Victory Over Satan and the World

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 STUDY NOTES I JOHN 2:15-16 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES VICTORY OVER SATAN AND THE WORLD INTRODUCTION Do Christians still face the temptations of sin? Is sin still a problem in your life as a Christian? If your answer is no, raise your hand and someone will check your pulse You will face the temptation to sin as long-as you live upon this earth As a Christian you do not always live daily the way that God wants you to live The reason is because of the temptation of sin that we all face on-a daily basis Can the Christian gain the victory over temptation and sin? The answer is “YES,” and John is going to tell us how we can defeat Satan and sin He begins by saying. “Love not the world” 1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The first time that John uses the word “world” in this letter is in the second verse of this chapter Which teaches only Jesus can forgive the sins of the world, 1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Any sinner in this world can have their sins forgiven by coming to the cross of Jesus John uses this word “world” 23 times in 1 John It is found 5 times in the two verses we are now studying and once in the next verse It must be an important subject but what in the world is the world that John is talking about? “The world” in scripture is used to identify at least three different orders It can refer to that which has been created by God, the created order, the earth, and the universe Referring to the physical world that we can identify with, also known as the world of nature John is not saying, “don’t love God’s creation” because God created it and it is “very good” Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. We should love and respect God’s creation, but we are not to worship creation as some do Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. The word “world” can refer to the order of mankind, the human-race, or the world of humanity John is not saying, “don’t love people” because God himself loves the world of humanity How do we know that God loves the world of humanity, Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. As Christians we are to love the world that God created and the people that God created So what world is John telling us not to love? The word translated “world” is also used to identify “Satan’s World” SATAN’S WORLD John says, “stop loving Satan’s world,” stop loving that which is of Satan “Satan’s world” is an invisible evil system which is opposed to God and God’s people Yet it is a visible evil system which can be seen in the daily lifestyle of those who love it Christians who are faithful to God are in a war against Satan and his evil forces, Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 1 Demons are the agents of Satan and his goal is the destruction of the human soul Satan is the “god of this age,” 2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world (age) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Is there any doubt that we now live in a wicked and evil age? Satan seeks to blind people to the truths of God and he will steal the Word of God from the heart Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. Satan will attempt to blind us to the truth and steal the truth from our heart Satan sets traps to catch a Christian and destroy their testimony, especially church leaders Over the years I have been amazed at how many church leaders Satan has trapped Beware Christian, because Satan does not want you to be a testimony for Christ, 1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. The will of Satan is to capture Christians, 2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. Satan seeks to destroy the Christian testimony by taking one bite at a time from their life, 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Satan uses one bite of sin at a time to eventually swallow you up Satan is the ruler of the evil system of this world, Joh 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. Satan has come, and as Hal Lindsey wrote in the early 70’s, “Satan Is Alive and Well” And the evidence is on “Planet Earth,” Satan uses every means of this world to destroy people The theme of a movie presented the truth that “God Is Not Dead,” our life must do the same Many in our world today are presenting the truth through their life that “Satan is not dead” Christians must stand against the devil every day, Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The church of today must not fail in our battle against the temptations of Satan We must be strong in the faith, Paul was concerned about the Thessalonian Christians, 1Th 3:5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. The reason Paul was concerned about their faith is found in the previous verse, 1Th 3:4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. They were suffering tribulation, referring to their persecution as believers Tribulation is the opposition and conflicts that Christians will experience from the hand of Satan The modern church of today does not want to hear that preached, they don’t want to believe it Jesus preached it, Jesus said that Christians will face tribulation in the world, Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. There will be tribulation in the world for the Christian, but our peace is in Jesus Jesus has overcome the world so you can conquer your troubles through Jesus in your life Jesus said that Christians will be persecuted for righteousness sake, Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Christians will be persecuted because they are living for Jesus, Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Men will lie about you, insult you, and say all kinds of evil things about you Just like they persecuted the prophets of God in times past, Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 2 Because you live for God you will face persecution, but it will be worth it, Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. The Thessalonians knew that what Paul had taught them was true They were experiencing persecution just as Paul said they would Today the church of America is just in the beginning stages of persecution America is going to experience the days of persecution that Jesus and Paul spoke of The day is approaching when the church will face the persecution from Satan’s hand We must do exactly what Paul did while he was in Thessalonica We must warn the church of today, Christians must be taught the truth of persecution We must also teach the truth of victory, Paul taught that faith is the victory That is why Paul wanted to know how they stood in the faith “Faith” is a word that we must understand, it is a most meaningful word When Paul said, “I want to know about your faith” He was saying, “I want to know how you are living your daily life?” “Your faith” represents your daily life for Christ, the life you live based upon what you believe Because they had been faithful to Christ, they were being persecuted But what had persecution done to their faith? Had the work of Satan weakened their faith? Paul wanted to know if their faith had been shaken, had they been defeated in the faith? Satan seeks to destroy our faith during our times of troubles I spoke to our deacons and wives Sunday about that very fact during the days of coronavirus What is Satan going to do to our churches and the Christian faith during the coronavirus epidemic Paul said, if Satan is successful, then our labor is “in vain,” meaningless, aimless, fruitless We know that in the end Satan will be destroyed, but before that Satan will have his day We will see in verse 17 of this study that Christians will abide forever Before you were saved you were a “living part” of Satan’s world, Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: After you are saved you must stop loving the world system that belongs to Satan We are now Children of God representing God in Satan’s wicked world, 1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. The world will hate you if you live for Christ, Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. Christians must not be a part of Satan’s world today, Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. John said we are not to love the world, neither the things that are in the world. Our world is filled with things that draw attention to Satan and away from God The advertising world is selling for Satan and people are buying that which pleases Satan Satan knows what the old nature of sin wants to see, hear, and do Satan has bait that will lure every desire of sinful man, he knows what sinful man wants America is polluted with sexual sins; pornography; filthy language, and cursing of God The average American is now in love with sin, but listen to John If any man love the world, To “love the world” means that your heart is set upon the ways of the world Paul said we are not to be “conformed to this world,” Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Paul means that the Christian should not talk like the world, act like the world, look like the world 3 Christians know that we are to stay away from worldly ways, 1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. James says, “that a friend of the world is an enemy of God,” Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. The word “friendship” means “an intense and deep affection,” meaning “to fall in love” Christian living is when “worldly ways” are coming “out of” your life and no longer there Friendship of the world is the world coming “into the life” of the Christian Worldly ways have become so common that many Christians don’t even identify them James says, “Don’t you know?” Have you lost your spiritual insight? You don’t have to participate in sin to know that it is sin We have a dumpster at the end of our driveway, and I know what it is I don’t have to stop and stick my head in it to know that it is full of garbage When the label on a bottle says “Poison,” you don’t drink it to see if it is really deadly “Enmity” is the opposite of love, enmity is when you are standing on the side of the enemy James makes the same point that John makes, “don’t fall in love with the world” John makes a strong point, the love of the Father is not in him. This does not mean that a saved person has lost his salvation His point is that love will control a person’s life, it is love that motivates and makes decisions Men, remember when you first fell in love with your wife and how you acted because of love Through the years your love has grown, and you have grown to understand love for your wife You have learned to love your wife in many different-ways and refused to love another woman You have overcome many of the faults in your life because you have continued to love your wife The Christian who is trying to love the world is unstable and confused and does not enjoy life He will be discouraged and defeated, he will continually fall and stumble over his own steps Love for God overcomes and overpowers love for the world, you can’t love both The world and its sinful ways are overcome by the love of God in your heart As love for the Father increases, love for the world decreases How can you tell if the love of God is in control of your life? Answer some questions: Would you rather go to worldly places instead of Church? Would you rather be with worldly people instead of your Church Family? Look at your devotional life, your dedication to God’s Word and God’s will for your life SATAN’S WORLD 