1 Peter 5:8-9 • Resist the Devil

If you have a Bible you can open up to 1st Peter and one of his sermons on talking on spiritual warfare. John Piper talks about how far too many Christians live in a time where they think we're just simply at peace and in a very radicalesque John Piper way, he cries out Christians we need to make war make war because we don't and should not have a peacetime mentality, but we ought to have a wartime mentality. Open with that here this morning because the last few weeks we've been talking about the devil. Who is the origins the beginnings and what all went wrong there in Genesis then last week? We shifted our Focus towards the attack and what the devil is about. And the reality is that we have a real enemy who is actually intelligent and smart yet predictable. He has tactics he has ways, but we're not to be blind or ignorant concerning the very schemes of the devil presents. And so this morning we're going to continue to further that thought process as we looked at what it looks like to make war to fight against and as we saw last week one of the main things tactics ways that the devil gets a dust is he doesn't come with a club. He doesn't come with a gun he comes with a deceptive idea that leads to disorder desires that has been normalized even within society today and what we did last week and we need to just Venture back a little bit to unpack this here this morning is we took that article from the Atlantic Atlantic a very secular magazine and talked about how in today's world the White Collar the educated class is now idolizing worshipping at the altar of work and they're finding that they are incredibly dissatisfied with the fruits of their labor. But no amount of money is actually satisfying their soul and that their work actually becomes their play and their life is so intertwined and so mingled with this Venture for Success Through Being known for what you do and how you do it and they're coming up empty handed over and over again. The pursuit of work has led to really disordered desires. This idea that if you accomplish and make a name for yourself through what you do, you will then be someone she does a deceptive idea that was implanted into the minds of those in the garden Adam and Eve if you go around God and take of this you will be able to no good and evil Define. What is it good and evil a deceptive idea came to a deceptive idea through work and what you do you will actually be someone

And we pursue that becomes a normalized in society at the becomes the god of our age that we chase after and we're actually not getting the peace and Shalom that we had hoped for get so many keep going back to that well and continually drink from it thinking just a little bit more output. Will they make me a little bit more satisfied and has been normalized in our society today where else have we done this with today? So we can look at work we can look at the other big one sex. Sex is a good idea. I'll say it again. Sax is a good idea. I only got one reaction. Your pastor said it he created it.

