize the effect of their testimony; if he can entrap the weaklings into pride, or jealousy, or sensual pleasure, or backsliding; if he can scatter the flock by persecution, or bury it in a snowstorm of formalism, or drown it in a spate of worldliness, then he is full of glee. And he is always on the watch for such a chance. “Going to and from in the earth, and walking up and down in it.”

Peter uses a very eye opening word in the last part of verse 8 that describes the motives of the devil.

Devour: katapino, kat-ap-ee’-no; to drink down, i.e. gulp entire (literal or figurative) devour, drown, swallow (up). Satan is after your marriage, after your ministry, after your heart, after your home, and after your health. He wants to devour our children, the church. He does not want to wound us, but destroy us. If he had his way he would consume us all!

On March 31, 1998, Daniel Remeta was executed in the Florida electric chair for killing five people in 1985. In an interview not long before his death, Remeta exclaimed, “I just like to kill people.” That chilling declaration is a grim reminder of another calculated killer who “walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. To put it bluntly Satan just likes to kill!

Peter reminds the church that Satan is after the saints of God.

Peter had first-hand knowledge of the enemy and his desire to destroy God’s people. In Luke 22:31–34 the Lord Jesus warns Peter of the spiritual warfare. The Bible says, “And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

The same day in the Garden of Gethsemane the Lord took Peter, James, and John and told them to watch and pray. They didn’t watch and pray, but they slept and rested. When Judas came with the soldiers to arrest Jesus, Peter got up and took a sword and cut Malchus’ ear off. Jesus healed the man’s ear and went with the soldiers. Peter followed from a distance and he knew someone who let him into the inner courtyard. There he was recognized as a disciple of Jesus. Peter denied three times that he even knew Jesus. At one point Peter got mad and began to curse and swear and tell them that he didn’t know Jesus. Then the rooster crowded that pierced Peter’s heart. He went out and wept bitterly and repented of his sins. Satan had sifted Peter as wheat, but Jesus had prayed for Peter and Peter’s faith did not fail. He repented and returned and he strengthened his brethren.

Some of us today need for a rooster to crow that would pierce our hearts and remind us that we have been deceived by the devil and defeated by the devil.

▆ Some of us like Peter need to go out and weep bitterly because we’ve denied our Master,

▆ we’ve been ashamed of Jesus,

▆ and we need to repent and return and strengthen the brethren.

Peter is teaching the church about the reality of the war. We’ve noticed our perception: Our disposition in the fight; his prowling: the description of the foe; his prerogative: the desire of the foe; and lastly we note:

D. Our protection: our defense in the faith (9)

1. The resisting of Satan (9a)

“Resist him, steadfast in the faith”

Peter moves from the problem to the prescription. He now instructs the church about our personal protection against the enemy. We are not called to flee from the devil, but by faith resist the devil. James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Warren Wiersbe said, “Before we can stand before Satan, we must bow before God.” It is not only possible, but it is expected of a child of God to submit to God and resist the attacks of the devil. The word of God tells us that “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” Resist: anthistemi, anth-is’-tay-mee; to stand against, i.e. oppose, resist, withstand. This is an action word and a militant word. This word means that we have a responsibility as born again, Spirit-filled believers to stand against the attacks of the enemy. We are not to play with the enemy; we are to resist the enemy. We are not to ignore the enemy; we are to resist the enemy. We are to resist the devil steadfast in the faith. Our protection comes as we exercise our faith in Jesus Christ. Steadfast: stereos, ster-eh-os’; stiff, i.e. solid, stable (literal or figurative) steadfast, strong, sure. We are to unapologetically and uncompromisingly resist the devil.

We are not to converse with him, we are not to compromise with him, but we are to resist him. How is your resolve in the battle? Do you have a heart to fight? Are you resisting the devil steadfast in the faith?

▆ We need to take a stand in Jesus name and

▆ refuse to give our marriages over to Satan,

▆ refuse to give our children over to Satan,

▆ refuse to give our families over to Satan,

▆ and refuse to give our witness over to Satan.

Some churches have sold out dirt cheap. Evangelist Rick Coram said “Some churches have traded:

• Authority for acceptance;

• Anointing for advancement;

• Blessings for beauty;

• Dynamism for deadness;

• Duty for dignity;

• Separation for success;

• Power for prosperity;

• Worship for worldliness;

• The approval of God for the applause of men at a dirt cheap price.”

We are instructed to resist the devil steadfast in the faith. We are to walk by faith, talk by faith, fight by faith, live by faith in Jesus Christ and His word. The faith is what has been handed down to the saints and passed on to us! In verse 9 we’ve seen the resisting of Satan. In the last part of verse 9 we see:

2. The reminder to the saints (9b)

“knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Peter reminds these persecuted saints that they are not alone in the fight or in the suffering. “Knowing” tells us that the saints understood the scope and seriousness of the struggle. The church needs to be reminded that brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are facing the same enemy and we are all susceptible to his vicious attacks. Sufferings: (KJV: Afflictions) pathema, path’-ay-mah; something undergone, i.e. hardship or pain; subject an emotion or influence:-affection, affliction, motion, suffering. This word is also a descriptive word that reveals the intensity and intent of Satan’s attack.

Satan was on the throne of the Roman Empire and he empowered Nero and the Roman’s to an all-out assault on the church. Persecution is an effective tool of Satan and he still uses it today.

• In the 20th century there were more Christian martyrs than in the previous 19 centuries combined.

Peter reminds the church that the same afflictions that they are going through others in Christ are also going through. Experienced: (KJV: accomplished) epiteleo, ep-ee-tel-eh’-o; to fulfill further (or completely), i.e. execute; by implication to terminate, undergo accomplish, do, finish, (make) (perfect), perform (x -ance). Peter gives a sobering reminder to the saints of God who were facing intense and persistent attacks from the enemy. What we go through others who love Jesus, serve Jesus, and live for Jesus also will go through. “your brotherhood” reminds the church that we are one body in Christ Jesus.

▆ Many nationalities,

▆ different genders,

▆ different ages,

▆ different colors,

▆ different social standings,

▆ different economic standings,

▆ but ONE BODY

▆ and ONE BROTHERHOOD!