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Temptation - Satan · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Um, what that means is, uh, that my, my charge is to help you understand the mnemonic realm.
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Okay.
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What motivates demons?
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What frightens demons?
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How they seek to beguile you or ensnare you and how we might seek to undermine them.
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It is a lofty topic.
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It is a topic that I will not at all exhaust tonight.
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It is, um, been the subject of countless volumes and countless, um, essays.
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And there's just so much information.
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You can't really fit it into a matter of 45 minutes, but we're going to do the best that
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we can to give you guys a brief synopsis of who you're dealing with and how to deal with
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them.
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Um, a couple of weeks ago, I started by talking about just why we're here.
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We're here to engage brokenness, right?
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To partner with Jesus Christ in engaging brokenness ever since the fall of man, which is, you know,
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Satan's first, um, I guess, scene in the, uh, in the play of, in the play of, uh, eternity.
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Uh, he tempts Adam and Eve.
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They fall.
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Sin happens.
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Okay.
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The world, all of creation is affected.
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All of it is corrupted by sin.
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Ever since then, God in Jesus Christ has been redeeming it.
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He's been in this process of constant redemption.
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Um, and there's, and there's redemption taking place on all different kinds of levels.
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There, there's redemption taking place on societal levels, uh, civic levels, communal levels,
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interpersonal levels between two people and then personal levels.
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Okay.
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Um, his redemption is not limited to just simply, uh, salvation of sin.
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It is that it's absolutely that it's the most important part about it, but it's also
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redemption of everything.
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Okay.
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He intends to redeem everything in the end that can be redeemed.
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Certain things like we talked about a couple of weeks ago, cannot be.
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So then last week, Clay came and he began to open up this series of sin and temptation.
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Okay.
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Because at the heart of redemption is the heart.
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Okay.
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No true redemption happens apart from the heart really, truly being changed, transformed.
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So God starts with the heart.
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And then through the change of that heart, the creation of new desires, he begins to work
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out that redemption in their life, in their relationships, in their communities, in their
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societies.
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And so God's plan begins in our heart.
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Okay.
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This is just a setup, kind of a contrast for what Satan's plan is.
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I want to read you this somewhat lengthy quote by, uh, by John Wesley.
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This is really awesome.
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This is exactly what my heart was.
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I didn't read this till this week, so I didn't really have this in my possession to read to
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you guys a couple of weeks ago.
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But this is exactly what the kingdom of God is.
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And this is exactly what Satan is attempting to thwart.
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He says this.
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Let me just say this before I read the quote.
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If God's will is to engage creation's brokenness, then Satan's will is to maintain it.
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Okay.
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If God's purpose is to redeem the brokenness of all creation, then Satan's intention is
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to maintain the brokenness and to further it.
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Here goes John Wesley.
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The devices whereby the subtle God of this world, which is a name for Satan, labors to
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destroy the children of God, or at least to torment whom he to torment whom he cannot
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destroy to perplex and hinder them in running the race which is set before them are numberless
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as the stars of heaven or the sand upon the seashore.
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That's his devices are.
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So his methods are.
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But it is his chief device that he endeavors to divide the gospel against itself and by
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one part of it to overthrow the other.
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Here we go.
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The inward kingdom of heaven.
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This is what happens when you get saved.
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The inward kingdom of heaven, which is set up in the hearts of all that repent and believe
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in the gospel, is no other than righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
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That's Romans 14.
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17.
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Every babe in Christ knows we are made partakers of these the very hour that we believe in Jesus.
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But these are only the first fruits of his Spirit.
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The harvest is not yet.
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Although these blessings are inconceivably great, yet we trust to see greater than these.
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We trust to love the Lord our God, not only as we do now with the weak, though sincere
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affection, but with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, with
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all of our strength.
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We look for power to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and in everything to give
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thanks, knowing this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus.
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That's 1 Thessalonians 5.18.
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We expect to be made perfect in love, in that which casts out all painful fear and all desire,
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but that of glorifying him we love.
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And of loving and serving him more and more.
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We look for such an increase in the experimental knowledge and love of God, our Savior, as will
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enable us always to walk in the light as he is in the light.
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We believe the whole mind will be in us, which it was in Christ Jesus, that we shall love
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every man so as to be ready to lay down our life for his sake, so as by his love to be
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freed from anger and pride and from every unkind affection.
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We expect to be cleansed from all our idols, from all filthiness, whether of flesh or spirit,
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to be saved from all our uncleanness, inward and outward, to be purified as he is pure.
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Let's meet the fuel of the love.
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We trust in his promise, who cannot lie, that the time will surely come when in every word
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and work we shall do his blessed will on earth as it is done in heaven.
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When all our conversations shall be seasoned with salt, all meet to minister grace to the
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hearers, when whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, it shall be done to the glory of God.
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When all our words and deeds shall be in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God,
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even the Father through him.
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Now, this is the grand device of Satan to destroy the first work of God in the soul,
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or at least to hinder its increase.
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Okay, so that was a very comprehensive definition of what it means for the kingdom of heaven to
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be on earth.
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Meaning what?
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God's will is being acted out by every facet of creation on earth, perfectly.
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One day it will be like that.
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You can read it in Revelation, you can read it elsewhere in the Old Testament.
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One day it will be literally heaven on earth.
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God's will being acted out in every form and fashion, through every single person and being,
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every conscious soul, literally acted out to the glory of God.
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God's will is perfectly followed by us.
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There is no pride.
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There is no mourning.
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There is no weeping.
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There is no sadness.
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There is no anything except for what God intends for it to be.
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Perfect love relationship with Jesus.
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Perfect love and will towards our fellow man.
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And Paul in 1 Thessalonians sums it up by saying that it's righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
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Okay?
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And that's exactly what Satan intends to afford and to undermine,
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is that we would experience that in varying degrees, increasing degrees in this life.
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And being constantly redeemed, he wants us to constantly be destroyed.
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Okay?
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So I have four little points and I have some alliteration to kind of go with this.
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First one is perspective change.
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Perspective change.
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C.S. Lewis once said,
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There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils.
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One is to disbelieve in their existence.
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The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.
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They themselves are equally pleased by both errors
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and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.
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End quote.
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Now what do you think we here in America deal with most?
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At least in our context, here in Dahlonega.
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Is it an overemphasis of demons or is it an underemphasis?
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Underemphasis.
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Certainly.
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We don't hardly think of them.
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We don't even consider them to be in our daily lives.
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We don't even really consider that they might be all around us at times.
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Angels as well.
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We don't think about things as we should.
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During World War II,
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Nazi soldiers would tell the inmates they were going to get a shower.
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When really they were doing what?
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Going to the gas chamber.
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Satan would have you go to hell compliantly
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rather than kicking and screaming.
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He prefers
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to be unseen.
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People wrongly
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misconstrue the devil
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by thinking of him as
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a little red creature that runs around
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and is chaotic
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and is involved in all kinds of chaos
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and he's not organized.
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The devil is more like
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a CEO of a massive Fortune 500 company
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that is in charge of everything underneath the sun.
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He is the God of this world, the scripture says.
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And there's things that he's doing that we don't see.
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There's a reality in this world
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that we need to come to grips with as well.
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That there are real souls
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and there is a real hell
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and there is a real heaven
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and there is a real war being waged
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for those souls.
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I want to read you a cool story from 2 Kings.
