How Satan Abuses

TEXT:  2 Cor. 2:10-11

INTRODUCTION:

A.      WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF SATAN?

B.      WHAT HE IS AND DOES IS MORE IMPORTANT.

C.      WARFARE( 1 Pet. 5:8 ). Not a joke, must be taken seriously.

D.      HOW DOES HE WORK, WHAT ARE HIS METHODS?( 2 Cor. 2:10-11 ).

E.      THIS LESSON IS ABOUT 4 TACTICS OF SATAN.

I.      HE AMUSES.

A.      PLEASURE ORIENTED SOCIETY.

          1.       Highest paid workers in entertainment.  Largest industry in the world.

          2.       Satan has always been a master of amusement...

                   a.       Gen. 3:1-6.  Serpent's appeal, the forbidden fruit was good to eat and

                             pleasant to the eyes...She could derive pleasure from it.

                   b.       Heb. 11:24-25.  The "pleasures of sin".  That's the way the devil wants

                             sin to be pictured.

                   c.       Rev. 12:9.  Satan, the great deceiver, doesn't want us to see sin and

                             wrong in all its ugliness.

          3.       The Devil is still seeking to destroy us through amusement today...

                   a.       T.V. entertainment glorifies fornication, drinking and murder.

                   b.       Movies make heros of humanistic, materialistic characters and titillate

                             the senses, arousing the passions of impressionable young people.

                   c.       Comics who curse, swear, make a joke of God's holy name, and revel in

                             using filthy, foul, four letter words...

          4.       Hear the voice of the Lord on these matters( Eph. 4:29;  5:3-11;  Phil. 4:8 ).

B.      THE LAW IS IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION.

          1.       "You only go around once in life;  grab all the gusto you can get - NOW."

          2.       Immense individual debt - credit card society.  Bankruptcy honorable.

          3.       Appetites rule( Rom. 6:12 ).

          4.       Is this all there is?  all we want?

                   a.       Jesus set us free( Heb. 2:14-15 ).

                   b.       We have a greater hope( 1 Pet. 1:3;  2 Cor. 4:16-18;  5:1ff ).

          5.       So we do as Paul did( 1 Cor. 9:27 ).

C.      WE NEED TO BE WARY( 1 Pet. 5:8;  Eph. 5:15 ).

II.     HE EXCUSES.

A.      ONE OF SATAN'S FAVORITE TOOLS - RATIONALIZATION.

          1.       He helps you with excuses for wrong behavior.

          2.       He helps offer excuses for failure to do right.

B.      SOME COMMON EXCUSES FOR WRONG-DOING:

          1.       "Everybody else is doing it( Matt. 7:13-14 );"  "The Bible doesn't tell me not

                   to do it( 2 John 9 );"  "I was honest and sincere( Acts 17:30 )."

          2.       Blame somebody else - Adam and Eve, "Look what you made me do!"  "It's

                   just the way I was raised,"  "I can't help it if he's weak."  Devil made me do it.

                   ( 2 Cor. 5:10;  Matt. 18:6-7 ).

C.      EXCUSES WHEN WE DON'T DO:

          1.       "Too busy;"  "I can't do that;"  "Someone else could do better;"  "I'm too

                   young" or  "I'm too old."

          2.       James 4:17  --  2 Cor. 8:12.  Parable of the talents( Matt. 25 ).

D.      THE DEVIL IS ALWAYS READY WITH AN EXCUSE FOR US.

          1.       The real problem is that we won't accept responsibility - David and Saul.

          2.       If you offer your excuses long enough, you begin to believe them yourself!

E.      2 Tim. 3:13.  WE MAY DECEIVE OURSELVES, BUT( Gal. 6:7 ).

III.    HE CONFUSES.

A.      1 Cor. 14:33.  GOD IS NOT THE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS CONFUSION.

B.      CONFLICTING DOCTRINES CAUSE CONFUSION.

          1.       Conflicting things about baptism, THE kingdom (premillenialism), the work of

                   the Holy Spirit, about singing and the use of instrumental music, etc.

          2.       These different doctrines cannot all be true.  And this creates confusion.

          3.       This confusion does not come from God!!

C.      ONE OF SATAN'S GOALS IS TO PRODUCE CONFUSION

          1.       He has servants, most are unwitting( 2 Cor. 11:13-15;  2 Tim. 3:13 ).

          2.       He seeks to plug our thinking with prejudice( 2 Thess. 2:10-12 ).

          3.       He further confuses by convincing "You can prove anything by the Bible."

          4.       When we are confused, so is everybody else( John 17:20-21 ).

D.      HOW CAN WE AVOID RELIGIOUS CONFUSION?

          1.       Know the book( 2 Tim. 2:15;  1 Pet. 3:15;  2 Pet. 3:18 ).

          2.       Put what we hear to the test( 1 John 4:1, 4;  Acts 17:11 ).

          3.       Make application( 1 Tim. 4:7-8;  Heb. 5:13-14 ).

E.      Hosea 4:6

IV.   HE ACCUSES.

A.      Rev. 12:9-10.  SATAN IS "THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN."

          1.       The word "Satan" means "adversary".

          2.       The word devil "accuser."

B.      SATAN ACCUSES GOD, ATTACKING OUR FAITH

          1.       He seeks to contradict God in all that he says or promises( Gen. 3:3-5 ).

          2.       He calls on us to question God's fairness( Matt. 5:45 ).

          3.       Job understood( Job 1:22;  2:10 ).

C.      HE ACCUSES GOD'S SERVANTS.

          1.       Job( Job 1:9-11 ).

          2.       Unjust charges against the apostles.

                   a.       Paul was crazy( Acts 26:24;  17:18 ), greedy( 2 Thess. 3:7-9 ).

                   b.       Peter was ignorant( Acts 4:13 ).

                   c.       A sect( Acts 24:14;  28:22 ), troublemakers( Acts 17:6 ).

D.      TODAY THE DEVIL STILL ACCUSES US.  A few illustrations:

          1.  "They're Campbellites"                           6.  "Don't believe in helping orphans"

          2.  "Narrow-minded"                                   7.  "Don't believe in evangelism"

          3.  "They don't believe in the O.T."               8.  "Don't believe in salvation by faith"

          4.  "Don't have in music in the church"          9.  "Believe in salvation by works"

          5.  "Don't believe in the Holy Spirit"    10.  Church splitters, troublemakers.

E.      THE DARKNESS HATES THE LIGHT( John 3:19-20 ).

F.      THE TRUTH WILL BE ATTACKED, SO WILL ITS BEARERS( Luke 6:26 ).

G.      THE DEVIL IS DOING HIS WORK!

CONCLUSION:

A.      HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE DEVIL?

B.      James. 4:7.  "RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU."

C.      Eph. 6:10-13.

          1.       Trust in the Lord.

          2.       Trust the strength he gives.  Put on his armor.

          3.       Then stand.  Enter the fray.  Do the right thing.

Jim Deason