Know Your Enemy Part 2: Satan’s Imitation Ministry

 Know Your Enemy Part 2: Satan’s Imitation Ministry

If you deny God’s Word about Satan, and you will deny it on salvation! My purpose in this series is to tell you what the Word says about Satan as the god of this world, because what we know about Satan is revealed in God’s eternal Word, the Holy Bible, which is the only true source of the revelation of SATAN HIMSELF.  I had spent years in charismatic churches that developed a theology about Satan and how to fight him. All sorts of extra-biblical practices were developed, e.g., naming demon spirits not in the Bible, telling people that deliverance is found in giving offerings to pastors, etc. When we study our enemy, we want to focus on, “Thus saith the Lord.” Today, we will examine Satan's Imitation Ministry.

Introduction

We are living in a day when the personality of Satan is denied and laughed at. This is one of the ways of concealing himself in order to be able to carry out his work of destroying the souls of men. Satan is a living personality, and the Bible teaches this. We discussed this in detail in Part 1 of this series last week. The awakened sinner knows that Satan is a living personality. The awakened sinner has experienced the Holy Spirit’s showing him his lost ruined condition, ruined condition, and has given him a hunger after Christ. The very moment the Holy Spirit begins to draw the sinner out of Satan’s family, the devil will turn earth, sea and sky to hold onto the lost sinner. The Bible, God’s Word, is our only authentic source of information regarding Satan, the old devil, the old serpent, and the old dragon (the four names by which he is known throughout the Scriptures). We will learn today about Satan’s imitation ministry.

Section 1: Satan’s Roles

There are two roles under which Satan operates today in attacking and deceiving the hearts of men: the first is by INTIMATION, and the second is by IMITATION. 1 Peter 5: 8 reads: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (intimidate). 

Intimidation is one of Satan’s old tactics of keeping individuals under his control. He will cause them to be afraid to make a stand for Christ, or to admit they are lost and undone. He will cause them to be afraid of what folks may say about them, or think about them. He will put a fear into their hearts that they might lose friends, business, and such like, all for one purpose: to keep individuals under direct control, so that they may never get saved. No sinner ever comes to know the Lord until he in his heart crowns Christ as Lord and seeks the honor that comes from God only. The trusting believer cares more for Christ than what his friends or family will think about him. 

The second role is IMITATION. Satan likes to successfully deceive the hearts of men and women and we see this in II Corinthians 11: 13-15: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 

So Satan transforms himself into an “angel of light,” and his ministers transform themselves into “ministers of righteousness” to deceive the hearts of individuals, and blind the minds of sinners. In his role as imitator, Satan is at his best. NOTICE THAT SATAN HAS MINISTERS! He can imitate almost every experience that a believer can have , except life, Satan cannot impart spiritual life to a sinner. He can cause every unbeliever to believe that he is saved and that he will ultimately get to heaven. Let us look at Satan’s kingdom to understand how Satan imitates in the mind so as to keep the unbeliever blinded. 

In Ezekiel 28, we see that Satan was the highest created being of all the celestial angelic hosts. He was known as Lucifer, the morning star, and anointed cherub. The word “anointed,” refers to the priesthood. This indicates that Satan was the priest that led the worship. The Scripture tells us that Satan was the most beautiful of all the angelic hosts, for he was clothed in a robe of precious gems that made him stand out as the leader, as the priest who walked in the presence of God. 

Because of his beauty and his exalted position, pride entered into his heart. Rebellion was the result, and sin entered into the Universe. Therefore, God had to cast him out. One third of the angelic host followed him in rebellion (Revelation 12: 4). Satan set up his “kingdom of death.” In this kingdom, sin rules unto death, according to Romans 5: 21: “That as sin hath reigned unto death.”

Satan understands how fallen men think. He was full of pride and so is the unsaved unawakened sinner. Satan will play to a lost person’s pride to hold in his kingdom of death. Satan will give a person a bit of religion that falls short of true conversion to keep them ensnared. He will substitute a decision for Jesus, a profession of faith, joining the church, or in the old days, shaking the preacher’s hands, instead of a true conversion experience. Satan is a liar and a thief! We, as ministers of the Gospel, must be true to the gospel message. Satan must be exposed for the intimidator and imitator that he is. Now, we look at his kingdom.

Section 2: Satan’s Kingdom

Satan’s kingdom is a KINGDOM OF DEATH, and Satan with all his subjects live and move and have their being in the realm of Death.  I want to review some expressions the Bible uses to describe this kingdom of death:

1. COURSE OF THIS WORLD: Ephesians 2: 2 reads: “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.” The course of the world is the realm of Death, which is controlled by “the prince of the power of the air,” and it is inhabited by the children of disobedience. Ephesians 2: 3 says that they have their CONVERSATION IN THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH, and they FULFILL THE DESIRES of the flesh and of the mind, and by nature they are the CHILDREN OF WRATH, having the wrath of God resting or abiding over the whole kingdom of Satan, which is the KINGDOM OF DEATH. So, every person born into this world is born into this Kingdom of Death. The Bible makes this very clear in Psalm 51: 5 (conceived in sin, born in iniquity). 

2. KINGDOM OF DARKNESS: There is no spiritual light in Satan’s kingdom. Not one spiritual truth–not one ray of spiritual light! This truth is further set forth in Ephesians 6: 12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” So you see it is a kingdom of DARKNESS! Let me emphasize this fact: there is not one spiritual truth in Satan’s kingdom.