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Go to 2 Kings 6.
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This is hopefully to help our perspective
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be changed a little bit.
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This is a really neat story
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that I came across this past week.
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2 Kings 6.
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Beginning in verse 8.
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Now the king of Aram
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was warring against Israel
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and he counseled with his servants saying,
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In such and such a place
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shall be my camp.
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And the man of God,
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which is actually Elisha in this context.
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Whenever it says the man of God
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it's referring to Elisha.
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And the man of God
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sent word to the king of Israel saying,
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Beware that you do not pass this place
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for the Arameans
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are coming down there.
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And the king of Israel sent to the place
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about which the man of God had told him.
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Thus he warned him
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so that he guarded himself there
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more than once or twice.
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Now the heart of the king of Aram
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was enraged over this thing.
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And he called his servants
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and said to them,
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Will you tell me which of us
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is for the king of Israel?
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And one of his servants said,
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No, my lord, O king.
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But Elisha, the prophet who was in Israel,
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tells the king of Israel
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the words that you speak in your bedroom.
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So he said,
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Go and see where he is
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that I may send and take him.
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And it was told him saying,
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Behold, he is in Dothan.
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Okay, so pause in the story real quick.
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What's going on is
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this king hates Israel,
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wants to destroy them,
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sets up a plan to do so.
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Elisha is given a vision of this by God,
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tells the king of Israel,
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Hey, don't go to this place
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because they're setting up a trap for you.
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Then it says,
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More than just once or twice.
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This has happened several times.
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And the king from the Arameans
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is furious.
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And he's like,
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Who is Elisha?
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Who is this guy that keeps thwarting all my plans?
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I keep setting up these,
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you know,
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points of attack.
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And every time that I do,
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he comes up underneath me
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and tells the king of Israel
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and they don't come my way
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and I don't get to capture them.
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So he's continually frustrated.
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He's beginning to hate Elisha.
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And he says,
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Where is Elisha?
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I'm going to find him and kill him.
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So he's in Dothan, right?
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Picking up in verse 14.
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And he sent horses and chariots
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and a great army there.
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And they came by night
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and surrounded the city.
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This is where Elisha was.
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Now when the attendant
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or the servant of the man of God,
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Elisha,
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had risen early and gone out,
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behold,
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an army with horses and chariots
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was encircling the city.
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And his servant said to him,
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Alas, my master,
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what shall we do?
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Okay?
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So the king had sent an army
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to go kill one man, Elisha.
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Elisha's servant wakes up,
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goes and looks outside
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and sees this massive army
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surrounding the mountainside
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and says,
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Oh my gosh,
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what are we going to do?
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Goes and asks Elisha,
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Elisha,
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what are we going to do?
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This is insane.
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Picks up in verse 16.
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So he answered,
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Do not fear,
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for those who are with us
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are more than those who are with them.
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Then Elisha prayed and said,
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Oh Lord, I pray,
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open his eyes that he may see
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and the Lord opened
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the servant's eyes
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and he saw
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and behold,
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the mountain was full of horses
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and chariots of fire
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all around Elisha.
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And when they came down to him,
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Elisha prayed to the Lord
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and said,
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Strike the people with blindness,
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I pray.
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So he struck them with blindness
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according to the word of Elisha.
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Then Elisha said to them,
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This is not the way,
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nor is this the city.
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Follow me and I will bring you
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to the man whom you seek.
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And he brought them to Samaria.
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Now it came about
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that when they had come
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into Samaria
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that Elisha said,
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Oh Lord,
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open the eyes of these men
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that they may see.
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So the Lord opened their eyes
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and they saw
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and behold,
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they were in the midst of Samaria.
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That was Israelite territory.
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So you got that?
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These men are surrounding the city.
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Elisha isn't fearful.
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Why?
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He prays for his servant.
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Lord,
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please open his eyes
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that he may see
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what I see.
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And then all of a sudden
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the servant opens his eyes
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and he sees
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all these chariots
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of fire,
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angels
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surrounding them.
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And he says,
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See,
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we have them outnumbered.
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They don't have as many soldiers
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as we do.
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Then,
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they go out to meet them.
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Right?
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This army comes to meet Elisha.
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They didn't see the angels.
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They were going to come
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take Elisha.
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Elisha prays,
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Lord,
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strike them down with blindness.
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So they all become blind.
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A whole army is blinded.
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Elisha then tells them,
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Hey,
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the man that you're looking for
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isn't in here.
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He can't be found here.
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He's actually down
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to the next city.
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I'll take you there.
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Takes him down
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to Israelite territory.
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Sure enough,
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in the story,
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opens their blinded eyes
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and they see that
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they're in captivity
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of Israel.
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Okay?
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There is a reality
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in this world
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that we don't see
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and that we cannot detect
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empirically.
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You can't taste it.
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You can't touch it.
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You can't see it.
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You can't feel it.
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You can't hear it.
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But it's still there.
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And so we,
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living in a materialist society,
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want to say,
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well,
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if I can't see it
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or feel it
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or so on and so forth,
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I don't want to believe in it.
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If it's not observable,
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I'm not going to believe it.
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Science is going to reason you away
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in time.
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So Satan hides behind science
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and Satan hides behind
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that kind of reasoning
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and says,
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maybe you don't see me
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or feel me
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or touch me
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or whatever,
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but I'm still very much
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intimately involved
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in your life
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and I'm still very much
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intimately involved
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in your society
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and I'm doing things
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that you can't perceive.
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Okay?
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So this text
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is meant to open up
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for you guys
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the reality
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that there are
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spiritual forces
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of wickedness
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and there are
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spiritual forces
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that are good
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in this world.
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Don't be constrained
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as you're simply
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thinking about things
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in light of what
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you can see
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or feel.
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There's real conflict
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in this world
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that we need to come
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to grips with.
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I'll give you
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one more quick example.
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This is from
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Matthew 26,
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53.
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Just a side note,
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these things
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are really perceived
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by faith.
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Okay?
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So if you don't
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have faith,
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which the world
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that we live in
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does not,
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they don't see
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these things.
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They don't see
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that there are
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demons and devils.
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They don't see
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that there are
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spiritual forces
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working against
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us all.
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They don't see
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the trap that
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they don't see
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the gas chamber
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that we've been
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enabled to see
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by faith,
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if that makes sense.
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They're living
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in ignorance.
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In Matthew 26,
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verse 53,
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really,
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let's go back
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to 51.
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This is during
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Jesus' betrayal
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and arrest.
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It says this
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in 51,
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And behold,
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one of those
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who were with Jesus,
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this is,
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we learn later,
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Peter,
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reached and drew
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out his sword
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and struck the slave
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of the high priest
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and cut off his ear.
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Then Jesus said to him,
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put your sword
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back into its place.
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For all those
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who take up the sword
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shall perish by the sword.
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53,
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Or do you think
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that I cannot
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appeal to my father
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and he will at once
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put at my disposal
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more than twelve
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legions of angels?
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So Jesus saw
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the same thing
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that Elisha saw,
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which was that
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if I simply said
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the word,
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if I wanted it
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to happen,
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I could ask my father
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and he could send
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twelve legions
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of angels,
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a legion was
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six thousand,
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so roughly
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seventy-two thousand
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plus angels
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at my disposal.
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If I needed
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your help,
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I would have
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asked for it.
