Sermon

What Satan Knows - Greg Gay 4/16/07

Church of Christ - Bakersfield, Ca

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  1. Wonderful to see all those who are able to be here tonight.

  2. As we continue our gospel meeting.

  3. I don't know if you've heard the news today or not of goings-on

  4. in the east coast where in excess of 30 individuals lost

  5. their lives and tragic shooting in the school.

  6. Those aren't the only deaths today, of course.

  7. That have happened as a result of Senseless violence every day.

  8. Every day, many individuals lose their lives, because someone

  9. decides to take it. In this city in every city on

  10. this day crimes, senseless crimes.

  11. Violent crimes have been committed, four people were

  12. hurt, things were taken. On this day.

  13. Individuals decided to steal from the company which they

  14. work. On this day.

  15. Individuals have decided to lie. On this day, husbands have

  16. decided to be unfaithful. Why?

  17. Yes, I've decided to be unfaithful individuals, young

  18. and old have decided to be immoral.

  19. On this day. On every day. when we think

  20. about, how many days, the Earth has existed, And compare that to

  21. how many days sin has happened. They're about the same, aren't

  22. they? They're about the same.

  23. We don't know how long it was in the Garden of Eden.

  24. Before Adam and Eve sinned doesn't seem like it was long.

  25. We don't know. How many days there have been

  26. without sin? But it's not very many.

  27. And there are none today. Satan is Alive and Well.

  28. And his evil influence flourishes in far greater ways

  29. than we like to think. This is a sermon that I preached

  30. nearly everywhere I go because I need it.

  31. And at the same time, this is one of those subjects that is

  32. absolutely terrifying to me. This is not a happy sermon, it's

  33. not intended to be, it's intended to be a sermon that

  34. makes me first and hopefully, everyone else that here's stop.

  35. And think about the battle that is going on for our souls.

  36. The relationship between God and Satan fascinating.

  37. And one reason for this Fascination is because of the

  38. two extremes that are represented there, there is no

  39. greater good than God. We know that there's no greater

  40. evil than Satan. We know that God is the giver

  41. and bringer of light. Satan is the Prince of Darkness.

  42. God is the creator. Satan The Destroyer God the

  43. bread of life that nourishes and sustains Satan.

  44. The Devourer likened to a roaring lion seeking a meal.

  45. The contrast is obvious yet that contrast between good and evil

  46. still forms a relationship that is part of our lives.

  47. And I think we need to understand the relationship

  48. between God and Satan. In order for us to be motivated

  49. and better equipped to serve the Lord.

  50. Lord and to avoid Satan snares. God's dealings with, Satan are

  51. very difficult to understand how God could allow Satan to present

  52. himself to Eve in the garden is beyond my understanding.

  53. Yet, he did that. I just don't begin to comprehend

  54. stuff like that. When we think of the

  55. vulnerability of Adam and Eve. It must be something greater

  56. than we ourselves are capable of fathoming.

  57. For all of the things that God has done there.

  58. I mentioned earlier and I'll mention this, several times

  59. throughout the meeting because this is an important concept

  60. that gets lost in religions today, the concept of free will

  61. Now, we choose whether or not to do this or that or the other, we

  62. choose whether or not to serve the Lord, and when the Lord

  63. created mankind, he gave us and he gives us free, will you see

  64. no one ever forces anyone to serve the Lord?

  65. No one ever forces anybody to do that we couldn't do that.

  66. In fact in any given relationship, the only person we

  67. can control is ourselves. and we kind of fool ourselves when we

  68. think we control our children, We really only can control

  69. ourselves and we can only hopefully, positively manipulate

  70. our children. Now, by the, I don't see

  71. manipulation as a bad word. I see that as a good word and I

  72. think it's fine to manipulate somebody as long as you tell

  73. them, that's what you're doing. And I don't see that, that's a

  74. problem at all. And so if I know how somebody

  75. works personality wise and I say, look, I'm going to flatter

  76. you because that's what I need to do, to get you to do

  77. something for me. I think that's fine.

  78. It's cold, hearted manipulation, and that's okay. but, you know,

  79. What about manipulating people to do wrong?

  80. Ever seen anybody do that prey on their vulnerabilities.

  81. Set them up to watch them fall. You know, all of those things

  82. can happen. How could God allow Eve, the

  83. crown jewel of all creation to face Satan alone.

