The Wiles of the Devil

[00:00:00] I'd like to greet each one of you in Jesus' name this morning. I've got a little bit of a scratchy voice this morning. I should be praying for my family. My Adriana is sick this morning. And the others are not quite right, it seems like. [00:00:34] So just pray for us that we could be feeling well. I'd like to continue this morning with the message I started last week on Ephesians 6. Or not last week, but three weeks ago. Ephesians 6, 10 through 18. Ephesians 6, 10-18 [00:01:22] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand an evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, [00:01:52] and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit And watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints When I started to read this again or to go over it again I try to, I think it's a good habit when you read scripture [00:02:25] Try to read it like it's the first time What can this scripture say to me You know, it's not something, I mean, I remember when I was, I don't know how old I was, it was before we were coming here, so I would have been seven or eight years old probably, that a group of us from Riverview, and I don't even know where we went, we went, the younger, I remember Lila was in there, we went and did like a little skit at a youth rally or something, I'm not sure exactly what it was. [00:02:59] But it was, we had a guy stand there and then we put the different pieces of armor on him and said the different verses. But it's a very familiar passage of scripture. And my goal was to get down through more of the armor and maybe finish this up today. But I still feel there's a lot, a lot we need to look at in the area of not so much who Satan is, but the way he works. The key word I want to look at is the wiles of the devil. [00:03:34] Satan does not bull rush us, usually. He doesn't tempt us with what we think of as big sins or, you know, just one day we're tempted to kill someone. That's not the way Satan works. He gets us started in little areas, things that we don't even think about. So, and pretty soon we go further and further. I'd like to reiterate again. Thank you. Verse 10. We need to remember we are standing strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. [00:04:11] Down in 13 it says the armor of the Lord, the armor of God. We are not strong enough to stand against Satan without God helping us. I'd like to read 1 Peter 5.8 Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. It is happening now. Satan is always seeking someone that's off guard. [00:04:43] We cannot let down our guard. And there are so many things that Satan uses to attack us and we say God doesn't change. I think Satan changes his strategy as he goes. He knows where you're at in your life. He knows each one of us, what our weak points are, where he can get his foot in the door, where he can attack us in a soft spot if we are not on our guard. [00:05:16] Verse 11 and 12 says we are wrestling, we are not ignoring, we are wrestling against principalities and powers. Usually if there is a war or a wrestling match, anything like that going on, you have a choice whether to join the battle. You are in the battle, like it or not. You will either be in the battle and fight and win the battle, or you can ignore the battle and be lost. [00:05:53] We are all in this, in the battle. Verse 13, I'm not sure exactly what it says, take the whole armor of God. Now, I'm not sure if there's any real significance to this, but it talks about having your loins girt about, your breastplate of righteousness, your helmet. It never mentions the back. It doesn't say have your back shielded with this or this. [00:06:27] And I guess, there again, we need to face the enemy. If Satan gets behind us, sneaks up behind us, we are not guarded. We need to be on our guard. Another way that can work is, that is what the brotherhood is for. Maybe there's something sneaking up on you. The brother sees it. He points it out. Take it as a favor. Not someone picking on you or trying to run you down. But we need to be together in this. [00:07:00] We are together in this. Okay. Okay, let's look at the armor, how we do defend ourselves. Verse 14, stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. Pilate asked Jesus, what is truth? Today, truth is old fashioned. Truth is outdated. [00:07:33] Psalms 119.11 says, By word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee. John 1, 14 And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 14, 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And then I already mentioned about Pilate, John 18, 37 and 38. [00:08:07] Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. When Pilate said, what is truth? You kind of get the sense of, I don't think he was really saying, well, what is truth? My sense of that would be kind of a mockery. Well, what is truth? Everybody has their own story. There is no way to really know truth. [00:08:50] And today our society has adopted the same stance. There is no absolute. What's true for you is not true for me. What works in your situation will not work in mine. And that is where we just get so... We have to have a truth, a