2 Corinthians 2:11 Part 2

2 Corinthians 2:11
Part 2
Theme: Satan’s Devices
Read 2:7-11

Last message I preached on the topic of Satan; the theme was Satan’s origins. We saw that Satan is a created being, an actual person, who is subordinate to (and far from equal with) God. Satan led a rebellion in heaven that resulted in his fall as well as the fall of as many as 1/3 of the angels of heaven.

The Character Flaws the Led to His Demise:
Satan fell because of three main character flaws: pride, vanity and ambition. He let his pride and vanity cause him to foolishly attempt to seize the throne from God. Satan is a usurper; he enters where he has no authority and seeks to take control because his desire is to rule over all things whether it be the family, the church, the nation or the universe. He has an insatiable longing to be in control!

The Strategy That Led to Our Demise:
1. Attack the Man
Satan’s strategy is to focus his effort on leadership. That was His strategy in the Corinthian church and it was his strategy in the garden when he began his whisper campaign that led Eve to sin. His inquiry was first meant to undermine the authority of Eve’s husband, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1) as if to say, how do you know your husband is telling you the truth?
The implication (or should I say accusation) is that Adam was lying to Eve (for some unknown motive).

Satan still works to undermine the husband’s authority and trustworthiness in the home and ladies you need to be aware that there are times when you are allowing Satan to have a foot hold in your marriage by the way that you undermine and defy your husbands by questioning his motives in spiritual matters.

2. Attack God
Satan also includes God in his accusation saying,
“You will not surely die. 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.” (v. 4b-5).

The allegation is that, “okay, maybe you believe her husband BUT how do you know that God is trustworthy?” “God lied to Adam because He doesn’t want you to be like Him!” is what Satan is saying. That wasn’t very democratic of God! What other secrets is He keeping from you? According to his son, they live in a mansion while you live in a garden. He has a robe that fills the temple with glory, but you’re naked! You should have the same things as God and this tree is keeping you from it.

Oooh Satan’s indignation at God for lying to Eve must have been so apparent to her. I am sure Eve was comforted by the illusion of Satan’s desire for the truth. Isn’t it like that when you hear gossip about someone you hate? Who cares if it’s true, it feeds my prejudices; never mind that I’ve just committed a grievous sin by participating in gossip and hearsay.

But Satan cares little for ethics and morality much less truth because lies bring the unwitting under his authority. He’s a liar… he’s the accuser and so he has earned the title the Accuser of the Brethren and the Father of Lies.

The Locus of Satan’s Attack
1. He Goes After The Church
I said this before, but it bears repeating, Satan focuses his attack on God’s people because he already has unbelievers where he wants them and it requires little effort for him to keep them there. But he wants you to apostasize; he wants you to curse Jesus; he wants you to enthrone yourself as God. And he will do everything in his means to accomplish his goals.

2. He Goes After Church Leaders
Satan knows that he can do more damage to the faith of individuals by going after fathers and parents and pastors and Sunday school teachers and other leaders in the church. Strike the shepherd and scatter the sheep- that’s his strategy; that’s his mission statement. That’s what he wanted in Corinth. That’s what he wants in Surrey!

The Modus of His Attack: Accuse and Lie
1. He Did it To Jesus
We see this all through the gospels. Time and time again the enemies of Christ sought opportunity to accuse him:
· Rather than rejoice at the fact that Jesus had healed a man of his withered hand restoring his ability to earn a living for his family. The religious people launched an investigation to make sure he dotted all of his doctrinal I’s and crossed all of his tradtion T’s. So they asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath “so that they might accuse him” (Matt 12:10);
· “…the scribes and the Pharisees began to …cross-examine Him 54…seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him (Lk 11:53ff);
· In John chapter 8 they brought a women caught in adultery and questioned Jesus about what punishment is due her so that they might accuse him if he showed her mercy;
· When they finally failed to find fault with him, these seditious men simply made up lies and false charges against him accusing him of breaking secular and sacred laws by inciting Israel to rebel against their Roman occupiers as well as threatening to destroy the temple.

The Means: Confessing Believers
These accusations have their origin with Satan! He used religious men and women to do it- people who were convinced that they rendering a service to God by accusing God’s Son of treachery!

1. His Vast Arsenal
While it’s true that Satan assails the church from without by means of persecution from other religions, family members and the State. That is not as effective as attacking us from within because persecution often strengthens the church and the gospel spreads more rapidly when it is suppressed. Satan can also use depression, fear, weak faith, and temptation to assault the church. But his best weapon; his weapon of mass destruction is to turn Christians against each other and cause divisions in the church through gossip and slander.

