Know Your Enemy: Remedies Against the Devil’s Devices (3) | James 4:7

Welcome back everyone. It's good to see everybody. I've been really looking forward to to today and And I'm just very excited about moving forward with together. I Wanted so I wanted to make a correction a few corrections from my sermon last week in my excitement I.

I.

Said that God had spoken to my wife and I when we got engaged and That wasn't. That wasn't quite true. I've never heard God speak to me in an audible voice. And so what I meant was that God showed us.

I do believe that God showed us providentially putting things together. Our house brought us Shea and I together and we We both basically saw that the Lord was working together us to bring us together in marriage.

So that's. I wanted to clarify that and also wanted to Make a little bit more clarification about the law and gospel distinction that I mentioned at the very end. So I had I had mentioned that The law and gospel distinction does not mean that every Single sermon needs to have an explicit gospel message in it.

Law and gospel distinction means that you make sure that you preach the law as the law and the gospel as the gospel and we don't confuse those two things and The in addition to that I Also wanted to just reemphasize that because we are also blessed and sanctified by all of Scripture all of God's Word.

Both law and gospel. Amen. If it's God's Word, it's sanctifying doesn't matter and.

And.

Also as our confession the London Baptist Confession explains in chapter 19 which is on the law section 7 Which reads the uses of the law for the believer are not contrary to the grace of the gospel but do sweetly comply or agree with it the Spirit of Christ subduing and enabling The will of man to do that freely and cheerfully.

To obey freely and cheerfully Which the will of God revealed in the law Require it to be done. So that's a very excellent summation of how the law is still a blessing to us as believers. We rejoice in God's law.

Amen. We now love it instead of hating it and rejecting it as unbelievers.

Do so.

Now with that said I want to go ahead and give another just a recap of what I preached on last week. And if you missed any of the previous sermons I do suggest that you go back and listen to them strongly because This is a series that has been building on all of the previous all of the previous messages so I encourage you to to listen to the previous ones and I want to remind us all in light of this series about the world and the flesh and the devil that This hard season I do believe this is a hard season, but it will pass it will pass.

Amen.

And.

We also we need balance and discernment when it comes to dealing with our not both our natural and our spiritual problems and enemies. We need God's means God's means of deliverance His remedies which I've called the six S's throughout the series.

Number one is scripture. Number two is sound doctrine. Number three is the sacraments of the baptism in the Lord's Supper for self-awareness and self-denial and five a sage counsel or wise counsel and six is spiritual warfare and Recall also that there is a sharp Transition and substantial differences between the old and the new covenants that need to be accounted for.

Especially when dealing with our enemy the devil ultimately wants to steal kill and destroy you us your family and your legacy and the church. And even though Christ came to destroy the works of the devil and one back dominion from the devil we ourselves nevertheless still sin and Can give the devil an opportunity to mess with us and to exploit us.

He can also exploit us to mess with others if we are not careful. We do not guard ourselves and now I've been I Started describing specific apps aspects of what the devil is and what and does and laying out some strategies and remedies to fight against him and his devices and Of course as a precursor I want to continue to encourage us to memorize and To put on the full armor of God according to a fee Ephesians 610 through 17.

Very important to Soldiers to prepare ourselves for warfare the warfare that we are engaged in. And I mentioned that number one. The the first thesis was that the devil is not dumb. The devil is not dumb.

Do not underestimate the devil because we need to know How to interpret the Bible correctly in order to rightly understand it Ourselves and our enemy and to rightly apply it to ourselves and our issues and situations.

And we also need like God's Word says pastors and teachers to instruct us In the analogies of scripture and the faith the law and gospel distinction confessions and Catechisms and so on to be like Jesus and to do like he did to have a comprehensive understanding and world view of God's view of everything.

Amen. Number two was that the devil uses means he uses means because he is not a fool. He is not dumb. He often uses people and usually unbelievers. But also misguided or ill-prepared believers with unresolved issues as well as false teaching in order to foster Natural conflict and enemies in our lives in order to distract us from our real enemies.

