1/30/18 – Eph 6:11, The Angelic Conflict, Pt. 11, The Enemy, Pt. 8, Lesson #18-012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEfDfZQAkaE

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

            www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

Outline of Eph 6 :10-24

1. The Empowerment, vs. 10.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12. 

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17. 

4. The Energy, vs. 18-20. 

5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12.

Eph 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

The cosmos represents the supreme effort of the supreme creature in an intended segregation from the will and purpose of God. Rom 14:23, “Whatever is not from faith is sin,” is not recognized or believed by the cosmos. The humanitarian enterprises, the culture, the laws, and religious forms of the cosmos constitute no evidence that God is recognized in His true position or honored.

This is a Christ-rejecting cosmos, where social ideals are borrowed from God’s teachings, His purity and grace are held forth as a pattern of life, but recognition of God and salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ is rejected. The independent, self-centered, self-satisfied, autonomous cosmos does not ask for redemption since it recognizes no need for it.

Luke 10:21, “At that very time He (Jesus) rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, ‘I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight’.”

But remember, the cosmic system’s power is impotent to achieve the ultimate goal of a kingdom on earth and has many limitations. The primary one being sin and evil inside every member of the Human race.

Satan and the Cosmos are limited in their knowledge and understanding of things. However, God is without limit in knowledge of all things, and He provides for us His wisdom from the basis of His unlimited knowledge so that we might be His ambassadors on earth, Job 37:16; 1 Cor 2:14-15; 2 Cor 4:6-7; Rom 3:11; 2 Cor 4:3-4; 1 John 4:5.

Job 37:16, “Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds, the wonders of The one perfect in knowledge.”

1 Cor 2:14-15, “But a natural man (one in the cosmos operating by his sin nature) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. ¹⁵But he who is spiritual (a heavenly citizen) appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”

2 Cor 4:3-4, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

1 John 4:5-6, “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the cosmos—our faith.”

This again tells us that the believer must not be fearful of the Cosmos, because we have greater power inside of us than can be imagined, 1 John 4:4.

Satan does the things we have previously mentioned because his purpose is to deceive the world, keep the unbeliever blind of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and tempt the believer to commit evil and live in apostasy. As we noted previously, he deceives and tempts, especially the believer, in the three ways; appetite, beauty, and ambitious pride, 1 John 2:16, that can result in lust, sin, and death in the believer’s life who does not have the strength of Christ in His soul via putting on the full armor of God, James 1:14-15.

James 1:14-15, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

God sometimes allows Satan’s temptations to strengthen us in resisting them. Tests have three beneficial purposes in the life of the believer:

1. To prove us, 1 Peter 1:6-7.

2. To teach us, 1 Peter 4:12-13; Heb 5:8.

3. To increase our love for God, James 1:12; Rev 2:10.

James 1:12, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

Rev 2:10, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

In the areas of temptation, Satan tries to get the believer to commit sin or evil in several ways, including:

1. Conformity to the pressures and structures of society, 1 Thes 3:5.

1 Thes 3:5, “For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.”

Paul had been forced to leave Thessalonica after probably only one month’s ministry in that city, Acts 17:5-10. Further, Satan had used some governmental ban to keep him from returning, 1 Thes 2:18. So he sent Timothy, who was not under that ban, back to Thessalonica to see if they had succumbed to Satan’s temptations. What temptations? It was too early in the first century for Paul to be referring to official persecution from the Roman Empire. These temptations must have been more of an unofficial, societal, personal nature. Perhaps Satan tempted them to continue to conform to the lifestyles they experienced before they were saved, including the worship of pagan gods and goddess. Also many of the converts were Gentiles, and Satan may have tempted them with the pride of intellect.

He tries to bring pressure on the believer so that he may not be able to bear it. For example:

  a. The man disciplined in 1 Cor 5. Apparently the discipline had had its desired effect, and he had confessed his sin of incest. Now the church should have received him back into fellowship. Seemingly, some wanted to do this and some did not. So Paul urged them to do so, not only to heal any division that might develop but also lest the brother involved be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. He needed to know the forgiveness of his brothers and sisters, 2 Cor 2:5-11. Not to restore him would give Satan an advantage.

  b. The women who are widowed at a young age, 1 Tim 5:11-15. Paul urged them to marry again and bear children and lead useful lives. Some, idle and gossiping, were following Satan.

