Satan- THE GREATEST ENEMY
Part 1
Introduction:
Tonight we want to bring the first of a two part message on the subject of SATAN- THE GREATEST ENEMY. We have a total of seven points, four of which we want to expound this evening.
1.
The names of Satan:
1. He is called “Satan” and the “devil”, which are used interchangeably in the N.T. These names mean adversary, or accuser. He is the adversary of God, and the children of God, and the work of God in the world. He is the adversary of everything that is called good, and holy, and righteous. He is the accuser of the brethren we learn in Revelation 12:10, who accuses us before our God both day and night.
2. He is called "the dragon" and "the old serpent" (Revelation 12:9, 20:2). As a dragon he is a destructive enemy of mankind and of God. “The old serpent” eludes to the serpent in the garden of Eden, which of course was Satan. This speaks of Satan as the deceiver. Satan and His ministers are transformed into angels of light, to deceive the world, and if possible, the saints of God.
3. He is called "the prince of this world" (John 12:31, 14:30). This speaks of his authority and power as the prince over the world system. Although God is in control of all the governments of this world, and all kings and kingdoms are in His Hand, yet He allows Satan to rule the world within the constraints of His perfect will and purpose for His creation.
4. He is called "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). This speaks of his realm of operations and his domain, which is the unseen evil spirit world. We don’t see Satan and the demon spirits in the world, but they are at large, and they are working havoc in the world, and among God’s people, and the Lord’s Churches. Peter said that our adversary the devil is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; yet we don’t see him crouching behind the bush, stalking out his prey to devour them.
5. He is called "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). This speaks of his power to possess, and control, and manipulate the lost in the world. Oh beloved, the devil controls all the lost in the world. They are led captive at his will. He commands them, and manipulates their every move. Don’t talk to me about free-will, when the Bible teaches that mankind is under the control of the devil, to do his bidding. Except the Lord Jesus Christ breaks our bands, and sets our souls and spirits free, we would die in our sins in the bondage of Satan’s clutches.
6. He is called "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). This speaks of Satan’s status as a god among the wicked of the world, who idolize and worship Satan, who is their prince and lord. Satan’s chief desire and goal in this world is to be worshipped. He even wanted Jesus to bow down and worship him! (Matthew 4). This is what even God’s people do, when we follow after Satan’s ways and devices, and when we submit to him, and serve him.
7. He is called "Abaddon" (he is a bad den) and "Apollyon" (Revelation 9:11). These names mean destruction and destroyer, respectively. No, Satan is not the author of any thing that is good, but he is the destroyer! He is the destroyer of the souls of men. He is the destroyer of the lives of God’s people when we give place to the devil. He is a destroyer of the godly home. He is the destroyer of godly society and good government.
8. He is called “Lucifer,” which means a bright star, and “son of the morning.” These names, although speaking literally of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, elude to Satan as the bright and morning star before his fall into pride, and arrogance, and sin; as we will see later. We want to note here that Satan was ascribed the name that only Jesus was worthy of, that is “the bright and morning star”.
2.
Who and what is Satan:
1. He is a fallen angel (2 Corinthians 11:14).
2. He is a great angel; very intelligent, and very powerful.
3. As a very great and powerful fallen angel, he is the ruler of all the demon spirits, which are also fallen angels (Matthew 25:41).
3.
The Nature of Satan:
1. He is a created being; not eternal. He did not always exist, but he was created by God.
2. He is an incorporeal being; that is, he is a spirit. He doesn’t have a body of his own.
3. He transforms himself into an angel of light; thus he may possess a corporal body such as a human being. He entered and possessed Judas Iscariot. The Bible says that Satan entered into Judas. He will possess the “man of sin” during the Great Tribulation period.
4. Though Satan is great, he is limited by God in performing his wickedness (Job’s case).
5. Satan is not omni-present, but he can only be in one place at a time. He roams to and fro in the earth, and goes about seeking whom he may devour- thus he is not every at the same time.
