I want to talk about what I feel to be one of the most misunderstood scriptures in the Bible- 1 Peter 5:8
This scripture has been interpreted as a warning - be careful your going to get attacked.......WHEN IT WAS GIVEN FOR INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL!
Tonight we will find out what this scripture is saying to us!
1 Pet 5:8
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the , as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:(KJV)
Be Sober:
"SOBER" from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary:
Marked by self-control; of sound moral judgment. A sober Christian denies himself worldly pleasures
Clark’s commentary: Avoid drunkeness of your senses, and drunkeness in your souls; be not overcharged with the concerns of the world
Webster’s: Temperate; not intoxicated; exercising cool reason; subdued
Webster’s - "Subdued": to bring under one’s power; to conquer; to bring under control; to reduce force or strength of; to soften
BE VIGILANT: Clark’s commentary - Awake and keep awake; be always watchful; never be off your guard.
Webster’s: Watchfull; alert;
Adversary: Websters - one who strives against us; an enemy
“As a roaring lion”.....”as a” NOT “is” (characteristics of a)
There is a perception of a lion that is not true that has given us a misconception of . We will explore that in a minute
“Seeking whom he may devour”..... He apparently cannot devour anyone he wants to because he is seeking someone whom can be devoured.
IF WE WERE TO REWRITE THIS SCRIPTURE IN MODERN ENGLISH IT WOULD SOUND SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
Do not allow your senses to get dulled and do not get burdended down as that will cause you not to pay attention. Be awake and alert at all times to ’s ods. Because he is your enemy and as a lion he looks for the weak, the weary, and the one not paying attention to attack to increase his chances of success.
TONIGHT I WILL SHOW YOU THAT HAS NO POWER!
Let me take you on a safari for just a few minutes:
Our impression of the lion:
à King of Animals
à Powerful
à Majestic in the animal kingom
à Powerful claws
à Crushing jaws
à fast and skillful
Even if all of this was true God has given us power over this mighty beast:
Samson vs Lion
David vs Lion
Ps 91:13
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.(KJV)
In studying the lion from books checked out of the library I have learned some very interesting things about the lion:
1. His hunt is more unsuccessful than successful
Þ It is not uncommon for the lion to go 5-7 days without eating
Þ A percentage of their food comes from animals that have already died by disease or drowning or old age
Þ Even during a hunt it is not uncommon to ge gored by the horns of a buffalo or have their jaws smashed by a kick of a zebra.
The animal kingdom has done something the christian community hasn’t yet figured out.....they have learned how best to react to each species of preditor.
A herd of gazelle will allow a lion to walk past a hundred feet away!
They know that a visible lion is a safe lion - to slow to catch an animal alert to its presence. A lion wastes no effort in futile pursuit.
TO BE SUCCESSFUL A LION MUST FIRST STALK CLOSE WHILE
UNDETECTED AND THEN ATTACK WITH A RUSH BEFORE THE
SURPRISED PREY HAS A CHANCE TO FLEE.
When God made prey animals He gave them ways to protect themselves against predators/just as God has given us tools:
¨ Speed
¨ Hoofed animals have bulging eyes placed on the sides of the head giving them extreme wide angled vision
¨ Strong sense of smell
¨ Zigzag when running to confuse any pursuer
¨ They bunch up with the young in the middle to protect them as well as keeping them from singling out one prey
¨ Travel single file to avoid more than one stumbling on a lion
¨ Alarm systems - snort, barks, whistles to alert of an oncoming threat
LIONS CATCH WHATEVER IS EASIEST!
They often kill the very young, sick, or old AND THE CARELESS
Success rate is also influenced by the alertness of the prey
Wart hog - almost 50% success
Wildebeest and Zebra’s about 1/3
and 14% for the quick and alert topi
EVEN AFTER THE LION HAD DECIDED THAT IT’S CHANCES OF SUCCESS WERE GOOD AND FLUNG ITSELF INTO AN ATTACK IT STILL MISSED AT LEAST TWO OUT OF THREE TIMES.
One easy source of food that the lion seldom goes after:
¨ Slow in speed
¨ defenseless
¨ well-padded with meat
MAN: The author gave several reasons but I think God said it best:
Gen 1:28
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.(KJV)
Dominion (Webster’s) lordship; sovereignty
Sovereignty (Webster’s) supreme power
GOD GAVE MAN DOMINION OVER THE LION AND IN 1 PE 5:8 TOLD US WHAT TO DO TO MAINTAIN THAT DOMINION
HE LIKENED TO THE LION WHO IS AN UNSUCCESSFUL HUNTER LOOKING FOR A WEAK PREY TO CAPTURE
HE’S TELLING YOU HOW NOT TO BE WEAK. YOU HAVE DOMINION - BE AWARE OF HIS TACTICS / KEEP ALERT AND YOU WILL RETAIN YOUR LORDSHIP OVER HIM!
HOW DOES OPERATE?
Give example of a tug - o - war match: (match between sheep on one side and wolves on the other - sheep have Jesus standing behind them waiting for them to ask His help)
Matt 10:16
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.(KJV)
5 sheep with Jesus / 5 wolfes
sheep must ask Jesus for help
Wolfes must talk them out of it.
