HoHum:
Does Satan go to church? I know he does. Yes, the spiritual forces of evil are here but mostly they work through people. Imagine Simon Peter’s surprise when this happened: “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”” Matthew 16:23, NIV.
WBTU:
Using a word today that I really do not like: religion. Merriam Webster Dictionary has one definition of religion as “a personal set or institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs and practices.” Talking about rules and regulations, do this and don’t do that. Instead of religion I like to emphasize relationship with God and Jesus Christ. Love our slogan- Loving people and leading them to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Christianity is more than a religion. Even with my hesitation, there is a component of Christianity that is religious. James talks about godly religion but today I am talking about ungodly religion. Satanic forces use religion effectively in their battle against the forces of God. Their best work is done at church.
Thesis: Satan uses hypocrisy, fratricide, and self-righteousness to misdirect and misfocus the Christian
For instances:
Hypocrisy
Simply put hypocrisy is failing to practice what we preach. The word in Greek literally means an actor playing a part. Hypocrites aren’t real. They pretend to be something they aren’t. This is why nobody likes being called a hypocrite. Jesus often used this term to describe the Pharisees. “On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:28, NIV. He didn’t speak to other sinners as harshly as He spoke to the hypocrites. Thieves and prostitutes received His compassion; hypocrites received His scorn. Jesus had little tolerance for people who pretended to be what they weren’t.
For example, when Jesus taught in a synagogue one Saturday, He saw a women bent over, unable to straighten up because she had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years. He immediately called her forward and healed her. The religious leaders were indignant. How dare Jesus heal on the Sabbath Day? If He wanted to heal this woman, He should have waited until Sunday. “The Lord answered, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”” Luke 13:15, 16, NIV.
Some years ago, the actor Anthony Hopkins convincingly played a depraved, cannibalistic killer in the movie The Silence of the Lambs, earning an Oscar for his performance. A while later, he played C.S. Lewis, the Christian writer and apologist. The two characters have nothing in common, but Hopkins’ skillful acting made each character real and believable. No one mistakes Hopkins for either the killer or the writer. He’s an actor, making himself seem to be the person he plays. We admire such talent, amazed that anyone can hide so effectively behind an assumed role. Without realizing it, many of us witness a greater level of acting talent each Sunday. Many preachers, elders, deacons, teachers, worship leaders and others make Anthony Hopkins look like an amateur. He plays his role on the screen; they play theirs in real life. They play their parts so convincingly that we believe they are whom they pretend to be.
Maybe I’ve become cynical through my years of Christian service, but I believe that one reason so many churches don’t grow, reaching the lost, is that hypocrites in well placed positions stop them. They use their acting skills to gain responsibility in the church, then use that power to keep the church from operating by faith. They control the church, making it their own domain. They are just like the brother (Apostle) John faced. “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.” 3 John 1:9-11, NIV.
Sometimes these people bring constricting rules (well beyond the intent of Bible), telling people they can’t have or do certain things. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.” 1 Timothy 4:1-3. More concerned about rule keeping than helping people like the crippled woman in Luke 13. By the way, no one could keep these hundreds of rules that the Pharisees tried to promote
How many people have been forced to leave a particular congregation because of the hypocrisy of a preacher, elder or other church leader. Only when churches remove the hypocrisy- in the pulpit and everywhere else it exists- will they finally join the battle to win the world from Satan. No church can fight Satan effectively when its leaders work for Satan’s cause. Hypocrites do work for Satan’s cause, even though they are unaware. Let's face it we are all hypocrites but at least we need to be honest about it. We struggle in certain areas but the Lord helps us with our inadequacies
Fratricide
This is a word we no longer hear- fratricide is the crime of ending the life of one’s own brother or sister. One time Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25, NIV. Satan often uses sincere Christians to keep the church from the front lines of battle. Instead of battling Satan, the church battles against itself. Satan must be proud of himself. Not only does he keep the Christian army from winning any people in the world, he brings great harm into the camp of God. Christians who murmur and complain and who judge and condemn bring great pleasure to the evil forces camped outside these walls. Some believe that their mission is to defeat others who believe in Jesus Christ, thinking that’s the mission Jesus left for the church.
Remember the Great Commission- where are our efforts directed? Those here or those outside these doors
No need to look at the denominational world for battles over the faith, just look to our own fellowship and then to our own local church. I could write a book that describes things that Christians fuss over, and we would laugh but Jesus Christ would cry. Color of the carpet
The church is the only army in the world that shoots it’s own wounded. Remember Job? When Satan couldn’t break him by taking his money, killing his children, and striking him with a terrible disease, he brought in the “big guns,” his religious friends. Came to help but only hindered. Started out so good- “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No-one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” Job 2:13, NIV. Should have left after this and kept their mouths shut but no. These men came to save Job from his sin. They were convinced he had sinned because they believed that bad things only happen to bad people. Bad things happened to Job; therefore, Job must have done something bad. Arguing from the circumstances in Job’s life, they concluded Job a sinner in need of repentance. In chapter and after chapter they debated Job about his sin. He declared and maintained his innocence; they declared and maintained his guilt. While they weren’t sure what he’d done, they were sure he had done something.
What about those who have done something? Just tell them they did wrong and they need to repent and that’s it- no other helps or counsel is available- that person did wrong so stay away from them, condemn that person. “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently” Galatians 6:1, NIV.
How many churches have shot their wounded- more than that shot their own brothers and sisters- Cain kills Abel, this happens in the church all of the time, maybe not literally but spiritually
Self righteousness
Many times we fall into the trap of self righteousness. As baptized believers, we feel that our standing with God is secure because of our obedience. God owes us salvation because of our obedience. For a semester I took the Doctrine of Grace. Learned many things but just to focus on how unworthy I am of God’s salvation. Even so, God freely gives, is such a humbling experience. Sometimes we believe that we have raised ourselves above the wicked by our obedience to God’s commands. Self righteousness contrasts dramatically with the righteousness given by God. God offers to count us as righteous (imputed) because of our faith in Jesus. Righteousness is not and can never be given in reward for our own actions, even our own obedience. “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Romans 4:4, 5, NIV. Come to be with a dear brother or sister in Christ, been faithful for years and they ask on their death bed, "have I done enough?" No, we can never do enough. Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.
How does God view us when we act self-righteously? Jesus made that clear: “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.”” Luke 18:11-14, NIV.
Self righteousness is arrogance- brash, snobbish, spiritual arrogance. It treats others with disdain when they can’t live up to the perfect standards chosen by the group. It’s an arrogance which forgets that no one can perfectly live up the standards of God. Self righteousness keeps us from helping each other with warmth and compassion. We will not dare to reach out because we don't want to taint ourselves with the refuse of this world
For example, Christians could deal with temptation and sin much more effectively if they could share their struggles with other Christians. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16, NIV. Often quote the last part of that verse but rarely hear the first part. Went into AA meeting and did not know what to say because I'm not an alcoholic. Heard someone in a similar situation say, "Hi, I'm Matt and I'm a sinner." How true! We are not perfect, we are just forgiven.
