1 Peter 5:8-11 • The ways of the Devil
We are in the 1st Peter and last week we spent the majority of our time really downloading a lot of information about the devil. So that was fun. He missed it. We're going to talk a little bit more about him that here this morning as let's go ahead and read or taking our texts from and why were in this situation and then we will get after this it says in 1st Peter 5 verse 8 He's sober minded Be watchful your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour resist him firm in your faith is knowing the same kind of sufferings are being suffered by your Brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while the God of all Grace was called you to his eternal glory and Christ himself restore confirm strengthen and establish you to him the Dominion forever and ever a well. It's probably almost five years ago now and I we had started the church. We're about six months into having planted this church and my brother called me app. He's a pastor down in band and he said, hey man, there's some people I want to send your way. They attend one of our community groups and occasionally, they'll pop in on a Sunday, but they live up in your neck of the woods. So would love if they would first and foremost come to church, but also there really blue. For somebody to talk with him about marriage and they're just having a rough go at it. And so I said absolutely I would love to help and serve in any way possible so I can get this couple in my little office that I have there in the Coldwell Banker building that we were renting out of the basement floor at the time and I begin to ask him some questions because I don't know anything about them and really anyway to even begin to help and approach them. So ask them. What is a walk with god. What does it mean to be a Christian? What is this even look like and are you saved and the wife had responded that she had spent some time in and out of church and she had some understanding of the Gospel but never really lived in the fact that she was a follower of Jesus or not. Okay, I can I can work with that. That's good. We have a talk. I turned to her husband and I asked him the exact same question and he goes well, I'm a druid. I'm a male witch.
Because I'm part of this sect from San Diego and typically as a druid. We do really good things in the world, but occasionally will cast spells on people. We don't like will fend us and I've been successful at this at times. We're going to have a good time today, aren't we? And so I begin to share the gospel, which he rejected at that time. And I just told them that if they ever want to come back and talk about the gospel in the hope of Jesus Christ that I could definitely help them. But outside of that. I don't know if I'm going to be of much help for them. I share this with you because I want to bring us and our attention to Ephesians 6 and Britain going to flashes up here on the screen 10 through 12. Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against rulers against authorities against Cosmic powers. I just goes back to kind of an idea what we talked about last week that God had created a realm in which Spiritual Beings exist as well as human beings and they were made in the way in which they were to be a part of the Divine Council Psalm 82 and they were to rule help God and that way rule. They are Lester created beans. But he made. Yet they're very powerful and real and they had Free Will and some of them rebelled and here it says that these are against us to be aware of them because we wrestle against Cosmic Powers overhead this present Darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in Heavenly places.
There is a house. We looked at last week a hypersensitive group of people that tend to be very superstitious when it comes to the devil. If you want a little bit more detail we talked about this in Great Lengths last week, but I need to Simply come back to it to highlight some ideas and some thoughts that come from it. They have this mentality that everything everything bad that comes their way a has to be because the devil is causing as he is present. He's the one working immediately right then and there in their life. There's some that give far too much credit to the devil, but there are also those who used the words of CS Lewis, which if you want to go Google this word, it's not a real word. He pointed are substances. And this is where we not only as a culture, but even as a church culture tend to Reston today. What's happened is is there's this veneer this idea that the devil nah, he's not really there don't really have to worry about him don't have to really think about the implications of Ephesians chapter 6 of Peter's words of the times that Paul also talks about the devil and Jesus outside of the scriptures. We just looked at and there is this idea that we'd rather close our eyes to the reality that there is a present Darkness. That we desire to invade our world in our lives for our harm. the cause Devastation and Brokenness I said when we come to this text and we come to any topic or idea on the devil. The last thing I want is for us to go One Direction too far to know is we're going to see next week as we made this kind of a three-part series that God is Victorious and he rules He reigns at Jesus conquered death and will stamp out all evil but right now we're going to look at this week. Have you already looked at that? There is a devil he is real he does exist either those who have turned their backs on Yahweh and they worshipped these as we saw in the Hebrew other Elohim Stuff, they weren't just simply a statue but that there was a real dark presents a power behind