Bible Studies
How Should We View Satan In Our Lives?
Series: The Reality of SatanIntroduction:
1. In a book entitled Flatlands a mathematician described a two dimensional world.a. A sphere began to pass through the plan in a man’s two-dimensional living room.
b. First it began to appear as a point on the man’s floor.
c. As it began to pass through the plane of his existence it began to look like a circle on the man’s floor. It became larger and larger, then smaller and smaller and then a point on the man’s floor disappearing before the man’s eyes.
d. The man had never experienced anything like this before and began to talk to the sphere. “What are you,” the man asked. “I am a sphere,” the sphere said. “What is a sphere?” the man asked, never having experienced anything like this before.
e. “Well,” said the sphere, “go around on your floor in a clockwise direction.” The man walked around in a clockwise direction. “Now go in a counter-clockwise direction,” said the sphere. And the man walked around in a counter-clockwise direction. “Now, said the sphere, go around in the other direction.” “There is no other direction,” said the man.
2. Sometimes I think we are like the man in the two-dimensional world. We are limited in our understanding. 3. Until God comes along and exposes us to something that is outside our natural circumstances. 4. We are well acquainted with things physical, but the only way we can understand the spiritual dimension is for God to explain it.a. God is in that spiritual dimension and interacts with us.
b. But Satan too is in that spiritual dimension and also interacts with us.
c. One is just as real as the other and it is really rather silly to deny their existence given our “two dimensional” existence.
5. God is on our side, our provider, our source of life. Satan is our adversary. He is against us. He seeks our destruction. 6. How should we view him in our lives? Already in this series we have addressed much of that, but in this lesson we will focus particular attention on this question.Discussion:
I. We should view him as our enemy.A. This is clear from the descriptive designations used to describe him.
1. “Abaddon” and “Apollyon” meaning “destroyer” (Rev. 9:11).
2. “The accuser” (Rom. 12:10).
3. “The adversary” (1 Pet. 5:8).
4. “An enemy” (Matt. 13:28, 39).
5. “A murder” (Jn. 8:44).
6. He seeks to devour (1 Pet. 5:8) and to destroy. He is a powerful and crafty foe.
B. As those rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son through the forgiveness of sins (Col. 2:13-14) we are assured victory over the malicious activities of Satan.
1. He is a defeated enemy. Rom. 16:20 says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
2. We find our security in the keeping power of Christ (Rom. 8:31-39; 1 Jn. 5:18-20; 1 Pet. 1:5).
II. Recognizing that our victory rests in the work of Jesus Christ we must take a firm stand against Satan.A. James 4:7: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
B. Any attempt to defeat Satan by mere human strength is useless, but in claiming the victory through Jesus Christ we can put the devil to flight.
1. We cannot remain ignorant of his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11).
2. Recognizing his powerfulness and craftiness we must “give no opportunity to the devil.”
a. We must walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1).
b. Having been raised to walk in newness of life by the work of God (Eph. 2:10; Col. 2:12) we must be equipped for our work (Eph. 4:11-16).
c. We can no longer walk as the Gentiles, but lay aside the old man and be renewed in the spirit of our mind (Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 12:2).
d. We must lay aside the things that entangle us (Eph. 4:25-6:9).
e. And put on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-17).
C. God has made ample provision for us.
1. We have an “anointing from the Holy One” (1 Jn. 2:20). I take this to be the revelation that He has given us expressed in this passage as the truth (21). It is what we have been taught (26-27).
2. He has made provision for us in our relationships to one another for instruction (Eph. 4:11ff), for stimulation to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24), for strengthening (Heb. 12:12-13).
3. He has made provision for cleansing and restoration whenever we sin (Rom. 8:33-34; Heb. 7:25; 1 Jn. 2:1-2).
4. We overcome because of the blood of the lamb (Rev. 12:11).
D. But what we have discussed thus far has been seen from the perspective of our personal victory, my personal victory over Satan, sin and death.
III. We need to view Satan as the enemy of our cause. We are commissioned as the people of God to turn the lost “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18).A. Satan presents a counter-culture wholly opposed to God (Jn. 8:34-47).
1. The Jews of this passage were of their father the devil.
2. Jesus had God as His father.
B. The father of the world is the devil. Our Father is the Lord. Our culture is counter to the culture of the world.
1. Professor said to a group of preachers, “We are in the business of re-parenting the people.” His explanation. . . “we are in the business of taking people parented by their father the devil and reparenting them to be like our Father the God of heaven.”
2. The process of evangelism takes people that are in the family of the devil—hurt, abused, tormented and tortured and brings them into the family of God.
3. That is what conversion is about.
4. But there is more. We are taking the hurt, abused, tormented and tortured and working to heal bring them healing by teaching them about our loving Father.
5. These people are going to stumble because they are crippled and need to learn to walk. They are vulnerable like children tossed here and there by every wind of doctrine. But they are in the family of God now and as their brothers and sisters we must help them find healing . . . for we too, were like them and if it were not for the grace of God and those touched by His grace we would still be in that abusive, dysfunctional, murderous family of the devil.
Conclusion:
1. How should we view Satan in our personal lives? He is our personal enemy. 2. But he is also the enemy of our Father and His purpose. Satan is the enemy of the mission we have been given to seek and save the lost. 3. We have the blood of the lamb, the sword of the Spirit, a loving Father, and the strength of His family. We will overcome. 4. “Soldiers of Christ arise and put your armor on!”