3. KINGDOM OF LIES: John 8: 44 says: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the LUSTS OF YOUR FATHER ye will do. He was a MURDERER from the beginning, and abode NOT IN THE TRUTH, because there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: FOR HE IS A LIAR, and the father of it.” So Satan’s kingdom is a kingdom of lies, a kingdom of falsehood. Satan’s kingdom is one of death, no spiritual light, and where there is nothing but darkness, where everything is a falsehood; therefore, this whole kingdom is filled with unbelievers who lie in the lap of Satan, according to 1 John 5: 19. 

4. KINGDOM OF DECEPTION: Satan wants to deceive the entire world (Revelation 12: 9). Therefore, it is a kingdom of unreality, a realm where everything is make believe. Nothing is viewed in its REALITY, because everyone is deceived. Therefore, they are living under a delusion of first one thing or another. It is a kingdom where there is no peace, no harmony, no happiness, because everyone has gone his own way, and is going his own way. They are unhappy because they worship their own will and opinion.

5. A RELIGIOUS KINGDOM: Satan moves in the REALM OF RELIGION. The word, “religion” means one opinion, and everyone has his own opinion, and he worships his opinion, or his religion. The infidel is a member of Satan’s kingdom, and he has his own religion; he worships his infidelity. The atheist worships his atheism. The agnostic worships his skepticism. Then you have Buddhism, Confucianism, Mohammedanism, Judaism, and a false Christianity divided into many sub groups. They each worship their opinion. You never hear them say, “This saith the LORD!” Satan works in the realm of religion, which is one’s opinion, he does it by controlling the minds of individuals. The will of man is depraved and he is held in bondage by his old depraved nature. Satan working in and on the individual’s mind introduces religious ideas and concepts similar to (or even contrary to) the Scriptures, giving the individual an IMITATION GOSPEL. Satan doesn’t care how close you get to the truth as long as you don’t get there. He will try to satisfy the sinner with a little religion to make him feel better. That is one reason why we must proclaim the entire gospel truth without compromise. 

Satan cannot pierce through into the spirit of man and unlock the hidden chamber of the sinner’s spirit, because the spirit of the unregenerate man is sealed in the tomb of death, dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2: 1). Only the Holy Spirit can roll the stone away from the sinner’s heart and make alive a dead sinner who is a member of Satan’s kingdom, but get this fact: Satan can and does work in the realm of the MIND. He can give a sinner religious conviction, religious feelings, or religious impressions in the mind and lead the individual into the realm of religious emotions and experiences. He does this by throwing around that individual his presence which is real to that individual. The presence of Satan is just as real as the presence of Christ; the difference is that whereas Christ moves and lives in the realm of life, Satan moves and lives in the realm of death. When Adam sinned, he opened the door into the REALM OF DEATH, and thereby sold the entire human race into the slavery of sin. Praise the Lord that when the Lord Jesus Christ came, He opened the door into the REALM OF LIFE, and every individual who is saved is translated from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of LIFE. 

Satan will take the kingdoms of DEATH, DARKNESS, LIES, DECEPTION, and RELIGION and work in the sinner’s mind to give them some religious experience to satisfy them with some good feelings and keep them bound in his kingdom. These will take several forms:

1. Creating man made extra-Biblical rules to evidence holiness and righteousness: These provide people with “proof” that they belong to God, but they also in turn cause the people to become critical of others that don’t obey the same rules, e.g. women dress codes, movies, television, bowling alleys, ball games, reading a newspaper on Sunday, etc. The theme is recurring. Satan wants to move people away from the truth of the Scripture to get them following man and man’s rules. 

2. Using experience to trump Scripture truths, e.g. sexual sins aren’t sins if we know people that “love Jesus” but are LGBTQ+. 

3. Focusing on the “presence of God” which is presented as a warm happy joyous feeling (notice the pleasing of the flesh), as opposed to the Bible truth that the Presence of God causes people to have a reverential fear of the LORD.

4. Substituting a false salvation, e.g., decision for Jesus, say the “sinner’s prayer,” make a profession of faith, getting baptized, joining the church. True salvation comes from the Holy Spirit regenerating the sinner and showing him his lost condition and bringing him to the foot of the cross and he understands the necessity that Christ died for him. Repentance and faith is made and the soul is born again.

Section 3: Satan’s Imitation of the Holy Spirit

Satan will imitate the Holy Spirit in the realm of religion to make the individual believe that he is worshiping God. In this present time, Satan is imitating the Holy Spirit as never before, leading people to believe that they are worshiping Christ when they are not. The following represent some areas of imitation:

1. PRESENCE:  Satan will lead people to believe that they are in the presence of Christ when they are really in Satan’s presence. How can you know what is the imitation? One manifestation of this Satanic presence is that the individual is always talking about faith, or constantly praising “Jesus.” The person being deceived courts a feeling of “presence” and he looks to that presence. He is void without feeling presence. When the presence leaves, he feels empty. Personally, I know a “pastor” that actually said the following: “Reading your Bible is good but what you really need is to experience His presence.” This man never talks about Holy Spirit conviction, blood redemption or the need to repent. Satan will throw his presence around the one being deceived until the individual feels that he is so near to God or that God is so near to him. 

