Warfare & Will Pt. 2: The Enemy
Satan has many faces, schemes, and influences that are not obvious and evil looking. They can appear very lovely, sophisticated, educated, polite, and apparently good. But it is all an intentional program of attack designed to deceive and keep you from being close to God, I.e. ‘Living In His Will’.
Why study Satan? To be effective against an enemy you must know that enemy (Character / Methods / Strengths / Weaknesses) so you can be prepared to effectively counter his attacks.
We need to use what God has revealed to us in Scripture about Satan.
One key given us in God’s Word is that intentional discipleship of Christ makes us way less vulnerable to the attacks of the Devil. Life Application of: Sermon on Mount / Armor of God / Fruit O Spirit
We are building a ‘Biblical View of Satan’ Info from Scripture (in whole / in context)
Who Satan Is:
Who Satan IS begins with who He was: ‘Arch-Angel’
There are 3 Named Angels in Scripture (Michael / Gabriel / Lucifer)
Lucifer is Satan’s proper name: his former name because he became something else
Isaiah 14:12-14
How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
Notice the ‘I’ statements
He wanted to be God
Ezekiel 28:16a-17b
So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor.
Pride is at the core of Satan, it’s who he is…
Revelation 12: Battle in Heaven
Dragon sweeps 1/3 of ‘stars’
He (Dragon / Satan) and his angels expelled from Heaven
He has 1/3 of the ‘Former Angels’ with him ‘Totally Corrupted Forever’
What Satan is not: Omnipotent / Omnipresent / Omniscient
What He Does:
Satan Distorts Who God Is
Genesis 3:3-5
God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Half Truth / twisting of truth
2nd Corinthians 4:4
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God
Keeping people from seeing the reality of who Christ is
Satan Acts As A Counterfeit God
Matthew 24:24-25
For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
Satan is all of the false God worshiped around the world
Matthew 4:8-9
Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
He desires to be worshiped because He wants to be God
Satan Tempts Us to Sin
2nd Corinthians 11:3
But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
Same program since the beginning
Subtle temptation, rarely an open invitation to evil
1 Thessalonians 3:4-5
In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.
He is predictable: he will tempt people trying to get close to God
We need each other in this war
1 John 3:7-8
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
He wants to get you to be like him: in rebellion against God
Christ is the key to victory
The Gospel is our road to victory over Satan
How We Fight Him:
Luke 10:17-19
When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy…
We have the power / Christ is the power!
James 4:7-8
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
Humility / Active Resistance / Flee / Repent
Ephesians 6:12-13
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
It’s a Spiritual Battle, we need to fight with Spiritual Weapons
Revelation 12:11
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
What Christ did at the cross, together with our surrender of our life = victory
Application Questions:
Why is it important to know the Biblical Truth about who Satan is?
To seek God’s will, what good is knowing who Satan is and how he works?
Why is it crucial that we don’t let Satan distort who God is?
How does ‘Idolatry’ or worship of ‘Counterfeit Gods’ keep us from God’s Will?
Why does the Devil want us to sin, even as Disciples of Christ?
How well do you recognize the ‘Schemes of the Devil’ in your daily life?
How would you describe the ‘Whole Armor of God’?