Your Enemy the Devil

The Bible teaches us that Satan our enemy is sneaky, deceptive, and reckless. So how do we recognize and respond to his schemes will find out today on Truth for Life weekend. Alister Meg is teaching a message titled your enemy the devil were studying first Peter chapter 5 verses eight and nine.

Let me give you the well are going were going under three headings.

First to pay attention to our enemy, then to our activity and then finally Justin a moment to our solidarity. First of all, then our enemy is interesting is it not that Peter identifies the fact that Christians do have an enemy the whole Bible is replete with the exhortation to make sure that we don't make enemies of one another. Sadly, the Christian church is been adept at making enemies out of its own. The times when we are most conscious of the enemy factor in relation to our brothers and sisters in Christ is probably directly called relative to the times when we are least aware of the enemy factor in relationship to what the Bible has to say, the devil is our enemy.

The reason that he is our enemy is because of our radical transformation. Having taken place in our life's. We where not by nature enemies of the devil. Although he has always been about our discouragement of destruction, but we were never so radically remove from him until such times as God redeemed us by his grace, and indeed, unless we are redeemed by God's grace we will live in that darkness throughout all of eternity which the Bible which Jesus said is hell, but according to God's great and RCD came and transferred us from darkness to light. What we need to realize this morning is this the Bible says that men and women outside of Christ help to fulfill the agendas of the evil one. They may do so willfully.

More often than not, they do so unwittingly, and unless the great friends spare takes place. Then we find ourselves in that department and if we would in any doubt as to that flag.

We need only to listen to the words of Jesus himself. John chapter 8 as he speaks to the religious orthodoxy of his day and in the course of a dialogue with them as they claim their various rights as part of their background, claiming that their father is God himself. In verse 42 of John chapter 8 Jesus said to them, if God were your father you would love me, you belong to you, father the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was on were derived from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Now his schemes are vast invaded and it's not my purpose this morning to give him any publicity of tall but I want to tell you where I believe one of the most sinister die mentions of demonic influence exists in our country.

It is in the area of sexuality, not the question as to whether people are engaging in sexual involvement at the wrong time, but the question of human sexuality per se, and it would be fine if the church of Jesus Christ was prepared to embrace the biblical record to recognize the wiles of the devil to stand up for godly role models of masculinity and femininity to say that our father is off father way father that mother is a mother that boy is a boy and I do know is a girl. Take Christian periodicals and listen to the articles capitulate in the realm of role relationships and grace the line through and I put it to you this morning.

Men and women unless they are self-controlled and alert are going to be suckered by the devil's schemes.

Let's proceed with this this morning and noticed that in matters of his identity. We are made perfectly aware of the fact of who he is. He is out enemy.

That's his identity.

Okay so for looking at out enemy.

Let me give you three words underneath word number one is his identity.

The word is and today costs. He is described in Revelation 12. Check it out.

You'll see verse 10 as the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before God night and day. His identity is as enemy and diabolical slander. His strategy is equally plain. Notice what we are told in the to prowl.

He prowls around to very graphic worked to prowl around. It's not the same as to walk around. It's not the same.

I still run around. It's a very clear word to prowl around you remember the encounter between God and Satan recorded for us in the first chapter of Job, the Lord encounter Satan and he says to them, where have you come from, and Satan responds John chapter 1 verse seven from roaming through the air and going back and forth in roaming through the prowling around in the picture is of one who is restless in his search for victim restlessly looking for someone that he made into his group. Only the na�ve and the foolish and the skeptical will treat any notion of the devil as if you were some large friendly dog that we could pat on the head and play with but a wee while and then send him away.

He is not he is out rolling lien. Those of you are tempted. Is it where to pat the dog on the head by reading your horoscope and pat the dog on the head by buying your nephew a Ouija board and pat the dog on the head by opening your mind to all claims of thing.

Believe me love ones you are dealing with our rolling lien.

Not only does he ruler but he devours what is he eats people. The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour you comes to undermine our confidence.

He comes to silence our confession. He comes to disintegrate.