The three on the unholy trinity right the world the flesh the devil so we must discern with spiritual eyes to look past the natural means that the devil often uses and Adopt a zero tolerance policy against the devil in our in our lives and in our homes whatever area of dominion we have Including the Jezebel spirit of feminism, which I covered the previous Lord's Day.

The Devil Knows and Exploits Your Specific Weaknesses

So now this brings us to our third thesis today Which is extremely important The devil knows all of our specific weaknesses and he exploits them. Because the devil is a tempter All of them he knows all of some in some cases he may knew you he may know us better than we know ourselves.

He is fully aware of our weaknesses. He is vicious and he fights dirty. Don't expect the devil to play nice or fair.

Right.

Because like a roaring lion, he seeks constantly someone to devour. Especially believers. According to first Peter 5 8 He wants to steal kill and destroy you everything that God made everything that comes from God He wants to destroy it.

And so what this means, what does this mean? Then what this means is that if you have struggles with specific sins, whether it's alcohol.

Pornography.

Something from your upbringing that has caused a a trauma or or a deficiency in your life. Any of these struggles these what what what theologians have called besetting sins that plague us. We need to be Take be mindful to properly address.

Especially those all sin, but especially those sins that we struggle with. And we all have we all have one major weak spot we all have this and It's one of the three enemies the flesh. Amen, we all have The flesh to wrestle against because we are still living in unredeemed bodies.

We have not been resurrected yet. And while our spirits may have been regenerated and glorified in Christ been restored in Christ So that we are our spirit is our spirit man is good our inner man is good, but our flesh is still Evil our flesh still tempts us to sin.

So.

Remember now that the devil Conspires with the world to attack us through our flesh. Especially through our senses our five natural senses sight taste.

Hearing.

Touch all of those five senses and We. So it's important for us to take heed to what scripture says and to what very sound theologians of the past Who warn us that sinful temptation is often?

Sensual.

Because it assaults our senses. That's what sensual means. It's through your senses, right? Amen. So Augustine for example from the early church in the 300s Teaches us that there is in each man a serpent and Eve and an Adam.

Our senses and Natural propensities are the serpent. The excitable desire in us is the Eve and Reason is the Adam. Our nature tempts us perpetually or constantly. Criminal desire or sinful desire is often excited Through Eve or represented by Eve, but sin is not completed till reason consents.

To do it.

So even though this is not a proper interpretation of Genesis of the Genesis creation account because it is imposing a metaphor for human nature and behavior. Which is not in the text. Okay. This is a form of is a Jesus.

But it nevertheless is a good application of something that is in fact true. This is true our fleshly desires. Regularly tempt us towards harmful or sinful thoughts words and deeds or actions. Right, and so we must constantly struggle fight a battle against sin and our flesh every Single day like I read last week that we are called to die daily to self die daily and That is we we know that the devil attacks our.

Well, okay, so how then does the devil attack our flesh our senses. That's an important question to answer. Now remember that the devil uses means. Right. He uses means and these are means that we that are before us every single day like social media Facebook Instagram all of those platforms entertainment music movies.

Including some so-called Christian quote-unquote entertainment and music. And worldly people With or people with unresolved issues including believers to entice or Tempt us and our flesh to tap into our past weaknesses trauma failures and besetting sins.

The devil wants us crippled and to fall into a pattern of sin in order to break us and kill us. Social media for example is Highly we need to be aware of these things. I mean we need to be aware of how think how we react to things and what effect these things have on us.

Social media is highly conducive to narcissism to pride to arrogance to how many likes you can get. How many friends do you have. How good do you look on your pictures? Vanity vanity of vanities like the preacher says in Ecclesiastes.

And folly utter folly and foolishness. I can't tell you how many times I was I Was I attempted to and got so caught up rebuking fools on Facebook who claim to be Christians? And I had to step away. I had to step away from that and just Guard my my time and be mindful of setting healthy boundaries around these things which tempt us.

It really it reminds me. Social media today reminds me a lot of Vanity Fair in pilgrims progress. If you've read that if you haven't read that I highly recommend I commend that work to you because the temptation is everywhere there and Remember also regarding music the golden calf incident in Exodus 32 Where the devil ushered in idolatry and rebellion to the Israelites?

