To
Judge Ourselves
Part
7 – Where Satan Rules
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org
| www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
We
spent the last year looking at what the Book of Acts had to say about the
founding, operation and behavior that the Lord expects from us as individuals,
and as a church, or congregation of believers.
We
then spent a few weeks looking at the letters that Jesus sent to the seven churches
in Revelation, telling them where they were going right, and wrong, as well as
what the punishments and rewards would be.
A
few weeks ago, I took all of those letters, and compiled them into one letter
from the Lord, to us.
Our
new series will take a look at each of the points Jesus made in that letter,
and we will not only examine our church as a whole, but ourselves as
individuals.
2 Corinthians 13:5
"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are
in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves,
that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
2 Peter 2:4-10 "For if God did
not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell[a] and committed them to
chains of
gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if
he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a
herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the
world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an
example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;[c] 7 and if he rescued
righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for
as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his
righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to
rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of
judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge[e] in the lust of
defiling passion and despise authority."
We
have already looked at Jesus speaking to us about hard work, not tolerating
wicked people in the church, and
testing those who claim to be apostles,
but are nothing more than false prophets, and last week we spoke on perseverance, and enduring hardships for His name, Spiritually Rich during times of affliction and poverty, Slander.
Last
week we looked at Not Being Afraid.
This
week we will look at Where Satan Rules.
SCRIPTURE
REFERENCE
Revelation 2:13a
"13 I know where you live—where Satan has his
throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me..."
I.
Where
is Satan's throne, or rule of power?
a. The god of this
world
i.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 "3 But
if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them."
1. Satan is called "...the god of
this world..."
2. Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and
views of the majority of people. His influence also encompasses the world’s
philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and
false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his
lies and deceptions.
b. The ruler of the
air
i.
Ephesians 2:1-3 "As for you, you were dead in
your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used
to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of
the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at
one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its
desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of
wrath."
1. Satan is called "...the ruler
of the air..."
2. The natural state of all human beings is a kind of spiritual death. This
spiritual condition is universal: both Gentiles and Jews are “by nature
children of wrath”
3. Second, human beings are in active rebellion against God
4. Third, they are subject to the evil rule of Satan (called
in v. 2 “the prince of the power of the air”
a. Galatians 4:3 "So also, when we were underage, we were
in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world."
b. Colossians 1:12-14 "and giving joyful thanks to the
Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy
people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has
rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the
kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we
have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
5.
Fourth, they
are totally unable to change themselves from rebellion against God .
a.
John 3:3 "Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they
are born again."
II. From the inception of acceptance to
"his way"
a.
The garden contained a symbol of righteous
obedience to God, called the Tree of Knowledge.
i.
The symbolizing the knowledge of God as our Lord.
ii.
Refraining from eating of it, was obedience to God's Word.
iii.
Called "Tree of Knowledge" because disobedience to
the Word of God would educate Adam and Eve, they would learn of the punishment
and suffering brought about by disobedience to the Word of God.
iv.
As long as Adam "obeyed" God's Word, not to eat
from the Tree, he was living in obedience. Adam was essentially,
"Righteous", and in God's Kingdom.
b.
When Adam chose to
disobey God, and obey Satan, he had chosen a new Lord and master. One who would
undoubtedly make his life a living hell.
i.
Satan, out of jealousy for God's love for us, as well as his frustration
of wanting to be a god, wishes to hurt God.
1.
Satan's Jealousy caused him to attack Job. "Of course Job loves you,
you bless him with everything. Take it all away and he will curse you."
2.
However, Satan underestimated our love for God. We love Him in times of
plenty, as well as in times of want. For our love is not based on what God
gives us, rather, that He is our Father in heaven, Holy God, and has loved us
first.
ii.
Because God is God, and Satan, a mere creation, he cannot physically hurt
God.
iii.
So Satan attacks God's heart, through us.
iv.
This is why Satan will never stop trying to destroy us, and rule over us,
trying to manipulate us all into disobeying God's Word (sinning), and following
him instead of the Lord.
c.
Since "The
Fall", because we are children of fallen, we must be adopted back into the
Kingdom.
i.
This can only happen through a sacrificial payment for our sin-debt, and
an adoption into the King of King's royal family, which takes place through our
submission to the Lord, and repentance of our old family and its way, sin.
ii.
This is Salvation.
III. But isn't Jesus King now that
He has established His Kingdom?
a.
Yes, it is true
Jesus established His Kingdom at the Cross.
i.
However, to not be confused as the Apostles were. This Kingdom is a
"Spiritual Kingdom", for our battle against our previous ruler,
Satan, is a Spiritual one!
ii.
Ephesians
6:10-12 "10 Finally, be strong in the
Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the
full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s
schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in
the heavenly realms."
b. the world is his for a time
i.
However, Satan's days are numbered,
and Judgment is coming.
1.
Revelation 12:12 "Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who
dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone
down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that
his time is short.”
c.
Satan
has no power over believer's
i.
Colossians 1:13 "He has
delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the
kingdom of
his beloved Son,"
ii.
Unbelievers, on the other hand, are caught "in the snare of the
devil"
1.
2 Timothy 2:22-26 "22 Flee the evil
desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along
with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t
have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they
produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be
quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.25 Opponents
must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance
leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they
will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has
taken them captive to do his will."
iii.
Unbelievers
are in the power of the evil one (1
John 5:19), and are in bondage to Satan (Ephesians 2:2)
iv.
So
Satan is NOT in "complete control" of every aspect of the world, but
influences it, and manipulates the unsaved as slaves. God is still sovereign,
and still maintains authority overall, but allows those who chose to turn to
sin to be lead and enslaved to that which they left Him for.
1. Romans 6:16
"Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as
obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you
obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to
death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"
CONCLUSION
Romans continues to say, "But thanks be to God that,
though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart
the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You
have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
in verse 17 & 18
Want to learn
more about Salvation and Getting Saved?
CLICK
HERE!
No comments:
Post a Comment