Latest / Pastor John Piper's answers / Providence over the Ruler of This World (Part 4)

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Providence over the Ruler of This World (Part 4) · Pastor John Piper's answers

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: In our last session, the issue of God's providence in
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: relation to Satan's power was dealt with partly, like from
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  Speaker 1: the book of Job. Let's stay with this a minute
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: because it's huge. I mean, why, since God has the
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  Speaker 1: power to destroy Satan, doesn't he just put him out
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: of existence? Make our life a lot easier, wouldn't it?
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  Speaker 1: So that's where we're going. He's called the God of
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  Speaker 1: this world. John 14, 30. Jesus says, I will no
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: longer talk much with you for the ruler of this
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  Speaker 1: world is coming. He has no claim on me. So
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  Speaker 1: in some sense, Satan's the ruler of the world. Second
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Corinthians 4, 4. The God of this world has blinded
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  Speaker 1: the minds of unbelievers. God of this world. 1 John 5, 19,
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  Speaker 1: we know that we are from God and the whole
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  Speaker 1: world lies in the power of the evil one. She
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  Speaker 1: had these massive statements about the power of Satan's rule
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  Speaker 1: in this, over this world. world, but he's not absolute.
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  Speaker 1: We saw that back in Job. He has to get
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  Speaker 1: permission to make Job's life miserable. Let me give you
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  Speaker 1: another illustration of that in Luke 22. Jesus says to Peter, Simon, Simon, behold,
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  Speaker 1: Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat, but
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  Speaker 1: I have prayed for you that your faith may not
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  Speaker 1: fail and you shall When once you have turned again,
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  Speaker 1: strengthen your brothers. So Satan is gonna pounce on Peter
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: and tempt him. And Jesus says, I got this covered.
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  Speaker 1: I'm not going to prevent his causing you to deny me.
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  Speaker 1: I am going to prevent him from causing your faith
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  Speaker 1: to fail utterly. And then he says, when you turn,
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  Speaker 1: not if you turn, don't you love the sovereignty of
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  Speaker 1: Jesus over Satan? When you turn, which you will, because
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  Speaker 1: I prayed for you and Satan has no ultimate power
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  Speaker 1: over me and my prayers. When you turn, strengthen your brothers.
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  Speaker 1: In other words, I've got a plan for you to
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  Speaker 1: be a rock of strength for your brothers. through denials
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  Speaker 1: and I'm using Satan to take you so far and
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  Speaker 1: no farther in your denial so Satan is the God
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  Speaker 1: of this world but he's not the ultimate God of
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  Speaker 1: this world Romans 13 1 there is no authority except
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  Speaker 1: from God and those which exist are established by God
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  Speaker 1: Daniel 2 20 God changes the times and the epics
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  Speaker 1: he removes kings and establish his King. So you're the
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  Speaker 1: God of this world and its rulers and principalities and powers,
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  Speaker 1: but not, not ultimately. Matthew 28, 18, Jesus says, all
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  Speaker 1: authority in heaven on earth belongs to me. So go
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  Speaker 1: make disciples. And Mark chapter one, verse 27. Oh, I
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  Speaker 1: love this, this statement. I was writing a person recently
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  Speaker 1: trying to give them some counsel about an exorcism, a
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  Speaker 1: casting out of a demon they wanted help with. And
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  Speaker 1: I went to this verse He goes like this, Mark 1, 27.
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  Speaker 1: They were all amazed. What is this? A new teaching
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  Speaker 1: with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they
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  Speaker 1: obey him. Linger long over the obedience of the devil
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  Speaker 1: to Jesus Christ. He is not free to do as
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  Speaker 1: he pleases. He can do so much, but nothing beyond
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  Speaker 1: what God allows him to do. 1 Peter 3.22, Jesus
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  Speaker 1: has gone into heaven and is at the right hand
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  Speaker 1: of God with angels and authorities and powers subjected to him. Wow.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus is authoritative. He is the ultimate God of this world,
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  Speaker 1: not Satan, even though Satan has a role under this
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  Speaker 1: massive authority to play. Now the question is, why does
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  Speaker 1: God allow him? Why does God allow Satan to stay here?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, that's a really tough question. He's going to
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  Speaker 1: throw him into the lake of fire someday. Do it now,
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  Speaker 1: we might be tempted to say, with our great wisdom.
