Satan’s Desire

Temple Baptist Church - 10-18-2017

1 Peter 5:8-9

A.  Tonight, I want to take another short look at these verses because of the importance to the local church. 

1.  Peter, through inspiration of the Holy Ghost, wrote these verses but, through personal experience, understood well the reality and consequences of satanic attack. 

2.  In Luke, chapter 22, our Lord warned Peter that Satan desired him to sift him as wheat.  The stern warning went unheeded and Satan sifted Peter.

B.  You and I are needed:

1.  By God to be a physical and verbal witness for Him because He chose it to be that way.  Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 15:16; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:2

2.  By Satan because he can only destroy the church and the child of God if he can use us.

C.  In Matthew 16, we see that Peter turns from spirituality to carnality in a few seconds. 

Matthew 16:13-23  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?  (14)  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.  (15)  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  (16)  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  (Spirituality)  (17)  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  (18)  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  (19)  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  (20)  Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.  (21)  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.  (22)  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.  (Carnality) (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.  (His spirituality glorified the Son of God while his carnality, which was satanic, brought reproach to the Son of God.)

D.  During our study of Scripture, we find that often defeat comes upon the heels of victory. 

1.  In a moment of great accomplishment, Satan will steal that glorious moment and leave the child of God devastated through personal failure. 

2.  Here, Peter has just made the great declaration, “Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and in almost the next breath, Peter rebukes that same Christ and draws a stern rebuke himself. (vs 22)

E.  The Person – Peter - “and said unto Peter”

1.  A Man Of Great Faith - Matthew 14:28-29  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

2.  A Man Of Great Love For The Saviour - John 21:17  He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Matthew 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

3.  A Man Greatly Used Of God In His Service - Acts 2:14, 37-38  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:…Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

F.  The Problem – Self - “for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men”

1.  A Man Of Reaction Instead Of Action - John 18:10  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

2.  A Man Of Words Instead Of Hearing - Matthew 26:33-35  Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.  Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

3.  A Man Of Passion Instead Of Thinking - Matthew 16:22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

G.  The Product – Satan Used Peter! - “Get thee behind me, Satan”  Satan uses us in the same way.  His objective: to destroy the work of God!

           

SOME WAYS SATAN WILL USE YOU!

1.  Satan will use us to divide the church. (Number one problem – I will deal with this one heavily)  **Turn to 1 John 1:1-7 – Division is a result of walking in darkness!

a.  Strife brings about division in the church - 1 Corinthians 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

1)  He will use us to hurt the feelings of others–  James 1:19-20  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,slow to speak, slow to wrath:  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.  (Those Who Offend - open mouth, insert foot!)

James 3:2, 5-6  For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body…Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

2)  He will use us by hurting our feelings – James 1:19-20  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.  (Those Who Offend Are Offended)

Proverbs 18:19  A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.(Offended people have a hard time getting over it)

Psalms 119:165  Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (I cannot emphasis this verse enough!)

b.  Strife brings about a lack of spiritual growth - 2 Corinthians 12:20  For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

c.  Strife brings about every evil work - James 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

d.  Strife brings about reproach to Christianity - Psalms 80:6  Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.

e.  Strife will destroy us, our family, our testimony, and the local church.

Romans 12:16  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

1 Corinthians 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Philippians 4:2  I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

1 Peter 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

2.  Satan will use us to defile the church.  1 Corinthians 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

a.  The defilement of sin - Ephesians 5:3  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

b.  The decision of sin - Romans 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

c.  The disciplining of sin - 1 Corinthians 5:11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

3.  Satan will use us to deter the work.

a.  Through disagreement with the Pulpit - 2 Timothy 4:14-15  Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:  Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. (If you disagree, come see me and talk.)

b.  Through discouraging others In the way - Numbers 32:9  For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

c.  Through disloyalty to God’s House - Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Conclusion:  Do not allow your spirituality to become carnality!