Thursday, February 28, 2013

“SIH’s Think On These Things: 1 Peter 5:8d”

1 Peter 5:8….  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 



Here the devil is described as “a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour”.   The definition of the term “devour” is “to completely gulp down”, “To overcome entirely” and “To profit by consuming”.



This is Satan’s desire... to benefit from the dominance of God’s people… we see this exemplified in several different examples in the Bible: 

1.  In the book of Job, we find Satan, under the Sovereign allowance of God, attempting to overcome, dominate and consume Job.  He did this through the use of natural disasters, poverty, loss of health, loss of family and discouragement at the hands of friends and family.  What motivated this horrible Satanic outpouring of tragedy upon Job?  It was rooted in Satan’s desire to undue the wonderful testimony of Job’s life…. He “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”



2.   Another example of Satan’s desire to hinder and consume God’s servants is found 2 Cor 12:6-10 where Paul gives us a bit of insight into a physical affliction that he was struggling with.  He calls this affliction “the messenger of Satan to buffet (to hit with the fist) me”.  He goes on to say that the Sovereign Lord allowed this infirmity to continue in his life as a benefit to himself, forcing him to continue to rely upon the Lord and look to Him for divine supplies.   What was Satan’s motivation in this instance?  Paul’s life was lived in faithfulness his Lord… “I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”



3.  Our last example of Satan’s attempts to devour God’s people is found in John’s advice to the church at Smyrna concerning the workings of Satan in their midst… “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” 



These are just a few of the many accounts of Satan desiring to consume God’s servants in an attempt to stop the work of Christ on earth.  We have seen in these examples, he uses a great variety of different weapons, all which are under God’s Sovereign control, to attempt to hinder our service. 



As we enter into our day let’s keep in mind, we have an enemy who is constantly seeking to consume us. Trials in life should not surprise us.  They are a part of faithfully serving our Lord.  But we have been given the great assurance that we have been given the victory over all these things through the love and care of our Lord Jesus “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Rom 8:35-39 (KJV)



May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.






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SIH’s Think On These Things: 1 Peter 5:8c

1 Peter 5:8a….  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  In our text for today, we find that the devil is said to be our “adversary”.  The word “adversary” is a very interesting word that speaks volumes about Satan’s activity in our lives. 



“Adversary” is translated from a fusion of two Greek words:  

1. the first word means “to be opposed to” or “instead of”. 

2. “the second word is the common NT root word for “judgment” that carries with it the idea of “justice”, “judicial punishment” or “a sentence declared by a judge”.



When the Lord calls Satan our adversary… He is describing Satan’s work as that of an opposing lawyer in a court of law.  Satan is attempting to persuade the judge to come to the wrong judgment and for an injustice to be committed.  He is “opposed to justice” being done.



The Bible gives us examples of Satan’s work as adversary…

1.  In Revelation 12:9-11, Satan is described as “the accuser of our brethren” and he is said to have “accused them before our God day and night”. 

2.  In Job 1: and 2: we find Satan, while on earth, speaking to the Lord questioning Job’s dedication and love for the Lord.  Satan then puts events in Job’s life in an attempt to discourage Job and wanting Job to forsake his Lord.

3.  In Psa 109:6 we find wicked men abusing God’s people and Satan is said to be standing at the right hand of the saint encouraging him to no longer serve God.

4.  But in Zech 3:1-2 we find the clearest description of Satan’s adversarial work against God’s people … “And he shewed 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; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: [is] not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

In this account, we find Satan resisting Joshua the priest’s service to Jehovah.  Satan’s hope is to cause Joshua to no longer be faithful to the Lord. Satan’s motive is to cause God to question Joshua’s salvation and to judge him as if he was a lost individual.   



The Lord responds to Satan by rebuking Satan because Joshua is saved. (Joshua’s salvation is pictured as pulling a branding iron out of the flames.)  The Lord will not forget that the work of Christ that has been applied to Joshua.  Christ’s work has wrought forgiveness for Joshua’s past, present and future sins.  The Lord will not turn on His people nor bring condemnation upon those for whom Christ has died. (Rom 6:29-37 please see for much more information)



Folks, Satan stands before God accusing each us based upon our failures and disobedience.  He is pleading for the Lord to judge us (as if we were unsaved) for the sins we have committed.   This is one of the great reasons why Satan opposes us and is constantly striving to lead us into sin.  He wants A LOT of ammunition to use against each one of us as he attempts to undo the work of Christ by bringing God’s judgment upon His people. 



