I. Introduction
a. Brief Recap
Last week we began a series on the question of Truth, on why Truth matters. We looked at the shift in the way people think and in what people believe. That shift has gone from believing in an Absolute, unchanging set of morals and Truths, to the new belief that Truth exists inside the mind and heart of the individual. We talked about relativism and the problems that come with the shifting ideas of truth and trying to make it into a working belief system.
The idea of Truth today is a very important topic, an important issue for Christians to be aware of because it effects all of our lives and the lives of those we come into contact with.
God created us with a longing for Truth, a longing to know why we were created and what our place is in the overall scheme of things. Ideally, man is to turn to God to satisfy that curiosity about Truth. However, in increasing numbers, man is turning to man to answer the basic questions of Truth and morality and we’re definitely seeing the negative effects of that in today’s world.
Soccer Cleat Illustration – on the soccer field they were fine but take them into the shower and the problems began.
It’s the same way with man’s search for truth. God gave us that longing for understanding and purpose. We are made to seek the truth and when we find it on the foundation of God’s Word, where it belongs, we are able to stand and move and live our lives to the fullest because we are on the right surface. However, if our search for truth has us standing on anything else, things get slippery and standing our ground becomes nearly impossible.
Jesus talks about belief in the Truth in John 8:42-47
Jesus had just begun a talk with the crowds about His identity. He told them that He was the Light of the world. Well, surprise, surprise, the Pharisees didn’t like that and attacked Jesus saying that He was always testifying on His own behalf so He must be lying. Jesus rebukes them and gives us some insight into the nature of Truth in the process.
JN 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
Jesus says there is no middle ground, either you believe God or you have bought the lie of Satan. There is no such thing as neutrality. Everything good and right and True is bound up in the person of Christ and anything that is against that belongs to Satan, the opposite of the one true God.
Jesus talks about what is true and to underscore his points, he draws attention to Satan and the fact that He is a liar and always has been. In order to impress upon them what truth was, He thought they needed to know what Truth wasn’t and who the source of falsehood was. We need to look at things this same way, in order to get a completely accurate idea of the source of Truth (which we’ll be doing next week) we need to look as well to the Source of lies, that is Satan. We need to have an understanding of Satan, his character, motives, and how he carries out his plan. When we do this, Truth becomes more clear because we can more accurately pick out the lies.
This morning I want to look at three things that we need to recognize about Satan to gain a better handle on the one Jesus calls the Father of Lies.
II. Recognize the Reality
First thing that needs to be addressed when dealing with Satan and looking at the theology and reality of who he is, is to state up front that he is! That he exists and that our struggles are against a definable and defeatable enemy.
Now, I don’t buy into the extremes on either end of the theology of Satan and his demons. I don’t believe that there is a demon lurking behind every poor decision. There are churches that preach and teach “The Devil made me do it” mentality. The belief that if your child has a cold it’s the demon of congestion that is causing it doesn’t fit with the facts about demons and Satan that I read in Scripture. Much of the evil in the world can be chalked up to our sinful human nature and to the stupidity of some people. That being said, there are those who go to the other extreme and do away with their belief in Satan all together. They find the thought of him uncomfortable and so they choose to believe that he doesn’t exist.
Many Christians would love to accept a loving and merciful God but to accept an evil and merciless Satan is a little tougher! We teach our kids about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny (the fun things) but do everything we can to convince them that there’s no monster under the bed or in the closet. Some Christians do the same thing with Satan.
As adults we want the good but the existence of pure evil in the form of a created being is tough to take. For many Christians it is simply easier to believe in him as a symbol of evil, not an actual being who is able to impact our lives and the lives of those around us. One of the lies he would love to convince you of is that he doesn’t exist because if you buy that, you aren’t prepared to defend yourself from the attacks when they come.
It’s a little like the awakening our country has gone through to the reality of a terrorist presence in America. Prior to September 11th, 2001, we felt safe. The presence was here but we couldn’t see it so we were convinced that it didn’t exist within the safety of America. As a nation we were unprepared for the attacks for several reasons, but as individuals nothing could have prepared us for what happened that day because our reality was mistaken, evil was present, it was here all along right under our noses, but we chose to believe that it didn’t exist and we missed it.
