The Evil One Pt3

especially that Scripture in general where it talks about Satan and that we were able to Come away with real clear understanding that he is not free from space or time

He's not omnipotent He's not omniscient, which means he he can't do whatever he pleases to do.

He doesn't He doesn't have the ability to be everywhere at all times as God is

He doesn't know everything because certainly he Misunderstood the character of Job and so as we've been working through it

Kind of come to the point now where we began last week to think about how

What are some of the activities of this one? What's his purpose?

I mean in one way certainly it is to fulfill God's will right because that's what

Everything serves God's will Lord has made all

Things for himself and and I think sometimes we lose sight of the invisible world, right?

because there's definitely is an invisible world and people have all kinds of descriptions of it and people have said they've been to the invisible world and come back and and all these different things, but Everything serves

God even the evil one and although he schemes

And desires to undermine those very things That God has set forth he cannot

Other than by of course permission And so we looked at a couple scriptures about how he can appear as a lion in first Peter and as an angel and and like I said as the accuser and the father of lies and I and then we we moved into the fact that What's his chief goal, what's his what's his chief end is it to Tempt is it to deceive is it to?

as I said undermine If you had to pick one of the one of those things and what what is his main end if you will?

What was his main end in the garden? I think it's to bring down humans, mankind Yeah, and and certainly that is and it comes in the form of Temptations it comes in the forms of deceptions

It comes in the forms of and and it could be because that's where we left off and that's probably what we will pick up this morning it comes in the form of At times

Appearing as if he is speaking the truth Do you remember when and this is where we left off you remember in Matthew 4 when?

When it says that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be what? Tempted by the devil and what did the devil use to tempt

Jesus and it certainly was hath not God said and You remember those temptations and he used the very

Word of God To try to bring down And tempt the

Lord Jesus Christ and of course, how could you tempt the one who knows all things and so certainly

We talked about that, but I want to pick up that for a little bit this morning and see if we can really maybe understand a little bit more temptation and How that works out and how?

Well, let me say this this way, would you agree that his main goal is to undermine the truth, right and in order to do that he uses

Deception and and those things and he seeks to create in man.

I'm gonna take step further back We're gonna go backwards today

Does the does the devil tempt? The creation it's an interesting question, right?

Does does the devil tempt? anything else but man

Okay, so so his object is the ones who have been

Created in the image of God because that's what he's seeking to undermine the very image of God and so it's not like the

Devil doesn't tempt the dog to eat the cat's food, right? Now I'm not saying the dog won't eat the cat's food

But but he's not there's not a temptation and the temptation has to be towards the image of God and if you think about that the reason that great distinction between the creation and Man is something that's

Very troubling if you think about it, I Guess what I'm trying to say, let's take it from from the standpoint of those who believe in evolution

Okay and that originally we came from something whether it's

You know some amoeba in the water or some some

Other thing like that, but if you follow the evolutionary thought

I Point does Man at what point does the creation move from?

not having The image of God stamped on them not having the ability to Perceive I'm not saying they don't perceive right?

But to move from the point where all of a sudden They jump in the evolutionary thought all of a sudden everything jumps into a place of Rational thinking

I mean like the dog doesn't look up to heaven and say Lord you made all the stars

At least I've never heard a dog say that maybe you have But you get my point at some point

Even in an evolutionary thinking this is big gap and and we try to fill that gap with well, man

His closest ancestor is is a monkey, right? But at what point did all of a sudden it jumped from?

If we believe that there is an evil one That he does not Tempt the

Creatures in the same way. He tempts man. See what I'm trying to get at trying to make us think about.

Okay, so If Satan is very powerful and and he knows a lot.

Why doesn't he tempt creatures? Why is he seek to tempt man? because man is

Distinct in that he's made in the image of God and nothing else does so Just something to think about so as far as the temptation and as I said, we looked at Matthew chapter 4

Go to first Corinthians 7 for a minute. I want to show you something And we might have went over this one last week, but I think it's worthwhile to first Corinthians chapter 7 and in Just kind of following the temptation if you will of the one who seeks to undermine because remember what he's called

And Jesus calls Him in in John chapter 8 he calls him the father of lies

So Gary and he also says if you remember there is no truth in him

So he seeks to always undermine The truth of the

Word of God, but in first Corinthians chapter 7 I'm gonna read it from verse 1 just to set this up in our mind

So now concerning the things which you wrote to me Paul says It is good for a man not to touch a woman nevertheless because of sexual immorality let each man have his own wife and Let each woman have her own husband and let the husband render to his wife the affection to do her

And likewise also the wife to her husband wife does not have authority over her own body

But the husband does and likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body

But the wife does but look at verse 5 do not deprive one another except for consent for a time

That you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together so that Satan does not tempt you

Because of your lack of self -control now How often we read that scripture and we talk about marriage and we use it as a as a teaching on responsibilities and the intimacies of marriage and all those other things and and that's that's great because that's

Certainly at least In majority, that's the point of Paul's words then but there is this is thought also of the tempting of Satan and If you think about it, how many people?

