Sermon Tone Analysis

Have you ever heard someone share a story about demonic activity and you thought to yourself, “that’s just crazy” or “that couldn’t have happened”?

Have you ever heard someone share a story about demonic activity and you thought to yourself, “that’s just crazy” or “that couldn’t have happened”?

According to a Gallup Poll in 2016, only about 61% of Americans believe in the devil.[1]

According to a Gallup Poll in 2016, only about 61% of Americans believe in the devil.[1]

Ask: What would cause people to not believe in the devil?

Here’s the thing, it’s not only unbelievers who struggle to understand the reality of demonic activity and the existence of the devil.

Many believers almost dismiss the existence of demonic activity and when they speak of these things, they speak in muted tones—afraid to be heard—no one wants anyone to think they are crazy.

Many believers go to extremes when it comes to the Devil.

On one extreme, Christians do not believe the devil is real.

A 2009 poll of American Christians revealed that 60% of them didn’t believe the devil was real.

On the other extreme, Christians not only believe that the devil is real, but they also believe that he is directly responsible for all of their difficulties in life—they believe that everything negative they experience is attributed to an attack by the devil.

Listen to this line from C.S. Lewis from the Screwtape Letters:

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils.

One is to disbelieve in their existence.

The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.

They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or magician with the same delight.[2]

This study is going to help us form a biblically correct understanding of the devil, demons and evil spirits.

We know we have an enemy who, according to Jesus, steals, kills and destroys.

We know the devil is powerful and relentless.

We know the devil is a liar.

We know the devil accuses the saints of God.

I would add, or potentially getting too many Christians to believe that Satan is more than he really is.

So, what is this study about?

This study is going to help us form a biblically correct understanding of the devil, demons and evil spirits.

We know we have an enemy who, according to Jesus, steals, kills and destroys.

We know the devil is powerful and relentless.

We know the devil is a liar.

We know the devil accuses the saints of God.

But do we know where he came from and how he became what he is today?

Do we really know how he works?

What do we know about demon possession and spiritual warfare?

How can the devil be defeated?

The Bible teaches us much about the devil—so many of these questions will be answered—at least in part.

There is much about the devil we do not know, so we are not going to fill in the gaps with what we think or by anything that tradition has taught us.

We need to learn to become comfortable with the silence of Scripture because, if God didn’t see fit to make sure to have it written down for us, then it must not have been important.

With that said, there are some guiding principles that we need to hold on to in this study:

1.

The Bible is true.

We need to believe what the Bible tells us and then we live according to what the Bible teaches.

Feelings and personal experience are, at best, secondary and they are always

subservient to the Word of God.

This makes the Bible authoritative on this and every other issue.

2. The Bible doesn’t tell us everything we might like to know about the devil.

All your curiosities will not be satisfied through this study and all your questions will not be answers.

3. The bible is always true, but some passages are clearer and easier to understand than others.

There are times when you will hear me say something like this, “This seems to be the teaching of Scripture, but it is not explicitly.”

Understand we are dealing with a topic that has traditionally inspired much imagination and superstition.

This first session I want to examine the devil’s origin and some of the names given to him in the Scripture.

First, if the devil really did wake that person up—that’s simply terrifying and I would put my house up for sale and move the very next day.

Second, this person—because of what they have learned about the devil really believes that the devil visited their house and physically woke them up.

Maybe—but doubtful.

So, we are going to go on a little adventure together and hopefully with an open Bible and an open mind, we will search out God’s truth with humility and an intention to obey what God says.

This first session I want to examine the devil’s origin and some of the names given to him in the Scripture.

Here is the guiding truth: The devil is a real person and more.

In the opening chapters of Genesis, we are introduced to a universe (generally) and a world (specifically) that was made by God and for God.

The Creator and Designer produced an amazing world that reflected His creative genius.

The pinnacle of creation—God’s greatest creation was mankind.

Nothing else in the entire created order was created in the image of God.

Mankind had a relationship with God and were created to love God, serve God, and to be loved by God and God pronounced that it was very good—everything was pleasant, it was desirable to God because it was flawless, it was pure, it was perfect.

Look at verse 31…

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Don’t miss this—"God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good.”

Genesis

Ask: In light of our study, what can we infer from ?

At that time there was nothing that God had made in the expanse of heaven, on the earth, or below the earth that was not good.

There was no evil.

There was no sin.

There was no death.

Everything—all of it—was very good.

Now, turn to (Genesis two is a commentary on ):

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Something has happened between God’s pronouncement that everything was good and the opening scene of Genesis three.

One of God’s creatures is trying to undermine His authority and bring down humankind.

That raises some questions, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t tell us everything we want to know—but God has told us what we need to know, and that is what I want to focus on.

The devil is a real person

We can see that this snake was part of God’s creation, but it was craftier than all the other animals.

Crafty means that it was skillful in deception, clever, shrewd, cunning.

Clearly, we are dealing with something more than a garden snake.

How do we know?

First, the snake was able to talk.

Listen, you may think your animal is talking to you, but you’re not Dr. Doolittle and animals don’t speak, and the Scripture does not lead us to believe that they once had the ability to carry on a conversation with humans.

The only other place in Scripture that tells us an animal spoke to a human is when Balaam’s donkey spoke to him, but even then, the Bible tells us that “the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth.”

So, the serpent of was under the control of a personal being.

As the Scripture unfolds, we learn that the serpent of Genesis three is a manifestation of the devil.

Ask: What does the Scripture teach that leads us to believe that the serpent is a manifestation of the devil?

· The serpent tempted Eve to disobey God—the devil is referred to as the tempter by the authors of the New Testament.

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· The serpent deceived Eve—Jesus calls the devil “the father of lies.”

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· The serpent opposes God’s good work—the devil has been “sinning from the beginning.”

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· John refers to the devil as “the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the world astray.”

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Would it then be right to say that is a clear echo of and that the devil is that ancient serpent who deceives the world?

Then, it is safe to conclude that the serpent who spoke to Eve was a manifestation of the devil.

The devil is a real person.

The devil has traits of personality.

The devil has traits of personality.

· He can plan—the devil was more crafty.

One of the most common traits of personhood is the ability to plan.

Animals cannot plan.