1 Tim 5:13-15, “And at the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. ¹⁴Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach; ¹⁵for some have already turned aside to follow Satan.”

In general, we may say that Satan the adversary wants passionately to squelch the believer’s testimony. To accomplish this he prowls the earth like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, 1 Peter 5:8. The word “devour” is the same word used to describe the way the Red Sea swallowed up the Egyptians when they were pursuing the Hebrews, Heb 11:29. It paints a vivid picture of Satan’s ultimate goal; to completely drown the believer’s testimony and usefulness.

2. To cover up selfishness. The story of Ananias and Sapphira serves as the classic illustration. This couple wanted to retain some of the money they received from the sale of their property, while at the same time receiving praise for their contribution. Peter discerned that it was Satan who had filled their hearts to lie, Acts 5:1-11. They had the right to own and sell property. They had no necessary obligation to give all the proceeds to the church. But they were obliged not to pretend to have generosity and at the same time cater to their selfishness by keeping part of the money received.

3. To perform some form of immorality, 1 Cor 7:5; Rom 7:14-25; 1 John 3:10. God provided marriage for proper expression of physical needs and relationships, and He expects husbands and wives to assume their respective and mutual responsibilities. When this is not done, Satan has opportunity to tempt believers to illicit or perverted sexual sins.

1 Cor 7:5, “Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

1 John 3:10, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

4. Perform some form of human good, “dead works”, Mat 4:1, 3, 5; Isa 64:6; 1 Cor 3:15; Mat 6:1; Heb 6:1; 9:14. Human good is a reference to anything produced by man apart from God’s grace provision.

Satan may prefer to do some things over others. But he will do whatever he has to in order to promote his plans and programs successfully. Remember too that he is powerful, 2 Thes 2:9, he is experienced, and he has a host of demons to help him. Yet, the believer can successfully fight him only in the strength and power of God who dwells within him, 2 Peter 1:2-11.

2 Peter 1:2-4, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

1/28/18 – Eph 6:11, The Angelic Conflict, Pt 10. The Enemy, Pt. 7, Lesson #18-011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pswaCClQLZw&t=1s

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

Sunday, January 28, 2018

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

Outline of Eph 6 :10-24

1. The Empowerment, vs. 10.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12. 

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17. 

4. The Energy, vs. 18-20. 

5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12.

Eph 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

Another of Satan’s principal activities is to deceive the nations, Rev 20:3, by making them think they can govern righteously and bring peace in the world apart from the presence and rule of Christ. Again, his tactic is to counterfeit, where he employs demons in carrying out his deception, Dan 10:13, 20, as well as using governments to hinder the progress of the Gospel, 1 Thes 2:18; Rom 15:22.

1 Thes 2:18, “For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us.”

In this case, the city of Thessalonica put out an edict to ban Paul from entering the city. Paul recognized that Satan (the adversary) is the real enemy behind all opposition to the gospel. As the adversary, Satan’s purpose is to hinder the work of God and stop the forward march of the Church.

As the “god of this world,” he blinds the minds of unbelievers, trying to keep out the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, 2 Cor 4:4.

2 Cor 4:4, “In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

As the prince or ruler of the power or domain of the air, he is the spirit who works in those who are disobedient to God, Eph 2:2.

Eph 2:1-2, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, ²in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”

Satan, as “the god of this world” and “the prince of the power of the air,” (equivalent to “the heavenly places” in Eph 6:12), it speaks of his rulership over the world system, the cosmos diabolicus, cf. John 12:31, “the ruler of this world.” Therefore, he rules the cosmos of this age. The cosmos is that organized framework of things in which mankind lives and moves, and that opposes God by eliminating and counterfeiting Him. It includes, as R.C. Trench stated, “all that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being the moral, or immoral, atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitable to exhale, which is... the subtle informing spirit of the kosmos or world of men who are living alienated apart from God.” (R.C. Trench, Synonyms of the NT).

The phrase, “prince of the power of the air,” may be in reference to Satan’s rulership of the fallen angels and the world system, but when you think of the current day technology of communication that is dependent on various types of waves moving through the atmosphere, it gives you a different perspective as to Satan’s rulership and control. The radio, TV, internet, cell phones, cloud data storage, etc., are all utilizing waves moving through the atmosphere, which Satan is desperately trying to control 100% of, if he does not already, but more importantly, his control over your life.