6. He is not a little red beast-like man with horns and a pitchfork! As we will see in a moment, Satan was once a great and beautiful angel, who presided over the worship of God in Heaven.
7. He is the enemy of God, and of all that is good, and the enemy of the souls of all men. He desires that all souls of men be damned to the lake of fire, where He knows he will also spend eternity.
4.
The fall of Satan:
First we want to observe Satan before his fall (Ezekiel 28:12-15):
Though this passage is speaking literally of the king of Tyre, it is believed to be typical of Satan and his glory before his fall. Notice some of his qualities:
He was full of wisdom- Some would like to fancy that they can outwit the devil! But never be so foolish. His wisdom and intelligence is far superior to that of any natural man’s. No man is any match for Satan.
He was perfect in beauty- We see Satan portrayed as a vile little red man with a pitchfork in his hand. In reality, Satan was very beautiful creature to look upon, at least before his fall.
He was adorned with all manner of precious stones and gold in verse 13- We also notice in verse 13 that he was a created being.
He was the anointed cherub that covereth- This speaks of his special place in the worship of God.
He was created perfect in verse 15- Until iniquity was found in him.
The fall of Satan Ezekiel
28:16-18:
Again, this is literally speaking of the king of Tyre, but is alluding to Satan.
The reason for Satan’s fall is found in verse 17…PRIDE!
Conclusion:
Beloved, Satan is the adversary and accuser, he is the deceiver, he is the prince of this world, he is the prince of the power of the air, he is the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, he is the god of this world, he is Abaddon and Apollyon, the destroyer. Satan truly is the arch enemy of God and His people.
This evening, are you still under the power of Satan?
Are you in bondage to Satan tonight?
If you are not a believer in Jesus, then you are in bondage to Satan.
Would you like to be free from Satan tonight?
Satan- THE GREATEST ENEMY
Part 2
5. The Work of Satan:
1.
Satan’s work in the World:
1. Originated sin in the universe (seen by the previous texts in Ezek. and Isa.)
2. Introduced sin into the human family - Gen. 3:1-16.
3. Possess and Controls the World:
The kingdoms of this world - Matthew 4:8-9; John 12:31.
All of the lost (2 Corinthians 4:3-4); including the elect before we were saved - Eph. 2:1-3.
2. Satan’s work among Humanity:
1. Accuses God's People Rev. 12:9,10 - Devil means accuser or slanderer; remember Job!
2. Tests God's people - Luke 22:31-32.
3. Hinders God's people - 1Thes. 2:18.
4. Resists God's people - Zech. 3:1.
5. Buffets God's people - 2 Cor. 12:7.
6. Persecutes God's people - Rev. 2:10.
7. Ensnares God's people into error - 2 Tim. 2:24-26.
8. Tempts God's people to do evil-
He tempted David to number the children of Israel - 1 Cron. 21:1.
He tempted Ananias & Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit - Acts 5:3.
9. Causes sickness:
The woman with the infirmity - Luke 13:14-16.
10. Control's and blinds the lost-
The lost are children of the devil, and follow after his ways - John 8:43-44.
He worked in Judas to betray Christ - John 13:2.
He blinds the minds of those who believe not - 2 Cor. 4:3-4.
11. Has the power of death over the lost - Heb. 2:4.
3. Satan’s work against the work of God in the
world:
1. He snatches the Gospel message out of the hearts of the lost - Matt. 13:18-19.
2. He sows tares among the wheat - Matt. 13:37-39.
3. He is transformed into an angel of light - 2 Cor. 11:12-15.
4. He imitates the Lord's churches - Rev. 3:9.
5. He empowers the Anti-Christ - 2 Thes. 2:3-10.
6. He persecutes the Lord's churches - Rev. 2:10, 3:9.
6.
The Destiny of Satan:
1. He will be cast in the bottomless pit (after the 7 year tribulation) - Rev. 20:1-3.
2. He will be loosed temporarily to deceive the nations (after the 1,000 year reign of Christ) - Rev. 20:7.
3. He will be cast into the lake of fire; the place of his eternal doom - Rev. 20:10.
7.
