[W] [PREACHING LESSON 4:] BEWARE OF OUR SPIRITUAL ENEMY FOR HE WILL NOT STOP TO DESTROY YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE.

 

BEWARE OF OUR SPIRITUAL ENEMY FOR HE WILL NOT STOP TO DESTROY YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE.

 

(John 10:10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

*( John 8:44) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

*( Ephesians 6:10-14) [10]Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

[11]Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

[12]For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

[13]Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

[14]Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

B.  Lucifer is a powerful angel.  He is a God hater and therefore hates God’s children.  Our Lord said that He was hated first, and that hatred would be passed on to us.

John 15:18-20  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  (19)  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.  (20)  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

C.  I do not want to preach a series on Satanology or Angelogy (fallen angels) but, in order to understand the fallen angels, we must explore them within the context of Scriptures.

D.  Lucifer was a special angel, a defender of the holiness of God.  Lucifer tried to overthrow the throne of God to no avail and God said, “I will destroy thee, O covering cherub!”  Lucifer is a damned angel.  I want to look at a couple of very interesting verses:

E.  Hell was prepared for the Devil and his angels.

Ezekiel 28:18  Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Matthew 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

1.  Satan is Determined.  He will never give up nor give an inch.  In his determination, he does not negotiate nor compromise.

2.  Satan is Dangerous.  His ultimate goal is to destroy everything God created.

3.  Satan is Deceptive.  In heaven, with God on His throne, Satan convinced 1/3 of the angels there to rebel.  And we think he cannot deceive us.

4.  WE ARE NOT IGNORANT of his devices!

a)  He has used the same devices since he sinned against God in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28!

b)  I used the phrase “willfully ignorant” last week because we all have seen what Satan through love of the world has done to people that we know!

1)  He has destroyed their lives!

2)  He has destroyed their families!

3)  He has destroyed their health!

4)  He has destroyed their testimonies!

5)  He has destroyed their usefulness!

c)  Satan uses different Devices for different People.  We all have our strong points and weaknesses.

d)  Satan uses different Devices for different Purposes.  Sometimes, Satan attacks people and sometimes he attacks churches/governments, etc.

e)  Satan uses these same devices over and over.  Satan does the same thing the same way because it too often brings about the same results.

 

* Lastly and very important reminders to every individual Church members:

.  Division can cause much damage to the local church by:

1.  Division Destroys The Fellowship Of The Church.  (People sit on the pews of the church with malice and unforgiveness in their hearts.)

2.  Division Destroys The Commission Of The Church.  (Missions have been damaged because of gaining a family and then loosing a family through spiritual nonsense!)

3.  Division Destroys The Testimony Of The Church. (Church fights and splits have been detrimental to the prosperity of the church, both physically and financially.)

4.  Division Destroys The Posterity Of The Church.  (Children both see and hear the ungodliness of the parents.  It affects their spirituality and, eventually, they are lost.

5.  Division Destroys The Worship Of The Church.  (God and His Holy Spirit are grieved with this division and worship is neither holy nor acceptable.)

6.  Division Destroys The Evangelism Of The Church.  (Instead of keeping our eyes upon the harvest and doing all that we can to win souls, our time is spent in bitterness and souls are lost.)

7.  Division Hinders The Prayers Of The Saints.  (Malice and unforgiveness are sins and when we regard iniquity in our hearts, our prayers go unheard.)

M.  Division damages the individual believer.

* God bless you all always *

 

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