What have we done with it? A deceptive idea sex should be on your terms. Whenever you want it. Just at your fingertips to grasp it and take it for yourself and has led to these disordered wrong desires actually about sex work becomes the ever consuming crying within a person and they're saying this is what I will live for pain our society has so normalized it we just had some friends over on Friday night and don't go to our church and we're having this long conversation about this particularly and we just looked at how over the 1940s and 50s to today how if you just going to trace it and track this idea of when did nudity first get put on the big screen? When did Playboy and Penthouse come out and how we taking this and radicalized it and made it so accessible and so that it's now on an ABC 8 slot for anybody to even watch. She has been done here. Satan said this this what God has set his good and is created and given to us to enjoy let me tell you something about it because it is those things but here's how you should go about it. But deceptive idea at least a disorder desires that has been normalized. What is it done in our society today? It has led to an absolute large amount of Destruction. assistant Disneyland a few weeks back I saw this teenage boy run by this teenage girl and slap around the butt and I just went. Oh my goodness. This this is where our society has gone to just be normal. And then what happens is is #me too coming out and say this is broken. And now we're going to legislate our way back to happiness to correctness of the human heart has been so distorted because of these deceptive ideas that I've been normalized in society today. Peyton comes at what God has done and called good and he begins to twist it and it begins to implant thoughts in our heads that we think this isn't so bad or I'll just turn it up a little bit and then it brings widespread destruction. Not only to our lives personally but has a ripple effect that goes out into the world. That is just destroying society and human beings and we are participating in it as one scheme one way of the devil. We also noted that Satan cakes with already inside of us because as Genesis for says where God talks to Caney says Cain sin is crouching at your heart. You must rule over it. There's something now in Evil Within you that's not good in this is desire to be the man to be the woman to be the one that everybody looks at to abuse the power that's been given to you to miss. Is the good gifts that I have provided for you? And what Satan does is he begins to play on our hearts in the areas were a week where are anger gets turn to bitterness our frustration turns into lashing out or we have all these other issues that are going on deep within as we begin to doubt and question the very goodness of God and the devil tends to plan the bride and anxiety and the bitterness in our life and he just starts And that's what we have here in 1st Peter. Check it out when I read it. We've been just hanging out in 1st Peter 5 for some time now. We'll go back up just a little bit because it's all important what we're talking about today verse 6 humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you be sober-minded Be watchful your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour defeat. No resist him. It says firm in your face knowing the same kind of suffering are being experienced by your Brotherhood throughout the whole world see what the devil wants to do steaks already inside of you are planted deceptive idea into you. Do you want to exploit you to bring it out? Then what he's our accuser? That's what his name literally means the devil. Satan is the accuser of the brother. What is the accuser? The accuser is guilt then what convinced you that your guilt is your identity? What is that a shame guilt and shame so accusations that, they bring guilt in our own sin is pretty good at making us feel guilty. Maybe even a little bit condemned at times for the devil wants to play on that now, we just need to draw a distinction between guilt and shame because our society actually together so often and they're actually very different ideas guilt is something that most people can really comprehend and gets whether it's because we see it played out in society today. For example, if you get in trouble speeding you see land in there and you didn't slow down around my corner bench land in a love you man and and and you're flying around and he goes Sorry, you broke the law. Here's the ticket. Here's the ticket. What are you doing? You going to stand before a judge and then you get us to the fine or 30 been assessed and you pay the fine and then you're set free. That's how it guilt. But then there's a shame that follows the guilt. I'm hey. Why don't you have that 240 bucks? I'm a speeder. That's who I am and we'll just play on this one cuz it's kind of lied to maybe not as personal for many of being kind of laugh off a ticket because because this happened now this is who I am guilt is this legal matter and we can comprehend this as followers of Jesus because we realized this standard of God has been placed on society that says you need to live like this, but you can't therefore you are condemned you are guilty the how am I going to pay the price for those sins? Because they're incredibly costly within Christianity. We don't he did. Every other religious system, it's out there you do and you can't at the end of the day. Joke is something that Christians can really grab hold up and we can look at it with her through just this simple analogy of legal terms and society today and understand that. Yes, something could be paid for and were set free, but then it said that comes afterwards. shame plagues us

shame begins to name us and tell us who we are and this one's a little bit harder to grasp and I think it's the world even as followers of Jesus to to live in because we can sync all day long. The price was paid. He is risen trays. I know I am not guilty for why the heck do I feel this way? Why do I feel like you're just a blanket covering me as even though you're saying bread that were free and price in the guilt has been gone. The transaction has happened to exchange took place. I am in Jesus Christ, but it time to sure doesn't feel like that because it sure feels like I'm something else. It sure feels like I'm on the outside of everything you're talking about and what the devil does he chooses us and it doesn't work because you are forgiven, but then he chooses to shame us. If you were a child of God.

He would not have done that. If you thought you were God's child, he would have protected you a little bit better. Maybe you're not a child of God because you operated and acted in that guilt. Whatever transaction thing you did and now this is who you are.

And he tries to tell us our identity is something than what God has actually spoken over us. The devil has a way of coming insane if you are a child of God. You would not be this. What time the church board? Can we look at these overtly outward sins? And they say the same thing all man. Do you were a child of God? You wouldn't be sleeping around an adulterer had gotten divorced abused or whatever and he says you are these pains and this is who you are and he wants you to wrestle with the identity. She's a question the question of the goodness of God. If God was really your father. This wouldn't have happened. The devil is wanting to isolate you in your shame to convince you of that identity that you're an outcast and you're exposed what I want us to do just rub reeflink. Look at some of those in the Bible who came to Jesus, but some pretty weird think of today a hideous things going on. I just reading in Luke chapter 7 does a woman. They call her a woman basically of the street and different commentators have different ideas of what's going on with that title behind her but more likely than not as he is at this table reclining with the Pharisees and this woman comes to begins to weep at the feet of Jesus and wash his feet with her hair. And they say Jesus if you knew what kind of woman this was, you wouldn't let her touch. picture Las Vegas 2 a.m. Somebody you know who is known and just a bunch of religious dudes hanging out. all the religious doody going

that's bad Jesus. You're giving off the wrong idea. Was this woman accepted by Jesus or rejected by Jesus?