  84. I was told the other night about a TV series that's on right now

  85. on one of the channels that portrays animals in the wild and

  86. how these helpless little infant animals, became the prey for an

  87. animal to carry back to her Young.

  88. Hmm. Ones feeding on the other.

  89. Who's feeding on us? Satan wants to.

  90. He wants to carry God's young to his nest.

  91. God allows that. He allows us to be tested.

  92. He allows us to be tempted. and if he allowed it with Adam and

  93. Eve, what makes us think? We are exempt from that process.

  94. We are not, we are not at all, he allowed it with job.

  95. Job was a wonderful man. And how God could allow Satan to

  96. put job through. So much misery.

  97. Again, beyond my understanding, yet within the concept of free.

  98. Will it becomes understandable but it's still very hard to read

  99. about how God could allow Satan to kill Christ.

  100. When we read the gospel accounts.

  101. And look, when Jesus said this is the hour, when darkness

  102. Reigns Satan was being allowed to have his way upon the Earth.

  103. God allowed that Now he plunged the world into darkness so it

  104. would mourn. What mankind would not.

  105. There are many miracles about the cross where God, displayed

  106. his great August power. Such as when they all fell down

  107. in the garden. When they came to get Jesus,

  108. lots of Miracles. They're displaying the power of

  109. God, but he still Let Jesus died.

  110. He still let it happen. And how God could allow Satan to

  111. do. That is the best thing that ever

  112. happened to us. You know that As God's people,

  113. we know that and in a strange and very real way.

  114. Satan is part of God's plan for mankind.

  115. You see when God W Satan to be stopped forever.

  116. He will be. It's one of those things where

  117. you look in the back of the book and it turns out okay.

  118. Satan is going to be stopped, forever and forever.

  119. God has a plan for that. He has a schedule for that but

  120. that time has not yet come Satan's origin clouded in

  121. mystery, Isaiah 14:12 there. The Bible reads, how art thou

    Isaiah 14:12

  122. fallen from Heaven o, Lucifer, son of the morning, how art thou

  123. cut down to the ground, which didst weaken, the nation's, for

  124. thou Hast, said in thine heart, I will Ascend into heaven, I

  125. will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

  126. I will sit also upon the Mount of the congregation in the sides

  127. of the north. I will Ascend above the heights

  128. of the clouds. I will be like the most high.

  129. Now that is referring to a ruler of Babel and but it is couched

  130. in the language of the fall of Satan from his place as an angel

  131. who was supposed to serve God. And so we see that Satan's fall

  132. came about because he said I will exalt my throne above the

  133. stars of God. I will be above you Satan Laird.

  134. Well, we read of a warning concerning this in 2nd Peter

  135. chapter 2. Second Peter chapter 2 and verse

    2 Peter 2 chapter mention

  136. 4 where the Bible reads for if God spared, not the angels that

  137. sinned, but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into

  138. chains of Darkness to be reserved unto judgement.

  139. God did not spare those angels when they said long long ago,

  140. Angel saying. And what does that mean?

  141. Means they also had free will and do have today.

  142. Angels have free will even today we trust.

  143. And so when we read about them in Jude verse 6, we find the

  144. Angels, which kept not their first estate but left their own

  145. habitation. He hath reserved in Everlasting

  146. chains, under Darkness unto the Judgment of that, great day.

  147. And so Angels were created With a territory.

  148. They were assigned a place a Dominion, a rule.

  149. And then within that sphere, they had Authority or

  150. responsibility, and they had a place where they were to stay

  151. and as long as they stayed there, they were blessed.

  152. Now, when Jesus was created, when Jesus was born upon the

  153. Earth, and when Jesus is explained, Jesus has always been

  154. since Is God, but when the presence of Jesus was explained,

  155. he is explained in the contextual setting of the

  156. Angelic host, which was created and it says regarding him in

  157. Ephesians 1:21, that Jesus is far above all principality and

    Ephesians 1:21

  158. power and might and dominion and every name that is named not

  159. only in this world but also in that which is to come and those

  160. various names their principality power and might and Dominion are

  161. different degrees of angels different degrees.

