Resist The Devil's Distractions

Take your Bibles, if you would please, and turn to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians 6, verse 13 is our text today — more specifically, just one word, and that is "resist." The title for today's message is "Resisting the Devil's Distractions." And I perceive this will be a two-part sermon. I'm excited to share with you not only how to resist Satan, but the fact that if you do resist him, he will flee. That's a promise we have in James chapter 4, verse 7: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." What an amazing promise we have from the Lord there. But not only in James 4:7 do you resist him and he will flee from you, but also the promise in verse 8 that if you draw near to God, He'll draw near to you as well.

But let's look at that concept in Ephesians 6, verse 13 together and following. "Therefore, take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to resist" — circle or underline that in your Bible. I highly recommend circling the word "resist," because it is very synonymous with the idea of standing firm, which is mentioned in verse 11 and also in verse 13, and then again in verse 14 to stand firm. So: "Therefore, take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And also receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

And then after we finish the series, we will work on the subject of prayer in verse 18: "Praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end being on alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, as well as on my behalf, that the words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel." So we will discuss the subject of evangelism there. And then in verse 20: "For which I am an ambassador" — so the doctrine of being an ambassador, an ambassador in chains — "and that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak." In verse 21: "But that you also may know about my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you." So this is an opportunity Paul has taken to recognize some of the behind-the-scenes servants — mentioning one here, but in Romans chapter 16, verse 16, he mentions many more. And so that will be an opportunity — by way of observation, interpretation, and application — to build up the local servants here within our church and show our appreciation for the behind-the-scenes servants who are irreplaceable for ministry to continue.

And as we wrap up with the doxology — we're still going to be here in Ephesians for quite a little while, so I wanted to set that before you.

Again, today's title is "Resisting the Devil's Distractions," and I don't want you to get distracted by the devil. The headings today — I'll say what I'm going to say up front, and then we'll say it. Distracted from the real enemy is the subject that I want to start with. Oftentimes we get distracted from who the real enemy is, and I want to show you that and how not to be distracted from the real enemy. And then secondly, I want to talk about being distracted from Christ. Being distracted from your primary area of pursuit and worship is what Satan wants. And even if he can convince you to be distracted from Christ and eventually to worship him — that's his end goal: away from Christ. And then thirdly, dwelling on the devil — he wants you to think about him and not Christ. So the rest of the headings I'll save for next week. But today, to start off, I do not want you to be distracted from the real enemy.

Point number one: the enemy is the enemy. The enemy is the enemy. It sounds easy to say and to think about, but it's not exactly. Ephesians 6:11 says to stand firm against the schemes of the devil — the schemes of the devil. And then in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 13, it says to take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to resist. Again, James 4:7 says to resist the devil, and as well 1 Peter 5:9 says, "Resist him." This is important — that we resist the devil. We resist his schemes. In the Greek, "resist" means to set oneself against. It means to withstand, to oppose. Again, the armor of God is offensive, frontal. We are Christian soldiers who march. We hold our ground. We resist. We stand. And so we do not flee like a dog with its tail between its legs, right? We are on the winning team and we know it.

So today we need not to get distracted from who the real enemy is. We need to set ourselves against the real enemy and to withstand and to oppose him. And so the resistors and opposers of God in Scripture give us some indication of what it is to resist and oppose. And so by way of illustration, turn to 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 8. 2 Timothy 3:8 gives us an illustration of two opposers of Moses. 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 8 mentions that Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. Now these men opposed the Word of God. They opposed God's servant Moses. And the Bible says, "So then these men also opposed the truth." And so essentially, as these two men or these two people opposed Moses — and Moses as an ambassador of God, preaching the truth — they were essentially opposing the truth of God's Word. And the Bible says in verse 8 that these men were depraved and disqualified in regard to the faith, and they were not going to make any further progress. Their folly would be obvious to all.

