Fighting the Good Fight of Faith #4: Satan S Nature

“FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH #4: SATAN’S NATURE”

GENESIS 3:1-6; JOB 1:6-12

INTRO: We have often heard it said that words reveal character. Our Lord

Jesus said in Matthew 12:34b—“…outoftheabundanceoftheheart

themouthspeaketh.” Three times in the Scriptures we see the very

words of Satan. And each time these words reveal the true

character of our Adversary. The word “Satan” is translated from a

Greek word that means “slanderer, adversary, opponent.” If words

truly reveal character then an examination of Satan’s words will

teach us about his true nature and help us understand motives and

defend ourselves against his attacks.

Folks, I want us to see a strategy that Satan uses often when waging

warfare against the saints; and that is: SLANDER! A “slanderer” is

“one injures by uttering false reports.” (Funk & Wagnall’s Standard

Desk Dictionary. Volume 2, N-Z. p. 631). Someone has said, "Slanders

are like flies, that pass all over a man's good parts to light on his

sores."- Unknown - _Instant Quotation Dictionary_, p. 273. Friends, is

this not how Satan operates, by lies, accusations, and false reports.

Does he not look for our weak areas and vulnerabilities so he can

attack us there the hardest? In Revelation 12:10 he is called, “…the

accuser of our brethren…which accused them before our God day and

night.” Please note with me the words, “…which accused them before

our God day and night.” He never ceases bringing these accusations

nor will he cease until he is cast into the lake of fire in the last

day. Revelation 20:10 tells us, “And the devil that deceived them

was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the

false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and

ever.”

Friends, tonight I want us to look at the three times in the Bible in

which we see the very words of Satan. These words will give us

insight into his character so that we be “…not ignorant of his devices.”

(2 Corinthians 2:11). Satan slanders in three areas:

(1) SATAN SLANDERS THE CHARACTER OF GOD

GENESIS 3:1-6—“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the

field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman,

Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the

trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst

of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye

touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall

not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,

then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing

good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for

food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired

to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and

gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

A. HE SLANDERS GOD’S TRUTHFULNESS. Listen to his question to Eve in

v1—“ Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The

devil puts a question mark where God puts a period! “He generally doesn’t

come at you and say, ‘God’s Word isn’t true.’ Rather, he says, “Does God’s

Word really say…?’ or ‘Is that really the right interpretation of that verse?’”

(Charles F. Stanley. When The Enemy Strikes. p. 40). Satan asked Eve, “Is

it true that God has restricted you from using certain fruits in this beautiful

place? That sure does not sound like One who is so good and kind. There

must be some mistake.” Satan instilled doubt in Eve’s mind. Many people

believe their doubts and doubt their beliefs. They listen to Satan’s lies

instead of standing strong in their faith! Friend, Satan wants you to believe

that no one can understand what this Bible really means. He wants you to

believe that God’s truth is open to interpretation and that it means different

things to different people. And it seems that in this slander of God’s

truthfulness Satan is gaining ground.

ILLUS: In two national surveys conducted by Barna Research, one among

adults and one among teenagers, people were asked if they believe

that there are moral absolutes that are unchanging or that moral

truth is relative to the circumstances. By a 3-to-1 margin (64% vs.

22%) adults said truth is always relative to the person and their

situation. The perspective was even more lopsided among

teenagers, 83% of whom said moral truth depends on the

circumstances, and only 6% of whom said moral truth is absolute.

(Americans Are Most Likely to Base Truth on Feelings.

Homosexuality is a topic of hot debate in our world today. Even many who

consider themselves Christians condone the immoral practice. But God’s

Word is PLAIN! In Leviticus 18:22 God declares, “Thou shalt not lie with

mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

ILLUS: Peter James Lee, one of 60 Episcopal bishops who voted to approve

the appointment of Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as bishop

of New Hampshire, said, “If you must make a choice between

heresy and schism, always choose heresy.” (Breakpoint with

Charles Colson, Commentary #040205, 02-05-04).

Always choose heresy? What happened for standing for our convictions?

What about the Scripture which declares, “yea, let God be true, but every

man a liar”? (Romans 3:4). Friends, it matters not what man believes but

what matters is THUS SAITH THE LORD! Many today say, “Our world is

changing.” To them I would say, “TRUTH NEVER CHANGES!” If God says

it is SIN; it is SIN! If God says it is WRONG, it is WRONG!

B. HE SLANDERS GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS. Satan’s slander of God’s

character moves quickly from questioning to flat denial. V4 says, “And the

serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” Satan questions the

righteousness of God by suggesting that God will let sin go unpunished.

Satan would have us believe that God is so good that he will wink at sin and

overlook it. But the truth is that because of God’s holiness He MUST

punish sin!

ILLUS: A distressed father sat at the bedside of his comatose son, hurt

playing basketball. At a crucial point in the game the 16-year-old

lunged for an

errant pass going out of bounds. As he toppled over a spectator's

chair, one of its legs caught him in the stomach and damaged

vital organs. Because he felt little pain, the teen continued to play

the game's final minutes while he hemorrhaged internally. By the

time the pain grew enough to warrant a trip to hospital, it was

almost too late. The doctors worked frantically to save him, but

the outcome was uncertain. Though the son eventually

recovered, those awful hours of waiting for the slightest signs of

recovery forced family members to ask questions they'd never

before faced. The father was alone on his bedside shift one

evening when the pastor visited. Trembling with emotion, the

father asked, "Will God kill my son to punish my sin?" "No," said

the young minister, searching for words that would comfort and

grant renewed trust in the God this father now so desperately

needed. "The Lord's not punishing your son for your sin. He

couldn't, because God punished his son for your sin." --Bryan

Chapell, The Wonder of It All, (Crossway, 1999); quoted in Men of

Integrity, Vol. 4, no. 2, (March/April 2001).

