SATAN, MAN'S ADVERSARY
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. 1 Pet. 5:8
1. Satan is the constant and continuous enemy of man.
2. He will gain control and destroy all those that will let
him. This he did to Judas. Luke 22:3-4; John 13:2
a. Thus, Judas in his greed allowed Satan to lead him into
the shameful deed of betraying the Lord.
b. Judas allowed Satan to destroy him for his ill-gotten
money, which became his snare and reproach. He later
cast the thirty pieces of silver down in the temple and
went and hanged himself. Matt. 27:3-5
3. Satan is bent on the frightful business of bringing misery
and sorrow to all human beings. He seeks our eternal
destruction.
B. It is our task in this lesson to examine what the Bible teaches
about Satan that we might be able to withstand, overcome and
defeat him.
I. SOME THINGS ABOUT SATAN.
A. Satan was on the first scene as the serpent. Gen. 3:1-5
1. The serpent, the devil, and Satan are all the same. Rev.
12:9
B. The Bible reveals nothing about the origin of the devil.
1. At one time some wicked angels were cast down. 2 Pet. 2:4;
Jude 6
a. Hell, the eternal place of punishment, was prepared for
the devil and his angels. Matt. 25:41
b. They are reserved for torment. Matt. 8:29; Rev. 20:10
C. As the good angels have a leader (Rev. 12:7; Jude 9), the
wicked angels have a leader, Satan.
1. He is called, "...The prince of the power of the air." Eph.
2:2
2. The Jews called him, "...Beelzebub the prince of the
devils." Matt. 9:34; 12:24
3. He is called "...The god of this world." 2 Cor. 4:4
4. Satan has kingdoms (Luke 4:6), thrones (Rev. 2:12),
synagogues (Rev. 3:9), and children (1 John 3:10; John 8:44;
Acts 13:10; Matt. 13:38).
D. Satan is a murderer and a liar. John 8:44
1. The devil has sinned from the beginning. 1 John 3:8
2. Satan is the deceiver of the whole world. Rev. 12:9
3. He is the great accuser of God's people. Rev. 12:10
a. He accused Job before God. Job 1:8-11; 2:3-7
E. Jesus had power over Satan and his angels.
1. Jesus cast our many demons. Mark 1:34
a. The terms "devils," "demons," and "unclean spirits" are
used interchangeably in the gospels.
b. No one is possessed with demons today in the way they
were. Mark 5:2-5; Luke 9:42
c. It seems that God allowed people to be possessed then
so that when Jesus came he could demonstrate his
power over demons.
d. They were subject even to his name. Luke 10:17
2. Jesus triumphed over Satan in his death.
a. This was revealed in the first great prophecy concerning
the Messiah. Gen. 3:14-15
(1) Satan bruised the heel of Jesus in putting him to
death. Isa. 53:5,10
(2) Jesus bruised the head of Satan in triumphing over
death. The following passages have reference to
His victory over him in His death: John 12:31-33;
Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14-15.
II. SATAN'S DEVICES.
A. We may not know when and where Satan originated, but we do
know that he is our constant adversary and has many devices to
overthrow us.
1. We should not be ignorant of his devices.
a. Paul's reason for his conduct toward the Corinthian
brethren was -- 2 Cor. 2:11.
b. If we are ignorant of Satan's devices, he already has the
advantage over us.
B. Satan overthrows and devours through false doctrines.
1. He takes the Word of God out of the hearts of people. Luke
8:12
a. I have seen this occur several times over the years that
I have endeavored to preach the gospel.
b. Very promising prospects sometimes turn out to be the
most disappointing.
2. The devil takes away God's word and supplies his own.
a. In the latter times there would be "doctrine of devils."
1 Tim. 4:1
b. The devil appears as an angel of light and his ministers
are disguised as ministers of righteousness. 2 Cor.
11:13-15
3. There are many ways in which his ministers deceive.
a. They make people think that one church, faith, or
doctrine is as good as another.
(1) This makes people who are in Satan's kingdom
think that they are in a kingdom which is as good as
God's kingdom.
(2) As long as people remain in his kingdom, Satan
doesn't mind them being religious.
