Understanding our adversary satan

Spirit Wars

Today I want to continue our series on Spirit Wars.

This series is the begining of a shift in perspective on how we can see the will of God done on earth as it is in heaven.

Our adversary’s primary objective is to restrict the Will of God being done on earth.

Ephesians 6:12 NASB95

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Too often we look at people being the opposition.

in reality they are the hostages and the true enemy is the one who came to steal kill and destroy.

So today I want to take a closer look at who is the leader of the adversarial forces.

I have heard many church leaders say

I don’t talk about the devil I just talk about Jesus

Problem with that is that’s exactly what the devil wants

he wants to be ingnored so he can keep doing what he’s doing

The ideas Jesus get’s more glory by us ignoring the enemy is absurd

If Jesus wanted us to ignore the devil, why does the Bible have so much to say about him?

The truth is we don’t focus on the devil and what he is doing, but we must be aware that when he raises his head we know how to take him out!

So what does the Bibe have to tell us about the devil?

1 Peter 5:8 NASB95

8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

He’s actively trying to destroy God creation

looking for any opportunity to do so

satan, or the devil, is known by a number of names in Scripture.

All of these names point to his evil character.

The chief characteristics we find in this creature are his hostility, cunning, power, and evil intent toward God and His creation.

Begining

but how did he get this way

If satan is a created being, and everythign God created was good. How did satan get so evil

the exact representation of everything that is evil

Before the Fall

star of the morning

In Isaiah this creature is called the "star of the morning"

This has the idea of "bearer of light."

This name, translated into Latin, was lucifer.

This was the name of satan before his fall.

Isaiah 14:12 NASB95

12 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

How did satan fall?

Ezekiel 28:11–19 NASB95

11 Again the word of the Lord came to me saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 “You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. 16 “By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. 17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. 18 “By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you. 19 “All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever.” ’ ”

Our text tells us that this king was a created being and left the creative hand of God in a perfect state

And he remained perfect in his ways until iniquity was found in him

What was this iniquity?

We read in Ezekiel 28:17

Ezekiel 28:17 NASB95

17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.

The prophet Isaiah tells us more

Isaiah 14:13–14 NASB95

13 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

satan apparently became so impressed with his own beauty, intelligence, power, and position that he began to desire for himself the honor and glory that belonged to God alone.

The sin that corrupted satan was self-generated pride.

June is known as pride month for some…you know who their father is.

After his fall

No longer an angel of god

no longer called lucifer but adopted many other names

now he’s refered to as

satan

over 50 times the title satan is used

not a name but a title

literally meaning our advesary

the devil

Matthew 4:1 NASB95

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

The Devil literally means "slanderer."

satan is called this because he slanders both God and humanity.

In the Garden of Eden, he slandered God's character.

In the future he will be called

the angel of the abyss/abaddon/apollyon

Revelation 9:11 (NASB95)

11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

dragon/serpent of old/deceiver of the world

Revelation 12:9 NASB95

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

satans tactics

God is sovereign over satan.

The devil does not have a free hand in this world.

he is on a leash, so that he can do no more than God permits.

In effect, he must get permission — as in the case of Simon Peter, where Jesus discloses,

Luke 22:31 NASB95

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;

Job 2:6 NASB95

6 So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

So evidently God sees the ongoing role of satan as essential for his purposes in the world,

since, if God willed, satan would be thrown into the lake of fire now, instead of at the end of the age.

Revelation 20:10 NASB95

10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

His complete defeat is coming and sure. But not yet.

1) satan lies

John 8:44 NASB95

44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

he first time satan appears in the Bible in Genesis 3, the first words on his lips are suspicious of the truth

“Did God say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”

And the second words on his lips were a subtle falsehood

“You will not die”

John says that Satan “has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him”

2) Controls prebelievers

the evil one

Matthew 13:19 NASB95

19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.

god of this world

2 Corinthians 4:4 NASB95

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

He can do this because he is called:

Ruler of this world

John 14:30 NASB95

30 “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;

This title suggests that he is the major influence over our world.

Scripture teaches that the whole world is in his power.

1 John 5:19 NASB95

19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NASB95

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

prince of the power of the air

Ephesians 2:2 NASB95

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

satan rules this world, but God’s kingdom is advancing through you and I

taking back that which God created and belongs to Him

Matthew 16:17–19 NASB95

17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

3) He masquerades in costumes of light and righteousness

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 NASB95

13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

In other words, satan has servants who profess enough truth to join the church, and from inside teach what Paul calls “doctrines of demons”

1 Timothy 4:1 NASB95

1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

Jesus says they will be like wolves in sheep’s clothing

Matthew 7:15 NASB95

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

4) satan can and does signs and wonders.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 NASB95

9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

Matthew 24:24 NASB95

24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

5) satan tempts people to sin

tempter

Matthew 4:3 NASB95

3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

Luke 22:3–6 NASB95

3 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. 4 And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. 5 They were glad and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

6. satan plucks the word of God out of people’s hearts and chokes faith.

Mark 4:15 NASB95

15 “These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

enemy

Matthew 13:39 NASB95

39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

1 Thessalonians 3:5 NASB95

5 For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.

Paul knew that satan’s design is to choke off the faith of people who have heard the word of God.

7. Satan causes sickness and disease.

Luke 13:16 NASB95

16 “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Acts 10:38 NASB95

38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

8. satan fights against the plans of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:17–18 NASB95

17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. 18 For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us.

9. steal and kill and destroy

the thief

John 10:10 NASB95

10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

10. satan accuser of beleivers

accuser of the brethren

Revelation 12:10 NASB95

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Jesus is our defense

Because of Jesus, born again believers can have complete confidence that our sin debt has been paid in full,

we can boldly approach our Heavenly Father without fear of reproach that He will rebuke us.

All of our sins have been placed on Jesus and in our new, born-again spirit, we are completely innocent

Conclusion

James says,

James 4:7 NASB95

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

How do we do that?

Here is how they did it according to Revelation 12:11:

Revelation 12:11 NASB95

11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

They embraced the triumph of Christ by his blood.

They spoke that truth in faith.

They did not fear death

And they triumphed.

As the close of this age draws near, and satan rages, Jesus calls us to wartime prayer:

Luke 21:36 NASB95

36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Similarly, Peter makes an urgent call to end-time prayer

1 Peter 4:7 NASB95

7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

Pray