“SATAN”   (Rev 20:2-7)

June 30, 2004

 

Int.     There are those who believe that Satan was bound at Calvary and that today, all of his teeth have been pulled out and that all he can do is “gum” us, but do no harm.

 

Int.     This evening we shall endeavor to examine some Scriptures and see what the Bible teaches concerning the subject.

 

I.       SATAN     CAUSES   MEN   TO   LIE. 

 

         a.       (Acts 5:3) “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

 

2.       SATAN   CONTROLS   THE   HEARTS   OF   UNSAVED   MEN.

 

        a.        (Acts 26:18)  "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

 

3.       Satan was working in the church at Rome (Romans 16:20)

 

        a.        (Rom 16:20)  "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."

 

                  1.        The Roman believers were grieved with strife in the church; but their God was “the God of peace,” and gave them rest of soul.

 

                  2.        The arch-enemy tripped up the feet of the unwary, and deceived the hearts of the simple; but he was to get the worst of it, and to be trodden down by those whom he had troubled.

 

                  3.        C. H. S. says:    “Happy   word!   Shortly   we shall set our foot on the old serpent! What a joy   to   crush   evil!   What   dishonor   to   Satan   to   have   his   head   bruised   by human feet! Let us by faith in Jesus tread the tempter down."

 

4.       Satan had power over the human body (1 Corinthians 5:5)

 

        a.        (1 Cor 5:5)  "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

 

5.       Satan   tempts   men

 

        a.        (1 Cor 7:5)  "Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency."

 

6.       Satan   exercises   devices

 

        a.        (2 Cor 2:11)  "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."

 

                  1.        Henry   Law,   Dean   of   Gloucester   wrote  about  Satan. "He never slumbers, never is weary,   never relents,   never abandons hope. He deals his blows alike at childhood's weakness,   youth's   inexperience, manhood's strength and the totterings of old age. He watches to ensnare the morning thought. He departs not with the shades of night. By his legions   he   is   everywhere,   at   all   times.   He   enters   the   palace, the hut, the fortress, the camp, the fleet. He   invests every chamber of every dwelling, every pew in every sanctuary. He   is   busy   with   the   busy.   He   hurries   about   with the active. He sits by each   bed   of   sickness,   and   whispers   into   each   dying   ear. As   the   spirit   quits   the tenement   of   clay,   he   still   draws   his   bow   with   unrelenting   rage."

 

                  

7.       Satan   disguises   himself   as   an   angel   of   light

 

        a.        (2 Cor 11:14)    "Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. {12} But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. {13} For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. {14} And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

 

                  1.        The Greek word for transform means to   disguise or change in appearance, clearly showing that Satan can mask his appearance and be perceived as innocent so that he might be believed.

 

8.       Satan   sent   Paul   a   thorn   in   the   flesh

 

        a.        (2 Cor 12:7)  "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure."

 

                  1.        Trapp says:  "So lest Ezekiel should be lifted up with his many rare visions he is frequently called "son of man," to put him in mind of his  mortal, miserable condition."

 

                  2.        Pulpit Commentary says: "It was necessary to remind Paul that he carried this treasure in an earthen vessel."

 

                  3.        John Trapp quaintly says: "A corruption edged with a temptation. Satan sent some Delilah to lull Paul asleep in her lap, and bind him with withes of green delights; but his watchful soul, displeased deeply  with that flesh-pleasing force, complained thereof, shaked himself, and so found ease."   It may have his bad eye sight. (Gal 4:14-15) "......if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me." 

 

                  4.        The Homiletical Commentary says: This word "thorn" actually means "stake."  Some Eastern thorns are much larger than ours; long, stout spines, capable of penetrating a thick leather boot.

 

9.       Satan   seeks   to   make   believers   yield   to   him.

 

        a.        (Eph 4:27)  "Neither give place to the devil."

 

                  1.        William Jay says: “If this admonition be connected with the words immediately preceding, " Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath," the apostle intimates that sinful passion arises from the influence of the devil, and that, when it prevails, we give up ourselves to his power. And can there be a truer specimen of hell than a man in a state of fury and revenge?

 

10.     The   wiles   of   the   devil   are   to   be   resisted.

 

        a.        (Eph 6:11-12)  "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. {12} For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

 

                  1.        SATAN'S CONVENTION  (The following article was edited with additions and subtractions.  The original author is unknown.)  "It is said that Satan called a worldwide convention; and in his opening address to all his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep the real Christians from going to church services.  We can't keep them from reading their bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from holding godly values.  But we can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding fellowship with Christ.  This is most critical for our cause, for if they have intimate, abiding fellowship with Christ, then we can have no power over them, and no chance of gaining strongholds in their lives. Therefore, my evil comrades, this is what I want you to do--   DISTRACT THEM!" "But how shall we do this?" shouted one of his demons. "Keep them busy in non-essentials of life!  Invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds.  Tempt them to spend, spend, spend and to borrow, borrow, borrow!  Convince them to work 6 and 7 days a week with both husbands and wives working 10-12 hours per day, so they can afford their lifestyles.  Keep them from spending time with their children. Let televisions, VCR's, CD's, video games, and movies baby- sit their children.   By these tactics alone, we will fragment their families."