Sometimes we get too focused on the opposers and the enemy rather than focusing on Christ. Know who the real enemy is, but keep resisting and stay on course. Jannes and Jambres is an example of two opposers that opposed Moses, but yet Moses stayed the course. In 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 20, you see Hymenaeus and Alexander, who opposed Paul. In Nehemiah chapter 4, verse 7, you see Tobiah and Sanballat, who opposed Ezra and Nehemiah. In Titus chapter 1, verse 10, it says there were many rebellious men who opposed Titus and the planting of churches. And in 3 John 1:9, you see Diotrephes, who opposed the Apostle John and the furtherance of that church by running off new potential members. So there are Diotrephes. There are rebellious men. There are Tobiahs and Sanballats. There are Hymenaeuses and Alexanders, and Jannes and Jambres — used metaphorically for those who opposed the Word of God. But remember: the enemy is the enemy.

These men, these people — they are not the enemy. They are the mission field to be evangelized. People are not the enemy. People are not the problem. The problem is evil. Remember, Satan works evil through people to you. And if you get distracted by focusing on the person, and get angst in you towards a person, if you get frustrated towards people, if you lose patience with people, if you're constantly pouncing on people — then you are pouncing on the very field that you're supposed to be planting seeds on. So stop talking badly about people. Reach people. Love people.

Obviously these names have been exposed in the Word of God, and the purpose for their being exposed is to show them their folly so they may return to God. And so people doing evil are not the enemy. They're to be resisted, but the mission field here — these people, Jannes, Jambres, Hymenaeus, Alexander, Tobiah and Sanballat, many rebellious people, Diotrephes — these people are to be evangelized.

So remember Satan's two-step strategy: evil works through people, to you. I want to prove it to you in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 2. Ephesians 2:2 again helps us to see that people are not the enemy, but Satan works through people, and we are to evangelize and to help and to reach people. People are who Christ died for. People are who Christ came from heaven to earth for. And so Ephesians 2:2 says that Satan is working in the sons of disobedience. Satan works in disobedient people. Let's just read verse 1 as well: "And you were dead in your transgressions and sins." Okay — you are trapped in your depraved mindset. And because Christ illuminated the truth to you, you are able to see the truth and perceive the truth. God goes first in everything. He created first. He gives you your faith first. And then you activate the faith that He has given you by confessing that He is Lord and Savior, and you're saved. And so you're trapped — you're dead. You cannot be born again by yourself, like the Bible says in John 3:3 — to be born again is an illustration of salvation. Lazarus is an illustration of salvation, when Jesus brought him out of the grave from death into life. So you were dead in your transgressions and sins. Before God gives you faith, you are considered as a dead man walking. And yet Christ died for us. Amen, praise the Lord.

"So you are dead in your transgressions and sins. Verse 2: 'In which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler and the power of the air.'" Who's that? That's Satan. "The ruler and the power of the air, the Spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." Now, Christians, you do not have to worry about Satan working in you. The Holy Spirit has sealed you, and so Satan cannot and will not — has not the power to — possess believers. He cannot work in you. Well, he can sway you, confuse you. He can make you emotionally distraught. He can try and guide your life in all kinds of different schemes and wiles. But for the ones who are unregenerate, unsaved, he can work in the sons of disobedience. And remember, you used to be that way.

Verse 3: "Among whom we also all formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath." And so that should give you great patience with lost people, because you used to be that bad too. There's no room for scalding unsaved people. We should be gentle like Jesus was with people. Who did Jesus scald? Who did He pounce on? Matthew chapter 23 — He assigns the strongest language and the most graphic metaphors to false prophets, to the religious ones who are robbing people in the name of Jesus. And so expose them, but reach the people.

All right, spiritual warfighting then is resisting, it's opposing — and it's not against people, it's against the devil. Keep that in mind. The enemy is the enemy. We see this very clearly. It's very clear who is attacking Christians — it is the evil one.

You know, Peter had just confessed Christ, and then Jesus told Peter, "You do not have the mind of the things of God," and He rebuked Satan, but He built up Peter. So Jesus rebuked the mindset and at the same time built up Peter. And if we could just remember the enemy is the enemy — Peter was not the enemy. Jesus treated the enemy for who he was and He helped Peter. And so we, I think, can remember to resist Satan's schemes and love your enemies.

