Final Exhortation (1) - 05/08/2022

First Baptist Church Leominster

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For our New Testament reading, Dave is going to come up and read

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Ephesians chapter 6. You'll remember that last week we did not read chapter 5, so that's our reading for today.

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It's interesting also how close the Proverbs message was to this one.

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God knows what he's doing, doesn't he? Ephesians 5,

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Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.

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But sexual immorality and all impurity or recovetousness must not be named among you, as is proper among saints.

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Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

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For you may be sure of this, that everyone who was sexually immoral or impure, or who was covetously immoral or impure, or who was covetous, that is, an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

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Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience, therefore do not associate with them.

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For at one time you were darkness, and now you are light in the

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Lord. Walk as children of the light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.

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And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in unfruitful works and darkness, but instead expose them.

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For it is shameful even to speak of things that they do in secret, but when anything is exposed by light, it becomes visible.

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For anything that becomes visible is light, therefore it says, awake,

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O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you.

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Look carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise, but wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

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Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the

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Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the

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Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the

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Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always for everything to God the

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Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

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Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its

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Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

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Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

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Wives, excuse me, in the same way husbands should love their wives as their own body, he who loves his wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

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Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

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This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

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However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

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Let's pray. Father, we thank you for these readings that we have for each

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Lord's Day. We pray, Father, that there's great instruction for each one of us.

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Help us, Lord, to live our lives being imitators of our

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Lord. By the way we walk and talk, Lord, may we imitate him.

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So we thank you for these words, Lord, and we ask you to bless us as a church family and watch out for us as you have in the past.

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And Lord, we ask your blessings, may the Holy Spirit land and feed

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Jason this morning as he preaches the word, march over him, give him a clear message to your people,

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Lord, we pray in Christ's name, amen. Well, good morning again, everybody.

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Just to give you a little idea where we're going to be headed over the next couple of months, we're going to finish up the book of 1

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Peter. We've been going through that for quite a while. And then, so that's maybe two more weeks.

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And then after that, I'm going to do a very short series on sanctification, specifically

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I want to talk about moral purity, which is always a good thing to review. Then after that, we're going to jump into a series on the

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Ten Commandments, and so I'm excited about that one. It should be a good series. I'm looking forward to studying it.

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So we've got some good material coming up for the next couple of months.

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So please turn with me to the book of 1 Peter. For nearly two years now, we have been slowly picking away at this book, and this morning we reach

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Peter's final exhortation to his readers. By way of reminder, beginning in 1

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Peter 5 .5 and continuing to 1 Peter 5 .11, Peter has been exhorting his readers to live with certain attitudes.

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In verses 5 to 7, Peter reveals three attitudes that are essential for the church to practice.

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If the church is to accomplish and fulfill the purposes of the Lord God, then each one of these attitudes must be manifest in our individual lives as well as our corporate lives together.

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The first essential attitude is submission. Just as the elders of the church are called to be subject to the chief shepherd, the

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Lord Jesus Christ, so also is the church called to be subject to their elders.

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This means that the church should strive to obey and submit to her leaders.

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The Lord God has called the church to respect, to know, to appreciate, and to esteem her elders very highly because of their work.

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Because an elder's work is the Lord's work. The second essential attitude is humility.

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In this passage, Peter is calling each and every one of us, both shepherds and sheep, to exercise a humility towards one another.

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And more importantly, a humility towards the Lord God. Each and every one of us, regardless of our age, race, class, or gender, must put on humility as you would put on an apron.

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The attitude of humility must be a permanent fixture in our lives, so much so that it is easily recognizable in our lives.

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The attitude of humility should mark us out as those who belong to the

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Lord Jesus Christ. As slaves who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord God desires all of his people to be adorned with the grace of humility.

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And this means we are to act without selfish ambition. We are to act without conceit.

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We are not to think too highly of ourselves, but we must regard others as more important than ourselves, and we must live and act upon this truth.

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The third essential attitude is trust. If we are to exercise a true humility towards the

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Lord God, then we must wholeheartedly place our trust in him. If we are to exercise true humility, then we must wholeheartedly cast our anxieties upon him.

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We must cast all of our anxieties upon him. We must cast our worries, our fears, our discouragements, our despair, our questions, our pain, our suffering, everything that the world throws at you, we are to cast upon him.

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Because the Lord God cares for you. Our Father God desires that we fully trust in him.

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And this is what it means to walk in humility. It means that you will put your trust in the mighty hand of the

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Lord God. It means that you will put your trust in his providential care.

