Read II Corinthians 10:3-5
1) What is Paul telling Christians in these verses? Our fight is not against the flesh; therefore, we are not to go into battle using fleshly weapons. What kind of weapons are we to use? Divine weapons. What does divine mean? Of God. The weapons we are to use in our spiritual war are created by God. Powerful enough to destroy any arguments, beliefs, opinions that are in opposition to God. In this lesson, we will examine what these divine weapons are.
Read Ephesians 6:10-20
2) In verse 10, what does Paul tell the Ephesians? Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. What does that mean to you in the context of the spiritual war that we are fighting? How we are to fight this war? In our own strength using our own (fleshly) weapons? No. To win the spiritual war we are in we must rely on God and His power.
3) Vs. 11 and 12. What all does Paul say we struggle against?
a) schemes of the devil
b) rulers, powers, world forces of this present darkness
c) spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places
Tough line-up we’re up against.
4) What does Paul twice encourage the Ephesians to do? Put on the FULL armor of God. What are the key words in this phrase?
a) Put on – Who is putting on the armor? Whose responsibility is it to put on the armor? You and I. God doesn’t force us to put on the armor. (ex. Not Nate’s commanding officer’s responsibility to dress Nate for battle.) We must do it ourselves.
b) Full/whole – what does that mean? If we are missing the breastplate, are we wearing the full/whole armor? If we are missing the sword, are we wearing the full/whole armor? If Nate is missing a piece of his armor, weapon or helmet, how long would he last in his battle against the enemy? If you are missing a piece or two of the armor of God, how long will you last in you war against Satan?
c) of God – If Nate replaces a piece of his armor with something else – rifle with a pellet gun, is he wearing the whole armor of the Marines? No. If you replace a piece of the armor of God with something else, e.g., the sword of the Spirit (Word of God) with the word of Greg Crawford, are you wearing the whole armor of God? If you replace a piece of the armor of God with one of your own or someone else’s creation, how long will you last in you war against Satan?
5) Paul tells the Ephesians to put on the armor of God so that they may do what?
You WILL BE able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything (to resist evil), to stand firm.
Put on the whole armor of God, in doing so you are practicing Ephesians 6:10. One day, the enemy mounts a full frontal assault against you. You submit to God and resist the Enemy. You make use of every piece of armor in your fight against the Enemy. What will be the outcome of the battle? You are victorious and the Enemy is defeated. You are standing firm. The Enemy is fleeing.
If you are missing a piece of armor God has made for you or you choose to replace a piece of God’s armor with fleshly pieces. The enemy mounts a full frontal assault against you. What will be the outcome of the battle? You are defeated and the Enemy is victorious. You are not standing firm. You are lying on the ground beaten and bloodied. The Enemy is standing over you laughing at you.
6) Read vs. 14-17. List the different pieces of armor. What is the use of each for a soldier in battle? What is the spiritual use of each for a Christian in the war against the Enemy?
First explain how Paul came up with this illustration. He was under house arrest in Rome. Guarded by a Roman soldier who wore armor. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul applied the pieces of the Roman soldier’s armor to describe the spiritual armor we are to wear to battle the Enemy.
A) Belt of truth
Purpose for Roman soldier – Why would a belt be important for a Roman soldier? Not to hold up pants. Roman soldiers didn’t where pants. The belt served a two fold purpose. 1) Hold scabbard containing his sword and other equipment needed in battle. 2) It kept his breastplate stable. Prevented it from moving around in battle. Before going to battle, the first piece of armor a Roman soldier would put on is his belt and then really tighten it. If he didn’t, what would happen to his armor during the battle? Armor becomes unwieldy. Constantly straightening his breastplate. Scabbard holding his sword starts to move around or dragging the ground. Result - Becomes distracted. A distracted soldier is unable to fight the battle effectively.
Purpose for Christian – Why does Paul attach the concept of truth to the belt? Truth is what holds our spiritual armor together. 1) It provides housing for our sword – the Word of God. 2) Keeps breastplate of righteousness stable. If we start to question God’s truth ... the certainty/accuracy of His Word/His promises/who He is … what happens to the belt of truth? It starts to loosen. If the belt of truth starts to loosen, what happens to our armor? Becomes unwieldy. Righteousness becomes difficult to maintain. God’s word becomes difficult to use. Result – we are vulnerable to the Enemy’s attacks.
What would happen if we failed to put on the belt of truth? Breastplate of righteousness would fall off. We would have nothing to hold our sword.
B) Breastplate of righteousness
Purpose for Roman soldier – What is a breastplate? What did it protect? A piece of armor that covered the chest and abdomen. Its purpose was to protect his vital organs, the most important being what? The heart. If a soldier were to go into battle without a breastplate, how long would he last? Not long.
This breastplate was attached to the belt by leather thongs passed through rings on the bottom to keep it solidly attached. It was anchored to the belt, and it was above the belt. Note: the belt had to be put on first, then the breastplate.
Purpose for Christian - Define righteousness – Doing what God says is right. By putting on the breastplate of righteousness, we’re putting on what God says is right to protect us from what Satan says is wrong. Why does Paul associate righteousness with the breastplate? Why not the helmet? Does the impetus to say/do what is right or wrong come from here (head) or here (heart)? Read Matthew 15:18-20 and Romans 10:10.
The breastplate of righteousness (doing what God says is right) protects our heart from Satan’s temptations to disobey God. If you go into battle without the breastplate … if you do not put on God’s righteousness …, you are giving Satan a target he can’t miss.
C) Feet shod with the gospel of peace
Purpose for Roman soldier – Kinda difficult to fight a war barefooted, don’t you think? You have to watch where you step. Avoid rocks and sharp objects lying around. It would be distracting and a soldier fighting a war can’t be distracted if he hopes to survive. The Roman soldier was equipped with footwear that had spikes on the soles which provided them a strong enough stance and balance that gave them a superior posture in battle on hills and uneven terrain
Purpose for Christian – We are to put on shoes that have the good news of peace which will enable us to stand firm against the Enemy. They protect us from anger, bitterness, resentment, anxiety, envy … the spiritual rocks and sharp objects that can distract us in our war against the Enemy. To successfully wage war against the Enemy you have to be able to walk in peace with God, your fellow man (spouse, children, neighbors, co-workers, etc.), and/or with yourself. If your walk with God, your fellow man (spouse, children, neighbors, co-workers, etc.), and/or yourself is characterized by anger, bitterness, resentment, anxiety, envy, you will find yourself distracted in your battle against the Enemy. He will gain the advantage. How can you tell if your feet are shod with the gospel of peace? Read Isaiah 52:7. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 10:13-15. In your everyday walk what are you proclaiming? Good news? Peace? Happiness? Salvation? God reigns? Or, are you proclaiming bad news? Discontent? Bitterness? Damnation? God has abandoned me?
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Know Your Enemy - Part 4: How to Battle the Enemy
Read James 4:7-8a
1) What must we do in order to be successful in the war against the Enemy? Explain answer.
a. Submit to God – Before we can resist the devil, we most first submit ourselves to God. What does “submit” mean? To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another, in this case God. Practically, that means we agree to live our lives by his rules/commandments. We obey His Word. It is only through His power/authority that we can successfully battle the Enemy. If we attempt to battle the Enemy through our own power, we will be easily defeated.
b. Resist the devil – What does that mean? You oppose the devil … you fight against him. What does it NOT mean? You cozy up to the devil and have a pleasant conversation with him. Unlike Eve, you do not enter into a dialogue with the devil. If you do, you will become susceptible to his subtle, crafty lies. Instill doubt into your heart.
Today we’re going to look at the temptation of Jesus by Satan and see how Jesus put James 4:7-8a into practice.
Read Matthew 4:1-11
Background: Jesus was just baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Luke 4:1 starts off this same event in Jesus’ life by saying that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. Everything was awesome for Jesus. Life could not be any better. But then …
2) What do you find strange in verse 1? The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for what purpose? To be tempted by the devil. Why? Read Hebrews 2:17-18. To be the example … to set the example for us in how to battle and overcome the Enemy. If we follow Christ’s example in battling the enemy, we will come out victorious every time.
3) By the end of verse 2, how do you think Jesus is feeling? Physically exhausted – He has been walking in a barren wasteland for 40 days. Sleeping on hard ground. Rocks for pillows. Cold nights and hot days. Starving. Has eaten for 40 days. Spiritually exhausted – Luke 4:2 says that the devil was constantly tempting Jesus during these 40 days. Constantly harassing/badgering Jesus. By the end of the 40 days, Jesus is at His weakest. The exhilarating baptism experience and all the joy that came with that must have seemed an eternity ago. It was at this moment, when Jesus was seemingly at the breaking point, that the Enemy stepped up his attack. Had Jesus right where he wanted Him.