2. PRAYER: Satan will give an individual a great LOVE FOR PRAYER. He will drive the individual until at times he will spend many hours in prayer. Frequently, the person will speak in an unknown tongue for hours thinking he is talking to God when in actuality he isn’t. Prayer is vastly different to a born-again believer. The believer knows he is not being heard because of the multitude of his words, but rather he is heard because of the blood sacrifice of Christ that paid for his sins. The believer will pray from a heart that is seeking after Christ. There will be a continual confession of sin, repentance and confession of his sin nature. To the born-again believer, prayer is thanking the Father for what Christ means to him. The believer is constantly going over and over in his heart and mind what Christ is to him in His life, in His death, in His resurrection, in His ascension, and what He is as his Surety, as his Mediator, and his Righteousness as his High Priest. Prayer to a believer is breathing forth the Word of God. Satan will desire to cause the one being deceived to focus on anything but Christ. Instead, Satan will deceive the unsaved to see prayer as a way to get what the individual wants in this life (pleasing the flesh). Think of the following: Osteen, Copeland, Hagin, Duplantis, Price, Wommack, etc. The unsaved person under the power of Satan believes he is heard because of his much speaking, because of his earnestness, or his sincerity, or because of his great need, or because he is loud and emotional. His prayer is never based upon the shed blood of the Son of God. 

3. WORD OF GOD: In the Garden of Eden, Satan said, “Hath God said?” Satan is doing the same thing today. Satan wants people to use their experiences to trump the Bible. If Satan can get your eyes off the Word and onto your experiences Satan knows that he will make you your own “god.” Many of the cultural issues of today are easily dealt with when you apply the Word independently of your experience. The late Dr. R.C. Sproul said, “You have to reach what the Bible says, not what you want it to say.” Satan is replaying the Garden of Eve attack over and over again because it has been most successful for him over thousands of years. The imitation here  is to supplant the Word of God with experiences and emotions and feelings. 

4. SALVATION: Salvation is the result of Holy Spirit conviction leading the lost sinner to the foot of the cross to see the blood being shed by the Lord Jesus Christ. The seeking sinner (who is only seeking because the Holy Spirit has regenerated his heart and given him spiritual life) responds with faith and repentance. Satan has spent over 100 years getting people to say a “sinner’s prayer,” making a decision for Jesus, or a profession of faith, or seeking the Holy Spirit for gifts instead of repentance. 

DON’T ALLOW SATAN TO DECEIVE YOU. GET IN THE WORD OF GOD AND STAY THERE. READ IT, STUDY IT, MEMORIZE IT, AND MEDITATE ON IT EVERY DAY!!!

Conclusion

May the Lord open your eyes  to see the difference between Satan’s method of religion and God’s method of grace, which is the difference between true and false conviction and true and false repentance and faith.

Know Your Enemy Part 1: Satan Himself

 Know Your Enemy Part 1: Satan Himself

If you deny God’s Word about Satan, and you will deny it on salvation! My purpose in this series is to tell you what the Word says about Satan as the god of this world, because what we know about Satan is revealed in God’s eternal Word, the Holy Bible, which is the only true source of the revelation of SATAN HIMSELF.  I had spent years in charismatic churches that developed a theology about Satan and how to fight him. All sorts of extra-biblical practices were developed, e.g., naming demon spirits not in the Bible, telling people that deliverance is found in giving offerings to pastors, etc. When we study our enemy, we want to focus on, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Part 1: False Concepts of Satan

We are living in a day when the VERBAL INSPIRATION of God’s Word is belittled, ignored, and disbelieved, when it is looked upon only as fiction or fairy tale. I want to emphasize at the beginning of this series, that the Bible, which is the Word of God, is inerrant, absolute, eternal, unbroken and verbally inspired, and I want us to keep this fact clearly in mind in our study of Satan. The Bible is the final authority for me in all areas of faith and practice. 

There are many false concepts held regarding Satan, or the devil. Many people think that Satan is just a figment of the imagination, just a fantasy to scare children into obedience. On the other hand, multitudes think of Satan as a big red man with horns, forked tale, and a pitchfork going about throwing people into hell if they fail to live a certain type of life. These are products of man’s imagination, which has no Biblical foundation. Others think of Satan as only an influence, or an evil, and not a living personality. The Word of God makes it very plain that Satan, the devil, is a LIVING PERSONALITY, and not simply an evil influence. 

There are four great personalities in the Bible:

1. God the Father,

2. God the Son,

3. God the Holy Spirit, and

4. Satan.

As the Triune God is set forth in the Scriptures as a Living Personality, so is Satan. Over the years of church ministry, I have found three extremes in the American church, both in error:

1. Some believe that Satan is the cause of all evil that occurs. These people believe that Satan is everywhere and personally attacking them every day and hour. WRONG! Satan is not omnipresent. He is limited by time and space.

2. Some believe that Satan is very limited today and that we make our own evil. Satan is almost non-existent and not at work at all. WRONG! Satan is a living personality with a plan that includes taking as many people to hell with him that he can. He is actively at work to destroy souls with a hierarchical structure of demons to do his work.

3. There is a third group that is so afraid of Satan that they do not want to even mention his name much less his tactics. They are afraid that any mention of his name will bring him to attack them. “Don’t say that, Satan will hear you.” WRONG! Satan is a totally defeated foe. The Lord Jesus Christ through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, has defeated Satan. We don’t battle Satan, we resist him and he will flee in terror.  

