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This teaching delves into the constant struggle between good and evil, emphasizing the importance of recognizing Satan as our enemy. With insights from Scripture, it highlights the character and tactics of Satan, urging Christians to be vigilant and arm themselves with God's armor. The session acknowledges the reality of spiritual warfare, encouraging believers to resist temptation and remain steadfast. It promises to explore specific devices of Satan over the coming days, reinforcing the hope that, despite the ongoing battle, victory belongs to God and His faithful.
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Scripture Reading 2 Corinthians 2:1-11
Introduction • There is a constant struggle between good & evil, right & wrong. • On one side we have God, and all that is good. • On the other side we have the devil and all that is evil. • The Christian is in a war, a war against Satan (Eph. 6:10-12).
We Must Know The Enemy • In order to fight any war, we must know who the enemy is. • I am concerned that some may not take the devil and his devices seriously. • 1 Peter 5:8 • Satan is our enemy (Mt. 13:39).
Descriptive Terms of Satan • Tempter (Mt. 4:3; 1 Thess.3:5). • The evil one (Mt. 13:19,38). • Deceiver (Rev. 12:9). • Father of lies & murderer (Jn. 8:44). • Sinner (1 Jn. 3:8). • We can see there is nothing good at all about Satan.
The Character of Satan • Satan is the enemy of God & man. • Satan is active (1 Pe. 5:8) in misleading humanity. • Jesus describes Satan as the wicked (evil) one (Mt. 13:19, 38). • Isaiah describes Jehovah as the Holy One (Is.1:4). • Moral evil seems to be his controlling attribute.
Satan is at work • Satan has only a short time (Re. 12:7-9; 12) in which to do his work. • He is limited in what he is able to do. • But he uses every tool in his arsenal to achieve his goals. • Satan often uses human agents to do his bidding (Jn. 6:70; 8:44; 2 Cor. 11:13-15).
The Christian must be armed • To be forewarned is to be forearmed. • As children of God, Satan wants to defeat us in everything that is right and good. • God has given us the proper armor to stand against Satan. • Ephesians 6:10-18.
Satan is doomed • We know that in the end Satan will be defeated & God, and the faithful will be victorious (Re. 20:10). • All the evil, including Satan, himself will be cast into the lake of fire (Re. 21:8). • To know that Satan will be defeated is certainly good news for the child of God.
We haven’t won yet • Since we are still at war, we need to be on constant guard. • We must continue to resist (Eph. 4:27; James 4:7-8). • The devil will not give up and neither can we.
Conclusion • The next three days I would like for us to consider some of Satan’s devices. • On Friday I would like for us to look at how to overcome Satan. • Remember “if God is for us who can be against us” (Romans 8:31). • We truly can “do all things through Christ” who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13).