4) Define temptation - to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral. Knowing that, let’s answer the following questions. What were the three temptations presented to Jesus by Satan? In each temptation, what was the enticement for Jesus to do what Satan said? If Jesus had surrendered to the temptation, what would have been the catch (unsuspected condition that would come in accepting Satan’s offers)?
a. Turn the stones into bread – With what phrase did begin the temptation? “If you are the Son of God” … Why? 1) Instill doubt; to promote uncertainty. What did Satan want Jesus to be unsure about? To get Jesus to question His identity. His purpose. His mission. To be the Anointed of God sent to bring salvation to humanity. If Satan could create a tiny mustard seed of doubt in Jesus’ heart about who He was and His purpose, the Enemy had a chance at success. 2) Play on Jesus’ pride. “If you are the Son of God, prove it to me. Turn these stones into bread and I’ll believe you are the Son of God.” What was the enticement for Jesus? He was starving. Stomach was growling like a lion. It would be so easy for Jesus to perform this miracle. To give in to what his flesh craved/desired more than anything at that moment. You ever had a similar experience? Your flesh craves/desires something that is not good for you? If Jesus had surrendered to the temptation, what would have been the catch? Temporary satisfaction of his flesh/pride. Jesus does what Satan says. To prove to the Enemy that He is the Son of God, Jesus turns the stones to bread and eats until He can’t eat anymore. Result? By listening to the voice of Satan rather than God … by meeting His own selfish need … by giving to the cravings of His flesh, Jesus would have sinned. All for the personal satisfaction of 1) defending His pride by proving to Satan that He was the Son of God. 2) fill his stomach. And just how long would that last? That’s the rub with fulfilling the desires of the flesh. It can be an exhilarating feeling, but it is only temporary.
b. Jump off the top of the temple so that angels will catch you – The Enemy again attempted to get Jesus to question His identity and purpose. If you are the Messiah, God would allow no harm to befall you. After all, you are His Son, aren’t you? Also, the Enemy attempted to give his words legitimacy, how? By using Scripture. If the Enemy knows Scripture … can quote Scripture … shouldn’t you? What was the enticement for Jesus? Easy way for Jesus to convince the Jews that He was the Son of God. Temple was one of the tallest buildings in Jerusalem. There were regularly hundreds if not thousands of people in the vicinity of the temple. Imagine how the Jews would have regarded Jesus if they saw Him jump from the top of temple and then the sight of angels catching Him before He hits the ground. If they saw such a miraculous event, the Jews … His People …would be convinced that He was the Son of God. He would not to have experience the pain of rejection by His own People - maybe. If Jesus had surrendered to the temptation, what would have been the catch? 1) Would God have actually sent angels to catch Jesus if He had done something so foolish? 2) Would everyone seeing the miracle believed that Jesus was the Son of God? Jesus performed many miracles, including raising people from the dead. And yet, many who saw these miracles still rejected Jesus as the Son of God.
c. Offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world on the condition that Jesus acknowledge Satan as his lord/master/god by worshipping him. Satan had the ear of the leaders of the world. They were under his influence. He could convince them through deception to acknowledge Jesus as their ruler –perhaps. What was the enticement for Jesus? Let’s say Satan really had the power to pull such a feat off, it sure would be a lot easier way for Jesus to get the people of the world to follow him as their King/God than the alternative – excruciating pain and death on a cross. No whips, no crown of thorns, no beatings, no nails. All He had to do was kow-tow to Satan. If Jesus had surrendered to the temptation, what would have been the catch? 1) The odds that Satan could actually convince the political leaders of the world to pledge allegiance to Jesus as their ruler was slim and none. He greatly exaggerated his authority. 2) Would Jesus really have been the number one authority in the world? By worshipping Satan, He would have acknowledged Satan as His authority.
5. How did Jesus put James 4:7-8a into practice to battle the Enemy?
a)How did Jesus submit to God?
Jesus quoted Scripture. Do you see a common theme in each verse Jesus quoted? Write verses 4, 7, and 10 on the board. In each Scripture, Jesus recognizes … places Himself under the authority of God. Basically telling Satan, I am not under your authority, I am under God’s. Because I am under His authority, I am to do what He says (Scripture) and not what you say. So get lost. We must obey the “thou shalt not”s ... the “it is written”s found in the Bible in order to be victorious in our struggle against the Enemy. In order to obey “thou shalt not”s ... the “it is written”s, we need to know what they are. To every temptation, there is Scripture to combat it. There is a reason why the Bible is referred to as a sword. Talk more about that in part 5 of this series. Again, if the devil knows Scripture, how much more should we know it? It’s embarrassing to say, but I would guess that Satan knows more Scripture than most Christians.
b)How did Jesus resist the devil? Jesus refused to enter into a dialogue/debate/discussion with the Enemy. Moreover, Jesus did not enter a dialogue/debate/discussion within Himself on whether He should or should not do what Satan said. Unlike Eve, who did both. Jesus’ responses were quick, short, and to the point.
c)Did the devil flee from Jesus? Yes. For how long? Read Luke 4:13. An opportune time. What does that mean? When would Satan return to tempt Jesus? When Jesus would be most vulnerable. Ex. Matthew 16:21. Satan attempted to use Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, to tempt Jesus. Lesson for us – do not allow Satan to use you as a stumbling block to someone else. When Jesus was in agony, hanging on the cross, people screaming at Jesus to save Himself by coming down from the cross. Their words were Satan’s words. Satan tempting Jesus to avoid death … to disobey God.
1) What must we do in order to be successful in the war against the Enemy? Explain answer.
a. Submit to God – Before we can resist the devil, we most first submit ourselves to God. What does “submit” mean? To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another, in this case God. Practically, that means we agree to live our lives by his rules/commandments. We obey His Word. It is only through His power/authority that we can successfully battle the Enemy. If we attempt to battle the Enemy through our own power, we will be easily defeated.
b. Resist the devil – What does that mean? You oppose the devil … you fight against him. What does it NOT mean? You cozy up to the devil and have a pleasant conversation with him. Unlike Eve, you do not enter into a dialogue with the devil. If you do, you will become susceptible to his subtle, crafty lies. Instill doubt into your heart.
Today we’re going to look at the temptation of Jesus by Satan and see how Jesus put James 4:7-8a into practice.
Read Matthew 4:1-11
Background: Jesus was just baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Luke 4:1 starts off this same event in Jesus’ life by saying that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. Everything was awesome for Jesus. Life could not be any better. But then …
2) What do you find strange in verse 1? The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for what purpose? To be tempted by the devil. Why? Read Hebrews 2:17-18. To be the example … to set the example for us in how to battle and overcome the Enemy. If we follow Christ’s example in battling the enemy, we will come out victorious every time.
3) By the end of verse 2, how do you think Jesus is feeling? Physically exhausted – He has been walking in a barren wasteland for 40 days. Sleeping on hard ground. Rocks for pillows. Cold nights and hot days. Starving. Has eaten for 40 days. Spiritually exhausted – Luke 4:2 says that the devil was constantly tempting Jesus during these 40 days. Constantly harassing/badgering Jesus. By the end of the 40 days, Jesus is at His weakest. The exhilarating baptism experience and all the joy that came with that must have seemed an eternity ago. It was at this moment, when Jesus was seemingly at the breaking point, that the Enemy stepped up his attack. Had Jesus right where he wanted Him.
4) Define temptation - to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral. Knowing that, let’s answer the following questions. What were the three temptations presented to Jesus by Satan? In each temptation, what was the enticement for Jesus to do what Satan said? If Jesus had surrendered to the temptation, what would have been the catch (unsuspected condition that would come in accepting Satan’s offers)?
a. Turn the stones into bread – With what phrase did begin the temptation? “If you are the Son of God” … Why? 1) Instill doubt; to promote uncertainty. What did Satan want Jesus to be unsure about? To get Jesus to question His identity. His purpose. His mission. To be the Anointed of God sent to bring salvation to humanity. If Satan could create a tiny mustard seed of doubt in Jesus’ heart about who He was and His purpose, the Enemy had a chance at success. 2) Play on Jesus’ pride. “If you are the Son of God, prove it to me. Turn these stones into bread and I’ll believe you are the Son of God.” What was the enticement for Jesus? He was starving. Stomach was growling like a lion. It would be so easy for Jesus to perform this miracle. To give in to what his flesh craved/desired more than anything at that moment. You ever had a similar experience? Your flesh craves/desires something that is not good for you? If Jesus had surrendered to the temptation, what would have been the catch? Temporary satisfaction of his flesh/pride. Jesus does what Satan says. To prove to the Enemy that He is the Son of God, Jesus turns the stones to bread and eats until He can’t eat anymore. Result? By listening to the voice of Satan rather than God … by meeting His own selfish need … by giving to the cravings of His flesh, Jesus would have sinned. All for the personal satisfaction of 1) defending His pride by proving to Satan that He was the Son of God. 2) fill his stomach. And just how long would that last? That’s the rub with fulfilling the desires of the flesh. It can be an exhilarating feeling, but it is only temporary.
b. Jump off the top of the temple so that angels will catch you – The Enemy again attempted to get Jesus to question His identity and purpose. If you are the Messiah, God would allow no harm to befall you. After all, you are His Son, aren’t you? Also, the Enemy attempted to give his words legitimacy, how? By using Scripture. If the Enemy knows Scripture … can quote Scripture … shouldn’t you? What was the enticement for Jesus? Easy way for Jesus to convince the Jews that He was the Son of God. Temple was one of the tallest buildings in Jerusalem. There were regularly hundreds if not thousands of people in the vicinity of the temple. Imagine how the Jews would have regarded Jesus if they saw Him jump from the top of temple and then the sight of angels catching Him before He hits the ground. If they saw such a miraculous event, the Jews … His People …would be convinced that He was the Son of God. He would not to have experience the pain of rejection by His own People - maybe. If Jesus had surrendered to the temptation, what would have been the catch? 1) Would God have actually sent angels to catch Jesus if He had done something so foolish? 2) Would everyone seeing the miracle believed that Jesus was the Son of God? Jesus performed many miracles, including raising people from the dead. And yet, many who saw these miracles still rejected Jesus as the Son of God.
c. Offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world on the condition that Jesus acknowledge Satan as his lord/master/god by worshipping him. Satan had the ear of the leaders of the world. They were under his influence. He could convince them through deception to acknowledge Jesus as their ruler –perhaps. What was the enticement for Jesus? Let’s say Satan really had the power to pull such a feat off, it sure would be a lot easier way for Jesus to get the people of the world to follow him as their King/God than the alternative – excruciating pain and death on a cross. No whips, no crown of thorns, no beatings, no nails. All He had to do was kow-tow to Satan. If Jesus had surrendered to the temptation, what would have been the catch? 1) The odds that Satan could actually convince the political leaders of the world to pledge allegiance to Jesus as their ruler was slim and none. He greatly exaggerated his authority. 2) Would Jesus really have been the number one authority in the world? By worshipping Satan, He would have acknowledged Satan as His authority.