We see Scriptures that show he is a living personality: 

1. Job 1: 6: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came among them.”

2. Zechariah 3: 1-2: “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.” 

3. Matthew 4: 10: Christ, addressing Satan, said, “Get thee hence, Satan.” Do you think Christ would speak to an evil influence and address it as a personality? The clear answer is NO. 

My friend, the Word of God teaches that Satan is a living personality. If your mind is not sunken in the darkness of unbelief, you will have no trouble believing God’s Word. 

Part 2: Who is Satan?

Let us begin by asking two questions: WHO IS SATAN and WHERE DID HE COME FROM? There are two Scriptures in the Word of God we will use to answer our questions:

1. Ezekiel 28: 12-15: “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of they pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” 

In this passage of Scripture, which at first refers primarily to the “king of Tyrus,” we also have expressions which refer to no mere man. God takes the king of Tyrus as a type of Satan and gives us a definite revelation of the origin and the fall of Satan. We find frequently in prophecy that the prophet under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is borne on from speaking of an earthly character to a spiritual being, or from a present existing event to some event of the last times. The language of the prophet goes beyond the king of Tyrus and speaks of Satan. Therefore, this passage from God’s Word teaches us much about SATAN, WHO HE WAS and HIS POSITION IN HEAVEN BEFORE HE FELL. 

The first thing we notice in this description is that Satan is a spiritual being created “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty,” until INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN HIM. He was not born, but created. There were three outstanding cherubs: Michael the archangel, Gabriel who seems primarily connected to the Jews, and third was Lucifer, the “morning star,” the “anointed cherub that covereth.” It is Lucifer, who in his fall became Satan. We can conclude that Satan was the highest of all the created beings in the angelic hosts.  In Jude 9, Michael is quoted as saying to Lucifer, “The Lord rebuke thee.” This shows that Michael, the archangel (chief angel), regarded Satan, or Lucifer , as a higher creation than himself, and who had no one in authority over him but the Lord Himself! We need to realize that we are dealing with the arch-enemy of God, and that only God can rebuke him. 

2. Ezekiel 28: 14: “Thou art THE ANOINTED CHERUB that covereth; and I have set thee so.” 

Notice the words, “the anointed cherub,” not “a” cherub, but “the” cherub. He was one of a kind, indicating that he was the highest and greatest angel that God created. What a majestic being clothed with all the beauty and glory that God could heap upon him in his original creation!  But notice the word, “THE ANOINTED CHERUB.” The word “anointed” refers to priesthood. Before the fall, Lucifer was the PRIEST-CHERUB; priest refers to worship. Lucifer, before the fall, led the worship of the universe. In other words, the anointed cherub was appointed to lead the created hosts to worship the Triune Holy God. The word “covereth” means to guard. As priest, he was to protect the throne of God from discretion and disrespect by leading all creation to its proper attitude to the Majesty of God, that is, worship and adoration to the Creator and Governor of the Universe. “I have set thee so,” reveals the fact that God appointed Lucifer for that particular task and service. Notice this as well: He says, “Thou ART the anointed cherub,” and “I HAVE SET thee so,” which are in the present tense, which indicates his great power, even in his fall, over the hearts of men. Do you see the power he still exercises over the minds of men?

I want you to see the PRESENT TENSE of these statements, because I now I want to call your attention to the tense of that phrase, “THOU WAST upon the holy mountain of God; thou HAST WALKED up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou WAST PERFECT in thy ways…till iniquity was found in thee.” (Ezekiel 28: 14-15) This reveals the fact that before his fall this anointed cherub lived close to the throne of God and walked up and down in the midst of the presence of God, and that he was looked upon as a guardian angel of the throne of God and the one to lead all others to bow in submission to the LORD God in adoration, worship, and praise. We don’t know how long Lucifer maintained this position, but that one day “iniquity was found in thee.” Verse 17 reads and explains why: “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy BEAUTY, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy BRIGHTNESS.” The “beauty” and “brightness” (glory) of this majestic being led to his undoing. PRIDE got to Satan and Proverbs 16: 18 reads: “Pride goeth before a fall” (Proverbs 16: 18). No doubt, pride is among the greatest sins set forth in the Word of God. It leads to self-righteousness, which is the essence of iniquity and the sum total of all sin. 

Pride led to the fall of Lucifer, let us guard against pride to prevent our fall. 

Part 3: Satan’s Heart

The Essentials Part 6: Salvation by Blood and by Power

The Essentials Part 6: Salvation by Blood and by Power 

We are continuing our series on "The Essentials." These are important doctrines that will help you resist the cultural attacks on our Christian faith. This week we will continue our study looking at "Salvation by Blood and by Power." When we complete this study, you will be able to spot the counterfeit "holy spirit" "salvation" which is not really salvation. People are headed to hell because they made a decision for Jesus or a profession of faith or joined the church and no one has told them the truth. The doctrine of Salvation by Blood and by Power will teach you what salvation is and how it comes about. Don't be deceived with some of the heresies that are being promoted as salvation. Read the Word for the truth.

Part 1: Personal Testimony

I will never forget when God awakened me to my lost condition. He showed me how lost I was. I saw all the pain and suffering I had caused my loved ones, family and friends, and more importantly, He showed me how much I had grieved Him, mocked the sacrifice and the shedding of blood from the Lord Jesus Christ, and how I had rejected, grieved, and pushed away the Holy Spirit. God showed me my sin nature and how ugly I was on the inside. I faced a crisis in my life. How could a Holy God want me for His child? I was bound by Satan, a prisoner of Satan, demon possessed. Sin held me a prisoner and I was under the curse of the Law and condemned to die. I was rebellious against God, hated Him, and knew not the Lord Jesus Christ. I knew about Him, but I did not know Him experientially.