Through music Revelry which or wild partying and entertainment. He used all of those means because remember when Moses came back. He thought it was hearing the noise of war. But he was hearing music when he got closer.

He realized it was music. They were Moshpitting they were having a rock concert and a wild party. Worshipping an idol because the devil was a musician up in heaven prior to his fall. So Take heed once the devil and His minions gain a foothold in our lives through these means he can and will attack.

And.

Invade and attach himself.

Even.

Like a spiritual parasite. This can happen to believers as well. Not just unbelievers It also can happen to believers. Which is why God frequently commands us to resist the devil and not give him any foothold in our lives according to Ephesians 4 27.

Amen we must Resist and with that in mind. I want to commend you. I want to commend to you another one of John Bunyan's important classics that is not as well known as the pilgrims progress, but it is called holy war.

Holy war. It's actually about a town called Mansoul. Get it soul of man. The town was built for the glory and enjoy and enjoyment of El Shaddai or God Who in its wickedness? forsakes their king for Diabolos.

Diabolos the devil the devil. Now one very fascinating thing That Bunyan does in this work is that the town of Mansoul has five Sense-gates around it. They are the means to enter Mansoul. It is eye gate ear gate mouth gate feel gate nose and nose gate.

So this is very good stuff. Bunyan was tapping into something powerful here. He recognized that sin is sensual. Sin is sensual and we must guard our senses which are a part of our flesh Against sin. So what is the remedy?

For.

For all of this for for these attacks in the in our flesh and all of this stuff and Lord willing I'm going to build more on the flesh that our last enemy in the in the next sermons, but the remedies are that.

This these S's are for self-denial and self-awareness that is key self-denial and self-awareness and also to be self-aware of yourself of your weaknesses and. Do not tempt yourself. Have some sense.

Have good spiritual sense of what your weaknesses are so that you do not tempt yourself. Some things may not be sin for others But they if they tempt you to sin, you need to stay away from them completely.

Okay, do not play with fire Because you're going to get burned. Amen.

Now.

First Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 19 to 22 says do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies but examine scrutinize examine all things. Test all things including yourself. Which 2nd Corinthians 13 5 also tells us?

Amen, we must examine everything including ourselves and to hold fast to that which is good. And this is key. Listen to this. This is important to abstain from Every form of evil even the appearance of evil.

We are called to abstain abstinence. Remember they used to teach sexual abstinence in schools. Now, they don't even bother to teach that abstinence means to stay completely away from. Completely away from don't even tempt yourself.

Run away from it. Stay away from it. Keep your distance from it if it looks bad or You know, it will cause you to struggle or stumble. Don't even go near it much less do it.

Amen.

Keep a healthy distance then from these means that the devil uses to get a foothold in a lot in our lives like social media. Especially if it causes you to stumble.

So.

And I'll share this with you as well, even though I got off of it years ago I still sometimes Stumble a little bit and I get I get caught up in these feeds and it's just Pump pumping your senses with one video after another after another and it's just it sucks you in.

Those those devices these meet these media video games. All of these things are designed to suck you in and to make you an addict addicted and codependent to those things. But we are called to be not under the influence of anything except God's Spirit.

Amen.

Now as for entertainment and music turn with me now to Psalm 101. Psalm 101 We're gonna start in verse 2 and Psalm 101. Starting in verse 2 God's Word says I.

Will walk.

Walk very Patel. This is walk lifestyle within my house in the integrity Blamelessness of my heart. I will set hear this hear this carefully. See this carefully. I will set no vile wicked or worthless thing before my eyes or ears by extension before my senses.

That's what he's getting at. I Hate the work of those who fall away. It shall not cling to me. A Crooked heart shall depart from me. I Will know no evil. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor him I will destroy Whoever has a haughty or proud look and an arrogant heart.

I will not endure my eyes. Shall be upon the faithful of the land that they may abide with me. It's just like scripture says in Colossians set your mind on not on earthly things, but on heavenly things.

