Rev. David Holwick G
Boothbay Baptist Church
Boothbay, Maine
June 12, 2022
1 Peter 5:8-11
HE IS ON THE PROWL
I. Fearsome predators.
In 1898 the British built a railroad from Kenya to Uganda.
They hired thousands of Indians and Africans to do the work.
Just days after LTC John Patterson arrived to lead the project,
two male lions began stalking the campsite at Tsavo.
They dragged workers from their tents and devoured them.
After a lull, the attacks happened on an almost daily basis.
Workers built thorn fences around their huts but the lions jumped
over or crawled through.
Work on the railroad stopped as hundreds of workers fled.
Colonel Patterson set traps and tried to ambush the lions but
they were very crafty.
It wasn't until December that he finally killed one.
The lion was almost 10 feet long and required 8 men to carry him.
Twenty days later, the second lion took 6 direct bullets to kill.
The exact number of humans killed is uncertain.
Colonel Patterson estimated it was 135.
A scientific study of the skins of the lions tested their isotopes
and figured the toll was less than half that.
But this study assumed the lions ate all their victims; some experts
think the lions killed just for the sake of killing, not hunger.
I saw the lions last year at the Field Museum in Chicago, where
they are mounted.
However, you don't have to go to Chicago to encounter a deadly lion.
A very dangerous lion is prowling right here in Boothbay...
#66563
II. Who exactly is Satan?
A. He doesn't get much credit these days.
1) In America, 89% say they believe in God yet only
61% believe Satan exists. [1]
2) Satan seems rather old-fashioned, maybe a little hokey.
a) Many Christians in the Middle Ages had personal
encounters with Satan.
Martin Luther even threw his ink well at him.
If you did that today, you would be put on
anti-psychotic medication.
b) While Satan is a real personality according to the Bible
he is a supernatural being and normally invisible.
3) What you can't see can still be very dangerous.
a) I have read several books on the battle of Iwo Jima.
b) It was a dense battle on an 8-square-mile island.
1> 70,000 U.S. Marines versus 22,000 Japanese.
2> Maine has a density of 43 people per square mile;
Lincoln County is a little more at 50.
3> Iwo Jima had 10,000 soldiers per square mile.
c) American pilots flying overhead saw U.S. Marines
crawling around like ants, but no sign of Japanese.
1> The enemy seemed to be invisible.
2> Americans were unnerved to see many of their buddies
picked off, and yet they never saw who did it.
d) Our struggle with Satan is like this.
1> Bad things happen and we have nothing to pin it on.
2> All we know is that we are getting beat up.
B. Satan is real and has great power.
1) He appears in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
a) However, some of the passages about him are ambiguous.
b) We cannot be certain about his origin, but here are
some widely held beliefs among Evangelicals.
2) Satan is a fallen angel, perhaps on the level of archangel.
a) Satan is called the prince of this world.
1> Jesus was in active conflict with Satan during his
ministry and at his crucifixion.
2> Paul and the other New Testament writers refer to
personal attacks by Satan.
b) Satan has a definite beginning and a determined end
- he is not equivalent to God in any way.
3) Supernatural evil is real but not all-powerful.
Rev. Dave Wilkinson alludes to C.S. Lewis, who in the
preface to "The Screwtape Letters," warns that there are
"two equal and opposite errors."
One is to ignore Satan, and the other is to fixate on him.
Satan should be taken seriously because he is powerful,
subtle and evil -- but not too seriously because he has
been defeated and will ultimately perish.
But until that battle is concluded, to underestimate the
power of an opponent is one of the worst mistakes a
soldier, or a Christian, can make.
Sermon #21543
III. What Satan does.
A. Accuse.
1) The original meaning of the word "Satan" is "accuser."
a) He plays this role in the book of Job.
2) Satan accuses us of sin to discourage and defeat us.
a) He tells us there is no forgiveness or hope for change.
b) God accuses us of sin and points us to the cross.
B. Tempt.
1) All temptation, of us and Jesus, is Satan's attempt to get
us to do what Satan wants us to do, rather than what
God wants us to do.
a) Satan uses our doubts. The temptation of Jesus is
filled with "if"s to make him doubt God.
b) Satan uses our physical needs. Jesus was hungry, and
we are susceptible to Satan's influence when we are
stressed or physically weak.
2) God allows Satan to tempt us (which also makes it a test)
but he always provides a way for us to resist and
overcome the temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond
your ability, but with the temptation he will also
provide the way of escape, that you may be able to
endure it."
a) This is why we pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not
into temptation but deliver us from evil."
C. Deceive.
1) Jesus said that falsehood is Satan's main characteristic
and Paul says Satan can create false miracles.
2) Deception is dangerous, because if we are tempted we can
resist, but if we are deceived then we don't even know
anything is wrong.
3) Satan deceives by offering us power to deal with the
problems in our lives.
a) Good luck charms, horoscopes, psychics and palm readers
have long been popular - even with some Christians.
b) In Dubai in 1995, an African told a bank manager he
could use black magic to double a sum of money.
The bank ended up losing $242 million.
