Deliverance!

How badly can Satan hurt you? How much damage can he do to you?

Intro

Deliverance - The movie

Men traveling down a river in canoes. They are aware of the natural dangers, but not necessarily the hidden dangers.

The Christian life is like this, we are aware and easily see the obvious dangers of this world, yet we lack the awareness of the hidden more subtle dangers. Satan.

A disciple of Jesus needs to always be prepared for attacks by Satan.

Drama

Mission team go back to the place of prayer!

Followed by a young girl who was demon possessed and who sought to discredit Paul and the gospel

This is an attack by Satan to keep the gospel from going forward.

Direct response to Lydias conversion

Cosmic war between God and Satan

God is saving his elect and Satan is seeking to keep that from happening

Then when Paul casts out the demon he receives hostility from the girls owners and the government. He becomes an enemy of the state and progression. He directly impacts the commerce of the community and is thrown in Prison.

Doctrine

When Satan attacks God’s chosen people, God responds:

He delivers men from Satan’s grasp

Satan - we know he roams the earth trying to thwart the spread of the gospel and the reconciliation of God and man

OT/Job

Job 1

English Standard Version Chapter 1

7 The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

Job 1:7 ESV

The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

NT/Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4:1–2 ESV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Matthew 4:4 ESV

But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Matt 4

Matthew 4:1–3 ESV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

Revelation

English Standard Version Chapter 12

17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 12:17 ESV

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

:8

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Yet, God delivers his people

by removing demons

cast out the demon from the young girl

demon caused her to mock the things of God

By empowering His people

Paul tolerated this for days

humility and patience

fruits of the spirit

love toward his neighbor

He delivers men from their sin

Response of the world

hatred for the things of God as they turn their current world upside down

profit and gain even at others expense

Not a godly character

ignored the deliverance of the young girl

Response of God’s chosen

Jailer was in despair due to the situation

lost are in despair

“what must I do to be saved?”

Believe - faith

Another conversion of the lost

God delivers amid the attacks of Satan and imprisonment of his disciples

He delivers men from their enemies

Paul and Silas were delivered from actual prison and the Roman government

Where provided with boldness to challenge the Roman government

They were realizing that God was in charge as witnesses

Illus: Beethoven the dog who stands behind the skinny boy and growls so that the bullies would run away.

God often delivers his people from their enemies

Christ won that victory on the cross

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition The Shorter Catechism

Q. 26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?

A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in rulinga and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.c

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Doxology

We should be encouraged that God is a God of Deliverance.

We see proof of God’s direct and indirect

God’s plan to save his people cannot be thwarted, even by Satan and his direct attacks

God’s people will persevere and here is proof

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition Chapter XVII. Of the Perseverance of the Saints

Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and for a time continue therein:h whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts;l have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded;n hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.p

God has defeated Satan through Jesus Christ and this is proof

God may allow us to feel the pressures of Satan but this does not mean we have lost our salvation or assurance of it.

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition Chapter XVIII. Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation

IV. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it; by falling into some special sin, which woundeth the conscience, and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation; by God’s withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness, and to have no light: yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived, and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.

PRAC APP:

We should live life as a delivered people. Knowing God has delivered and will deliver us.

Exodus:

God delivers the people, yet for 40 years they wondered and waited. The whole time Satan was seeking to destroy them and the redemptive work of God.

Yet, God brought them through in so many ways. Defeated Pharaoh, crossed the red sea, protected them fro 40 years in the wilderness, Etc . . .

God does this with us. But, we are just on a canoe trip through life, we are being delivered by the hands of God, to our final destination.

Paul and Silas were delivered physically so the gospel might be spread, and they dedicated their life to serve Jesus because they knew nothing Satan could do could undo the work of God who redeemed them and was saving them.

“saved” in the past tense yes, but in a continual sense as well. We have not yet seen the final effects of this salvation - that is to come.

Be encouraged today, whatever you face today, tomorrow, God is delivering you. That fact will never change.