Avoiding The Devil's Dinner
I Peter 5:8-9
INTRODUCTION.
A. 1 Peter 5:8-9 reads, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (NKJV)
1. sober - nepho - 1) to be sober, to be calm and collected in spirit 2) to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect (Thayer)
a. As Christians, we are walking in and out of spiritual danger every day. Every day we face temptations.
b. Knowing the consequences of sin, we should be sober or calm and collected as we live our lives. We must be temperate.
c. Being sober allows us to maintain the wherewithal to always be on guard against the devil and to be able to resist the temptations which are thrown our way.
2. vigilant - gregoreuo - 1) to watch 2) metaph. give strict attention to, be cautious, active 2a) to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one (Thayer)
a. The idea of being vigilant is to watch or to give strict attention to watching for that which is dangerous.
b. Illustration: Consider a soldier taking refuge in a fox hole. That soldier must maintain a watchful state. If that soldier falls asleep or lets his attention drift, then he will be surprised and killed by the enemy.
c. Illustration. A helpless animal who is being stalked by a hungry lion. Eventually, this helpless animal will be devoured by the enemy.
d. As Christians, we are to be on guard. We are to be watching out for our enemy, the devil. The devil is seeking every opportunity to devour us through our engaging in sin.
B. The question that we must be asking ourselves is this: As Christians, as soldiers of Christ, are we standing guard. Or, are we sleeping, allowing the devil to come upon us and overtake us?
C. It is the purpose of this lesson to remind us about the devil, how he works, and how we can defeat him.
I. THE DEVIL IS OUR ENEMY.
A. Jesus identified the devil as our enemy. (Matthew 13:38-43)
B. The devil is a murderer, a manslayer. (John 8:44)
1. The word murderer is translated from a Greek word which means 1) a manslayer, murderer. (Thayer)
2. The devil is set about to take the spiritual life of men. He is a manslayer. This fits will with Peter's description of the devil being a devouring lion.
C. The devil is a coward when you are walking with God. (James 4:7) (We will discuss drawing near to God later in the lesson.)
D. Knowing that the devil is our enemy and knowing how dangerous he is, we must all the more understand the necessity of being watchful.
II. HOW DOES THE DEVIL TRAP?
Note:Let us first remember this one important fact: The devil never makes you do anything. Anything you do you do because you made the decision.
A. The devil attempts to trap through deception.
1. The example of how the devil works is found in Genesis 3:1-6.
a. First, the devil questions the word of the Lord.
b. Second, the devil will deny God's word.
c. Thirdly, the devil will substitute his own thoughts and lies.
d. The devil works the same way with us today. Depending on the situation, we will face the temptation to question God's word, then deny what God's word says, then do what we want.
2. Jesus said that the devil is a liar. (John 8:44)
3. Revelation 12:9 says that the devil deceives the whole world.
4. In Ephesians 6:11, Paul wrote about the “wiles of the devil.”
a. The word wiles is translated from the Greek word methodeia which means 1) cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery. (Thayer)
b. Remember, the devil is cunning, he is deceitful, and he is trickery.
5. Let us consider some methods used by the devil to deceive us.
a. The devil will put forth the idea that sinful deeds are acceptable.
b. He will put forth the idea that sins are excusable and that we should not be held accountable for sinning.
c. He puts forth the idea that compassion and mercy should enable us to not hold others accountable for their sins.
6. Have we been tricked by the devil? Ask yourself how would you deal with the following sins.
7. Do you feel that sin is either A. acceptable, B. excusable, or C. not something for which you should hold someone accountable. Consider the following examples:
a. Sexually Immoral would include fornication, adultery, and any activities associated with such outside of the realm of lawful marriage. (Revelation 21:8)
b. Hatred - One who has feelings of contempt for other people. These feelings go beyond just the dislike of actions. Hatred is the total feeling of contempt for a person's very being. (Galatians 5:19)
c. Violent - One who attempts to solve their problems by physical confrontations. They have the goal of hurting others. (Romans 1:30)
d. Contentions - One who causes strife, discord, or problems among other people. (Galatians 5:19-21)
e. Envy - this is the desire to have something that you do not have, maybe something that someone else possesses. (Galatians 5:19-21)
f. Outbursts of wrath - Paul told Timothy to be angry and sin not. Outbursts of wrath is what happens when one lets their anger turn into a sinful act. (Galatians 5:19-21)
g. Selfish ambitions - This person only cares about what he wants. His desire and needs are more important and come before everyone else's desire and need. (Galatians 5:19-21)
h. Lying - This is the action of one who sets out to deceive. A liar will fabric stories and twist the truth to make others believe something contrary to the truth of the situation. (Revelation 21:8)
i. Drunkenness, social drinking - There are those who engage in social drinking and drunkenness. Social drinking is condemned in I Peter 4:3. (Galatians 5:19-21)
8. Knowing how the devil tries to trap us, we should prepare ourselves so that we can defend ourselves against the great tempter.
III. PREPARING TO DEFEND YOURSELF.
A. The first step in your defense is to be truly devoted to the Lord. (Romans 12:1-2) If you are devoting your whole service to the Lord, there will not be any time left to fall into the traps of Satan.
B. The second step in defending yourself is studying the Word of the Lord so that you will know a temptation when you see it coming. (2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 4:12) If you do know come to know God's word, then you will fall into sin at every form of temptation.
C. By studying the word, you will come to recognize the form of temptation so that you can avoid the temptation. (1 Thessalonians 5:22) - form - shape, sight, appearance. If you see evil coming, you avoid that evil.
D. You must apply the word of God in your life. (Romans 12:1)
1. Put on the armor of God and use the sword of the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:10-17)
2. The word of God gives us everything we need to live a faithful life and to know right from wrong. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
3. Do like David and enjoy and meditate upon the word of the Lord. (Psalms 1:1-3)
CONCLUSION.
A. Sadly, too many Christians are being devoured by the devil.
1. They are not watching.
2. They are ignorant of the Word.
3. They are not totally devoted to serving the Lord.
B. If you are guilty of becoming a daily meal for the devil, then turn back to the Lord by repenting of your sins, asking God to forgive you, then do away with the sinful behaviors within your life.
C. If you are not a Christian, you are already on the devil's dinner table. Become a child of God today thereby having all your past sins forgiven. Then, life a faithful unto God and you will spend eternity in Heaven.
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Avoiding the Devil's Dinner - December 14, 2003 -- File # 228, 1400
by John M. Duvall -- Lawton, OK