Not today Satan Part 1

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I played a lot of different sports growing up.

But loved football.

Now, when I say that I loved football, What I mean is that I loved playing football games

I did not, however, love practice.

I did not enjoy waking up at 4:30 every morning to make a 5 o’clock workout

I did not enjoy spending hours in a dark room watching film trying to determine how to best beat my opponent and not fall asleep

I didn’t enjoy studying playbooks and schemes and different coverages and packages and formations

I didn’t enjoy those things.

I was a decent ball player

But ultimately, my abilities could only take me so far

I didn’t like the prep work, I didn’t like the practice, and so I was, for the most part, unsuccessful in my efforts.

My goal was to do as little as possible to earn me a spot on the field for game time

I wanted to breeze through the work so that I could enjoy the game

We are in a battle and we have a foe

And I’m worried that we are taking the position of “how little can I do, and still win?”

Like, I want to be on the winning side, but can I just kind of ease my way into it?

So here is what I want to do the next few weeks.

I want to show us, that we are in a war, we have an enemy, but we have what we need to stand against him and say “not today satan”, and hopefully we will realize that we’ve already won.

So I want to read out of Eph 6. And this text will be our guide through this series.

Ephesians 6:10–12 NIV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

pray

THERE IS A SPIRITUAL WAR

We need to know that there is a spiritual war going on

We cannot hide from this fact, we cannot change this fact, it doesn’t matter how that may make you feel.

electricity

The truth is, there is an invisible world that is raging war in the cosmos right now.

Now, usually when we begin to talk about this kind of topic there are usually two kinds of people and I think C.S. Lewis says it best.

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.

So, this is not a series to learn how to blame the enemy for our own stupidity

“you can’t fix stupid.”

But that’s not what this is about

This is not an effort for us to try to find a demon under every rock

So this is not a series to teach us that when we stub our toe on the furniture that surely the chair stubber demon is out to get you today.

Calm down demon slayer

This is also not a series for us to skim over, skim by, turn our brains off and not pay attention to because we just don’t believe these things exist.

Maybe your upbringing taught you to stay away from such subjects

Maybe you’ve decided that it’s just too difficult to understand

Maybe you become overly fearful when you hear, study, look, at this subject and God hasn’t given you the Spirit of fear so you just decide to stay away from it all together.

If you are in any one of these categories I will encourage you to lean in for the next few weeks. Don’t take my word for it because we are going to look at what Scripture has to say about it

And my guess is, it’s going to shock you how much Scripture has to say about it

There may absolutely be parts of this that are confusing and that we just don’t have the answers to

But there are also parts of this that we can open our Bibles and say with 100 percent certainty that this is true.

So, this is a series for us to learn, biblically speaking, what we know is true about our enemy, how he works and functions, and how to fight against him, stand against him, and win the battles

We want to be equipped in a way that we can look the enemy in the face and say “not today satan” and he flees.

So first things first, there is a spiritual war going on right now

And perhaps the best way for us to wrap our heads around it is by thinking of it as this battle between kingdoms

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

It’s a battle of kingdoms

If you remember back to our Matthew study. We saw that Matthew’s primary theme is kingdom.

The way he opens his gospel, the way he writes about Jesus, the way he establishes Jesus here on earth was all focused on Jesus as king.

And then we saw that as Jesus launches into His earthly ministry there are a lot of references to His kingship and His desire to establish a kingdom here on earth.

Jesus comes to preach the kingdom of God. Now this is before the gospel, at least as we know it, ever took place

Jesus was preaching and fighting for His kingdom before the cross ever happened right

Because this is what Jesus came to do

and we will get into why in just a little bit

But, the problem is, God’s kingdom is not the only kingdom on earth.

Ephesians 2:1–2 NIV

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

1 John 5:19 NIV

19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

This earthly kingdom is under the control of our enemy.

Although he is not sovereign, like God is, he does seemingly have control over the earth

So, there is a constant spiritual battle going on between two kingdoms

And we must realize this to ever have any chance of being effective for the kingdom of God

WE ARE INVOLVED IN THE WAR

This war that is raging around us involves us.

John 10:10 (NIV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy

His desire is to steal from you, kill you, and destroy all future and hope in you

2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV

4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Romans 12:2 NIV

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So here are these two kingdoms at war. They are waring over your mind.

Why your mind? We’ve said before, the heart cannot follow what the mind does not know.

Yes, Jesus wants your heart, He wants your affections, He wants your life but He knows the way to get those things is through the mind.

If we do not first believe that Jesus is all that Scripture says He is then why would we ever give Him our hearts and lives?

The enemy knows this as well and so He knows that if He can blind our minds then he can destroy our lives

And so we are involved in this war but we are not involved at some later time to come.

We don’t get like taken up and become angels and given super powers so that then we can fight.

We are involved in the war today! Right now!

Because this is a daily battle! This has an effect on us every day.

What you’re watching, what you’re listening to, who you are listening to, where you go, what you decide to do is all having an effect on your mind and what you believe

Which is in turn having an effect on the war that you are in.

When was the last time you’ve stopped and thought about this?

