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Thwart!! Paul Harvey: "If I Were the Devil." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rysHrMClDE Let us read about this devil Mr. Harvey speaks of. Our key verse for today is in 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5:8-9 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. My purpose today is to encourage all of us to be stedfast in the faith. Thwart the enemy. Thwart the enemy. These two verses in 1 Peter 5 are going to lead us to more scriptures and virtually all of them are full of admonitions that support verses 8 and 9 and, if followed, will get us to the Kingdom of God. For 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober: 1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Meanings: Gird up the loins of your mind: Apply truth to your mind. Be sober: Do not be intoxicated with the cares of this world, with errors or false doctrines. Hope to the end: be ye perfectly awake. Do not be weary in trials. Cherish the gospel hope to the end of life. 1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. Meanings: Notice this verse is prefaced with the concept that we are in the end time. If you are older than, say, 60, you are at the end of all things in any case; not just prophetically. Be sober: Serious; thoughtful; considerate. Let a fact of so much importance make a solemn impression on your mind. Watch unto prayer: Be looking out for the end of all things in such a manner as to lead you to embrace all proper opportunities for prayer and every element of the Salvation Process. Matthew 24:48 ...set of scriptures speaking to firstfruits in the end time But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming. Meaning: One of the meanings is one believing it will not happen in his lifetime and for others, ever. Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Meanings: Surfeiting: excessive eating and drinking to the point of oppressing the body. "intoxication" not indicated here. Drunkenness: intemperance in drinking; getting drunk often. Drunkenness that often brings in folly, disease, poverty and death. Cares of this life: Worry and/or being inebriated with the world. Luke 21:36 ...just two verses down from verse 34 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Meanings: Watch: Watch against every sin, snare, and temptation; particularly, against the above things, surfeiting, drunkenness, and worldly cares; Pray: pray continually, for fresh supplies of grace. This means the power you need in the Salvation Process as well as, the knowledge, understanding and wisdom in all these concepts. Romans 13:11-13 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. Meanings: It is high time: It is crunch time folks. [see sermon with this title] Do not sleep: Inactivity; insensibility to the doctrines and duties of religion. Now is our salvation: We are working our one time in the process. Salvation near: You are one day closer each day to the return of Christ or your death. My attitude? Christ is coming tomorrow. That thought is not my realistic conclusion but my spiritual urgency. Cast off; put on: Bring in the good and the bad/darkness is displaced. Walk honestly: Let our deportment be decent, orderly, and grave. Not in chambering: not in whoredoms and prostitution of every kind. No fornication, adultery or defilements of the bed. Not in wantonness: no lasciviousness, unnatural lusts, such as sodomy or using anything against design. Titus 1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Meanings: Sober: in body, using moderation in diet and dress; and in mind, being prudent, modest, and humble, and thinking soberly of himself, and others, as he ought. Just: righteous in his dealings with men, giving to everyone their due; upright and sincere in his conversation with the saints; and faithful in his counsel, admonitions, and reproofs. Holy: devout towards God, constant in all religious exercises in the closet, family, and church; and living soberly, righteously, and godly in the world. Temperate: in eating and drinking; continent [characterized by restraint] from the lusts of the flesh; and even abstaining from those things which might be lawfully used, though inexpedient, for the sake of the weak, the peace of the church, and the glory of God. Titus 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Meanings: Righteously: This refers to the proper performance of our duties. Godly: Piously; that is, in the faithful performance of our duties to God. All of this for 1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober: Now for the 1 Peter 5:8 phrase, "your adversary." What is an adversary? This from the dictionary. --enemy. --a person, being, group or force that opposes or attacks you. --an enemy who fights determinedly, continuously and relentlessly. --being in a particular contest or struggle with some force. --The Adversary: Satan. The following is from the Bible. --an opponent or foe-Luke 13:17 --one that speaks against another. -Matthew 5:25 --an enemy. - Luke 18:3 --and specially the devil. - 1 Peter 5:8 Quoted verses: Luke 13:17...where some were upset with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. Matthew 5:25 ...dealing with angry brothers Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Luke 18:3 ...parable of the unjust judge And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. We see in the Word of God that we have adversaries, Satan being the chief of these. Esther 7:6 ...Esther had an adversary And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. 1 Thessalonians 2:18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us. Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Now to the word in our key verse of 1 Peter 5:8, "the devil" as in "your adversary the devil." Ephesians 4:27-32 27 Neither give place to the devil. ...and how does one not give place to the devil? Read on: 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Now I could have you turn to Ephesians 6:11 which says to put on the whole armour of God to be able to withstand in the evil day, but turn now to James 4:7 James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Homework: Read James 4:8-17 to see just how to resist the devil. Now let us go to the second verse of our key scripture: 1 Peter 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. The first phrase of this verse is, "Whom resist stedfast in the faith." Let us consult the commentaries here. Whom resist - See James 4:7, [a verse we just covered--"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."] You are in no instance to yield to him, but are in all forms to stand up and oppose him [we will see this explained]. Feeble in yourselves, you are to confide in the arm of God. No matter in what form of terror he approaches, you are to fight manfully the fight of faith. Compare with Ephesians 6:10-17. ~Barnes Notes Quoted verse: Ephesians 6:10-17 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [I did get this verse in didn't I?] 