 

                   "Over stimulate their minds with high energy sounds and entertainment so that they cannot hear the still small voice of our dread enemy, the Holy Spirit.  Entice them to listen to music and to watch programs, even many of the religious ones, which will jam their minds with our agenda and our philosophies.  Flood their schedules with every kind of sports activity you can imagine.  They are especially gullible to these kinds of tactics, since there is 'nothing wrong with them'! Fill them with dread by pounding their minds with news and weather reports 24 hours a day.  Flood their mail and email boxes with "stuff"; and have them pass trivia to and fro to one another.  Fill their minds with incredible amounts of sports trivia.  You see, my dark friends, we shall JAM THEIR MINDS AND KEEP THEM FROM COMMUNION WITH CHRIST!"

 

                   "In their recreation, entice them to be excessive.  Fill church calendars with sports and recreation.  Exhaust them, so that they will be too tired for serious bible study and prayer. Exhaust them so that they will have no time for Christian hospitality.  Exhaust them so that they will have no heart for ministry to the lost.  O evil one, our plan will cause them to forget that the lost are lost!  Keep them going to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies; keep them consumed with the cares of this life!  And when they do meet, instead of spiritual fellowship, have them involved in gossip and small talk and card games."

 

"And don't forget to crowd their lives with causes and events that are 'good and acceptable'.  Again, our strategy is to so exhaust them that they have no time to feed their souls, or to cultivate love for our dread enemy, Christ.  Thus, they will have no spiritual power over temptations, over habits, over wrong attitudes and so much more.  They will have less and less discernment as to what is true and what is false, as to what is good, and what is evil.  They will not even suspect us!"

 

11.     Satan assaults believers (Ephesians 6:16)

 

        a.        (Eph 6:16)  "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

 

12.     Satan   sometimes   hinders   God’s   children.

 

        a.        (1 Th 2:18)  "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us."

 

                  1.        C.  H. S. Morning and Evening: (Aug 7^th) “ Since the first hour in which goodness came into conflict with evil, it has never ceased to be true in spiritual experience, that Satan hinders us. From all points of the compass, all along the line of battle, in the vanguard and in the rear, at the dawn of day and in the midnight hour, Satan hinders us. If we toil in the field, he seeks to break the ploughshare; if we build the wall, he labours to cast down the stones; if we would serve God in suffering or in conflict—everywhere Satan hinders us. He hinders us when we are first coming to Jesus Christ. Fierce conflicts we had with Satan when we first looked to the cross and lived. Now that we are saved, he endeavours to hinder the completeness of our personal character.

 

13.     Satan   will   energise   the   wicked   one.

 

        a.        (2 Th 2:9)  "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,"

 

14.     Paul delivered two persons to Satan for discipline

 

        a.        (1 Tim 1:20)  "Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme."

 

15.     Satan sets snares.

 

        a.        (1 Tim 3:7)  "Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."

 

                  1.        Eli’s sons fell into his snare. (1 Sam 2:24)

 

16.     Satan is to be resisted.

 

        a.        (James 4:7)  "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

 

                  1.        J. C. Lees says: "In an old tower on the Continent they show you, graven again and again on the stones of one of the dungeons, the word "Resist."  It is said that a Protestant woman was kept in that hideous place for forty years, and during all that time her employment  was in graving with a piece of iron, for any one who might come after her, that word. It is a word that needs to be engraven on every young man and young woman's heart. It represents the highest form of courage which to them is possible--the power to say "No" to every form of temptation."

 

Unless   You   Let   It   In

 

All the water in the world

However hard it tried,

Could never, never sink a ship

Unless it got inside.

 

All the evil in the world,

the wickedness and sin,

can never sink your soul's fair craft

unless you let it in.

 

All the hardships of this world,

Might wear you pretty thin,

But they won't hurt you, one least bit...

Unless you let them in.

 

17.     Satan   as   a   lion  seeks   his   prey.

 

        a.        (1 Pet 5:8-9)  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: {9} Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."

 

18.     Satan   had   a    synagogue.

 

        a.        (Rev 2:9)  "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are   the   synagogue   of   Satan."

 

19.     The   devil   caused   persecution .

 

        a.        (Rev 2:10)  "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

 

20.     Satan   had   a   throne   on   earth.

 

        a.        (Rev 2:13)  "I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."

 

21.     Woe   to   humanity,   because   Satan   cast   into   the   earth   comes   with   great   wrath

 

        a.        (Rev 12:12)  "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."

 

Conclusion:          These passages clearly show the activities of Satan between Pentecost and Christ's second coming.

 

1.       In them we see Satan's activity over the unregenerate and the regenerate. He deceives, ensnares, attacks, tempts, hinders, persecutes and destroys.

 

2.       Is this a description of one who at Calvary was

 

        a.        Bound.

 

        b.        Cast into the bottomless pit,

 

        c.        Shut up,

         

        d.        Sealed that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years