And so how hard would it be to love Jannes and Jambres? How hard would it be to love Tobiah and Sanballat? How hard is it to love rebellious men? How hard is it for the Apostle John, who was away from the church that he planted, to come back around and deal with Diotrephes — who's causing religious turmoil within the local church? So much turmoil and chaos and lack of peace was going on that the Apostle John lovingly wrote to the church and said, "I'll come deal with Diotrephes. Don't worry about them. I'll be there soon." This was a big problem that the Apostle John dealt with. Obviously, the younger Christians there perhaps could not handle this sensitive situation in love and gentleness and in the right way — handling such a strong-minded man — and so the Apostle John needed to come in and lovingly deal with Diotrephes.

And so turn to 2 Timothy 2:24. I want to prove this point and I want to drive it so far home that we'd never forget it. This is so important — that we do not become high-minded, that we don't give the persona that we're right and everybody else is wrong, because we used to be wrong, and it's only by the grace of God that we have anything right in our lives. We need not to be ones who even have a hint of pride or arrogance, because we're slaves. We've been bought by the blood of the humble and meek and mild Lord Jesus. In 2 Timothy 2:24, it says, "The Lord's slave must not be quarrelsome, but kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition." And here's the goal: "If perhaps God may grant them repentance." You see — you cannot offend those whom you are trying to win. We've got to be gentle with the lost. They truly have a free pass to be ugly to you, but you do not have a free pass to be ugly back.

Don't be sparring online and talking badly about them and gossiping and such. All that stuff gets around. We really truly need to humble ourselves. And Luke 18:14 says that if you humble yourselves, then God will exalt you, but if you exalt yourself in a high-minded way, you will be humbled. I say this as a pastoral warning for those who are strong intellectually. It's easy to be too hard on people. Remember the grace of God. You are who you are. I praise God for where we are as a church theologically. I praise God for where we are in knowing the Word of God. But we are peasants. We are paupers. We are poor and needy and dependent upon Christ. We need to remember our humble position before Him, and when it comes to us as bought, paid-for slaves of Christ — we need not to be quarrelsome in any way, but kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged. Oh, that's a good one right there. Have you been wronged lately and been impatient? Oh, that's a difficult one — to show patience. Remember, lost people have a free pass. They can be impatient with you. They can spit at you. They can terrorize you online. They can follow you. They can badger you. They can yell at you. And how do you return? What do you do?

Well, Matthew chapter 5, verse 39 says this: "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person." Yikes. So in the very first sermon that Jesus gives, He says one of the hardest truisms: be gentle with your enemies. Love your enemies. If they slap you on one cheek, turn the other. If they want you to go with them a mile, go with them two. Love them. Whatever you have to pay is nothing compared to what Christ has paid for your salvation. Whatever distance they want you to go with them — I'm talking about an evil person, a Diotrephes-type. This is a tough concept, folks. Listen to me — this is where spiritual warfare, this is where the rubber meets the road for us. We are inwardly fighting on these things. We are grappling with what to do.

Well, this is clear for a Christian: we are to serve them sacrificially. And so if you are in a position where you are around evil people doing evil things, keep up the good fight. Serve and love them. Do not be ugly in return. And if you have a weak day, apologize quickly. Be transparent. Love them. You are an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are not your own. You didn't save yourself. You need to remember that you have a Father in heaven whom you represent. And so the enemy is the enemy. Do not treat people as if they are the enemy. We evangelize the opposition. We love them.

Point number two: be amazed at Christ. And if we are going to resist Satan and not be distracted by his schemes, then we are not going to forfeit our amazement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Resisting is focusing on Christ. If you are going to resist and stand in the position of who you are in Christ, then you are going to focus on Christ. Satan wants your focus off of Christ. How do you stand? How do you resist? You focus on Christ. You be amazed at Christ. Even in the midst of the storm, you focus on Christ.

