We Have An Enemy - Part 2
Introduction
1 Peter 5:8
When the Bible states that Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, it literally means to eat or "eat up". He has a vicious nature (Ravenous), restless activity (prowl), and alignant intentions (looking for someone to devour), (to gulp down). The purpose of Satan is to consume the believer, immersing him in evil and guilt and thus frustrating whatever usefulness he might have for the work of the Kingdom. He is in the casualty producing business. Jesus has made us aware of his plans. Look at Luke 22:31-32, "And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." "Simon, Simon" - the repetition of the name implied an earnest and somber tone of warning. Christ Himself had given Simon the name Peter, but here He reverted to his old name, perhaps to intensify His rebuke about Peter's fleshly overconfidence. The context also supports that Peter may have been one of the more vocal participants in the dispute (v. 24)."Satan has asked for you" - Though addressed to Peter specifically, this warning embraced the other disciples as well. The pronoun "you" is plural.
"sift you as wheat" - The imagery is apt. It suggests that such trials, though unsettling and undesirable, have a necessary refining effect. 1 Peter 5:10 says "After you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. "Luke 22:32 states, "I have prayed for you." He personally assured Peter of His prayers and of Peter's ultimate victory. "that your faith should not fail" - Peter himself failed miserably, but his faith was never overthrown. One of the inescapable realities of the Christian worldview is that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places" (Eph. 6:12). Put another way, you and I are engaged in a war against an invisible enemy. And as with terrorism, the west is suddenly preoccupied with finding strategies for winning the invisible war. The Resisting Of Our Enemy 9.
I. We Resist The Enemy By Standing Firm
"Resist him" - Different word from one used to describe God's resistance of the proud(5). Means against to stand or to place. It denotes that the action is to be undertaken decisively, with a sense of urgency. Calls for an act of the will, for taking a solid stand against the vicious enemy of God and His people. James 4:7, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. "Again, to be firm against someone else's onset rather than to strive against that one. The Christian would do well to remember that he cannot fight the devil. While the Christian cannot take the offensive against Satan, yet he can stand his ground in the face of his attacks. Cowardice never wins against Satan, only courage.
II. We Resist The Enemy With A Solid Foundation
"steadfast" - solid front; unmoveable; firm - A. T. Robertson - old adjective for solid as a foundation. NOTE: O.T. Example: Isaiah 50:7, "For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. "This describes the fixed endurance of the Messiah in terms of a solid rock. So sure was He of the Lord God's help that He resolutely determined to remain unswayed by whatever hardship might await him. "I have set my face like a flint." Jesus demonstrated this determination in setting His face to go to Jerusalem to be crucified. Luke 9:51, "Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. "An attitude of firmness and yieldedness.
Special Note: Ezekiel 3:8-9, "Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house." "I have made your face strong" What God commands ("do not be afraid") He gives sufficiency to do ("I have made") so God will enable the prophet to live up to His name (which means "strengthen by God").
NOTE: N.T. Example: 2 Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. "This passage is in the context of "overthrowing the faith of some. "Verse 19 says "the solid foundation of God" - this is a reference to the church which cannot be overcome by the forces of hell and is made up of those who belong to Him. "Seal" - a symbol of ownership and authenticity. "The Lord knows those who are His" - He "knows" not the sense of awareness, but as a husband knows his wife in the sense of intimate relationship. "Let everyone...depart from iniquity" - reflects a second mark of God's ownership of believers, which is their pursuit of holiness.
III. We Resist The Enemy Through Scripture's Force
"in the faith" - Satan can be resisted only in firm and settled faith. Means " by means of sound doctrine." (NOTE: James 4:7-10). 4 key words: Submitting, Resisting, Drawing, And Humbling. The way to resist the devil is not with special formulas or words directed at him and his demons, but by remaining firm in the Christian faith. This means to continue to live in accord with the truths of God's Word. As the believer knows sound doctrine and obeys God's truth, Satan is withstood. "in the faith" - subjectively: refers to the believer's own faith, pointing to ownership. That is, the Christian is to stand firm against the onset of the devil, not in himself, but in the exercise of a faith that depends upon the strengthening and protecting power of God. Objectively: Peter refers not so much to the faith of the individual as to the faith or belief of the body of believers. "Faith" relates to the teaching of the Christian church. Psalms 119:11, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! "Psalms 119:8, "I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!" Joshua 1:8, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
"Two-fold Truths:
A. Confidence In Relationship With God: Saved
B. Confidence In Revelation Of God: Scripture
NOTE: TRUTH OF EPHESIANS 6:10 Ephesians 6:10, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. "I don't have faith in faith, I have faith in the Lord. He is the object of my faith. It is the power of His might. "Be strong in the Lord" - present passive imperative; speaks of continuous need (present tense). Speaks of His empowering us (passive in voice). Speaks of order (imperative).
Conclusion
The key to victory - the invisible war is not found in deliverance, but in discipleship. 3 TRUTHS: