OVERCOMING SATAN ATTACKS
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 12 viewsNotes
Transcript
OVERCOMING SATAN’S ATTACKS
OVERCOMING SATAN’S ATTACKS
Satan's Strategies Against the Church (The body, that you and I).
Satan's strategies have ever been centered against God.
When you observed satan's tactics against Israel, but he was against Israel because Israel was a chosen people unto the Lord.
In her (Israel that is), God had tied up all His covenant blessings for the whole world.
Unto her were committed the oracles of God; to her pertained the "adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God, and the promises; * * and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came."
No marvel then, that satan was antagonistic to Israel.
An-ta-go-nistic - showing dislike or opposition.
When Israel was sidetracked for the time, and God, in Christ, called the Church to fill in the time of Israel's rejection, God committed unto the churches both the Word and the work of reconciliation.
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
The Church is a body of believers set for the defense of the Gospel.
The Church is sent forth to preach the Gospel unto earth's remotest bounds.
Her commission includes the turning of the people from darkness unto light, and from the power of satan unto God.
None need to be surprised therefore to find satan setting himself against the Body of. Christ.
It is the purpose of this study to discover satan's fourfold strategy against the Church; and to discover the measure of success that he has and will achieve.
Satan's First Strategy
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.
The parable of the sower is familiar to all Bible readers or at lest it should be.
Christ is the sower, the field is the world, the seed (in Matthew's Gospel) is the believer to whom God has committed the Gospel of the Kingdom.
The purpose of the parable is to establish satan's tactics in hindering fruit-bearing.
The parable discovers for us, a threefold strategy:
1 There is the sowing of the seed by the wayside.
2 There is the sowing of the seed on the stony places.
3 There is the sowing of the seed amid the thorns.
The seed sown by the wayside became unfruitful because the birds of the air, who are designated as the children of the wicked one, came down and caught away the seed.
The seed sown upon the stony ground, became unfruitful because there was no depth of soil, and a hot sun, suggestive of persecution, withered the plant.
But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
The seed sown among the thorns became unfruitful because the thorns sprang up and choked it. The thorns are the deceitfulness of riches, and the cares and pleasures of the world.
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
The sad result of satan's tactics is seen in the fact that in the parable of four distinctive sowings, only one, the fourth, which was sown upon good ground, bore fruit.
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
The greatest victory which satan exerts today among the truly saved is his successful effort in holding Christians back from giving a clean, clear and powerful testimony for their Lord.
With one, satan merely snatches away the Word.
With another, satan resorts to persecution and the believer, unwilling to pay the price, hold's back his testimony.
With still another, the believer becomes so engulfed with the cares of business, or the follies of pleasure, that he finds no time and no heart to scatter the Gospel seed.
In the early days, the disciples went everywhere preaching the Word.
They went from house to house.
Their testimony could not be stopped.
The result was, that, within the first century, the story of Jesus Christ had covered the known world and thousands and tens of thousands had gladly received the message of truth.
Following that day, however, there came a day when the Church lapsed from its testimony.
Within the last century or two, there has been a wonderful awakening on the part of the true Church; the missionary message has been pressed to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Yet, with this awakening, there has been, on the part of the professing church, a marked turning away from the old-time life of separation and Godliness.
The church today, as a whole, has succumbed to satan's tactics and has laid down its testimony.