This is one of the great reasons why we are to be sober and vigilant as we seek to serve our Lord… Satan and the powers of darkness will be right there seeking to discourage, tempt and mislead us into sin.  He has deceived himself into thinking that by having us fail in our service he will have legal grounds to undo the work of Christ on the cross and to have God’s hand of judgment placed upon each one of us.  But we know this cannot be.  We cannot lose our salvation nor can the work of Christ be undone.



Let’s be thankful to our Lord for the eternal security we have in Him and to be ever vigilant of Satan’s tactics as he stands as our adversary.



May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.






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“SIH’s Think On These Things: 1 Peter 5:8b”

1 Peter 5:8a….  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 



In our last devotion we saw the need to be “sober” as we enter into spiritual warfare against Satan and the powers of darkness.  Not only are we to be “sober” (fleshly desires under control) but also we are told that we are to be “vigilant”. 

The idea of vigilant carries with it several ideas…

1. to wake up; 2. to sit up; 3. to become active; 4. to collect or gather (oneself); 5. to be watchful



As we look at the above listing, we can get a good idea of the basic meaning of vigilant… it has the idea of being alert, aware, and actively engaged in the events taking place around us. 



One of Satan’s great desires for God’s people is for them to be asleep, unaware, disengaged and unopposed to his activities in their life.  This is why the Lord encourages us to be awake and active in our opposition to his workings in Rom 13:11-14 (KJV)… And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.  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.  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.   But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].  (see also 1 Thess 5:6-8)



Satan in known for working in our lives in increments, slowly, leading us astray, so that we will not even recognizing what he is doing.  A great example of that is found in the Garden of Eden.  During the temptation we see Satan working slowly and methodically in Gen 3:1-5….

1. Doubt - Satan began questioning what God had said – “Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

2. Opposition - Satan then denies God’s Word – “Ye shall not surely die”

3. Blasphemy - Satan finally replaces God’s Words with his own – “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”



This is why Satan is described as “more subtil than any other beast of the field” (Gen 3:1).  This teaches us he is “crafty”, he uses a sinful type of wisdom to slowly bring about our downfall. 



If Satan would have come to Eve and said “God has lied to you accept my words as truth instead”.  Eve never would have listened and Satan would have been defeated.  But, by systematically, slowly placing doubt and denial of God’s Word in her mind, Satan was able to accomplish what he had set out to do.



This is how Satan works in our lives today in many different areas.  Slowly he works to chip away at our faith and gradually lead us form the truth.  Satan’s workings begin small but if we allow them to linger in our lives can spread and result in our ruin.  Much like leaven spreads in a lump of dough. (Gal 5:7-10, 1 Cor 5:6-8)



This is why we must be ever vigilant as we seek to remain strong and faithful to our Lord… 1Cor 16:13 (KJV) Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.



May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.






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“SIH’s Think On These Things: 1 Peter 5:8a”

1 Peter 5:8a….  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 



In our text we find two attitudes that we are to have as we enter into conflicts with Satan…. to be sober and to be vigilant.  Let’s look at the need to be sober as we go to warfare against powers of darkness in this world.



“Be sober” –  The Scriptural meaning of “sober” is “to be under control”.  Why are Christians encouraged to keep themselves under control as we prepare to struggle against Satan’s onslaughts?   One of the most common, and effective, ways that Satan tries to mislead God’s people is by appealing our natural desires.



In 1 John 2:16 we have listed for us the three different types of natural desires that we all share as human, fallen mankind…. “For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.



The natural desires of our fallen nature are given the titles:

1. “the lust of the flesh” – desires that arise due to the physical needs of our fleshly bodies

2. “the lust of the eyes”  - desires that arise due to appealing appearance  

3. “the pride of life” – desires that arise in the pursuit of self-exaltation



Why must we learn to keep these desires under our control? 

