November 6, 2022; Sunday School

Order of Service

• Prayer of Invocation
• Sunday School Lesson

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Sermon Title: Knowing and Guarding Against Our Enemy

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8

I. The Danger of Our Enemy

A. Scripture uses vivid language to describe Satan

1. Names and titles: adversary (Satan), accuser (devil), tempter, deceiver, serpent, prince of the power of the air, roaring lion
2. He is a creature — created by God, under God's authority (cf. Job 1)
3. 1 John 5:19 — the whole world lies in the power of the evil one

B. He is real and must be taken seriously, yet he is a defeated enemy

1. 1 Peter 5:8 — be sober-minded, be watchful; your adversary prowls like a roaring lion
2. J.I. Packer: Satan is always probing for weaknesses, misdirecting strengths, and undermining faith, hope, and character — fearsome, yet a beaten enemy

C. Paul warns the Corinthians against the enemy's cunning

1. 2 Corinthians 11:2–3 — as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ
2. False teachers serve as instruments of the enemy's deception

II. The Devices of Our Enemy

A. He distracts

1. The parable of the sower — the enemy snatches the seed; the cares of the world and deceitfulness of wealth choke growth (Matthew 13)
2. Joel Beeke: we absorb the news easily but lose concentration reading Scripture; we can surf the internet for hours but grow sleepy in prayer
3. Satan's goal: take our eyes off Christ and our heavenly home

B. He diminishes

1. In the garden, his first words were, "Did God really say?" — minimizing God's authority and the weight of sin
2. He encourages us to view sin as small and inconsequential
3. By small degrees we are led to believe sin can be controlled and does not matter — as with David on the rooftop

C. He distresses

1. The underlying question in both the temptation of Eve and the temptation of Christ: Is God good?
2. As accuser, Satan dredges up past sins and blackmails us with our record (Revelation 12)
3. Joel Beeke: he wants us doubting whether God is still willing to save us, whether we have gone past the point of no return
4. He plants doubt, distress, and despair in the hearts of believers

III. The Defense Against Our Enemy

A. The object of our faith: Jesus Christ

1. Hebrews 12:2 — looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith
2. John 17:15 — Jesus prays not that the Father take us out of the world, but that he keep us from the evil one
3. In the wilderness, Christ overcame the threefold temptation of Satan, answering every device with Scripture — he is the victorious, defeated enemy's conqueror

B. The shield of faith

1. Ephesians 6:16 — take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one
2. Unlike a wooden shield, this shield is designed specifically to withstand the enemy's fire
3. Faith rests on the Word of God — as Christ used Scripture in the wilderness, so we stand on Scripture
4. 1 Timothy 6:12 — fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called

C. The means of grace strengthen the shield of faith

1. Prayer in the home — husbands and wives praying together and for one another, praying with and for children
2. Reading Scripture together and pointing one another back to the Word
3. Gathering with the body of believers — the Word read and preached, sacraments, prayer, and fellowship all build up faith for the ongoing battle
4. Martin Lloyd-Jones (quoted by Jeremy Walker in Passing Through): one of the main causes of the ill state of the church today is that the devil is being forgotten
5. Call to vigilance: do not dismiss or ignore the enemy — but take greater courage in the sure defense we have in Christ