The section of Scripture on the armor of God references the devil in verse 11. Look at it with me — Ephesians chapter 6, verse 11: "Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." The devil is mentioned here in verse 11. Then in verse 12, it mentions rulers and authorities and world forces of darkness, spiritual forces and wickedness. In verse 13, he mentions evil. In verse 16, he mentions the evil one. So you see a repeated concept here, which is noteworthy to know about. But in contrast, since there are seven references to the devil and demons in this passage, there are fourteen references to Christ or the Trinity.

And in the book of Ephesians, Christ is mentioned forty-two times. And so the overwhelming emphasis of the epistle to the Ephesians is to be hyper-focused on the riches in Christ, and do not allow the devil to distract you from being amazed at Christ and to stop worshiping Christ and shrink back from Christ. Christ is what this letter is about. So we should have laser-line accuracy upon Christ, and you stand in this and you resist the evil one, and do not take your eyes off of Him as your prize.

Our life must be focused upon Christ. The whole Bible reveals that Christ is our Lord and Savior. The whole Bible is God's one plan, culminating in the plan of Christ. Creation points to Christ. The flood points to Christ. The law points to Christ. The prophecies — they all point to Christ. As you go through the Bible, everything is pointing to Christ. The Gospels are about Christ. The Acts of the Apostles are about Christ. The letters to the churches are about Christ. In Revelation, Christ returns, defeats Satan and his army, and with one swipe of the sword He obliterates the opposition. He judges heaven and earth and is united to His church, His bride, for eternity.

It's amazing. When you see that our laser-line focus is to be on Christ, these little battles then become a bit smaller. Be amazed with Christ, because our hope is found in Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Our salvation is from Christ. In chapter 1, verse 12, you see hope is in Christ. In Ephesians 1:13, our salvation is from Christ. In Ephesians 1:14, our praise is towards Christ. In chapter 1, verse 15, our faith is in Christ. In chapter 1, verse 15, our love is from Christ. In 1:16, our prayers are to Christ. In 1:17, our wisdom is of Christ and our knowledge is of Christ. In 1:18, we glory in Christ. In 1:19, the power that we have is from Christ. In 1:22, Christ is head over the church. In 1:23, our fullness is in Christ. In chapter 2, verse 5, our life is from Christ. In chapter 2, verse 10, we have been created by Christ, in Christ, and for Christ. In chapter 2, verse 14, our peace is in Christ. In chapter 2, verse 16, our reconciliation is by the cross of Christ. In chapter 2, verse 18, the access that we have to the Father is through Christ. In chapter 2, verse 21, our spiritual growth is in Christ.

If you want to top it all off — all of the Bible pointing to Christ, all of the promises and all of the covenants and all of its beauty — it's one glorious plan. You can be amazed at that and be overwhelmed, because in chapter 3, verse 6, we are fellow partakers in the promise of Christ. So be amazed at Christ and don't be distracted by the devil. The devil wants to distract you from Christ, but we can be amazed at all of the richness of Christ.

Let me prove it to you. Luke chapter 24, verse 44 — be a good Berean and say, "I don't know about that preacher. I'm going to have to verify." That's what the Bereans did. When a good preacher is preaching the Word, they're like, "Amen — but I'm going to check it." In Luke chapter 24, verse 44 — this is absolutely amazing: "Now He said to them, 'These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the law of Moses'" — did you get that? The law of Moses is about whom? Christ — "'and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'" Who did the prophets write about? Christ. Who did the Psalmist write about? Christ — actually, Psalm 22 even talks about crucifixion before there was crucifixion. Amazing. "Must be fulfilled." They are fulfilled in Christ, and we are partakers in the promises of Christ. We've been grafted into this whole grand plan. Rest in this one grand plan, and I promise you, you will continue to be amazed at the glory of Christ. Oh, it's amazing.

Point number three: don't dwell on the devil, but be aware of the devil. If you just look at the basic logic of how many times Satan and demons are mentioned in Ephesians, you see that it is minuscule in comparison to how many times Christ is mentioned. And so there are plenty of ministries out there that are hyper-focused on deliverance, hyper-focused on Satan — and that is a distraction. To be distracted from Christ is absolute sin. And so don't be distracted by the devil and hyper-focus on him. Point number three is: be aware of the devil, not focused on him. Do not set your mind and your affections on the devil. Set your heart and mind on Christ. The Bible says in Colossians 3:2, "Set your mind on things above and not on things of the earth." And so we are to be aware, we're to be wise, but we're not to invest our heart and mind in these things.