1. Because they are leading us to pursue that which are sinful and will eventually pass away…”… And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”



2. Also, it is these three areas that Satan will attack as he tries to mislead us from the will of God for our lives.



We see this illustrated in two of the most well-known temptation against men, the temptation in the Garden of Eden and the temptation of Christ in the wilderness….

1. The lust of the flesh – “good for food” Gen 3:6 “command stones to be made bread” – Matt 4:3

2. The lust of the eyes – “pleasant to the eyes” Gen 3:6    “shewed Him the kingdoms of the world …” – Matt 4:8

3. The pride of life – “to make one wise” Gen 3:6             “cast thyself down…” – Matt 4:6



This is why it is vital for us to learn to keep our natural fleshly desires under the control of Christ, through His Spirit.   Satan will not get the victory if these lusts are under the control of the Spirit. (1 Pet 2:11-12) 



Titus 2:11-14 (KJV)  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.



Let us seek to live lives that are under the control of the Holy Spirit as we go about the Lord’s business today.



May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.






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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

“SIH’s Think On These Things: 1 Peter 5:8-11 Intro”

Our next devotion series will be based upon 1 Peter 5:8-11….

8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  9) Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.  10) But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle [you].  11) To him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.



In this section of Scripture we have, at the least, four different issues being addressed….

1. How do we stand against Satan… Vs 8,9

2. How does Satan work and what is he trying to accomplish …. Vs 8, 9

3. Why does the Lord allow Satan to work in our lives…. Vs 10

4. What does the Lord do on our behalf to uphold us during Satanic attacks… vs 10



By God’s grace, upon completion of this series, we will have a better understanding of how we can successfully stand against Satan and those influenced by him. 

But to begin our series I would like us to look at another section of Scripture…



Eph 6:10-13 (KJV)

10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  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].  13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.



In these few verses we see the importance of standing against Satan and the powers of darkness being presented to us.  Please note we are told to….

1. “be strong in the Lord”- we are to find strength to oppose Satan in our standing with the Lord. 

As saved, we are a members of His family, the servants of light, loved By Him and new creatures in Him.

Our position in Christ clearly shows us we are no longer a part of the powers of darkness, we have been separated to His glory, honor and service.  Folks we can stand confidently against Satan knowing that we are children of the King!

2. “be strong… in the power of His might”- we serve an Almighty Sovereign Lord. He will give us what is needed to   receive victory over Satan and his powers.

3. “put on the whole armour of God” – By equipping ourselves in the Lord’s way, with His armor, we will be             prepared to war with Satan and be victorious in that war.  

4. “and having done all to stand” -  After we follow the Lord’s instructions to equip ourselves for this war, we then     can be prepared to stand and oppose the works of Satan.  We can know He is with us and will give us the victory.  He will not allow Satan to overcome His people.



If you notice, in all of the above the basic principle is this….. if we rely on our own abilities, wisdom and strength we will always fail in our service to Him.  If however, we look to the Lord, recognize His love for us, consider our standing in Him, and equip ourselves as He desires, we can face Satan without fear knowing He will give us the victory.  After all … “…we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”  Roms 8:37.



This is why we will be studying 1 Pet 5:8-11, to show us GOD’s WAY in opposing Satan.  We cannot do it on our own.   



May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.






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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

“The Precious Word Part #9 The Word Reveals Our Source of Lasting Joy”


1Sa 3:1 “ … And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; …”

 

 


INTRODUCTION:

 

Man’s quest for permanent, total joy began immediately after the fall and continues on to this day. No matter how hard we try, it is impossible to find true happiness in the things this world has to offer.  Men have experienced all the world’s offerings, miserably failing to achieve their goal. 

 

So what are we to do?  Is there no one who can help us to understand true joy?  Is there anyone on this earth that can point us to the path that leads to lasting contentment, peace and joy?  Once again, this is where we begin to see the preciousness of the Word of God.  Within its pages we find the secret of true joy and the way that leads to it.  

 

SCRIPTURES:

 

Ps 35:9

(KJV) 9) And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

 

(ESV) 9) Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his salvation.