Was this woman accepted by Jesus? Yeah. Good. Where are Bibles accepted by Jesus? I mean, we think the key is in our minds run to politicians if you're in politics today, I'm sorry, like you've got a hard road ahead of you and I'm not saying you a liar tax collector. He was a traitor to his own people. He was also I looked at by the Romans as he and I like to torture a traitor to your people and you're just using you. Accepted or rejected by Jesus. Saturday said the kids come on down from that tree. Am I got dinner with you?

I just straight-up denied Jesus in the church. A lot of us have is more like the church and and yet we never really don't ask Jesus if he was like Jesus. I don't know the dude. I don't want to be near him or around him accepted or rejected accepted Paul the murderer. saw

kill Christians I just highlight some of the outward once and what did the devil want to say to you rejected rejected rejected rejected. You are your sexual sin. You are the hate in your heart. You are the liar you are the deceiver and that's going to follow you wherever you go and that's what you're strapped in in slayden and will always be and he wants to shame us to give us that identity stick. Jesus comes in and radically transformed and changes the identity in someone at least stories expose these people on a large scale. Could you imagine being fat woman that washed the feet of Jesus with her hair and she's telling the story to her grandkids. That was me. That's a hard conversation on one hand because you're saying this is who I was But now this is who I am. What happens if you're so afraid in Christianity to talk about who we were? We're so afraid in the church to talk about these are some of the things that I partook in and it's not pretty. So we isolate that. And rather than having other believers in Jesus, speak truth in love over us. We believe the lies Satan in that moment. Truly we do and what are we afraid of we're going to be ashamed by The Community of Christ. We're going to be ostracised and put out what I found in my lifetime.

Is this idea that when we begin to open up and talk about our hearts are pains and given the difficulties and the sins that we have done. We begin to have an idea that those are not our identities cuz the clothing us in Christ, but people that were sharing them with and we're being able to realize who we actually are Shane doesn't just come from something we've done and come some things. We've also have done to us. How years ago I was leading small group counseling groups and we called them Redemption groups in in one of these Redemption groups. This was the you know, 2008/2009 to back off and everybody was losing everything and there was a man that had come in and he was just saying look, I'm pathetic. I'm no one I'm a nobody. I lost my job. I can't get my job and all he had on his time with hours and hours for to think about this very thought and it begin to really pierce his heart and coming into this group will begin to discuss with him that that is a shame being heaped upon you by society and not what God is actually called you too. In fact at that time. That wasn't even anything his spouse or his kids were saying to him they were trying to encourage but it can become a law that we believe. Enemy walk around tonight dentity somebody you in here were sexually abused. My goodness, first of all, I'm deeply sorry for the way that you were treated touched and mishandled my heart breaks for every single one of those situations and I can do a whole number on your heart and your soul and I can be kind of come this is who I am and it impacts your life. Some of you may be having older sibling or a bully at school that all day said you're worthless. You're nothing you're pathetic and you begin to believe those lies and left us out. Coming here by their spouse leave them. Am I in this place Howcast nobody they didn't even love me movie again to wear that as our name. Who gives the shame and all that? Not Jesus, not the good news of the Gospel. And I certainly hope not this church. I certainly hope it's not us. I hope with all my heart that is people come in so broken, so just distraught and torn apart inside that we have these arms wide open and rap on share the love of Jesus. Yes, The Obedience in walking and him obviously, but first and foremost the love of Jesus and how he says accepted accepted accepted I care for you and then that or combating the very lies that the enemy wants to distort and put with inside each and every person for if we do not and we believe those lies. We are isolated what happens you begin to feel this shame shame leads to anxiety anxiety leads to isolation and isolation brings more lies that leads to share that leads to anxiety that leads to more. It is just an endless cycle that needs to be broken with the truth of Jesus Christ so that so we're going to look at for the next 15 minutes or another sermon. Yeah, this one's been fun series, huh combating the ways the systems of the devil. combating the devil doesn't mean they were called to defeat the Devil.

