916. The Tactics of the Devil

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927. The evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today. That tradition continues with fervent preaching from the University chapel platform today on The Daily Platform were continuing a study series entitled our ancient foe, which is a study of Satan. The reality of his presence and how Christians can be victorious against him. Today's message will be preached by seminary professor Dr. Jason Ormiston and the title of his message is tactics of the devil going take your Bible and turn over to Genesis 3 Genesis chapter 3 were to look at the tactics of Satan. Understanding our ancient foe and as we understand who Satan is in and what this means to us were right, were challenged by the fact that he is according to Scripture considered the Prince of the power of the air. According to John 1231. He's an accuser of the brethren. Revelation 1210. He's a tempter ready see that Matthew four first Thessalonians, three, five, and he's a great deceiver and were to see how he deceives his very name Satan means adversary, another of his titles. The devil means slandering. So what does Satan use to get at us as believers. I thought of three general categories just introduce this concept. Satan is one who possesses.

He's one that oppresses and then he is obsessed. He obsesses over something, but that's not my outline. This is an introduction and I want to relate with you. My own experience with demon possession demon oppression and his massive obsession over trying to write God's plan is around 15 years of age and when on a series of bus calls which meant you knocking on doors in the middle of the inner city trying to reach people for Christ and encourage them to come to your church that was there with my good buddy who is now evangelist's name is Dwight Smith. We were knocking on doors, talking to people. We came to a split level home. I went to the bottom floor. He went up to the top of the steps as I knocked on the door.

I was introduced to a gentleman in complete Gothic attire. She had a nice sized black goatee that was pointed and he quickly introduced himself by high and he gave me his name. He said come on in. This is give me a great opportunity to talk to some. I think he's already inviting me and I don't even have to convince them that I want to talk with you and he invited me and as I started to look around the black candles everywhere and did I see correctly yeah back over there against the wall. There is a dead cat upside down. What I want to come on in and said, that cute his room back here you will you a Bible man I said yeah on the Bible. Man, I am not feeling this will not start back out into the God he started to look at me and he started on Satan be with the Satan be with the weird and actually said like this. Go go go go and we walked out and he kept following, as I didn't really know what was going on to a very weird look in his eyes and obviously something weird was going on in the house wasn't until later on in pastoral ministry at family Baptist Church.

We are having all night prayer vigil, which meant you prayed all night because you really move you want to see God move in a particular way. See actually get serious about this thing called being a Christian and actually praying next the calling God to change things because he's the only one that can really change you and me and where around three in the morning praying and singing, praying the lights of the church building thereon, and in the back door walks a lady and she had an assortment of different things going on with her hair and piercings and all sorts of stuff and she had a weird look in her eyes and a very low voice. She says stop doing that. Stop praying and she starts disrupting it would be like someone coming in the back doors here of FMA and start yelling at all of us. But don't worry were covered. I'm confident that the security would take care of that. But in this case, no security team on on board were to start on low. She's pretty upset and so I did my pastoral duty went back there, three in the morning I went and try to talk to her and she kept going things that we gotta stop praying. You gotta stop premium subduing the Satan is not happy with you is in a very low cryptic voice and there was a feeling that came over me like there's not something not right here to the crazy look in her eyes that I mentioned that already. That's demonic.

What I would say possession, demonic oppression was in Haiti in 2012 by this little nugget of truth shared with me. I was sent to preach on Sunday morning or Saturday night were there with the mission team wherein Jock Mel and I one of the grads from Bob Jones is the pastor of the church, their pastor, D invited me to preach on in the morning, there's the first service started at six in the morning six in the morning. So hot there no air conditioning, and people showed up at six in the morning and several services and he said, and by the way Jason just a little word of encouragement to you since the earthquake in 2010 every single service that I preached and someone has come to Christ see in the morning. Mike got great to break the chain near running and I'm not on the bunk bed and it's like really hot and I have beat all over my body, which is the really great bug repellent type stuff. There's mosquitoes everywhere salamanders on the wall. The electricity went off and so no longer a fan and I hear noises in the the field behind me and people screaming and I felt this deep darkness set over me. I mean, thick darkness, like you can do this, you're wasting your time. You got nothing to say.