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And so he's
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rebuking Peter,
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but it's also,
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we can learn
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something from this
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about the spiritual
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world, right?
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It's there,
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it's present,
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we don't see it
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all the time,
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but it's a reality.
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So these are just
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biblical illustrations
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of things that
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we don't necessarily
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always see.
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Okay,
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so we need to
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have a perspective
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change.
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Secondly,
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personality
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diagnosis.
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Personality
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diagnosis.
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There's a lot
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of things we can
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learn about Satan
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from his names.
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Okay,
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the Bible describes
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him as a thief.
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So he intends
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to steal something.
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He describes him
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as the father of
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lies,
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meaning that
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all lives
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are from him
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in some way.
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He's the
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originator of them.
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He births them.
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He incites them.
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Next,
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he's described
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as a lion,
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so he's fierce.
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He's described
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as the God
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of the world,
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meaning he has
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rule,
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he has dominion
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over the things
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in this world.
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It's not necessarily
19:49
saying that he's
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the God of this world.
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In fact,
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how many of you
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believe that Satan
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is the opposite
19:54
of God?
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Would you say
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that Satan
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is the opposite
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of God?
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No?
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Yes?
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Yes?
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This is one of
20:06
the best things
20:06
that I've found out
20:07
this entire week.
20:08
My,
20:08
probably the richest
20:09
thing that I've seen
20:10
is that Satan
20:12
is not the opposite
20:13
of God.
20:16
Okay?
20:16
Because in order
20:18
to be the opposite
20:18
of God,
20:19
he would have
20:19
to possess
20:20
the same exact
20:21
qualities of God
20:22
except in a depraved
20:25
way.
20:27
So,
20:27
if God is
20:28
perfect goodness,
20:29
he'd have to be
20:29
perfect badness.
20:32
But,
20:33
by definition,
20:34
right,
20:34
if God is sovereign,
20:37
then Satan
20:37
couldn't be sovereign.
20:38
Somebody that's
20:39
sovereign
20:39
rules over everything.
20:42
So,
20:42
Satan's not that way.
20:44
So,
20:44
we learn things.
20:45
Satan is the opposite
20:47
of God
20:47
only in one way
20:49
and that is
20:49
in his intentions.
20:51
Okay?
20:51
His intentions,
20:52
his desires,
20:53
his ways,
20:53
his methods,
20:54
his motivations,
20:55
and his dealings
20:55
with men
20:56
are in total
20:57
opposite to
20:58
what God
20:58
desires.
20:59
But,
20:59
he is in no way
21:00
co-equal with God.
21:02
Not omnipotent,
21:03
not omnipresent,
21:05
not omniscient,
21:06
not autonomous,
21:07
not sovereign,
21:07
not infinite.
21:08
And,
21:09
he doesn't have
21:09
the ability
21:09
to create.
21:12
Okay?
21:12
So,
21:12
this whole notion
21:13
that Jesus,
21:14
you know,
21:14
like God
21:14
is on this
21:14
side of my
21:15
shoulder
21:15
and Satan's
21:16
on this
21:16
side of my
21:16
shoulder
21:17
is really
21:17
just nonsense.
21:20
He is not
21:21
equal with God.
21:25
What God
21:25
says goes.
21:28
We see the
21:28
power of this
21:29
displayed in
21:30
stories like
21:31
Job,
21:31
right?
21:33
You go to the
21:34
Old Testament,
21:34
you see the
21:34
story of Job,
21:35
you see where
21:36
Satan has to
21:37
go and get
21:38
permission from
21:38
God to tempt
21:39
Job.
21:39
God even
21:43
says,
21:43
have you
21:43
considered
21:43
my servant
21:44
Job?
21:46
And,
21:47
Satan has
21:48
to,
21:48
again,
21:48
get permission
21:49
to do
21:49
other things.
21:50
God says,
21:50
you can tempt
21:51
him,
21:51
you can take
21:51
these things
21:51
away from
21:52
him,
21:52
but you
21:52
can't hurt
21:53
his health.
21:53
Then,
21:54
of course,
21:54
he goes,
21:55
does all
21:56
these things.
21:57
Job persists
21:58
in his
21:58
obedience and
21:58
his submission
21:59
to God,
21:59
does not
22:00
sin against
22:01
God,
22:01
and then
22:01
Satan goes
22:02
back and
22:02
says,
22:02
well,
22:02
the reason
22:03
why he's
22:03
not
22:03
sinning
22:04
against
22:04
you
22:04
is
22:04
because
22:05
you haven't
22:06
taken away
22:07
his health.
22:07
He still
22:07
has that
22:08
to hold
22:09
on to.
22:09
Then he
22:09
says,
22:10
fine,
22:10
take away
22:10
his health.
22:11
So God
22:11
gives him
22:11
permission
22:12
again to
22:12
go and
22:13
tempt.
22:14
So that's
22:14
an incredibly
22:15
important thing
22:15
for us to
22:16
grasp,
22:16
is that
22:16
Satan has
22:17
no power
22:18
that isn't
22:18
given to
22:19
him.
22:21
He can't
22:22
do anything
22:22
to us
22:23
unless God
22:24
allows it
22:24
or enables
22:25
it by
22:26
allowing
22:26
him.
22:31
He may
22:32
despise
22:32
God,
22:32
he may
22:33
hate his
22:33
son,
22:33
but it's
22:35
because he
22:36
can't
22:36
be God.
22:38
Isn't
22:39
that why
22:39
he fell
22:39
initially?
22:41
Because he
22:41
wanted to
22:42
be like
22:42
God?
22:44
But he
22:45
couldn't.
22:46
And so
22:46
God
22:47
authoritatively
22:48
threw him
22:48
down to
22:49
earth.
22:53
He cursed
22:53
him and
22:54
the other
22:54
devil's
22:54
with him.
22:57
You can
22:57
also learn
22:57
a little
22:58
bit about
22:58
devils and
22:59
about their
23:00
nature in
23:02
seeing the
23:03
way that
23:03
they respond
23:03
to Jesus
23:04
in the
23:04
New
23:04
Testament.
23:06
Go to
23:07
Matthew
23:07
8.
23:07
Matthew
23:07
8.
23:27
This is
23:27
just one
23:28
example of
23:28
many,
23:29
but it's
23:30
really good
23:31
when it
23:31
comes to
23:32
seeing how
23:32
the devil
23:33
responds.
23:37
It says
23:37
this in
23:38
verse 28.
23:39
And when
23:40
he had
23:40
come to
23:40
the other
23:40
side into
23:41
the country
23:42
of the
23:43
Gadarenes,
23:43
two men
23:43
who were
23:47
demon-possessed
23:48
met him
23:48
as they
23:49
were coming
23:49
out of
23:50
the tombs.
23:50
They were
23:51
so exceedingly
23:51
violent that
23:53
no one could
23:53
pass by that
23:54
road.
23:55
And behold,
23:56
they cried
23:56
out saying,
23:57
what do we
23:57
have to do
23:58
with you,
23:58
son of
23:59
God?
24:00
Have you
24:00
come here to
24:00
torment us
24:01
before the
24:01
time?
24:05
So this
24:06
is an
24:07
example of
24:08
two exceedingly
24:11
violent demons
24:12
that could not
24:12
be in any
24:13
way,
24:13
shape,
24:14
or form
24:14
constrained.