Amen.

Spiritual things of God. He who walks in the way of the blameless is the one who will minister to me. He who practices deceit on the other hand shall not dwell within my house. He who speaks lies shall not be established before my eyes.

Amen. So as you can see God's Word is emphatically categorically universally clear. The Lord commands us to be strict with our time and Our entertainment what we set before ourselves. When we turn the TV on when we turn the music on when we watch a movie all of these mediums Scripture says very clearly.

I will set no wicked no vile. No worthless thing before my eyes.

And.

Not allow it in my house.

So.

We need to carefully go Through our meat through our entertainment. What do we spend our time doing? How do we entertain ourselves? Are we entertaining ourselves? We we need to examine ourselves. Amen.

Are we entertaining ourselves with ungodly? Means or entertainment. We may need to fast forward skip ahead change the channel or just turn it off.

Amen.

Now also. Another important remedy is to fast and pray when you should and when you need to.

Okay.

Especially when you're having trouble resisting temptation or controlling your appetites. When you're lacking self-control when you struggle with self-control. Fasting and prayer is very important remedy.

Remember Jesus did not say if you fast he said when you fast Amen, Matthew 6 16 in a sermon on the Mount. Remember also we like the Apostle must die daily. In 1st Corinthians 15 31 we must deny ourselves our flesh daily.

Take up our cross daily and follow Christ in a life of sanctification and holiness. Abstaining from evil. There's the positive right? There's obeying God positively and obeying God negatively by mortifying putting to death sin in our lives abstaining from evil and from sin completely.

1st Corinthians chapter 9 verses 26 through 27 also says. Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim or purpose. I box in such a way as not beating the air not beating nothing. There's a purpose but I discipline my body my physical body and Make it my slave.

I Become its master. So that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified. Paul is talking about denying himself denying his flesh and Those part of those means of denying ourselves is fasting and prayer, okay?

We must also Be considerate of others weaknesses. Both unbelievers and believers and not cause them or tempt them to stumble and To see what the Lord says about that. Let's go to Romans 14 in chapter 3, I'm sorry Romans 14.

Verse 13 starting in verse 13 in Romans chapter 14 verse 13, so I'm gonna read verses 13 through 15 and then jump over to verse 21. Therefore God's Word says let us not judge one another anymore. But rather judge this not to put a stumbling block or offense before a brother.

I Defiled in itself. But to him who considers anything to be defiled to him it is defiled. So he's saying just even though it may not be sin. It may be sin to others. That's what he's saying. For if because food or if before if because of food your brother is grieved you are no longer walking according to love.

It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine or listen or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. Amen now turn back to Romans 6 with me and we'll finish. Capturing here what what God's Word says on this on this issue.

Well in Romans chapter 6 verse 15 through 16. What then shall we sin or continue to sin because we are not under law, but under grace. May it never be.

Never.

Do you not know when you that when you go on presenting? Yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience. You are slaves to whom the one you obey. Either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness.

Very clear.

So.

If we present our members to temptation and to sin it will lead to Disobedience to sin into death. That is why scripture tells us not to do those things. Do not give the devil an opportunity especially through your flesh your senses.

Remember also then that's this is a very important principle of the strong man that we now need to turn to in Mark chapter 3. It's the principle of the strong man. That the Bible refers to that Jesus the Lord Jesus refers to if we turn to Mark chapter 3 starting in verse 23 in the gospel of Mark God.

And the gospel says starting in verse 23. And he Jesus called him to himself and began speaking to them to the crowd in parables. How could in fact he was speaking to his accusers because they were accusing him of being possessed by a demon.

And Jesus responds. How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom is divided against himself that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided it's against itself that house will not be able to stand.

And As and if Satan rises up has risen up against himself and is divided he cannot stand but he is finished. This is an important principle to keep in mind after service when I make the the announcement.

Okay, keep this passage in mind. But no one can enter the strong man's house. Listen, this is important. And plunder his property unless he first binds or Captures the strong man and then he will plunder his house.

Very important lesson that Jesus is teaching us here. One of the devil's easiest and most effective devices is to attack the family.

