THESIS: To reveal Satanic strategy re: his pursuit of believers and ultimate goal.
INTRO: A. God did not create the devil. He created a being named Lucifer and he was given an exalted position as one of 5 cherubim surrounding the throne of God. He became Satan because of his pride. He didn’t murder anyone, steal anything or cheat anyone. He became the devil when his heart was lifted up in pride.Pride is the basis for his and all sin. Lucifer said: “I will” 5 times. Finally he said “I will be like the most High.” The name “Most High” means “the Highest One,”“the strongest Strong One,” “the One with no equal.”His ambition was to usurp God’s position as God.
B. When Satan attacks you or anyone, he is ultimately taking a shot at the Lord. “SATAN IS NOT AFTER YOU” per se, but he knows “YOU ARE A DOOR TO SOMEONE ELSE” and ultimately a door to get back at God Himself. When he tempts you he is trying to get you to leave the door open on somebody else, and for them to leave the door open on somebody else, to leave a path of destruction all the way to the throne of God. We are rarely, if ever, the main object of the attack.
I. SATAN WANTS TO GET AT GOD THROUGH YOU:
A. The Domino Effect:
1. He attacks the individual to get at the family.
ILLUS: Satan will attack you to get at your kids. He knows if he can get you backslidden, if will affect your wife, your husband and/or your kids. That mom or dad is a fool who thinks that his or her children are not affected every time they lay out of church. Sooner or later, the kids will make the same choice. Your heart will be broken later, because of your decision now.
2. He attacks the family to get to the church.
ILLUS: When the family goes into spiritual eclipse, the church suffers. Every family is of vital importance to the ministry of the church. The church needs YOU, your ministry, your finances, your talents, etc. When you stop coming, serving and giving the ripple effect reaches to the mission fields of the world. Lost souls hang in the balance.
3. He attacks the church to get to the lost world.
ILLUS: When the church is bickering, or failing in some area of ministry, the lost are not being reached and Satan drags more lost souls to hell. Every ministry in the church ultimately affects a lost world. If we stop the bus ministry, lost boys and girls and their parents are deprived of the saving message of the Gospel. If we stop the school ministry, future teachers, preachers, and workers will never become a reality and the lost are deprived of someone to tell them of God’s love. If we stop the deaf ministry the deaf will not be able to reach their deaf friends, etc., etc….
4. He attacks the world to get to the very heart of God, Who sent His own Son to die for the world.
ILLUS: No man is an island. What you do has more far-reaching effects than you can even dream of. There is a 🔹spiritual battle raging on the cosmic level between God and Satan, and you may just be a pawn in that battle. 🔹If Satan can get to you, he can ultimately get to God. Job was such a pawn. He was a good and godly man but 🔹Satan wanted to discredit God so he attacked Job. 🔹He attacked his home, possessions, family and all he had. 🔹His purpose was to have Job curse God! He almost succeeded when Job cursed the day of his birth!
II. SATAN WANTS TO DESTROY THE LOST THROUGH YOU:
A. He Will Attempt To Neutralize Your Testimony:
1. People are watching you because you claim to be saved. 2. When you do something shady or questionable, you testimony is lost and some soul will be destroyed forever. 3. He will attack your character so your lifestyle doesn’t match your testimony.
B. He Will Attempt To Nullify Your Witness:
1. He will tempt you to sin, so no one will listen to your witness. 2. He will focus on your faults, so the lost cannot see the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, and be saved.
III. SATAN WANTS TO WRECK OTHERS THROUGH YOU:
A. He Will Attack Leaders To Get To The Followers:
1. Peter was the best leader and had the strongest personality among the Apostles.
a. Leadership doesn’t confer spirituality. b. Peter was the best leader, but John was the best Christian.
ILLUS: After the resurrection (!), 🔸Peter was discouraged and said “I go a fishing…” He wasn’t just saying he was going out to catch a few fish or wet a line or get some R&R., he was saying 🔸he was quitting the ministry! 🔸He was going back to his former lifestyle. The others said: “We also go with thee.” 🔸He didn’t invite them, or try to persuade them, 🔸he just set the wrong example! 🔸The leader left God’s will and the followers went with him. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, went along! (Jn. 21:1-7) Satan had bigger fish to fry than just Peter. He was after all the disciples. 👉Peter had the distinction of leading the others away from the Lord, including the best Christian among them! 👉Peter was just a door to John and the others. 👉“YOU ARE A DOOR TO SOMEONE ELSE” also. 👉When Satan attacked Peter, he was not the main object. The others were not the main object. 👉He was attacking the Church and he was attacking the Church to get to the world and he was attacking the world to get to God! Every attack of Satan is done with God in mind. Everyone is a door to someone else. This is especially true of leaders.
2. Satan attacked Eli’s sons, but they weren’t the main objects, he was attacking Eli the preacher, to get to the people of God and to get them to mistrust the priesthood, which would get at God Himself. (Hophni and Phineas left the door open on Eli, who left the door open on the people.) 3. Satan attacked Eve to get to Adam, but Adam wasn’t the main object, he was attacking the human race, to get to the Creator Himself. (Eve left the door open on Adam, who left the door open on humanity.)
ILLUS: When Napoleon found out about a man on guard duty sleeping, he had him executed because he had jeopardized the lives of many others. One night Napoleon had set the guard and as he walked the perimeter of the encampment, he found a guard sleeping with his musket by his side. Napoleon stood that man’s guard that night. In the morning the guard woke up and saw Napoleon and cried out “Oh, no, he’s come and I was asleep.” Napoleon turned and shot him! When the leader falls or fails, he jeopardizes many others. Every leader is a door which accesses the followers. When he fails, he places them in jeopardy.
4. Satan attacked David to get to the people, but the attack was really directed against David and Israel’s God in the eyes of their enemies.
ILLUS: When we think of David’s sin we usually think of adultery. His greater sin was that of pride. In 1 Chron.21:1 it says Satan stood up against David and provoked him to number the people. He had just won a great victory and in pride he counted the troops in his army as if to say “Look what we have done,” and failed to give the glory to God. 😢When he committed adultery six people died. 😭When he sinned in pride, 30,000 men died! (Some who have never committed adultery will do more damage with your pride than those who have sinned sexually!)
B. He Will Attack Followers To Get To The Leaders:
1. The children of Israel murmured and got Moses angry; he struck the rock the second time and lost his place of leadership in the Promised Land. 2.The strength of the pulpit is not in the pulpit, it is in the pew.
Ps. 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
ILLUS: The Bible speaks of “foundations.” ✨Foundations are not built for beauty, but for strength. They hold up what you can see. The pulpit is what is visible, but the pew is where the strength lies. When you go down, the work of the church goes down, because you are the foundation. Everybody is a foundation to somebody. ✨Somebody is leaning on you!
CONCL: If you are under Satanic attack remember, “SATAN IS NOT AFTER YOU” but “YOU ARE A DOOR TO SOMEONE ELSE!” 👿Satan has bigger fish to fry than YOU. He may get you, but he is after your family, the church and ultimately the Lord. Don’t get caught cooperating with Satan in his strategy of discrediting or blaspheming the Lord of glory!