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SATAN HAS NO POWER
If he had power he would not have to be the great deceiver
He would not have to be the father of lies
He would kill you when you stumble
He can only talk you into doing that which can cause destruction:
Get you to get yourself depressed to kill yourself
Or get you to drink and drive and kill someone
In my story of the tug-o-war the wolves would come around and eat the sheep, but they know they can’t, all they can do is negotiate. And he lies and deceives you into thinking Jesus won’t help you and when he accomplishes that you don’t ask or you don’t receive in faith.
2 Cor 2:11
11 Lest should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.(KJV)
We know how works - we are not ignorant of his devices
Just as the animals are aware of a lions ods and they use the tools God gave them to protect themselves we must make ourselves aware of s ods and us the tools God has given us to maintain dominion over him.
SATAN WORKS IN OUR MIND:
Paul writes in Ro 7:22-23- That the law of his members wars against the law of his mind.
Rom 7:22-23
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.(KJV)
Paul had God’s law in his mind - His mind was renewed to the word
He was established on the Word.
the mind is a very powerful thing
proven we only use 12-14%
more powerful than any muscle we have
THE WAR FOR THE CHRISTIAN IS TO KEEP THE LAW OF GOD (WORD) ESTABLISHED IN THEIR HEARTS AND THEIR MIND RENEWED TO THE WORD
If your mind is renewed to the Word we can control our flesh!
There is a law of sin and in motion - it is a law just as gravity is a law.
How many know that gravity is real?
You can overcome gravity by putting the law of lift into motion
The law of lift makes the law of gravity of no effect even though it is still there.
THE SAME IS TRUE OF BIBLICAL LAWS:
The law of sin and is always in motion but if you put God’s law into effect you are not subject to the law of sin and .
You turn off God’s law and the law of sin and is right there ready to have you come crashing down.
How then does do this?
He has to plant thoughts in your mind! Thoughts that will get you away from the Word of God. He wants you to make decisions that will change your destiny.
GOD HAS A DESTINY FOR YOU:
To be a citizen of His Kingdom enjoying the benefits of His Kingdom doing the work of His kingdom-
Satan has a destiny for you: To be a citizen of His kingdom, to live with the torments of his kingdom,
YOU CONTROL THE OUTCOME!
Everything in this world is a result of a law of God that states, “plant seed and it will grow”. We know it by the verbage your going to reap what you sow. Good or bad.
Satan operates under this law
God operates under this law
You and I operate under this law.
Prov 18:21
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.(KJV)
You are constantly planting seeds -
Satan plants seeds in your mind! He is continually planting seed in your mind wanting you to take the thought so that it can grow.
By continually planting these seeds he will find your weakness that he can get your flesh to war against the law of God which is in your mind.
Then you as Paul have the members of your body waring against the mind
How do we protect ourselves from this?
The bible tells us in Matt:
Matt 6:25
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
(KJV)
Matt 6:27
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?(KJV)
Matt 6:28
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:(KJV)
Matt 6:31
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?(KJV)
Satan is constantly trying to get us to take the thought. The thought he plants in our mind is the seed...when we speak it out and take it that seed grows!
God tells us how to protect ourselves in this area:
2 Cor 10:3-5
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not , but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;(KJV)
There is no where in the bible that states you will not have thoughts-
Don’t pray - God help me not to think these bad things! - it won’t happen
Satan is alway around and is going to continue throwing thougths in your mind
Casting down imaginations - Who is going to cast them down?
We are the ones who must not take the thought! We must stand against -
We must be sober and vigilant!
We must be alert to his devices -
The one that doesn’t pay attention to ’s devices or relies on a man even a pastor to watch out for them will fall prey to ’s tactics.
Resisting thoughts:
Example of drive by
There is a point that the natural man can resist to when it goes beyond that we give in.
The spiritual man that is aware of how the destroyer works can put into effect the laws of God to overcome and cast down all imagination and pull down the strongholds that are already in place.
He does this according to: Rom 12:2
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.(KJV)
Conformed:
4964 suschematizo (soos-khay-mat-id’-zo);
; to fashion alike, i.e. conform to the same pattern (figuratively):
How is this world that we are not to conformed to:
Eph 4:17-18
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:(KJV)
The rest of the world is walking in the vanity of there minds be alienated from the life of God because of ignorance
How do we accomplish this?
The renewing of your mind!
WE MUST RENEW OUR MIND TO THE WORD OF GOD
Day in and Day out
If you don’t know the laws of God, If you don’t feed on His Word, If you
don’t commune with God you will fulfill the of the flesh and walk as
the world walks in the vanity of your mind only having a form of
Godliness.
Jesus told it to us this way:
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.(KJV)
WHAT MUST WE DO?
Eph 6:10-17
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the .
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and , but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:(KJV)
When you have on God’s armour what does see - He see’s Jesus who has defeated him.
The Lion: they live in families called prides
usually 3-5 males
Occassionally a nomad will come through and challenge one of these males in order to take over the pride because there are many benfits to being part of a pride.
In the challenge between these two males they both realize that when they come into battle even the winner will not escpe without injury.
So they stand against each other. Standing in ways to look larger than they are.
Flaunting their massive mains
Roaring with a great thunder to try and get their opponant to cowar and give up.
When you have on the armour of God what sees is the lion of the tribe of judah. He will not cower and run, he will roar and try to stand in such a way to look powerful.
But he knows that he is defeated and he won’t go into battle - his only means to destroy you is to make you think that he has power that he really does not have.