5. How did Jesus put James 4:7-8a into practice to battle the Enemy?
a)How did Jesus submit to God?
Jesus quoted Scripture. Do you see a common theme in each verse Jesus quoted? Write verses 4, 7, and 10 on the board. In each Scripture, Jesus recognizes … places Himself under the authority of God. Basically telling Satan, I am not under your authority, I am under God’s. Because I am under His authority, I am to do what He says (Scripture) and not what you say. So get lost. We must obey the “thou shalt not”s ... the “it is written”s found in the Bible in order to be victorious in our struggle against the Enemy. In order to obey “thou shalt not”s ... the “it is written”s, we need to know what they are. To every temptation, there is Scripture to combat it. There is a reason why the Bible is referred to as a sword. Talk more about that in part 5 of this series. Again, if the devil knows Scripture, how much more should we know it? It’s embarrassing to say, but I would guess that Satan knows more Scripture than most Christians.
b)How did Jesus resist the devil? Jesus refused to enter into a dialogue/debate/discussion with the Enemy. Moreover, Jesus did not enter a dialogue/debate/discussion within Himself on whether He should or should not do what Satan said. Unlike Eve, who did both. Jesus’ responses were quick, short, and to the point.
c)Did the devil flee from Jesus? Yes. For how long? Read Luke 4:13. An opportune time. What does that mean? When would Satan return to tempt Jesus? When Jesus would be most vulnerable. Ex. Matthew 16:21. Satan attempted to use Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, to tempt Jesus. Lesson for us – do not allow Satan to use you as a stumbling block to someone else. When Jesus was in agony, hanging on the cross, people screaming at Jesus to save Himself by coming down from the cross. Their words were Satan’s words. Satan tempting Jesus to avoid death … to disobey God.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Easter: A Mother’s Story
The story begins with the familiar story of Christmas. An angel comes to a young girl named Mary. She is between 12 and 16.
1. Read Luke 1:31 – What does the angel tell Mary? She will conceive and give birth to a son whose name will be Jesus.
2. What does the name Jesus mean? Yahweh/Jehovah delivers/saves. The Lord saves. In Matthew’s telling of the Christmas story, the angel explains to Joseph why the child will be named Jesus – He will save His people from their sins.
3. Does the angel tell Mary how Jesus will save His people from their sins? No.
4. Do you think Mary wondered how Jesus would save people from their sins?
5. Read Luke 2:19 and Luke 2:51 – What does it mean that Mary treasured these things in her heart/pondered these things in her heart? Treasure – something of immense value that you never want to lose … you never want to forget. Ponder in the Greek is sumballo - to bring together in one's mind, confer with one's self. Mary gave careful thought to the events that were happening involving the child she gave birth to. I’d imagine the shepherds told Mary the words the angel said to them about who the child is. He will be a Savior, the Messiah. In other words, Mary’s son will be a saver of people. Again, it is not explained how He would do it. When Jesus, at age 12, said that He was in His Father’s house, Mary did not understand what He said; yet, she treasured it … she held on to this moment because it was valuable to her.
6. Read Luke 2:34-35 – What does Simeon tell Mary about her son? Simeon offers Mary a glimpse of her son’s future. He will bring down people (Pharisees, Sadducees) and raise up people (sinners – tax collectors, poor, adulterers, thieves, etc.) and He will be opposed. What words did he direct to Mary? A sword will pierce your own soul. Simeon foreshadows the pain Mary will feel because of her son’s purpose but does not provide any details.
7. Read Luke 8:19-21 – How do you think Mary felt about Jesus’ refusal to see her and his brothers? Probably hurt. Like a sword piercing her soul. Mary had not seen her firstborn child in a long time. She probably had not seen Jesus at all since He started His ministry at age 30. Could Jesus not take time from His ministry to spend time with His mother? Moreover, Jesus was the head of the family. Joseph probably dead at this time. Some would say Jesus was shirking his primary responsibility – looking after His mother. How would you characterize Jesus’ response? Came off a bit rude/coldhearted. Understand, Jesus was on a schedule. He had a very short time to reach a whole lot of people. What was more important for Jesus at this point? Saving people from their sins or looking after His mother?
8. John 19:25 – Where is Mary? Mary at age 45 to 49. Standing next to the cross that her Son is hanging from. What is she feeling/thinking? Agonizing emotional pain. A sword piercing her soul. Mary looks up at the mass of flesh that passes for a man and I imagine she sees her baby. All the thoughts she pondered/ that she treasured concerning who her Son is … His purpose for being born … came to the forefront and now she understood. The message from the angel – You will give Him the name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins. The words of Simeon - will bring down people (Pharisees, Sadducees) and raise up people (sinners – tax collectors, poor, adulterers, thieves, etc.) and He will be opposed … a sword will pierce your soul. Her Son’s words at age 12 in the Temple – My Father’s house. Mary realizes now that the purpose for her Son being born was to die a horrible, excruciating death so that every person on earth, including her, could know salvation from death and the grave. It all made sense now.
9. John 19:26 – 27 – What did Jesus do? Here’s Jesus experiencing tremendous physical, emotional, spiritual pain. He has taken upon himself the sins of a billion billion souls including yours and mine. He has taken upon himself the punishment for those sins. In the throes of this moment, Jesus looks down below through swollen, bloodcaked eyes and He sees His mom weeping. He feels the sword that is piercing her soul. He feels the love she has for Him. If she could take His place on the cross she would do it in a heart beat. Seeing her, Jesus returns her love. He made sure that His mother would be looked after following His death. He fulfilled His responsibility as the head of the family.
1. Read Luke 1:31 – What does the angel tell Mary? She will conceive and give birth to a son whose name will be Jesus.
2. What does the name Jesus mean? Yahweh/Jehovah delivers/saves. The Lord saves. In Matthew’s telling of the Christmas story, the angel explains to Joseph why the child will be named Jesus – He will save His people from their sins.
3. Does the angel tell Mary how Jesus will save His people from their sins? No.
4. Do you think Mary wondered how Jesus would save people from their sins?
5. Read Luke 2:19 and Luke 2:51 – What does it mean that Mary treasured these things in her heart/pondered these things in her heart? Treasure – something of immense value that you never want to lose … you never want to forget. Ponder in the Greek is sumballo - to bring together in one's mind, confer with one's self. Mary gave careful thought to the events that were happening involving the child she gave birth to. I’d imagine the shepherds told Mary the words the angel said to them about who the child is. He will be a Savior, the Messiah. In other words, Mary’s son will be a saver of people. Again, it is not explained how He would do it. When Jesus, at age 12, said that He was in His Father’s house, Mary did not understand what He said; yet, she treasured it … she held on to this moment because it was valuable to her.
6. Read Luke 2:34-35 – What does Simeon tell Mary about her son? Simeon offers Mary a glimpse of her son’s future. He will bring down people (Pharisees, Sadducees) and raise up people (sinners – tax collectors, poor, adulterers, thieves, etc.) and He will be opposed. What words did he direct to Mary? A sword will pierce your own soul. Simeon foreshadows the pain Mary will feel because of her son’s purpose but does not provide any details.
7. Read Luke 8:19-21 – How do you think Mary felt about Jesus’ refusal to see her and his brothers? Probably hurt. Like a sword piercing her soul. Mary had not seen her firstborn child in a long time. She probably had not seen Jesus at all since He started His ministry at age 30. Could Jesus not take time from His ministry to spend time with His mother? Moreover, Jesus was the head of the family. Joseph probably dead at this time. Some would say Jesus was shirking his primary responsibility – looking after His mother. How would you characterize Jesus’ response? Came off a bit rude/coldhearted. Understand, Jesus was on a schedule. He had a very short time to reach a whole lot of people. What was more important for Jesus at this point? Saving people from their sins or looking after His mother?
8. John 19:25 – Where is Mary? Mary at age 45 to 49. Standing next to the cross that her Son is hanging from. What is she feeling/thinking? Agonizing emotional pain. A sword piercing her soul. Mary looks up at the mass of flesh that passes for a man and I imagine she sees her baby. All the thoughts she pondered/ that she treasured concerning who her Son is … His purpose for being born … came to the forefront and now she understood. The message from the angel – You will give Him the name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins. The words of Simeon - will bring down people (Pharisees, Sadducees) and raise up people (sinners – tax collectors, poor, adulterers, thieves, etc.) and He will be opposed … a sword will pierce your soul. Her Son’s words at age 12 in the Temple – My Father’s house. Mary realizes now that the purpose for her Son being born was to die a horrible, excruciating death so that every person on earth, including her, could know salvation from death and the grave. It all made sense now.
9. John 19:26 – 27 – What did Jesus do? Here’s Jesus experiencing tremendous physical, emotional, spiritual pain. He has taken upon himself the sins of a billion billion souls including yours and mine. He has taken upon himself the punishment for those sins. In the throes of this moment, Jesus looks down below through swollen, bloodcaked eyes and He sees His mom weeping. He feels the sword that is piercing her soul. He feels the love she has for Him. If she could take His place on the cross she would do it in a heart beat. Seeing her, Jesus returns her love. He made sure that His mother would be looked after following His death. He fulfilled His responsibility as the head of the family.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
KNOW YOUR ENEMY PART 3: THE AUTHORITY OF THE ENEMY
1.Read John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11 - How does Jesus refer to the Enemy? What position of authority does he hold? How does he exercise this authority and for what purpose?