24:16
That upon
24:17
simply seeing
24:18
Jesus,
24:20
they go
24:21
before him
24:21
and they
24:21
ask,
24:22
what are you
24:24
doing here?
24:24
What are you
24:24
doing with
24:25
us?
24:25
Is it time
24:27
for us to be
24:28
condemned into
24:29
hell?
24:29
Are you
24:30
coming to
24:30
throw us
24:31
into the
24:31
pit before
24:32
the end
24:33
of the
24:33
age?
24:34
They saw
24:35
themselves in
24:36
subjection to
24:36
Jesus Christ.
24:38
Completely and
24:38
totally in
24:39
subjection.
24:39
And no
24:40
demon ever
24:41
resisted
24:41
Jesus when
24:43
he wanted to
24:43
cast them
24:43
out.
24:45
So there
24:45
is power
24:46
in Christ,
24:49
absolute and
24:49
sovereign power
24:50
in Christ,
24:51
over the
24:51
demonic realm.
24:55
Another
24:55
verse is in
24:56
James 2.19,
24:57
it says this,
24:57
we believe
24:58
that God
24:58
is one,
24:58
that's good.
24:59
The demons
25:00
also believe
25:01
and shudder.
25:03
They're
25:03
fearful.
25:04
They're
25:04
frightened by
25:06
Christ,
25:07
which is one
25:07
of the answers
25:08
to my
25:08
question from
25:09
earlier.
25:09
What frightens
25:10
demons?
25:11
Jesus does.
25:14
You don't
25:15
frighten
25:15
demons.
25:17
Your words
25:17
don't frighten
25:18
demons.
25:19
The scripture
25:19
itself does
25:20
not frighten
25:20
demons.
25:22
Okay?
25:23
Somebody's
25:23
saying arbitrarily
25:24
to a demon,
25:26
be gone,
25:27
means nothing.
25:31
In fact,
25:32
a lot of times
25:33
when you see
25:33
things like
25:33
Benny Hinn,
25:34
these stage
25:35
performances in
25:36
which people
25:36
come up and
25:36
they're supposedly
25:37
demon possessed,
25:38
maybe they are
25:38
demon possessed,
25:39
and then the
25:39
demons,
25:40
you know,
25:41
they're shaking
25:42
and stuff,
25:43
and Benny Hinn
25:43
casts them out
25:44
and they fall
25:44
on the floor
25:45
and they're
25:45
flopping around.
25:46
That is so,
25:48
that is not
25:49
spiritual warfare.
25:50
Okay?
25:50
That is Satan
25:51
playing around
25:52
with Satan.
25:54
That is not
25:55
God.
25:56
Okay?
25:57
When Jesus
25:58
cast demons
25:59
out,
25:59
they didn't
26:00
flop around
26:00
on the ground.
26:01
They either
26:01
looked like
26:02
they were
26:02
dead,
26:02
and then
26:03
Jesus raised
26:03
them up,
26:04
or they
26:04
were completely
26:05
somber
26:06
and calm
26:08
and had
26:08
their mind
26:08
and their
26:09
wits about
26:10
them.
26:10
There was
26:10
no transitional
26:12
period.
26:15
Okay?
26:15
So,
26:16
demons are
26:16
oftentimes
26:17
playing around
26:17
with demons,
26:18
deceiving people
26:19
by thinking
26:19
that they have
26:20
power over
26:20
demons
26:20
when they
26:20
don't have
26:21
power over
26:21
demons.
26:22
The only
26:22
thing that
26:22
legitimately
26:23
scares a
26:23
demon is
26:24
Jesus Christ,
26:25
and it
26:25
scares them
26:26
a lot.
26:26
So,
26:28
understanding
26:29
our spiritual
26:29
warfare against
26:30
Satan needs
26:34
to always be
26:34
in light of
26:35
the fact that
26:35
the only
26:35
thing that
26:36
we have
26:36
that's
26:37
powerful
26:37
against
26:37
them is
26:38
Jesus.
26:40
But in
26:40
Christ,
26:41
we have
26:42
all power,
26:42
right?
26:44
Turn to
26:45
Colossians
26:45
really quickly.
26:46
We were in
26:48
this book
26:48
last semester,
26:52
and I
26:56
want you to
26:56
notice the
26:57
language,
26:57
the similarity
26:58
of the
26:59
language between
27:00
the verse we
27:01
read from
27:01
Ephesians and
27:02
Ephesians 6.12
27:03
describing our
27:06
enemy, that it's
27:07
not against flesh
27:07
and love,
27:08
it's against
27:08
spiritual forces
27:09
and all those
27:09
things, the
27:10
powers of
27:11
darkness.
27:12
And then
27:12
listen to
27:13
Colossians 1,
27:15
13 through
27:18
16.
27:18
for He,
27:22
that's
27:22
Jesus,
27:23
delivered us
27:24
from the
27:24
domain of
27:25
darkness and
27:26
transferred us
27:26
to the
27:27
kingdom of
27:27
His beloved
27:28
Son, in
27:30
whom we have
27:31
redemption, the
27:31
forgiveness of
27:32
sins, and He
27:32
is the image of
27:33
the invisible
27:34
God, the
27:35
firstborn of
27:35
all creation.
27:37
For by Him
27:37
all things were
27:38
created,
27:40
listen to
27:41
that, for
27:41
by Him all
27:42
things were
27:42
created, both
27:43
in the heavens
27:44
and on
27:44
earth, visible
27:46
and invisible,
27:48
whether
27:48
thrones or
27:49
dominions or
27:49
rulers or
27:50
authorities, that's
27:51
referring to
27:51
demonic presences,
27:53
all things have
27:54
been created by
27:54
Him and for
27:56
Him.
28:00
All things have
28:01
been created by
28:01
Him and for
28:03
Him.
28:05
That's in
28:05
reference to
28:06
spiritual forces,
28:07
both good and
28:09
evil.
28:12
In Proverbs
28:15
16, 4, it
28:17
says this,
28:17
the Lord has
28:17
made everything
28:18
for His own
28:19
purpose, even
28:21
the wicked for
28:21
the day of
28:22
evil.
28:25
So the
28:26
demons are
28:26
creation, Satan
28:27
is creation.
28:29
He's not
28:30
infinite, he's
28:31
not eternal, he's
28:32
not sovereign, he's
28:33
not all-powerful, he
28:34
has to ask permission
28:35
just like everybody
28:35
else.
28:39
That should give
28:40
you great hope in
28:41
your battle against
28:42
sin.
28:42
I think, you
28:43
know, a lot of
28:43
it's, I used to
28:44
play basketball a
28:44
lot, and so in
28:46
basketball, or
28:48
any sport really, if
28:49
you go into the
28:49
game thinking you're
28:51
going to lose, you're
28:52
probably going to
28:52
lose.
28:54
However, if you go
28:55
into the game thinking
28:55
you're going to win,
28:56
you're probably going
28:57
to have a better
28:58
chance of winning,
28:59
right?
28:59
Or you're probably
29:00
going to win.
29:01
Your mindset is a
29:02
lot of the battle.
29:04
You know?
29:05
Confidence really
29:06
affects things.
29:07
And so, Satan is
29:08
always trying to get
29:11
you to think
29:12
improperly about
29:13
him, to attribute
29:14
to him more power
29:14
than he really
29:15
has.
29:17
Or sometimes, maybe
29:18
not attribute to
29:19
him some of the
29:20
power that he
29:20
does have, right?
29:23
Like you said, you
29:23
can be a materialist
29:24
on one end of the
29:25
pendulum, or you
29:26
can be a magician
29:26
on the other.
29:28
We need to be
29:29
balanced.
29:29
We need to realize
29:30
that God is
29:31
sovereign, Christ
29:32
is in us, the
29:32
Holy Spirit has
29:33
been given to us,
29:34
greater is he that
29:35
is in us than he
29:35
that is in the
29:36
world.
29:39
But, Satan is
29:41
the god of this
29:41
world.
29:42
And apart from
29:43
Christ, we stand
29:45
no chance of
29:46
enduring temptation
29:48
or resisting
29:49
temptation or
29:52
fighting in the
29:53
strength of God's
29:53
might, which is
29:54
what that
29:54
Ephesians
29:54
passage says.
29:55
Okay?
29:57
Thirdly, this is
30:03
a, I was trying
30:04
to find another
30:05
P word, so this
30:06
is pernicious
30:06
methods.
30:07
Now, that
30:08
means, that
30:10
means like evil
30:11
or ruinous or
30:13
injurious or
30:13
whatever.
30:14
Pernicious is,
30:15
it just means evil
30:16
or wicked, okay?
30:17
But I was trying
30:18
to keep it the
30:19
P, the
30:20
alliteration.
30:20
So, pernicious
30:22
methods.
30:26
Pernicious methods,
30:27
evil methods.
30:27
There's a lot of
30:38
reasons why the
30:40
Lord allows us to
30:40
be tempted and the
30:42
Lord allows us to
30:42
be tried.
30:45
I think the most
30:46
important one is
30:47
probably this.
30:48
There's two that
30:49
are of the same
30:50
importance.
30:50
The first one is
30:51
to show us what is
30:52
in our hearts.
30:54
Okay?
30:55
Second Chronicles
30:56
32, 31.
30:58
It says this,
30:59
God left him
30:59
alone only to
31:00
test him that he
31:01
might know all
31:02
that was in his
31:03
heart.
31:05
God puts us
31:06
through tests,
31:06
puts us through
31:07
trials, allow
31:07
temptations to
31:08
come into our
31:08
life to show us
31:09
what we're made
31:10
of.
31:13
This past week,
31:14
for instance,
31:14
as I was
31:15
beginning to
31:17
prepare for this
31:18
message and trying
31:18
to prepare, there
31:19
was just a lot of
31:20
spiritual warfare.
31:21
And the way that
31:22
Satan was really
31:23
trying to tempt me
31:23
most was by
31:24
getting me to rely
31:26
upon my own
31:26
effort.
31:27
And not upon
31:28
the Lord.
31:30
Which looks like
31:31
prayerlessness.
31:34
Okay?
31:34
That's always a
31:35
very difficult
31:36
battle because
31:36
praying is difficult
31:37
when you don't
31:37
feel like doing it.
31:39
And when you
31:39
don't feel the
31:39
motivation to do it.
31:42
But it's
31:42
necessary.
31:43
So, God
31:45
allowed the
31:45
temptation to show
31:46
me throughout the
31:47
week, today
31:48
especially, that
31:49
apart from him, I
31:50
can't do anything.
31:52
That I need his
31:52
grace.
31:53
That I need his
31:54
forgiveness.
31:54
That I need to
31:55
stand in the
31:56
gospel as I
31:56
stand and teach
31:57
about these
31:57
things.
31:58
That I feel like
31:58
a hypocrite in a
31:59
lot of ways because
32:00
I know that I've
32:00
been beaten down,
32:02
tripped up,
32:04
made a fool of in
32:05
many ways this past
32:06
week in my
32:07
preparation.
32:08
And now I have to
32:08
teach it to you
32:09
guys.
32:11
But that's okay
32:12
because God's
32:13
grace is sufficient.
32:15
And just like
32:15
Paul, I was led
32:16
to pride and God
32:17
allows a messenger
32:20
of Satan in a
32:20
sense to tempt me
32:21
to show me my
32:24
sin.
32:25
So that's the
32:25
first thing, I
32:26
think, to show us
32:27
what's in our
32:27
hearts.
32:27
Secondly, is to
32:29
show himself to
32:30
man.
32:32
To show himself
32:33
to man.
32:36
We don't realize
32:37
the power and the
32:38
strength that God
32:39
puts forth on our
32:40
behalf in the
32:41
sufficiency of his
32:42
grace until we
32:43
compare our trials
32:44
with our weaknesses.
32:46
God's power and
32:47
God's grace are
32:48
then seen clearly
32:49
in our lives.
32:50
the effectiveness
32:52
of an antidote
32:52
is not realized
32:53
until one has
32:54
been exposed to
32:55
the poison.
32:57
The preciousness
32:58
of a medicine
32:58
is revealed by
33:00
the presence of
33:01
the disease.
33:03
Right?
33:04
So what does
33:04
sin do?
33:06
Sin gives us
33:07
something to
33:08
compare the
33:09
grace of God
33:09
to.
33:12
So God
33:12
allows,
33:14
God is even
33:14
pleased, I think,
33:15
in some ways,
33:16
with the
33:17
employment of
33:17
Satan.
33:18
Not that it
33:18
would affect
33:19
this in
33:19
negative ways,
33:20
not that it
33:20
would lead us
33:20
into sin,
33:21
but that it
33:21
would enable
33:22
us to see
33:24
our sin
33:25
when we
33:26
fall,
33:27
and to then
33:28
see the
33:29
beauty of the
33:29
glory,
33:30
the beauty
33:30
and the
33:30
glory of
33:31
the grace
33:31
of God.
33:32
Okay?
33:33
So God
33:33
uses
33:34
temptations,
33:35
trials,
33:35
failures,
33:36
sin,
33:38
to glorify
33:40
his son,
33:42
to glorify
33:42
the work of
33:43
his son on
33:43
the cross.
33:45
The preciousness
33:46
of the medicine
33:46
is revealed by
33:47
the presence of
33:48
the disease.
33:51
Okay,
33:51
there's other
33:51
reasons.
33:53
I'll just list
33:53
these off for
33:54
you.
33:54
Why does God
33:55
allow us to
33:56
be tempted to
33:56
prove the
33:57
genuineness of
33:57
our faith?
33:58
That's 1 Peter
33:59
1, 6 and 7.
34:00
To increase
34:01
one's joy in
34:02
this life and
34:03
reward in the
34:03
next, that's
34:04
James 1, 2
34:05
through 4,
34:06
and verse 12.
34:07
To purge out
34:08
one's sin, as we
34:09
just said, that's
34:10
2 Corinthians
34:10
12, 7 through 10.
34:13
To prepare us for
34:14
future ministry.
34:15
We see that in
34:16
Luke 22, 31 and
34:17
32.
34:18
What I mean by
34:18
that is when
34:19
Peter, who is
34:20
known for that
34:21
colossal failure,
34:24
when he says to
34:24
Jesus, although
34:26
all may fall
34:26
away, I'm not
34:27
going to fall
34:27
away.
34:28
If everyone
34:28
denies you and
34:29
rejects you, I'm
34:30
not going to
34:30
deny and reject
34:31
you.