Have fallen for that very temptation alone. How much?

How many people have had their lives? Not only tempted but ruined by something as straightforward and as clear as this where there's been a holding back if you will or or a denying of In relationships and what does it lead to leads to infidelity?

It leads to unfaithfulness It leads to all kinds of things. So if if we if we were to think of it just that way

That temptation has caused many To stumble and if you and I are not aware of it as a temptation

Well, then certainly we are going to be susceptible to that very temptation and that's something that you and I need to Be very careful of.

Okay. Let's look at another one. It's in Mark and you go to Mark chapter 4 for a minute and I want us to see

Okay. Yeah, so in the parable of the sower

And now remember they came in and the disciples came to Jesus said Lord Explain this to us because he had spoken it and he said to them in verse 13 of Mark chapter 4

Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all parables?

The sower sows the word and these are the ones By the wayside when the word is sown and when they hear

Satan comes immediately and Takes away the word that was sown in their heart.

There's a temp. That's temptation, isn't it? That's that's deception. That's and how many people

Would we if we really think about what's taking place? How many people have been?

Tripped up by the devil just over this very thing Where the word has been if you will snatched away

How many people that we know have come? Let's say come to church and they hear a message or they hear the

Word of God in one way shape or form whether it be a song through song preaching or teaching whatever it is and All of a sudden it's almost as if the slate is wiped clean.

It's been snatched away I remember there was a guy when I was working long long time ago

And I remember his name his name was Leo And Leo there was a small group of believers and Leo came and joined our group and he was thrilled

I mean he was fired up about the things of Christ and and then in in no time

It was like he never heard it again. He just Disappeared out of his mind and again

This is one of the tools that used by the evil one to accomplish that purpose to cause men to stumble to cause men to not only refuse truth but seek

Some other truth seek some other kind of of way to understand things

You see that a lot when people Scared into the faith

Yeah by sickness or by some kind of something that's happened in their lives, right?

and you know all of a sudden they're in church and Then all like I said all of a sudden you don't see it. You see that a lot you do really you're right and That is again an accomplishment of The evil one to not only snatch but if need be to Twist because in that what he did to Jesus in the wilderness half

God said and you should you should make this you should make bread come down for you because You have need for it.

And of course Jesus answered by the Word of God Yeah, you're right and how many people have done that how many people in a certain situation have

Sought God In one way or another until the need disappears

Right, and then when the need disappears Immediately the vacuum gets filled with something else

Right. I've always thought and you mentioned that I've always thought about this So maybe we can look at it just for a second.

I think it's Matthew 12. Just look in Matthew chapter 12 for a minute because that's something that takes place and I understand it this way and Maybe you will maybe you won't but in Matthew, I believe it's

Matthew chapter. Okay.

There it is. It's in Matthew chapter 12 go to Chapter 12 and verse 43.

It says when an unclean spirit Goes out of a man He goes through dry places seeking rest and finds none

Then he says I will return to my house from where I came and when he comes he finds it empty

Swept and put in order now. I think there's many people that seek to do that very thing

Right clean up their life Change their lifestyle if you will reinvent themselves

But guess what if Christ is not there then that Room is really still empty right you you can kick it how many times we've met people who have given up This thing to take up that thing.

And so all they really do is move from one Bondage to another bondage.

I think set free is like that. That's why there's so much turnover at set free Yeah, you're right.

A lot of stuff like that happens at set free. Yeah, and Actually again, I think he put this up last week and I've seen it not only at set free but in many other situations that when you're pressed

You're willing to Try to move forward, right?

But as soon as you feel as soon as the relaxation comes in you fall right back into the same hole and that's what it says because it says

He comes the evil spirit comes back and finds it put in order and then he goes and the first 45 is as scary as Could be then he goes and it takes with him

Seven more seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter and dwell there and the last state of the man

Is worse than the first so shall it So shall it also be with this wicked generation and I've always understood that as self -reformation instead of regeneration and that's

That is a deception that is a Way of undermining truth of God and causing people to Think that they have if you will been released from any kind of bondage that there is only to find themselves

Worse off than they were Then when they started Okay, the other one

I wanted to look at is in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2, let's take a look there

Again, I do think that we should not be ignorant because that's what it says In this chapter in 2nd

Corinthians chapter 2 and This is under the area of forgiveness, right and how?