By.

Creating dysfunction.

Abuse.

Trauma abandonment Rejection and Many of those things in our upbringing in our youth in our childhood in order to make it haunt us for the rest of our lives to cripple us and Also to make it a generational curse to pass it over to our children if we if we don't deal with those issues those are unresolved.

If those issues are unresolved we need to deal with them and Get deliverance from them and ask the Lord to free us from those burdens and from those trauma and abuses in our youth. All of us have had some form of dysfunction or abuse or trauma or worse all of us.

We live in a fallen world. Amen. Our parents were not perfect. Even if our parents were believers. We still can. The devil can still gain an opportunity and gain a foothold in our lives. Especially when we're young because that's when we're most very vulnerable.

The youth are the most vulnerable and The devil feeds off of these various kinds of dysfunction. He loves it because it gives him a foothold in your life. It gives him an opportunity to mess with you and to change your your your your legacy to cripple your legacy.

So it's very important to understand this principle. What this also illustrates. There's a spiritual lesson that has consequences in the natural. Because this is what I basically call the fatherless syndrome.

The the fatherless syndrome, which is very rampant today in our time. Because what happens when the father is not there is not in the home. He is either there. But he is not actually present being actively a father and guarding his family and raising them up in the ways of the Lord.

Or he's just simply not there. You were a bad you were abandoned. When that happens. Fatherlessness is one of the most common problems in our society today. And it is the reason for so many of the ailments in our society fatherlessness.

Because God is our father. Fathers are important fathers affirm us. They give us our identity and that when we lack a Father we lack an identity and we look for it in other places where we shouldn't. It creates a deficiency and we start looking for other idols.

Other other people to worship and other idols to and to to validate ourselves. That's why I'm enjoying gangs and women become very sexually deviant because they want a man to affirm them. So it's very important this and that's what scripture is talking about when the when the strongman is bound.

Or taken out of the home. That leaves everybody else vulnerable including the wife the spouse. So, but we must remember we must remember that we have a father in heaven. Amen, who is a father to the fatherless?

He is our father so any of the if you did go through those deficiencies if you did go through those struggles there is an answer.

Amen.

Jesus is the answer. Our father is the answer and the church is the answer. The church provides for those means you didn't. You may not have had a father but they're strong men in the church that can help.

That can help to model that and help to mentor us and To help us to come out of that abuse or that trauma if the devil now. Okay, so this this means. So if you do if you did struggle with fatherlessness This can make you More susceptible to attack if you are not careful Because that were in the home.

The father is a protector when the father is removed or incapacitated or taken out that leaves the family also Spiritually vulnerable to the devil and so you have to be extra careful with what you what you expose yourself to.

That.

You can be extra sensitive to those things Whereas those of us who did have fathers may not have had that weakness. And so we can we're able to withstand a little bit more. So we have to guard ourselves be aware of these things so that you can Guard yourself and seek that deliverance that we need to be truly free in Christ.

Now.

This is important if the devil does gain a foothold and attacks us. Which has been going on in our church this very hour. It happens even to believers. It may require spiritual warfare deliverance and Exorcism if necessary to kick him out of our lives.

Okay, this is not something to be afraid of. This is a means God has given us to set us free from demonic oppression. Okay, and do not be deceived and do not be scared by what you see in horror movies and do not watch horror movies.

Please that is the worst thing you can do. One of the worst things you can do that. Those are channels for the devil.

So.

Because horror movies exaggerate the power of evil. They make evil look overwhelming because they want to scare you they want to make you feel like there's no there's no way out and They minimize or Completely would deny the power of God and the authority that believers have in Christ.

Amen.

So.

Therefore Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man Because of our flesh. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.

He won't allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation will provide a way of escape also so that you will be able to endure it according to 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verses 12 through 13.

So the Lord always provides a way out. But we have to take hold of it. He always gives us a parachute when we struggle through temptation. He doesn't promise us to keep us away from temptation. Jesus was not Taken from temptation.

He was tempted more than anybody out more than anybody ever has been. But he trusted God and he relied on the Spirit to be To to to be delivered from the devil and his temptations.