Saying that Satan is not real, saying that he doesn’t exist may make some people feel safer and feel better, but it doesn’t change the reality of who Satan is and what his role is among the people here on Earth. Understanding the existence of Satan and demonic forces allows us to be prepared to stand our ground when the time comes.
Because as Ephesians 6:12 tells us:
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.
Once we accept the reality of Satan, we need to recognize his Goals.
III. Recognize his Goals
When we get a feel for the nature of Satan, it helps us to recognize a little bit of how he works and if he had a hand in something and allows us to be aware of people and situations to avoid where we know Satan can attack us.
What makes up this fallen angel, the originator of sin and evil in the world. Scripture gives us a few insights into the nature of the devil
First of all, He is a Liar, so His first goal is to
1) Confuse Us
John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
a. A liar, every word that comes out of his mouth is a lie. He is the opposite of
God. God is Truth, Satan is a lie, there is no aspect of truth in him. He twists and distorts the Truth in an effort to confuse and to lead people away from it. And he’s been doing it for a long time and has gotten quite good at it. And the way that he confuses is because His lies are not usually easy to spot because there is an element of truth to them. Satan loves to come so close to the truth but twist it just slightly to make it more attractive and to give it the sense that its right.
Relativism and post-modernism are no exception to the way that Satan works, he has taken that natural curioisity to know truth and he has given us a source of truth, but in doing so he removed God from the equation and replaced Him with man, and effectively passed it off as valid. This has satisfied some, but it has also created so many options to what is True that it is impossible not to be confused if you are not standing on God’s Truth alone.
2) Rob Us
b. Thief, Satan has come to steal. He has come to steal our joy, he has come to steal our peace, and he has come to steal our very lives.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Again, Satan stands in direct opposition to the ways of God. He has come to rob us of what God offers by stealing the word of truth that is sown in people’s lives. In the parable of the sower found in Mark Chapter 4:15 says this:
Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
Satan is a thief, we need to guard ourselves and guard the Truth that we have and believe from His attacks.
3) Destroy Us
c. Active, not Passive.
Satan is involved in the troubles we see around us today, he is active in destroying lives and tearing apart families. Look at the number of families that are falling apart and have fallen apart in this country. The divorce rate among Christians is now equal to or slightly higher than the divorce rate for non-Christians. Satan is actively seeking to render the church powerless by attacking the family unit that God ordained.
Look at the large number of pastors who are being driven out of ministry due to moral failure, breakdowns, or simply disillusionment. I would say that half of the men I graduated from College with that were ministry majors are now out of the ministry. Some are taking time off, some are divorced, some have left the church. Look at the public figures in Christianity that have fallen and are now a laughingstock and are driving people away from the message of the cross. Satan is actively trying to destroy Christ’s name by destroying those who are proclaiming it and I know that: There, but for the Grace of God, go I. Understanding the intent of Satan is crucial because it spurs the Christian to their knees before God, the only one that can give us the victory over this foe.
Scripture says he is like a lion: Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
It doesn’t say he sits back and waits for someone to come to him, he pursues and watches, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Have you ever watched Discovery channel, once that lion sees what it wants for dinner it is relentless in its pursuit. That’s the picture Jesus gave us to describe the activity of Satan in the world.
We as Christians need to accept the reality of Satan and understand what his goals are concerning us. Know that he is working and learn to recognize his hand and his nature.
IV. Recognize his Strategy
It’s good to understand the goals of an enemy, it’s better to know how he plans on accomplishing thos goals so that we can better defend against them.
Illustration: Tampa Bay Super Bowl “Every play they ran we’d run in practice.”
Satan has been up to the same tricks since the Garden and in looking at Scripture we can get a great picture of his strategy.
a. Appears harmless
Had he appeared to Eve in his natural form he would have been seen for what he was, he chose something that looked harmless to mask the reality of who he is. Today, he still uses this same strategy, presenting evil and sin in a way that is attractive and desirable on the outside to get us to let our guard down. And by the time we realize what we’ve gotten ourselves into, it’s too late.
Space Jam Illustration
So many times, we’re caught up in temptation that looks harmless on the surface and leads us down a path that we never would have taken if we could have seen the temptation for what it really was.