the statue that they worship that they sacrifice for that. They gave to the blinded the nation's there's a Satan who is trying to frustrate the purposes of God. That is a very real realm that exist today. I just simply even as the church to close our eyes and pretend and act as if it doesn't exist is to do a major service to yourself and the church community at large is that this whole idea of a spiritual evil are two causes to want to attack it on a spiritual front. The prayer to worship and understanding that our problems as a Christian in the way in which we understand them are not simply one-dimensional where bad things happen because everything's just sort of broke the Christians have the capacity to say bad things happened because yes, we can cannot go crazy sometimes in our minds or our bodies can break down that our problems are physical our problems are emotional but check this out. Our problems are also spiritual. The things can happen in our lives because there's a real enemy and when you said yes to Jesus all of a sudden you had more enemies in your life than you could ever imagine and they're coming at you. Now a little bit more about this upon a certain as we saw in there that Joe portrays him as he is the ruler of this world. That's John 12:31. He also had the ability to give this world away to Jesus. We saw that in Mark chapter 4, that's a pretty strong man. Isn't it that somebody has some Authority somebody who has some power. I told you I'm going to give the world to you. You'd be like that guy's a lunatic. He is crazy. There's no way he can do that. He doesn't possess it. We read in 2nd Corinthians 4:4. He's the God of this age. And then in Ephesians 2:2 the prince of the power of the air and here is what Satan does here is it when I say Satan does the ways of Satan the philosophy of State in the motive of Satan and how he accomplishes that what he's doing is he's typically playing on with already exists inside of a fallen human being the basic dick is that he injects distorted perceptions of ourselves and the world and of God into our hearts. He tends to play on our pride anxiety reviews on 1st Peter the bitterness the anger the greed that already exist within us. Define human being we know that these things exist in our present in our hearts. We know that when we're alone often. These are the things that can come out of us. We know ourselves very very well. And so does he thinks that you're already struggling with to exploit you? I'm a big sports fan and I love watching just the strategy in sports and especially right now in the NBA and when a team has a weakness the opposing team knows that weakness exists and their goal is to exploit events. to show the cracks in that already present already there. It's not like they're creating the weakness of the weakness is already present and it's exploited and used against them the package of the devil are the word. I looks using the world The Flash and deception. You have a Bible you can flip over to Ephesians 2:20 read verses 2 through 3 to you and also be up on the screen if I did my job it says In which was beginning verse 1 and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you want SWAT following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons of Disobedience. Does this not sound like a real intelligent Dean that is against those who love syrup and worship Jesus Christ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and we're by Nature children of Wrath like the rest of mankind. You got the mind. You've got the body you've got this desire you've got all of these different words that are in play here now looking first John pretty famous passage here chapter 2 We'll head on over there. I'm going to read these different things every night time together verse 15 do not love the world or the things in the world anyone loves the world. The love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the desire or maybe your translation reads the lust of the flesh the desires or the love of the eyes and the pride of life is not from the father, but it's from the world and the world is passing away along with its desires. But whoever does the will of God will abide forever. What are we see here? The world refers to a system of thinking we're by the material world becomes the ultimate value in our lives. I'm not talking about the physical world. We know that God for love the God so loved the world that he gave his son the world in the people that are named were talking about the systems and the ways of the world here where they become the ultimate and I use that word lust or desire literally means over desire. So there's nothing wrong for example with eating but you live to eat is worldliness. There's nothing wrong with sexuality but you live for sex is worldliness. There's nothing wrong with trying to look good but to live for looking good, it's World in this there's nothing wrong with money, but you live for money is worldliness. And in these ways our culture tends to oppose the Lord the kind of the ungodly trends that people go toward materialism naturalism. Idea for instant gratification and so much more and what Jesus says here is that these very things when you were the parable of the sower can actually choke out the seed that is sewn in somebody's heart don't work reaching and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ was just four different soils at the she falls on and there are those that will hear it and receive it with gladness with the cares and the desires of this world begin to choke out the very word. That was put in somebody's heart and the whole mentality is is God. If God can give me the good life.