How we should forgive those that offend us Okay and now it says

Paul says in verse 10 of 2nd Corinthians 2 for whom you forgive anything. I also forgive

For if indeed I have forgiven anything I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ Now look what he says in verse 11 less

Satan take Should take advantage of us because we're not ignorant of his devices so you see that there's a

It's like in a Proverbs it says there's a way that seems right to a man but the end thereof is the way of death and If Christ is not if we're not a union with Christ, we're open to all kinds of deceptions and all kinds of Devices and all kinds of trickeries and in that's why

That verse in 1st John chapter 4 there's 1st John 4 4 right

Greater is he that is what in us Because again

Satan is the power of the prince of the air Satan is the prince of this world and We cannot be so foolish as to think that We're exempt from temptation because we're not exempt

Matter of fact, we are the target right because you would think if Satan has deceived someone and Has him well in if you will in his grip, then why would he bother right?

because his Desire is to undermine the truth.

So someone's living in a false in a false way

Same happy If he could be happy, but I don't believe he could even be happy because he's there's no truth in them so but at the same time again, that's why

This yeah, but I'm gonna go back to it go to 2nd Timothy for a minute because I think this is where it kind of works out

Because What Paul says here in 2nd Timothy is is really worth our notice

All right, so it says in verse 24 of 2nd Timothy chapter 2 the servant of the

Lord must not quarrel But be gentle to all able to teach patient in humility correcting those who are in opposition if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth.

See there it is That's the deception is is to distort Undermine change

Deny the truth, but then it says and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil

Having been taken captive by him to do his will see

Why would Satan disturb someone who's living an ungodly life? Dude, that's why that's why these large churches like Joel stand in these churches man, because they never speak the truth

How do you blow up the Bible in these types of churches? They take the Word of God straight out of the church and then you got 30 ,000 people

On Sunday morning because people want to get their ears tickled. Also, that's a temptation. Yeah, and not only that but Somebody like Joel Osteen he uses the

Word of God Deceptive and and I think he's purposeful in his deception because you can't

Read something like we just read here and not see that There's an issue of sin is an issue of bondage and that people need to be released because one of the

Joel Osteen denies It's really original sin Like okay, we're just we're just off a little bit, but we're not really bound by Sin, well guess what?

And you're right and and that deception is Effective do you think about it

Satan's been deceiving people since the very beginning? he's going to continue to do that because his desire again is to undermine the truth, so Before we move on I just want to make sure

I clear Well, let me just ask us to go to Ephesians chapter 2 for a minute

Ephesians chapter 2 Just touch on this and then we're gonna then we're gonna start to talk about okay.

Well, what do we do? How do we handle this? How do we how do you fight an invisible enemy?

How can you do? those things and come away victorious, so Ephesians chapter 2 well known to all of us you have he made a you

Have he made alive who are dead and trespasses in sin in which you once walked according to the course of this world and According to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience again nothing better for the evil one than to have people live evil lives and Really the temptation would be towards more

To try to undermine the people of God than his own people Right.

And so again, we can't be ignorant to think that he's not going to trouble or seek to trouble us

And again, that's why I hold on to for first John 4 for greater is he didn't because if Satan Just think about this if if Satan had free reign our

World would have destroyed itself, right because he cares

For nothing that is right Nothing that is good. Nothing that is righteous.

Nothing that is holy. All he cares about is to Cause people neglect the truth system

I owe the Sun a couple of weeks ago. He came to the house and his girl crystal and they live together

And they want they want to be Christians and they want us to accept that Christians and this is not so wrong and and so he kept saying

But what about David David build this type of lifestyle and God was still with him and we kept saying

David Repentance David repented, you know the truth boy, and you just want to leave that door cracked so you can live this lifestyle

Yeah, it's and again a Half of truth is a whole lot, right?

And if you think about it with David David's life

Was ruined. Yes by what he did right and what did

God forgive him? Absolutely, did it cause not only David to suffer

The baby died yes, right and what happened to the kingdom

God took it from him and and all of a sudden Not took it from him eternally because God had made a covenant with him.

But uh, guess what? for generations and generations and generations, they suffered the consequences of David said yeah, and that's that's the thing.

Is that Satan doesn't mind a little truth But he minds the truth.