When the LORD awakened me to my lost condition, He dealt with me by His Holy Spirit and I was brought to see I was a sinner, a lost sinner, an ungodly sinner, a rebellious sinner, a wicked sinner, a guilty sinner, a hell deserving sinner, a sinner held captive by Satan, sin and the world. It was then that the Holy Spirit began to teach me that salvation is not only by BLOOD but by POWER. I had to be delivered from Satan's power, and I could NOT be delivered by my own decision to accept Jesus as my Savior.

Part 2: Salvation by Power

Let us review some Scriptures on this topic:

1. 1 Corinthians 2: 4-5: "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of POWER: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the POWER OF GOD."

2. 1 Thessalonians 1: 5: "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in POWER, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance...."

3. 1 Thessalonians 2: 13: "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but it is truth, THE WORD OF GOD, which EFFECTIVELY WORKETH also in you that believe."

4. Hebrews 4: 12-13: "For the word of God is quick (alive), and POWERFUL, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."

5. It is the Word of God preached under the POWER of the Holy Spirit that God uses to DELIVER a sinner. II Corinthian 13: 10 reads: "Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, ACCORDING TO THE POWER which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction."

6. Hebrews 13: 7: "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation."

7. 1 Corinthians 4: 18-21: "Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the POWER. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in POWER. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?"

There are two things that you will never forget in salvation, if you are ever saved, and that is that you were a captive under Satan's authority and that you were delivered by power in the Lord Jesus Christ. No sinner will ever forget how he cried unto the Lord for cleansing by His blood, because he sees himself so filthy and unclean, and he knows that he can only be cleansed by the blood of Christ. He knows that the basis of his salvation is the blood of Christ, or the gospel of Christ., which is "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15: 3, 4). Then second, no sinner will ever forget how he cried unto the Lord for deliverance from the oppression and bondage of Satan and sin until God delivered him from the power of Satan. He will always rejoice in the fact that Christ died for him, that his sins are forgiven, and that he is pardoned from the guilt of sin, and the penalty of sin, which is death. And he will always rejoice in the fact that he has been delivered from the practice of sin. He knows he is saved by the grace of God and not his works. Christ is real and experimental to him, and he can cry, "I am what I am by the grace of God!" SALVATION IS A DELIVERANCE BY POWER!

Isaiah 61: 1 reads: "The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."

"TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES."  First, let's look at the word, "proclaim."  Proclaim means to preach, announce publicly, announce officially. Here we have a public proclamation of an official decree by someone in authority.  The Hebrew word means "call" or "call out loud," also cry out loud or shout. The prophet Isaiah foretold that the Lord Jesus Christ was anointed to PROCLAIM liberty to the captives. On the cross, after the Lord Jesus paid our sin debt and wrestled with principalities and powers, He gave one shout, and cried aloud, "IT IS FINISHED!" It was a public proclamation that has sounded throughout the earth, sea, and sky that Jesus Christ is Conqueror and Satan's captives have been declared free. This shout was heard in the courtroom of heaven and all heaven rejoiced. At the same time, hell trembled. That's the way every sinner is saved; he is dead in sin (Ephesians 2: 1), and the voice of the Son of God cries aloud in that dead sinner's heart, "Awake!" That sinner comes forth from the tomb of death (Ephesians 5: 14). My sinner friend, have you heard the cry, "Awake!"

I praise the Lord Jesus Christ for the POWER of God's Word sent home by the Holy Spirit under the preaching of the Gospel of Christ that won't let a sinner rest in the sleep of death and the snare of Satan. That is the POWER of the Gospel to save lost sinners. The sinner is in stocks and bonds of Satan, so to speak, but he does not realize this fact until he is thoroughly awakened by the POWER of God's Holy Spirit through the Word, the Gospel of His salvation.  "The gospel is the POWER of God unto salvation to every one that believeth " (Romans 1: 16). The Gospel, which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is the POWER of God to SHOUT DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVE. In the death of Christ His blood was spilled to cleanse the sinner from his sins; in the tomb the Lord Jesus Christ invaded the kingdom of death, and in the resurrection, He opened the prison doors. 

The Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned and empowered His servants to "PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES," and as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13: 10: "Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, ACCORDING TO THE POIWER which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction." Please get this: when God uses His messenger to proclaim, or "SHOUT DELIVERANCE" to the captive, he often has to "USE SHARPNESS, according to the POWER (authority) which the Lord hath given" him, in order to AWAKEN YOU out of your sleep of death, and you don't like it. You don't like that message because it disturbs you, so you fight back at the message. It's the Lord SHOUTING to you, trying to CALL you to COME OUT OF SATAN'S PRISON HOUSE, because the prison doors are open!

My listening friend, if you are unsaved, why won't you come out of the prison house? I do know the answer; it's because you have never seen the awful condition you are in. How can the sinner know his awful condition unless he is awakened by the Holy Spirit to that awful fact? How will the sinner ever know that he is not free if he never knows he is bound? How will he know he has been set free until he knows he has been a prisoner of Satan? He will know when the Lord shows him his lost condition, grants him the gift of faith and repentance, and He breaks the power of sin and delivers him by His force and power. I came to know the freedom in Christ because "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8: 36). It is absolutely marvelous to be set free! Do you know this experientially?

