Westside Church of Christ

One of Satan’s greatest deceptions is convincing a gullible world that he is not a threat. He has been packaged as a somewhat harmless little guy in a red outfit who works his magic on a can of meat. Flip Wilson made a career with jokes that the devil made him do it. People are described as having a devil-may-care attitude. The master deceiver fooled Eve, and he hasn’t let up in the centuries since. He is still on the prowl.

The world may take him lightly, but that is a deadly mistake. His end game is destruction. Peter had experience in hand-to-hand combat with the evil one, and lost more than once. He describes him as a roaring lion who is searching for someone to eat up (1 Peter 5:8). He isn’t passive. He is absolutely on the move with his wicked, destructive intentions. It calls for focused attention and clear thinking to steer clear of his traps. He is craftier than we can imagine. Witness the first couple.

He slips in the side door looking totally innocent. In fact, he comes off as downright angelic in his costume of light and his servants give righteous impressions (2 Corinthians 11:12-15). They’re impressive, influential, absolutely lethal, and they are everywhere looking for the next victim. People do not run in fear from sheep, and he has that appearance hiding his wolf-like nature. He is accomplished and on the march.

His bag of tricks is stuffed with attractive illusions that stimulate our fleshly side. It’s a powerful force that enters through the eyes, takes up residence in our minds, stirs up deep desires, and overrides our spiritual senses. We know better. It isn’t an issue of ignorance but of human weakness. He hits us where we are most vulnerable. When Jesus fasted; Satan punched Him in the stomach first (Matthew 4:1-4). He knows us (a scary thought), and has a strategy for each individual.

The offspring of the devil continues his mission to seek and destroy. His ambition has always been governed by persuasive lies, ends in death, and religious people through the ages have fallen into his trap. He was active among the Jews in the days of Jesus (John 8:44), and he is busy in churches today. His sons and daughters are just as deceptive as he was (and is). They are, after all, his children. Like father like son.

God has not left us without defenses (Ephesians 6:10-17). He provided what we need to stand in the battle (And it is a ferocious battle!), but we must put every bit of the armor on. Head-to-toe protection is the only hope of survival that we have. It is a fight to the death, and we must always be alert and prayerful. It is a message from Gethsemane that we cannot afford to forget.

(Matthew 26:36-46).

Call to Praise: Acts 2:40-42

His word on it: Acts 2:42

Sermon: “Now What?”