I got really scared. This is recently the sixth 2012, but you know I give you three occasions.

The Satan always bring a product apart across my path. The demon possessed person. Again, I'm speculating, thinking the demon possessed. You can argue with me on that. But you'll be wrong and the oppression that is thick and heavy in sight.

You know something's not right. Michelle usually operates usually operates by taking you and taking me and distracting us or tempting us because his great obsession is to stop God's plan and it starts all the way from the beginning, stopping the line of Christ, taking as many people to hell as possible.

That's what he wants to do and if he can't get you to hell with him than what he wants to do is to get you distracted to the church is useless in bringing glory to God in reaching people for Jesus. That's what is going after some outlook in Genesis 3 with me want to look with.

I want to look together at his his method of trying to get us distracted. Do I want to know she's alive. She is active. He's wandering is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Gotta take them seriously. You gotta arm yourself with the full armor of God, and as you do this, you're still gonna face all sorts of challenges and I think the fall Genesis 3 verses one through six with teachers through this together. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made any set of the woman JF God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden and the woman said in the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest you die in a certain set in the woman you shall not surely die for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat want you to understand his tactics. The first thing he does is he creates doubts and I want you to know that this is found in first John chapter 2, 15 and 16.

If we stop loving God.

We start loving the world we are fair game for him to go through the whole process of deception restarts without my watch and noticed that in found in these first couple verses. Verses one through three now not to break down things that I've already with many be broken down in class about the serpent and what he's doing and how he was. This beautiful being in any and Eve is talking to an animal and how weird is that infected all the animals talk were not talking about that right now, which is looking at what Satan said through the serpent and how it relates to you intimate notice she makes us this question that produces doubt, J, hath God said, you shall not either retrieve garden only goes first is after God's word. Want to know that he's coming after you is come after me.

His tactic is to get you to doubt the truthfulness.

The authority of God's word. That's why it's so important that we know the word and that were able to say with great joy.

There are no contradictions, just apparent contradictions. No inconsistencies, just apparent inconsistencies. We can trust God's word. Yet Satan wants to go after his word and whether or not you believe it is the way God says it, he says you shall not eat of every tree of the garden did God really say that in fact she doubts her understanding because he's going after this idea of first. Can we really trust God's word.

Second of all our human interpreting it correctly. Any why do we have so many denominations anyway. I do that all the time. There's only one Bible, there should be only one interpretation.

My and I want to understand that in the end, when we see him face-to-face. There is only one interpretation and word all be held accountable for that and we all don't get it right in every place.

I know that for sure now if I did it wrong. I want to get it right when I can stand here telling you that there are a lot of denominations out there a lot of opinions but we need to come back and understand that God never got it wrong, we can trust his word (a trust that we need to read it.

We need to know it and if you're sitting there saying I don't know if I have enough knowledge will I have good news for you as you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ. He gives you the Holy Spirit living within you to help you understand the word. He is the best teacher will ever have. So stop saying I just don't have that education I don't know if I can believe in it.

Here's the next one.

So he creates doubt and by the way, before I move on to next month. He does it with you right now in the middle of the semester, causing you to doubt what am I doing here why am I still here. This was a bad choice.

I shouldn't be here. I should be back home. I shouldn't be in this particular situation.

There's a better way to get to doubt all that stuff don't buy into it. He's going after you. That's his tax those the next one. Denial. This is found in this next series of verses. Verses four through five. He says, and then the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die. The notice we have a response by even verses two through three and I am going to come back to that again and I can repeat what we talked about with many of you in Old Testament messages. Why does Eve seem to add a little bit to what we found in chapter 2 verses 16 and 17 about, don't touch it, lest you die. I think there's a transmission of information from Adam to Eve or God, to Adam and Eve in the cool of the day, and according to Genesis 38. But she does respond to them in its response to him with an answer, but in this next one.