Friends, even though the Lord has paid the debt for sin; we must still bear

the consequences of sin. God will not let sin go unchecked or unpunished.

Sin is an affront to the holiness of God, an abomination in his sight, and an

abuse of His great love and mercy! Yes friends, the price has been paid but

the penalty of sin still must be dealt with! Galatians 6:7 tells us, “Be not

deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he

also reap.” One of the biggest lies Satan tells people, and millions believe

the lie, is that you can sin and get away with it. Millions are living in sin.

They act as if they are never going to give an account to God for their sins,

but they are! Some say, “God loves us too much to punish sin.” They

have it backwards. God loves us to much not to punish sin! The Same

Bible which proclaims “God is love,” also says, “Our God is a consuming

fire.” God is a God of Love, but also He is a God of wrath. God HATES SIN

and it was because of SIN that Jesus had to die! Therefore God cannot

overlook sin. As Acts 17:30 tells us—“And the times of this ignorance God

winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” What

times is God speaking of here? The times when there was no revelation in

to those in darkness. (B. W. Johnson. The People’s New Testament. e-

Reserved Worldwide).Because of the revelation of the Gospel, God

commands ALL men EVERYWHERE to repent!

C. HE SLANDERS GOD’S GOODNESS. V5 says, “For God doth know that in

the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as

gods, knowing good and evil.” Here Satan slanders God by accusing God of

holding out on Eve. The devil is simply saying “Eve, God is trying to keep

you from things that will make you happy.” Satan would like us to believe

that God has made up a list of rules and regulations just to make us suffer.

Satan wants you to believe that when God tells us in His Word, do this or

don’t do that, that God is depriving us of pleasure. I enjoy being a

Christian! Since God saved me, I cannot imagine living without Him! But

what Satan does tell not tell man about God’s commandments is that the

commands of God are for our own good, whether we understand it or not.

And if we truly love Him, it is not hard to serve Him (1 John 5:2-3)! God

did not just sit in heaven, make man, and then randomly choose what

would be sin and what would not. Sin is sin because it is wrong in the

sight of God because He and He alone knows what is not in our best

interest!

ILLUS: There are two big lies that Satan has been perpetrating ever since

the Garden of Eden. The first is that God is mean, vindictive, a

spoilsport whose main role in life is to keep us from being fulfilled

and happy--when we step out of bounds, he takes delight in

making us pay. The second lie is that God really doesn't care what

we do--probably doesn't know. And if he does, his business is to

forgive us. He'll always forgive no matter what, so it really doesn't

make much difference how we live and what we believe. -- B.

Clayton Bell, "Many Happy Returns," Preaching Today, Tape No.

135.

SATAN’S NATURE is to SLANDER THE CHARACTER OF GOD and also…

(2) SATAN SLANDERS THE CHILDREN OF GOD

JOB 1:6-12—“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to

present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”

A. HE QUESTIONS THEIR DEVOTION. In v8 we read, “And the LORD said

unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him

in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and

escheweth evil?” Satan is called in John 8:44—“…aliar,andthefatherof

it,” and in Revelation 12:10—“the accuser of our brethren… which accused

them before our God day and night.” The Lord Jesus said that Satan

“…abodenotinthetruth,becausethereisnotruthinhim.” (John 8:44).

Satan told Eve that God was not good to her and was holding out on her.

But now he tells God that He has been to good to Job. Job was a devoted

man but Satan said, “…Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made a

hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every

side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is

increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he

hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” God allowed Satan to touch Job’s

life and to strip him of the things near and dear to him, but did Job waver

in his devotion? NO! Listen to Job’s words in vv. 21-22—“…Naked came I

out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave,

and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this

Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

B. HE QUESTIONS THEIR DEDICATION. In Zechariah 3:1-5 we read of

Satan accusing Joshua before God—“And he showed me Joshua the high

priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right

hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O

Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a

brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments,

and stood before the angel. And he answered and spoke unto those that

stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto

him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will

clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair miter upon

his head. So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with

garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.” Joshua the high priest here

is a picture of the priesthood at this time who had married strange wives

and forsaken the God given duties. It says here, “Satan standing at his right

hand to resist him…”. This was written during the time when the Temple

was being rebuilt. So whether Satan was trying to hinder his work from the

building of the Temple, or else was accusing him of sin, and bringing a

charge against him, he was resisting him in his service to God. Folks, any

time you are trying to do a work for God, Satan will question your

dedication! The business of Satan here was to accuse, to bring charges, to

plead for condemnation, and endeavour to get the sentence of it passed

againstJoshua; for he was at his right hand, to be an "adversary" to him

(John Gill’s Exposition of The Entire Bible. e-Sword. Version 7.6.1.

will say things to God such as, “They don’t have the ability to do what you

ask of them,” “They have too much sin in their lives to really devote

themselves to you,” and “They aren’t worthy to be called your servants”. But

Friends,because of grace what God calls us to do He also enables us to do,

what I confess to the Lord and forsake He forgives, and What He has

cleansed He has made worthy!

C. HE QUESTIONS THEIR DESTINATION. In Jude 9 we see Satan

contending with Michael over the body of Moses—“Yet Michael the

archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of

Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord

rebuke thee.” In Zechariah 3:1-5 and Jude 9 Satan is seen as the

prosecuting attorney leveling charges against the accused. When the people

of God fall into sin, Satan the accuser of the brethren, their avowed enemy,