Today’s message of August 9, 2015 from Pastor Gus Brown:
Satan hates you so much. He throws stumbling blocks at you. He wants to knock you out.
Satan wants to hinder your Christian walk and your faith. Why does he go to all of this trouble? You get all of his attention and you haven’t done anything. He does it because he knows he can’t defeat God, but he certainly can defeat you.
He fights with us on the decision that we make to trust Jesus Christ. If we obey Jesus, he persistently picks on us. Satan’s anger intensifies because he knows he is defeated in the end; however, he continues to attack the body of Christ and those who are God’s chosen people.
Satan’s defeat experiences come from God’s intervention:
- Satan’s first defeat–thrown out of heaven (Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:9)
- The fall of man (Genesis 3)
- Abraham and Sarah (Isaac) (Genesis 17:19)
- Israel’s destruction (Jeremiah 4:22; Jeremiah 25:8-11) – a period of 70 years
- Birth of Jesus (Matthew 2:13) – Escape to Egypt
- Jesus’ mission (Matthew 4:10) – “Get away from Me, Satan, for it is written…”
- Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 1:4)
- Satan cannot rule over the saints (Revelation 12:11)
- Satan’s beast and false prophet defeated (Revelation 19:20)
- Satan is defeated after being set free after being detained for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:10) – this time forever and ever.
Revelation 20:10
The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the
beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Satan knows his end, and that is why he is angry. He will continue to wreak havoc on people and the church–those who follow Christ. Yet, God allows all of this to happen.
He wants you to believe that he does not exist. He wants you to believe that he cannot cause chaos in your life and family. He does indeed exist. Any belief that he is not around is contrary to Scripture.
Satan will deceive you to believe that all of your problems are the result of your trusting in God. Sin is powerful and it breaks up relationships.
Revelation 12:13-17
When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. The woman was given two wings of a giant eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time. From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent. But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war against the rest of her offspring–those who keep God’s commands and have the testimony about Jesus.
Satan is out to persistently hurt those who desire to follow Jesus Christ. He is out to hurt you because you chose to be on “the other team.”
His goal is to break you down to the point where you lose your love (block your view) of Jesus Christ.
Even when there are days where you cannot see Jesus, keep looking for Him and trusting Him (Matthew 7:7).
God indeed provides protection for Israel.
Psalm 115:12
The Lord remembers us and will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.
Exodus 19:4
You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me.
2 Timothy 4:18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safety into His heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
Satan is powerful, but God is more powerful. God is always present to preserve and protect his people. Rome had threatened to destroy Christianity, but God enabled the people to help prevent this.
Matthew 16:18
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.
Ephesians 5:23
…for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body.
Colossians 1:18
He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.
Satan is attacking the offspring (Revelation 12:17).
Galatians 3:29
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
Satan attacks those who obey God’s commandments (John 14:21). He opposes those
who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Those who provide evidence of salvation have a testimony that proclaims Jesus.
When you desire to keep Jesus’ commandments, evil will be there in your midst.
Turning your life over to Jesus gives you the ultimate victory. That is something to praise Him about!
Satan’s desire is to remove the evidence of salvation in the life of the believer–silence the believer in such a way that there is no visible evidence of Christianity.
Romans 10:13-17
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things! But all did not obey the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.
Isaiah 45:22
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other.
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The good news is that God’s power remains evident in the life of a believer who trusts in Him. Satan will attack and try to cause difficulty, but you can be a powerful testimony for Christ to others…a witness for Christ.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 