1 Peter chapter 5, verse 8, says to be of sober spirit — which is, in modern-day terms, be cool, calm, and collected. Be a Christ-like Christian. Don't lose it. So be of sober spirit, be watchful. This word "watchful" in the Greek means to be cautious. It means to take heed so as not to be overtaken. And so if you are aware of Satan, and you are of a sober spirit and watchful, then you're watchful and aware and wise in a way that you're not going to be overtaken by Satan.

The Bible continues in 1 Peter 5:8: "Your adversary" — that means opponent, means enemy — "the devil" — explicit here. And "devil" means accuser, means slanderer. Remember Satan's two-step strategy — he's going to work through people to slander you, to oppose you. Okay, what does he do? How does he get to you? He prowls. So what the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 is, "Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls." That means he walks. That means he lives. Does he live in the light? No. He lives in darkness. Does he fight a fair fight? An 800-pound lion against an 800-pound lion? No. A male 800-pound lion pounces on a little lamb. He is a roaring lion. He's loud. He's a predator. He's a killer. And he's seeking someone to devour — craving someone's destruction, anyone who is easy prey.

Perhaps an unarmed, unknowledgeable, separated, weakened sheep or little lamb. He's seeking someone who is easy prey. He doesn't want to expend all of his energy and time. He wants to just devour, destroy, swallow, and eat. He's hungry. He wants to put something in his stomach. He's a lion. He's a devil. And so be aware of this and do not hyper-focus on it.

Be aware that demons are angels, according to 2 Corinthians 11:14 — Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. Be aware that demons have limited power. Colossians 2:15 says that he's disarmed — Christ has disarmed the rulers and authorities. And so demons have limited power. They've been disarmed. They can only do what God allows them to do. Be aware that sin is Satan's opportunity. If you sin, it's an opportunity for Satan. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 27: "Do not give a door of opportunity to Satan." Be aware that demons persuade gradually.

In Psalm 106, verses 34 to 37, you see a gradual decline. I would like for you to see that in Psalm chapter 106. Please turn there with me and see this gradual decline. This is how Satan works and persuades — little by little, conditioning you one step at a time. Perhaps one good step, but that good step being a step away from Christ in one way, shape, or form. It's hard to discern when something is actually bad. And then another step, which is a little bit worse, but you've been conditioned. It's like a frog in warm water in a pan. We see the same decline in Psalm 1, where you walk, then stand, then sit. But here it's more explicit.

In Psalm 106, verses 34 to 37: "They did not destroy the peoples as Yahweh commanded them, but mingled with the nations." So they were disobedient at this particular time. You may think to yourself that your disobedience is not a very big deal, but it is the first step to becoming really separated from Christ. Verse 34: "They did not destroy the peoples as Yahweh commanded them." If you circle things in your Bible, just circle in verse 34 "did not" — okay, that's disobedience. And then in verse 35: "Then they mingled." This is friendship with the world. James 4:4 says friendship with the world is to be at enmity with God. And so now they have moved from being disobedient to intermingling with the disobedient ones. And then in verse 35 it says, "And learned their ways." And so they've gone from being disobedient, to mingling with them — and obviously when you are with them, bad company corrupts good character; 1 Corinthians 15:33 says that. Now they learn their ways, not God's ways. They've learned their ways.

And it gets worse. In verse 36: "And they served their idols." Can you imagine Satan moving you gradually, step by step by step, to being a Satan worshiper, an idol worshiper? That's his goal. Did he not try that with Christ in Matthew 4 and offer him all the kingdoms of the world if he would bow down and worship him? And then in verse 36 it says, "Which became a snare to them." They're snared. You think, "Oh, it's easy to bounce out of idol worship." It's not. Have any of you ever been trapped in a cult-like atmosphere — Jehovah's Witnesses? Have any of you ever been trapped in a cult-like atmosphere — Scientology? Have any of you ever been trapped in an atmosphere that makes you feel guilty — the NAR, the New Apostolic Reformation? If you try to pull out, they guilt and shame and threaten you. They're snared.