That that is we're going to see this morning is the drive and the desire of every human being today. Whatever it is that you choose to define the good life pass in for some of us we same if God can get me to the good life. I will have him In that moment, who is your god? The good life is the good life and that's what people perceive and that's what people think it was never about. God always, how can I get to the good life? So how does this work? We're to look at the lust of the Flesh and the lust of the eyes are turning over to Genesis chapter 3, and I don't think this one's going to be flashed up there. But I've shared it so many times in the story is so familiar to each and everyone of us. 3 Danvers one now, the serpent was more crafty than the other Beasts of the field that the Lord God made and he said to the woman did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden and the woman said to the serpent. We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden the other side touch it lest you die. But the serpent said to the woman you will not surely die for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil, so when the woman saw that the tree get that when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes this desire and that was the tree to be desired to make one wise she took of its fruit and ate and she also gave to her husband who was with her and he ate she saw that it was good. It was tempting. It was ready for her. She desired it so desires not bad. Of every single person in here has desire and passion and Pursuits what to place in this moment. Was this Twisted Desire? That's the way to the good life the way to get what I really want because I can be like God if I just go around him in a sense. She was saying this is how I can be divided. This is how I can reach up and become like wow, this is incredible here. Is this spiritual being a serpent you're talking to me and telling me this Insider information on how I can be like God. Oh I want that so badly and then she took her desire ruled promotions there in this passage. Now think about this in a more relatable contacts to us today. Used to be by about the age 25 you saw something like a billion commercials, right? You just had two advertisements coming out. You don't quote me on that. That's a made-up statistic. You have commercials and probably even more so now you're scrolling through your Facebook feed or getting all kinds of ads thrown to you all over the place. And what are these ads do they want you to believe that you're going to be physically attractive if you're going to have the good life and you're going to matter. This is what you should look like. This is what you should buy. This is how you should act and behave and so those begin to have an impact in an effect on us. That's what the world is doing. Arrogance to get a hold of your heart and you begin to even believe the very things are being cookie for you. If I get this this is the exact idea behind what Apple does every year in their next release the second you buy whatever it is that you buy it's already outdated in there already making you want the next thing and their whole thing is based off of image and coolness and whatever else it is. And so I've tried it failed me. Let me tell you that very clearly but the idea and the mentality behind of it is a hold of this. It'll make me some one and I can do all sorts of nasty things in your life. I can drive you to spend too much money on your parents and drive you all kinds of Eating Disorders. I'm not thin enough. I don't look like them I can drive you to need to be sexually active and sexually attractive because that's how I'll feel wanted love and how close to somebody Cheap tickets after the Flash and it gets ahold of us in the world gets into you the Devil Comes alongside of you and is very name Oh So Tan as well as devil means the user and this is what I'll do. I whisper in your ear. If you are a child of God, you wouldn't have done that it gets you to do it. influencing us beginning starting our hearts and then he says oh by the way, are you really God's child is the main prosecutor and that's what he does. You call yourself a Christian and all of these things are intertwined here this morning the devil the world The Flash and he's coming at you to deceive you turn over to John chapter 8 if you wouldn't
It's a very interesting conversation that Jesus has with some of the religious rulers of that day. They answered him Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them if you were Abraham's children, you would not be doing Archie's that you would be doing the works of Abraham did but now you seek to kill me. This is verse 39. Amen verse 40 a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did you are doing The Works your father did they said to him? We are not born a sexual immorality. We have one father. Even God. Jesus said to them and God were your father. You would love me for I came from God and I am here. I came out of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say this because you cannot bear to hear my word if you are of your father the devil In your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning. He does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him when he lies. He speaks out of his own character as it's not that when he comes he came to Adam and Eve there with a baseball bat with a two-by-four