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In 1 Peter 5, verses 8 to 14, which is our text this morning, Peter continues this theme, and he concludes his letter by giving the church three more very important and very practical exhortations.

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Let's read the passage together. First Peter 5, verses 8 to 14.

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Be sober -minded. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

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Resist him. Firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

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And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

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To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. By Sylvanius, a faithful brother as I regard him,

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I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God.

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Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does

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Mark my son. Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

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In order for the church to accomplish and fulfill the purposes of the Lord God, not only must we be adorned with the attitudes of submission, humility, and trust, but we must also strive to be sober -minded and watchful.

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Verse 8. We must resist the devil. Verse 9. And we must hope in the

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God of all grace. Verse 10. This morning we're going to examine verse 8, being sober -minded and watchful, and then next week,

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Lord willing, we'll conclude this passage by looking at verses 9 through 14, resisting the devil and hoping in God.

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In order for the church to accomplish and fulfill the purposes of God, we must strive to be sober -minded and watchful.

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First Peter 5 .8. Be sober -minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

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Even though believers are called to cast all of their anxieties upon the Lord God, this command does not absolve us from our duty to remain sober -minded and watchful.

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Now these are two very significant commands, demonstrated by the fact that Peter has repeated them three times in this short little epistle.

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First Peter 1 .13. Therefore, preparing your minds for action, be sober -minded.

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Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

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First Peter 4 .7. The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be self -controlled and sober -minded for the sake of your prayers.

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And then again in First Peter 5 .8. Be sober -minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

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Well, what does it mean to be sober -minded? What does it mean to be watchful?

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And why are these commandments so important that Peter repeats them three separate times in this letter?

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Well, the literal meaning of sober -minded is not intoxicated. It means to be free from drunkenness or to be free from the effects of any other intoxicant.

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And Peter uses this term figuratively describing those who are free from every form of mental and spiritual intoxication.

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In other words, the sober -minded will not indulge or live in a state of passion or excess.

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Rather, the sober -minded will be calm and collected in spirit, self -controlled and well -balanced.

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This term describes those who are habitually temperate and restrained and lucid.

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The sober -minded are those who possess clarity of mind and discipline of thought. Implied in this term is a certain balance.

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The sober -minded are those who take time to think things through, not being subject to their fleshly desires or the whims, fads and corrupting influences of this world.

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A sober -minded person is a steadfast person, someone who is resolute and circumspect, someone who is walking wisely and carefully in this world.

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The sober -minded are discerning and they are able to judge things and they are able to make determinations, not by the rule of man but by the rule of God.

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The sober -minded are not influenced by the masses, they're not influenced by the world, they're not influenced by those who hold the greatest sway.

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To be sober -minded is to be understanding, temperate and faithful.

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It means that you will prayerfully and thoughtfully make your decisions with your mind based upon the principles that are found in the scriptures.

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Beloved in our lives, we must strive to be sober -minded. But we must also strive to be watchful.

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Well what does it mean to be watchful? The meaning behind watchful is to arise or to arouse, to arouse from sleep.

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The term literally means to be awake and in a spiritual sense this term is often used to describe someone who lives in a constant state of readiness.

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The term implies an intense, incessant and constant vigilance to be ready, to be on the alert against all forms of danger, all forms of attack, all forms of trouble.

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This term reminds me of a sentry who's keeping watch from a tower or a gate. A sentry is a soldier whose job is to stand guard and to prevent the passage of unauthorized persons or to watch for enemy movement or to watch for fires or any other activity.

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So, tell me, what good is a sleeping sentry? He's not good at all.

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What good is a sleeping Christian? The very same. First Thessalonians 5, 5 -8, for you are all children of light, children of the day.

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We are not of the night or of the darkness. So, then let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

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For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

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In contrast to those who are asleep, in contrast to those who are oblivious to the peril and the dangers that surround them, you, beloved, you are commanded to be watchful.

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You belong to the day and so you must always be watching. You must always be on guard.

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You must always be on high alert. Be watchful.

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Take heed. Give strict attention to, attention to your surroundings, your circumstances, lest through indifference or forgetfulness or apathy or drowsiness, some sudden destructive calamity overtake you.

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In other words, cast all of your anxieties upon the Lord God, completely trust in the

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Lord God, trust in His character, trust in His providential hand. But you must also be watchful.

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You must be diligent. You must impart maximum effort to be watchful, to be ready, to be alert.