D. Use our weaknesses.
1) Satan will intensify our weaknesses until they are
compulsions.
a) Your weakness might be drugs or alcohol, or a
dysfunctional family, or a trauma you experience.
b) Physical ailment can be used as well.
2) Satan will use these things to make you doubt God's power
and his love for you.
a) This is why Peter tells us in verse 8 that we need to
be self-controlled and firm.
IV. We all have the ability to do what Satan does.
A. Satan rebelled against God, and so can we.
1) Jesus said most evil comes from within us, not from outside.
In Mark 7:20-23 Jesus says,
"What comes out of a person is what defiles them.
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil
thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander,
pride, foolishness.
All these evil things come from within, and they defile a
person."
2) The Apostle Paul talks about war against Satan, but he also
tells us to wage war against the sin in ourselves. Rom 7
Romans 7:18-20 says,
"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my
flesh.
For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the
ability to carry it out.
For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want
is what I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells within me."
B. Our habits build up over time and are very powerful.
1) When we walk, we don't have to consciously think about
moving one leg, then another - we just do it.
a) If we had to think about every muscle movement, our
brains would be overwhelmed.
b) (Cross arms - then cross them the other way. You had
to think about it the second time.)
2) When evil actions are repeated, they implant as habits.
a) Much of bad things we do are not Satan, but bad habits
we have developed over time.
1> Eating, drinking, drugs.
2> Alcoholics Anonymous, Weight Watchers, and other
groups all operate by trying to change habits.
b) Good habits can also be developed by us.
1> Do the right thing often enough and you will do it
instinctively.
2> Driving a car, washing your hands, worshipping God.
C. It is dangerous to blame Satan for what we have done ourselves.
1) Chemical imbalance can give you a feeling of oppression.
a) There is much mental illness that is not caused by
Satan.
b) Therapy and medication should never be discounted.
c) I have noticed that Christians will often mention that
a person is getting therapy or counseling, as if
that is a sign they are unspiritual or fakes.
Instead, we should praise them for admitting they need
help, and are seeking it.
2) Blaming Satan is often a shirking of our personal
responsibility.
a) Comedian Skip Wilson - the devil made me do it!
3) Realistically, evil events are often a combination of Satan
and us.
a) Ephesians 4:26-27 says that harboring anger can give the
devil a foothold. (Harboring means over 24 hours!)
b) Any habitual sin that is not dealt with can give Satan
power over you.
4) Start practicing positive and godly daily habits that will
diminish the negativity and defeat in your life.
a) One believer's most vivid memory of his high school
years was seeing his mom in the kitchen every
morning, praying and reading her Bible.
b) Don't blame Satan for you being a lazy Christian!
V. Discerning when it is Satanic instead of self-inflicted.
A. You are in a spiritually critical period in your life.
1) When you are newly saved.
Southern Baptist preacher Adrian Rogers once said that if
you've never met the devil, it's because you and he have
been going the same direction.
You just change direction by turning to Jesus and start
obeying him in life and you will meet the forces of Hell
head on!
#5947
2) When you have been used by God in a mighty way.
a) (That's when Paul got that Satanic thorn...) 2 Cor 12:7
B. The troubles are not tied to anything you have done wrong.
1) Overly sensitive Christians can ALWAYS find something wrong.
2) Perhaps seek an assessment from a Christian you respect.
C. It responds to spiritual remedies.
1) If prayer and a focus on God make you feel better, then it
your troubles may have been due to spiritual warfare.
2) Conversely, if medicine or regular counseling make you
feel better, it may not have been a spiritual attack.
3) Ultimately, God will have to give you a sense of where
the struggle has originated.
VI. Join the Resistance.
A. Be sober-minded - know and use your best weapons against Satan.
1) Learn to control your mind.
a) Squelch thoughts of doubt and fear, unworthiness.
b) Satan also wants us to focus on the negative and ignore
the positive.
1> Do the opposite - follow Philippians 4:8 -
"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence, if there is anything
worthy of praise, think about these things."
2) Deal with revenge and retaliation fantasies.
a) Anger is a great tool of the devil.
b) Learn to love, even when it is hard.
3) Be sober in general.
a) Don't let your life be controlled by substances, legal
or otherwise.
b) Christian writer Tom White says Satan "looks for hooks."
1> Any area of your life that has not been yielded
to the Holy Spirit makes you vulnerable.
B. Be watchful - recognize where Satan has infiltrated your life.
1) Unhealthy relationships and poor choices in entertainment
can open you up to evil influence.
a) Stay away from areas you know he has influence over you.
b) An old TV show called "Hee Haw" had this joke:
Man shows up at doctor's office gingerly holding his arm.
"Doc, I broke my arm in two places."
Doc: "You'd better stop going to those places."
2) Watch to where Satan has infiltrated our culture, too.
a) Develop a discerning heart that assesses the
philosophies behind new trends and movements.
b) Many of them have an agenda to break people away from
a godly perspective on life.
C. Stand firm in your faith.
1) Accept God's forgiveness.
a) Satan wants you to be bound by false guilt.
1> Satan specializes in being an accuser and abuser.
b) Satan also wants you to be ignorant of God's truth.
1> Dig deeper into what it means to be a Christian.