Prince (Greek archon – ruler; leader) of this world. Jesus is not referring to the physical earth – plants, trees, rocks, mountains, etc. Define world – in Greek kosmos. We are more familiar the scientific use of this word – cosmos. Refers to the physical universe. What makes up the cosmos? planets, stars, comets, light, gravity, etc. Things we can see and things we can’t see. Things that are tangible and things that are not tangible. They all interact with one another in order to create the universe that we live in. Jesus is not referring to the physical universe. What Jesus is referring to is an otherworldly kosmos. A cosmos that is made up activities, actions, words, philosophies, beliefs, desires. They all interact with one another to produce a world system (kosmos). How would you characterize the world system (kosmos) we have constructed? Evil; sinful; ungodly. According to Jesus, who rules this evil, sinful, ungodly world system (kosmos)? The Enemy, Satan. He dominates this world system. Satan exercises this authority by using the tactics we listed in the previous lesson. Through these tactics he influences/molds activities, actions, words, philosophies, beliefs, desires to promote evil/wickedness. To create a world system that promotes evil/wickedness … makes evil/wickedness the norm. Examples? At the same time, Satan exercises his authority as prince of this world to undermine everything that is good/righteousness … make good/righteousness abnormal. Examples?
2. II Corinthians 4:1-4; I John 3:7-8; John 8:44 - How does the Apostle Paul refer to the Enemy? Why does Paul call Satan a god? What evidence is there that Satan is the god of this time period? Who are under his authority? How does he exercise this authority and for what purpose?
god (Greek theos) of this world (Greek aion – period of time; era; age). Paul saying that Satan is the god of this period of time in the world. Why does Paul call Satan a god? A god is someone people do what? Not just follow/obey. They worship. Bow down to. What evidence is there that Satan is the god of this time period? Read newspapers, magazines, watch news, commercials, look at pop culture/entertainment (movies, television, internet). The morals/beliefs/lifestyles that this age embraces and promotes. Tell me, who is the god of this age? Who does the people of this age worship? God or Satan? People who do evil, who embrace wickedness, who promote and participate in immorality … whether they know it or not are worshippers of Satan. Read I John 3:7-8; John 8:44. In calling Satan a god, Paul was simply recognizing who the majority of this age worships. Satan exercises his authority as a god over nonbelievers. He uses the tactics we listed in the previous lesson to blind the minds of nonbelievers to prevent them from accepting the gospel of salvation. (Remember parable of the sower) If nonbelievers became believers, they would no longer worship him as a god. As we will see in a moment, they would no longer be under his authority.
3. When did Satan become the prince/god of this world? In Genesis chapter 3 – when man fell in the Garden of Eden. Romans 5:12 - … through one man sin entered into the world … Romans 5:19 - … through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners (every man & woman after Adam were born with a nature inclined to sin) … The world and everything in it - activities, actions, words, philosophies, beliefs, desires – became infected with sin. What was once pure was now impure, what was once perfect was now imperfect; consequently, this world came under the authority of the Enemy.
4. Is the Enemy’s authority limited or unlimited? Is his authority on par with that of God? Explain your answer.
Some people have the mistaken impression that Satan is the evil version of God. That he is a god on the level with big “G” God. Is Satan omnipotent (all-powerful)? No. He is powerful but not on the par with God. Is Satan omniscient (all-knowing)? No. He possesses great wisdom; however, he does not possess knowledge of everything. Is Satan omnipresent (the ability to be everywhere at once)? No.
Why is Satan limited in his authority? 1) Satan is a created being (Ezekiel 28.) God created him; therefore, he has the limitations of a created being. Possesses a certain level of power, knowledge, and abilities. 2) The enemy is still answerable to God. He can only do what God allows him to do. See example in Job chapters 1 & 2.
5. Revelation chapter 12 – Does Satan enforce his rule by himself or does he have help? He has help. Revelation chapter 12 talks about a war in heaven between the great dragon Satan and the forces of heaven. Satan did not fight alone. There were angels who sided with him in the struggle. Satan and his angelic allies lost the war and were cast out of heaven to earth. Those angels are now known as demons and they do the bidding of their leader, Satan. Demons have great power. These demons use the components of this world (kosmos) to get humans to sin and to keep them trapped in sin. They also use the components of this world (kosmos) to attack the Church in order to hinder its mission.
6. Read Ephesians 2:1-6, 19; Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 1:13; I Peter 2:9-12; John 17:14-16; I John 4:4 and 5:19; James 4:7 - Are Christians under the authority of the Enemy? Explain your answer.
Satan may be the ruler of this world/god of this world; however, we who are believers are not citizens of this world (kosmos.) Therefore, if we are not citizens of this world that means we are not under the authority of Satan. At one time, we were citizens of this world. Satan was our ruler/god. But, a day came when God rescued out of the darkness of this world and placed us in his wonderful light. On that day, we who are believers were no longer citizens of this world. Satan’s rule over us ended. He was no longer our ruler/god. On that day, we became one of the chosen people … a member of the royal priesthood … a citizen of a holy nation. God became our ruler and God. We are under His authority. We are to follow his commandments. Here’s the rub. Although we are citizens of God’s world, we still live in this world ruled by Satan. Just because we are no longer citizens of his world, doesn’t mean Satan will just ignore us. He’s still going to attack you. He’s still going to tempt you. He’s going to do everything he can to undermine your faith … to make you useless for God … to convince you that you are still under his authority. “Nothing’s changed. You think you’re different, you’re not. You’re still the same old Greg. You still want to do the evil/sinful things I want you to do. You still desire the things of this world.” Let me tell you something. If you as a believer live your life as if Satan still has authority over you … you constantly give in to his temptations/ accusations/deceptions/lies/intimidations … you constantly allow Satan to steal your joy/peace/hope/faith. I have two words for you and they are two words that sum up what Paul said to early Christians who continued to live their lives as if they were citizens of this world – STOP IT!!!!! Romans 6:12-14: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you.” Sound familiar? What God told Cain in Genesis ch. 4.
Understand, Satan has no authority over you. He’s not your ruler/god. God is. God’s authority compared to Satan’s authority – no comparison. Because God’s authority is so much greater than Satan’s, you can overcome anything the Enemy throws at you. You can defeat him. Give him a black eye and a bloody nose. Send him running. Read James 4:7. How can we overcome the Enemy? Talk about that next.
Prince (Greek archon – ruler; leader) of this world. Jesus is not referring to the physical earth – plants, trees, rocks, mountains, etc. Define world – in Greek kosmos. We are more familiar the scientific use of this word – cosmos. Refers to the physical universe. What makes up the cosmos? planets, stars, comets, light, gravity, etc. Things we can see and things we can’t see. Things that are tangible and things that are not tangible. They all interact with one another in order to create the universe that we live in. Jesus is not referring to the physical universe. What Jesus is referring to is an otherworldly kosmos. A cosmos that is made up activities, actions, words, philosophies, beliefs, desires. They all interact with one another to produce a world system (kosmos). How would you characterize the world system (kosmos) we have constructed? Evil; sinful; ungodly. According to Jesus, who rules this evil, sinful, ungodly world system (kosmos)? The Enemy, Satan. He dominates this world system. Satan exercises this authority by using the tactics we listed in the previous lesson. Through these tactics he influences/molds activities, actions, words, philosophies, beliefs, desires to promote evil/wickedness. To create a world system that promotes evil/wickedness … makes evil/wickedness the norm. Examples? At the same time, Satan exercises his authority as prince of this world to undermine everything that is good/righteousness … make good/righteousness abnormal. Examples?
2. II Corinthians 4:1-4; I John 3:7-8; John 8:44 - How does the Apostle Paul refer to the Enemy? Why does Paul call Satan a god? What evidence is there that Satan is the god of this time period? Who are under his authority? How does he exercise this authority and for what purpose?
god (Greek theos) of this world (Greek aion – period of time; era; age). Paul saying that Satan is the god of this period of time in the world. Why does Paul call Satan a god? A god is someone people do what? Not just follow/obey. They worship. Bow down to. What evidence is there that Satan is the god of this time period? Read newspapers, magazines, watch news, commercials, look at pop culture/entertainment (movies, television, internet). The morals/beliefs/lifestyles that this age embraces and promotes. Tell me, who is the god of this age? Who does the people of this age worship? God or Satan? People who do evil, who embrace wickedness, who promote and participate in immorality … whether they know it or not are worshippers of Satan. Read I John 3:7-8; John 8:44. In calling Satan a god, Paul was simply recognizing who the majority of this age worships. Satan exercises his authority as a god over nonbelievers. He uses the tactics we listed in the previous lesson to blind the minds of nonbelievers to prevent them from accepting the gospel of salvation. (Remember parable of the sower) If nonbelievers became believers, they would no longer worship him as a god. As we will see in a moment, they would no longer be under his authority.
3. When did Satan become the prince/god of this world? In Genesis chapter 3 – when man fell in the Garden of Eden. Romans 5:12 - … through one man sin entered into the world … Romans 5:19 - … through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners (every man & woman after Adam were born with a nature inclined to sin) … The world and everything in it - activities, actions, words, philosophies, beliefs, desires – became infected with sin. What was once pure was now impure, what was once perfect was now imperfect; consequently, this world came under the authority of the Enemy.
4. Is the Enemy’s authority limited or unlimited? Is his authority on par with that of God? Explain your answer.
Some people have the mistaken impression that Satan is the evil version of God. That he is a god on the level with big “G” God. Is Satan omnipotent (all-powerful)? No. He is powerful but not on the par with God. Is Satan omniscient (all-knowing)? No. He possesses great wisdom; however, he does not possess knowledge of everything. Is Satan omnipresent (the ability to be everywhere at once)? No.