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Whom resist - Stand against him. Though invulnerable, he is not unconquerable: the weakest follower of God can confound and overpower him, if he continue steadfast in the faith - believing on the Son of God [by obeying Him and being like Him], and walking uprightly before him. To a soul thus engaged he can do no damage. ~Adam Clark Whom resist - By no means give way to him, by indulging any sin, or yielding to any temptation, but oppose him, and stand against his wiles, his cunning and his power: ~John Gill Steadfast in the faith - Confiding in God. You are to rely on him alone, and the means of successful resistance are to be found in the resources of faith. ~Barnes Notes A moment ago, I mentioned that I would explain what it means to "stand up and oppose him [the devil]. Here it is: Steadfast in the faith - both in the doctrine of faith, which Satan endeavours to remove from, or cause to stagger in; and in the grace of faith, exercising it on the promises of God, and his perfections, particularly his power and faithfulness concerned in them, and in the blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and person of Christ, which faith is capable of making use of, as a shield, to good purpose, against all the fiery darts of Satan; as also in a profession of faith, which, as it should be held fast without wavering, and which the devil is very busy to keep persons from making, or to cause them to drop it when they have made it, by violent suggestions, strong temptations, and a flood of reproaches and persecutions; all which should be disregarded: ~John Gill Notice some verses linked to this phrase, "Steadfast in the faith." Luke 22:31-32 ...Jesus speaking to Peter 31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Ephesians 6:16 ...part of the armor of God Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 1 Timothy 6:12 [See Lesson] Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 2 Timothy 4:7 [See Lesson] I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Hebrews 11:33 ...speaking of Gideon, Samson, David, Samuel, Barak and Jephthah. Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Notice a bit of commentary on this phrase, "stopped the mouths of lions." Have you “ stopped the mouths of lions”? The devil is “the roaring lion, going about seeking whom he may devour,” and when we stand before God to be judged [this, of course, happening now], the devil will be there to accuse us, and to bring against us the charge of every sin we have committed at his instigation. Go back to James 4:7 James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Point: If Satan has fled from you, how can he possibly accuse you? I want to go back to our heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:32-33 we just discussed. I found something in the Biblical Illustrator: The heroes of faith: Mark the characteristics of that faith, in virtue of which the writer brings together these honoured names, and by the power of which they were enabled to be God’s instruments and deputies in carrying forward on the earth His great purposes of salvation. There are certain marks common to their faith, which will be found also to characterize those who have succeeded them in New Testament times. I. The first is, that THEIR FAITH IS IN A LIVING GOD—a true believing that He is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. That is [not the] distinguishing characteristic, you may think; most men believe in God. Most men profess to believe in Him, but in how many does their conduct show that the profession is worth much? They believe in forms of words, in current opinion, in worldly maxims, in the conventions of society, in the fashions of the church; but genuine faith in a living God, whose righteous laws ought to be obeyed, whose promises are true and ought to be acted on, whose loving care guards and guides their lives, so that they have only to do His will and fear no evil—that is a Tare thing yet, and makes men more or less strange where it is seen. It was found in all these heroes of faith, so that they had strength and courage to do the will of God, when it seemed not only difficult, but utterly impossible. II. A second characteristic of the faith of these heroes is that ITS GOAL IS IN THE FUTURE, its eye is fixed on the invisible. They felt the evil of the present state, its disorder, its degradation, its wrong, its misery; but they knew by the vision of faith that this visible world is girt about with the invisible, that there is a higher order of things, a kingdom of truth, of righteousness, of peace, of purity above, and that its powers and laws shall yet penetrate and rule this earth, and the kingdom of God be established among men. And though the promises, whose fulfillment bounded the horizon of pre-Christian believers, have now been accomplished, and faith has now that fulfillment to rest upon, it still looks forward to the future, to promises yet to be fulfilled of a better day and a better kingdom. But still it confidently lays hold of the invisible, and works towards an end which seems a mere will-o’-the-wisp in the judgment of ordinary men. III. Again, the faith of these true heroes is marked by INSIGHT INTO PRESENT NEEDS AND DUTIES. Faith has a prophetic glance. Discerning God and God’s holy order, it has an understanding of the times and the seasons, knows when to cast in the seed, and to put in the sickle, sees the fruit in the flower, and the great tree in the little germ. Hence the wonderful variety, for instance, in the work of these leaders of faith recorded in this chapter. They were not guided by custom, nor ruled merely by traditions of the past, but holding and living by the truth already given, they were led into fresh applications of it. The new time brought its new duties, and they obeyed God’s call to face them; it disclosed fresh light, and they dared to open their eyes to let it in. ~Biblical Illustrator Thwart the enemy.
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