Part 3: The Nature of Satan's Captivity

I want to show you how Satan has you captive, that you may flee to Christ for deliverance. In the first place, how did sinners become Satan's captives? 2 Peter 2: 19 says: "Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." God permitted for His glory, that Satan would be allowed to take man as a captive of war, and man became Satan's lawful captive. When Adam and Eve yielded to Satan's temptation, they came under his control as lawful captives, which put all mankind under the control and influence of Satan. By the sin of one-man death passed upon all mankind (Romans 5: 12). Therefore, as a result of Adam's captivity, every son of Adam was BORN a captive of Satan.

Let us look at the NATURE of this captivity. First, we see that it is UNIVERSAL. It extends to all mankind, every race, color, and creed. The natural man's mind is Satan's captive, according to 1 Corinthians 2: 14: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God...foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." You are robbed of your light. Not only are you deprived of light, but Satan gives a false light, which leads the individual into pits and snares of false concepts of God.

Then your will is shackled, and Satan holds you fast. Your heart is loaded down with chains that it cannot come to Christ. John 6: 44 reads: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." Do you see how helpless you are without Christ? It does little good for me to tell you that Christ has promised you freedom unless He gives you POWER to be delivered. Praise God!!! He has!

Further, see that man's AFFECTIONS are held captive by Satan. He loves darkness rather than light, because his deeds are evil (John 3: 19). "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." (John 8: 44) The most tragical thing about the sinner is that he loves sin, he loves his captivity. The sinner loves his lusts. He hates holiness and righteousness.

Next, we see that this is a HARD AND SORE captivity. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6: 23). "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18: 4). "The way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13: 15). "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper" (Proverbs 28: 13). This is a PERPETUAL captivity. Death will find you captive unless God delivers you. Hell will be your prison house throughout eternity. Awake sinner, awake!

Lastly, it is a VOLUNTARY captivity. Do you realize that you are a captive by your own consent and choice? If you make the decision that you will not rest until you are set free, you cry until God delivers you, you refuse to let anyone stop you, and you refuse to rest until the POWER of the gospel sets you free, you will be set free through the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yours is a DESPERATE CASE, but there is hope in Christ.

Part 4: The Condition of the Lost

With these facts in mind, let us look at what CONDITIONS Satan's captives are in. First, Satan's kingdom is a kingdom of DARKNESS. Colossians 1: 13 says, "God hath delivered us from the power of darkness." Romans 1: 21 says that man's heart is darkened, which means that there is no light shining into that heart apart from the grace of God. 2 Corinthians 4: 3-4 states that the mind is blinded, that it can't see; Ephesians 4: 18, his understanding is darkened, he can't perceive, he can't discern right from wrong. The glory of God has departed from man. He is far from God, living in a far country, a land of waste and darkness. He is far away from God's covenant of grace and does not and cannot walk in fellowship with Christ. Sinners are not where God first set them in the Garden of Eden, in perfect innocence with the glory of God as their covering, walking in fellowship with the LORD God: they have been transferred into Satan's kingdom.

Then every sinner in Satan's kingdom is PLUNDERED AND ROBBED of all that is available. The sinner thinks he is rich, but the truth is, they "art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," and don't know it (Revelation 3: 17).

Then again, you are not MASTER OF YOUR-SELF. You are under the power and authority of the conqueror unless you have been delivered. You may think you are free, but you are blind. Your liberty is gone; you are a slave to the worst of masters. You are just a poor sinner at Satan's beck and call. Satan is your conqueror. If there is a conviction of sin, Satan soon tries to tear it from you. THANK GOD FOR SALVATION BY BLOOD AND POWER, IT OVERCOMES ALL OF SATAN'S POWER.

Conclusion

As we conclude this message, it should be clear why we began this series entitled, “The Essentials.” There are mostly false heretical teachings in our land. The Word of God is not being preached. The series covered:

1. The Depravity of Man: Man is not able to come to Christ on his own without grace being given to him.

2. The Sovereignty of God: God is Sovereign over everything that happens in our world, including the salvation of souls.

3. Holy Spirit Conviction: There is no salvation apart from Holy Spirit conviction. That is a supernatural act.

4. The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: This included rediscovering the role of the Holy Spirit in salvation, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and walking in the Spirit.

5. Salvation by Blood and by Power:

Satan’s hands, and cooperating with him in rebellion against God. You can’t win! You are a fool if you believe Satan’s lie, and his empty promises. Now be clear, Satan is no little tin soldier with whom we have to deal. We can’t cope with him in our own wisdom and strength. Only by redemption can a sinner be brought out of darkness and delivered from the power of Satan and translated into the kingdom of the Son of God (Colossians 1: 13). My friend if you hear God’s call you will know that Christ died for your sins, that He died in your place and that your redemption in Christ is complete. May the Holy Spirit bring you to see that all your sins were laid on Him, and that He is the Just for the unjust died that you might live. Cry out today, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Friend, who are you worshiping: Christ or Satan?

The Essentials Part 5: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit Part B

 The Essentials Part 5: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit Part B 

We are continuing our series on "The Essentials." These are important doctrines that will help you resist the cultural attacks on our Christian faith. This week we will continue our study of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit as we finish with the topics, "Being Filled with the Holy Spirit" and what it means to be "Walking in the Spirit," and "Rejoicing in the Holy Spirit's Saving Work." When we complete this study, you will be able to spot the counterfeit "holy spirit" movement authored by Satan himself. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is a "hill we will die on." Don't be deceived with some of the nonsense that is being promoted as a real work of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures will guide you into Truth.