Yeah, and there's a big distinction between that and and again how many churches today are going to get

Some truth but truth mixed with error and I have always said this can can you

Agree if you take a drop of poison and you put it in a gallon of milk and You shake that gallon up.

Guess what? You got you got a gallon of poison, right? Yes, and so If he could deceive us

By just a little he's accomplished his purpose. And so again, how are we to handle all this?

How are we to deal with all this? How are we to? Recover ourselves

Or cover ourselves and certainly it's by the means of grace, right? Which is the

Word of God and faith and prayer and but I want to look so I think we're in Ephesians Go to Ephesians chapter 6 because to me, this is one of the best ways for us to fend off the wiles the deceptions the devices

That many times I can't even See coming.

How are we to deal with so in Ephesians chapter 6? Pick it up in verse 10 and we're just gonna read for a little bit and then maybe kicking around for a time

So finally my brothers or my brethren be strong in the Lord and the power of his might

And put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles or the deceptions or the temptations whatever way you want to Insert it that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood But against principalities against powers against the rules of darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in Heavenly places not only just before we continue.

Let me stop Dan mention this There is a I believe that the scriptures teach.

There is a government of evil. It's not just We need to think about it that the devil has a

Following if you will the devil has a Has servants by God's permission, but nevertheless this there's

Principalities, there's powers. There's rules of darkness. There's spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places and Would you not agree that some places seem to be?

more under the if you will the deception of the devil than other places

I Think that's one of the things that in America we kind of stumble with is because we think we're so Christian, right compared to what compared to a

Muslim country or compared to a place where The name of Jesus doesn't even get mentioned and so it almost seems as if there's areas of influence that seem to be more oppressive than other areas, but That in and of itself can be a deception too, right?

and the wild Devil has many tools in his toolbox, right? And if this one don't work, well that one will work

Many people go through financial stress and they come through it only to find themselves in some other kind of Stress right

Maybe it's relationship stress Maybe there's all kinds of temptations and the temptations will never cease as long as we're in the body

As long as we're here, we're going to be tempted. And so but I just wanted to mention that there is if you will a hierarchy of Or a government of evil activities and You Take it even from the

Gospels there was such a bombardment if you will and if we ever do get to that of demons and demonic activity in the

Gospels that seemed to Dissipate as you go through the book of Acts and into the epistles because I do think that there was a

A great battle that was being staged that had been prophesied from the very beginning even in the garden where it said that Deceited a woman would crush the head of the serpent

Or what a serpent whichever you like But that that activity had been building and building and building and then all of a sudden

Christ comes in the fullness of time He's manifest in the flesh and then all of a sudden it is like because if you read the

Old Testament There's not much mention of it. There is mention of it right because God was

Progressively teaching about it, but it in the Gospels in the in the time of Jesus ministry

There is this absolute bombardment of the things of darkness And as I said after the resurrection and after the

Ascension it seems to Not get as much attention although it does and you could think of the

Which I was going to look at but we don't need to look at we just talk about remember the whole thing in Acts chapter 5 when

Ananias and Sapphira and how they that was the beginning of the church and and they had sold their land and then they

Said they got this much for it when they really got that much for it And if you remember what

Peter says to Ananias, he says why has Satan filled your heart to lie unto

God He said and then he says wasn't it yours before you once you sold it

You could have done anything you want with it, but you lied and why is Satan filled your heart? So there was some of that and even with the sorcerer and some other things

But the epistle is really more of teaching Than activity, right?

And so certainly that's what Paul I think is doing here. So Getting back to that in Ephesians 6 therefore verse 13

Therefore in light of all this truth of the there is an evil one and he's he's limited but he's powerful and is even a government if you will of of evil therefore

Take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand so How are we going to handle?

the evil one Well, here it is Stand therefore having girded your waist with what truth

Having put on the breastplate of Righteousness having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace and above all take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery dots of the wicked one and Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spear which is the

Word of God and praying always With all prayer and supplication in the spirit and being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all saints and then

Paul adds Into it and for me so Paul wasn't exempt for him remember his his issue if you go back and you read through it and and he says that it was what was a messenger of Satan that buffeted him

And so Paul includes himself in this because Paul's not exempt from that and For me that utterance may be given to me that I might open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel

For which I am an ambassador in chains, and then I may speak boldly as I ought to speak

And so here we have if you will the armor of God, right and I always found it interesting just that at first reading it

That everything is made for Basically that the armor is made for moving forward

The arm is not really to protect having turned around and running backwards

That the things that we see here are things we need to use to move forward

Things we need to use to fight the enemy that's in front of us I'm not saying that there is an activity that takes place behind us.