Therefore, Satan is the enemy of nationalism, which he often opposes with internationalism or globalism. This is because nationalism is a Divine Institution, designed by God to keep the human race, believer and unbeliever alike, from destroying itself. Nationalism is Divine Institution # 4, after #1 – Freedom of volition, #2, Marriage, and #3 Family.

The world is now divided into nations. Prior to this division, the human race almost destroyed itself. The first United Nations is found in Gen 11:1-9, at the Tower of Babel, would have destroyed mankind.

Notice vs. 1, “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.”  In the technology available today, language is becoming less and less of a barrier, because your IPhone can translate it for you.

In vs. 6, “And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.”

The “impossible to do” in context means sin and evil upon the world. God recognized that the people had lost the true unity that once caused them to join in the worship of the one true God. They were seeking to retain a false unity by human efforts. This was but the beginning of their defiance. Their imagination was taking off in the wrong direction and would contribute to more and more defiance of God and evil in the world. God saw into their hearts, hearts that were, Jer 17:9, “Deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”

As a result, the Trinity working in unity mixed up their languages and scattered them over the face of the whole earth, creating Divine Institution #4, nationalism, which frustrated the plan of Satan.

Therefore, today Satan is trying desperately to get back to Babel, by destroying nations and nationalism, so that he can achieve a one world government and rulership. That is why all world systems apart from the laws of Divine establishment are a part of satanic policy and administration. All environmental programs, socialism, globalism, health and welfare programs, etc. are of satanic origin.

That Satan is the enemy of nations today in found in Rev 12:9; 20:3, 8, “And he will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth.”

In fact, there is a new phrase being used to today to attack and hopefully destroy nationalism in support of globalism, a one world entity. It is called, “the weaponization of culture.” The weaponization of culture is the theory that history and culture within a tribe or nation upheld and passed down from generation to generation is a weapon to keep people from progressing and the “new.” These new theorist want to destroy what is old and generationally cultural to create something new, a new world order, a new one world system that will one day be led by the “the man of lawlessnesss, the son of destruction,” 2 Thes 2:3, also known as the Antichrist, “the beast from the sea,” Rev 13:1-10; “the beast,” Rev 17:8-13, (his religious title); “the beast on whom the scarlet woman rides,” “the little horn,” Dan 7:8-9, 19-26, who is empowered and backed by Satan himself. We are going to study the career of the antichrist below.

Another term they are using is “popularism,” which means the popular thoughts and culture of a nation, that are holding back progress; progress to a globalization of the world.

As you know, the root of evil in the cosmos is the fact that there is an all comprehensive system or order, the foundation of which is complete independence from God. The battle cry for this system is, “what can the creature produce independent of God.” And in fact, “how can the creature become god.” Cf. Isa 14:14.

This was one of the themes given during a speech at the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos Kloster Switzerland, by Professor of History at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Yuval Harari. In his speech, he clearly outlines the vision and direction of science and many world leaders in both business and government for the coming years. What he says I think will shock you, but will also remind you of what Satan’s ultimate goals are.

 

Video

https://youtu.be/yaZOpWWJP84?list=PLtfZcSCyYFN0UMH8EMn1PZeSA2oo1Q7Ki 

The cosmos represents the supreme effort of the supreme creature in an intended segregation from the will and purpose of God. Rom 14:23, “Whatever is not from faith is sin,” is not recognized or believed by the cosmos. The humanitarian enterprises, the culture, the laws, and religious forms of the cosmos constitute no evidence that God is recognized in His true position or honored.

This is a Christ-rejecting cosmos, where social ideals are borrowed from God’s teachings, His purity and grace are held forth as a pattern of life, but recognition of God and salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ is rejected. The independent, self-centered, self-satisfied, autonomous cosmos does not ask for redemption since it recognizes no need for it.

Luke 10:21, “At that very time He (Jesus) rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, ‘I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight’.”

But remember, the cosmic system’s power is impotent to achieve the ultimate goal of a kingdom on earth and has many limitations. The primary one being sin and evil inside every member of the Human race.

Satan and the Cosmos are limited in their knowledge and understanding of things. However, God is without limit in knowledge of all things, and He provides for us His wisdom from the basis of His unlimited knowledge so that we might be His ambassadors on earth, Job 37:16; 1 Cor 2:14-15; 2 Cor 4:6-7; Rom 3:11; 2 Cor 4:3-4; 1 John 4:5.

