THE WILES OF THE DEVIL

THE WILES OF THE DEVIL

Text: Ephesians 6:10-12.

Delivered on: September 16, 2007. Streetsboro.

Ephesians 6:10-12. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Introduction.

1. The wise man said… Ecclesiastes 3:1. To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:8. A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

2. As Christians, we are at war.

3. 2 Timothy 2:1-3. You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ³ You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

4. This war isn’t fought over a piece of land or a political ideology.

5. It is fought for the very souls of mankind.

6. In Ephesians 6:11, Paul tells us to put on the armor of God. We will discuss this armor tonight.

7. The purpose of wearing this armor is so that we might stand against the wiles of the devil.

   1. Wiles = deceit, trickery.

   2. 2 Corinthians 11:3. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

   3. John 8:44. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

8. Lets spend a few moments thinking about the wiles of the Devil. Lest we be ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11. Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

9. How is it that he tries to deceive us?

Body.

1. Discouragement.

   1. The devil is going to do whatever he can to discourage you.

      1. His goal is to make you curse God. Job 1:9-11. So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

      2. He is hoping that you are stony soil. Matthew 13:20-21. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

      3. He is literally trying to destroy you. 1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

   2. This discouragement comes in many different forms.

      1. Friends may not treat you the same.

         1. Matthew 5:11-12. "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

         2. 1 John 3:1. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

      2. You may be ridiculed for your faith.

      3. Financial problems.

         1. Many assume that with salvation will come material wealth.

         2. When that does not happen they become discouraged and feel betrayed by God.

      4. People are often discouraged by health problems.

   3. The Devil is deceitful in that he tries to convince us that things would be better if we would just give up on our faith.

      1. He tries to convince us that the grass is greener on the other side.

      2. Genesis 3:5. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

      3. This is part of the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13. But exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

2. Distraction.

   1. Maybe instead of causing you to fall because of discouragement, the Devil will try to distract you.

      1. He’ll try to get you to focus your energies somewhere else.

      2. He’ll try to keep you so busy that you don’t have time to do what God wants you to do.

      3. After all, sins of omission will cause us to be lost just as fast as sins of commission. James 4:17. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

   2. God wants our total commitment to Him.

      1. Matthew 22:37. Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

      2. It has always been that way. Exodus 20:1-6. And God spoke all these words, saying: ² "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ³ You shall have no other gods before Me. ⁴ "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

      3. He doesn’t want us worshipping false gods and He doesn’t want us worshipping this world. Colossians 3:5. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

   3. The Devil is deceitful in this as well.

      1. He’ll try to convince us that these things are just as important as our service to God.

      2. He’ll tell us, “God wants you to be happy doesn’t he?”

3. Discord.

   1. Discord = disagreement between persons or things; difference of opinions; contention; strife.

      1. The Devil really likes this one.

      2. Why? Because it works on those within the church and without.

      3. When there is discord among believers, it causes all kinds of problems.

      4. Sometimes this discord is caused by prideful brethren and sometimes it is caused by false teachers.

   2. Those outside the church often are “turned off” to Christianity because of all the discord among those who call themselves “Christians.”

      1. Jesus warned us of this. John 17:20-21. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

      2. John 13:34-35. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

      3. Hence, the reason that God is so adamant about unity.

         1. Romans 15:5-6. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, ⁶ that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

         2. 1 Corinthians 1:10. Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

   3. Many times, people within the church leave because of discord as well.

   4. The Devil will tell them.

      1. “That can’t be the true church, look at the way they’re acting.”

      2. “If they can’t agree on the truth, how can you expect to find the truth?”

4. Disgrace.

   1. The Devil will try to convince some that they are a disgrace.

      1. He will try to convince some that they are an embarrassment to the church.

      2. He will try to convince them that they don’t deserve salvation.

   2. Often people get so disgusted with their inability to resist temptation that they just give up.

   3. We need to be like Peter.

      1. He failed the Lord miserably. Matthew 26:75. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.

      2. Yet he didn’t stay down.

      3. He picked himself up and got back to work.

      4. Then he failed again. Galatians 2:11-13. Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

      5. Yet he didn’t stay down.

      6. He picked himself up and got back to work.

Conclusion.

1. We are in a spiritual warfare.

2. The enemy is the Devil.

3. Knowing his tactics will help to prepare us to win the battle.