Remember, people are not the enemy. They're the evangelism field of missions. They're not the enemy. The enemy is the enemy.

So now you see this gradual decline — they're actually snared. Does it get worse? It does. In verse 37: "They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons." There's no telling how atrocious and depraved sinners will go when they are away from seeking Christ, away from the Lord. Do not hang out. Do not become friends. Do not become best buddies with them. Evangelize them and go run back to Christ. This is important to see — that the devil has a crumb trail, and he is going to lead you step by step by step by step.

I say this by way of being aware. But not only do I want you to be aware of this gradual persuasion that he wants you to be involved in — he also wants you to be like him. He wants to start with some little lies. And perhaps this young teenage girl messes up and gets pregnant, and she thinks, "Oh, the only way out is to get rid of this baby," because the world around her is saying that. And the only voices that she has in her life are worry and threats: "You've got to do this. This is the way out, and we'll even pay for it." Did you know that Satan is a murderer? John 8:44 says that. And he wants you to be like him.

Satan is an evangelist. Satan is a disciple maker. Satan hates God, and he's going to do everything that he possibly can to get back at God through His children. Don't fall for his schemes. Don't give in. In fact, those of you who have the ear of someone who is not saved — be speaking truth. You can save lives. The truth will actually set people free, which is to have life.

And so we need to resist and stand and be working and evangelizing and working towards these things. I'm so proud of the ladies in our congregation who are involved in the Apopka Pregnancy Center and Choices for Life and all of these means to be able to show ladies that they do not have to murder their baby. In fact, we'll wrap our loving arms around them and help them.

So be aware that Satan wants you to be like him — a murderer, a liar. Be aware that demons can possess people. In Mark chapter 1, verse 26, you see possessed people having convulsions. Demons can possess people. You see in Mark chapter 5, verse 4, superhuman strength in demon-possessed people. Be aware that in Matthew chapter 17, verse 15, people who are possessed by demons do self-destructive things. Be aware that in Mark chapter 5, verse 7, people who are possessed by demons can produce voices that are not their own — unnatural, demonic-sounding voices. Not only will they look evil, but they can sound evil. All kinds of testimonies of these through the years.

Be aware that deliverance is not your ministry. What is the answer for one who is possessed by a demon? Give them the gospel. Just give them the gospel. I was asked by a volunteer in a church about fifteen years ago, "Please come to my house. My sister is possessed by a demon." And I went and I saw with my own eyes these convulsions and heard this voice that was not hers, and gave her the gospel, prayed, and went on my way. I believe in the power of the gospel and salvation. Thank the Lord the family did not expect some big deliverance or some huge dramatic thing to happen. They were just pleading for help. I don't know the final result, but nevertheless, I warn you that demon-possessed people are powerful, they're persuasive, they're not always ugly and nasty — they can be really charming. All kinds of different ways. I need you to be warned that Satan has schemes. But your ministry is not a deliverance ministry.

Acts chapter 19, verse 15 says this — the words of a demon speaking through a person: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" These good-hearted men tried an exorcism in the name of Jesus. How did they leave? Do you remember the story? This evil spirit in this person leaped on them, subdued them, wounded them, and then they fled naked. Oh man — not only were they beaten and battered and bruised, they had to go home without their clothes. How humiliating. Point noted: don't be an exorcist, okay?

So be aware of these things. Be aware that in Hebrew, "Satan" means "adversary." In New Testament Greek, "diabolos" means "devil," and it means "slanderer and accuser." Revelation chapter 12, verse 10 says "the accuser of the brethren." He is constantly accusing. He's going to try and whittle you down, and then at your weakest hour, he's going to move on you. If you turn your back on Satan, his nature is to pounce on the back of your neck and kill you. He seeks to destroy you.