foundation of truth. I thought there's three different ways of you could... The word truth. There is, if I can, down in the last there where it says take the sword of the spirit which is the word of God, we would say the word Jesus was truth. [00:09:35] Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. The word is Jesus. So in that way would be the truth But with us, the truth You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free If you have the truth in you You know the truth Satan comes to you with a way of trying to deceive you If you know the truth You can rebuff that [00:10:05] You can say, it sounds appealing, I know the truth, I know what will happen, it's not what I want to do. The other side of truth would be being truthful. And I think that is just as important when you're in a battle, and we think about being in a spiritual battle, and the principalities and powers trying to defeat us. Here again, that is present tense. They are trying to defeat you. You never have defeated Satan. Satan will never give up on you. He is as a roaring lion. [00:10:47] Lion. Another thing about the wiles, the wiles of the devil. That is, in Ephesians 4.14, that same word is translated lie in wait. And the illustration I thought it would be a leopard sitting in a tree. Just because that leopard isn't chasing after that deer, doesn't mean the deer isn't in danger. If the deer sees the leopard and avoids him, he's alright. If he walks underneath that tree, the leopard drops on him, it's all over for the deer. [00:11:23] And Satan is the same way. He can be lying in wait. We're unsuspecting. We're not even thinking about anything that he's working on. And all of a sudden we're involved in it. Being truthful. Knowing the truth, knowing God's word, and knowing what the truth is, is important. But it will do us no good if we are not truthful with ourselves. [00:12:01] One thing, dishonesty is, we think of someone that's dishonest as being untruthful. I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time expressing my thoughts here. We can hide things from people. But sooner or later the truth is going to come out. And I would much rather the truth came out now. [00:12:36] Now, and I guess I see it where we think that if we can hide something, if we can say something and maybe we get in a tight spot and reword the way the question is asked, we avoid the question. or you can say every word you say is true when you're talking to someone. [00:13:15] You don't actually say something that's not false, but you give the wrong impression. That is as much a lie as deliberately not saying the truth. That is not a way around it. It's not any different than simply telling a lie. 1 Peter 3, 10-12. Let's go to that. 1 Peter 3, 10-12. [00:13:45] For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good, let him seek peace and ensure it, and sue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. [00:14:19] That word guile, his lips that they speak no guile. That can be wile, the same word as what the devil uses against us, we're using against someone else. If we trick them into thinking different than what we're supposed to. Craft, deceit, subtlety. We can tell someone the truth in quotations and still deceive them. This is called lying. [00:14:50] It's not called a white lie. It's not called a little lie. It is called a lie. And if you notice the last verse there, verse 12, it says, But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. Not only is truth an important part of our armor in keeping us protected, when we leave the truth, when we do not tell the truth, when we do not have the truth, God's face is actually against us. [00:15:24] Now we're not just losing God's protection, God's face is against us. He will not hear us when we pray. Okay, Revelations 21.8 says, there again it talks about lying. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable, these sound like a bunch of bad people, and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters, [00:15:55] and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death. I guess my challenge is to make sure that when you live your life and I was trying to think of different, how do we lie? We can misrepresent the truth. We can cheat on our taxes. Do we make sure that when we itemize our tax bill Do you feel that when we make a claim, it's a legitimate claim? Or is it easy just to throw in that extra whatever? [00:16:34] Another thing I thought of, and I couldn't think of anything else, but when we think of a dishonest person, someone that lies, we would say is dishonest. And I wasn't quite sure how to put it together, but stealing, someone that steals, we would say is a dishonest person. And I couldn't think of anything else, any other sin, a murderer, you could say could be an honest person. [00:17:06] You know, he might not have a problem killing someone, but he'd never lied to you. I don't know, something about that somehow thievery would fall under the same, at least we'd think of them both as being dishonest. Philippians 2.12, let's go on down to verse 14, the same verse 14 there, the breastplate of righteousness. We need to have the breastplate of