These lessons can be used by Christian Fellowships, Home Study Groups or anyone who wants to learn about our wonderful Creator and his Word the Bible. We are not affiliated with any Government Institution or Denomination. We do not issue Diploma's or Degree's as the early Apostles were 'unlettered men' and did not have Diploma's or Degree's. Enjoy your studies and God Bless

Sunday 29 July 2012

THEOLOGY LESSON 34

SATAN – HIS STRATEGIES

NO
STUDY
TEXTS
TOPIC BOOK
34
Satan – His Strategies

James 1:26-27
James 4:4
1John 5:4,5
Satan’s strategy
Satan’s work

INTRODUCTION

Paul says that we should not be ignorant of Satan's devices. What is the main push by Satan in his strategy as far as Christians are concerned? It is to try and make sure that they remain carnal. Satan can have nothing to do with Christians who are walking in the Spirit. If a person is walking in the Word of God and walking close with the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit they are in a place of strength. However if the old sin nature is running their life it is the basis of weakness and like the cunning lion he attacks.

SPIRITUAL OR CARNAL?

At the cross we are entered into union with Christ and our lives are hid with Christ in God. We therefore have eternal security and we have spirituality in time. Unfortunately not many people deal with sin effectively and quickly, but rather than affecting the eternal state of the believer, the believer on earth spends most of their time in carnality with unconfessed sin in their life where they are useless in the angelic conflict. They cannot be used by the Lord, but they can be abused by Satan. A person can change from an effective person to a useless, even dangerous Christian.

As you remain Carnal (through unconfessed sin in your life) you start losing your spiritual perception, things that you knew once you no longer know and you will finally accept false doctrine, false practice and you will be involved in Satan's policy. It can happen to great men of God. A carnal believer is a dead sitting duck for going astray.

Most of your major opponents in your ministry are not unbelievers, they are carnal believers who will oppose you and wear you down. Such a person will go off on a false trail of theology. All Satan can do is to bring them under maximum divine discipline and use them to destroy other Christians. He is robbing those believers of eternal rewards and earthly service and joy.

WORLDLINESS

Satan is a spoil sport taken to extremes. His policy in the Scriptures is called worldliness. When ever you have worldliness referred it refers to Satan's policy of evil which is opposed to God's policy of grace and the spirit filled bible instructed believers living with his power.

God has a policy for history. He has a policy for Christians, and it involves all that the Holy Spirit can do within us. Satan also has a policy that is working out in the universe, and his plan is all that man can do, as he ignores God.

The word for world is called kosmos in the Greek, and kosmos thinking is all thinking in accord with Satan's plan, and is rebellion against God and rejection of His plan. Satan's strategy is to side-track the believer into his policy which is referred to as “worldliness”.  Carnality is living in accord with, or in, sin.  When you get into this as a believer you think just like an unbeliever; you have become captured by the thinking system of “worldliness”.

Reference to Satan's world, his “kosmos” thinking occurs 185 times in the Greek New Testament. His viewpoint comes into churches and individual’s lives by means of the false teacher or false book and gives an alternative to God's viewpoint.

Definition - the kosmos world is a system organised by Satan and headed by him and leaves God out but is a rival to it. There are many systems that have plans and dreams of what they want done.

There are two types of belief system; firstly those who are dealing with God's plan and those who are running in opposition to God's plan. As a Christian we should be in harmony with the plan of God.

There is a big battle going on over you. Satan is not able to get your soul because you are already saved, but he can rob you of your happiness, your eternal rewards, and even your sanity. There are hundreds of Christians who crack up and become ineffective in what they are supposed to do. The reason for this is because of their falling under the influence of “cosmos thinking”, or worldliness.

God wants you to think clearly and doctrinally in accordance with the Word of God and with an eternal life perspective. We should recognize our eternal destiny and the fact that we are to be with Him forever. We should see every person through the Cross. Satan wants you to lose your Biblical perspective. It is the Holy Spirit's power which carries you through in the Christian life.

POLLUTED BY THE WORLD

James 1:26-7 - Here we have the concept of the Christian life and belief system as being characterized by being; undefiled, holy, and unspotted by the evil of the world system. In normal dealings with people we need to be on guard. In the ancient world they did not have many flushing toilets, the streets were the sewers with the heavy rain acting as the cleanser and it was quite common for the contents of chamber pots (small toilets) to be emptied from an upper window over people walking adjacent to the building. Their clothes therefore became “spotted with uncleanness”. The rich did not use to walk in the streets; they would ride chariots or horses due to the environment.  

This is why we are told to avoid being covered in Satan's filth; we are to avoid walking in places of spiritual danger.  This is also why people took their sandals off when entering the home and washed their feet. What is in focus here is the contents of the chamber pot which you did not see coming. By analogy, if you are not looking where you walk you can become defiled and stink. You can be tainted by the world unless you walk carefully. However if you are alert you will be able to avoid defilement. As a believer in the devil's world you need to have your wits about you. If you surround yourself with evil and people who are thinking evil it will rub off on to you.