(3) The Bible plainly teaches that there is only one
faith (Eph. 4:5) and one church (Eph. 4:4; 1:22-23),
and division is condemned (1 Cor. 1:10).
(4) How pathetic it is to think that there are so many
millions today who have been misled into thinking
that the church to which they belong doesn't matter.
(5) If they ever try to improve themselves spiritually,
they usually only become more dedicated and
engrossed in an organization that will condemn
them in the last day. Matt. 15:13; Psalm 127:1
b. The devil also works by using his ministers to infiltrate
and work inside the church. 2 Pet. 2:1-2; Jude 4; Acts
20:29-30
(1) His ministers within the church do more damage
than those who persecute the church from without.
(2) Remember, too, that they come as ministers of
righteousness in sheep's clothing with strong
deception. 2 Thess. 2:9-10
C. Not only does Satan devour through false doctrines, but also
through the lure of the world.
1. He uses the same devices on us that he used on Eve. 2 Cor.
11:3
2. John said that three things comprise all that is of the
world. 1 John 2:15-17
a. Thus, those three realms of enticement encompass all.
(1) They were used on Eve. Gen. 3:6 She saw that the
tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), pleasant
to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and desired to make
one wise (pride of life).
(2) They were used on the Lord. Matt. 4:1-11 We see
the "lust of the flesh" in verse 3, the "pride of
life" in vs. 6, and the "lust of the eyes" in vs. 8.
(3) These same three allurements are the ones Satan
will use on us.
b. We can be thankful to God that this is all Satan has.
(1) He cannot tempt us above that which is common to
man. 1 Cor. 10:13
III. HOW CAN WE OVERCOME SATAN'S DEVICES?
A. We must turn from Satan. Acts 26:18
1. We must be translated into the kingdom. Col. 1:13
2. We must be added to the church by obeying the gospel. Acts
2:38,41
3. This is the first step in overcoming Satan's devices. Until
you do this, you are a child of the devil.
B. We must resist Satan. James 4:7; Eph. 4:27
1. The Bible is forceful on this point. We should not tamper
with sin, but should flee from it.
a. Illustration: The drunk man said, "I only meant to take
one drink." The young unmarried couple upon
discovering that they would have a child said, "We
didn't mean to go too far." The young married woman
after going out with another man said, "I didn't mean to
hurt my husband's feelings." These were tampering with
sin instead of fleeing from it.
2. 1 Thess. 5:22; Jude 23; Prov. 6:27
C. We need to put on the whole armor of God so that we can resist.
Eph. 6:10-13
1. It is hard enough to overcome temptations with the armor; it
is next to impossible without it.
D. We can take courage that others are successfully resisting
Satan. 1 Peter 5:8-9
1. Thus, we need to resist when Satan tries to turn us from the
truth.
a. His ministers will come in all demonstration of piety and
righteousness. We cannot recognize them by outward
appearance.
b. We shall know them by their fruits (by what they do and
teach). Matt. 7:15-16
c. We must constantly be on guard lest we be lead away
from the truth. 2 Pet. 3:17-18
2. We need to resist when Satan tries to lure through the lust
of the world. 1 Pet. 2:11; Gal. 5:24; Rom. 6:12
a. Consider Paul's warning and admonition to the young
widows. 1 Tim. 5:11-15
Concl.
A. We can overcome Satan by turning from and resisting him, and
by putting on the whole armor of God.
1. Though Satan constantly tries, he cannot destroy those who
truly trust in God.
2. Satan will never win a battle over any of God's saints who
put up a fight. Thus, 1 Pet. 5:8
B. If you are not a Christian, we encourage you to turn from Satan
by obeying the gospel.
1. Satan knows that every man is outside of Christ until he is
baptized into Christ. Gal. 3:26-27
2. He is willing for people to believe on Christ, repent of
their sins, for this alone has not changed their state and
relationship.
3. However, the devil sets the battle in array at baptism, for
that is the one thing that changes the state of all who
would be saved.
C. How about you? Will you not turn from Satan by being baptized
into Christ?
1. If you have let Satan gain control of your life, will you
defeat him by renewing your allegiance and dedication to he
Lord?