1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. John’s words are written in a singular form, you can put it all together Any part of it or all of it together is still considered to be that which is of the world John is defining worldliness and its temptations and telling us why we can’t love the world How long have the temptations of the world been in the world? Ever since Satan set a trap for Eve, Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Eve saw that the tree was “Good for food” (that is the lust of the flesh) Eve saw that the tree was “Pleasant to the eyes’ (that is the lust of the eyes) Eve saw that the tree was “To be desired to make one wise” (that is the pride of life) the lust of the flesh, John is using the word “flesh” to identify the old nature of sin which lives through the flesh “Flesh” is the carnal nature of man as opposed to the new nature of the Christian 4 The “lust of the flesh” are the strong desires of sin which war against the new nature Paul said that living in the flesh is not a good thing, Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. Jesus said there is no profit in the flesh and that life is in the spirit, Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. Paul said that is why we cannot put confidence in the flesh, Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Don’t make a way for the flesh to operate, Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Peter said, “stay away from the lust of the flesh,” 1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Peter says, “it is time to live the rest of your life in the will of God and not in the lust of the flesh 1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. Peter speaks of our past life--He speaks to our present life--He instructs us for the future In the past we have lived long enough in the lust of the flesh It is now time to live for God in the Spirit The rest of our life should be lived for God and not in the lust of the flesh Paul put it another way, he put the same truth in the form of a question, Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Paul had an immediate answer, Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? It is really very simple, Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. and the lust of the eyes, Satan often says, “Feast your eyes upon this” as he points us toward sin Lustful eyes are looking for what the sinful mind is thinking about Satan will show your eyes what your carnal nature wants to see You know the story of David and his sin with Bathsheba from the O.T. Satan made sure that David’s eyes gave a lustful picture to his lust of the flesh What David could see from his housetop can be seen in the living room today on T.V. Satan is-able to show Bathsheba walking down the aisles of the stores today The lustful eyes of our world today are described in, Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. We must pray with the Psalmist that God’s Word would teach us to turn away our eyes from sin Psa 119:37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. Today our eyes cannot help but see sin everyone we look But the Spirit can turn our eyes to the Word of God within our heart and take control of our mind and the pride of life, The “pride of life” is what happens when lustful eyes fasten upon the lusts of the flesh The meaning is showing off a manner of life, showing off to others your sinful ways Our society today parades in their sin wanting others to see their sinful lifestyle But since God is not in their mind, they do not see their life of sin, sin has no meaning today Our world today does not consider the will of God for their life, Jas 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. So sinful man is proud of his sinful ways, Jas 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. So, we see the proud and sinful behavior of a worldly lifestyle today which is of Satan John makes it clear that it is “not of the Father” 5 is not of the Father but is of the world. God the Father is not the source, God had no part in the path of worldliness John taught us in the beginning of this letter that the darkness of sin is not of God 1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If God has nothing to do with worldliness, wickedness, evil, and sin, where does it come from? John tells us that it “is of the world” That answers a lot of questions concerning the world in which we live today The world is the source of sin and evil and Satan is the god of this world So where is this world headed? what is this world going to come to? How is it going to all turn out in the end? Our study of Matthew 24 will answer those questions CONCLUSION So, what have we learned from these verses? That Christians are not exempt from the times of trials and troubles of life Christians are even appointed a path of persecution as we are faithful to Christ Persecution cannot be avoided because of the way of the world and we live in the world As Christian’s we are to be a witness to the world, that witness is to be “our faith” Satan is continually engaged in his work, which is to destroy our faith Satan is the tempter and he will tempt you anyway he can, he never gives up You never know how he will work the next time around The work of Satan is a past fact, a present reality, and a future concern We need to consider what has made it possible for us to be able to live by faith First of-all our faith required the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ And today our faith must be in the return of Christ, Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; There is a song we often sing, we like the song, we sing it on special occasions It is time for us to reveal the truth of the song to the sinful world that we live in Listen to the song 6