righteousness in place. [00:17:37] Philippians 2.12 says wherefore my beloved brethren, my beloved as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. We need to make sure that we are not trusting, well let's go to Matthew 7, Matthew 7, 12 through 27. [00:18:09] I'm not in any way saying that works can save us. All the works we can do will never save us. But we don't want to get off on the other side and say, 30 years ago I gave my life to the Lord. And that's what I'm trusting in to get me to heaven. I know I've got a lot of problems. I know I just have so many things I can't quite get over. But, praise the Lord, I was saved 30 years ago. [00:18:41] We need to be growing. We need to have the fruits. There's Matthew 12-27. There's four things I want to notice. Do unto others as they would have you do unto you. The straight and narrow path. Doing the will of the Father. And then the wise and foolish man. Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. for this is the law and the prophets enter ye in at the straight gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way [00:19:11] that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves ye shall know them by their fruits do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. [00:19:45] Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. [00:20:17] Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and doeth them, notice the doing them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. [00:20:56] And once again, I'm not saying that we go about to establish our own righteousness. There's no way we can establish our own righteousness. But neither can we expect God to simply save us and leave us in our sins. If we are not willing to turn and forsake our bad fruit, our corrupt fruit, we will be hewn down and cast away. And I don't want to come down as sounding like, I think everyone in here is a bad person and you all need to hear this. [00:21:28] I guess my warning is not to become a person like this. Not to be on our guard. These are the way, this is how Satan wants us to turn out. This is how Satan wants us to become. This is what we are on guard against. And by fruits, good fruit, what kind of person does the guy you work with think you are? What kind of person does a guy that only sees you once a month, you know, the people that don't know you very well, that don't see you on Sunday morning, that don't see you, you know, when you're with Christian people. [00:22:11] What kind of fruits do they see in your life? James 2, 17-24 I'd like to turn there yet. There again, he's talking about we can have faith, but if your works don't support your faith, then your faith is dead. James 2, 17-24 4. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God, and thou doest well. The devils also believe and tremble. [00:22:58] But wilt thou know, vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. We would never compare ourselves to demons or devils, but it says in verse 19, just believing in God is not enough. [00:23:40] The devils believe in God, they're convinced of God, and they tremble, but it doesn't do them any good. We need to have a faith that causes us to do good works, put on the breastplate of righteousness. People probably think I harp on this too much, but I'm going to harp some more. I'm like an angel, I'm always up in the air and harping. The entertainment industry, there is so little good in the entertainment industry. [00:24:17] I'm not saying it's all bad, but I think that is one of the most subtle, the most overlooked areas in our lives that we let people, that we would never let our children associate with, and yet we let them entertain our children or ourselves. We might not think hard rock. Who's going to listen to hard rock? [00:24:50] Everybody knows that's the devil's music. How about country music? If you listen and don't tell me you just like it because you hear the songs and you like the melody and you don't pay attention to the words. Music has a tremendous influence on you. Whether you know it, your thought life, whether you believe it or not, it does. Most country music celebrates adultery. [00:25:23] It celebrates loose living. It celebrates sin. There are songs I know, there are songs that you can listen to every word and there's nothing bad in that song. But you probably all heard the illustration about you bake a dozen cookies and you give them to your kids and say, One of them has poison and the other 11 are fine. You would never give your children that plate of cookies. Because who knows what... They're going to get the poison. And that's just how it is. And the same with movies. We wouldn't watch an X-rated movie. I hope we wouldn't watch an R-rated movie. What about a PG-13 movie? I can remember being in the youth group and I still... I know it before I was married. And I still have scenes in my mind from a PG-13 movie that I sure wish I didn't have in my mind. And it's just not worth it. It's just not worth it. [00:26:27] things like that stick for years and I just plead with you be on your guard these things will ruin you they will set you up young people you're going to expect to marry the perfect man or the perfect