Know Your Enemy
Introduction® 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
James 1:22-25, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. Matthew 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
We must realize the horror of sin®James 1: 13-15. Sin is truly our enemy. However, there are deceptive pleasures in sin. See Hebrews 11:25 “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season…” Proverbs 8:36 “But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.”
Satan shows us the bait but he hides the hook!
AV-confess 17, profess 3, promise 1, give thanks 1, confession is made 1, acknowledgeth 1; 24
to say the
same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent, concede, not to deny,
declare, to admit or declare one’s self guilty of what one is accused of
d. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word produces in him a deeper hatred of sin. Psalm 97:10 “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil…” Psalm 101:3 “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” Psalm 119:104 “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Psalm 119:113 “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” Psalm 119:128 “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.”
d. Psalm 119:163 “I hate
and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.” Proverbs 8:13
“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,
and the froward mouth, do I hate.”
"Till sin be hated, it cannot be mortified; you will never cry against it,
as the Jews did against Christ, Crucify it, Crucify it, till sin be really
abhorred as He was" (Edward Reyner, 1635).
We should attempt to emulate the Lord Jesus Christ in our hatred of sin® Hebrews 1:9 “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated
iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows.”
e.
An individual is spiritually profited when the Word
causes a forsaking of sin. "Let
every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:
19). Psalm 119:9 “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse
his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Look at all the things we are to flee from® "Flee
fornication" (1 Cor. 6:18), "Flee
from idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:14). "Flee
these things"—a covetous love for money (1 Tim.
6:11), "Flee also youthful lusts" (2 Tim. 2:22)**
feugw pheugo ®flee
26, escape 3, flee away 2; 31; “to flee away, seek safety by flight.” to shun or avoid by flight something abhorrent, esp. vices
Genesis 39:12 “And she caught him by his
garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled,
and got him out.”
e.
diwkw®to run swiftly in order to catch
a person or thing, to run after.
One thing we need flee from is peers or companions or friends
that hinder us from living for God®1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil
communications corrupt good manners.” The idea is® “Do not be deceived; evil
company corrupts good habits.” Proverbs 13:20 “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of
fools shall be destroyed.” Psalm 1:1
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”
e.
f.
An individual is spiritually profited when the Word fortifies against sin. Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that
I might not sin against thee.”
“It is particularly the commandments, the warnings, the exhortations, we need
to make our own and to treasure; to memorize them, meditate upon them, pray
over them, and put them into practice.”®A.
W. Pink.
Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but
overcome evil with good.”
Romans 13:14 “But put ye on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
f. Colossians 3:16 “Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord.”
“None of us knows when he may be tempted: therefore it is necessary to be
prepared against it… Yes, we are to anticipate the future and be fortified
against it, by storing up the Word in our hearts for coming emergencies.”®A. W. Pink.
f.
Psalm 37:31
“The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”
g.
An individual is spiritually profited when the Word
causes him to practice the opposite of
sin.
“Now the opposite of sinning against
God is submission to Him, as the opposite of lawlessness is subjection to the
law. Thus, to practice the opposition of sin is to walk in the path of
obedience.”®Pink.
There are four elements of true obedience:
i.
Promptly®Gen. 6: 22; Isaiah 6: 8.
ii.
Completely®
1.
Positive example®David®Acts 13: 22.
2.
Negative example®Saul®1 Sam. 15.
iii.
Cheerfully®Ps. 40: 8.
iv.
From the heart®Rom.
6: 12; Prov. 4: 23.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
Some examples of practicing the opposite of sin: Eph. 4: 28, 29.
Sin
is such a serious matter we should make it a matter of prayer. Here are some
Scriptural prayers®Ps.
19: 12-14; 119: 5, 36; 141: 4; Matt. 6: 13.
”Sin will always take you further than you want to go, and cost you more than
you want to pay!” Herb Hatfield.
“Sin
will get you into trouble, and pride will keep you there!”-Author Unknown
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2. Satan
a.
His names
i.
Satan®Adversary
ii.
Devil®Accuser
b.
Scriptures
i.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you.”
ii.
1 Peter 5:8, 9 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
iii.
Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
meyodeia methodeia
® “cunning arts,
deceit, craft, trickery” Ephesians 4:14 “That we
henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive…”
Tell them about Geronimo. The Devil is trying to catch us napping so that he can ambush
us.
iv.
2 Corinthians 2:11 “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are
not ignorant of his devices.”
v.
2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent
beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ.”
1.
1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is
of the world.”
2.
Gen. 3: 1-6. “subtle, shrewd, crafty, sly.”
3.
Matt. 4: 1-11.
4.
2 Timothy 2:26 “And that they may recover themselves out of the
snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” “Recover” means
to “to return to soberness”
vi.
The Devil also uses an
army of “devils” or “demons.”
1.
Scriptures
a.
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.”
b.
1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils…”
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3. The World® Our intellectual and cultural
environment. Our system of values. The prevailing ideology of the
age. The ideas of our opinion makers [the media (newspapers,
television and radio news, etc.) the entertainment industry (music,
movies, etc.), the educational establishment.]
There seem to be at present three competing worldviews. One of them is Islam.
It is very aggressive and evangelistic. Another is the European/ secularist
philosophy. This is predominant in Europe, the United States, Canada,
Australia, etc. It is also aggressive and evangelistic. The third worldview is
the Judeo/Christian (Biblical) worldview. The only place in the world where
this view is help is among certain elements in the United States. Those who
hold this view are not being very aggressive and evangelistic.
There is possibly a fourth worldview. That is the one held by the underground
Christian movement in China and in some other places. This movement may be
more powerful than meets the eye.
There is also a false religious
world!
a.
Scriptures
i.
1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For
all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth
for ever.”
ii.
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
iii.
1 Chronicles 12:32 “And of the children of Issachar, [which were men] that
had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of
them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.”
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4. Our Flesh® The “old man,” our “flesh,” our “sinful nature.” We
will carry this with us as long as we live and we must continually battle
against it.
a.
Scriptures
i.
Gal. 5: 16-25.
ii.
Rom. 7: 5-25.
iii.
Rom. 8: 1-14.
iv.
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it?”
v.
Ephesians 4:22-24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation
the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed
in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness.”
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Know Your Weapons
Have
confidence in them. They are powerful. God has not left us defenseless! God has
well equipped us.
2
Corinthians 10:4, 5 “(For the weapons of
our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing
that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ…”
the strong holds of sin and
Satan; such as unbelief, pride, hardness of heart, &c.®Gil
It is important for all ministers to feel that their weapons are mighty ONLY through God. Conquerors and earthly warriors go into battle depending on the might of their own arm, and on the wisdom and skill which plans the battle. The Christian goes on his warfare, feeling that however well adapted the truths which he holds are to accomplish great purposes, and however wisely his plans are formed, yet that the efficacy of all depends on the agency of God. He has no hope of victory but in God. And if God does not attend him, he is sure of inevitable defeat.®Barnes
“strongholds”® The sins of his heart are fortified by long
indulgence, and by the hold which they have on his soul. The wickedness of the
world which he opposes is strongly fortified by the fact that it has seized on
strong human passions; that one point strengthens another; that great numbers
are united.®Barnes
“bringing
into captivity”® All doctrines were to be in accordance with his will;
philosophy should no longer control them, but they should be subject to the
will of Christ. All the plans of life should be controlled by the will
of Christ, and formed and executed under his control—as captives are led by a
conqueror. All the emotions and feelings of the heart should be
controlled by him, and led by him as a captive is led by a victor.®Barnes
Zack
M. Guess
Harmony
Hill Boot Camp
February 28-March 1, 2003