  162. Use of authority of the Angelic, host different ranks within the

  163. Angelic Army, if you will. And so there were certain,

  164. Angels, long, long ago that evidently plotted among

  165. themselves and decided that they led by Satan.

  166. We're going to usurp their Authority and overthrow the very

  167. Throne of God. One who would be an elder is

  168. reminded of this. In first Timothy chapter 3 and

    1 Timothy 3 chapter mention

  169. verse 6, where Paul told Timothy one who would be an elder is not

  170. a novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the

  171. condemnation of the devil. Now it appears that that is what

  172. happened with Satan, he was lifted up with pride.

  173. And so whenever we see this referred to as a warning, it

  174. means that one who would be an elder must be very, very

  175. careful. Lest he also be condemned for

  176. doing the very same thing that Satan did.

  177. Now we might think that it was some huge huge sand, that would

  178. cause Satan to fall from Heaven. And here we see that it was

  179. something horribly common, the sin of pride.

  180. Can any of us? Say we have never ever, ever had

  181. just a little bit of pride in ourselves in our own abilities.

  182. Hmm. Common everyday.

  183. Ordinary sins that we are all very painfully painfully.

  184. Capable of doing. There's this genius Society.

  185. Men's, I believe it is. Some years ago in the Reader's

  186. Digest, there was a test, you could take just to see whether

  187. or not you might be considered for acceptance into that genius

  188. Society. I took it I didn't score too

  189. well. They didn't want me.

  190. I've always considered myself far smarter than my wife.

  191. She took that test. She did a lot better than I did.

  192. Thank any Pride was involved if I remember that, 15 years later.

  193. Hmm, anywhere where we get to think and we're just pretty

  194. good. That's one of those areas where

  195. we can really, really be brought down.

  196. Any of those areas could get us. Not a novice, lest being lifted

  197. up with pride. Common everyday, ordinary Pride.

  198. He fall into the condemnation of the devil.

  199. What must heaven have been like, on that time, long, long ago,

  200. when there was dissension between God's angels and the

  201. Lord and his Angelic hosts that were faithful to him revelation

  202. Evan says, there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels

  203. fought against the dragon and the dragon fought.

  204. And his angels and prevailed. Not neither was their place,

  205. found any more in heaven. And the Great Dragon was cast

  206. out that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, which

  207. deceiveth the whole world. He was cast out into the Earth,

  208. and his angels were cast out with him.

  209. Heaven is a place of Peace, you know, Heavens, a place of rest.

  210. Heaven is a place of tranquility and here we find.

  211. Heaven was a place of War when Satan decided that he was going

  212. to take God's place. Now, this battle that took place

  213. was something that God allowed, but the battle that happened was

  214. between sorry was between. Mean.

  215. Satan. And Michael the Archangel, the

  216. Lord allowed that battle to take place.

  217. Now the Lord's Angel Wong and Satan, and his followers lost

  218. and they have never been forgiven for that defection.

  219. There is no Plan of Salvation for Angels, that's revealed in

  220. the word of God and we trust, there's not one we trust,

  221. there's not want it all. Now, the angels that remain, I

  222. mentioned that they have free will.

  223. How careful are they to keep their appropriate and proper

  224. place? Let's look at Jude verse 9 and

  225. we can see a hint of that. It says There Michael the

  226. Archangel when contending with the devil, he disputed about the

  227. body of Moses, Durst not bring against him a railing.

  228. Nation but said the Lord rebuke thee.

  229. Remember what happened with Moses?

  230. He committed a sin and he was not allowed into the promised

  231. land, but the Lord allowed him to see the promised land from

  232. the mountain. He could see what it was going

  233. to be like and then he died and the Lord buried him.

  234. And we are told that no man will know the place of Moses burial

  235. Somewhere in Time. Satan's influence was such that

  236. he wanted the body of Moses discovered.

  237. Now, those who operate in the Unseen realm can see others in

  238. the Unseen Realm, We're the ones that can't God can see Satan and

  239. Satan's angels, and it would appear that Satan and his angels

  240. can see God. And His angels, were the ones

  241. that are left out here. And so, the Lord dispatch

  242. Michael, the Archangel to have some type of a spiritual

  243. confrontation with Satan, some type of a battle between good

  244. and evil. What is it stake at stake?