34:31
And he says,
34:31
before the rooster
34:32
crows, three
34:33
times, you're
34:34
going to reject
34:34
me three times.
34:37
And so what
34:38
does he do?
34:38
He goes and he
34:39
totally denies
34:40
even knowing
34:40
Christ, even
34:41
curses the
34:42
people for
34:43
saying that he
34:43
has any
34:44
association with
34:45
them.
34:46
Denies Christ
34:47
horribly, miserably.
34:48
It's disgusting.
34:50
And then in
34:50
Luke 22, 31 and
34:52
32, and then we
34:53
see later in
34:53
John, Jesus
34:56
prays and he
35:00
says, I'll just
35:01
turn now to you
35:01
really briefly.
35:04
He says,
35:06
Simon, Simon,
35:09
behold, Satan
35:10
has demanded
35:10
permission to
35:11
sift you like
35:12
wheat, but I
35:13
have prayed for
35:13
you that your
35:14
faith may not
35:14
fail.
35:15
And you, when
35:16
you have, when
35:17
once you have
35:17
turned again,
35:18
strengthen your
35:19
brothers.
35:21
Okay, so he
35:21
was going to
35:22
allow this
35:22
failure for the
35:24
purpose of
35:24
humbling him
35:26
and for the
35:27
purpose of also
35:27
strengthening the
35:30
other Christians
35:30
in the future.
35:32
So there's that
35:33
reason.
35:34
The Lord also
35:34
allows temptation
35:35
to purify our
35:36
testimony of the
35:37
gospel.
35:38
You see that in
35:38
Washington.
35:43
J.I.
35:43
Packer said
35:44
this, this is
35:44
the ultimate
35:45
reason from our
35:46
standpoint why
35:47
God fills our
35:48
lives with
35:49
troubles and
35:49
perplexities of
35:50
one sort or
35:51
another.
35:51
It is to
35:52
ensure that we
35:53
shall learn to
35:54
hold him fast.
35:56
The reason why
35:57
the Bible spends
35:57
so much of its
35:58
time reiterating
35:59
that God is a
36:00
strong rock, a
36:01
firm defense, and
36:02
a sure refuge, and
36:03
a help for the
36:03
weak, is that God
36:04
spends so much of
36:06
his time bringing
36:06
home to us that
36:07
we are weak, both
36:09
mentally and morally,
36:10
and dare not trust
36:11
ourselves to find or
36:12
to follow the right
36:13
road.
36:14
God wants us to feel
36:15
that our way through
36:16
life is rough and
36:17
perplexing so that we
36:18
may learn to lean on
36:19
him.
36:20
Therefore, he takes
36:21
steps to drive us
36:22
out of self-confidence
36:25
to trust in him.
36:28
Okay?
36:28
So I just wanted to
36:29
say that as a
36:29
prerequisite for the
36:31
methods of Satan and
36:32
why he would allow
36:33
these things to be.
36:33
How does the devil
36:36
tempt us?
36:39
Go to 1 John
36:40
real quick.
36:47
This is 1 John 2.16.
37:00
1 John 2.16.
37:01
For all that is in
37:02
the world, the lust
37:04
of the flesh, the lust
37:06
of the eyes, and the
37:07
boastful pride of
37:08
life is not from the
37:10
Father, but it's from
37:11
the world.
37:15
Now, take that verse,
37:18
commit the memory, and
37:19
turn over to Matthew
37:20
4.
37:23
This is the temptation
37:25
of Jesus Christ.
37:27
Jesus was led by the
37:28
Spirit into the
37:29
wilderness for 40
37:30
days and 40 nights.
37:31
He didn't eat.
37:34
Satan came during that
37:35
time and began to
37:36
tempt him.
37:41
Let's read it.
37:43
Matthew 4, 1-11.
37:47
Then Jesus was led
37:48
up by the Spirit into
37:49
the wilderness to be
37:49
tempted by the devil.
37:51
And after he had
37:52
fasted 40 days and 40
37:53
nights, he then became
37:54
hungry.
37:55
And the tempter came
37:56
and said to him,
37:57
If you are the Son of
37:58
God, command that these
37:59
stones become bread.
38:00
But he answered and
38:01
said, It is written,
38:02
Man shall not live on
38:04
bread alone, but on
38:05
every word that proceeds
38:06
out of the mouth of
38:07
God.
38:08
Then the devil took him
38:09
into the holy city, and
38:10
he had him stand on the
38:11
pinnacle of the temple.
38:12
And he said to him,
38:12
If you are the Son of
38:13
God, throw yourself down,
38:15
for it is written, He
38:16
will give his angels
38:17
charge concerning you,
38:18
and on their hands they
38:20
will bear you up, lest
38:22
you strike your foot
38:22
against a stone.
38:24
He's quoting from
38:25
Psalm 91.
38:26
Jesus said to him,
38:27
On the other hand, it
38:28
is written, You shall
38:29
not put the Lord your
38:30
God to the test.
38:32
Again, the devil took
38:32
him to a very high
38:33
mountain, and he showed
38:34
him all the kingdoms of
38:35
the world and their
38:35
glory.
38:37
And he said to him,
38:39
All these things I will
38:40
give you, if you fall
38:41
down and worship me.
38:43
Then Jesus said to him,
38:44
Be gone, Satan, for it
38:45
is written, You shall
38:46
worship the Lord your
38:46
God and serve him only.
38:48
Then the devil left
38:49
them, and behold, angels
38:50
came and began to
38:52
minister to him.
38:52
In this passage, we
38:55
see three categories of
38:57
sin, and they are
38:58
exactly what we just
38:59
read from 1 John 2
39:00
16.
39:01
The lust of the
39:01
flesh, the lust of
39:03
the eyes, and the
39:04
boastful pride of
39:05
life.
39:06
This is a very
39:07
important thing to
39:08
understand.
39:08
This is the only way
39:10
in which Satan will
39:13
tempt you.
39:14
It is through one of
39:15
these three things.
39:16
The lust of the
39:17
flesh, the lust of
39:18
the eyes, and the
39:19
boastful pride of
39:20
life.
39:22
Let's explain.
39:24
Firstly, Satan tempts
39:27
Jesus with the lust of
39:28
the flesh.
39:28
This is in verses 2 and
39:29
3.
39:34
He tempts him in the
39:37
midst of his hunger,
39:38
right?
39:39
Natural cravings, the
39:41
lust of the flesh, things
39:43
that are natural to the
39:45
flesh.
39:46
Okay?
39:47
So it may be food, and
39:49
he tempts him to
39:50
gluttony.
39:50
It may be sex, and he
39:53
tempts you to lust.
39:55
It may be accomplishment,
39:57
and he tempts you to
39:57
pride.
39:58
It may be relationship, and
39:59
he tempts you to
40:00
idolatry.
40:01
These are natural
40:02
cravings, natural things
40:03
that are not inherently
40:04
wicked or evil, that
40:06
Satan will use and
40:09
twist to make you sin
40:12
against God.
40:14
Natural things that are
40:15
inherent to all of us.
40:16
It's a short little list.
40:20
That's an example.
40:22
Secondly, we see in
40:23
verse 5 and 6, the
40:26
pride of life.
40:29
The devil took him into
40:30
the holy city, had him
40:31
stand on the pinnacle of
40:32
the temple, said to him,
40:32
if you are the son of
40:33
God, throw yourself down
40:34
from here, for it is
40:35
written, you will give
40:36
angels charge concerning
40:37
you.