AMBASSADOR

If you are in the devil's world, which you are, you are an Ambassador for Christ here; you are a witness in an alien land. You are there to serve your king but you have to serve him in a way that you are not going to be contaminated. You guard yourself at the point of spirituality and carnality. It is absolutely necessary to feed on God's Word and deal with sin. You saturate yourself in God's Word so that the concepts of the Scriptures keep you from the concepts of evil that you are surrounded with.

As a pastor you should teach the Word four or five times a week so that your flock is prepared. If they do not concentrate on the Word of God they will suck up evil into the vacuum in their souls; that ought to be filled with the Word of Life. If you watch television four or five hours a day you are looking at spiritual garbage. You will have people in the church soaking in the TV programs with their false doctrines and enticement to sinful lives and they are in real danger. These programs are built on sin and often, if a Christian is portrayed at all, it is as a fool or hypocrite.

But do not despair as you see Satan so active for Satan's plan is going to finish. God has the only lasting and victorious plan and He is going to terminate Satan's policy. Worldliness will run it's course but it will be over one day. We are on the winning team. Evil is not defeated yet but that is only because the final act is yet to occur.

It is written that Satan's policy is doomed. He knows it, he does not like it and that is why he wants to lead away the foolish believers.

NO COMPRIMISE

In James 4:4 we see that the Christian must recognize that it is war and that he must not compromise with the enemy or the enemies' tools. We need to recognize policies which oppose God's Word and put it out of your life.  Life is too short to spend it in front of television watching programs based on anti Scriptural principles. We should advance in the Christian life. We should make our days count now. There is not a lot of time and every day counts. We need to recognize Satan's policy and avoid it. We need to recognize God's plan in relation to Satan and give thanks for it.

We are at war and we have to face that concept, the battle between the Christian and the kosmos. Enjoy the world but do not love it. We should respect what the Lord has created, we can enjoy certain things in the world but we should not commit ourselves to it because it is passing away. You car, house, possessions are all to be used and enjoyed, but as we do so remember that they are all passing away, just as we are passing away. Our love must be directed towards the things that last. Have a divine perspective.

DAILY ORDERS OF THE BELIEVER

The daily orders for the believer are as follows:-

[a] 1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant, your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion seeing whom he can devour. James 1:26-27
[b] Ephesians 4:27 - Never give place to the Devil
[c] James 4:7 - Submit yourself to God, resist the Devil and he will flee from you.
[d] Ephesians 6:11 - Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. Stay alert, resist; do not give into temptation or false systems of thinking.

PRINCIPLES

1. Christ defeated Satan on the Cross and with it there is release from the penalty of sin.
2. Satan was strategically defeated but is still active.
3. Satan is now called the adversary of believers. He cannot destroy you but can undermine and destroy your witness if we allow him the chance.
4. When we are carnal we are re under the control of the Old Sin Nature and are therefore weak and are open to Satanic attack.
5. Testing of believers is not allowed to go beyond the dictates of the Lord - 1 Corinthians 10:13

If we do foolish worldly things then he will attack. He is not bound during the Church Age. Satan cannot indwell a believer or possess them but they can be beguiled, and so side tracked and made useless as a soldier in the Lords army. As a believer you have the Holy Spirit within you and greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. If you have a person who is demon possessed you know that he is an unbeliever.

The solution to demon possession is the acceptance of the gospel. In this case you need to pray for protection and get people to pray that the Holy Spirit may convict the person involved. If the demon talks to you, then you should tell him to stop, because He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. In some cases the only way acceptance of the gospel can be shown is by the demon possessed people throwing themselves at your feet. We have not got the power to cast out demons that the Lord had, but in his name and authority we can give the gospel to the possessed person and the Holy Spirit will release them.

If you remove the demon without conversion then you have gained nothing except opening the opportunity for many more demons to indwell that person. When the Holy Spirit enters the demon must go.   It is the transforming of lives by the Holy Spirit that we want to see, that is the work of the gospel.

Satan is the most attractive being ever created and is seen as an angel of light and not the red skinned person with horns. We however, with the Holy Spirit, are in an invincible position if we stay close to the Lord. His most potent attack is to get false teachers and doctrine in the church which has caused many to fall. There are today sadly very few mainline churches believing the Word of God and teaching it. Satan is the founder of fear as well as sin. He will send people to oppose you, be prepared and stand in the strength and power and knowledge of the Lord.

DOCTRINES

SATAN’S STRATEGY

1. Believers are warned against him and his tactics. (Ephesians 4:27, 6:11-13, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8)

2. We must be ready and alert. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

3. Satan is a deceiver and a counterfeiter.  He uses deception - not obviously wrong or sinful - but very subtle changes to the truth (Genesis 3:1).  Remember, a counterfeit looks like the original.