  245. Here is the Ability of the truth of God's word.

  246. Because if the body of Moses has ever discovered, it means god is

  247. a liar because God said you will not discover Moses body.

  248. That's a guarantee. Satan said, oh yeah, I'll show

  249. you the Lord said, no, I'll show you now.

  250. Does anybody know where Moses body is today?

  251. Now, people are still conjecturing about it.

  252. You know, every year about Easter time somebody Throw

  253. something out to somehow lend out about the truth of God's

  254. word. But the fact is, we do not know

  255. where Moses was buried. Neither are we going to And when

  256. people say they're going to disprove the word of God,

  257. they're going to have to get up a lot earlier than Satan because

  258. he tried and he couldn't do it. Neither can anybody living

  259. today? The word of God is true?

  260. It is real. We could depend upon it and we

  261. can trust and depend upon what it says.

  262. Now Michael the Archangel is confronting, Satan over the body

  263. of Moses, over the place of the burial of the body of Moses.

  264. It says there, he Durst not bring against him, a railing

  265. accusation. He didn't stand before Satan and

  266. say as the Archangel of God I rebuke you.

  267. It is as though he stood to one side and said to Satan the Lord

  268. rebuke you Who was Michael the Archangel, he was only a

  269. messenger of the truth. He was not trying to be anybody

  270. except a messenger, a servant of God.

  271. I think there's a lesson for all of us to learn there.

  272. Who are we to tell anybody anything?

  273. We're nobody, you know, but we can be a messenger of God to

  274. tell someone, the Lord's message, whether it's a positive

  275. message, or even a message of rebuke.

  276. But we never stand before anybody and say, big, I rebuke

  277. little you. That's not our place, we never

  278. do that. So why was Mark Michael the

  279. Archangel? So very, very careful.

  280. Because angels have free will. He didn't want to make a

  281. mistake. He didn't want to be lost.

  282. Trying to do the Lord's will. And so there may be something

  283. for all of us to learn and take heart from that particular

  284. battle. Not the only place that a

  285. similar battle is referred to Zechariah Chapter 3 verses 1 and

    Zechariah 3:1

  286. 2. He showed me Joshua, the high

  287. priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing

  288. at the right hand to resist him. And the Lord said through the

  289. angel and to Satan the Lord rebuke thee.

  290. O sated We can see some things that God has allowed Satan to do

  291. in the Garden of Eden. We do know that Satan was

  292. allowed to use an animal for his devices.

  293. He used a serpent there and in the form of a serpent.

  294. He came before Eve and he said some things to her and he asked

  295. her a religious question. Now, not everybody that asks

  296. you, a religious question is religious and righteous sir.

  297. Satan certainly was isn't ye hath.

  298. God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the Garden.

  299. It is the serpent who was more subtle than any beast of the

  300. field. Satan acting through the

  301. serpent. The animal saying, these things,

  302. and before we are very hard on Eve, let us think about this for

  303. just a moment where we in the Garden of Eden and it was just

  304. the two Adam and Eve of us. And an animal came up and

  305. started talking to us. You think we wouldn't answer

  306. back? Think about it.

  307. We wouldn't be curious about that.

  308. I think we would, I think we'd answer back.

  309. I think we'd be curious. I think we'd see that animals as

  310. a really smart animal. I think we'd say Hi Neighbor.

  311. Are you doing? I think we would get involved in

  312. this, that's what he did. So let's not look at Eve and

  313. say, well, she did something I wouldn't have done.

  314. Oh yes. We would have, we would have

  315. Well, she answered the serpent on her own that got her into

  316. trouble because she had a helper that she didn't use got her into

  317. big trouble. And so Satan lied told her she

  318. wouldn't die as God had said. And then she saw the tree in a

  319. different light took of the fruit.

  320. Did he gave to her husband? He did eat.

  321. And then they were punished by the Lord.

  322. The woman said, the serpent beguiled me and I did eat lord.

  323. It's not my fault. It's the serpent.

  324. It's that serpent. Who made the serpent.

  325. Lord, you did. It's your fault.

  326. Adam said the woman thou gavest to be with me, she's the one

  327. that gave this to me. In other words, this woman you

  328. made. Lord, she did it.