Job 37:16, “Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds, the wonders of The one perfect in knowledge.”

1 Cor 2:14-15, “But a natural man (one in the cosmos) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. ¹⁵But he who is spiritual (a heavenly citizen) appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”

2 Cor 4:3-4, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

1 John 4:5-6, “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the cosmos—our faith.”

This again tells us that the believer must not be fearful of the Cosmos, because we have greater power inside of us than can be imagined, 1 John 4:4.

Knowing that the cosmos is impotent and limited in knowledge and understanding, while God is omnipotent and omniscient, should give you (the believer) tremendous confidence to go forward in God’s plan for your life. In the human realm, Satan is far superior to man in power and intellect. Yet, in the spiritual realm, he is woefully inferior to the power inside of us. We (believers in the Lord Jesus Christ) have a far superior power to sustain and propel us inside God’s plan for our lives.

So the question is, “are you utilizing the power God has given to you? Or are you wallowing in the inferiority of the Cosmos?”

1/25/18 – Eph 6:11, The Angelic Conflict, Pt. 9, The Enemy, Pt. 6. Lesson #18-010.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8Sak9YRSyY

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

Outline of Eph 6 :10-24

1. The Empowerment, vs. 10.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12. 

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17. 

4. The Energy, vs. 18-20. 

5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12.

Eph 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

Based on the outline in L.S. Chafer’s Systematic Theology, the following is a brief outline of the career of Satan past, present, and future.

Past.

 1. Satan experienced a moral fall, Isa 14:12-20; Ezek 28:15; 1 Tim 3:6.

Ezek 28:15, “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.”

 2. Satan’s judgment was predicted in Eden, Gen 3:15.

Gen 3:15, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

 3. His judgment was accomplished at the Cross, John 12:31-33.

Present.

 1. He is reigning as a usurper today, 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; Rev 2:13.

Rev 2:13, “I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

Pergamos (properly called Pergamum) at that time was the capital of the Roman province of Asia, which today is Turkey. Jesus recognized it as a place where Satan dwelt and had his seat or “throne.” This refers to the idolatry of the city and the severe persecution of the Church as a result. On the city’s acropolis stood a great altar to Zeus, the chief Greek god. Nearby was an elegant temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, another to Dionysius, later called Bacchus, and another to the emperor god Trajan. Outside the city wall was a shrine to the Greek god of medicine, Asklepios, with his symbol in the form of a serpent. Thus, the city was a center for both idolatry and persecution of Christians.

2. He gains the name accuser of the brethren for what he is doing now, Rev 12:10.

Rev 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night’.”

He accuses us before God when we sin, thinking he can cause us to lose our salvation. But Christ, our Advocate, takes our case and reminds the Father again and again that He paid for all our sins when He died on the cross, 1 John 2:1-2.

 3. He opposes believers in various areas of their lives. He opposes our witness to the Gospel. He does this by confusing us when he plants tares among the wheat, Mat 13:38-39, by snatching away the Word that has been sown, Mark 4:15, by aligning governmental authorities against believers, 1 Thes 2:18, or by imprisoning believers, believing this will keep their testimony from spreading or make them fearful of witnessing, Rev 2:10.

 4. He is father, in a spiritual sense, to all who accept his philosophy of independence from God, John 8:44; Eph 2:2.

Future.

 1. He is one day to be cast out of heaven, Rev 12:7-12; cf. Isa 14:12; Luke 10:18.

 2. He is to be confined to the abyss for one thousand years, Rev 20:1-3, 7.

 3. When released from the abyss, he will lead armies against God, Rev 20:8-9.

 4. His final doom is the lake of fire, Rev 20:10.

In the present, just as Satan tried the Lord, he also tries believers. His aim is to get us to commit evil. There are three ways that Satan tries to tempt us: appetite, beauty, and ambitious pride. He first creates an appetite in your soul so that it craves/lusts for something. Then he provides something that can satisfy that craving. And finally, he influences the soul to think you deserve to have that thing to satisfy your craving. This progressive scenario of temptation leading to sin is the concept of 1 John 2:16; Col 2:18.

