Just last week I announced the beginning of a brand new series of sermons: Lift Him High, That all Peoples may Know Him. The goal? To challenge Cleary Baptist Church to change the world for the glory of God and the good of mankind. Such a challenge is sure to draw the fiery darts of the wicked one so get ready. These next six weeks could be the rockiest six weeks we have experienced in a long time IF we let the wicked one have his way. We must be on guard and there is no place better to guard than our own front door!
First Peter 5:8-9 warns us to, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith." Satan is busy! He is the enemy! He is seeking whom he may devour and his primary targets are the ones that threaten his kingdom. Anytime a church starts focusing on the mission and reaching, not just their community, but their country and their world, Satan gets serious. Peter warns us to be sober (clear headed) and vigilant (guarded). We must choose to resist Satan, his temptations, and his deception, even when the flesh cries out to surrender to him. We must be cautious, guarded, and resistant to his tactics. How can we do that in these crucial days?
First, we must be positive! Philippians 4:8 tells us, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things." If you are going to talk, talk positively! If you are going to listen, be sure what you listen to is positive! If you are going to broadcast information, be sure the information is positive. Think about the true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable things. As a man thinks in his heart so is he! (Proverbs 23:7) Slander, negative talk, complaining, and criticizing has NEVER positively impacted the kingdom of God. It has ALWAYS played into the hands of Satan. Be sure that YOU do not become an advocate of the deceiver! That is why the word tells us to "do all things without complaining and disputing (Phil 2:14). We should rejoice in the Lord always and again rejoice. We should give thanks in everything. We should trust in the sovereignty of our God to work all things together for good! Be positive!
Second, we must be willing to set aside our own preferences, feelings, desires, and opinions for the goal of the Gospel. First Corinthians 9:12 tells us that Paul was willing to "endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ." He was willing to bend, give, compromise (anything but scripture) and endure pain, suffering, persecution, and heartache in order to ensure that the Gospel of Christ was not hindered by his actions. If we are to be on guard against the wicked one and watchful against his tactics we must be willing to put up with just about anything in order to accomplish the task that God has called us to: reaching the lost with the Gospel. If that is the goal, reaching out to the lost and un-churched, we must be willing to give and endure all things for the sake of the Gospel. Before we speak, act, or respond, we should ask ourselves, "what impact will this have on the mission of Cleary Baptist Church?" If we will do that, Satan will have a hard time getting past the front door of our lives or our church!
Finally, to summarize the best way to resist the wicked one in our lives and in our church, we must simply die to ourselves. Anytime someone gets bent out of shape, it is due to the fact that they have not died to themselves. Oh yes, it is hard to do. When that certain someone gets under your skin or when things don’t go your way, it is so easy to get focused on me (Tommy Malley calls it an I infection). When that certain someone says that certain thing in that certain tone, isn’t it easy to resort to the flesh? And once you resort to the flesh it is much, much easier to remain in the flesh than to die to the flesh. Yes, it is sometimes difficult to die to yourself, especially when you have a personal interest in the matter at hand or your personal feelings have been impacted. Speaking for myself, it is the hardest thing to do: to say it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. It was even hard for Paul. That is why he said in First Corinthians 15:31, "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." But, if you want to resist Satan in your life and in your church, you must die to yourself and realize that it is really not about you. I remind myself of that every morning, every evening, and just before I go to bed. Kevin, this is not about you!
Satan perks his filthy, wretched ears up when he hears things like, "We are beginning a six part sermon series Sunday entitled, Lift Him High: That all Peoples may Know Him." He perks up his ears and begins working immediately in the hearts, minds, and lives of unsuspecting people to take the focus off of the goal: reaching the world for Christ. I want to warn you to be sober, be vigilant, and be resistant to his tactics. Be careful to stay positive, endure all necessary for the good of the Gospel, and die daily to yourself. Those steps will be sure to help close the door of your life on the devil, and protect the fellowship of Cleary from his wary tactics to steal, kill, and destroy. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith." "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith." 1 Peter 5:8-9
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