with a shotgun he comes with a deceptive idea. He comes with alive. He speaks out of his own and native tongue and it's full of lies when he speaks. He speaks out of his own character for he's a liar and the father of lies. Because I tell you the truth you do not believe me which one of you can fix me a sin. I tell you the truth. Why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the word of God the reason why did you not hear them is that you are not of God? Satan's Mane Choice is not to simply just get you sick. cause the car accidents lots of that stuff happens because of the Fallen broken world. We live in Phil when we get in the car accident when we get sick we begin to question is God good cuz of God is Sovereign God is in control. How on Earth could you let this happen to me and we didn't get dinner at God we get frustrated with the way in which he's running and ruling the world and that is the deception and the twisting that Satan. When these things happen to us know the world is pretty darn good at it self a causing pain and suffering. We as humans have scent crouching at the door. It says in Genesis chapter 4. Watch out get a hold of it Kane or it's going to rule over you. Cheap were real good. I just acting on the pride the Privileges. I'm better than you using our words don't hurt to harm to tear down all on our own and then Satan comes in with the lies and it begins to twist and it begins to give us his misinformation campaigns to create chaos within our own little world to doubt God lies and deception brings division confusion and disunity all over the place. I was listening to this podcast one of the guys my youth pastor. Another guy is This brilliant Australian Mark Sayers and John Mark and Mark Sayers was talking about in recent months. It was in the last year that based out of Russia and out of this one location one IP address this group of Russians create a two different Facebook pages. One for the ultra-right and one for the ultraloft to acquire followers and post all kinds of propaganda and ideas through they had this great following and then you know what they did they set up a meeting on the same day in the same town on the same street right across from one another and both those groups showed up. Anna brought chaos disorder to that town to this country. Why why would somebody do that? Well, if everything that they're saying over here and their information until it's true, it's because at that point we are so then having to focus on our internal problems at the quote-unquote enemy can go ahead and do whatever is necessary what they want without anybody seeing or watching. What do you like that or not? But it actually happened or not. I found it incredibly intriguing and it's the very reason why misinformation like reading confusion and Division and disunity can disrupt a group of people to get her eyes off of what truly matters and to put our eyes on what has been our differences and insignificant differences that create chaos and disorder and is deception at its finest this idea of a lie, it's something that does not correspond with reality is a little recap for some of your hair about a month-and-a-half ago allies an alternate reality one in which did actually happen or one of those not actually truth a made-up reality think through the Genesis narrative. We just read you will be like God You will be like a low-key. We were already told in Genesis twice that they were created in the very image of God. Then this was taken to such a level that they believed in. The God is actually would holding something from them and they're going to go ahead on their own terms and in their own way take hold of Eternity through their own independent and in doing so they rebelled against God because they lie was believed and allies continually believe to this day here is the way to power here is the way to success. Here's how to have it all. Emerson not individually But as a society in humankind at-large with killed was murdered we going to war cuz these desires have ruled us we Elevate ourselves. This is what the enemy does now and again, it's good you're here about a month ago. A little recap which is necessary. But why begin with the big three questions of life? big questions of Life, who is God Or does God even exist? Who are we or who am I? Dealing with anthropology Humanity at large or dealing with identity individuality. Who am I? What is the good life or basically morality we seeing this is morality is based on anthropology, which is based on theology. Let me explain if there's a Creator then there is a design if there's a design there's intent for all of you if there's intent there is there in fact morality and if there's morality there's accountability, but if there's no creative you're somebody in here and says, there is no God, he does not exist. There's no design. There's no intent there just survival of the fittest. Right and there's been no morality. Who are you to tell me? What is right or wrong eye and then able to Define what is right or wrong? It's a Genesis narrative is being played out in our society today, isn't it? They wanted you to decide for themselves. What is good? And what is evil will know good from Evil don't know right or wrong. You'll be able to take live on their own terms in their own hands and it's the very model Shane of culture today if I want to be this or act that way who are you to judge me?