Now.

Of course the gospel itself is the most foundational remedy and a Powerful reminder of how Jesus Christ was rejected and abandoned. He himself was rejected and abandoned. He himself experienced fatherlessness because the Lord turned away his face His his right hand of blessing and he poured out his wrath by his left hand of cursing in our stead.

Why is that so that we could be accepted and embraced by the Father? Amen.

Because.

He was despised and forsaken he was rejected by men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and Like and like one from whom men hide their face. He was despised and we did not esteem him. But surely our griefs he himself bore in our sorrows he carried in His life and on that cross.

Yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken smitten of God and afflicted. But he was pierced through for our Transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace fell upon him and by His wounds we are healed.

Amen.

That's from Isaiah 53 verses 3 through 5. That's why they call Isaiah the fifth gospel powerful prophetic promises. Gospel indicatives all jam-packed in this chapter and in the book of Isaiah. So by his wounds we are healed from fatherlessness.

And all of that trauma that abuse that rejection all of it. We are healed by his stripes by the gospel most foundational of all remedies.

Amen.

Now.

Wow, this gets me this just gets me so Excited. Our God is an amazing God.

Now.

Bad Company, Isolation, and the Means of Grace

Thesis number four. The devil seeks to ensnare you With bad influences and to isolate you in your weakness. Just like a lion where if you've ever seen those nature shows when you see a lion hunting its prey it's just like a lion who goes after the weakest or Injured animal in the herd that's falls behind that gets away from the pack.

That's who the devil tries to go after first in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verses 33 to 34. We read. God's Word says do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals. Watch who you hang out with who you spend time with.

Become righteously sober minded and stop sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. Stops it. Literally. That's what the word says. Stop sinning do not sin and I forgot to mention as well. I Need I need to.

I need to clarify a little bit. The issue of demonic possession as believers. We are not fully we can never be fully possessed by the devil because we are been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ but if we have unresolved issues, the devil can still attach himself like a parasite and He will burrow himself and cause you to sin and to stumble.

So that may require spiritual deliverance. Okay, it's not it doesn't. It's not necessarily in the movies. Where the head is spinning around and you you're climbing up on walls not now that does happen.

I'm not denying that slithering like serpents, but that's typically with unbelievers. Okay, but we just need to be mindful of. The enemy the enemy can invade us he can attack us. We are not completely immune from that now.

Proverbs 18 verse 1 says he who separates himself he who isolates himself seeks his own desire. He breaks out in dispute against all sound wisdom. It is so important. To not isolate ourselves or to not expose ourselves to bad influences.

The Bible is very clear. The word is very clear. What's the remedy then? For for isolation and for bad influences. The remedy is obviously to abstain stay away from the bad influences and. Also, and this includes books that we read too as well.

Obviously just you know that that that's. All of that is included but We need God's means of grace. God's means of grace. These S's now are for Scripture preached faithfully the sacraments the Lord's Supper baptism and sage and wise counsel fellowship.

Mentorship counsel in other words congregate. Fellowship with God's people go to a sound church and fellowship because we need each other. Humans are social creatures. What's that? You know this this will happen to everyone at some point when you isolate a human being.

Especially like what happens in solitary confinement when you isolate a human being for extended periods of time. They will go either insane or kill themselves. Because humans are not designed to be In isolation we are social creatures the Lord has made us to be a community a communal people a Fellowship of people because we are the church.

Amen. Even the world loves its own. Even the world loves its own.

Bad.

What's the saying? Gosh, I forgot the saying. A little leaven leavens the whole lump that sin loves bet. What what is that? Well, that's one. Yeah, but yes, that's true one rotten apple spoils a bunch but also.

The.

Sin loves company. Sin loves company. You know your old friends that are not saved and they'll they'll try to Lure you back into their your old ways of sinning and whatever else you all did, you know, so.

Very.

Important now I had successes now. I have three ours. Okay, this just this just. I didn't do this on purpose. It just kind of worked out that way. Number one refuse to be a victim number two repent and number three be.