Part 1: Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

Any Biblical discussion of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work in the life of the believer leads to the inevitable question: What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? We want our answer to be Scripturally based and sound theologically. It is regrettable that those who claim to be charismatics have hijacked the designation, "Spirit-filled" Christians. Charismatics define the being filled with the Spirit in terms of ecstatic experiences. They point to supposed signs and wonders as the evidence of the Spirit's power at work in them. If you look at the Word of God, you will not see that speaking in tongues or being "slain in the Spirit" are not evidence of being filled with the HOLY SPIRIT.  

We want to look at the Word of God for clarity. The definitive New Testament passage is found in Ephesians 5: 18: "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but filled with the Spirit." In contrast of being controlled by drink, which manifests itself in irrational and out-of-control behavior, those who are Spirit-filled consciously submit themselves to His holy influence. The command to "be filled" is in the present tense, indicating this is to be an ongoing experience in the life of every Christian. As we have seen, all believers are baptized (1 Corinthians 12: 13; Galatians 3: 27), indwelt (Romans 8: 9), and sealed (Ephesians 1: 13) by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. The above list represents realities occurring only once, but if believers are to grow in Christlikeness, they must be continually filled with the Spirit, allowing His power to permeate their lives so that all they think, say, and do reflects His divine presence.

The book of Acts provides several illustrations of the fact that being Spirit-filled is a repeated experience:

1. Peter was filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, but then again in Acts 4: 8. 

2. Many people were filled on the Day of Pentecost but again they were filled in Acts 4: 31.

3. In Acts 6: 5, Stephen is described as a man "full of faith and the Holy Spirit." Acts 7: 55 reiterates the fact that he was "full of the Holy Spirit.".

4. The Apostle Paul was filled with the Spirit in Acts 9: 17 shortly after his conversation, and again in Acts 13: 9. 

5. As they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles and early church were empowered to build up fellow believers in the church and to fearlessly proclaim the gospel, even in the face of severe persecution from the world.

When we review the New Testament Scriptures, we find that being filled with the Spirit is demonstrated not through ecstatic experiences but through the manifestation of spiritual fruit. In other words, Spirit-filled Christians exhibit the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5: 22-23). They are "led by the Spirit" (Romans 8: 14). What are they led to do? Read verse 13: "...but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." "Being led" means you are being led to mortify sin in your life. That is being Spirit-filled." If you read Romans 8: 5-8, you will see that the apostle's point is that those who are Spirit-filled seek to please God by pursuing God by pursuing practical holiness. 

The tragic irony is that the movement labeling itself as "Spirit-filled" is notorious for sexual immorality, financial impropriety, and extreme worldliness when it comes to living extravagant lifestyles. The charismatic movement is regularly involved with some type of scandal. No matter how many times someone "speaks in tongues" or is "slain in the spirit," it is the fruit of their lives that reveals the true nature of their hearts. Those whose behavior is characterized by the works of the flesh (Galatians 5: 19-21) are not filled with the Holy Spirit, no matter how often they babble "retie my bow tie or get a Honda."

After commanding believers to be filled with the Spirit, Paul provides specific examples of what that would look like:

1. Joyful singing (Ephesians 5: 19);

2. Hearts full of thanksgiving (v. 20);

3. Selflessness toward others (v. 21);

4. If they are married, their marriage honors God (vv. 22-33);

5. If they have children, their parenting patiently unfolds the gospel (6: 1-4); 

6. If they work for an earthly employer, they work hard for the Lord's honor (vv. 5-8);

7. If they have people that work for them, they treat their employees with kindness and fairness (v. 9).

The above is what it looks like to be a Spirit-filled Christian. His influence in our lives makes us rightly related to God and to others. 

In Colossians 3: 16-4: 1, a parallel passage to Ephesians 5: 18-6: 9, Paul explains that if believers “let the word of Christ richly dwell within [them],” they will likewise respond by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. They will do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, “giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Wives will be submissive to their husbands; and husbands, in turn, will love their wives. Children will obey their parents, and parents will not exasperate their children. Workers will work diligently for their employers and employers will treat their employees with fairness.

A comparison of Colossians 3: 16 with Ephesians 5: 18 demonstrates the inseparable relationship between the two passages; since the fruit produced in each case is the same. Thus, we see that obeying the command to be filled with the Spirit does not involve emotional hype or mystical experiences. It comes from reading, meditating on, and submitting to the Word of Christ, allowing the Scriptures to permeate our hearts and minds. In other words, we are filled with the Holy Spirit when we are filled with the Word, which He inspired and empowers. As we align more and more to the Word of God, we come increasingly under the Spirit’s control. 

To be filled with the Spirit, is to yield our hearts to the authority of Christ, allowing His Word to dominate our attitudes and actions. His thoughts become our meditations. His standards become our highest pursuit, and His will becomes our greatest desire. As we submit our all to God’s truth, the Spirit leads us to live in a way that honors the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, as the Holy Spirit sanctifies individual saints through the power of the Word, He energizes them to show love to one another within the body of Christ (1 Peter 1: 22-23). It is within the context of edifying other believers that the gifts of the Spirit are discussed in the New Testament. Significantly, spiritual gifts are not a sign of being Spirit-filled, sanctification is. As believers are sanctified, coming under the Spirit’s control, they are equipped to use spiritual gifts to serve others. 