Who are you to tell me what is ripe or what is wrong? No, there is no morality. I am free because then there is no accountability to do whatever I want with my body with my money with my sexuality how I treat other people because there is no one I'm ultimately accountable for and this begins to Just Brakes break down. But yet that is the motto of secularism. There is no God. And this is what happens when Society beliefs secularism at large within an entire society when we say there is no God you can do whatever you want. You can be whoever you want. Just trust your true guts. What are we doing? We are defining right and wrong. How is that gone for the last hundred years five hundred years thousand years 2000-4000 wars. murder abortions trying to get ahead and hurting others in the process or confused more than ever about who am I a sexuality? We're trying to find out questions on why we do the things that we do and at least 2 emptiness and loss of peace. Satan brings the deceptive idea that leads to disorder desires that are not normalized in society today.
I've been chewing on that one. I didn't come up with it. I've been chewing on that one deceptive idea.
disorder desires airnow normalized make sure how this is played out from another angle. There's an article in the Atlantic. You know, where the Atlantic good for you sometimes I do this article is called work ism. Modern society and it says work ism is making Americans miserable for the college educated Elite work has morphed into a religious identity promising Transcendence and Community but failing to deliver mind you this is very very very very secular magazine. They call this the gospel of work the client traditional faith in America has to one side it so he's acknowledging the decline of faith has coincided with an explosion of new atheism. Some people worship Beauty some worship political identities and others worship their children, but everybody worships something and work ism is among the most potent of the new religions competing for congregants. What is work ism is the belief that work is not only necessary to economic production, but also the centerpiece of one's identity and lights purpose. And the belief that any policy to promote human welfare must always encourage more work to see what's going on here man is going to determine what is good and evil man is going to the terminal to bring happiness and the good life in this is me sharing on the interjection thoughts on that and kind of finish with a right here. It's the result of these things have it measured up and I failed but I think through work. I can be happy. So the article goes on perhaps long hours are part of an arms race for status an income among the money. Delete or maybe the logic here isn't economic at all. It's emotional and spiritual the best educated and highest earning American who can have whatever they want a chosen the office for the same reason The Devout Christians attend church on Sundays. It's where they feel most themselves for many today's Rich. There is no such thing as leisure in the classic sense work. Is there play The Epic economists Robert Frank wrote In The Wall Street Journal Building Wealth to them is a creative process in the closest thing they have to fun. This is what's going on in our world today this deceptive idea that you will be fulfilled and satisfied and it says light has been normalized now and see how we work. You will be like God painting immortality. You will be satisfied and it does not depend on God for your happiness for your Shlome for your wholeness. And when we do leave the lie or being deformed into the image of Satan We turn everything into a functional God thinking that it will finally save us. Always looking for deeper experiences that maybe it'll bring some new light into my life.