woman and then this perfect man or perfect woman won't do quite like you thought and all of a sudden it's an option to go look at the next one because that's what they do in the movies and it just, it will ruin your, it's not reality, it will ruin your expectations of what life should be like [00:27:06] and I just really, I guess, beg with you to guard your hearts, do not let someone that is celebrating sin, Someone that is advocating living in sin entertain you with what they're saying. Singing, movies, and that's not the only thing. Those are two things that I thought of that are subtle. And if there's things that you see in my life, I would appreciate it if you would talk to me. [00:27:46] If there's things you see in other people's lives, we're in it together. We're not here to pick on each other. We're here to warn each other. I have a feeling that if you keep doing this, this might happen. It's going to affect your children. That's not coming to you and picking on you. That's coming to you and warning you. Please be on your guard. Another thing that the entertainment industry does is happiness. It tells you how to be happy. [00:28:17] If you do this, you make enough money, if you have the right woman, if you, you know, all these things make you happy. It's not reality. It's not going to work. Are we being lulled, if I can say it, lulled to sleep by the things that go on around us in our everyday life? We're not even realizing, whenever I think of the word, whenever I hear anybody use the word lull, I think of Scott Stauffer playing basketball. [00:28:51] I remember sitting on the bench with this coach that was entering the practice and Scott had the habit or the the knack of he'd just be standing there bouncing the ball like he was just doing nothing and all of a sudden he'd go around the guy he would look and his coach said that's what he does he just lulls him to sleep and then he goes around him and that is how we cannot be lulled to sleep. Another thing I thought of is a tree stand. We sit in a tree stand and wait on that deer. And if the deer knew we were there, of course he would avoid us. He's looking around, he's not looking. Usually, maybe that's what we need to do, look up. If a deer would learn to look up, they'd be a lot safer. And that's what we need to do. When we're doing something, are we looking up? Are we realizing that we are being watched? [00:29:45] Another one is a sniper, an army sniper. You know, they can, I remember Evan had a friend that was a sniper, and he told him, he said, if I can see it, I can kill it. And he could shoot a man at a thousand yards with a rifle. And that man at a thousand yards would be completely oblivious to this sniper that's hidden out in the hills. And I just, that is how Satan does. He lies in wait. I just would challenge us. [00:30:17] Let's make sure that what we're doing, going back to Philippians 4.8, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. The breastplate of righteousness. Are we living a righteous life? Are we doing what we can? [00:30:50] Okay, I'd like to go to Revelation 21 yet, and I will leave you with this. This is probably my favorite little piece of scripture. Revelation 21, 1-7. We already read verse 8. The verse 8 sounds pretty discouraging. with the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. [00:31:26] But I'd like to leave you with an encouragement. The first seven verses paint a totally different picture. If we are faithful, if we are girt about with truth, if we have on that breastplate of righteousness. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. [00:32:01] And they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. Think about that. God himself will be with us. and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. I just, that's just a beautiful picture. My little girl falls down, she's crying and all she has to do is come to Daddy. Daddy wipes tears away from her eyes and she's all better. And God will do that for us. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, [00:32:32] neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away. and he that sat upon the throne said behold I make all things new and he said unto me write for these words are true and faithful and he said unto me it is done I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely and now this here he that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son [00:33:05] That's enough to look forward to, I think. I just really like that passage. Let's stand for prayer. Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank you, Lord, that we'd be together. I thank you for your word, your truth, that tells us how we can know you, how we can live for you. Help us, Lord, to live this week and the weeks ahead and live them in truth and to strive to be righteous people. [00:33:44] Help us, Lord, to rely on you for that, to find our strength in you, to be overcomers through you. Thank you for each one here. I pray, Lord, that you would speak to each one the way that you see fit. Help us, Lord, to honor you today and to be what you have us to be. Thank you, Lord. We ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.