40:37
He starts quoting
40:38
scripture, but he
40:41
twisted the meaning of it,
40:42
right?
40:43
The passage in context is
40:45
talking about trusting
40:46
God, and he used it to
40:47
justify testing God.
40:51
How might he do this
40:52
with us?
40:53
Didn't God say he came
40:55
to give you abundant
40:55
life?
40:57
And yet all these
40:57
sinners are having so
40:58
much more fun with him.
41:01
Didn't he say?
41:02
Didn't he say?
41:03
Didn't he say?
41:04
Didn't he promise this?
41:05
Didn't he promise that?
41:09
He'll twist scripture so
41:13
that you're tempted to
41:14
test God.
41:16
which is in direct
41:17
opposition to what the
41:18
scripture even says.
41:22
Didn't he tempt you?
41:24
Or didn't he say that
41:26
you're going to have the
41:26
abundant life?
41:27
Then why are the
41:28
sinners having so much
41:29
more fun with you?
41:31
A good response would be
41:32
this.
41:32
They are storing up
41:34
wrath for themselves in
41:36
the day of wrath.
41:37
But I am content with
41:38
Christ as my life.
41:40
I consider all things to
41:41
be lost in view of the
41:42
surpassing value of
41:44
knowing Christ Jesus my
41:44
Lord.
41:46
For whom I willingly
41:47
suffer the loss of all
41:48
things.
41:48
Right?
41:50
This is teaching us
41:51
something.
41:52
How to combat sin.
41:53
How to combat lies.
41:55
The truth.
41:58
Satan's clever.
41:59
He'll use things you
42:00
think to be truth.
42:01
He'll quote scripture
42:02
even.
42:02
And if you don't
42:03
understand it, if you
42:04
don't know it, if you
42:05
don't know scripture to
42:05
combat that idea or that
42:07
faulty twisting, then
42:09
you'll find yourself and
42:10
match yourself as he
42:12
intends.
42:14
So we have to know the
42:15
word of God in order to
42:16
combat the lies of
42:17
Satan.
42:17
He's a liar.
42:18
It's his very nature to
42:19
lie.
42:21
He intends to come and
42:22
steal and kill and
42:23
destroy you.
42:24
And he will do it in
42:25
very tricky ways.
42:28
Thirdly, the lust of the
42:30
eyes.
42:30
This is in verse 8 and
42:31
9.
42:33
And again the devil took
42:34
him to a very high
42:35
mountain and he showed
42:36
him all the kingdoms of
42:36
the world and their
42:37
glory.
42:37
And he said to him,
42:38
all these things I will
42:39
give you if you fall down
42:40
and worship.
42:46
The lust of the eyes is
42:47
things that we see,
42:48
right?
42:48
It's the pleasures of
42:49
sin.
42:51
The pleasures of sin.
42:53
Sin would not be
42:54
enticing if it were not
42:56
pleasurable.
43:00
Okay?
43:00
That's the reality that
43:01
we have to deal with as
43:02
Christians.
43:04
Sin is pleasurable.
43:05
people do enjoy that.
43:08
We enjoy that.
43:10
Right?
43:13
But,
43:13
is it worth the cost
43:17
of a relationship with
43:19
Jesus?
43:20
And that's what we have
43:21
to go back and ask
43:22
ourselves.
43:22
Right?
43:22
Moses in Hebrews 11 says
43:24
the same thing.
43:25
He's like, I had
43:26
everything in Egypt.
43:27
But I consider the
43:28
treasures of Egypt to be
43:29
nothing in comparison to
43:31
the reproach of Christ.
43:32
He'd rather suffer as a
43:33
Christian than be worshipped
43:35
as a non-Christian.
43:37
Because he saw it as
43:38
more valuable by faith.
43:41
Okay?
43:41
So, that was a really
43:43
brief synopsis of how
43:44
Satan tempts us.
43:45
But I don't want to get
43:45
into all the particulars.
43:46
The next couple of weeks
43:47
we're going to be talking
43:48
about the flesh and
43:48
talking about the world.
43:49
And we're going to expose
43:50
some of those things in
43:51
greater depth.
43:52
But that's just the
43:53
general outline of how
43:54
he tempts you.
43:55
It's through the lust of
43:56
the flesh, the lust of the
43:58
eyes, and the pride of
43:59
life.
44:00
Those are the three
44:01
categories through which
44:01
you will work.
44:02
And understand this too,
44:09
okay?
44:09
Satan is literally in
44:12
charge of everything in
44:14
the cosmos.
44:15
He's not simply constricted
44:18
to personal...
44:21
He doesn't simply whisper
44:22
things into your ear,
44:23
okay?
44:23
He works through
44:24
structures and systems
44:25
in the world.
44:26
He works through
44:26
government sometimes.
44:28
He works through
44:28
philosophies.
44:30
He works through new
44:31
ideas sometimes.
44:32
He works through
44:33
all different kinds
44:35
of peoples and ways.
44:35
Things that seem to be
44:37
non-spiritual,
44:38
he's working through
44:39
those as well.
44:41
And even when God
44:42
gives the ability to...
44:43
I mean, it says in Job,
44:44
this is an amazing
44:45
reality.
44:45
It says in Job that God
44:47
allowed Satan to tempt
44:48
Job and he went and
44:49
killed everybody.
44:50
So Satan sometimes has
44:51
the power to even take
44:52
life.
44:53
He's incredibly powerful.
44:55
He can lead armies.
44:58
He can do all kinds of
45:00
things.
45:02
So we're not just
45:03
dealing with somebody
45:04
that speaks and
45:06
whispers into our ear.
45:07
He's a very...
45:08
It's a very comprehensive
45:10
enemy.
45:13
Okay?
45:13
Fourthly,
45:14
lastly,
45:15
practical combat.
45:17
Practical combat.
45:18
This is my favorite
45:19
thing that I feel like
45:20
I've probably learned
45:21
this past week.
45:21
Go to Psalm 39.
45:23
So in light of all
45:30
these temptations that
45:31
we're going to be
45:31
experiencing, in light of
45:32
who Satan is and what
45:33
he does, how do we do
45:36
combat?
45:41
Psalm 39.
45:42
Psalm 39.
45:42
This is a really good
45:53
illustration.
45:54
It says this.
45:56
This is David speaking.
45:57
I said, I will guard my
45:59
ways that I may not sin
46:01
with my tongue.
46:03
I will guard my mouth as
46:05
with a muzzle while the
46:07
wicked are in my presence.
46:08
So the very first thing
46:11
that the psalmist does
46:12
is this.
46:13
He says, I will do it.
46:15
I will grip my teeth.
46:18
I will man up.
46:20
And I will not sin
46:22
against my God.
46:24
I will shut my mouth
46:25
with my own strength.
46:29
He puts faith in himself.
46:31
He puts confidence in
46:32
himself.
46:33
And what happens?
46:34
Verse 2.
46:35
I was dumb and silent.
46:36
So he says, I did it for
46:38
a while.
46:39
I refrained even from
46:40
good though.
46:41
That's not good.
46:42
And my sorrow grew worse.
46:46
So when the psalmist puts
46:47
his confidence in himself,
46:48
his sorrow grew worse.
46:51
He didn't speak.
46:53
He didn't sin against God
46:53
with his speech.
