Introduction: 1. The apostle Peter wrote 2 letters
for the benefit of Christians.
a. They contain some helpful
information that the Lord wants us to know.
b. They also contain some
instructions that the Lord wants us to practice. 2. In 1 Peter 5:8-9 we are given
some information and some instructions that relate to the devil.
a. The information: 1) The devil is our adversary.
2) He is constantly looking for
Christians he can devour.
b. The instructions:
1) We are to be on guard against the
devil -- "Be sober, be
vigilant."
2) We are to resist him steadfastly
in the faith (Ephesians 6:16).
3. To follow these instructions we
need to be familiar with the devices that Satan uses as he tries to devour
people.
a. Ephesians 6:11 mentions "the wiles of the devil."
b. 2 Corinthians 2:11 says: "we are not ignorant of his
devices."
4. We can learn about Satan's
devices by examining how he interacted with various Bible characters.
5. In our lesson we are considering
the devices that Satan used against Eve, David, Paul, and Jesus.
a. Eve and David gave in to Satan's
devices and suffered the consequences.
b. Paul and Jesus show us that Satan
and his devices can be resisted. Discussion:
I.
SATAN INTERACTED
WITH EVE IN
GENESIS 3:1-6
A. Satan's devices:
1. (vs.1) He questioned God's
command (see 2:16-17).
2. (vs.4) He perverted God's
command.
B. From vs.6 we learn that Satan's
appeals fall under 3 categories (1 John 2:16):
1. "the
lust of the flesh"
-- Eve "saw that the tree was good
for food."
2. "the
lust of the eyes"
-- Eve saw that the tree "was
pleasant to the eyes."
3. "the
pride of life"
-- Eve saw it as "a tree to be
desired to make one wise."
C. We also see the temptation
process in action (James 1:13-15).
D. It is sad that Eve disobeyed
God's will, but from her mistakes we are able to learn about several of Satan's
devices.
II.
SATAN INTERACTED
WITH DAVID IN 1 CHRONICLES
21:1
A. Satan led David to trust in the
size of his army rather than in God's power.
B. Even Joab knew that David was
wrong (vs.3).
C. By giving into Satan's device,
David caused many people to suffer (vs.7, 14).
D. Thankfully, David repented and
asked God to forgive him (vs.8, 26).
III.
SATAN INTERACTED
WITH PAUL IN 2 CORINTHIANS
12:7
A. Paul was given "a thorn in the flesh" that
was "the messenger of Satan."
1. According to vs.1-6, some very
special information was revealed to him.
2. This "thorn in the flesh" prevented him from being "exalted above measure."
3. Satan's purpose was to "buffet" Paul.
B. (vs.8) Paul thought he would be
better off without this "thorn in
the flesh."
C. (vs.9a) The Lord did not remove
it from him.
D. Paul learned a valuable lesson
about the sufficiency of God's grace (vs.9b-10).
IV.
SATAN INTERACTED
WITH JESUS IN
MATTHEW 4:1-11
A. Satan's devices:
1. He tried to get Jesus to prove He
was God's Son by turning stones into bread (vs.1-4).
2. He tried to get Jesus to "tempt" God (vs.5-7).
3. He tried to get Jesus to "worship" him (vs.8-11).
B. Jesus helps us understand what is
written in Psalm 119:11 and James 4:7b.
Conclusion:
1. By studying Satan's interactions
with people we can learn about his devices.
2. Being familiar with Satan's
devices will help us greatly in resisting him.
