Coping with Life: Enemy Recognition
Matthew 28:18 - 20, Revelation 12:9, 20:2, 2 Corinthians 11:14, 1 Peter 5:8, 2 Corinthians 10:13
Ephesians 6:10-13, Romans 13;12-14, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 2 Corinthians 10:4, 11:3,
2 Thessalonians 2:9, Colossians 2:10, 15, 1 Peter 3:22,
February 24, 2004
I. If there is one thing that Christians don’t need to do its live in fear. There are around 100 verses in the bible where God tells us not to fear.
A. If ever there were a group of humans on this Earth that shouldn’t live in fear it is Christians.
B. We have an assurance that God is going to be with us. When Jesus commissioned his disciples and all other Christians to go into the world and make disciples He made a statement that should erase all fear.
(Mat 28:18 - 20 NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
C. When we read the great commission sometimes we focus on what we are supposed to do so much that we miss two things in the verses that we should always remember.
D. Jesus tells us that all authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to Him. That means that He is in charge.
E. He also tells us that He is always with us. What that means to Christians is that the one who has all authority in Heaven and on Earth is always by our side.
F. We of all people have no reason to fear, and I tell you that because what I am going to say today has no connection with fear. WE ARE NOT TO FEAR, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BECAUSE THE ONE WHO HAS ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, ALWAYS STANDS BESIDE US.
G. But, there is a big difference between not fearing, and being aware.
II. There is one thing that I am aware of, and that is that Satan is not happy with what is going on in this church.
A. I am also aware that he is fighting tooth and nail to keep us from moving forward.
B. Just look at the things that have happened in the last few months.
1. Loris has had health problems.
2. Mona is battling Cancer.
3. Bert and Dee have both had heart surgery.
4. Linda Lowrance has had to have surgery on the veins in her legs.
5. Louis has had health problems.
6. Jose and Maria have been attacked in their finances.
C. Those are just the things that popped to my mind, but I want you to notice one thing. What do all those people have in common?
1. They are all leaders in this church. They are all people, who when they are not able to be here leave a big hole in the leadership. They are all people who if they are held back from serving God by circumstances in their lives, the church as a whole hindered in accomplishing what it is here to accomplish.
2. Not only in the area of leadership, but in general there are a lot of the members of this church that are dealing with problems of their own.
3. Satan attacks marriages, finances, child parent relationships, friendships, health, and on and on, because it is his goal to keep churches from accomplishing the things that God wants them to accomplish.
III. I think we all realize that our world has it’s problems. We want to make a difference or at least we want there to be a difference.
A. We struggle with life, and worry about where things are headed, but the problem is we fail to recognize who the enemy is sometimes.
B. The bible makes it plain who our enemy is.
Revelation 12:9 (NIV) The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 20:2 (NIV) He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
C. In the December 1988 issue of Psychology today there was a survey that asked people around the world if they believed in Satan. It was done by George gallop who is a Christian and here are the results.
Ireland 66%
U.S. 66%
Republic of Ireland 57%
Spain 33%
Italy 30%
Great Britain 30%
Finland 29%
Norway 28%
Belgium 20%
Netherlands 20%
West Germany 18%
France 17%
Denmark 12%
Sweden 12%
D. I’m sure that by now the numbers are even lower.
E. If you don’t believe in satan try to write a sermon that tries to reveal who he really is, and I believe that you will find more evidence for him being real.
F. Satan doesn’t want us to see him for what he is. He doesn’t want us to recognize him and his work. Satan is our enemy.
G. The problem is compounded by the fact that our enemy is a master of disguising himself.
1. Satan is the master of disguise.
2. He will try everything there is to keep you from seeing him for what he really is.
3. He will come at you as the thing that is most attractive to you, to get you side tracked, and headed in the wrong direction.
4. For instance satan might try to get me to put hunting before my responsibilities to God, because that is something that I really like to do.
5. He might do the same thing to Freddie or Jose through playing music.
6. Or Louis or Raymond through horses.
7. Or Lee or Rick through computers.
8. Or Todd and Nita, or Charles Sutton through their businesses.
9. He might use Sex or money, or any number of things to try to get us to destroy ourselves, or to get us to neglect our relationship with God.
H. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with any one of these things, but we have to remember to put them in their rightful place, which is below our relationship with and responsibilities to God.
1. Sometimes when I go hunting I can get alone and really talk with God, and that is good as long as it has it’s rightful place.
2. Things that relax us and give us pleasure or a sense of accomplishment are good but only to the point that they don’t replace our responsibilities to God or effect our relationship with Him.
3. We have to always be aware that our enemy’s main job is trying to misaline our focus.
2 Corinthians 11:14 (NIV) says, And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
I. Satan is the master of disguises. But, if Satan came at your looking like this, would you have any problem recognizing that you needed to get away from him.
J. In Genesis satan took the form of the serpent which was the most beautiful animal in the Garden of Eden. SATAN ALWAYS APPROACHES US AS SOMETHING ATTRACTIVE.
1. Because satan used something that was attractive, to deceive Adam and Eve, God transformed the serpent into something that causes us to get a way.
2. The curse that satan put on the serpent represents what Satan is and what it causes when we do what he tries to get us to do.
3. I want you to take a good look at this and when you are tempted to do something that goes against what God says is right.
4. When your focus starts getting aimed away from what you know God wants. I want you to remember what the guy who is behind it looks like. In reality he is really more repulsive than this.
5. The problem is that if God made every thing repulsive that Satan could use to distract people and get them side tracked we would live in a very ugly world.