Machine that with work and people have turned the workplace into their altar of worship and they're willing to give and sacrifice everything to it. They believe that work will give him the good life. Not just well. That'll fill their deepest desires and I'll be Satisfied and work is a good thing that God has deemed good and recalled to participate in there was never meant to satisfy in that way. What does this mean for us with a smart and predictable enemy? smart but predictable the same tactic we talked about this in the Genesis 3 story we talked about this with Abraham and Hagar and Sarah. We're going to see this with another stories a little bit. We saw that with work he comes with an idea that's placed in our minds and when a lie is believed nothing is more damaging than we actually believe a lie as truth and what'll happen is a little isolated us. That's when you become most susceptible. Think about it all the bad things you did in your life for either when you were alone or with some of the worst company you've ever been around. All the stupid dumbest idea in the thing of the insured with you that I did back in my team. It happened because I was alone or or because I was with somebody else but the same idea for terrible decision. The devil hasn't really changed the Allure since the garden is still the same. As a holding something from you. So you need to take hold of it yourself. What is this idea that there's happiness around apart from God in Exodus Abraham's up on the Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from God getting the and down below. There are the Israelites the people he's let out of bondage and they get a little worried about Moses. It's been a couple of days he's not coming back. So they go to Aaron their Aaron is supposed to be supporting Moses. He's hella high priest in that sense, but he supposed to be encouraging the people and they say Moses isn't coming make us an idle so we can worship God and so what happens but according to Aaron he threw some gold in the fire and a cat jumped out that's his explanation. But what really happened was he took the gold and he fashioned it into a calf. What is going on in this story? What's the garden all over again? Moses has been gone for quite a while. We're missing out on something. Now. We want God on our terms and our way. We want to create a God that we can decide when and how we're going to worship. This. That is exactly what they're doing. The same thing out of me does the exact same tactic they turn back to idle worship. What happens? Moses comes down breaks the tablet that's a bad day for a lot of people and their Moses. It's up this tent outside of the people and he is meeting with God and got him though have this conversation in which God says, you know where Moses these people that you let out. I'm going to start over with you. No Gods. No God. No, I don't want that is. Okay. I'll tell you what. Why don't you go ahead and go to the promised land. I'll send an Angel and I'll drive out all your enemies. And I'll give you the land but I won't go with you. This had to be one of the biggest Temptations but Moses fought in my life and his life in my mind. What was it? You can have the promised land you can have the good life without God.
Secularism Dollar Tree cuz every other philosophy that's come our way. You can have the good life and I'll go before you and drive them out, but I will not be in your presence and he says no and they keep all these are so that's a disastrous word. Who are we if you do not go with us and Moses makes this claim and there they repent before God and Moses says my Shiva God says my presence will go with you. I will give you rest and he said to him if your presence will not go with me do not bring us up from here is not you're going with us that we are distinct and I are people from every other people on the face of the Earth Moses gets it. The God it is you and your truth. That is real. I need combats the LIE. The truth of the word. So how do we combat the devil? Don't come back next week. Can I don't have enough time? Right, we're going to finish this out. And then we going to have one more but there is real hope in here and this is what I want to do that you have this real enemy and he's coming at you in the deceptive light is there there is truth and you need to hear truth and you need to speak the truth to yourself what he says when he says are you really a child? I can't believe you say things like that. I can't believe you did that when our conscience seeks to condemn us when the devil begins to twist. There is a reality and a real truth that actually permeates the situation and it's this there is a God that loves us to such a degree that he died for us laying down his life and he covered those sins and that's who you are when fear would encroach upon you when these trials can barely down at you what you want to say God you are not good and I've got a finger for you cuz I'm so upset with you know to shake our fists in anger towards God. That is the devil. Going to twist your Christian want to twist and make you an effective and incapacitated to then go down a downward spiral bitterness and anger isolation. Everything the devil wants from you get you alone and to condemn you into whisper lies into your ears. What does the gospel say it says you are a child? You are an heir this is who you are. You are victorious. You are more than a conqueror in Christ. Jesus to do not do not believe the lies and will get it next week, resist the devil Whisper app. Thank you for your word for the truth in the reality of your presents. Help us. Please understand our flesh is weak. I understand that the Allure of the world is always barreling down at us and it looks so attractive and so promising them feel like the good life is just on our fingertips, but knowing the devastation and destruction of brains when we go outside of you to get what we think will make us happy and content. After those were venturing out in those ways bring them close to you and to your community encourage them feel them. I pray that this time just worshipping phrase and realign the thoughts their minds to the truth of the gospels. We now seeing your word sing your Praises. So we believe those very words that were singing in the name of Jesus Amen.