Genesis 3 Seduced by Satan

SEDUCED BY SATAN (103)

Luke 11:14-28

James R. Davis

Introduction:

A. Satanic worship is attracting many today. There seems to be an inordinate interest in the Occult.
A few years ago, south of the Texas border, a young man was killed as a sacrifice in some sort of satanic worship.

B. We are hearing more and more about satanic worship. Many have begun to wear satanic jewelry, buy occult books, and practice occult rituals. We are hearing about cats offered as a sacrifice in satanic services. Researchers have identified four categories of involvement in Satanism:

1. The experimentalist or dabbler, who may be fascinated with occult books and items, horror movies, fantasy role-playing games, without ever becoming a part of a recognized satanic group.

2. Self-styled Satanist who moves from experimentation to set up a unique system of belief and practice.

3. The religious Satanist--serious practitioners, such as Anton LeVey, author of the Satanic Bible, who deny any criminal activity.

4. The intergenerational Satanist who pass the "family religion" down from one generation to another. Other occult groups, such as witches, prefer to distinguish themselves from Satanists.

C. Satan has a more subtle approach for those of us that feel repulsed. The worship may be more subtle.

Mt 7:21-23
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV)

I. There Are Essentially Two Kingdoms.

A. Christ speaks of Satan's kingdom.

Colossians 1:13-14
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (KJV)

1. Kingdom of darkness.

2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (KJV)

Ephesians 4:18
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: (KJV)

Revelation 2:24
But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. (KJV)

a. Satan does have those outside of Christ under his power.

b. The devil made me do it, a type of possession.

2. Kingdom of light.

John 1:5
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (KJV)

John 3:3-5
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (KJV)

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (KJV)

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (KJV)

B. The Bible affirms that we are either in the kingdom of darkness or the kingdom of light.

Joshua 24:15
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (NIV)

Matt 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (KJV)

John 17:14-16
"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

C. Many times it difficult to tell which kingdom an individual is in.

Luke 17:20-21
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (KJV)

D. It may even be difficult for the individual to understand to which kingdom he/she belongs.

The slave-making ant illustrates man's predicament. Hundreds of these ants of the Amazon periodically swarm out of their nest to capture neighboring colonies of weaker ants. After destroying resisting defenders, they carry off cocoons containing the larvae of worker ants. When these "captured children" hatch, they assume that they are part of the family and launch into the tasks they were born to do. They never realize that they are forced-labor victims of the enemy. Just as these little creatures are bound from the time of their birth, so we enter the world enslaved to sin and Satan.

E. Some try to straddle the fence.

1. Are you fully loyal? In time of war, an act of disloyalty isn't limited to taking up arms and actually fighting against one's own government. Just to encourage the foe in any way constitutes a breach of allegiance.

2. Man who bought food at a KFC was given the wrong bag. The manager gave him the days deposits that he had had placed in a KFC bag. The man discovered the money as he sat down to a picnic with his friend. He hurriedly took the money back to the KFC. The manager was so thankful for what he had done and he wanted to call the newspaper to get a write up in the local paper. But the man said, "You can't do that, you see the lady I was having a picnic with is not my wife."

II. Satan's Kingdom And Power Is Real.

A. Satan does have supernatural powers and he does have super-human powers.

Job 1:12
The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. (NIV)

2 Co 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (KJV)

Ephesians 2:1-3
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (KJV)

B. Human flesh is weak.

Mt 26:41
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (NIV)

Matt 6:23
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (KJV)

Romans 3:23 ". . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (NIV)

C. Satan cannot defeat you in anything God wants you to do.

III. To Which Kingdom Do I Belong?

A. Satan's attacks are real and he will not oppose himself.

Mark 3:23-27
And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. (KJV)

General George Patton of World War II fame was seldom at a loss for words. What he said during a battle in North Africa may be legend, but it typifies the man. Patton's troops and tanks were engaged in a successful counterattack of German forces under General Erwin Rommel. Patton is reported to have shouted in the thick of the battle, "I read your book, Rommel! I read your book!" And that he did. In Rommel's book, Infantry Attacks, the famed "Desert Fox" carefully detailed his military strategy. And Patton, having read it and knowing what to expect, planned his moves accordingly. Satan has authored no book, but God has fully exposed our enemy's tactics in His Holy Word. Study it and plan your defense.

