SNAKEBITES & STOMPING
Part 4
All Bark and No Bite!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Pastor Brian Matherlee
Last week’s Fighter Verse—Proverbs 3:7, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”
While visiting Loretta’s parents in Indiana last summer I spent each morning walking several miles. They live in the middle of farm country. The roads are straight and long with corn and bean fields lining them. There are few houses and fewer cars. As I was walking one morning with my “Ipod” playing a dog charged right at me from a field where they were building a grain silo. Needless to say, I was startled. They were there for several days and so after a couple of days being charged at by this dog I decided to walk “in town”. There are only 100 or so residents of State Line and so walking the entire town doesn’t take too long. I made one lap around the main part of town and decided to go down another road that would take me around the “suburbs”. As I approached one house I thought to myself “that looks like a shady place with dogs”. Sure enough as I got to the corner of the house I saw in the side yard at least 4 dogs. These weren’t Chihuahuas. These dogs were Cujo’s kin! Amazingly they weren’t chained and there was no fence. They didn’t look both ways before crossing the street. They made a bee line straight for me. Now I had a little stick and wish I had mace. The lead dog came right up on me and I put that stick right in his face. It worked. He couldn’t figure how to get around it and the others stayed at a distance watching what he was going to do. When I had walked about a block with them trailing, they gave up and retreated home. I didn’t make another lap past them.
That experience with those dogs is much like the experience we can have with the devil and this world. He comes after us and brings everything he’s got. He bares his fangs, he barks, he lurks, he stalks. We can be overwhelmed. We can wonder what we’re going to do. But if we realize what we have on our side and we don’t give in or panic we find we can make it away from defeat. What has the devil been barking at you?
1Corinthians 1:26-30, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Today, you’re going to furnish part of the sermon outline. It’s the problem and solution part. On your outline in the bulletin you’ll see two blanks and the word “too” in between. The devil will try to discourage or accuse us in some way to defeat us. But all he has is bark. The truth is God has something for every problem. Maybe you have already figured out what it is the devil is telling you:
• I’m too
• It’s too
• Etc.
Let’s see what the Scripture tells us about Satan’s accusations and God’s victorious responses.
1. I’ve sinned too much
a. Closely associated with this is “I’ve wandered too far”, “it’s too late”, or “I’m too bad”.
b. Jesus encountered a woman at a well in Samaria while His disciples went to get provisions. He spoke with her about her life and shared the “gift of God” with her. (John 4)
c. Jesus was challenged by a mob of religious leaders dragging a woman caught in adultery and shoving her in front of Him and demanding an answer to what they should do with her—the law said she should be stoned—and Jesus replied, “you who are without sin may cast the first stone”. (John 8)
d. What about Christians? What happens when we fall into sin? 1 John 2:1, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
e. This doesn’t excuse sin or give license to sin. Those who sin intentionally or presume God’s grace in all things without the need for confession and repentance misunderstand the nature of salvation and the keeping grace of our God.
2. I’m too small
a. Other phrases that come to mind with this are:
i. I have too little to offer (widows mite)
ii. I have too many problems (Moses)
iii. I’m too young (Timothy)
iv. I’m too old (Abraham, Sarah, Noah)
b. Think back to our passage in 1 Corinthians 1:26-30. Paul told them to think back on what they were. They weren’t much to write home about. That’s the beauty of it all. Satan may say many things that are partially true. I may be small, have very little to offer, etc. But the whole truth (and even the devil knows it) is that in God’s hands all things are possible.
c. 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
d. Did you know a church can feel this way about themselves? What difference does the size of a community make in the hands of God?
i. Gideon defeated an army of multiple nations with 300 men dedicated to God.
ii. Israel made it through the desert 40 years and their provisions from God never ran out and their clothes didn’t wear out.
iii. When Jesus was preaching to a large crowd in Matthew 14 Jesus told his disciples to feed the crowd of thousands and God worked a miracle with 5 loaves and 2 fish….and there were 12 basketfuls left over.
3. I’m too good
a. Now, nobody would ever come out and say this but it’s a problem and it is far too prevalent.
b. In Jesus’ day hypocrisy was rampant. It’s epidemic today.
c. The attitude here is:
i. I don’t need to change
ii. I’ve done right all my life
iii. I’m a good person
iv. I do good things
v. I’ve been baptized and joined the church
d. Luke 18:9-14, “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
e. How dangerous it is when we listen to the devil while he’s whispering, “it’s alright”.
f. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
g. For those of you who are in this predicament let me tell you plainly that you must judge your life by the standards of the Scripture and not by the world around you or your own dulled conscience.
h. Nicodemus was a member of the hypocritical Pharisees. But instead of judging from his own wisdom he sought Jesus out based on the evidence of the miracles and ministry performed. He could have sided with the legalism he had known all his life. But he chose to adjust his life to the Author of Life.
Conclusion
The devil wants to defeat as many of us as possible with intimidation. But we cannot look at our problems and gain a proper perspective. We must look at our God. He alone is able. I may not be all I should be in Christ, yet—but by God’s grace I am not what I once was.
Fighter verse—Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV)
