Victory Over the Devil: An Adventure into the World of Spiritual Warfare
Message from Jack R. Taylor’s book of the same title (1973, Broadman Press; Nashville, TN)
May 13, 2007 p.m. FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction
A Ours is a time when we have denied the existence of the devil, Satan.
1 F.J. Huegal, "There is nothing our age so needs as a reevaluation of evil. There is a need for a fresh definition of evil."
a We need to see our world & surroundings with a sound biblical supernaturalism.
aa That’s not looking for a demon under a rock or an angel on your doorstep.
bb We do need to reorganize the supernatural.
b The biblical supernatural includes a...
aa A sin enemy, savior, equipment
bb We won’t fare well in supernatural warfare until we accept the supernatural.
2 For the most part we have denied (or minimalized/marginalized) the subject of the devil.
a His role in the problems that face our nation, churches, & homes.
b See people saved & don’t even mention the devil’s opposition & attempts to overthrow our works.
B The devil is delighted that we have denied his existence.
1 He doesn’t want the credit for a job well done.
a He resists detection, doesn’t deserve our consideration.
b Like a sniper
2 We can’t defeat the enemy as long as we deny him.
a Tonight, face the foe! Find out who he is!
b Force him to acknowledge the truth (he’s already beaten/defeated)
c Fight the fight of faith, and watch him FLEE.
C Let’s pray
I The Pre-Satanic State
A The Bible does not give us a detailed study of the genesis of the devil (Why? The devil is not the main subject of Scripture).
1 God tells us enough about Satan to prepare us to stand on our rights against him.
2 However, the Word of God does not go into the full history of our enemy.
B Lucifer was a created being with a divine purpose.
1 There are two key texts to help us understand the beginning of the devil (Isaiah 14 & Ezekiel 28).
a Isaiah talks about an earthly king who pride precedes his demise & then begins a discussion of Lucifer, son of the morning, giving reasons for his fall in chapter 14.
b Before his fall he was known as Lucifer, which means "the light bearer" or "the shining one."
c Because Lucifer was a created being, he was perfect, as all of God’s original creation was perfect.
aa You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. Ezek 28:15 (NASB)
bb Epitome of perfection, no flaw in him.
2 He was a being that was perfect, without flaw, & perfect in wisdom & beauty.
a Do you now wonder why the devil controls so much of the world’s wisdom, beauty, & gains so much benefit for his kingdom from them?
b Evolution, the so-called sexual revolution, acceptance of sexual sin & debauchery of all kinds-we’ve reasoned God out of existence.
3 Lucifer was an entrusted being in heaven with great responsibility in administering the affairs of God.
a There are differing orders of angels, & Lucifer was probably of the highest order, the cherubim.
b You were the anointed cherub who covers... Ezek 28:14a (NASB)
aa "The" implies he’s one of a kind
bb "Anointed" implies a work of God (charming, commanded the admiration of the hosts of heaven).
cc "Covers"-protection/defense. He was probably closer to God’s throne than all of the other hosts of heaven.
c He reflected the glory of God like no other created being.
C Add to this beauty & color
1 It takes color to adequately reflect the full beauty of God (black & white doesn’t cut it!)
a You could have the most colorful coat or dress in the world, but you would never know it in a dark room. When light hits it-WOW!
b God is light, & in Him is no darkness at all (there is no color without light).
c Ezekiel 28:13 describes how colorful Lucifer looked with his stone covering. 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. Ezek 28:13 (NASB)
aa Ruby=reddish brown, topaz=deep yellow, diamond=clear & reflects all colors, beryl=dark red, onyx=multicolored, jasper=blue/green, sapphine (lapis lazuli)=rich blue, emerald (turquoise)=green, emerald (carbuncle)=blood red (jewels in parentheses are where the NASB defines them differently than the KJV).
bb The glory of God hit these stones in their gold settings and it was something to behold!
cc Lucifer began to think that some of this glory was his own.