1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (appetite) and the lust of the eyes (beauty) and the boastful pride of life (ambitious pride), is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

Col 2:18, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement (appetite) and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen (beauty), inflated without cause by his fleshly mind (ambitious pride).”

Satan used these same three areas of temptation against the woman in the Garden of Eden, Gen 3:6, and our Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in Luke 4:3, 5, 9.

At any one of the three areas of temptation, we can stand firm by putting on the armor of God, utilizing the strength of His might to say no to the temptation in our soul, as our Lord did. If we do, we will be victorious experientially. Yet, if we do not, we will succumb to the demonic influence that leads to sin.

Gen 3:6, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food (appetite), and that it was a delight to the eyes (beauty), and that the tree was desirable to make one wise (ambitious pride), she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”

James 1:13-15, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

In others words, appetite, beauty, and ambitious pride results in lust, sin, and death. Satan’s only purpose is to tempt the believer to commit evil.

Yet, God may sometimes use Satan in testing us to prove us in resisting his temptations. Tests can have three beneficial purposes in the life of the believer:

1) To prove us, 1 Peter 1:6-7.

2) To teach us, 1 Peter 4:12-13; Heb 5:8.

3) To increase our love for God, James 1:12.

James 1:12, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

1/23/18 – Eph 6:11.
The Angelic Conflict, Pt. 8.
The Enemy, Pt. 5.
Lesson #18-009.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNNJoyW6lNM

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

Grace Fellowship Church

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

Outline of Eph 6 :10-24

1. The Empowerment, vs. 10.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12. 

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17. 

4. The Energy, vs. 18-20. 

5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12.

Eph 6:11-12; Gen 3:5; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 Tim 4:1-2; 2 Tim 3:5; Rev 12:9; 20:3

Eph 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

·         Relative to the unsaved, Satan is in authority over them, Isa 14:17; 2 Cor 4:3-4; Eph 2:2; Col 1:13; 1 John 5:19.

·         Relative to the saved, he comes in conflict with them, Eph 6:11-18.

·         Relative to truth, he is a liar, John 8:44; the author and father of “the lie.” In that lie, He deceives the whole world, Rev 12:9; 20:3.

Rev 12:9, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Rev 20:3, “And he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”

The principal tactic Satan uses to attack God and His program in general is to offer a counterfeit kingdom and program. This was evident when he originally sinned by wanting to be like, not unlike, God, Isa 14:13-14. The counterfeit was first attempted on mankind when Satan offered Eve the chance to be like God, knowing good and evil, Gen 3:5.

Gens 3:5, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The temptation of Christ was also an attempt at the counterfeit, Mat 4:1-11. A counterfeit is as like the genuine as possible, only without some vital feature. Satan’s offer to our Lord was to have the glory due Him without the essential feature of His death.

Today, Satan promotes a form of godliness while denying its power, 2 Tim 3:5.

2 Tim 3:5, “Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.”

Scripture depicts Satan as:

·         Opposing God’s work, Zech 3:1,

·         Perverting God’s Word, Mat 4:6,

·         Hindering God’s servant, 1 Thes 2:18,

·         Hindering the gospel, 2 Cor 4:4,

·         Snaring the righteous, 1 Tim 3:7,

·         Holding the world in his power, 1 John 5:19.

To do this, Satan disguises himself and his servants as servants of righteousness, 2 Cor 11:15. He promotes a doctrinal system through the demons who in turn use people who advocate a false asceticism or an unbridled license to sin, 1 Tim 4:1-3; Rev 2:24.

1 Tim 4:1-2, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, ²by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.”

This is not speaking about overt “devil worshippers,” although they have existed in the past and continue to exist today, but about the false teachers of false doctrines who counterfeit the Word and Plan of God in a false system that looks like Christianity, but is not. They promote systems of legalism, works for salvation, do-goodism, human good, the prosperity gospel, etc., and on the other side, ultra-liberalism or abusive-grace where they are free to sin because of God’s grace or do not believe they ever sin because of the forgiveness of sin at the Cross and God’s regeneration at salvation. This also includes those who abuse 1 John 1:9, by thinking it is not needed for the believer post-salvation, and those who teach you can simply confess sin without repentance / recovery, thereby leading to the abuse of 1 John 1:9 as a mode of sinning, recovery, sinning, recovery, etc., without any change in behavior.

