The Struggle is Real
What in the World is Going on? • Sermon • Submitted
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Please find your place this morning in 1 Peter 5:8-11.
While you are turning there I’ll explain this second phase of our current series: What in the World is Going On? In phase 1 we looked at our adversary the devil and concluded those messages last week.
This week we begin examining what our place is in this world. Now that we know a bit more about our enemy and his tactics we must learn how to defend against him. These next several messages will deal with the topic of Spiritual warfare and the necessity of being ready for combat.
May I tell you that if any man who ever lived understood the lengths Satan was willing to go to destroy a child of God it was Peter. We’re talking about a man that Jesus Himself rebuked when he refused to accept the cross…Matthew 16.23 “23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”
Later Pete was warned of Jesus that, Satan desired to “sift him”, Luke 22:31 “31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:” Interesting word choice, sift. To sift wheat means you are taking all of it placing it in a sieve and then shaking it. Peter understood this fully when at the trial of Jesus he denied Him three times in a matter of hours. Yes, Peter knew the lengths Satan was willing to go.
In AD 64 Nero set fire to Rome, burning three of fourteen districts. He blamed the destruction on a new religious group in Rome, calling themselves “Christians”. Fierce persecution resulted which quickly spread beyond Rome into the surrounding districts. Christians everywhere found themselves being hunted and killed just because they were Christians. Peter recognized this persecution for what it was, a spiritual attack from Satan. That is why he wrote this letter. In the closing verses we read Peter’s encouragement to the suffering saints...
Church we must be ready for battle. Are you ready for the fight?
We Must Watch (Alone)
We Must Watch (Alone)
Peter calls on the Christians suffering under Nero to be:
Be Focused
To be sober is to be in your right mind
Alcohol is an intoxicating substance that weakens your mind and slows your reflexes. The Bible warns, Proverbs 20:1 “1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
Do not be deceived though, there are other things that can cause us to lose focus in this fight:
Too much focus on a hobby.
Too much focus on wealth.
Too much focus on current events.
Focusing on these and other things, leads to tunnel vision. We see only what we allow ourselves to see. We miss the big picture
To be vigilant means to “be awake”
I can’t help but wonder, did Peter shed a tear when he wrote these words?
He is a man that understood the importance of not falling asleep on the job.
Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus called on Peter, James, and John, to go with Him “a little further”.
He begged these men, His most trusted captains, to do what? To “watch and pray”.
Three times Jesus came back to them and found them sleeping. When they awoke, it was too late, the guards were already there to arrest Jesus.
Church, we cannot fall asleep on the job today. We MUST be focused, and we MUST...
Be Ready
Why?
Because our “…adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”
Notice the awful description of our enemy:
Adversary - referring to an opponent in a lawsuit - he is constantly accusing us of our sin before God. Let it be known that there are two important facts regarding Satan’s attack of God’s children:
He may serve as the prosecutor in God’s courtroom, but Jesus is our defense attorney, and He has never lost a case! 1 John 2:1 “1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”
He cannot touch a child of God without permission from God Himself, Job 1:6-12.
He is described as a roaring lion -
He is fierce, he is powerful, he is angry with us, but...
in our corner is the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah”! Jesus Christ!
He is constantly walking about - he never rests, never tires in his effort to destroy you
You may get tired, Satan never will.
You may be tempted to rest, to close your eyes, but he never will
Be sober, be vigilant, because he is seeking, waiting for an opportunity to devour you.
The word devour means to gulp down, or swallow completely
It is the same word used to describe the armies of Egypt being drowned int the Red Sea, Hebrews 11:29 “29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.”
Church, there is a need. We must watch, because...
We Are At War (Aligned)
We Are At War (Aligned)
Peter calls on the Christians facing persecution in his day to “Resist” the devil! Church, the need to resist the devil is just as great, if not greater than ever before! God is calling on us to resist him today!
To resist means to stand against. That, I must admit, seems a difficult task. Guess what, God is not asking you to stand alone, He is asking us to stand together with Him! This is a battle that does not have to be fought one on one, it can, it should be fought side by side.
The word ‘steadfast’ is a military term. It means to “Be firm”. To have a solid front. John Phillips describes it from Peter’s point of view:
Exploring the Epistles of Peter: An Expository Commentary (B. Warring with the Roaring Lion (5:9))
Perhaps Peter had seen Roman soldiers going through their battle drills. In one maneuver, the troops would stand shoulder to shoulder, their large, octagonal shields locked together to form a solid wall of steel. This maneuver enabled them to bear the brunt of all of the attacking force of the enemy. Peter urges his readers to lock shields with believers all over the world to use their spiritual weapons and resist the foe.
In two weeks we are going to look at the weapons which God has given us in this battle, for now I want you to understand that you are not in this battle alone. Christian, there is a battle raging around us and we are at war, but there is a promise we have in Christ today, my last point...
We Will Win (Assured)
We Will Win (Assured)
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
In Peter’s day there was suffering, in our day there will be suffering. I’m speaking today of suffering through persecution. Christian, wake up, look around you, we are on the verge of government sanctioned persecution in the USA just as Christians in Peter’s day were suffering under Roman sanctioned persecution.
When things get heated up, here are some assurances we have:
God is the God of all grace -
God has the monopoly on grace.
He has a limitless supply of grace at His disposal.
He offers grace for salvation, grace for living, and grace for dying.
God is the God of all grace, and there is nothing we cannot endure because of His grace!
God has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus.
God’s grace cannot fail
God’s grace will bring us home, so let the lion roar!
We may suffer, but God promises that He will...
Make us perfect - he allows suffering to teach us of His grace. Perfect means to be brought to maturity.
Stablish, = to set or settle. God’s purpose in our suffering is to make us like Him. Suffering reminds us that, even though we may suffer a while here and now, we are a child of God and have a home waiting on us in heaven.
Strengthen - suffering brings endurance. When you begin to exercise you are immediately met with pain. The muscles strain and ache and you’re tempted to give up. However, if you push through you find that over time your body adapts and what once seemed difficult now is easy. You have strengthened your body. The same is true with spiritual strength. Suffering for Jesus strengthens our walk with Him.
Settle - refers to a firm foundation. Jesus is our foundation. If your faith is founded on anything else, your faith is in the wrong thing.
Church, the enemy is on the loose. He is prowling around seeking to devour you, but remember, if you are in Jesus, then you have already won!
Conclusion: You say today, “How can I know for sure that the victory has been won for me?”
Simple: Answer this question: “Where does your faith lie?”
Is your faith today in Jesus or is it in yourself? You say, “How can I know where my faith lies?” Let me ask you this, if today was your last day on earth, do you know for sure that heaven is where you will spend eternity?
Every head bowed as our musicians make their way up front.
Today, with every head bowed, every eye closed, I wonder if the Holy Spirit of God has spoken to you personally. I wonder today can you say for sure that you are saved. If you know today that you are saved would your raise your hand.
If you couldn’t raise your hand a moment ago, then it is because you don’t have the assurance that your sins are forgiven. This message is for you. Listen, you don’t have to leave this place not knowing. Right where you are simply call out to God in the following way, say,
“God, I understand that I am a sinner. I have sinned against you and I do not deserve to go to heaven, but I believe what the Bible says, that you loved me and that Jesus died for me. I believe that Jesus took my place and paid for my sin. Right now I am asking you to forgive me of my sin, and to save my soul.”
Listen to me, if that’s you this morning, will you raise your hand and admit that you have asked Jesus to save you? As we stand and sing I want to ask you to come forward so we can talk. Won't you come today? **PRAY**