Why is Satan limited in his authority? 1) Satan is a created being (Ezekiel 28.) God created him; therefore, he has the limitations of a created being. Possesses a certain level of power, knowledge, and abilities. 2) The enemy is still answerable to God. He can only do what God allows him to do. See example in Job chapters 1 & 2.
5. Revelation chapter 12 – Does Satan enforce his rule by himself or does he have help? He has help. Revelation chapter 12 talks about a war in heaven between the great dragon Satan and the forces of heaven. Satan did not fight alone. There were angels who sided with him in the struggle. Satan and his angelic allies lost the war and were cast out of heaven to earth. Those angels are now known as demons and they do the bidding of their leader, Satan. Demons have great power. These demons use the components of this world (kosmos) to get humans to sin and to keep them trapped in sin. They also use the components of this world (kosmos) to attack the Church in order to hinder its mission.
6. Read Ephesians 2:1-6, 19; Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 1:13; I Peter 2:9-12; John 17:14-16; I John 4:4 and 5:19; James 4:7 - Are Christians under the authority of the Enemy? Explain your answer.
Satan may be the ruler of this world/god of this world; however, we who are believers are not citizens of this world (kosmos.) Therefore, if we are not citizens of this world that means we are not under the authority of Satan. At one time, we were citizens of this world. Satan was our ruler/god. But, a day came when God rescued out of the darkness of this world and placed us in his wonderful light. On that day, we who are believers were no longer citizens of this world. Satan’s rule over us ended. He was no longer our ruler/god. On that day, we became one of the chosen people … a member of the royal priesthood … a citizen of a holy nation. God became our ruler and God. We are under His authority. We are to follow his commandments. Here’s the rub. Although we are citizens of God’s world, we still live in this world ruled by Satan. Just because we are no longer citizens of his world, doesn’t mean Satan will just ignore us. He’s still going to attack you. He’s still going to tempt you. He’s going to do everything he can to undermine your faith … to make you useless for God … to convince you that you are still under his authority. “Nothing’s changed. You think you’re different, you’re not. You’re still the same old Greg. You still want to do the evil/sinful things I want you to do. You still desire the things of this world.” Let me tell you something. If you as a believer live your life as if Satan still has authority over you … you constantly give in to his temptations/ accusations/deceptions/lies/intimidations … you constantly allow Satan to steal your joy/peace/hope/faith. I have two words for you and they are two words that sum up what Paul said to early Christians who continued to live their lives as if they were citizens of this world – STOP IT!!!!! Romans 6:12-14: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you.” Sound familiar? What God told Cain in Genesis ch. 4.
Understand, Satan has no authority over you. He’s not your ruler/god. God is. God’s authority compared to Satan’s authority – no comparison. Because God’s authority is so much greater than Satan’s, you can overcome anything the Enemy throws at you. You can defeat him. Give him a black eye and a bloody nose. Send him running. Read James 4:7. How can we overcome the Enemy? Talk about that next.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
KNOW YOUR ENEMY: TACTICS OF THE ENEMY PT 3
V. Revelation 12:9; I Peter 5:8; Ephesians 4:26-27; Genesis 4:6-7
Revelation 12:9 - Dragon – When I say dragon, what comes to mind? You see a dragon what are you going to feel/do? Monstrous, scary, intimidating, wicked, nasty, mean, angry. Tactics – Use intimidation to instill fear. Seeks to destroy/devour everything in its path.
I Peter 5:8 - Roaring lion - When I say roaring lion, what comes to mind? You see a roaring lion what are you going to feel/do? tactics - Exploit weaknesses/use intimidation to instill fear. Seeks to destroy/devour everything in its path.
When you hear roaring lion, what image comes to mind? Ever see wildlife shows on Animal Planet that are about lions? How they hunt their prey? Lions stealthily prowling through the high grass keeping a close eye on their prey. Looking for a weakness … looking for a prey that may have let its guard down … maybe a gazelle that’s frolicking around the grassland with no cares in the world. The lions see the gazelle and are ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. When the moment comes to attack, they leap with a loud roar … the roar instills fear in the heart of its prey … the gazelle attempts to flee but it’s too late … he is trapped in the claws of the lions. Soon will be devoured by the lions. Satan attacks us in a similar fashion. The Enemy is not sitting on the sidelines taking a nap. He’s constantly prowling to and fro across the earth looking to attack. He’s looking for weaknesses to exploit. When are we most vulnerable to be pounced on by Satan? Hint – Peter lets us know in the first third of verse 8. a) We do not have a sober spirit or another way of putting it - lack self-control. Self-control over what? Fears, worries, anxieties, doubts, lusts, anger. Read Ephesians 4:26-27. Don’t allow anger to give the enemy an opportunity to attack you. Example – Cain, Genesis 4:6-7. Cain was angry at God for rejecting his sacrifice. He failed to control his anger. Consequently, the Enemy pounced on Cain. Devoured Cain. Cain’s failure to control his anger led to the first murder. This is true of any negative emotion. If we fail to control fear, doubt, anxiety, etc., that cracks door open enough for the Enemy to stick his foot in or like a lion pounce into. He’ll start roaring. The sound of a roaring lion is very intimidating. (ex. recent visit to zoo) And that’s exactly what Satan wants you to feel – intimidated. He wants you to say to yourself “I can’t overcome this temptation, it’s too hard.” Makes easier for him to attack you in the future. b) When we are not alert. Alert to what? 1) Our surroundings. Are you someplace/somewhere that makes you an easy target for the Enemy. A gazelle that’s frolicking around the open meadow … straying from the herd… straying close to the high grass where the lions are … is just begging to be lion dinner. Same with us. If we are not mindful of our surroundings … if we are somewhere/someplace we should not be … we’re just making it easy for the Enemy to pounce us. We might as well have a bulls-eye on our heart. 2) Enemy’s movements. While feeding, a gazelle always keeps one eye watching for lions in the grass. Both ears constantly listening for unusual sounds. When it comes to Satan, we are to do the same. What are some things that can cause us to not be alert? Complacency – life is good … everything is going my way … I’m in no danger; laziness/slothfulness – become lax in our spiritual growth … stop praying, stop reading God’s Word, stop attending Church; ignorance – I have an Enemy?; pride – I’m so spiritual that Satan would not have a chance against me. Review names and tactics
VI. John 10:10; Mark 4:15; Luke 8:12; Matthew 13:19 – thief. Tactics - steal, kill, and destroy.
1) Steal – what does the Enemy steal? Read Mark 4:15. Parable of sower. The Enemy steals the Word from people as soon as they hear it. Why? Luke 8:12. Same parable. So people will not believe and be saved. Who does the Enemy target specifically? Matthew 13:19 – Same parable. People who hear the Word and do not understand it. Not enough to sit in church on Sunday morning and just hear the Word. We need to know it. That’s why it is important that people who do not understand the Word need to be in an environment where they are gaining understanding. Examples – Sunday School, Bible study groups offered by Church (Discipleship University), in people’s homes, or one-on-one with a spiritually mature believer. The more you know and understand God’s Word the harder it will be for the Enemy to steal it from you. How does he steal the Word? Primarily through distractions designed to prevent you from understanding the Word. A tactic similar to pickpocket artists in Europe. One person is begging for money or wanting to take your picture for a buck while the other is picking your pockets. Distractions offered by Satan – entertainment, relationships, work, family activities (particularly those re: children) – enable him to sneak into one’s heart and steal the Word that person has heard.
2) Kill/Murderer from the beginning – ex. Cain and Abel – who was it that fanned the flame of hatred in Cain’s heart to the point where he killed his brother? Satan is a murderer. Responsible for the deaths of drug addicts who have overdosed, suicides, aborted fetuses, genocide. Leads to number three.
3) Destroy – in the Greek the word “destroy” refers to the following: to perish, to be lost, ruined; render useless. Ever since the Creation of man, Satan has sought to destroy what God has created. He has sought to bring to ruin what God has built up. Ex. Garden of Eden. When God chose Abraham and his descendants (the Jews) to be people through whom He would redeem humanity, Satan attempted to destroy the plan by destroying the people. There were many times when it seemed he would succeed. Anyone think of an example? Book of Esther. Satan’s target for destruction now is the Church. It’s through the Church that God’s plan of redemption is being made known to the world. He’s used every means at his disposal from gossip to persecution. Unsuccessful because Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that his Church will never be destroyed. However, Satan has done the next best thing and that is divided the Church. According to Christianity Today, there are approximately 38,000 Christian denominations. All agree on the fundamental truth that Jesus is the key to salvation but they all disagree on practically everything else re: Gospel. These disagreements were stimulated and encouraged by the Enemy in order to promote division within the body of Christ. Because an enemy divided is an enemy who is weak/who is less threatening. Taking this to a personal level … if you are a believer, Satan wants to destroy you. You are his enemy. He wants to beat you down until you are a quivering mass of useless flesh and bones. Satan is fighting a serious war. He takes Christians serious. My questions is do Christians take him serious? Are you taking him serious? If you aren’t, you are making yourself an easy target for destruction.
Revelation 12:9 - Dragon – When I say dragon, what comes to mind? You see a dragon what are you going to feel/do? Monstrous, scary, intimidating, wicked, nasty, mean, angry. Tactics – Use intimidation to instill fear. Seeks to destroy/devour everything in its path.
I Peter 5:8 - Roaring lion - When I say roaring lion, what comes to mind? You see a roaring lion what are you going to feel/do? tactics - Exploit weaknesses/use intimidation to instill fear. Seeks to destroy/devour everything in its path.