2 We can get like Lucifer, too, in that sense.
a I’m good, accomplished, without error, without flaw-God loves everybody, but He loves me a little more.
b The Kingdom would come to a grinding halt without me.
D Lucifer didn’t play music, he WAS music.
1 Do you wonder why he controls so much of the music industry today?
a the workmanship of your settings (tambourine, tubrets) and sockets(flutes and pipes), was in you.
b It’s possible that every time Lucifer opened his mouth it sounded as a thousand perfectly tuned orchestras.
2 This was his praise to the God of heaven.
E When we see a creature of spotless character, flawless beauty, unceasing praise, unimaginable color, & musical majesty, we have Lucifer before he became Satan.
II How Lucifer became Satan
A Lucifer, before his fallen state, had a will that was in total accord with God.
1 In heaven, we have wills, if not then our praise has no premium.
a Lucifer had a will & could choose to exert his own wishes.
b At this point we see the reason for the fall of Lucifer-the will.
2 Take note that our wills can falter, too.
B There are 5 reflections of Lucifer’s prideful will in Isaiah 14:13-14. 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.’I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14 (NASB)
1 "I will ascend into heaven" -this is a reference to the place where God lived.
a We don’t know how heaven is laid out, we’re finite, but we know he Bible refers to 3 levels of heaven:
aa The air around the earth (first heaven)
bb The midheavens where Lucifer’s place was (second heaven)
cc The abode of God (third heaven)
b Lucifer wanted to live where God lives.
2 "I will raise my throne above the stars of God"
a Each "I will" becomes more prideful than the last one
b First he wanted to be where God is, & now he wishes to sit on God’s throne.
c He desires to have authority, but does not want to be under authority.
d He takes on the form which he will retain as the "usurper", claiming a throne that is not rightfully his.
3 "I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north."
a He wants to control the entire created universe.
b His position "of the north" is a reference of the throne-city of Jerusalem as a place of absolute power.
4 "I will ascend to the heights of the clouds."
a Clouds have represented the presence of God throughout history.
aa He led Israel through the desert in a cloud.
bb Now Lucifer would be exalted above the heights of the clouds & have greater glory than God Himself.
b He forgot something...he only shined/reflected what glory God shone on him (the glory was never his own).
c Lesson for us is simple, no matter how bright the lights are that shine on us, the light is not ours...it’s His!
5 "I will make myself like the Most High"
a Who wants to be like God? (I do! I want to be in His likeness).
b That’s not what Lucifer meant.
c Lucifer was made with a will that desired to praise God, he was trusted with the privilege of diffusing God’s glory into every color of the universe.
aa He was no longer content with relfection, God’s glory, he now wants to he like the Most High.
d He was not powerful like God, & could not be...ever.
aa Not omnipotent, omniscienent, omnipresent, omnitemporal.
bb Omnitemporal: when did God begin? God has no beginning, Lucifer does.
cc God has no creator, no one He is accountable to, independent.
e That’s why Lucifer wanted to be like the Most High.
aa Total independence, responsible to no one.
bb Didn’t mean co-equal as one may interpret.
cc If he became like God as he desired, God would cease to be God & begin to be a subject of Lucifer...that ain’t happening.
C That is the fivefold "I will" that caused Lucifer the beautiful angel to become a diabolical creature we know as Satan.
III The names of the devil
A The names found in Scripture go a long way to tell us about the devil’s character.
1 "Devil"-Greek diabolos which means "wicked one" or the "diabolical one."
a Went from epitome of light to the epitome of darkness.
2 "god of this world" ...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. 2 Cor 4:4 (NASB)
a God originally gave this world to Adam, but he forfeited it, so the devil picked it up.
b Jesus recognized the devil’s power in the kingdom of this world when the tempter offered/showed them to Jesus for his worship.
c Jesus didn’t argue the fact he had them, but He met the temptation with Scripture.