I think a great example of this and one of the biggest areas that Satan has enslaved young people today and convinced them that its harmless is in our music. He has done such a great job of taking sin, sexual immorality, violence, and drugs and wrapping it around a catchy beat and delivering it in an attractive package that is funneled straight into the ears and minds of God’s people today. Those issues, if they appeared to us in all their ugliness would be easily spotted as sin, but Satan has given them a sugar coating that has lured many into making big mistakes in their lives through the influence of today’s music.
Now, I’m not saying that all secular music is evil and as Christians we must abstain from listening or face the fury of an angry God, but I am saying that much of what’s out there certainly does not glorify God and as Christians we need to be a lot more careful about what we allow into our minds and thoughts because it’s not as harmless as it may appear.
When we recognize the way Satan packages his products, and no matter how Satan presents temptations, if we are holding everything up to the light of Truth found in Christ, and removing everything that falls short of God’s standard, Satan’s disguises will no longer work and he will be exposed for what he is, a liar, thief, and murderer.
b. Attacks in our Weakness
When did Satan launch his temptation upon Jesus? It was in a moment of weakness. Christ had been in the desert for 40 days with no food and Satan jumped at the chance to overpower the weakened Son of God.
At times in our life when we are most vulnerable, when we are the weakest, that’s when we need to guard ourselves the most against an attack from Satan. Using Christ’s analogy of a lion, the lion will attack the one he deems the weakest, he attacks the defenseless.
I think of the time in my life when I felt that Satan was attacking the fiercest, I had just:
a. baby being born
b. failed move
c. no job
d. medical prognosis
I had all of this going on, frustration was high, I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent, and so was my wife. Then the bombshell dropped that my father was leaving the ministry and my parents were splitting up. My guard was down, my defenses were down, and Satan used it to his advantage.
I began to question everything that I had ever believed in my life. I had never wrestled with my faith and now Satan was attacking and I was asking questions I had never considered before. I was blaming God and the ministry for the break up of my family, I wanted nothing to do with ministry if that was how God treated those who served him, I was blinded to the mistakes of man and able to focus only on the lies I was buying in my weakness.
I was unable emotionally to realize that the voice in my ear that was making so much sense was not the Truth. Looking back in hindsight, the hand of God is so clearly evident and the faithfulness of God is overwhelming as He brought person after person into my life to help me to deal with my grief and anger. And as James says, the testing of my faith was used to develop and to mature my walk with Christ.
Satan will attack when he thinks he can win, when we are weak we need to be on guard and clinging to the Truth that tells us that if we resist he will flee and if we ask for wisdom and strength to get through it, God will give it to us.
Satan not only attacks in our weakness, he attacks at our weakness.
c. Attacks at our Weakness
For Adam and Eve it was the possibility, the thought of seeing as God sees, being like God, that did them in. For our nation and culture it has been the same thing all these years later, the longing for power that can come from within and the thought of creating our own truths and setting our own standards, living independent of any higher authority, these thoughts continue to ensnare many.
Satan attacks where we’re weakest. Whether that be pride, lust, lying, or doubting, Satan will use that to his advantage as he attempts to keep you from a vibrant life in Christ. He knows your weakness and because of that you need to make sure you know where you’re weak. Ask God to reveal those areas in your life where Satan is most likely to attack and begin to build them up as you become more like Christ.
For many of us faith is our weakness, belief is our weakness. We have let some of Satan’s lies sit and simmer, we have given time entertaining our doubts. We need to take stock, have we allowed Satan to sway our thinking, have we begun to fall for the lie. Has Satan kept us from proclaiming the Truth of the Gospel because we’re not entirely sure what we believe is the only way.
Satan is the father of lies, God is Truth.
I want to close with some encouragement this morning, talking about Satan is not usually pleasant and I want to just include a few truths that we can be excited about as we think about what Scripture teaches about our enemy.
1) Christ gives us Power over Satan - LK 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." LK 10:18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
2) Christ can deliver us from His attacks – 1 Cor 10:13 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.
3) In the end Satan Loses! Rev 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
So, be encouraged because we serve a God who holds the power. We serve a God who gives us the Truth to follow and to share with others. But do not take Satan lightly.
When we recognize the reality, the goals, and the strategy of our enemy, it gives us more discernment as we strive to live our lives on the foundation of Absolute Biblical Truth.
As Christians, the way we break free from a culture of lies is to know our enemy, know where the lies come from and know who