When you hear roaring lion, what image comes to mind? Ever see wildlife shows on Animal Planet that are about lions? How they hunt their prey? Lions stealthily prowling through the high grass keeping a close eye on their prey. Looking for a weakness … looking for a prey that may have let its guard down … maybe a gazelle that’s frolicking around the grassland with no cares in the world. The lions see the gazelle and are ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. When the moment comes to attack, they leap with a loud roar … the roar instills fear in the heart of its prey … the gazelle attempts to flee but it’s too late … he is trapped in the claws of the lions. Soon will be devoured by the lions. Satan attacks us in a similar fashion. The Enemy is not sitting on the sidelines taking a nap. He’s constantly prowling to and fro across the earth looking to attack. He’s looking for weaknesses to exploit. When are we most vulnerable to be pounced on by Satan? Hint – Peter lets us know in the first third of verse 8. a) We do not have a sober spirit or another way of putting it - lack self-control. Self-control over what? Fears, worries, anxieties, doubts, lusts, anger. Read Ephesians 4:26-27. Don’t allow anger to give the enemy an opportunity to attack you. Example – Cain, Genesis 4:6-7. Cain was angry at God for rejecting his sacrifice. He failed to control his anger. Consequently, the Enemy pounced on Cain. Devoured Cain. Cain’s failure to control his anger led to the first murder. This is true of any negative emotion. If we fail to control fear, doubt, anxiety, etc., that cracks door open enough for the Enemy to stick his foot in or like a lion pounce into. He’ll start roaring. The sound of a roaring lion is very intimidating. (ex. recent visit to zoo) And that’s exactly what Satan wants you to feel – intimidated. He wants you to say to yourself “I can’t overcome this temptation, it’s too hard.” Makes easier for him to attack you in the future. b) When we are not alert. Alert to what? 1) Our surroundings. Are you someplace/somewhere that makes you an easy target for the Enemy. A gazelle that’s frolicking around the open meadow … straying from the herd… straying close to the high grass where the lions are … is just begging to be lion dinner. Same with us. If we are not mindful of our surroundings … if we are somewhere/someplace we should not be … we’re just making it easy for the Enemy to pounce us. We might as well have a bulls-eye on our heart. 2) Enemy’s movements. While feeding, a gazelle always keeps one eye watching for lions in the grass. Both ears constantly listening for unusual sounds. When it comes to Satan, we are to do the same. What are some things that can cause us to not be alert? Complacency – life is good … everything is going my way … I’m in no danger; laziness/slothfulness – become lax in our spiritual growth … stop praying, stop reading God’s Word, stop attending Church; ignorance – I have an Enemy?; pride – I’m so spiritual that Satan would not have a chance against me. Review names and tactics
VI. John 10:10; Mark 4:15; Luke 8:12; Matthew 13:19 – thief. Tactics - steal, kill, and destroy.
1) Steal – what does the Enemy steal? Read Mark 4:15. Parable of sower. The Enemy steals the Word from people as soon as they hear it. Why? Luke 8:12. Same parable. So people will not believe and be saved. Who does the Enemy target specifically? Matthew 13:19 – Same parable. People who hear the Word and do not understand it. Not enough to sit in church on Sunday morning and just hear the Word. We need to know it. That’s why it is important that people who do not understand the Word need to be in an environment where they are gaining understanding. Examples – Sunday School, Bible study groups offered by Church (Discipleship University), in people’s homes, or one-on-one with a spiritually mature believer. The more you know and understand God’s Word the harder it will be for the Enemy to steal it from you. How does he steal the Word? Primarily through distractions designed to prevent you from understanding the Word. A tactic similar to pickpocket artists in Europe. One person is begging for money or wanting to take your picture for a buck while the other is picking your pockets. Distractions offered by Satan – entertainment, relationships, work, family activities (particularly those re: children) – enable him to sneak into one’s heart and steal the Word that person has heard.
2) Kill/Murderer from the beginning – ex. Cain and Abel – who was it that fanned the flame of hatred in Cain’s heart to the point where he killed his brother? Satan is a murderer. Responsible for the deaths of drug addicts who have overdosed, suicides, aborted fetuses, genocide. Leads to number three.
3) Destroy – in the Greek the word “destroy” refers to the following: to perish, to be lost, ruined; render useless. Ever since the Creation of man, Satan has sought to destroy what God has created. He has sought to bring to ruin what God has built up. Ex. Garden of Eden. When God chose Abraham and his descendants (the Jews) to be people through whom He would redeem humanity, Satan attempted to destroy the plan by destroying the people. There were many times when it seemed he would succeed. Anyone think of an example? Book of Esther. Satan’s target for destruction now is the Church. It’s through the Church that God’s plan of redemption is being made known to the world. He’s used every means at his disposal from gossip to persecution. Unsuccessful because Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that his Church will never be destroyed. However, Satan has done the next best thing and that is divided the Church. According to Christianity Today, there are approximately 38,000 Christian denominations. All agree on the fundamental truth that Jesus is the key to salvation but they all disagree on practically everything else re: Gospel. These disagreements were stimulated and encouraged by the Enemy in order to promote division within the body of Christ. Because an enemy divided is an enemy who is weak/who is less threatening. Taking this to a personal level … if you are a believer, Satan wants to destroy you. You are his enemy. He wants to beat you down until you are a quivering mass of useless flesh and bones. Satan is fighting a serious war. He takes Christians serious. My questions is do Christians take him serious? Are you taking him serious? If you aren’t, you are making yourself an easy target for destruction.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
KNOW YOUR ENEMY: TACTICS OF THE ENEMY PT 2
III. Revelation 12:10; Zechariah 3:1-7 – Devil – Greek diabolos; Satan – Hebrew satan pronounced saw-tawn. Both are translated Adversary/Accuser; tactics - accusations
He makes accusations against the followers of God (Revelation 12:10). See an example of this in Zechariah 3:1-7.
This Joshua is not to be confused with the Joshua from the book of Joshua. This Joshua was a high priest at the time the Jews returned to Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. He led a remnant to Jerusalem from Babylonia. Being high priest meant Joshua was the people’s spiritual leader. If you read the book of Ezra, Joshua helped lead efforts to rebuild the temple. Zechariah has a vision of Joshua being put on trial. He’s standing before God in filthy garments which represent what? Sin/iniquity. Who was his chief accuser? Satan. What was accusation against Joshua? What sin had Joshua committed? If you read the books of Ezra, Zechariah, and Haggai, you’ll read that Joshua failed to carry out his responsibility as spiritual leader – to exhort the people to continue to obey God’s commandments. He perhaps pursued materialism rather than God. Consequently, the people had wandered away from God and towards self interests. Satan’s evidence? The people had stopped rebuilding the temple and were focused on making money and building nice houses for themselves. God was no longer the number one priority in their lives. (See Haggai) Joshua was no longer worthy of being the people’s spiritual leader all of which was true. But before Satan could make his case against Joshua, what did God do? Rebuked Satan. Get lost! Cleansed Joshua of his sin and re-established him as spiritual leader of the people.
Satan makes accusations against us to God. For what purpose? To bring to God’s attention to all the bad things we’ve done. To make us seem unworthy of God’s grace. You sure someone like him/her deserves forgiveness? But understand something … Satan’s accusations against us are not just directed towards God. He also directs them at us. Believe me, Joshua the high priest was getting a spiritual earful from Satan about how bad a job he was doing. How he had let the people down and more importantly let God down. God has rejected you as high priest. By using this tactic (accusations), what did Satan hope to succeed in doing? To fill Joshua with so much guilt, self-pity, doubt, etc., to the point where he no longer desires to carry out his responsibility as the Jews’ spiritual leader. Satan uses this tactic against us today. He constantly puts back in our face all the sins God has forgiven us for. Remember this, this, and this? You really believe God has forgiven you of these sins? All in an effort to instill in us doubt, guilt, etc. To get us to focus on our past sins rather than our present grace. Don’t allow him to question your salvation. When the accuser brings up your past sins, do not allow him to instill guilt in you. Once he does, he’s going to feed it until it becomes a massive beast of burden that will prove difficult to unload. If Satan proves successful, he will make you ineffective as a servant of God just as he did Joshua for a time.
IV. John 8:42-47; Acts 5:1-5 - father of lies; tactics – falsehood (talk about murderer later)
Jesus said that the devil is not just a liar but he is the father of lies. Why does Jesus use that descriptor? The devil was the first liar and the progenitor of lies. Progenitor - a person or thing that first originates something or serves as a model. He spoke the first lie (Garden of Eden) and is the source of all lies ever since. Definition of “lie” - a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; to convey a false impression. What are some examples of lies that Satan throws at people? In order to be truly happy, you must have a Mercedes Benz, 60 inch Plasma TV, 10 bedroom/8 bathroom/4 car garage house with an Olympic size pool and tennis court out back. Real pleasure found in pornography, drugs, alcohol, or food. Your mistakes/sins are so heinous that God will never forgive you. Your sin is insignificant that God didn’t see it. God is not concerned with the issues you’re experiencing. He’s got more important matters on His plate than your piddly problems. Why are you still praying? God’s not listening. There is no God. Jesus was an ordinary human … not God in flesh. The Bible is a mixture of myths and history written by men and not the Word of God. Satan’s primary goal in using lying as a tactic is to hide/conceal truth so that people will not believe/accept it. John 8:45 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.” Why did the people Jesus was speaking to not believe the truth (Jesus was Son of God)? Because they listened to and believed the lies crafted by Satan. Satan also uses the tactic of lies to create a false impression of God in order to undermine our faith in Him. (See his temptation of Eve) He also seeks to create a false impression of ourselves (view ourselves as unlovable, unforgivable, insignificant or view ourselves more highly than we should … we are not answerable for our sins) in order to undermine our mission to share the truth of God to a world trapped by Satan’s lies.