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Why do you think Peter places such great importance and significance on being sober -minded and watchful?

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Look again at verse 8, be sober -minded, be watchful, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

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Now, think back for a moment to the overall context of this book. To whom is it that Peter is writing?

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Peter is writing to the elect exiles of the dispersion. Remember what that means?

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Peter was writing to the elect exiles that were scattered all throughout the

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Roman Empire and he was encouraging these persecuted believers to stand fast and to hold true and to entrust themselves to God and to do good, even in the midst of great suffering.

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Beloved, in this world, you are the exile. Before the foundation of the world, the

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Lord God chose you and He has temporarily placed you in this world to live for His glory, to live for His praise, to live for His purpose.

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Always remember, you do not belong to this world, you do not belong in this world, you're an exile, you're a stranger, you're a foreigner, you're an alien, you are a sojourner.

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In this world, we are temporary travelers who live and walk in dangerous and perilous lands and every day of our lives is lived in the enemy's territory and the enemy is constantly and actively seeking to distract us and to destroy us.

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Now I want you to notice something that is very significant. Look again at 1

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Peter 5 .8. Notice the very personal designation that Peter gives to the adversary.

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He is your adversary. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour you.

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You know, it's one thing to know that the devil is the adversary of God or that the devil is the adversary of the angels or of the church, but it is quite another to consider and reflect upon the truth that the devil is your adversary.

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The devil is my adversary. And I think this is why Peter thrice repeats these commands.

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Peter had firsthand knowledge of the reality of the circumstance and the world in which we live.

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Peter is speaking to us from his own personal experience. Think back to the night of the betrayal of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. After settling a dispute amongst the disciples, a dispute about which one of them was the greatest, the

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Lord Jesus Christ turned to Peter and said, Luke 22, 31, Simon, Simon, behold,

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Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.

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And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. This is quite a statement.

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Satan demanded to have Peter so that he might sift him like wheat. And the

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Lord God allowed it. Later on that night in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter was told three times by the

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Lord Jesus Christ to watch and pray that you might not enter temptation. And three times the

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Lord Jesus Christ returned to find Peter and the other disciples sound asleep. And it was at that very night that after Peter had miserably failed to watch and pray that he denied the

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Lord Jesus Christ three times. Indeed, the adversary was successful.

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He sifted Peter like wheat. Beloved, our adversary, your adversary, my adversary is the devil and he is a formidable opponent.

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Three times in the scriptures, he is called the ruler of this world. He is called the God of this world.

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He's called the prince of the power of the air. He's called the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

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He is the accuser. He is the slanderer and he is rightfully called the destroyer.

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You must never underestimate your adversary. Your adversary prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

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To devour literally means to drink down, to gulp down, or to swallow up completely.

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The goal of our adversary is not merely to wound, but to destroy, to devastate, and to utterly lay you to waste.

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The goal of Satan is to bring the children of God into spiritual ruin and destruction.

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In his book, Thoughts for Young Men, which is one of my favorite books, it's a short little read,

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J .C. Ryle remarked, your enemy is mighty. Your enemy is restless and your enemy is cunning.

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For nearly 6 ,000 years, he's been reading one book and that book is the heart of man.

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He ought to know it well and he does know it, all its weaknesses, all its deceitfulness, all its folly, and he has a store of temptations such as are most likely to do you harm.

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Never will you go to the place where he will not find you. Go into town, he will be there.

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Go into the wilderness, he will be there also. Sit among drunkards and revelers and he will be there to help you.

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Listen to preaching and he will be there to distract you. Your enemy is working hard for your destruction.

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You are the prize for which he is specially contending. Beloved, your adversary is deceitful and he is full of trickery, full of evil schemes, and his attack will not be so easily discerned.

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As a kid, I grew up watching cartoons, a lot of cartoons. And the devil was always portrayed as a mischievous troublemaker who wore a hooded suit, he had two horns, he had a thin black mustache that he would twirl between his fingers while laughing with a wicked, wicked laugh.

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He had a pitchfork and there was always fire surrounding him. This portrayal of the devil cannot be farther from the truth.

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The devil is not going to poke you with a pitchfork to make you stumble. The devil is a subtle angler and he has many wiles and many schemes to make even the godliness and holiest of men stumble and fall.

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Think for a moment about how a lion attacks. A lion slowly and stealthily sneaks up on his prey.

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And most of the time, the prey doesn't even know he's there. By the time the roar of the lion is heard, it's too late.