Today if you're having an issue, we're not going to circle using candles and bring out eight Bibles and splash some holy water on. You feed him know we're called over and over again to resist the devil one of my favorite stories in a shared with you guys. I'm going to share again because well it just applicable in this situation is whole life just beat The Living Daylights out of you know pile drivers into the trampoline body-slammed off couches, I can get some stories there. So I go in college he'd been newly married that year and I come back from college a little bit bigger A Little Bit Stronger a little bit more confident and he gets his bright idea that he's going to take me on I'm 18, he's 23 And were there in front of his newer brides are about seven months married six months married and he had the biggest struggle of his life and he whispered into my ear at some point of when things weren't going his way inside.

This was so cool. I said sure thing bro, and we got up and hug it and I did not defeat my brother. I resisted my brother and he did not continue to come at me anymore. Only had his moments in his words and he says I'm always going to have older brother.

And so yeah, so resisting and there's some parts for that falls short. I fully understand that but the devil has been defeated by our Lord and Savior King Jesus who rules and Raines and sits on the throne going to see that in the next week or so to come he has secured and one and four nouns of victory over the kingdom of darkness and we're bringing the Kingdom of Light in that's what we're doing. It's amazing and incredible and there is no struggle there in the sense of who's going to win this thing. No, I'm not having to feed him but I am certainly having to resist him to resist him. That's a very very important to resist the devil because he is prowling around like a roaring lion. He's looking for the cracks in the foundation of your life and he wants to expose them. He's looking where he can twist and distort ideas in your head to bring disorder desires. That'll be normalized. I don't mean your life and your family's life in this Society become one of the most classic passages in all of this in Ephesians 6, and we just quite frankly don't have the time to unpack all of Ephesians 6, but we will say this as we read it finally be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might is the first 10 into 11 put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. She wore time does not a time of peace is coming out a stand against him first 12 for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the cosmic Powers over the present Darkness against spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly places. Black talk about Psalm 82 the Divine Council we talked about some of those things going on right verse 13 take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm stand. Therefore having fastened on the belt of Truth put on the breastplate of righteousness, and we're not going to get into the rest of that Teeter in there a little bit. Gerd with the belt of Truth you want to combat the devil today? First and foremost it begins with dirty in yourself with the belt of Truth to resist the devil. It's not buying to the misinformation campaigns. The devil is bringing and trying to sell in your life right now, but to stand firm in the faith to put on the truth the belt of Truth meet subjectively cake the truth of the word of God and use them in your life not like cheering them on these are just saying but you literally say this is true that I need to grab hold of this and speak it into my life. The grid up the loins of your mind. What does it really mean to live according to the word of God? What is being taught here in the scriptures not to live according to the impulses in my gut feeling when we live according to our gut feeling we have all sorts of problems as we're going to see in a minute. So what does it look like when the Devil comes to accuse you? When the Devil comes to shame you you have the opportunity to say I have a Advocate that is for me. I have one that died for me and whatever you're trying to tell me or sell me. I need to actually look at against the truth of scripture and what scripture says and if you are a follower of Jesus and he wants to say you are disowned because of... Over here what you did you say that is not true. I am as we seeing so often a child of God. That's my identity. I am loved even when I feel unloved Lee. I am accepted even when I feel rejected and I am whole even when I sense that are broken. And not allowing those thoughts in your thought life is so incredibly important not allowing his other thoughts to creep into your life that I have the breastplate of righteousness on my heart on my life. I am forgiven. So when Temptation comes toward the Flash. Remember that those false gods are not going to satisfy you. They will not they will lead you to a well that you have to continually drink from but Jesus said there is a well in which you'll never thirst again, and it's from him. I need against the ideas and the lies that I placed in our hearts in a society of spoken over us a few weeks ago. We talked about how the heart is deceitfully wicked. We just go with our gut instinct that Primal feeling inside of us really we've adopted this view of secularism that says there is no God there for who is man. I'm not quite sure and it's a society we said, we don't really know where to find enough for ourselves there for this idea of morality becomes hot. What is the good life? I Define the good life for myself, and there's no accountability in that. So we trust our heart just trust your gut going to lie down some hard roads. Scripture tell us that our heart is deceitfully wicked Above All Things who can understand it. So we believe in a God who is defined Who We R Who said this is truth and Authority here is accountability. And one of the way she says you find it is in community the community about people Hebrews 10. Don't forsake the Assembly of the brethren. James 5 confess your faults confess your sins one to another Matthew 18 if you have a problem with your brother with your sister. Go to them don't talk about. They don't listen get the community with you. Go to a couple people go to them. Nothing. The church in is it isn't idea accountability through community that is another way in which we combat the ways the devil standing firm in the faith through the word of God Ephesians 6 resist through worshipped. Why why?