As the father of lies, Satan has produced many children of different shapes and sizes. The little white lies that are “harmless”. The elephant size lies that have started wars between countries and promoted genocide. Perhaps the one lie that Satan has produced that many followers of God have fallen prey to is the lie that we can conceal truth from God… that we can lie to God and get away with it. Ex. Story of David and Bathsheba found in II Samuel chapters 11 & 12. Story of Ananias in Acts 5:1-5. Both David and Ananias were fed their lies by Satan. He convinced them that no one would learn of their actions not even God. They were wrong and they paid the price for it. Not only them, but those close to them as well (David’s family and Ananias’ wife). There is no such thing as a secret sin. You may be able to conceal the truth of your sin (pornography, drugs, inner hatred for someone which Jesus says is murder) from your spouse, your children, or your friends but you cannot conceal your sin from God. Don’t fall prey to Satan’s lie that you can. If you do, you are walking a dangerous path. See David and Ananias.
He makes accusations against the followers of God (Revelation 12:10). See an example of this in Zechariah 3:1-7.
This Joshua is not to be confused with the Joshua from the book of Joshua. This Joshua was a high priest at the time the Jews returned to Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. He led a remnant to Jerusalem from Babylonia. Being high priest meant Joshua was the people’s spiritual leader. If you read the book of Ezra, Joshua helped lead efforts to rebuild the temple. Zechariah has a vision of Joshua being put on trial. He’s standing before God in filthy garments which represent what? Sin/iniquity. Who was his chief accuser? Satan. What was accusation against Joshua? What sin had Joshua committed? If you read the books of Ezra, Zechariah, and Haggai, you’ll read that Joshua failed to carry out his responsibility as spiritual leader – to exhort the people to continue to obey God’s commandments. He perhaps pursued materialism rather than God. Consequently, the people had wandered away from God and towards self interests. Satan’s evidence? The people had stopped rebuilding the temple and were focused on making money and building nice houses for themselves. God was no longer the number one priority in their lives. (See Haggai) Joshua was no longer worthy of being the people’s spiritual leader all of which was true. But before Satan could make his case against Joshua, what did God do? Rebuked Satan. Get lost! Cleansed Joshua of his sin and re-established him as spiritual leader of the people.
Satan makes accusations against us to God. For what purpose? To bring to God’s attention to all the bad things we’ve done. To make us seem unworthy of God’s grace. You sure someone like him/her deserves forgiveness? But understand something … Satan’s accusations against us are not just directed towards God. He also directs them at us. Believe me, Joshua the high priest was getting a spiritual earful from Satan about how bad a job he was doing. How he had let the people down and more importantly let God down. God has rejected you as high priest. By using this tactic (accusations), what did Satan hope to succeed in doing? To fill Joshua with so much guilt, self-pity, doubt, etc., to the point where he no longer desires to carry out his responsibility as the Jews’ spiritual leader. Satan uses this tactic against us today. He constantly puts back in our face all the sins God has forgiven us for. Remember this, this, and this? You really believe God has forgiven you of these sins? All in an effort to instill in us doubt, guilt, etc. To get us to focus on our past sins rather than our present grace. Don’t allow him to question your salvation. When the accuser brings up your past sins, do not allow him to instill guilt in you. Once he does, he’s going to feed it until it becomes a massive beast of burden that will prove difficult to unload. If Satan proves successful, he will make you ineffective as a servant of God just as he did Joshua for a time.
IV. John 8:42-47; Acts 5:1-5 - father of lies; tactics – falsehood (talk about murderer later)
Jesus said that the devil is not just a liar but he is the father of lies. Why does Jesus use that descriptor? The devil was the first liar and the progenitor of lies. Progenitor - a person or thing that first originates something or serves as a model. He spoke the first lie (Garden of Eden) and is the source of all lies ever since. Definition of “lie” - a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; to convey a false impression. What are some examples of lies that Satan throws at people? In order to be truly happy, you must have a Mercedes Benz, 60 inch Plasma TV, 10 bedroom/8 bathroom/4 car garage house with an Olympic size pool and tennis court out back. Real pleasure found in pornography, drugs, alcohol, or food. Your mistakes/sins are so heinous that God will never forgive you. Your sin is insignificant that God didn’t see it. God is not concerned with the issues you’re experiencing. He’s got more important matters on His plate than your piddly problems. Why are you still praying? God’s not listening. There is no God. Jesus was an ordinary human … not God in flesh. The Bible is a mixture of myths and history written by men and not the Word of God. Satan’s primary goal in using lying as a tactic is to hide/conceal truth so that people will not believe/accept it. John 8:45 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.” Why did the people Jesus was speaking to not believe the truth (Jesus was Son of God)? Because they listened to and believed the lies crafted by Satan. Satan also uses the tactic of lies to create a false impression of God in order to undermine our faith in Him. (See his temptation of Eve) He also seeks to create a false impression of ourselves (view ourselves as unlovable, unforgivable, insignificant or view ourselves more highly than we should … we are not answerable for our sins) in order to undermine our mission to share the truth of God to a world trapped by Satan’s lies.
As the father of lies, Satan has produced many children of different shapes and sizes. The little white lies that are “harmless”. The elephant size lies that have started wars between countries and promoted genocide. Perhaps the one lie that Satan has produced that many followers of God have fallen prey to is the lie that we can conceal truth from God… that we can lie to God and get away with it. Ex. Story of David and Bathsheba found in II Samuel chapters 11 & 12. Story of Ananias in Acts 5:1-5. Both David and Ananias were fed their lies by Satan. He convinced them that no one would learn of their actions not even God. They were wrong and they paid the price for it. Not only them, but those close to them as well (David’s family and Ananias’ wife). There is no such thing as a secret sin. You may be able to conceal the truth of your sin (pornography, drugs, inner hatred for someone which Jesus says is murder) from your spouse, your children, or your friends but you cannot conceal your sin from God. Don’t fall prey to Satan’s lie that you can. If you do, you are walking a dangerous path. See David and Ananias.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
KNOW YOUR ENEMY: TACTICS OF THE ENEMY PT 1
One way of knowing the Enemy’s tactics/strategy is by knowing the various names the Enemy is given in Scripture. Read the following Scriptures and answer the following questions: What is the name the Enemy is given? What does his name tell you about the tactics he uses?
I. Genesis 3:1-6; II Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9 - Serpent; tactics - subtlety, craftiness, charm. The Enemy was purposeful in selecting the form of a serpent to tempt Eve. The serpent had the characteristics necessary for the job as opposed to say an armadillo.
subtle, crafty - skillful, clever, sly; beguile - to please or persuade by use of wiles; charm
How did the Enemy in the form of the serpent exhibit craftiness to beguile/charm Eve?
A) The Enemy laid a snare by invoking God’s name and using God’s words. Genesis 3:1 Purpose – to make his words enticing; a subtle/understated move to get Eve’s attention; to encourage a dialogue between him and Eve. How did the discussion between Eve and the serpent begin? The Enemy did not make a statement; rather, he asked a question. Purpose - to elicit a response from Eve. To initiate a dialogue. What was the focal point of the question? The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. For what purpose?
B) Placed Eve’s thoughts on the source of the temptation – the Tree. Once Eve entered into a dialogue with the Enemy, she was well on her way down the road to sin. Eve had one foot in the snare. Her attention was now on the tree.
C) Made temptation appealing in order to spring the snare. True God doesn’t want you to eat the fruit, but not for the reasons he told you. Real reason - to keep you from being like Him, a god. God’s motive for denying you the fruit from the Tree is not pure. In fact, it is selfish. He wants to be the one and only god. God is intentionally denying you and Adam the opportunity to improve your position on the organizational chart of Creation. Instead of turning away from the serpent and the tree, what did Eve do? She stared intently at the fruit on the tree and began to think/ponder on the serpent’s words. “Be like God, be like God, be like God …” She reached up, grabbed one of the fruit, and ate. She gave one to Adam and he ate. Did they become gods like the serpent said they would? No. Did they know the difference between good and evil? Yes. After eating the fruit, they quickly realized what they did was wrong. The Enemy was successful in deceiving Eve to disobey God. He did so using thes tactics - subtlety, craftiness, charm
II. II Corinthians 11:1-6, 12-15; Galatians 1:6-10 - angel of light; tactics - use appearance of beauty, innocence, and/or the divine to deceive
Angel of light - what image comes to mind? Lovely, beautiful, innocence, supernatural. Angels come from where and usually for what purpose? From heaven to deliver a message from God. Knowing that and from reading these verses in II Corinthians, what does all this tell you about one of Satan’s tactics? Deception. To deceive people into thinking that the lies he’s feeding them are a message from God. To deceive people into thinking they are receiving authority/supernatural power from God to carry out a divine mission. When in truth, they are carrying out a demonic mission. For what purpose? II Corinthians 11:3-4 – lead people astray from the true, pure gospel of Christ.
Before I get into the heavy stuff, what are some examples of how the Enemy uses the appearance of beauty/innocence to deceive? Horoscopes, psychic network, in the 19th and early 20th centuries spiritualism was very popular among the wealthy class Рattend s̩ances and used ouija boards. More recently the New Age movement Рtranscendental meditation, reincarnation, etc.
How many cults and religions have been founded by individuals who claimed to have heard or seen a revelation from an angelic being or God Himself? Ex. Islam – Following the death of one of his children and discontented with his life as a trader, Muhammed went off to a cave by himself for a period of time to meditate and reflect on his life. He went without food and drink for a long period of time. One day Muhammed claimed to receive a revelation from God. This God claimed to be the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the other OT prophets as well as the God of Jesus, who was not the Son of God but a human prophet. This God told Muhammed that He was anointing Muhammed to be the next prophet to spread God’s message to the world – there was only one God, Allah. In fact, Muhammed would be the last prophet. The Jews and Christians had failed to carry out this mission. Muhammed would succeed where they failed. He would restore the one true faith. I do not doubt that Muhammed heard a voice in the cave that day. However, the voice Muhammed heard that day was not God’s. It was the Enemy posing as an angel of light. During his many travels as a trader, Muhammed came across Jews and Christians regularly. What might have been had Muhammed became a believer? I wonder if a Christian missed their divine opportunity to witness to Muhammed? Or if a Christian mistreated Muhammed causing him to reject Christianity?