Have you ever tried to do right or do something good and it just seems like everything that can go wrong is?

Have you ever sat down to read your Bible and all of sudden your whole day runs through your mind and you being to think about all you have to do and you start checking things off your list in your mind

And before you know it 30 mins has gone by and you have to leave but you haven’t even read one Word?

when is the last time you thought that perhaps some of your struggle in life is rooted in demonic opposition.

This is a daily battle! It has an effect over us here and now.

So we have to be on guard! We have to be careful with what we are deciding to do and say and think.

When we decide to do something we need to stop asking ourselves “is this wrong?” and start asking ourselves, “is it right?”

Is what I’m doing right now renewing my mind for the things of God or not?

Because the war rages on and it is trying to drag us away from the kingdom of God and who He has called us to be.

WE HAVE AN ENEMY

Our enemies goal is to destroy you and stop the advancement of the kingdom of God

Destroy your mind

Destroy your future

Destroy your marriage

Destroy your kids

Destroy your family

Destroy your witness

Destroy the kingdom of God

Destroy, destroy, and destroy

Our enemy is real and he is not to be taken lightly

Satan is real. He was an angel. In fact, Scripture tells us that he was the highest of all created beings

Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 have the most to say about Satan and his fall from heaven.

But he is the most beautiful being God has ever created

So the picture of him with a pitchfork and red and ugly hobbit looking thing is not accurate

We are told that he was an “anointed guardian cherub”

He was placed on the holy mountain of God

We see Christ himself have a battle with him in the desert in Matt 4:1-11.

Christ refers to Satan 25 times

He was a guardian of God’s glory.

We don’t know for certain if he played instruments and worshipped God in the heavens.

But what we do know is that he was created to guard and reflect God’s glory.

And yet, It was his pride and desire to be God that got him thrown from heaven

And now he schemes, prowls, and seeks to destroy

1 Peter 5:8 NIV

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Paul tells us here in Ephesians 6 to

Ephesians 6:11 NIV

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

In 2 cor Paul agrees to forgive a brother for a wrongdoing alongside the church and he says

2 Corinthians 2:11 NIV

11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

We have an enemy and he is crafty, schematic, and looking to devour and destroy you.

WE DO NOT FEAR HIM

When we become aware of him, and prepared for him, we do not have to fear him.

Satan is not God. He has limits and he also has no power over us if we follow the instructions of God’s Word.

How can we make sure we know his schemes?

Satan’s names reveal his tactics. And when we know his tactics we can see through his schemes and have no reason to fear.

He is known as Satan 1 thess 2:18

Meaning adversary. He is against us at all times. Not for us

Devil 1 peter 5:8

Meaning slanderer. He is the father of lies. He is the root of all false teaching

Lucifer isaiah 14:12

Meaning son of the morning star or shining one. He knows to tempt you with things that are attractive to you

Beelzebub (Lord of the flies) matt 12:24

He is accompanied by a host of demons. He does not work alone

Belial (false god) 2 cor 6:15

He desires for you to worship anything other than God himself

Evil one 1 john 5:19

He is evil

Tempter 1 thess 3:5

Prince of this world John 12:31

Accuser of brethren Rev 12:10.

He’s represented as a

Serpent Gen 3.

Dragon Rev 12.

Angel of light 2 Cor 11:14.

Satan uses these schemes to attack God’s kingdom and programs by primarily attacking God’s church and its people

He attacks the church with

False philosophies

False religions

False ministers

False doctrine

false disciples

false morals

Satan attacks God’s people

He does this by

Directing governments

deceiving people

destroying lives

persecuting saints

preventing service

planting doubt

producing divisions

provoking sin

But, again, he is limited

We must seek balance in our efforts to understand our enemy

to underestimate him or overestimate him is to make a mistake

We must remember.

He is created. Therefore he is not omniscient or infinite. Eze 28 and Isaiah 14 tell us

He can be resisted by believers James 4:7.

God places limitations on him Job 1:12.

WE DO NOT FIGHT FOR VICTORY, WE FIGHT FROM VICTORY

As believers in Christ, yes we believe that there is a war going on. We believe that every moment there are battles being fought

But we also believe that war has already been won

And as children of God, we are on the winning side.

We are already victorious!

Scripture promises us these things

1 John 4:4 NIV

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 5:4–5 NIV

4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Revelation 12:11 NIV

11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

James 4:7 NIV

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Satan is defeated. and he has been defeated once and for all by the cross of Jesus

Jesus destroyed the work of satan over us

Colossians 2:14–15 NIV

14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Because of the cross, we are victorious!

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 NIV

55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And we also have what we need to fight him in the here and now

All we have to do is learn how to put on the full armor of God to experience the daily living in victory that we already possess.

Ephesians 6:13 NIV

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

There is a war and it’s a war that we are a part of.

We have an enemy who is cunning and schematic, but we shall not fear him!

Because Christ has given us all we need to stand. Stand against his schemes, defend ourselves against his attacks, and with the authority of our testimony and the blood of the precious lamb we are able to say. “Not today satan!”