The Christian's Defense against Satan:
James 4:7-8
Submit to God; that is to His will. Don’t run from it as Jonah did.
Be content with God’s provisions. This is difficult in our materialistic society.
Be content with the place God has put us.
Resist the devil. Resist means to set one's self against, to withstand, and oppose.
Draw nigh to God with our hearts and affections. Return to our first love, and to all the holy activities that accompany the sweet fellowship with Christ including reading and studying the Word, prayer, church services, etc.
Remember, Satan can’t trouble the saint of God who is near to the Lord.
1 Peter 5:
Verse 6 - Walk humbly with the Lord.
Verse 7 - Cast our cares upon Him.
Verse 8 - Be sober, that is serious and cautious. Live lives that are becoming of Christians. Be vigilant. That is be awake, be watchful, be alert, and be on guard.
Verse 9 - Whom resist; don't yield to temptation and sin. Steadfast in the faith, or the doctrines and principles of the faith found in the Word of God. Also, in the graces that accompany faith including the Spirit of God, the love of God, by faith in God.
Matt. 4:1-11 - We must answer Satan's attacks with the Word of God. To do this we must have a knowledge of the Word
Eph. 6:11-13 - Put on the whole armor of God…
Loins girt about with truth - Particularly the gospel, and the system of faith once delivered unto the saints.
The breastplate of righteousness - The righteousness of Christ. Hold it near and dear in the forefront of our hearts, to protect us against the accusations of Satan. Also, the personal righteousness of good works and godly living, which is above the reproach and accusation of the devil.
Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace - Standing on the strong foundation of the gospel.
The shield of faith - Either the grace of faith, by such Jesus said we might move mountains, and the saints of old did mighty feats in the work of the Lord; or the object of faith- the Lord Himself, Who is our shield, as we are told over and over again in the Psalms. It is by this shield that we will quench all the fire darts of Satan.
The helmet of salvation - That is the confidence and assurance of our salvation! Satan wants us to doubt our salvation; God wants us to have full assurance of faith!
The sword of the Spirit - The knowledge of the gospel, and of the Word of God in a very practical since. This is our only offensive in our spiritual warfare against Satan and his evil cohorts.
1 Corinthians 7:1-5:
In conjugal relationships
Verses 1-2 - Marry to avoid fornication (notice vs. 8-9).
Verse 3 - Husband and wife are to manifest a mutual love for one another.
Verse 4 - The husband and wife do not have authority over there own body, but the husband the wife's, and the wife the husband’s (I didn't say it; God did).
Verse 5 - The wedding bed. Defraud means to deprive, and here of course referring to the physical relationship. Such depriving may lead to sexual immorality. Incontinency means lack of self control or intemperance, which is likely to be the result of defrauding one another.
Can a husband or wife be partly to blame for their spouse falling into immorality? According to Paul, they are if they defraud their mate. The exception clause in this passage we notice is by consent; that is both parties agree for religious purposes, and that only for a short season.
Conclusion:
Satan is a great adversary. His existence and work in this world are no laughing matter, but should be taken seriously by the children of God.
Satan’s work against the people of God is to accuse, test, hinder, resist, buffet (beat you up), persecute, ensnare, tempt, and even cause sickness.
Satan's work in the world includes controlling and blinding the lost from seeing the light of the gospel of Christ; and snatching the Gospel message out of the hearts of the lost; he sows tares among the wheat; he is transformed into an angel of light, imitating the Lord's churches, and persecuting the Lord's churches.
We don't need to fear Satan, but rather we are to take proper precautions, which include those we've discussed this evening, and others we haven't mentioned.
Perhaps you came in this evening in bondage to Satan and blinded by him, but Christ has set you free by faith in the gospel and has saved your soul! If so, praise the Lord! We give you this opportunity to come before this church confessing Christ as your Savior, and we will rejoice with you.