Listen — we have frontal armor. We are to stand and resist and keep our ground. And as you are warring through this world and going through these different battles, you continue to focus on Christ. You continue in the Word of God. And as you face these awful, evil days once in a while, continuing in Christ, you resist him. You stand firm in the faith. If you turn and run from him, his nature is to jump on your back — like a lion pouncing on a gazelle. As soon as one leaves the fold and goes in the wrong direction, it's instinctual for the lion to pounce on the back of the neck.

In the New Testament, it also refers to Satan as "Apollyon," meaning "destroyer," in Revelation 9:11. 2 Corinthians 6:15 personifies Satan as an opposition to Christ in the word "Belial," meaning "worthlessness." I like that — he is worthless. A worthless one. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, it portrays Satan as ruling the hordes of demons, as the god of this world.

We need to be confident in God and not even be focused on Satan. Just be aware of all of those things, and it should prompt you to continue with Christ, to continue in the Word of God, and be so confident in things like this: God's divine decree means that everything happens for His glory, and He has foreordained whatsoever happens. Isaiah 46:10 states, "Declaring the end from the beginning — I will accomplish My good pleasure." So God confidently states that from the beginning to the end, everything that happens is happening according to His good pleasure. So demons nor the devil are outside of God's divine decree — like a puppy on a leash.

Proverbs 16:4 says, "God has made everything for His own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil." And God has one grand plan. This is known theologically as foreordination. And so, as you perceive all of these points, do you think God in heaven is worried? Do you think that He's defeated? Do you think that He's depressed as He sits in heaven on His throne?

Did you know that God expresses Himself in a very particular way in regards to the wicked and to the devil? You have got to highlight Psalm 2:4 in your Bible, because this is just great when it comes to all of the wickedness going on in this world. God is not worried. God is not defeated. He is not depressed. I'll start in Psalm chapter 2, verse 1: "Why do the nations rage and the peoples meditate on a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against Yahweh and against His anointed, saying, 'Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us.'" In short, all of the evil in this world wants to tear what's good to pieces.

And what is God's response? "He who sits in the heavens laughs and mocks him." Not only does He laugh at the evil one, but He mocks him. In Psalm chapter 37, verses 7 through 20, all of the schemes of the evil one — God laughs at them. Psalm 37:13 — check it out if you would like: "The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. The wicked schemes against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth, but the Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming." And if you get gnashed at, if you get torn to pieces a little bit, and Satan pounces on you and you lose a battle, just say, "His day is coming," and you get back on the right side of things.

We see that in the face of Satan's schemes, the humbled and repentant Job confidently states in Job 42: "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." So God is laughing and mocking all of the schemes of the devil. Did you know that in the Old Testament, "devil" means "goat"? Yeah — Leviticus 17:7. Check it out for yourself. Dirty goat.

Did you know that Elijah mocked and ridiculed and sarcastically countered all of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel? In 1 Kings chapter 18, verse 27, it's hilarious. As he is sarcastically mocking the prophets of Baal and their gods, he says, "What? Is Baal in the bathroom? Is your god relieving himself?" Was that TMI? Hey, it's in the Bible. Elijah mocks this thing. And if we, with a theological, heaven-bound perspective on all of these things, can also have a standpoint from victory and resist the evil one. So all of Satan's schemes ultimately seem to be playing right into God's grand plan.

Satan is God's puppet on a string. He is a puppy on a leash. Satan is a pretender who will always turn into a persecutor. But from the beginning, God created him, and in the end, God will cast him into eternal separation, death, hell, and destruction.

When Satan thought he defeated Christ — when was that? He was on the cross. What did Jesus say? "It is finished." That evil one thought he had a one-up on God. And then Jesus says, "All of what the Father has purposed is done. It's finished. Salvation has been accomplished. God's plan is done."

Did you know the Jews sarcastically called him "Lord of the Flies"? I love that. It was a play on words. Peter said, "Satan will run if you resist him." David emptied Satan of his fear tactic, saying, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" — taking the sting of death and fear right out of Satan. Paul, in Ephesians here, is equipping the Ephesian church with the armor needed to defeat Satan's schemes. And then Paul, writing to the Philippian church, seems to just prod at Satan and tells the Philippians from prison, "Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice." So the standpoint of victory and resisting evil and continuing in Christ is seen throughout the entire Bible.