46:54
But somehow, someway,
46:56
his sorrow grew even worse.
47:00
Things did not get better.
47:04
And there are many things
47:05
that we do, right?
47:06
To try to tame our flesh.
47:10
To ignore the world.
47:13
And these things are in vain.
47:16
Okay, Matt Chandler
47:16
is one of our,
47:17
one of, uh,
47:17
a lot of the guys here
47:18
favorite pastors.
47:20
He says,
47:21
you cannot have
47:24
duty before delight.
47:25
You have to have
47:26
delight before duty.
47:28
You have to have
47:29
delight in God
47:29
before duty.
47:30
Or else it's going to be
47:31
legalism.
47:31
You have to have
47:35
delight in God.
47:36
Right?
47:37
If I just had to grip my teeth
47:38
and say no to something,
47:40
eventually,
47:40
Satan's going to find
47:41
other ways.
47:42
Listen, it's not just
47:43
simply about the actual deed.
47:44
It's about the heart
47:45
behind the deed.
47:45
If you're just simply
47:46
not doing something
47:47
because you don't think
47:48
you're supposed to,
47:49
because you want to look
47:49
a certain way to your
47:50
friends, because you
47:51
don't want to, you know,
47:52
embarrass yourself or like
47:53
have to confess this
47:54
next D group,
47:55
that's not honoring to
47:56
the Lord.
47:56
What's pleasing to God
48:00
is a heart that says
48:01
yes to His commandments.
48:03
It is a heart that says
48:04
I love Jesus Christ
48:05
and I want to honor
48:06
and serve my God
48:07
whom I love.
48:11
So when I just try
48:12
the grit your teeth method,
48:13
it does not work out.
48:14
That's what the psalmist
48:14
is saying.
48:15
My sorrow grew worse.
48:16
Verse 3,
48:17
My heart was hot within me
48:18
while I was musing
48:19
the fire burned.
48:21
Then I spoke with my tongue,
48:23
O Lord,
48:24
make me to know my end
48:25
and what is the extent
48:26
of my days.
48:27
Let me know how transient
48:29
I am.
48:30
Behold,
48:31
you have made my days
48:32
as hand breaths
48:33
and my lifetime
48:33
as nothing in yourself.
48:35
Surely every man
48:36
is at his best
48:36
a mere breath.
48:37
Surely every man
48:38
walks about as a phantom.
48:39
Surely they make
48:40
an uproar for nothing.
48:41
He amasses riches
48:42
and does not know
48:44
who will gather them.
48:47
Then He changes His tone.
48:48
This is the proper
48:49
approach
48:50
to spiritual combat.
48:54
Verse 7,
48:54
And now the Lord
48:55
and now Lord,
48:56
for what do I wait?
48:57
My hope is in You.
48:59
Deliver me
49:00
from all my transgressions.
49:01
Make me not the reproach
49:03
of the foolish.
49:04
I have become dumb.
49:06
I do not open my mouth.
49:08
So He's like,
49:08
He's saying,
49:09
I'm doing the very same thing
49:10
that I originally intended to do,
49:11
right?
49:11
He says,
49:12
I'm not going to open my mouth.
49:13
I'm going to guard my waist.
49:14
I'm not going to open my mouth.
49:15
Then now He's saying,
49:17
I have become dumb.
49:18
I do not open my mouth.
49:19
Why?
49:20
Because it is You
49:21
who has done it.
49:22
So He changes it.
49:28
Initially,
49:29
He was trying to
49:29
withhold from saying something
49:31
because it was His effort.
49:32
Now He's looking at God
49:33
and He's saying,
49:34
God,
49:34
You're my hope.
49:35
My hope is in You.
49:36
My trust is in You.
49:38
Please,
49:38
You help me do this thing.
49:40
You help me shut my mouth.
49:42
And He says,
49:42
I shut my mouth
49:43
because You enabled me
49:44
to do so.
49:45
That's encouraging.
49:50
David calls out to God for help.
49:52
The God-honoring,
49:53
sin-defeating thing to do
49:55
is still to shut His mouth.
50:00
But this inaction is being done
50:02
by God now.
50:05
Okay?
50:05
So oftentimes,
50:06
this is kind of a cool thought,
50:07
oftentimes the method that we employ
50:08
in defeating sin
50:10
is not what's wrong.
50:12
It's the heart behind it.
50:16
Okay?
50:16
The method,
50:17
if we're always trying to change
50:19
our method,
50:19
that's not really the point.
50:21
The point is to change
50:22
the heart behind the method.
50:27
Okay?
50:28
God isn't merely pleased
50:30
with us abstaining
50:31
from certain things
50:31
or not going to certain places
50:33
or going to certain places.
50:34
He's pleased with us
50:36
doing so
50:37
because we love Him.
50:38
Doing so
50:39
because
50:40
He is inspiring us to do that.
50:45
Our mindset's often incorrect.
50:49
But the psalmist is teaching us
50:50
how to trust
50:50
and call out to God.
50:55
And this we see repetitively
50:57
through the psalms
50:57
for help
50:58
in our strivings
51:00
and resistings
51:01
and endurings
51:01
because when we call out to God,
51:04
then what we do
51:05
will be done
51:06
in the strength of His might.
51:10
Beginning in verse 10,
51:11
remove your plague from me
51:13
because of the oppression
51:14
of your hand
51:15
I am perishing.
51:16
With reproofs
51:17
you chasten a man
51:18
for iniquity.
51:19
You consume a moth
51:20
with what is precious to him.
51:22
Surely every man
51:23
is a mere breath.
51:25
Hear my prayer, O Lord,
51:26
and give ear to my cry.
51:27
Do not be silent at my tears
51:28
for I am a stranger with you,
51:29
a sojourner
51:30
like all my fathers.
51:32
Turn your gaze away from me
51:33
that I may smile again
51:34
before I depart
51:36
and end no more.
51:38
So in 10-13,
51:39
the Lord chastises
51:40
His servant David
51:41
for His prayerlessness
51:42
and for His haughtiness.
51:45
Okay,
51:46
then he gets to verse 1-3
51:47
in chapter 40
51:48
and this is where
51:49
it all turns around.
51:50
I waited patiently
51:51
for the Lord
51:52
and He inclined to me
51:53
and He heard my cry.
51:54
He brought me up
51:55
out of the pit of destruction,
51:56
out of the miry clay
51:57
and He set my feet
51:58
upon a rock
51:59
making my footsteps firm.
52:01
And He put a new song
52:02
in my mouth,
52:03
a song of praise
52:03
to our God
52:04
many will see and fear
52:05
and will trust
52:06
in the Lord.
52:09
The Lord answers him,
52:10
receives him,
52:11
unentangles him
52:12
from temptation,
52:13
fills him with joy
52:14
and praise
52:15
and makes an example
52:15
out of Him
52:16
for our lives.
52:19
Okay,
52:19
so we need to fight
52:20
and wage war
52:21
in the strength
52:21
of God's might.
52:23
And that's done
52:23
by simply the people
52:24
in prayer.
52:25
And that's what we need.
52:27
Okay?
52:28
That was all.
52:29
I'm going to pray for us
52:30
in the Lord.
52:31
Be done.
52:39
Father, we have so much
52:41
to be grateful for in Christ.
52:43
We thank you.
52:44
We thank you.
52:44
Thank you.
52:45
Thank you.