Sermon Central
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Christian Warfare: The Deciever" Series
Contributed by Christopher Glenn on Jun 9, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: Over the next several weeks, we are going to look at strategies of Satan, How to detect him, and how to defeat him. We will look at four people from the Old Testament who had a direct confrontation with Satan.
Christian Warfare Part 1
The Deceiver
INTRODUCTION:
I. Unfortunately, many people don’t believe that the Devil really exists. We characterize Satan as some fictitious person.
A. ILLUSTRATION:
1. Once a boxer was being badly beaten. Battered and bruised, he leaned over the ropes and said to his trainer, "Throw in the towel! This guy is killing me!" The Trainer said, "Oh, no he’s not. He’s not even hitting you. He hasn’t laid a glove on you!" At that point the boxer wiped the blood away from his eye and said, "Well, then, I wish you’d watch that referee. He sure is tough!" Some people are like that trainer they deny the obvious. (source unknown)
B. Do you believe that Satan & demons are real?
1. Jesus sure did.
ƒt Mt. 12:25
C. Jesus tells us two things about Satan & demons.
1. First, Jesus believed in them. For He personally recognized them by name.
2. Second, Jesus recognized that Satan has a kingdom.
ƒt 1 Jn. 5:19
D. Jesus not only believed in Satan & his troops, but He fought against them.
1. Jesus spent 25% of His ministry casting out evil spirits and demons.
2. 75 times in the gospels Jesus casted out evil spirits in ordinary people.
3. Jesus realized how real Satan & demons are, and we better as well.
II. Over the years, some Christians have had the misconception that Satan & his demons are no longer active today.
A. They say that they were active when Christ was on the earth,
1. However, their activity is no longer in existence because Jesus defeated them on the cross.
ƒt Col. 2:1,
2. However, the Bible teaches in (Rev. 20:7-10) that Satan will not be completely bound up or destroyed until after the second coming of Jesus.
3. So this means that Satan & his comrade’s are still active today.
B. In the Bible, we are warned time and time again to be aware of our enemy.
a. (Eph. 6:11-12
2. Paul is telling us that we have a fight on our hands. Our enemy is not against flesh and blood but our enemy is the "rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm." Our enemy is Satan & his demons.
ƒt (1 Pet. 4:8)
3. A lion is a predator. It constantly roams around looking for helpless animals to attack and kill. In a similar way, the Devil roams around the earth looking for Christians and non-Christians to attack.
III. Have you ever wondered how Satan can attack so many people all around the world virtually at the same time?
A. We must understand that Satan does not have the same qualities as God.
1. He is a created being; a fallen angel.
2. Since he is a created being, he is not omnipresent.
3. He cannot be everywhere at the same time.
4. He is finite.
5. So he sends his demons to do some of his dirty work.
B. People who say that Satan & demons are not active today are being deceived by Satan who according to (John 8:44) is the father of lies.
1. He wants people to believe that he is not active today.
C. We need to open our eyes and realize that we are in spiritual warfare with Satan & his troops.
1. We must take our heads out of the sand and stand up and fight.
2. We must fight in the power and authority of the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, and the King of Kings.
3. It’s time we fight in the name and power of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Over the next several weeks, we are going to look at strategies of Satan, How to detect him, and how to defeat him. We will look at four people from the Old Testament who had a direct confrontation with Satan. From their experiences, we will learn:
„« The Targets Satan aims at in our lives
„« The weapons he uses to attack us
„« The purposes he wants to achieve
„« The defense God has provided
I. The Deceiver. (Eve)
A. His target is your mind
1. John 8:44, Rev. 12:9, 2 Corn.11:3, 2 John 1:7, Gen. 3:1-7
B. When Satan wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin he started with her mind.
C. Why the mind
1. Your mind is part of the image of God
2. God communicates with us and reveals his will to us.
II. Some have minimized the importance of the mind
A. God’s word emphasizes its importance
1. Col. 3:9-10
2. Eph. 4:17-24
3. Romans 12:2
B. God renews our lives by renewing our minds
III. Satan’s Weapon Lies
A. If Satan can get us to believe a lie, he can begin to work in our lives to lead us into sin.