Our faith in this quest is absolute decimation now not contained in this passage, but a factor that I think we ought to feed and at this point is this truth that not only does the devil roller. Not only does he devour but he also smiles, so we ought not to fall into the of this of believing that were dealing with somebody who has big forks coming carries a fork and has horns coming out of his head in his face. Flashes on and off of the press of a button that he has in his insightful the devil is a created being. He's not omniscient, you do not have to equal partners in the world you don't have the power of God and the power of Satan at war with one another and everyone holds their breath to see who will win. Known on this Satan is a created being called is the creator and his destiny is made perfectly plain. That's the third thing to notice his identity. His strategy and his destiny turned from moment to Revelation chapter 12 verse nine and there was war in heaven.

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought back but he was not strong enough and they lost their place in heaven.

The great dragon was hold down that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray is what he does believe the world astray if he could and he was hold to the air and his angels with him, Jude. You only need to go back one book, Jude in verse six and the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home. Namely, heaven. These, he, namely God has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgments on the great day. Finally, Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity that is Jesus, so that by his death he might not notice this destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of so that are two great fears in addressing the question of the evil one. One is that we saw become preoccupied with the evil one that we cannot think of anything else other than he, and that we ascribe all of our food expedience to him that is manifestly not the case. However, the other extreme is that we pooh-pooh the whole notion of satanic activity exclusively and we still remove it from our minds as to deny what the Bible says about spiritual warfare. In both cases, the devil is pleased.

I.e. he is pleased when we believe them to be an illusion because then he can do his work of prowling and he is pleased when we become so consumed with his presence because then he is an increasing hold an online so we need to know his identity. We need to understand his strategy, but we must also be very very clear about his destiny is if you like. I was waiting for the garbage truck of eternity to finally come by and take he and all his gang with them into a priceless experience for okay if that's out enemy. What then of our activity. What are we supposed to do. Given that we have this enemy. Once again Peter is very very helpful. First of all we need to stay awake and we need to stay alert.

That's what the two words mean at the beginning of the verse be self-controlled and alert is possible to be awake not to be alert. We are to be both awake and alert. In verse 13 of chapter 1, we find doing the same thing, prepare your minds for action. Be self-controlled. Chapter 4 and verse seven the end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled. It is backing towards the end of his letter. Be self-controlled and alert. Incidentally this is that this is the whole thing about music if I might just say a word in passing to our young folks again everywhere I go. While I have a number of questions that I was as young people, and I meet them in the mall and everything else one of my courses is so what are you listening to today so you listening to today so they tell me. Well, I'm listening to this run. Listening to that and then I seek idealism to the words. Some say no I never listen to the some say oh yes, I know all the work I try and share with them just in passing. They think I'm the man most amazing creep that ever walked the malls, but I try and tell him I said you know you fill your head with that is garbage in garbage out. You know what you'll do it yourself if you keep flushing that in to hear me. He's old weird forget the moment slothfulness begins. Set an ancient commentator that moment dangers stand think about us the moment slothfulness begins that moment dangers stand think about us. So where you going tonight I'm going to my friends house.

What age are you, 17 I want you going to do. I'm going to listen to CDs and what CDs you going to listen to all you would understand. I want you going to do when you listen to the CDs just go lie around on the floor. I tell you what, go before them.

Send the fire brigade claim up ladders, fire, water hoses, do whatever you like, but I am telling you the danger that attaches to that whole scheme of exhibit is phenomenal and I don't care if you think I'm old and cold and settled in my way. Because remember, I laid around on the floor and listens to those out when slothfulness comes dangers stand think about us. That's why he says our activity must be to be self-controlled and to be alert. Think about it for a moment think about seeing this Peter thing what it cost Peter what Jesus said to the group. He said to the watch and pray so that you may not enter into temptation. Right.

And Peter neither watched nor prayed, and in a moment Van he's blown over by a servant girl and a bunch of people standing around a fireplace.

We say, but I'm not like Peter you know I you know you and watch and pray, neither do I but I can I can handle it. No, you can't.

Neither can I self-controlled and alert. First, second, mounds your own resistance movement. The resistance movement here we go. You want to be a revolutionary. Now is your chance. You want to be a rebel. Now is your chance. Here is a way to channel those rebel instincts of adolescent life K okay TD keep on kicking the devil, that's it for resistant. I think about it. Of all the things the Bible tells us to run away from were not told to run away from the devil were told to run away from sexual immorality were told to run from idolatry from false doctrine from a desire for riches for the evil desires of youth. When it comes to the devil.