Another example: Mormonism/Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – founded by Joseph Smith in the early 1800’s. The followers of Mormonism regard Smith to be a prophet like Moses, Elijah, etc., whose mission was to restore the original Christian church following centuries of corruption. Smith was confused as to which denomination (Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, etc.) was the true church. They all claimed to have the one true doctrine. Beginning at age 14, Smith received regular visions of God, Jesus, and John the Baptist. They told him that none of the churches established at the time (Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, etc.) were correct, and that he should join none of them. Smith told a local pastor about his vision. Rather than counsel Smith by asking him questions about the visions and compare the messages Smith heard in the visions with the truths in the Bible, the pastor treated Smith harshly by telling him that his visions were of the devil (true) and that God no longer reveals himself to man through miracles (false). Shortly afterwards, Smith received a visit from an angel named Moroni which led to his finding and unearthing a long-buried book, inscribed on metal plates. Moroni charged Smith with translating the plates into English. This translation is known as the Book of Mormon regarded by Mormons as sacred scripture on par with the Holy Bible. Book of Mormon contains God’s revelations to the ancient Israelites (descendants of Jews who fled Jerusalem after its destruction by the Babylonian empire) living in North America between 600 BC and 800 AD. In every one of Smith’s accounts about the visitations from God, Jesus, and Moroni, there is a common description – a very brilliant bright light emanated from and surrounded his heavenly visitors. I do not doubt/question that Joseph Smith saw what he claimed to see and hear. However, it was not God, Jesus, or Moroni he saw. It was the Enemy posing as an angel of light. What might have been had the pastor Smith sought for counsel had done a better job of reaching out to Smith?
The god that the Muslims and Mormons worship is not the true God although they say otherwise. The god they worship is Satan masquerading as God. Read I Corinthians10:14-21. What is it that Satan desired more than anything when he rebelled against God? To be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:14). In his own twisted/perverse way, he has succeeded. His worshippers number in the billions.
Don’t get the impression that the Enemy only poses as an angel of light to start false religions and cults. He has posed as an angel of light to Church leaders/Christian leaders in an effort to promote division/confusion within the Church in order to lead Christians astray from their sincere and pure devotion to Christ and to hinder the mission of the Church given to it by Christ – making followers of Christ.
If you read the teachings of false religions and cults such as Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc., you will find a lot of references to Biblical Scriptures and individuals. But, even if 99% of their message is true that doesn’t make that message the pure Gospel of Christ. Moreover, if a “Christian” came to you and tells you he has a message for you from God and proceeds by saying “Thus saith the Lord…”, you better double check what he says by what God says here. Even if that someone is an angel. Read Galatians 1:6-10
I. Genesis 3:1-6; II Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9 - Serpent; tactics - subtlety, craftiness, charm. The Enemy was purposeful in selecting the form of a serpent to tempt Eve. The serpent had the characteristics necessary for the job as opposed to say an armadillo.
subtle, crafty - skillful, clever, sly; beguile - to please or persuade by use of wiles; charm
How did the Enemy in the form of the serpent exhibit craftiness to beguile/charm Eve?
A) The Enemy laid a snare by invoking God’s name and using God’s words. Genesis 3:1 Purpose – to make his words enticing; a subtle/understated move to get Eve’s attention; to encourage a dialogue between him and Eve. How did the discussion between Eve and the serpent begin? The Enemy did not make a statement; rather, he asked a question. Purpose - to elicit a response from Eve. To initiate a dialogue. What was the focal point of the question? The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. For what purpose?
B) Placed Eve’s thoughts on the source of the temptation – the Tree. Once Eve entered into a dialogue with the Enemy, she was well on her way down the road to sin. Eve had one foot in the snare. Her attention was now on the tree.
C) Made temptation appealing in order to spring the snare. True God doesn’t want you to eat the fruit, but not for the reasons he told you. Real reason - to keep you from being like Him, a god. God’s motive for denying you the fruit from the Tree is not pure. In fact, it is selfish. He wants to be the one and only god. God is intentionally denying you and Adam the opportunity to improve your position on the organizational chart of Creation. Instead of turning away from the serpent and the tree, what did Eve do? She stared intently at the fruit on the tree and began to think/ponder on the serpent’s words. “Be like God, be like God, be like God …” She reached up, grabbed one of the fruit, and ate. She gave one to Adam and he ate. Did they become gods like the serpent said they would? No. Did they know the difference between good and evil? Yes. After eating the fruit, they quickly realized what they did was wrong. The Enemy was successful in deceiving Eve to disobey God. He did so using thes tactics - subtlety, craftiness, charm
II. II Corinthians 11:1-6, 12-15; Galatians 1:6-10 - angel of light; tactics - use appearance of beauty, innocence, and/or the divine to deceive
Angel of light - what image comes to mind? Lovely, beautiful, innocence, supernatural. Angels come from where and usually for what purpose? From heaven to deliver a message from God. Knowing that and from reading these verses in II Corinthians, what does all this tell you about one of Satan’s tactics? Deception. To deceive people into thinking that the lies he’s feeding them are a message from God. To deceive people into thinking they are receiving authority/supernatural power from God to carry out a divine mission. When in truth, they are carrying out a demonic mission. For what purpose? II Corinthians 11:3-4 – lead people astray from the true, pure gospel of Christ.
Before I get into the heavy stuff, what are some examples of how the Enemy uses the appearance of beauty/innocence to deceive? Horoscopes, psychic network, in the 19th and early 20th centuries spiritualism was very popular among the wealthy class Рattend s̩ances and used ouija boards. More recently the New Age movement Рtranscendental meditation, reincarnation, etc.
How many cults and religions have been founded by individuals who claimed to have heard or seen a revelation from an angelic being or God Himself? Ex. Islam – Following the death of one of his children and discontented with his life as a trader, Muhammed went off to a cave by himself for a period of time to meditate and reflect on his life. He went without food and drink for a long period of time. One day Muhammed claimed to receive a revelation from God. This God claimed to be the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the other OT prophets as well as the God of Jesus, who was not the Son of God but a human prophet. This God told Muhammed that He was anointing Muhammed to be the next prophet to spread God’s message to the world – there was only one God, Allah. In fact, Muhammed would be the last prophet. The Jews and Christians had failed to carry out this mission. Muhammed would succeed where they failed. He would restore the one true faith. I do not doubt that Muhammed heard a voice in the cave that day. However, the voice Muhammed heard that day was not God’s. It was the Enemy posing as an angel of light. During his many travels as a trader, Muhammed came across Jews and Christians regularly. What might have been had Muhammed became a believer? I wonder if a Christian missed their divine opportunity to witness to Muhammed? Or if a Christian mistreated Muhammed causing him to reject Christianity?
Another example: Mormonism/Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – founded by Joseph Smith in the early 1800’s. The followers of Mormonism regard Smith to be a prophet like Moses, Elijah, etc., whose mission was to restore the original Christian church following centuries of corruption. Smith was confused as to which denomination (Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, etc.) was the true church. They all claimed to have the one true doctrine. Beginning at age 14, Smith received regular visions of God, Jesus, and John the Baptist. They told him that none of the churches established at the time (Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, etc.) were correct, and that he should join none of them. Smith told a local pastor about his vision. Rather than counsel Smith by asking him questions about the visions and compare the messages Smith heard in the visions with the truths in the Bible, the pastor treated Smith harshly by telling him that his visions were of the devil (true) and that God no longer reveals himself to man through miracles (false). Shortly afterwards, Smith received a visit from an angel named Moroni which led to his finding and unearthing a long-buried book, inscribed on metal plates. Moroni charged Smith with translating the plates into English. This translation is known as the Book of Mormon regarded by Mormons as sacred scripture on par with the Holy Bible. Book of Mormon contains God’s revelations to the ancient Israelites (descendants of Jews who fled Jerusalem after its destruction by the Babylonian empire) living in North America between 600 BC and 800 AD. In every one of Smith’s accounts about the visitations from God, Jesus, and Moroni, there is a common description – a very brilliant bright light emanated from and surrounded his heavenly visitors. I do not doubt/question that Joseph Smith saw what he claimed to see and hear. However, it was not God, Jesus, or Moroni he saw. It was the Enemy posing as an angel of light. What might have been had the pastor Smith sought for counsel had done a better job of reaching out to Smith?
The god that the Muslims and Mormons worship is not the true God although they say otherwise. The god they worship is Satan masquerading as God. Read I Corinthians10:14-21. What is it that Satan desired more than anything when he rebelled against God? To be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:14). In his own twisted/perverse way, he has succeeded. His worshippers number in the billions.
Don’t get the impression that the Enemy only poses as an angel of light to start false religions and cults. He has posed as an angel of light to Church leaders/Christian leaders in an effort to promote division/confusion within the Church in order to lead Christians astray from their sincere and pure devotion to Christ and to hinder the mission of the Church given to it by Christ – making followers of Christ.
If you read the teachings of false religions and cults such as Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc., you will find a lot of references to Biblical Scriptures and individuals. But, even if 99% of their message is true that doesn’t make that message the pure Gospel of Christ. Moreover, if a “Christian” came to you and tells you he has a message for you from God and proceeds by saying “Thus saith the Lord…”, you better double check what he says by what God says here. Even if that someone is an angel. Read Galatians 1:6-10
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