Satan wants to isolate you.

Isolation and lies lead to being deformed in the image of the Devil Wears were told to be conformed. 3D image of Christ skills for the exact opposite way he wants to get you away from Community. He wants to get you away from the truth of scripture why he wants to ruin the human soul. How did you do this to get the loan and he talks to her and he speaks lies to her. How did you do this in your life when you are alone when you're in a vulnerable place and we probably all had these thoughts and feelings all of a sudden this flood of thoughts from what we did in the past come rushing honest and go where did that come from that came from him? Those are the fiery darts? Read to come very hard down on ourselves and say this is who I am we need to come battle with. No. This is what the truth of scripture says and often. We need to grab somebody with us in the Community of Faith and have them speaking this very truth into our lives. What's the county you used to say go murder or hurt somebody just hit him in your heart and slander them. Eat better and little by little by little it deforms us into His Image. Who does this hurt the most? Need to pick a popular person and you can in your little circle or by yourself hit on them all day. Do you know who is going to hurt the most? You like we can make fun of whatever celebrity family. We wanted to hear and I'm so over it. Genesis with Satan is doing in deforming us get you alone. That work sucks not necessarily externally, but internally and it begins to just wreck and ruin our so the longer we hang in there with the problem the bigger the hurt because the words are heart gets and the colder person we become and it's hurting you. It's hurting you will begin to believe the lies slander out of our mouths venomous worry about other people and guess what we're doing in that moment. John a Jesus has some really harsh words for the Pharisees says your father the devil is the father of lies and you are not your father.

when we participate venomous hurtful words in lies you're participating in the works of the devil.

I'm not saying listen, I'm not saying you weren't hurt. I'm not saying you can't have a reaction. I'm not saying that somebody hasn't wronged you and you don't go to them. But when we do it in a way that spreads lies gossip and slander actually participating in the very ways of the devil and we bought into the system and you know what? It's so easy. Everybody else is doing it. That's cuz it's normalized. Where did that come from that started with the deceptive idea what this order desires that got us to this place where it is normalized.

I want to get practical. I'll figure out we're going to do the rest of this later. Who are you avoiding today?

