Pastor's Pulpit

Watch out for the Devil

Luke 22:31-32
I Peter 5: 6-9

I realize that the devil is very real. There are several erroneous misconceptions about Satan:
1. He is not a mythical character, the figment of our imagination, he is very real.
2. He is not the horrible, hideous person we sometimes picture- movies and Halloween costumes portray him as a monster to scare people.
3. He is not weak, nor is he a stupid creature.
4. He is real- subtle and very powerful.
I want to expose the devil for what he really is.

I. Who or what is He?
First of all, He is a person, a real being as stated before. He began as an angel, and Arch-angel-as Lucifer in Heaven. One of the three; Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. He is the son of the morning. ( Isaiah 14:12-17 ) In Heaven, he was in authority over 1/3rd of the angels, but pride filled his heart. ( Ezk. 28:11-19 ) Notice verse 15, and vs. 17, Lucifer became Satan, he's called many names in Scripture. The wicked one, angel of light, the old serpent, the devil, the deceiver, Satan, anti-Christ, the accuser of the brethren, the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the god of this world. ( II Cor.4:4 ) He is an intelligent creature who came to Jesus and tempted Him. He claims authority, ( Luke 4:5-6 ) he offered power over the world to Jesus if he would fall down and worship him. He tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden through the serpent.

II. Where is He?
He is not in hell. He has not been banished to hell yet. If he is the prince of the power of the air, then he operates in the unseen world of mankind. He does have access to the Throne of God, where he accused Job. ( Job 1:6-7 )
- he is not omni-present, he can only be in one place at a time. He is a created being, so his power is limited, thank God. He is not everywhere, but his demons are.
- he is not omniscient. He is wise but not all wise. he would know less if we would not tell him. Psychics and mediums don't know the future, they use demonic spirits to know about the dead and communicate knowledge through mediums. ( demons )
- he is not omnipotent, he is subject to the Word of God. We can resist him, but we must remember that we are not more powerful than he is. We can overcome him by the blood of Jesus and our testimony. ( Rev. 12:11 )

III. What is he doing now?
What is his aim, what does he propose to do?
1. He desires:
- to sift you and me. ( Luke 22:31 ) he wants to run us through the mill. Job lost his wealth, health and family. Thank God that Jesus prays for us. He opposes God's people, he will do everything he can to bring you and me down.
- he wants to strip you of your purity and power. He will bring temptation into your life. If he knows your weaknesses, then he will be sure to put you in a situation where you could fall.
( vs. 32)
- he desires to strike you. He wants to keep you from being faithful to church, he wants to keep you from giving. He knows that if you obey God, that God will rebuke him for your sakes. ( Mal. 3:9-11 ) The devil is going to oppose you every way possible. Thank God he cannot get our soul, it is secure in Christ, Amen!
2. He is deceiving the world. ( Rev. 12:9 ) One of Satan's greatest works is deception.
- He deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden and it plunged the whole human race into sin.
- He deceives men by corrupting their thinking, by blinding their minds. ( II Cor. 4:4 )
- He deceives churches by sowing tares among the wheat. ( Matt. 13:38-39 )
3. He is destroying and devouring. ( John 10:10 )
- he wants to destroy your family. Eph. 4:27, " Neither give place to the devil. " Satan wants to get a foothold on your life. I Tim. 4:1-2 talks about why so many depart from the faith, individuals and denominations, why? they gave heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Don't open the doors to the unclean spirits, stay in church, stay in your Bible, stay in fellowship with God, and stay in fellowship with God's people. Stay separated from the world. Stay filled with the Spirit of God, then you will not be influenced by an unclean spirit or the flesh. ( Gal. 5: 17-21 )
- He wants to destroy your faith. The Bible says in I Pet. 5:8 He comes to devour. He will devour your time so you want have time to serve God. He will get you doing things that are not really important. He'll be sure to get you to work overtime so you will be too tired to serve God.
He will devour your talents, and your testimony. He doesn't want your to produce fruit. Satan is busy today resisting an hindering God's servants.
- he wants to discourage you. He will tell you that you are a failure. He will tell you that you are not making a impact on lives. He will harass you and keep you from being a witness.
4. We can defeat the devil. Realize there is One who can deliver you. He delivers from his power. ( Heb. 2:5-14 ) Jesus defeated him on Calvary.
When Satan seeks to devour you, resist in the faith. ( I Pet. 5:6-10 ) When we surrender to God and let Him fight our battles, Satan doesn't hang around. ( James 4:7-8 )
When you serve God, you put on the whole armor of God. ( Eph. 6:10-18 )
Will he ever be defeated?
Well, I've read the end of the story! Christian, he is already a defeated foe. At the end of the Tribulation period, Satan is bound for 1,000 years during the Millennium. ( Rev. 20:1-3 )
Then he will be doomed to the Lake of fire in vs. 9-10. Until then, watch out for the devil, he's still working but we can resist him and we can be aware of his devices. We can win the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen and amen!

Pastor Taylor