4. Satan is described as an "angel of light" - often seeming attractive and "good".  (2 Corinthians 11:14)

5. His tactics
a) Towards unbelievers.
i) to blind them regarding the gospel. (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 1 0)
b) Towards believers.
i) Satan seeks to hinder our growth and witness. (1 Peter 5:8)
ii) Satan will mislead into false doctrine and legalism. (1 Timothy 5:14-15)
iii) He persuades believers to ignore the will of God through disobedience (Genesis  2:17, James 4:7-8)
iv) Satan often attacks our assurance of salvation so that we doubt God.
v) Worry (1 Peter 5, 7-9)
vi) Fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
vii) He accuses believers of sin both to God and to the believer (using guilt). (Revelation 12:9-10, Job 1:6-11

viii) He takes our focus off Christ by getting eyes on self (1 Corinthians 1:10-11), on people (1 Corinthians 1:12), on things (Hebrews 13:5-6)
ix) When we don't allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives, we open ourselves up to Satanic attack. (1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 1 Timothy 5:14-15)
x) The Lord will allow Satan to attack a believer as discipline for unconfessed sin. (1 Timothy 1:20 cf 2 Corinthians 12:7)
xi) Satan cannot indwell or possess a believer, only beguile them. (Galatians 3:1)
c) Towards the world in general.
i) The World - Satan tries to deceive the nations. (Revelation 20:71 0)


SATAN’S WORK

1. Satan's sphere of operations among mankind. (Psalm 109:6--l3)
a) Satan blinds mankind to the truth of the Word of God by means of religion. (v.7)
b) He has the power to shorten life. (v 8a)
c) He can remove persons from a place of authority (v 8b)
d) Satan can kill (v 9)
e) He can persecute children (v 10)
f) He can remove wealth (v 11)
g) Satan can turn people against each other (v. 12)
h) He can cut off man's posterity to the second generation (v. 13)

2. Satan as a killer
a) He has the power of death (Hebrews 2:14, 15)
b) Killed Job's children (Job I:12, 18,19)
c) Motivated Cain to murder Abel (John 8:44, cf 1 John 3:12)
d) Often administers the sin unto death (1 Corinthians 5:5)

3. Satan as a source of disease
a) Was responsible for Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7)
b) Produced illness in Job (Job 2:6-8)
c) Uses his demons to inflict diseases (Matthew 12:22, Luke 13:16, Acts 10:38)
d) Causes certain types of deafness, dumbness, paralysis and crippling effect by means of demon possession (Matthew 4:24, 12:22, Mark 9:17, 18)
e) When demon possession causes the affliction, the removal of the demon or demons produces an instant cure (Matthew 10:1, Mark 1:32-34, 6:13, Acts 8:7, 19:12)

4. Satan as an instrument of discipline
a) Desired to discipline Peter (Luke 22:31, 32)
b) Was authorised to discipline the Corinthian adulterer (1 Corinthians 5:5)
c) Was called upon by the Apostle Paul to administer extreme discipline to Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:19, 20)

d) May become involved in the discipline of ministers and deacons (1 Timothy 3:6, 7)
e) Attacks through a believer's lack of forgiveness and orientation to grace (2 Corinthians 2:10, 1I

5. Satan as an angel of light
a) Healing was given to the Church as a spiritual gift until that which is perfect arrives (Acts 19:11, 12, Philippians 2:27)
b) God still heals today (Philippians 2:27)
c) Since Satan possesses the power of disease he can also counterfeit healings by the removal of demonic activity within a person’s life.  That is why we are told to test the spirits.  (Matthew 12:24, 24:24, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, Revelation 16:14)

6. Characteristics of Demon Possession
a) Loss of individuality:  the demon-possessed person no longer has control of faculties of the soul (Mark 5:1-13, Luke 8:27, 9:39, 40)
b) Abnormal behaviour:
i) Convulsions (Mark 1:26, 9:20, Luke 4:35)
ii) Violence (Matthew 8:28)
iii) Abnormal strength (Mark 5:4, Luke 8:29, Acts 19:16)
iv) Raving (Mark 5:5)
v) Foaming at the mouth (Mark 9:20)
vi) Nakedness (Luke 8:27)
c) Loss of health:
i) Dumbness (Mark 9:17, Luke 11:14)
ii) Deafness and dumbness (Mark 9:25)
iii) Blindness and dumbness (Matthew 12:22)
iv) Epilepsy (Mark 1:26, 9:20, Luke 4:35)
v) Mental illness (Mark 5:15)

7. Demon possession explains:
a) Certain forms of ‘divine’ healing; that are not carried out in Jesus name.
b) Faked contact with the dead (1 Samuel 28)
c) Success of self styled exorcists
d) Rise of certain world leaders (2 Thessalonians 2.9, Revelation 16:13, 14)
e) Cause of some wars (Revelation 20:8)
f) Reincarnation
g) Fortune telling (Acts 16:16)

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