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The prey has been caught. The attack of the adversary, your adversary, is probably not going to be plain and obvious.

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It will be subtle, it will be camouflaged, it will be hidden, it will be disguised.

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Second Corinthians 11 .13, for such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

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And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

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So it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.

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Their end will correspond to their deeds. Beloved as exiles and strangers, as those who are temporary living in this world, a sober mind with watchfulness is absolutely essential.

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Our adversary does not play nice. Our adversary does not play fair. He does not play by the rules.

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Our adversary rarely shows himself for who he truly is. He wears many masks.

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He has many faces, many disguises. He may even appear to have your best interest in mind.

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But in reality, he is longing for your demise. He is longing for your destruction.

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Therefore, be aware of the schemes of the devil. Be aware of his strategies.

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Be sober -minded, be watchful, watch and pray that you might not enter into temptation.

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Because to live in a state of spiritual drunkenness, to live according to one's passions, to live without a well -ordered and disciplined mind, is to live your life in the crosshairs of the enemy.

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Just as it is to live in a state of spiritual slumber, or to live completely oblivious to the hazards and the dangers that accompany our great, great salvation.

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Beloved, do not be caught unaware. Do not be caught sleeping. But stay alert.

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Think about it this way. If a hungry lion was roaming the streets of your neighborhood, what would you do?

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Would you get drunk? Would you purposely dull your senses and dim your wits and then go out for an evening walk?

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If a man -eating lion was roaming the streets of your neighborhood, would you take a nap outside in the open, completely unprotected?

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If a hungry lion was on the loose, then you would be on the lookout. You would be on the alert for yourself, for your family, for anyone else in your neighborhood.

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Every single precaution would be taken so that no one would be injured or devoured.

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And beloved, it is the same with our spiritual walk. Every precaution must be taken.

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We must be careful. We must be on guard. We must be perpetually on the lookout against the schemes and attacks of our adversary.

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Well, what are some of the specific schemes that our adversary uses against us? What are some of the strategies that he uses that we need to be made aware of?

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Our adversary seeks to devour believers in a number of different ways. There's a great little book by Thomas Brooks.

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It's called Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices. And it was written in 1652.

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But it is an extremely relevant and excellent resource to learn about the strategies and the remedies of the attack of Satan.

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For example, Satan will often present the bait and he will hide the hook.

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Satan will paint sin with virtues colors. He will lead and encourage you to choose wicked company.

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He will constantly remind you of the difficulty of practicing spiritual disciplines. He will tempt you to rest in your own achievements and performance.

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He will exhibit the outward mercies, comfort, and successes enjoyed by those who are walking in sin and their freedom from outward miseries.

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He will present to you the crosses, losses, sorrows, and sufferings that daily attend those who walk in the ways of holiness.

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Now, these are just a few of his many devices. Beloved, we need to be sober -minded and we need to be watchful.

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In our fight against the adversary, in our fight against the spiritual forces of darkness,

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I have found it very helpful to learn from the example of those who have wrestled with these things in the scriptures.

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1 Corinthians 10, 11 through 12. Now, these things happen to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come.

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Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed, lest he fall. Paul writes that all of the

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Old Testament was written for our instruction. And so, let's let the scriptures educate us in the attack of the adversary.

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Sometimes, our adversary will attack us directly, as it was with the

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Apostle Paul. Paul, in the book of 2 Corinthians, Paul boasts about being caught up to the third heaven.

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He was caught up into paradise and he saw and he heard many wonderful things, things that cannot be told or uttered by man.

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2 Corinthians 12, verse 7. So, to keep me from becoming conceited, because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

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Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

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Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

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Paul was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble, to keep him from becoming conceited.

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The Lord God ordained a messenger of Satan to harass and afflict the

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Apostle Paul, to keep him from sinning. Sometimes, God allows you to suffer a direct attack of Satan for a positive reason, which is to keep you from greater sin.

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Other times, God may allow a direct attack from Satan for a negative reason.

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In Acts chapter 5, a man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira, they sold a piece of property.

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And do you remember what they did? They sold the piece of property, they laid the money down at the Apostle's feet, but they kept back for themselves some of the proceeds from the sale.

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Acts 5 verse 3, but Peter said, Ananias, why has

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Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?

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While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?

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Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man, but to God.

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When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard it.

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It was Satan who filled the heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit.

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And yet, it was Ananias who had conceived of this deed in his heart. You see,

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Ananias had already allowed greed and pride and wickedness to fester in his life.