  329. It's your fault, both of them. Basically, tried to blame the

  330. Lord for their own actions, and the Lord didn't know, he didn't

  331. buy that at all. But here's what happened to the

  332. serpent. Verse 14 of Genesis 3 because

  333. thou Hast done this Thou Art, cursed above, all cattle, and

  334. above every beast of the field upon thy belly, shalt, thou go

  335. and dust shalt, thou eat. The days of thy life.

  336. Now, wait a minute. Don't snakes crawl on the

  337. ground. Yeah, they do now.

  338. But they didn't then. And so Somewhere In Time the

  339. animal that now crawls on its belly like a snake was an

  340. upright animal. And God said to the animal, your

  341. punishment is to crawl on the ground.

  342. One of these days, somebody looking through Rock remains of

  343. animals, are going to see something like a walking snake

  344. and they're going to say see here's a missing link somewhere

  345. and Bible students are going to say no, this may just be the

  346. skeleton of a snake before the fall.

  347. Snakes were upright, but they're not now.

  348. Verse 15 is directed to Satan. I will put enmity between the

  349. woman and between between thee and the woman and between thy

  350. seed, and her seed, it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt

  351. bruise his heel. This is Genesis 3:15, the first,

    Genesis 3:15

  352. Messianic prophecy, the first Prophecy of the Messiah, the

  353. first prophecy of Christ, this is where God is saying one of

  354. these days. Satan, you're going to have a

  355. battle and you're going to lose And so for everyone, that was

  356. ever born Satan, then wondered, is this the one?

  357. As every boy, child was born, is he the one that's going to

  358. battle me and I'm going to lose for every girl, child that was

  359. born. Is she going to Bear the wrong?

  360. Who will battle me? And I will lose.

  361. And so one after another Satan viciously attacked every boy and

  362. girl who was ever born. Just as soon as they could

  363. recognize the difference between right and wrong and just like

  364. dominoes. Knows we all fell.

  365. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

  366. We don't need to inherit sin as some religions, would say we do

  367. from Adam that's foreign to the Bible.

  368. We don't need to inherit anyone's in, we will have enough

  369. of our own thank you because of our own actions.

  370. And that's true of every one of us who have ever lived except

  371. for Jesus Christ. He's different than us and all

  372. we can thank God for that. Look at the intelligence, God,

  373. allow Satan By inspiration were told about The Wiles of the

  374. devil and Ephesians 6 verse 11. The word Wiles means a cunning

    Ephesians 6:11

  375. craft a device, a strategy. So Satan has a plan for everyone

  376. Revelation, 20 verse 10. Tells us that Satan is a

    Revelation 20:10

  377. deceiver. He's a Seducer.

  378. He's out to lead us astray. It takes a plan.

  379. It takes a plan to be the deceiver.

  380. Second Corinthians 2 verse 11. Let's say And should get an

    2 Corinthians 2:11

  381. advantage of us for. We are not ignorant of his

  382. devices so that which Satan does is well, thought out and long

  383. considered how to get us to fall like him.

  384. First, Peter 5 verse 8, be sober be vigilant because your

  385. adversary, the devil as a roaring lion walketh about

  386. seeking whom. He may devour the word devour is

  387. from Qatar which means down and Pinot.

  388. Which means to drink. He wants to drink us down.

  389. He wants to consume Our lives. Our thoughts, our bodies, our

  390. souls for all of eternity. He wants us to be lost like him

  391. wherever we are prideful. Satan is gleeful wherever we are

  392. weak. He knows where ever, we are

  393. struggling. He knows where we have given in

  394. to Temptation in the past. He knows.

  395. He knows so much about us not that he can read minds.

  396. I don't believe. But that he never gives up.

  397. And he has a sense of urgency as though.

  398. Time were short to Everyday, bombard us with everything, he

  399. possibly can to get us to fall. And then when people do fall, he

  400. doesn't even quit thin because he wants them to stay down and

  401. never get up. Never rise above that.

  402. But with all the things that Satan does know and with all of

  403. the intelligence that he does have, there are still some

  404. things that Satan did not know and does not know.

  405. Satan did not know what God's plan was for mankind.

  406. You see God can keep a secret. Psalm 78.

  407. Verse 2 is quoted in Matthew 13, 35, that it might be fulfilled,

  408. which was spoken by the prophet. I will open my mouth in

  409. Parables, I will utter things which have been kept secret from

  410. the foundation of the world. You see God has had Secrets.