And God in all of His glory in heaven glances down once in a while to see Satan masquerading in all of this false light, with his minuscule and small schemes, and He just laughs. He just chuckles at Satan's little bitty efforts.

Now I'm going to try and make you laugh and tell you a joke — a theological joke. I'm going to do my best to make you laugh at Satan. Here I go.

In conclusion, this is a theological joke. I don't know if you've ever heard one like this before, but I love the one about the old lady who every single morning walked out on her front porch and spent time with God, praised God, and prayed to God. Every single morning this lady was faithful to go out on her front porch and just praise Jesus and read Scripture.

Well, hard times fell on the lady and she needed some groceries. And so that morning, after she got through reading the Bible faithfully, she raised her hands up and started praising God for His glory and praising God for His goodness, and said, "God, I need some groceries. Hard times have fallen, and I need some groceries." And she went back in. But she didn't know that the atheist next door was hiding behind the bushes and had heard her. And that day he went to the grocery store, bought two bags of groceries, and in the middle of the night delivered those groceries on her front porch, then hid behind the bushes.

And that lady walked out the next morning and saw the groceries. And she said, "Oh, Lord, thank You! Thank You so much for bringing me some groceries and buying me some groceries! I praise Your holy name!" And the atheist jumped out from behind the bushes and said, "Ha! I told you there ain't no God. I bought those groceries." And the lady said, "Oh, thank You, Jesus, for providing the groceries and making the devil pay for it."

That's good theology. Just continue in Christ. God will work all things to His glory, and you're good. I promise.

Let's pray together. God, we do love You and we thank You for Your promises. And somehow, in Your blessed, glorious plan, You've seen fit to bring us in. Oh, I thank You. Oh, I thank You, dear Jesus. My salvation is not based upon my merit — otherwise I would not have it. Thank You. Thank You for reaching down, snatching me from the flames, and saving me.

Lord, as we continue in Your Word, we see more and more of these glorious truths. I pray that You would help us to apply them to our lives. Help us, dear Jesus, to continue to evangelize the lost. And if anyone is here and outside of Your glorious gospel, if they've never been saved — Lord, would You draw that poor soul closer to You? Draw them closer to You. Grant them repentance and faith. Help them to comprehend that the good news is that You came from heaven to earth, down to a cross, to live a perfect life and give a perfect sacrifice for their imperfect life, and to pay for the sin's consequences that they owe.

The Bible says that sin equals death, and the payment for our sins is separation from You forever. And I pray, dear Jesus, that as it be in Your will, that none would perish. You would draw people to You. Continue to save souls. Continue to reach the lost. Help us to be flaming evangelists — like the woman at the well, who interacted with You and then ran through the town and told everybody about You. Help us not to be ashamed of the gospel and know that it is the power of God unto salvation.

God, we want to see more transformed lives. We want to see lost people who are trapped in sin set free. Lord, set captives free. Give them life. God, for every person whom You know of that our people here are ministering to and trying to reach, sharing the gospel with and who they are concerned about and need to reach — God, I pray that You would give them a ministry that is so glorious, so effectual, so wonderful, that it causes lost people to see something so different and come to Christ, to come to You.

God, give us a heart for the lost so that we cannot sit at home. Give us a heart for the lost so that we cannot be content to be comfortable in our circumstances. Move us, Lord Jesus, in prayer. God, I pray that we would be Great Commission Christians who are going — and not only going and sharing the gospel, but making disciples and teaching them all of Your glorious Word that we possibly can, while we can. Help us to utilize our time wisely during the week to make disciples.

God, thank You for the wonderful disciples here at Beulah Baptist Church who are investing personal time to take people through the Word of God and showing them the next step in their spiritual growth — from becoming a believer in Christ, to belonging to a local church, to knowing the Bible, to being baptized, and then equipping them to also make disciples. Father, help us to reach to the lowest level, the youngest ones, and equip them to study the Bible and make disciples. God, make Beulah Baptist Church a change agent for Your glory. Lord, we love You. It's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.