Getting To Know Your Enemy

Temple Baptist Church - 10-5-2011

Ephesians 6:10-12

Introduction:

A. Most people are ignorant concerning the person and work of Satan. He is joked about, ignored, and even slandered (much is blamed upon Satan that is actually the fault of ourselves) not only by the world but also by many God fearing people. They have no concept concerning the danger of such an enemy! The Bible compares him to a “roaring lion!” No one in their right mind would ignore or joke about a roaring lion while standing within its grasp and, yet, Satan is a much more formidable enemy because his destruction is both temporal and eternal.

1. People are ignorant concerning his person – He is full of hatred toward them. As much as God loves us, Satan hates us!

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Satan was a servant of the Lord and desired all that God had; therefore, he held to his lust and hated God.)

2. People are ignorant concerning his power – they worship and play with him.

Psalms 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

Jude 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. (In these two verses, we find that the strength of angels excels all others. Michael the archangel did not rebuke Satan but left that up to the Lord which speaks of the great power and standing of this mighty angel.)

B. When we realize who he is, what he is, what he desires, and how he works, we are much better equipped to resist Satan and watch as he flees.

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

2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (We can know exactly how Satan works and to do so gives us a definite spiritual advantage. There is an old saying that goes like this: “Fore warned is fore armed.” I will not preach on all of these devices but do want to name some.)

1. The Device Of Division – He destroys our unity.

2. The Device Of Distraction – He keeps our eyes off the “main thing.”

3. The Device Of Defilement – He will keep us unusable.

4. The Device Of Distress – He is the master terrorist.

5. The Device Of Disappointment – He is the author of hopelessness.

6. The Device Of Discouragement – He is the discourager of the brethren.

7. The Device Of Despair – He wants us to give up.

8. The Device Of Doubt – He wants us to doubt God.

9. The Device Of Dishonesty – He is the father of every lie.

10. The Device Of Deceit – He is subtle in his approach to us.

11. The Device Of Dullness – He wants us drunk on the wine of this world.

12. The Device Of Deadness – He despises our worship and giving of thanks.

13. The Device Of Delay – He hinders our efforts.

14. The Device Of Defame – He causes the world to speak evil of our loyalty to Christ.

15. The Device Of Disobedience – He breeds rebellion in the child of God.

16. The Device Of Disbelief – If he can succeed here, there is no possibility of us standing, which is our goal.

C. I am not interested in doing a study on Satanology or Demonology as some call it but I do want us realize just who Satan is and what we are fighting against each day. Our text declares that we wrestle not against “flesh and blood.” Satan is not a man; therefore, he is not limited by human frailty.

D. Our enemy is not a man but rather the driving force behind man! Let us look at verse 12 for a few minutes.

1. The word “principalities” deals with order, principality, or the first estate. It also deals with rank or ruling. The battle that we have each day goes far beyond our beginnings. This is an age old battle that began in heaven and is being fought out on earth. Satan is still the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) and the prince of this world (John 16:11).

2. The word “powers” denotes more than just the might of man but a superhuman influence that goes far beyond human limitations. His power is incomprehensible to finite humans. It is as close to “all power” as you can get without being omnipotent. Let me qualify that statement: with all of the power and force that Satan has, he is NOTHING compared to the power of our Lord. Satan’s power and might is “no contest” in his efforts to unseat the Potentate of the Universe!

3. “Rulers of the darkness of this world!” The darkness of sin and everything that is either wrong or bad in this world is “ruled” by Satan. He is the author of sin; he is the author of confusion; he is wicked incarnate and is behind every wicked government and act in the world. Men are simply influenced by his wickedness.

4. “Spiritual wickedness in high places.” In Matthew 4, during the temptation of our Lord, Satan offered Him the kingdoms of this world if He would bow down and worship him. That is an interesting statement because it tells us two things:

a) Satan owns the kingdoms of this world, not necessarily the men who rule them but, for the most part, to get elected to the highest office of a nation or kingdom is a pretty good sign that you have sold out to the devil a long time before! Every wicked kingdom belongs to Satan because it is he that created their governmental structure and elevated their superiors. America is included as it has become more and more anti-Christ in its nature.

b) Governmental ruling and ownership involve worship! Satan said, in my words, “You worship me and I will give you the authority of these kingdoms. They will be yours as long as you are mine! That is where we are today. Those in authority over us as well as other governments may not know that they are Satan worshipers but they are. They may even claim to be Christian but their lives and philosophies do not align themselves with the Bible. You cannot serve both God and mammon nor can you serve both God and Satan!

Conclusion: Therefore, both our standing and withstanding are to be done in a spiritual realm, not just a physical one. Because of this, we must get to know or enemy. It is a foolish general who goes into battle without understand both the thinking and power of his enemy.

Luke 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?