  411. He he's really good about keeping the secret, you know, in

  412. the office where I work. There's some folks.

  413. It can really keep a secret and then there's some folks that

  414. just can't. They just can't do it.

  415. You can tell them now, don't tell this and they mean well,

  416. but they just turn around and it just blurts out God's.

  417. Not like that. If he's going to keep a secret,

  418. it is kept. His lips are sealed until the

  419. appropriate time. I think there's an element in

  420. which God kept the agony of the cross, a secret from Christ.

  421. At least the depths of that Agony to me.

  422. There's always been an element of surprise in Jesus Christ from

  423. the cross, Matthew 27:46, when he said my God, my God.

    Matthew 27:46

  424. Why hast Thou forsaken? Me?

  425. It's almost as though it was better, it was greater it was

  426. more horrible more in depth than what he knew.

  427. God keeps things secret such as the passing away of the End of

  428. the Age knoweth. No man, no, not the angels of

  429. heaven, but my father only Matthew 24 verse 36.

    Matthew 24:36

  430. Satan could not know of God's plan about the church, First

    1 Corinthians 2:7

  431. Corinthians chapter 2, verses 7 and 8, but we speak the wisdom

  432. of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God

  433. ordained before. For the world unto our Glory,

  434. which none of the princes of this world knew for had they

  435. known it. They would not have crucified

  436. the Lord Of Glory. You see had had evil men known

  437. what killing Christ would bring about, they wouldn't have done

  438. that. They would have worked hard to

  439. keep him alive because it was because of his death that we

  440. have his burial and his resurrection.

  441. Proving him to have power over death, hell and the grave.

  442. They were ever more giving us, the sure hope of our own

  443. Resurrection from the dead and our own Eternal reward upon

  444. God's blessings in our life. All this is that great mystery.

  445. That mystery that dominates. The Bible that is revealed in

  446. the New Testament times. You see the death of Christ.

  447. Epitomizes the evil of Satan and the righteousness of God, all at

  448. the same time and the Lord used that evil, which he allowed to

  449. bring about his plan. Satan did not know that he was

  450. shocked. He was surprised when the first

  451. day of the week came and Jesus walked out of that tomb, We're

  452. not told what he said, we have no idea, but can't you just

  453. imagine him saying, oh, now what have I done?

  454. You see, that was the bruising of Satan's head when Jesus

  455. walked out of that tomb alive, Satan Was Defeated forever,

  456. more, and he knew it and there was absolutely nothing that he

  457. could do to take that away. Way, all he can do.

  458. Now is try to prevent everybody from believing in the Jesus of

  459. the empty tomb. That's all he can do is to try

  460. to get us everyone of us throughout the whole world to

  461. turn their back on God and his word and the things of the word

  462. of God, God raised him from the dead acts, 13 and verse 30, and

  463. by death death is destroyed. Hebrews 2:14 through 18, and it

    Hebrews 2:14–18

  464. is the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead Ephesians

    Ephesians 1:18

  465. 1:18, through 23, Satan did not know that.

  466. That is what was going to happen.

  467. He did not know that the church was how God was going to

  468. manifest himself through the lives of people that loved and

  469. will serve him. Satan did not know that and so

  470. he remains horribly angry about the church.

  471. Church and when Paul appeared before, King Agrippa to tell

  472. about the purpose of the preaching of the gospel of

  473. Christ. The New American Standard

  474. Version says of Acts 26 verse 18 to open their eyes so that they

    Acts 26:18

  475. may turn from Darkness to light and from the Dominion of Satan

  476. to God in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and

  477. an inheritance. Among those who have been

  478. Sanctified by faith in me or when we do what is necessary to

  479. have forgiveness of our sins. Once we are in the Dominion of

  480. God and when we have not done, what is necessary to have the

  481. Forgiveness of our sins, then we are in darkness and we are in

  482. the Dominion of Satan, and there is no middle ground for anyone.

  483. Oh, there are those innocence those children who do not know

  484. the difference between right and wrong, who are in and part of

  485. the kingdom of God, even though they are not in or part of the

  486. church. But all, when we know the

  487. difference between In right and wrong, we choose that which is

  488. wrong. Then we are saying to Satan, we

  489. are on your side, we are with you in nailing Christ to the

  490. cross. And again, we don't look upon

  491. that with pride because as our brother prayed, we are all weak

  492. and we have all made mistakes and when we look to our sinful

  493. past every one of us held the hammer that drove the nails that

  494. put Christ on the cross, every one of us did that.