2> Build your life brick upon brick from that.
2) Have a closer walk with God through prayer and study.
a) When Jesus was tempted by Satan, he quoted Scripture.
b) Remind yourself that, with all your shortcomings, you
are still a child of the Great God and loved by him.
3) Join with other Christians who will make you stronger.
a) Some Christians may be no good to you at all.
b) Find those who will build you up, who seek a strong
relationship with God, and get into fellowship
with them.
4) Be aware that Satan loves churches.
a) Satan can infiltrate and use churches and pastors.
b) Make sure your church - this church - is building you
up and giving you sharp spiritual weapons.
c) In Peter's situation, Satan's impact was primarily
through persecution.
1> He points to the suffering that Christians around
the world were experiencing.
2> Peter also says the suffering will last a while,
but not forever.
A> God doesn't promise us a life free from pain.
B> He only promises you can overcome the pain.
VII. There are different ways to fight Satan.
A. Some take the hands-on approach.
The town of Leadville, Colorado, had a gold rush in 1877.
Prime property was snatched up all over town by people eager
to make a fortune.
Lots were so valuable people tried to steal them by hook or
crook.
Even the clergy had their church properties jumped.
The Reverend T. A. Uzzell arrived in town, bought a lot and
started the first church in the area.
A few days later a group of strange men unloaded lumber on his
lot and were about to put up their own building.
The minister explained that he was building a church there.
The strangers told him to fold his church and fade away.
So the Reverend Uzzell took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves
and beat the tar out of them.
His church was built. #1595
B. There is a more Christian way.
The shock-rocker and self-proclaimed priest of the church of
Satan, Marilyn Manson, was scheduled for a concert in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1999.
(Marilyn Manson is actually a man, not a woman. His mom sent
him to a Christian school but it didn't stick - at all.)
The concert brought produced a great uproar in the community
because some had linked Manson's music to the Columbine High
School massacre which had happened only a week before.
Law enforcement prepared for an ugly scene.
Then a group of pastors, youth workers and other believers got
together and organized prayer and praise services before and
during the concert.
Through the power of worship, these Christians decided to bless,
not curse the concert-goers.
They passed out over 100 pizzas and 1,200 soft drinks in the
parking lot.
They paid for the parking for many.
Many Manson fans had a bewildered look as they took all this in.
The results?
News reports said at the very beginning of the concert, Manson
went into an absolute rage.
He saw that a large smiley face had been put over the Nazi/
antichrist symbol on his stage prop pulpit.
One of his own crew members had done it as a prank.
Mansion destroyed the set and stormed off the stage, vowing
never to return.
The fans chanted Manson's name but he didn't come back.
He never got to rip up a Bible like he does in many of his
concerts.
Instead, at least three people came to faith in Christ and
numerous attenders said their image of Christians had been
changed.
Sermon #10533
VIII. Jesus is more powerful than Satan.
A. His death on the cross broke the devil's power.
1) The cross does more than wash away your sins - it drove
a nail into Satan's heart.
2) 1 Corinthians 2:8 says none of the rulers of this age
(which would be spiritual forces as well as human rulers)
understood God's plan, because if they had, they would
not have crucified Jesus.
B. Jesus gives that same power to us.
1) When Jesus trained his disciples, he gave them power over
evil forces. We are not defenseless! Luke 9:1
2) People must see that there is real power in the gospel.
a) Power to change lives, not just a list of
do's-and-don't's (mostly don't's).
3) But it is more important that our names are in heaven.
Luke 10:20
a) The book of Revelation says Satan ends up in the Lake
of Fire. His followers go there, too. Rev 20:10
b) Where will you go? Whose side will you be on?
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsavo_Man-Eaters
"Percentage of Americans Who Believe In God," Gallop Poll, June 14-23, 2016;
<http://news.gallup.com/poll/193271/americans-believe-god.aspx>.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
Material in Section III is adapted from the article “Satan Hates You and
Has a Terrible Plan For Your Life,” by Timothy Warner, Discipleship
Journal, issue 81, May/June 1994, page 26.
[1] "Percentage of Americans Who Believe In God," Gallop Poll, June 14-23,
2016; <http://news.gallup.com/poll/193271/americans-believe-god.aspx>.
#1595 “Fighting For His Church,” from the book “Men To Match My Mountains”
by Irving Stone, 1956, page 439.
#5947 “Meeting the Devil,” by Rev. Adrian Rogers, Roddy Chestnut
Illustration collection.
#66563 “The Lions of Tsavo,” adapted by Rev. David Holwick from the
Wikipedia article; <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsavo_Man-Eaters>.
Kerux Sermon #10533 “Worship and Spiritual Warfare,” based on
2 Chronicles 20:1-22, by Rev. Coy Wylie, Cornerstone Baptist
Church of Amarillo, Texas, <http://www.cornerstonebc.com/sermon.htm>.
Abe Kudra sermon collection.
Kerux Sermon #21543 “Spiritual Warfare<” based on Ephesians 6:10-12, by
Rev. Dave Wilkinson, Moorpark Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of
Moorpark, California, preached January 16, 2000;
<http://www.moorparkpres.org/pages/sermons.htm>.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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