In relation to unbelievers, Satan uses the counterfeit life style to blind their minds so they do not think they need a Savior or salvation, and therefore do not need the Gospel, 2 Cor 4:4; cf. Rom 1:21-25.

2 Cor 4:4, “In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

This blindness attacks the minds of people, and while unbelievers may think and reason, a power greater than Satan must remove that blindness. Human reasoning and convincing arguments have a ministry, but only the power of God can remove satanic blindness.

In promoting blindness, Satan uses counterfeit religion. He often does this by leading them to think that any way to heaven is as acceptable as the only way, many times through a system of human good works or a false religion; again, a counterfeit. This may include everything from asceticism to license, from theism, (as being a theist does not necessarily mean being saved), to occultism.

In addition, sometimes the devil comes and takes away the Word that people have heard in order to prevent them from believing in Jesus Christ, Luke 8:12.

Luke 8:11-12, “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. ¹²Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.”

In other words, Satan will use any aspect of the world system that he heads in order to confuse, conflict with, twist, change, deny, etc., the Word of God, to keep people from thinking about it or doing that which will bring them into the kingdom of God, Col 1:13; 1 John 2:15-18.

1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

1 John 2:18, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”

Col 1:13, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

J.I. Packer wrote, “If I were the devil (please, no comment), one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible. Knowing that it is the Word of God, teaching men to know and love and serve the God of the Word, I should do all I could to surround it with the spiritual equivalent of pits, thorn hedges and man traps, to frighten people off.…

  How? Well, I should try to distract all clergy from preaching and teaching the Bible, and spread the feeling that to study this ancient book directly is a burdensome extra which modern Christians can forgo without loss. I should broadcast doubts about the truth and relevance and good sense and straightforwardness of the Bible, and if any still insisted on reading it I should lure them into assuming that the benefit of the practice lies in the noble and tranquil feelings evoked by it rather than in noting what Scripture actually says. At all costs I should want to keep them from using their minds in a disciplined way to get the measure of its messages.

  Were I the devil, taking stock today, I think I might be pleased at the progress I had made.”

1/21/18 - EPH 6:11-12, The Angelic Conflict, Pt. 7, The Enemy, Pt. 4. 

Lesson #18-008

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqG5iWyrlg

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard 

www.GraceDoctrine.org

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Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, (If You have - Trusted in Him for Eternal Life), it is important to prepare yourself to: Take-in God’s Word and/or Participate in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite, or acknowledge your sins privately, directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father & the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher.

1 John 1:9 says— “If we confess [simply name, cite, or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown & forgotten sins].”

For those of you who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, please see: The Salvation Message @ the end of this document.

2 Pet 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

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Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

Outline of Eph 6 :10-24

1. The Empowerment, vs. 10.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12. 

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17. 

4. The Energy, vs. 18-20. 

5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.

2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12.

Eph 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

“The devil,” is the Greek Adjective DIABOLOS. Sometimes we have him as “Satan,” from the Hebrew SATAN transliterated into the Greek as SATANAS, cf. Mat 4:1, 10. Both titles mean, “slanderous, false accuser, the adversary.”

Given the variety of names that Satan has, we are warned to the fact that he can attack his opponents (believers) in a variety of ways. The entire spectrum from the fierceness of a dragon, Rev 12:3, to the attractiveness of an angel of light, 2 Cor 11:14, tells us that Satan can adapt himself and his tactics to suit the person and the occasion.

2 Cor 11:14-15, “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”

Although he may prefer to operate in a certain manner, he will meet you where you are and use whatever might defeat you in a particular circumstance. Even though he is not all-knowing, he has observed many others over the millennia in the same situations you might find yourself, and he can predict with a high degree of accuracy what will best defeat you. He is always probing for weaknesses, misdirecting strengths, and undermining faith, hope, and character, Luke 22:32; 2 Cor 2:11; 11:3-15; Eph 6:16.

Luke 22:31-32, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; ³²but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

2 Cor 2:11, “So that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”

2 Cor 11:3, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

He should be taken seriously, for his malice and cunning are fearsome; yet he should not be taken so seriously as to provoke hopeless terror of him, for he is a defeated enemy. Satan is stronger than we are, but Christ has triumphed over him, Mat 12:29, and believers (you) will triumph over him too, if you resist him with the resources that Christ supplies, Eph 6:10-13; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9-10; 1 John 4:4.