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Ananias had already given Satan a foothold so that the Lord God allowed Satan to move right on in.

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And the result of Ananias' sin, God executed him and his wife as an example to the church.

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Do not lie to the Holy Spirit. Do not lie to the Lord God, or there will be great and dire consequences.

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Sometimes the Lord God will allow you to suffer a direct attack from Satan for a negative reason, to correct, to discipline, or to chastise you.

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Now, not only are we directly attacked by our adversary, but oftentimes we will also be attacked by him indirectly.

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Satan is called the God and ruler of this world, and at his disposal are all the things in this world.

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And he skillfully uses these things to entice us and to allure us into temptation and sin.

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1 John 2, verses 15 through 17. Do not love the world or the things in the world.

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If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the

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Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, along with its desires.

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But whoever does the will of God abides forever. According to John, every believer is susceptible to attack and failure in three different areas.

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The desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.

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To yield to any one of these desires is sin, and it will greatly hinder your walk with God.

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In the book of 2 Samuel, what was it that caused King David, a man after God's own heart, to fall into the sins of adultery, deceit, and murder?

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2 Samuel 11, verse 2. It happened late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch, and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing.

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And the woman was very beautiful. So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.

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What was King David doing on his couch late in the afternoon? He was probably sleeping.

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He wasn't with his army, who were off fighting the enemies of Israel. He was at home, asleep, late in the afternoon.

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King David, a man after God's own heart, and yet he fell victim to the desires of the flesh. He coveted

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Bathsheba, he sent for her, he committed adultery with her, and she became pregnant.

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David sought to cover up the sin, which eventually led to the murder of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the

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Hittite. Now who was Uriah the Hittite? He was one of David's mighty men.

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In the book of Joshua, what was it that caused Achan to disobey the clear command of God, and not keep the things that had been devoted to destruction?

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Joshua 7, verse 20. Achan answered Joshua, truly I have sinned against the

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Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did. When I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighting 50 shekels, then

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I coveted them, and I took them. Achan fell victim to the desires of the eyes.

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He disregarded the warning, he coveted the gold bar, 200 shekels of silver, and the beautiful cloak from Shinar, and he took them, which caused great trouble and disaster to the nation of Israel.

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In the book of 2 Chronicles, what was it that caused King Uzziah to disobey the clear command of the

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Lord, and stand in opposition and defiance to the 81 priests of the

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Lord? 2 Chronicles 26, 16. But when he was strong,

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King Uzziah, he grew proud to his destruction, for he was unfaithful to the

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Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

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But Azariah the priest went in after him with 80 priests of the Lord, who were men of valor, and they withstood

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King Uzziah, and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who were consecrated to burn incense.

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Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord your

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God. Then Uzziah was angry. King Uzziah fell victim to the boastful pride of life.

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When he was strong, then he grew proud, and he failed to keep the order that the

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Lord God had prescribed. And he was struck down with leprosy, and he was afflicted with leprosy to the day of his death.

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These ploys are all proven and dangerous satanic strategies. The desires of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.

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Sometimes, the attack of the adversary is so strong and so cunning, that we yield to all three of these desires at once.

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Think back to the book of Genesis. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Aside from the serpent's deception, what was it that prompted

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Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Genesis 3 .6.

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So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

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Eve saw that the tree was good for food, the desires of the flesh.

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Eve saw that the tree was a delight to the eyes, the desire of the eyes. She saw that the tree was desired to make one wise, the boastful pride of life.

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All throughout the scriptures, time and time again, well -meaning believers have fallen to this perfect storm of temptation, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.

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And you know what? This is still the strategy of the adversary. This has been his strategy all along, going all the way back to Genesis 3.

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The adversary has not changed or altered his methods one bit. And why should he?

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His methods continue to be tremendously successful. And beloved, this is the reason why

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Peter is calling upon each one of us to be sober -minded and to be watchful.

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Don't get fooled. Don't get taken in. Don't be deceived. Our adversary tempts us with the desires of the flesh.

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He tempts us with ease, with comfort, with fun, with carnal satisfaction, sensuality, pornography, gluttony, intoxication, and the like.

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Our adversary tempts us with the desires of the eyes. He tempts us with the beauty and the delicacies of this world.

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He tempts us with the accumulation of material possessions, money, houses, cars, boats, housewares, fashions, jewelry, technology, and all other manner of materialistic pursuits.