But at the same time as Christians who understand the truth we need to press forward

Not backwards. And so again the whole armor of God truth

Have your feet shod and Take the shield of faith, which you're able to quench all the fiery dots

Helmet of salvation sword of the spirit. And again, the sword is used not only as a defense but as an offense again, if we're going to fight an invisible enemy

Then we're going to need some serious equipment Right because otherwise we're just gonna fall

You know, you've heard that saying If you don't believe in anything and if you don't believe in something you'll fall for anything

Right, and so many people are again Deceived into thinking that their lives are right and God expressly tells us what we need to quench the fiery dots and Yet for that how many people ignore this?

How many people how many people

Refuse to study the Word of God not just to study it so that you can

Articulate it or speak it but for ourselves right because again

There's temptation coming our way And how many of us who have kind of moved on would say?

Or getting a little bit towards middle age would say that we have been through some serious

Trials in our life, right and You younger people you're gonna have to face

Some trials that you have no idea gonna come your way and how you gonna do it.

I mean you can try to Work it out yourself But what if what if the trials that come your way is really a temptation to knock you off of the truth?

And away from the truth you're gonna need to have Faith you're gonna need to have the

Word of God. You're gonna need to be able to to pray you're gonna need to be able to to believe that God is

God is able like it says God is able to do what? Exceedingly abundantly above all we ask and think so it might not apply to you right now in your life but I will

I Will almost guarantee you You're gonna face some things that are really gonna make you

Uncomfortable as you get older, right? We've been through some trials

You guys have been through some trials brother George I know you've been through some trials and and then not not that you're

I'm not trying to single you out But but right

I mean we all Which really interesting is when Jesus was tempted by the devil if you remember in one of the two accounts

And I'm not I don't remember which one it is where it says After he tempted Jesus and Jesus resisted him by the

Word of God It says that he left him for a season and Isn't that the case with and that's that in and of itself can be a deception right that all of a sudden?

we are if you will lift it out of a great trial and we're cruising and It's going good.

And then all of a sudden we'd start to if you will take off the armor of God And then all of a sudden wham we get hit with something else and that's when we're when we are

When we're most comfortable is where I think many times we're most vulnerable Is when we begin to think got through that and what's next?

And and we talk about it a lot, you know, we've been together over 50 years and and and we've

We've had we've had our ups and downs and And you almost want to you almost want to say at times, you know what?

Man, I've been through a lot. I really don't need any more And God says yes you do

You need this and you need that and so again, I wanted to mention this because I really think that this is

Tremendously helpful for us and I'm not going to spend that much time on it other than to say that you and I should be able to Spend time in Ephesians chapter 6 there's been

Many many books written on the armor of God So now that you're in Ephesians and before our time runs out just go back to chapter 4 a minute

Because again, I think this is another way that we can handle it I'll just end it with this one in Ephesians chapter 4

As Paul's given instructions about grieving the spirit and different things

Look at verse 25 And Paul says this to the church Therefore put away lying and each one speak truth with his neighbor

For we are members of one another and be angry and do not sin and do not let the

Sun go down on your wrath nor give place to the devil nor give place to the devil or if you will an opportunity an opening and again in war

If you're on the battlefield, there's no timeout Right. The war is going to continue and the only way to survive is to be constantly prepared

Constantly to have on the armor of God because again If not, we'll be swept away and we'll give place to the devil and There was a song many years ago now remember

I used to It says the devil is like a searching wind Looking for a crack in your witness the devil is like a searching wind looking for a crack in your witness and And I think that's true if we give place in any one area

He's gonna come busting through right? So All the more reason that we need to be wary of not only his devices but of the defenses that God has given us and that we should be prepared that They're gonna come sometimes in this form

Sometimes in that form sometimes in a sweet song and sometimes in a hurricane, right just like We're starting to kick into the hurricane season and already there are people saying

I don't like the hurricane season and I don't like this and And it creates in people and anxiety, right?

Candy has a picture of me In the pool During the last hurricane.

I was in the pool swimming around and then I got out of the pool and She actually duct -taped me to the chair

Because I wanted to go back into the pool and she sent it to all the kids and said this is your father but again in that sense

We do not need to fear we need to be Sharp but we don't need to be fear.

We don't need to fear because Greater is he than it is us than he that is in the world. Okay, we might finish this next week

I think we probably would and then maybe I'll spend a few minutes on The activities and the demons and in the us particularly in the

Gospels and there's maybe one or two more scriptures I want to look at for How to handle it, okay, brother