She pushes a little further and he pushes towards denial. You're not gonna die die.

So to me. He says you it's personal, which I want to get this he constantly comes after you thinking are wanting you to think that you will be the exception to the rule. Maybe true of everyone else but not of you see you are not to be the one that falls prey to this. It's not final death is final its separation is the great end of all things, and of course the beginning of all things as well and have been or and how, but he did to the doubt that this stuff about eternity. Don't buy into it at someone who's making up a story to manipulate you have never heard that one before. You're not gonna die. In fact, look at the next verse. She says that for God knows in the day ye eat thereof, in your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil and actually he gets you doubt this whole thing and deny the thing about is it beneficial in my McMenamin beneficial is God actually keeping the best for himself and keeping the best from you so it's actually the doubt is it's not beneficial to me. It's not good to make what you're doing with all of these restrictions is your keeping me from really enjoying life how to illustrate this okay so I'm in Thailand a couple years back visiting my sister and my brother-in-law church planters with baptism, admissions, and we got into the public school system or teaching English, enjoying that whole process of connecting with teenagers and one of the girls that sat across the table from me was having a hard time but she was working for English. She did a much better job than I would do if I tried to speak Thai okay she's trying to work through it and then all of a sudden she pulls out this piece of paper that actually has a number on it and she says American Idol American Idol public yeah I know about American Idol. She says let it go. I said okay and she begins in perfect English tubing to be Elsa letting go hold back anymore.

She's going to town on this and it's for the voice of Thailand you that songs all about. By the way, it's not just annoying it's ignorance about it's about the idea that if you finally get honest. To be free if you get out from underneath all of this authority structure is group that tells you if you just follow us turn out like forget you. I want to follow my own heart.

Disney way right sexy, Satan's way. He tells you forget about them. Do your own thing. Follow your heart.

Be free when you freeze a lot of people you anyway so denial.

The next one is deception and this is coming out of the last couple versus in verse six and when they love the last first year and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat pay so you know what's going on here. It's not no mystery here Adam standing right next to Eve and Adam says nothing but Adam is held liable for the first sin, but Satan's tactic is to go after Eve and to deceive her, and how does he deceiver he takes things that are actually good their God given you her appetite know you have an appetite. I have an appetite.

It's a good thing.

It's a gift from God, I'm glad to have it because it tells me when the 88. It's okay to have certain drives. But what's not right you know what this is right. It's it's acting on those drives outside of the context that God designed appetite goes after look at this this which I hear Dr. Mesic thinks it's a banana. I get the pomegranate no exit. I have no idea what it is. It's an Apple or whatever, but there is a fruit of the tree and she looks at it he says take a look at this is really good.

So we have this idea of that looks good. Then he goes after this idea of beauty. It's pleasant to the eyes. Beauty is not bad. Praise God for purity.

I've married a beautiful wife.

Praise God for another. What's wrong is when we obsess over beauty and when we treat people like objects of our pleasure instead of image bearers of God. That's when we have a problem there's no wrong, no problem with having an appetite does no wrong issue here with Judy. Judy is fine. It's okay to acknowledge there is beauty, whether it's an art and a person. What's wrong is if you keep dwelling on the person as an object to get what I'm saying and then this last one is this idea of influence you are going to have this ability to be wise desired to make one wise. Nothing wrong with influence.

In fact, God desires a stab and influence to reach people for the sake of the kingdom.

What's wrong is when we do it because it's all about us. And here we have an example of these three types of sin, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life and that's in first John 216. It's the same thing he uses on you all the time that he uses on me all the time.

So what we do about our challenge you and this is my application. I want to hone in on this please listening what you do when you are confronted with things like doubt, denial and deception.

Remind Satan of what God said and where do we see that in verses two and three of chapter 3 of Genesis.