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  Speaker 1: I think we can see the reason, at least part
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  Speaker 1: of it, if we notice God defeats Satan. through Christ
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  Speaker 1: in three stages, not just one. Stage number one on
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  Speaker 1: the cross, Colossians 2, 13 to 15. God has forgiven
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  Speaker 1: us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt
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  Speaker 1: that stood against us with its legal demands. This he
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  Speaker 1: set aside, nailing it to the cross. So all the
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  Speaker 1: record of debt that God had against me, nailed to
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  Speaker 1: the cross. I bear it no more. He disarmed the
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  Speaker 1: rulers and authorities and put them to an open shame
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  Speaker 1: by triumphing over them in him. How does God triumph
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  Speaker 1: over Satan and his minions at the cross? Answer, he
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  Speaker 1: strips from Satan's hand the one ultimately lethal weapon that
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  Speaker 1: he has against us, namely unforgiven sin. Satan can't condemn
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  Speaker 1: us anymore. He can beat us up. He can throw
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  Speaker 1: us in jail. He can kill us. He cannot damn us.
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  Speaker 1: So there's triumph over Satan at the cross because there
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  Speaker 1: is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. So
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  Speaker 1: Satan can stand in the courtroom and blubber all he wants,
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  Speaker 1: but he has no case to make against God's elect.
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  Speaker 1: That's stage one. Stage two is conversion. How are we converted?
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  Speaker 1: We are converted by Jesus Christ coming into our view
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  Speaker 1: as more beautiful than Satan and all Satan offers us.
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  Speaker 1: Listen to this. 2 Corinthians 4, 4, the God of
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  Speaker 1: this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. So he's
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  Speaker 1: getting lots of kudos here, lots of glory. Look how
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  Speaker 1: I can blind the people and they can't worship God
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  Speaker 1: because they can't see his glory. The God of this
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  Speaker 1: world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them
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  Speaker 1: from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory
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  Speaker 1: of Christ, who is the image of God. So how
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  Speaker 1: is anybody saved then? And verse six says, God says,
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  Speaker 1: let there be light. And what do they see? They
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  Speaker 1: see the light of the knowledge of the glory of
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  Speaker 1: God in the face of Christ, which means that the
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  Speaker 1: triumph over Satan in conversion is precisely by people moving
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  Speaker 1: out of Christ belittling blindness into Christ exalting sight of glory.
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  Speaker 1: You see how that gets Christ more glory than if
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  Speaker 1: he just threw Satan into the lake of fire today?
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  Speaker 1: Millions of people all over the world are moving out
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  Speaker 1: of darkness into light and praising Jesus because light's have
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  Speaker 1: gone off in their hearts and they are seeing Jesus
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  Speaker 1: as supremely to be preferred to Satan and all he offers.
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  Speaker 1: And what a shame that brings upon Satan and that's
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  Speaker 1: what Jesus is about in conversion. So he sends us
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  Speaker 1: out to do what only God can do. He says
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  Speaker 1: to Paul in Acts 26, 18, I am sending you
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  Speaker 1: to open their eyes so that they may turn from
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  Speaker 1: darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.
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  Speaker 1: Every time evangelism happens and the Holy Spirit opens the
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  Speaker 1: eyes of the blind and people see the glory of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: Satan is shamed, Satan is nullified, and the work of
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  Speaker 1: the cross comes to its completion or effect in their lives.
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  Speaker 1: And then finally, stage three, In the defeat. Revelation 20
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  Speaker 1: verse 10. The devil who had deceived them. Was thrown
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  Speaker 1: into the lake of fire. And sulfur. Where the beast
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  Speaker 1: and the false prophet were. And they are tormented. Day
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  Speaker 1: and night. Forever. It's over. Satan is out of the picture. So.
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  Speaker 1: My answer to. The sovereignty of God over Satan, giving
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  Speaker 1: Satan this temporary power to do much damage, but not
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  Speaker 1: ultimate damage, is because in those three steps, the cross, conversion,
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  Speaker 1: and final lake of fire brings God and his beauty,
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  Speaker 1: his glory, his grace, more honor than if he had
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  Speaker 1: just used raw power to throw Satan down. into the
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  Speaker 1: lake of fire.