3 "An angel of light" No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Cor 11:14 (NASB)
a Lucifer means "shining one, brilliant one": the devil didn’t lose all the qualities he possessed as unfallen Lucifer.
b We don’t know how much charm, beauty, wisdom he retained, but compared to our charm, etc., they’s be awesome.
c We can be certain whatever he has, he’s using everything against God’s plan for His people.
d "Light" could also apply to speed.
aa We rejoice the devil can’t be everywhere at once, but he can show up in a flash wherever he need to be.
bb The devil we’re looking for is probably not carrying a pitchfork & wearing a red suit, with horns. Probably a beautiful evening dress or suit-attractive, beautiful, handsome.
4 "Satan" Greek satanas
a Adversary
b Part of Satan’s original job was to cover: protect/defend.
aa If he knew how to defend, he also knew how to attack.
bb He knows the ways of God & is a shrewd dude
cc The best way to overthrow your enemy is to know your enemy.
c He will accuse God to us, us to ourselves, others to us, & us to others.
d He’s defeated, but not dumb. He’s sneaky! Notice how he subtly entices Eve in Genesis 3:1: Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, ’You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?" Gen 3:1 (NASB)
aa Some of his favorite tricks are inference & insinuation. He’s good at those.
bb If you knowingly engage in these, you’re helping him.
*Well, she’s all right, but if you knew her private life...
*Do you know where I saw your wife last night?
*It may appear that way to you, but I know him and...
*Well, let me tell you confidentially what I heard about him...
cc Whoever says these has graduated from Satan’s course "How to wreck friends & destroy people."
e Revelation 12:10 confirms that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. 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. Rev 12:10 (NASB)
5 The devil is the "prince of the world." And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. John 16:8,11 (NASB)
a Jesus calls him that as He describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
aa Satan had legal authority from the garden of rebellion to the Golgatha victory.
bb Two other times He referred to Satan as the prince of this world. I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me John 14:30 (NASB)
Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. John 12:31 (NASB)
b Jesus acknowledged/respected the position of the devil as prince, but knew that He had come as God’s Prince to knock out the power of the devil.
6 The devil is "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" ...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. Eph 2:2 (NASB)
7 Peter says that Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NASB)
a This is a description of what he is doing, not what he is.
b He’s not a lion, Jesus is the LION of Judah.
c All the devil can settle for is imitating.
aa Across the ages, the devil has developed a good lion imitation...scared churches, Christians out of our wits.
bb He’s no lion
8 There are other references, but this is enough to describe our enemy for us.
a Knowing & respecting the ability of our enemy will help us in our warfare.
b Aid us in claiming & applying the terms of our victory over Him.
IV The devil’s legal rights
A The devil has, for a definite time, some legal rights in the two realms that will expire.
1 He has a right in the heavenly realm "prince of the power of the air"
a Whether we understand it or not, the devil has power to cause trouble, usurper in the realm of the heavenlies.
b He can only do this by the permissive will of God.
c The devil does have certain rights, but God has granted to Jesus and thus to us all authority.
d Satan has certain rights because the authority of God allows those rights.
2 He has rights in the world as well-"the prince of this world" or "the god of this world."
a He gained those rights when Adam forfeited them in the garden.
b He held on to them until Jesus stripped him through His work on Calvary & through the resurrection.
aa More later
bb One word from God’s Word now. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil Heb 2:14 (NASB)
B Jesus, through Calvary, went & ripped the keys of death from the devil’s hand, pulled out the stinger of death, & put him on written notice.
Conclusion
A When you fear an enemy needlessly, that enemy has a decisive advantage
1 Our enemy is already defeated, whooped
a Fallen, but is not finally done away with
b He knows it. I know he knows it. He knows that I know that he knows it.
2 This is how God has put this together.
B The victory is ours, because the victor has come.
1 Satan has become the victim
a The victim has become vehicle for the advent of the Victor
b The Victor will ultimately destroy the works of the devil, & cleanse the heavens & the earth from every trace of his handiwork.
2 Illustration & invitation
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