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Our adversary tempts us with the pride of life. He tempts us with our own selfish desire, our desire to be exalted, our desire to be served by others, our desire to be served as a

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God, our desire to think and to act out our wishes without any restrictions and without any restraints.

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Do you remember what it is pride does? Pride seeks to un -God

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God. Pride seeks to dethrone the Lord God and to throne self.

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Pride seeks to glorify and exalt self so that you and you alone reign supreme.

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Pride is seeking your worship. Pride is seeking your glory. Pride is seeking to conform all things to your will.

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The boastful pride of life has taken down many a man. But alas, the boastful pride of life is vanity.

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It is a life of futility. It is empty and it is vain without the

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Lord Jesus Christ. Do not fall for any of these schemes. Be sober -minded, be watchful.

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One of the greatest provisions that the Lord God has given to help equip believers to fight against sin and temptation is the armor of God.

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The armor of God isn't just a fun Sunday school lesson where you get to draw a picture of knights fighting and then take turns trying on plastic toy armor.

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Those of you who grew up in Sunday school class know what I'm talking about. The armor of God is what is provided for us and it is essential in our fight against sin.

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It is essential in our fight against the adversary. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

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For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

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Therefore, in light of these things, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm.

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Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

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In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.

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Praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints and also for me that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which

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I am an ambassador in chains that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak.

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Beloved, do not fall victim to the snare of pride. Do not fall victim to the desires of the eyes.

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Do not fall victim to the desires of the flesh. Put on your armor and never take it off.

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Remember, our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It's against rulers and authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

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So prepare yourself for this battle. Protect your thinking with the helmet of salvation.

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Protect your heart with the breastplate of righteousness. Protect your body from the fiery darts of the adversary with the shield of faith.

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Prepare yourself for action by cinching up the belt of truth and by putting on the shoes of peace.

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And then dig in. Dig in and stand firm. Stand your ground, draw your sword, keep alert, be watchful, be sober -minded.

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Well, aside from these two commands, to be sober -minded and watchful, is there anything else that we can do?

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How else are we to contend and fight against the alluring world system that Satan controls?

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How are we to fight and contend against the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life?

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How else are we to contend and fight against the attack of our adversary? These are good questions, which we will,

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Lord willing, address next week. Now, before I close, I want to make one point very clear, and this is really important to remember.

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Our adversary is a powerful and dangerous enemy, and he is not to be underestimated.

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However, he is a conquered enemy. At the cross, Jesus Christ defeated sin, he defeated death, and he defeated the devil.

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Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord over all, and beloved, you are in him.

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The Lord God will rescue you from every evil deed and bring you safely into his heavenly kingdom, 2

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Timothy 4. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell,

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Matthew 10. You are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world, 1

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John 4 .4. Beloved, there is no need to fear your adversary. However, you must be ready for his attack.

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So be sober -minded. Clear your mind of all the worldly distracting influence and think about things through the lens of Scripture.

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Be discerning. Be disciplined in thought. Be circumspect. Walk wisely in this world.

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Be watchful. Recognize that you are in exile and that you live right alongside the enemy in the enemy's territory.

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Recognize that the world is not your friend and the things in the world are not your friends.

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Recognize that the ruler of this world is seeking your destruction. He is seeking your destruction.

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So familiarize yourself with his snares, with his traps, and with his strategies.

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Stay awake. Stay alert. Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

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Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we recognize that we are completely unable to fight in this battle in our own strength.

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And Lord, we're thankful that you have equipped us so generously. You've given us the Spirit of God.

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You've given us the Word of God. You've given us the church. You've given us the armor of God. Help us,

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Lord, to utilize all of these things. We pray that we would not be spiritually dull, that we would not be spiritually asleep.

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But help us, Lord, to be awake. Help us to look at the world through this lens. Help us to walk in a manner that is pleasing to you.

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In all things, Lord, help us to glorify you. Help us to please you. We pray,

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Lord, that you would reveal to us areas of our life where we've surrendered to the enemy. We pray,

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Lord, that we would repent of these things, that we would turn away from them, and that we would turn to you.

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Lord, help us to take great comfort in you as our Father. Help us to take great comfort in being found in Christ Jesus, being identified in him.

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Help us to take great comfort in the fact that you've given us your Holy Spirit to convict us and teach us that he is our seal until we fully achieve salvation.

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Lord God, we thank you for this, and we pray that we would live it out in our lives. Help us, Lord, to be sober -minded.