2. Why Do We Let Him Do It?
Why would anyone give Satan such a foothold? Pride, Vanity, Ambition! The very thing that caused Satan’s fall; the very thing that caused our ancient parent’s fall; the very thing that causes divisions and enmity in churches today! Cults get along better than believers! Pride, Vanity, Ambition!

Don’t be alarmed that I have said that believers can be Satan’s instruments, after all, Satan caused David to sin; 1 Chronicles 21 says, “Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.” The result was to bring God’s wrath against the nation and seventy thousand men died of disease and sickness.

It happened in the New Testament too. Remember how Peter was commended by Jesus for confessing that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God. But not two seconds later Jesus rebuked him as the instrument of Satan saying “Get behind me Satan” when Peter tried to prevent Jesus from going to the cross.

The Bible also warns that elders in the church can succumb to Satan’s devices. It says an elder “must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Tim 3:7). Believers who get caught up in foolish and ignorant disputes are said to be in the “snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Ti 2:23-26).

James goes so far as to say this about people who cause divisions in the church: “[Their] tongue is so set among [their] members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). He’s saying that gossip and slander originates in hell- it’s demonic. These are believers he’s talking about!

2. False Believers Do it Too
It is also well known that false believers can come in and plunder the church. These are a hundred times more sinister and menacing than a disgruntled believer who has haplessly become Satan’s tool because the false believer has a very explicit mission to destroy the church.

Judas is an example of this kind of person. Remember how he kissed Jesus on the church while at the same time he was betraying him into the hands of evil men? And just a few short days earlier—do you remember how he rebuked Mary for pouring that perfume on Jesus when it could have been sold and the money given to the poor? What a great guy, so benevolent, so spiritual.

3. The False Apostles in Corinth
This is the very problem Paul is dealing with in Corinth. He even says as much in chapter 11 where he laments the Corinthians willingness to listen to the false teachers who were slandering Paul in the church there:
3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted….4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached… you may well put up with it!

And then skip over to verse 19-20,
19 For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! 20 For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage [through lies], if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face….

But look how Paul describes the wicked nature of his adversaries in v. 13:
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Paul charged them with being demon possessed or at least, like the demons. Their goal is to control the church and bring the Corinthians into bondage, which ultimately is slavery to Satan. Their strategy is just like Satan’s—slander the leader; accuse him; point out his flaws: he dresses leg a beggar; he not truthful about his travel plans, he’s steeling money, he’s a bad preacher, he’s not a real apostle, he’s strong in letter but weak in person….

As a pastor I have also experienced this (personal testimony as God leads)

Paul Exhortation
So Paul, the object of Satan’s accusations says, in 2 Corinthians 2 let’s put an end to this division, “Lest Satan should take advantage of us….” Other translations say “outwit us” or “exploit us.”

Church, if we are not ignorant of his devices; if we are mindful of his mind, why have we allowed him to ravage us? Why have some people opened wide the door and rolled out the red carpet to the very one who accuses God of lying and time and time again sought to obstruct our Lord from saving our souls?

We are not ignorant of his devices; Satan’s desire is to destroy the church. His mind is to subjugate us to his vanity and proud ambition. His aim is to set brother against brother in the church; his aim is to slander each one of us and to believe the slander we hear about everyone else, his aim is to bring us under condemnation; his aim is to destroy our testimony and rob us of our joy and victory; his aim is to prevent anyone from hearing the gospel.

Application
Last week I asked you before you came forward to take the communion to make a commitment to God that you would be willing to resist the devil, but I left it ambiguous as to how you were going to do that. This week I want to suggest the means to resisting the devil in the church:

First, just so that you don’t think I’m making this up, here’s what scripture says:
1. Note that God hates a divisive man
16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren. (Pr 6:16-19).

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled (Heb 12:14-15).

2. And the Bible warns that the church will always be open to attacks from divisive ment
29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. (Acts 20:29-31).

3. Also note that scripture is pretty explicit about accusations in the church

19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. 20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. (1 Tim 5:20

4. The Bible Commands all Christians to put a stop to it

10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers….11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. (Titus 1:10-11)

So what’s the point?

Watch your mouths and guard your ears. Don’t join in on gossip and hearsay. If you feel someone is leading you down the trail of gossip, change the subject, if they persist say something nice about the person being discussed, if they continue to try to take you down the trail warn them, ask them if they’ve spoken to the person in question to see if its true. If it’s an accusation, put a stop to it. At some point, Matthew 18:15 must be invoked and it will become a matter of church discipline.

This is not optional, the church is at risk here. Satan is asking you for permission to come and if you join the gossip and slander and false accusations, you are giving him the invitation to come in and have his way with the bride of Christ!