To be truly Spirit-filled means to walk in holiness, righteousness and sanctification. That is the message of the New Testament when it comes to being Spirit-filled.

Part 2: Walking in the Spirit

The New Testament describes the Spirit-filled life using the analogy of walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5: 25 reads: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Just as walking is done one step at a time in the natural, being filled with the Spirit involves living under the Spirit’s control in a thought-by-thought, decision-by-decision manner. Those who are truly Spirit-filled yield every step to Him.

We are commanded to walk in newness of life, purity, contentment, faith, good works, a manner worthy of the gospel, love, light, wisdom, a Christlike manner, and truth. For those qualities to characterize the way we walk, we must first walk in the Spirit. He is the One who produces the fruit of righteousness in and through us.

Galatians 5: 16-17 reads: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” The concept of walking refers to a person’s regular manner of life. Those who are characterized by walking in the flesh demonstrate that they are unsaved. By contrast, those who walk in the Spirit give evidence of the fact they belong to Christ. 

Because the power of sin has been broken for believers, they have the ability to fulfill God’s law through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8: 2-4). As those who walk according to the Spirit, they are able to do those things that please God. The lost, by contrast, are hostile toward God and dominated by fleshly pursuits (vv. 5-9). 

Having been born again by grace apart from works, believers eagerly desire to follow Christ (1 Thessalonians 1: 6), and the Holy Spirit enables them to do just that. Of course, that does not mean Christians no longer struggle against sin and temptation. All believers still battle against the sinful flesh. The flesh is the enemy within. It is the remnant of the old man that wars against godly desires and righteous living (Romans 7: 23). To fall prey to the flesh is to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4: 28-31). 

If we as believers are going to gain victory over the lusts of our flesh, and grow in holiness, we must function in the Spirit’s power. It is imperative that we “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6: 11), including the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (v. 17), in order to fend off the fiery attacks of the evil one and mortify the flesh. 

The believer’s sole defense against sin’s constant assault is the protection provided by the Holy Spirit, who arms His saints with the truth of Scripture. On the other hand, the believer’s single power for spiritual growth is the Spirit’s sanctifying work, as He grows and strengthens His people through the pure milk of the Word (1 Peter 2: 1-3). It is essential that you remember that you can’t sanctify yourself through your own efforts (Galatians 3: 3). It was the Holy Spirit who set us apart from sin at the moment of salvation (2 Thessalonians 2: 13), and as we submit to His influence each day and each moment, He empowers our victory over the flesh.

Thus, to walk in the Spirit through the indwelling influence of the Word is to fulfill the ultimate potential and capacity of our life on this earth as children of God. Being Spirit-filled means you are moment by moment submitting our hearts and minds to the Word of Christ, walking in the Spirit and not the flesh, and daily growing in love and affection for the Lord Jesus Christ unto the service of His whole body, the church. This is not about uttering mindless gibberish, crashing to the carpet or some other mystical encounter. This is about being a disciple of our LORD. 

Truly, the Christian life in all of its fullness is a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. He is to be the dominating influence in our hearts and lives. He alone enables us to live victoriously over sin, to produce the fruit of the Spirit, and to be pleasing to our Heavenly Father. It is the Holy Spirit who brings us greater intimacy with God. He illuminates the Scripture, glorifies Christ in us and to us, guides us into God’s will, strengthens us, and also ministers to us through other believers. The Spirit does all this to conform us into the image of our Lord and Savior, guaranteeing we will one day be totally perfected when we see Christ face-to-face.

Part 3: Rejoicing in the Spirit’s Saving Work

The Holy Spirit is involved in every aspect of salvation: justification (1 Corinthians 6: 11), to sanctification (Galatians 5: 18-23), to glorification (Romans 8: 11). The Bible highlights His work of convicting, regenerating, converting, adopting, indwelling, and securing. Our response should be awestruck worship, praising the Trinity for the gift of redemption: the Father elected His children unto salvation, the Son’s sacrifice providing the means through which the lost can be reconciled to God, and the Holy Spirit for His active role in the salvation of sinners, imparting life to dead hearts and sight to those spiritually blind.

The Puritan Thomas Goodwin stated:

“A man’s communion and converse is…sometimes with the Father, then with the Son, and then with the Holy Ghost; sometimes his heart is drawn out to consider the Father’s love in choosing, and then the love of Christ in redeeming, and so the love of the Holy Ghost, that searcheth the deep things of God, and revealeth them to us, and taketh all the pains with us; and so a man goes from one witness to another distinctly. Assurance is not a knowledge by way of argument or deduction, whereby we infer that if one loveth me then the other loveth me, but it is intuitively, as I may express it, and we should never be satisfied till all three persons lie level in us, and all make their abode with us, and we sit as it were in the midst of them, while they all manifest their love unto us.”

Even though Goodwin lived in the 17th century, his perspective is needed in churches today. Believers need to understand the work of each member of the Trinity in order to worship God most fully. 

Authentic worship requires both spirit and truth (John 4: 23).

Conclusion

Don’t be deceived by the false theology presented in heretical charismatic churches. Know the truth and it will set you free. Now you know the true role of the Holy Spirit in the world today. Don’t be deceived. Stand up for the truth!.