James 4:7, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

1 Peter 5:9-10, “But resist him, (Satan), firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. ¹⁰After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

In your own strength, you are no match for him at all. Not even the archangel Michael would rebuke him on his own, Jude 9. Yet, you can stand firm against him if you are “strong in the Lord,” vs. 10, and wear “the whole armor of God.”

Charles Stanley noted, “At times I hear people talking about demons, and I am amazed at the great power they ascribe to the devil and his cohorts. While I certainly believe in demonic power, I don't quake at the thought of it. I am in union with One who is so far greater than all the demons of hell put together that there truly is no comparison. The devil is a creature, made by God and always under God’s dominion. He exists only because God allows him to exist. He has no authority over God, no ability to win a victory over God, and no power equal to that of God. As believers, we should give very little credit to the devil and demons. (More often the credit should go to our sin natures). They exist, they exert influence, but they are totally within the confines of God’s authority. The Bible states very clearly that the Holy Spirit resident in us is far superior to any power manifested by evil. John wrote, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, (the false teachers, antichrists that reject the Person of Christ), because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.” (Charles Stanley on Satan, “Our Unmet Needs,” page 33.)

That is why you need the armor of God. So that you will not be defeated by the schemes of the devil and instead stand your ground in your spiritual walk to turn the tide, so that you are victorious in this life and defeat any attempt Satan makes towards you. Therefore, do not be “ignorant of his devices,” 2 Cor 2:11, the very first of which, and still the most effective, is to cause us to doubt God’s Word, Gen 3:1, 4, and then to disobey it, Gen 3:5-6.

Satan’s Beatitudes

Christ’s beatitudes of Matthew 5 have perhaps done more to mold disciples into the Divine image than any other text. But we must be consistently aware that there is another opposing power, namely, Satan, that seeks to influence believers with his own version of the beatitudes. 

They might read something similar to these:

·   Blessed are they who are too tired and busy to go to church, for they are my best workers.

·   Blessed are they who are bored with the pastor's mannerisms and mistakes, for they get nothing out of the sermon.

·   Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church, for his is part of the problem instead of the solution.

·   Blessed are they who gossip, for they cause strife and divisions that please me.

·   Blessed are they who are easily offended for they soon get angry and quit.

·   Blessed are they who do not give their offerings to carry on God’s work, for they are my best helpers.

·   Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother or sister for they think like I do.

·   Blessed are the troublemakers for they shall be called the children of the devil.

·   Blessed is he who has no time to pray for he will be easy prey.

Stopped here, to be continued:

Relative to the unsaved, he is in authority over them, Isa 14:17; 2 Cor 4:3-4; Eph 2:2; Col 1:13; 1 John 5:19.

Relative to the saved, he comes in conflict with them, Eph 6:11-18.

Relative to truth, he is a liar, John 8:44; the author and father of “the lie.” In that lie, He deceives the whole world, Rev 12:9; 20:3.

Rev 12:9, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Rev 20:3, “And he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”

The principal tactic Satan uses to attack God and His program in general is to offer a counterfeit kingdom and program. This was evident when he originally sinned by wanting to be like, not unlike, God, Isa 14:13-14. The counterfeit was first attempted on mankind when Satan offered Eve the chance to be like God, knowing good and evil, Gen 3:5, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The temptation of Christ was also an attempt at the counterfeit, Mat 4:1-11. A counterfeit is as like the genuine as possible, only without some vital features Satan’s offer to our Lord was to have the glory due Him without the essential feature of His death.

Today, Satan promotes a form of godliness while denying its power, 2 Tim 3:5, “Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.”

Scripture depicts Satan as: Opposing God’s work, Zech 3:1; Perverting God’s Word, Mat 4:6; Hindering God’s servant, 1 Thes 2:18; Hindering the gospel, 2 Cor 4:4; Snaring the righteous, 1 Tim 3:7; Holding the world in his power, 1 John 5:19.

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A PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.”

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have;” it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it, and it can never be lost or taken away from you [John 10:28-29]. Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life [also called eternal life in Scripture] is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Eph 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you. God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place. Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held against us.

Right where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:

"Yes Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, 

died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."

If you have done that, I Welcome You to the Eternal Family of God !!!

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Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard

23 Messenger Street, Unit 3

Plainville, MA 02762

Copyright © 2001 - 2018. 

Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries

All Rights Reserved.