This is the only time Eve says what God said to Satan, and she's not falling in the scent the next couple times. She no longer says what God said in the beautiful picture of this is found in Matthew chapter 4 Matthew four verses one through 11 and just illustrate this is quickly turn over there with me to Matthew four. Take your Bible open an upper turn over there to Matthew 42 so that you can gaze down on this passage. American read through all of it. For sake of time, but I want to introduce you to the reality that there is one who has been tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin in his name is Jesus praise his name and Jesus Christ experienced the same temptations, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life in the lust of the eyes. And yes I did put it in that particular different order than first John 216, which tells me something when Satan tempts Jesus, he doesn't always tempting. The same three in order. Sometimes he mixes them up a little bit he knows your weakness.

He's observing you he's watching you he's coming after us trying to get us the trip up to three first comes after Jesus in Matthew four in verse four he says turn the stone.

The bread is after Jesus had meaning for 40 days and Jesus responded in verse four of Matthew four is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. He quotes Deuteronomy 8 verse three and in Matthew 4527 Satan takes them up to the pinnacle of the temple and shows him all of the real estate right in front of me says jump and see if your angels take care of you. The pride of life in Jesus responds by quoting again from Deuteronomy this time 616 and by the way Satan he takes the Bible and a twisted knee quotes from Psalm 9111 through 12 and then the lust of the eyes. Matthew 483 10 and he takes them up to a very exceedingly high mountain, says all of these kingdoms that I have authority to give you. I give to you if you skip that thing called the cross and Jesus says you shall worship the Lord your God, but look with me at verse 10 that I hope you turn to Matthew four if you haven't, please turn and look at this. I want to see. That's he's quoting again from Deuteronomy. What is God say in verse 10 he says, then said Jesus, he says it is written before he says is right and what is a safe gypsy, hence saving so want to challenge you to remind God what he said from Scripture she says, get out of my face away from me. What is that sound like James 478. Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you and ask you to take this seriously as you are confronted with temptation, life besetting sin that you cannot seem to get over stops and managing to memorize more verses how, but if you take it as a real battle and you say to Satan behind me and you remind yourself of these truths who God is going to be a couple to encourage your heart, God is a very good God.

Psalm 130 610 give thanks unto the Lord for he is good his mercy endures forever.

He's a true God.

Titus 12 in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. He is a holy God be holy, for I am holy first Peter chapter 1 verses 15 through 16 and this is the ultimate to me encouragement.

He is love. First John 48 he that loveth not know it's not God, for God is love.

Whenever you feel tempted by Satan to get behind me Satan resist the devil draw near to God, reminding yourself of the goodness of God in the words of God to get to know the words. Since you can communicate back and with authority say I claim these truths was taken back to the beginning church visitation teenager guy really Gothic attire go to the exterior. My gut reaction as he came after me.

The came out the house and started walking at me. The only thing I could think of was for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life Susie that's what came out of me as I kept saying that he was ecstatic that he walked in his room and it ended in the door shut the door when that lady came in there and I wouldn't talk to her and I try to find out what's going on.

The DSM needs. How can we help you. She had that definite die I to me and one that thing she was possessed by a demon.

I began to encourage her with the Romans Road you know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but God commended his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I came to grips with this reality are not called to exorcise demons like get out of that person. I'm called to encourage them to get the Holy Spirit in them. Not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God and the salvation in no one. I did the game the gospel. I gave her the gospel and I asked her to come to Jesus because the Holy Spirit in demons do not reside in the same body praise, but there is that oppression thing and I know what I felt that I know it's real and what I do and that happened. I reminded the demonic host of second Timothy 17 God is not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind. I reminded them of Isaiah 4110 fear thou not for I am with the be not dismayed, for I am I got. I will strengthen the yeah will help the day. I will uphold thee with the right hand of my right, and I'm encouraging you today as you struggle with all of these things that doubt the denial, the deception remind Satan and his demonic host of what God said and remind him of who God is. Pray God, thank you for your word. Guide us as we walk in it.

Amen. You been listening to a sermon preached by Dr. Jason Ormiston, which is part of the study series entitled our ancient foe. I'm Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University.

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