Tonight we are going to talk about the father of all evil.
The Devil.
The Bible has a bunch to say about the Devil.
Who he is…how he works and what he does!
WE are going to take a couple of weeks to “Unmask” him, his strategies, patterns and mission!
The devil is not a myth or a legend…He is very real and very alive!
Pastor Mike I have never seen him!
Might I remind you that you have never seen gravity either!
But we see the work of it…you jump off of this church and gravity is very real!
We have seen the works of the devil in action!
2. Jesus himself addressed this issue of the Devil being very alive and very real!
Luke 8:12 (NLT) "The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved."
These are the very words of Jesus telling us that we have an enemy on the loose and one of his missions is to oppose people's salvation!
Matthew 4:1 (NLT) "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the Devil."
Jesus had a very real encounter with the Devil.
This is the account of the Devil not only while he was in Heaven before he rebelled, but also when he got kicked out!
The Devil was a created being!
Luke 10:18 (NLT)
"Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!"
Isaiah 14:12-17 (NLT)
"How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. [13] For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. [14] I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.' [15] Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. [16] Everyone there will stare at you and ask, 'Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? [17] Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world's greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?"
Ezekiel 28:13-19 (NLT)
You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone- red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald- all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. [14] I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. [15] "You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. [16] Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. [17] Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. [18] You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. [19] All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more."
From these scriptures we can piece together that the Devil was probably the Worship leader in heaven before he chose to rebel! (Freewill)
He is not the creator…but rather the created and very alive!
John 8:44 (NLT) "For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies."
The Devil cannot tell the truth!
WOW let's recap–loves to do evil, a murderer, truth hater, liar, consistent character defamer and the father of all lies!
The devil created lying!
He is the most incredible at it!
I've met a few people who were an incredibly close second but no one is better!
He is the ultimate liar!
Isn’t this ironic…the greatest lie of all is to be deceived and convinced that the Devil does not even exist!
Atheist-person who does not believe in the existence of God.
Agnostic-a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.
Revelation 12:9 (NLT) "This great dragon-the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world-was thrown down to the earth with all his angels."
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) "Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 (NLT) "But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. [15] So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve."
He wears a mask to hide his true identity!
This is why evil is so enticing looking so pleasurable and good!
It's masked from it's true identity.
The Devil makes what is wrong appear right and what is right appear wrong and tedious.
The Devil has strategies against you!
A strategy is an “organized plan of attack” to achieve a goal or mission!
The Devil’s mission statement is found in John 10:10 – “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy your life…”
He plots and schemes on how he and his army of demons can destroy your life, your family, your reputation, your job, your finances, your marriage…you name it…He has a plan against it!
How ignorant of us to not expose and understand how he works and who he is!
2 Corinthians 2:11 (NLT) "so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes."
Ephesians 6:11-12 (NLT) "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. [12] For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."
So this is the game changer for me…to realize, recognize and comprehend that he is personally after me! After my sons! My wife! My Daughters! My Family! And the ministry God has called, ordained, and separated me to.
I will not stand idly by!
The devils power is very limited!
The Devil had a plan and that plan blew up and backfired!
He thought that when Jesus died on the cross that all hell would break loose and that that the Son of God was finally defeated!
What he did not know was God’s complete plan!
Listen…The Devil can only twist what God has already put in place!
What about in Romans 1 where it says that they invent evil…just look at what they are doing.
God gives life and Satan takes it!
God created sex for a husband and wife and Satan twisted it and said do it outside of marriage, have it with whomever you want, then man with man and woman with woman!
You owe it to yourself to read Romans 1 to see what God thinks of this.
So the only power that the Devil has is what we give him!
Fear cannot get a grip on us unless we allow it to stay.
Colossians 2:15 (NLT)
"In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
God is the creator and the Devil is created!
God is omnipotent (all powerful)…the Devil is not!
God is omnipresent (everywhere)…the Devil is in one spot!
God is omniscient (all knowing)…the Devil is created!
LISTEN: If the Devil knew everything…He would have never rebelled! Why? Look where he is going to end up for Eternity…
Revelation 20:10 (NLT) "Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
How do we defeat him every day of our lives?
James 4:7 (NLT) "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
The key is submitting your life to Jesus Christ.
Take up His Word every day and take up your cross every moment.
To look temptation in the eyes and face it all with the Word of God!
All my areas submitted to the Lord.
Matthew 22:37 – “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength…”
Submit=Honor, live for, be faithful to.
Being a true follower of Jesus Christ…not a pretender and a fake…that is what we just said the Devil does!
If that is the way you are doing life...who's control and influence are you under?
1 John 5:18 (NLT) "We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them."
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