An old legend tells of an angel who was sent by God to inform Satan that all the methods he uses to defeat man would be taken from him. The devil pleaded to be allowed to keep just one. "Let me retain depression," he begged. The angel, thinking this is a modest request, agreed. "Good!" he exclaimed, as he laughed to himself. "In that one gift, I have secured all." In his book Depression, What It Is and What to Do About It, Roger Barrett describes this condition as "a miserable, wretched experience that leaves you exhausted, uninvolved, and in deep, hopeless despair. There seems to be absolutely nowhere to turn and not one single thing you can do to escape these horrible feelings. You feel doomed, trapped, and at the end of your rope....It's awful!"

1. Satanism is attracting American teenagers. Four forces that lure them:

a. Thirst for power and knowledge.

b. Peer pressure.

c. Curiosity.

d. Hopelessness.

2. Satanism may attract adults in other ways. One's vision dominates life.

a. Looking backward, arrests progress-- Lots' wife. (Gen 19:26. ) We adults look back and dwell on what could, should, or would have been.

Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (KJV)

b. Looking at difficulties depresses, Peter sinks.

Mt 14:29-30
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (KJV)

3. Many are deeply concerned about evil entering their lives. Their focus is on keeping Satan out. But they only make room for him to return.

Lk 11:24-26 24
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, `I will return to the house I left.' 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." (NIV)

Ephesians 4:28
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. (NIV)

B. Satan must be crowded out.

1. Can't focus only on what is wrong. We must focus on the positive.

2. We must focus on what we must be doing; we must be focusing on doing the positive that needs to be done. Satan will be crowded out with no place to return.

3. There is more that this congregation can't do than there is things it can do. That's true with each person. Focusing on what we can't do takes our focusing away from what we can do.

4. We think to ourselves that we are inadequate. The devil loves it. Focus on your inadequacies. We focus on multi-talented persons and think well that's what we need to make this place get up and go.
We exclude people less talented.

IV. To Whom Shall We Go?

A. Looking Christward saves.

Numbers 21:9
So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when a snake bit anyone and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. (NIV)

John 3:14-15
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. (NIV)

Jude 1:9
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (NIV)

Some translations of the Bible render the term "rock badgers" in Proverbs 30:26 to read "coneys." A coney is a weak, timid, furry little rabbitlike animal. It has no way to defend itself from its fierce enemies--the weasel, the hawk, the fox, and the eagle. Therefore, this vulnerable creature lives among rocks, and it never ventures far from home. When a coney spots an enemy, it doesn't stand its ground and try to fight. It wouldn't last a minute. Rather, it scurries away and hides down among the rocks where it cannot be reached. Knowing its own weakness, the coney finds its protection "in the crags." Every Christian can learn a valuable lesson from this little creature. Sometimes when Satan attacks us, we try to defend ourselves against his onslaught without immediately fleeing to God for help. We make firm resolves and try to defeat him in our own strength. But Satan is far more powerful than we are. He is also a slick and crafty deceiver. How much better to flee for safety to the Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ! We just can't fight the devil by ourselves. But through diligent prayer and strong faith in God, we can find the safety we need. As the psalmist said, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

B. The kingdom of God did come in the lifetime of those living on earth when Jesus visited the earth. The kingdom of God brought to us the power we need to overcome Satan.

Mk 9:1
And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. (KJV)

Mt 16:18-19
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (NIV)

Mk 3:27
No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. (KJV)

John 10:28-29
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (KJV)

CONCLUSION:

1. Satanic Worship may not be as obvious in some lives as others, but it is none-the-less real.

Romans 13:12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (KJV)

2. There is a solution. By receiving Christ we are released from the condemnation of sin. Then by the Holy Spirit's power we can begin serving Christ where we are. We are all servants of one master or the other. Our decision, as Joshua pointed out, is not whether we will serve, but whom we will serve.

John 1:4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Mt 4:16
The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. (KJV)

John 3:19
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (KJV)

John 8:12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (KJV)

1 John 1:6
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (KJV)

1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (KJV)

1 John 3:10
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (KJV)

John 12:35
Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. (KJV)

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