  495. And so we don't look at others who have sinned in their lives

  496. with pride, because we are simply standing on this, the

  497. Lord side because we know what to do.

  498. And we are willing to do it to be forgiven.

  499. And the Lord be praised that we have had his word revealed

  500. taught to us. Satan does not know.

  501. Whether or not we will be his or gods in eternity.

  502. You see just because we obey the gospel does not mean he ever

  503. gives up. He just keeps working on us in

  504. Luke. 22 Jesus has a little conversation with Simon Peter

  505. and he says they're he revealed something of what was going on

  506. in the Unseen Realm. He says Simon behold.

  507. Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat.

  508. You remember, how wheat was sifted in those days?

  509. It would be thrown up into the breeze and the chaff would be

  510. blown away in the heavier week would settle back to the ground.

  511. And so it was, Jesus is saying to Simon.

  512. Peter Satan wants to throw you up in the air and see.

  513. What You're Made Of. He wants to toss you around, you

  514. know, that's reminiscent of a long time before when Satan

  515. appeared before God. And God said, have you

  516. considered my servant job and in my very loose translation.

  517. Satan said, let me at him, Let me at him.

  518. Satan was asking God, it appears in Luke 22 for permission to go

  519. after Simon, Peter. Listen to what Jesus said.

  520. He didn't stop it, but verse 32 says Jesus words, but I have

  521. prayed for thee that thy faith, fail not.

  522. And when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren, If you

  523. ever wonder what to pray for. Pray for each other.

  524. Pray for folks in this congregation and the surrounding

  525. congregations by name. You see, we never know when the

  526. person we're praying for is being sifted like we did in

  527. their life, we never know. God won't stop those

  528. Temptations. We know that he didn't even

  529. stop. Simon Peters temptation, but he

  530. said I've prayed for you that thy faith, fail, not.

  531. And so we leaned upon the mercy and the grace of God, we beg for

  532. his providential care to lead us, not in passive, temptation,

  533. but to Deliver Us from Evil. And what do we want?

  534. We want the strength to get through the Temptations that

  535. we're going to be faced with today, just today.

  536. And sometimes we will never know when our prayer to God on behalf

  537. of a dear brother, or sister is just what they needed to help

  538. them through the day. Don't ever wonder what to pray

  539. for. Pray for each other.

  540. Pray for ourselves. You see here's God's promise to

  541. us. God still are Satan.

  542. Rather still incites people to evil First.

    1 Corinthians 7:5

  543. Corinthians 7 verse 5. He's able to disguise himself as

  544. an angel of Light. Second Corinthians 11:14, he

    2 Corinthians 11:14

  545. continues to hinder. Christians first Thessalonians,

  546. 2 18, He Still The Prince of the power of the air Ephesians 2

    Ephesians 2:2

  547. verse 2 but if we resist the devil, he will.

  548. Flee James 4 verse 7. Resist the devil and he will

    James 4:7

  549. flee from you. And we are told submit

  550. yourselves, then to God. Lest there be any confusion when

  551. Saint happens in our lives. It is our fault James 1:13.

    James 1:13

  552. Let no, man say when he is, tempted, I am tempted of God.

  553. For God cannot be tempted with evil.

  554. Neither tempteth. He any man, but every man is

  555. tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed,

  556. then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin and sin.

  557. When it is finished, bringeth forth, death.

  558. Do not are my beloved Brethren. So where does this end and began

  559. with us? We can't blame anybody else for

  560. our trespasses, only ourselves. And so, what do we need to do?

  561. We need to as a fission for verse. 27 says, neither give

  562. place to the devil. We need to fill our lives with

  563. those things that are good. Doing our very best with one

  564. another's. Help to do those things that are

  565. right? So that we may turn aside from

  566. Satan and resist his wives. We thank you for listening to

  567. our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.

  568. Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional

  569. information, or you would like to receive a free Bible

  570. correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at her

  571. Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.

  572. Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and

  573. Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.

  574. We would love for you to be our honored guest.