He does. Instead, he says, resist, resist him victory in resisting the devil is not on the basis of our personal tenacity. Rather, it is up on the basis of the faith which is ours in Christ.

In adhering to the work of Jesus upon the cross where he defeated the devil and if you like, holding that standard, not our ability to hold it, but our willingness to hold to its resisting firm in the faith by putting on the helmet of salvation. So when the devil comes in a taxes with doubts we say listen, I know you're here to make me doubt Jesus died upon the cross for me.

I'm wearing a helmet of salvation shall be gone when he comes to peers into our innards. We where the breastplate of righteousness armor for the rear none for the reader where not to be caught running except running active, resisting him formula for his gates. The gates of hell cannot hold back the onrush of the people of God as they begin to take from him that which he has garnered as his own.

In other words, it is our theology which gives us a basis for our resistance. It is as we know the Bible that we can resistant. He will, you make us doubt our salvation.

If he can heal make us so disgruntled and dispirited. He will take from us. Our joy for me and we must resist him, firm in the faith, and finally recognizing that our resistance movement is part of a great solidarity and that's at the end of verse nine.

Notice what he says when you resisting firm in the faith, realize that you do so and you are experiencing things that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing so you can go to America you go to Africa you go to the UK you go halfway around Southeast Asia doesn't matter. You will meet believers and every time you meet believers you will discover them engage in spiritual warfare. It is a fact of our Christian expedience. We might ask ourselves this morning. If our experience and enjoyment of freedom is finding Oz as Western Christians seizing the opportunities that it affords here we are this morning and freedom were worshiping and freedom, where hearing about the devil taking a toll. We look at it and we wonder letters and our service this morning by affirming the great debt that we owe to those who in earlier generations resisted firm in the faith. In 1729, a French girl called maybe Dutch actually Marie do wrong was imprisoned with a number of humanoid women in the tower of Constance, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea inside in the south of France. She was 15 years old.

The reason she was imprisoned was because she held true to the doctrine of justification by grace through faith. The authorities of the day said stopped. She along with other said no at the age of 18 or older brother was hanged at Montpellier in 1745 she was offered freedom if she would agree to renounce the faith of the Reformation.

She refused all such offers and she remain captive for RT eight years in-year-old girl resisting the temptations to despair and to suicide and to betrayal and if you and I were to visit the tower room where they were held there is a storm coping which goes round hole in the floor and carved around the opening in the floor is one word raises the resistance and whether we are smart enough to realize it or not it is the commitment and faith and struggle of the Marie do things of the past that allow us to witness and freedom today and it will be the rage and faith of another generation of minorities that will make it possible for these little children this morning to live in freedom in this nation if the Lord tallies, but of course if we are so stupid as to believe that we may fall asleep on the job and pass truth to our grandchildren.

God may have to intervene in ways that we cannot even imagine. For he will present official. We have an enemy we have activity and we have solidarity Satan's strategies are vast.

You have to stay alert and be self-controlled so we can recognize and resist him listing to Alistair Begg on Truth for Life weekend. In today's message Alister said it's as we know our Bible that we can resist the devil and that's why we teach the Bible every day here at Truth for Life. Our mission is to teach the Bible clearly in a way that is relevant for daily life. We do this, knowing that God will work in the hearts of many listeners so that they would know him and trust him and his. Alister said so they can keep on kicking the devil you probably heard family members or friends say something like you know the older you get the pastor time goes or you may have said that yourself. The truth is, life is a vapor pleading. These words were the sentiments of the preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes. So, if life flies by and were here just for a brief stay how we make the most of it. We use our time wisely. The book living like backward explains how to make every moment of life matter and how to find sustained contentment by reordering our priorities.

You can find out more about the book living like backward when you visit our website@truthforlife.org and if you don't currently subscribe to Truth for Life. The daily devotional you can sign up for free when you do each day you will receive a passage of Scripture with the corresponding commentary from Alister in your email inbox. The daily devotional is a great way to start and end your day reflecting on God's word. To subscribe, go to Truth for Life.org/lists Bob Lapine thanks for listing this weekend sure to join us again next weekend, when will learn how to suit up for the continual and irreconcilable war with the evil one Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living