Rev. David Holwick G
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 18, 2018
1 Peter 5:8-9
WHEN IS IT SATAN?
I. Could it be...?
A. We all have bad days.
Lynette, in her late thirties and a mother of two, endures
recurring bouts with depression and anxiety.
Along with a diminished ability to handle even the little things
of life, she grapples with intense feelings of worthlessness.
Thoughts of suicide, though intolerable and unthinkable, plague
her.
The peace and security of the Lord's presence seem far away.
Is Lynette encountering spiritual attack?
Barry, active in a campus ministry, is point man for a major
evangelistic outreach at the college.
As he and his team prepare for the event, hassles and headaches
proliferate:
The copy machine malfunctions.
School officials seem overly picky and resistant.
Tensions at home escalate.
Barry and other team members are privately thinking, and some
are openly asking,
"Is there more going on here than meets the eye?"
#3298
Friday night your pastor's wife gave a wonderful gift to her
husband - an intestinal virus.
He slept 12 straight hours and had symptoms he would rather
not detail.
He even set up an alternative preacher just in case.
The topic this morning is Satan and spiritual warfare.
Were sinister forces behind my illness?
Every Christian has bad days, or even bad weeks, when everything
seems to go wrong.
You may wonder, could this be the devil?
How would you know for sure?
B. The main source of our problems.
1) The Bible says it can be Satan, a personal force of evil.
2) It can also be much more mundane - our problems can be due
to the lousy choices we make each day.
3) How do we learn to discern the difference?
II. What Satan can do.
A. 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) He is a personal being, not just the personification of
evil.
b) He is supernatural but can impact our lives in very
real ways.
c) A definite beginning and a determined end - he is not
equivalent to God in any way.
3) Satan is called the prince of this world.
a) Jesus was in active conflict with Satan during his
ministry and at his crucifixion.
b) Paul and the other New Testament writers refer to
personal attacks by Satan.
c) Yet in America, 89% say they believe in God and only
61% believe Satan exists. [1]
B. Satan can influence us in various ways.
1) Tempt.
a) 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.
b) 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> This is why we pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us
not into temptation but deliver us from evil."
2) Deceive.
a) Jesus said that falsehood is Satan's main characteristic
and Paul says Satan can create false miracles.
b) 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.
c) Satan deceives by offering us power to deal with the
problems in our lives.
1> Good luck charms, horoscopes, psychics and palm
readers have long been popular - even with some
Christians. #3297
2> 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.
3) Accuse.
a) The original meaning of the word "Satan" is "accuser."
1> He plays this role in the book of Job.
b) God accuses us of sin and points us to the cross; Satan
accuses us of sin and uses it to discourage and
defeat us, telling us there is no forgiveness
or hope for change.
4) Use our weaknesses.
a) Satan will intensify our weaknesses until they are
compulsions.
b) Your weakness might be drugs or alcohol, or a
dysfunctional family, or trauma that happens to you.
1> Physical ailment can be used as well.
c) Satan will use these things to make you doubt God's
power and love for you.
III. We can do plenty on our own.
A. We all have the ability to do what Satan does.
1) He rebelled against God, and so can we.
2) 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 it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil
thoughts come -
sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice,
deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
All these evils come from inside and defile a person."
B. Our habits build up over time and are very powerful.
1) Much of our daily life is ruled by habit.
a) When we walk, we don't have to consciously think about
moving one leg, then another - we just do it.
1> It is a real chore if you have to give it conscious
thought - just ask Carol Staples.
b) If we had to think about every muscle movement, our
brains would be overwhelmed.
1> (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> AA, Weight Watchers, 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) It is often a deflection of our personal responsibility.
2) Realistically, evil events are often a combination of Satan
and us.
IV. How to tell the difference.
A. Satanic influence often has identifying features.
1) You are caught up in the occult.
2) You are trying to do the Lord's work and trouble hits you.
Jeff Dieselberg with the NightLight ministry in Thailand
sent a recent newsletter with discouraging information.
He wrote:
"God is cleaning house and we had a sudden movement of women
resigning.
Some left bitter and angry, and others just felt like God
was calling them forward.
It feels like a lot at once and is leaving some gaps.
Pray for those to be filled by the right people.
Pray for protection from the wrong people."
3) Repetitive compromise in a certain sin.
a) Ephesians 4:27 says that lingering anger can give the
devil a foothold.
b) Any habitual sin that is not dealt with can give Satan
power over you.
c) Lingering and devastating guilt even though you have
confessed and repented of your sin.
B. Don't blame everything on the devil.
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.
2) Start practicing positive and godly daily habits that will
diminish the negativity and defeat in your life.
a) The author of a recent article I read said his 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 being a lazy Christian!
V. You have the power to resist.
A. Recognize where Satan has infiltrated your life.
1) Unhealthy relationships and poor choices in entertainment
can open you up to evil influence.
2) Toxic churches can kill the spirit.
a) God can use churches and pastors, big time.
b) Make sure your church - this church - is building you
up and giving you sharp spiritual weapons.
c) Firm up any lax theology - I am not that bad a person...
3) Deal with revenge and retaliation fantasies.
a) Anger is a great tool of the devil.
b) Learn to love, even when it is hard.
B. Know and use your best weapons against Satan.
1) Have a closer walk with God through prayer, meditation
and study.
a) When Jesus was tempted by Satan, he quoted Scripture.
2) Remind yourself that, with all your shortcomings, you are
still a child of the Great God and loved by him.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
Section III borrows heavily from the sermon “On Being Tempted: Is It Satan
Or My Habits?” by Rev. John Sattler, February 18, 2013; Holy Cross
Lutheran Church of Indianapolis, Indiana. SermonCentral.com. Kerux
Sermon #66013.
[1] "Percentage of Americans Who Believe In God," Gallop Poll, June 14-23,
2016; <link>.
#3297 “Satan Hates You and Has A Terrible Plan For Your Life,” by
Timothy Warner, Discipleship Journal #81, May-June 1994, page 26.
#3298 “Is This Really Warfare?” by Tom White, Discipleship Journal #81,
May-June 1994, page 32.
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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