subject question Some of us are avoiding God. We're boarding dogs were really mad at him. Really mad at him cuz life didn't go according to the plan B gave him. How's it going to spine hasn't been as great. How dare you let this happen aren't you Sovereign don't you rain? Cuz it sure doesn't feel like you're very Sovereign over any area any place at any point of my life and Satan cons in Plants the suspicion in your mind. God is not good. Cuz if God was good. This would not happen. Look for a Jesus. If you really God's son, you wouldn't be hungry right now. You wouldn't have to go to the Cross. He just give you everything you are really his child. It wouldn't be this way fishing in our mind in this happens all over the place. You cannot trust what God says about money and being generous. Better keep an eye out for yourself. If you really want to be happy not trust What God Says About Sex. He's withholding something good from you. He's no prude. All right when he created us, he wasn't like whoops. I didn't know that was going to happen and blushing up there in heaven. That's not who he is. Not what he did. You cannot trust what God says about the Gathering of the Saints. All those people they just hurt hurt people hurt people is truth to that. However, don't go there don't be around them and the cyclist perpetuated we just avoid and we give up on the very things that God has said is good all the things that make us want to avoid God when I say avoid God, I'm not just speaking Sunday church speaking your community group. I'm speaking those who gather what you really do Christian Godly life with getting Council and wisdom and who you're rubbing shoulders with in the things concerning the gospel begin to avoid them purchase certainly included in that. We also have to think of it in terms of the Christian walk and a life. You avoiding God on the human level on the relationship level the devil in his work. Is that play? I mean that he rolled the nails out in front of the car on your way to church today. It means his ways and his systems of trying to get us to not be here as not being relationship with one. Another is presently at war in people's lives. It may not be the main cause of Mighty you're saying or somebody else as soon as they've done to you, but there's the source behind it. So, what does that look like you having issues with people people work Church your neighbors. What's your go-to with that? I sure like to avoid people. That's how I handle things in my house. I need to be fixed. I just don't go in that room.

And then said Jesus just fix that and so I do at some point, but it doesn't.

Ask a question. Why are you avoiding them? They intentionally hurt you. Was it intentional? Your expectations that were met do they know the face? If they did which is very possible have you gone to them each and every one of them and talk to them about what's going on or instead of weed onto a friend that'll listen to agree with us as we tell our story and it makes us more miserable. Are you waiting for them to come to you? Play end of the story here in will close out cuz I'm out of time and there's more but really close with and just asked me to do something for them. He said to please don't do it now. Wait a couple weeks cuz I don't want someone so to know that I asked you to pursue them in this way. So very busy time in my life. I know what the third we just moved houses and you're planning to church. So I said, yeah, I would love to do that. Absolutely and what we swing by monthly by 5 months went by 6 months went by and I noticed person getting colder and colder towards me like not responding to my emails not really chatting with me anymore and I was with someone and I found out what happened not through the person but through somebody else who knew the situation and they said remember a year-and-a-half ago when you said you would do this what you didn't and I think you did that on purpose and I went. Oh my goodness. This is the busiest craziest season I've ever had in my life. And they weren't a part of our community didn't see him all the time. I forgot they didn't remind me. They didn't email me. Text me call me get a hold of me to ask me we can see each other face-to-face at different times never once brought it up, but just got mad. So I thought I did it with intention did not and would not that I'm so sorry that that happened in that moment. We communicated. Well, we apologize cuz yeah, I did let them down. Absolutely. I did I forgot that was on me, but it was not intentional and knowing that it was not intentional. Understanding. The circumstances are rounded up shed some light to it. But you see this is exactly how the devil works. He did it on purpose. He doesn't want to help you. He is selfish. And it twists lies about other people. Send before we make assumptions and why things happen to stop go to the person because the devil wants to ruin your relationships. It doesn't change grab somebody to go with you and grab some pastors with you in this church the elders if it doesn't happen at that point you go Matthew 18, we're going to be out a relationship on this one, but a lot of us are skipping the steps because we're not a part of community. Next week. We're going to look at resist firm in the faith next week. We're going to look at what that fully entails and looks like and then we're going to see that we come back by resisting by joining in the worship of God. This week There's Hope hope in the gospel. Hope that Jesus restores and reconciled and brings truth to the areas of our heart and our lives were speaking the lies of the devil to our cells resist the devil. He's trying to throw shame on you know what your identity is was Bram Jesus. Thank you that you gave us new identity. Thank you that you have changed our hearts that you are. The reason our minds can be renewed. Thank you for the love that you've demonstrated that while we were yet sinners you died for us and didn't leave us stranded and on our own. I did every single follower of Jesus and he would brace the god-given identity that has been placed upon them. I pray for everybody who does not believe today that they would find this hope not in their work not in their family is not in their marriage not in whatever else they have going on in their lives. They would see that help comes from you and you alone and that you radical shift and change our hearts kind of deep peace and knowing you and being a part of your family, forest today in the name of Jesus, Amen.