IV. Satan is the master of disguises, and to cope with life at any time we have to recognize who the enemy is and learn to see through his schemes.
A. You need to know that satan’s purpose is to destroy you.
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) Peter says Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
B. If you have accepted Jesus as the only way that you can get to heaven, you need to know satan can’t destroy you for eternity, but he can deceive you into making a mess of your life in the here and now. He can lead you into things that will tear you and your family apart.
C. He can get you to make such a mess of your life that you are of no use to God and by destroying your life he can lead others away from God and destroy them for eternity. Because the bible says that we are God’s witnesses.
D. That’s why it is so important that we learn to cope with life God’s way, and for God’s glory and purpose.
E. To cope with life, we have to remember a few things.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
F. SATAN CANNOT MAKE YOU SIN, BUT HE CAN TEMPT YOU TO SIN. Which means that ultimately the choice of direction is yours.
G. Satan can come at you and try to convince you that what is against God’s wishes and God’s word is the best thing that you could ever have, but their is no temptation he can use against you, that in Jesus you do not have the power to overcome.
H. But to deal with the schemes of Satan, and cope with life, we have to realize who the enemy is and we have to clothe ourselves with the defense system that God has made available to us.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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. STAND FIRM!
I. We are to be strong, but not we have to realize that we will never be strong enough in our own power. It is only in the Lord and in the power of His Might that we will be able to stand against the temptations and attempts of the devil to bring us down.
J. This is not something that we can do on our own we have to God’s power to defend ourselves against Satan’s schemes.
K. When I see one of those guys on T.V. who says that he is going to beat up the devil, or stomp on the devil, I’m sorry but I don’t have to hear any more.
L. IT IS NOT OUR JOB TO ATTACK THE DEVIL. IT IS OUR JOB TO RECOGNIZE HIM FOR WHO AND WHAT HE IS.
M. AND, IT’S OUR JOB TO USE THE DEFENSES THAT GOD HAS MADE AVAILABLE TO US, BUT IT IS IN HIS POWER NOT OURS, IT IS NOT OUR JOB TO ATTACK SATAN. IT IS OUR JOB TO STAND IN THE POWER OF GOD, AND RESIST HIS ATTEMPTS TO GET US TO DESTROY OURSELVES.
N. Spiritual warfare is God’s job, it is hard to fight what we can’t see. It’s our job to resist, and stand in the protection of the one who can see what to fight and know how to fight it.
O. Our job in spiritual warfare is to ask for God’s help, through prayer, and put on the armor that will protect us.
P. We have to put on the full armor of God to be able to stand against the scheme’s of Satan, and it takes the full armor to stand against the schemes of Satan.
Q. Therefore, it takes God to deal with the problem!
R. But, we have to first remember that the armor that we have available to us through our relationship with God is the key to coping with life.
S. The bible says that Jesus is the light of the world, to deal with life and stand against Satan we have to have stand in that light so that we can see clearly what we need to do and not do.
Romans 13:12-14 (NIV) The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
T. THE KEY TO DEALING WITH LIFE, AND REALLY LIVING LIFE, IS TO ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE CONSUMED BY JESUS.
1. The only way for us to have life on this Earth the way that God intends it to be is walk in Jesus, everyday, and to let Him be what people see when they look at us.
2. Because, if he is always around us, and surrounding us not only are we being the example of Him to others that we are supposed to be, but we are protected.
3. Does that mean that we will never have problems? No! But it does mean that we will never have problems that are bigger that what surrounds us.
U. Satan is out to destroy us and he is the master of deception.
1. We can’t rely on ourselves, we have to clothe ourselves with Jesus.
2. Satan is out to deceive you and he knows you, maybe better than you do.
3. He knows where your weakness are, and he will outsmart you if you try to operate in you own power.
2 Corinthians 2:11 (NIV) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
4. The good news though, is that God knows satan better than satan knows himself.
5. Satan is out to blind us, and we have to remember that outside of God’s armor we can’t stand against Him.
6. But if we will put on God’s armor, he doesn’t stand a chance.
2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
7. The weapons that God has made available to us, give us access to God’s divine power and in His power we can recognize and stand against the enemy. But for them to work we have to put them on.
V. And not only that, we have to know what they are and what they are for.
1. We have to put on the whole armor of God if we are going to cope stand against satan.
2. We have to put on the whole armor of God if we are going to cope with life.
3. We have to put on the whole armor of God if we are going to live in victory in spite of the world around us.
W. Again what I am saying has nothing to do with fear, because as Christians the only thing that we have to fear is not living in the protection that we have been given, and not using the power that is available to us.
1. But if we don’t, I have the same concern for us that Paul did for the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV) But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
V. When we put on the whole armor of God we can become the people of God and ministers for God that we are supposed to be.
A. We can make a difference! We can cope with life, and live it the way God intended us to live it.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 (NIV) The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
B. Satan is out to deceive us and destroy us, but when we surround ourselves with Jesus, and put on God’s Armor things change.
Colossians 2:10 (NIV) and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
1. Jesus overcame Satan on the cross and defeated him, and in Jesus we have been given the fullness of life and power, but only when we let him surround and control our lives.
2. In talking about Jesus, Paul wrote in Colossians 2:15 (NIV) And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
3. Peter said about Jesus in 1 Peter 3:22 (NIV) who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
4. The power is there for you, I hope you will put on the armor of God and take advantage of what He has made available for you.
C. I will be talking in the next few weeks about what this armor is, I hope you will make a commitment to be here, to hear more about it.
D. This morning I hope you will make a commitment to put on that armor and recognize the enemy for who he is, its an important key to coping with life.