 

Neh 8:10

(KJV)   10) … for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

 

(ESV)  10) …. for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”


Isa 61:10

(KJV) 10) I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh [himself] with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth [herself] with her jewels.

 

(ESV)  10) I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

 

 

 

Rom 5:11

(KJV) 11) And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

 

(ESV)  11) More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 

1Thess 2:19

(KJV) 19) For what [is] our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? [Are] not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

 

(ESV)  19) For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?

 

 

THE STUDY:

 

When the Bible speaks of “joy” what is it talking about? The word joy is translated from several different words. The many words translated  “joy” have associated with them four basic ideas:

  1. To be bright, cheerful, radient (the outward display of joy)
  2. Pleasure, satisfaction, fulfillment (inward contentment)
  3. To jump or spin, (excitement)
  4. To welcome, to bring to oneself (receipt of benefits)

In the above definitions, we can find a basic definition of “joy”.  When the Bible speaks of “joy” it is describing a blessed man’s outward display of happiness coming from inward feelings of contentment and excitement.

 

As we begin our study in Psa 35:9, we immediately find the treasure for which we are searching, “joy”….

 

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD:

In our text, we find the source of true, lasting joy is the Lord Jehovah. He alone is the One from whom all blessings flow.  As our verse continues, it explains how we can experience the joy that is found in Jehovah alone…

 

it shall rejoice in his salvation.

Joy can be experienced only through the salvation that He so graciously offers to us.  Without coming to faith in Christ, any man’s pursuit of joy will be fruitless and void. As lost mankind we are born under the dominance of sin in our lives….

Joh 8:33-34  They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?  (34)  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

 

But through the faith in Christ and His work on the cross, we can be delivered from the bondage of that sin…

Joh 8:35-36  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.  (36)  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

 

Until we are removed from the enslavement of sin, and liberated through the work of Christ on the cross, we cannot experience a life of joy, freedom and peace (Rom 6:16-20).

 

 

Not only is salvation from sin’s bondage a basis of our joy, but two other aspects of salvation work on our behalf to cultivate joy in our hearts.  We can see this in Isa 61:10…

 

10) I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh [himself] with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth [herself] with her jewels.

In these verses, the receipt of salvation is pictured as being clothed in robes of righteousness.  This righteousness has two results in the lives of Christians:

 

  1. An intimate relationship with Christ is begun.  This is pictured by the bridegroom/bride picture.  Just as the putting on of the wedding garments is the beginning phase of intimacy between a married couple.  In this same way, having robes of righteousness being put upon the believer brings about an intimate relation with Christ and the Father. (1 John 1:1-4)
  2. An heirship is formed.  When we receive robes of righteousness and intimacy with Christ and the Father we are adopted into His family.  Based upon this adoption we become heirs of God, guaranteeing us the receipt of many future blessings. (Roms 8:13-18)

 

Knowing that we have been made free from sin’s bonds, experiencing a close walk with our Lord, and looking forward to the receipt of many blessings of heirship in the family of God are the three main pillars upon which joy is experienced in the believer’s life.

 

 

 

The blessings related to joy are not limited to experiencing joy in our lives, but also includes the receiving of spiritual strength.  This is shown to us in Nehemiah 8:10….

 

… for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Here, we can see that a joy that is based upon the Lord is the source of our strength as we live our lives on a day to day basis. Why is a daily source of strength an absolute necessity for us to lead a joyous life on earth?  The fallen world in which we live is filled with discouragements and troubles (Job 14:1-2).  Without an ever present source of strength, life becomes a daily struggle to survive for any one of us.

 

The daily strengthening joy that we receive from the Lord is based upon a BACKWARD look at the cross of Christ and a FORWARD look at His second coming.    

 

 

The BACKWARD look at the death of Christ is spoken of in Romans 5:11….

 

And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Our joy is renewed on a daily basis as we look at the work of our Savior on the cross.  One of the greatest accomplishments of the cross is securing the atonement of God’s people.  The idea of atonement teaches us that it was through the work of Christ that we, who are sinful beings, are brought into fellowship with God.   When Christ died on the cross for our sins, He took upon Himself the punishment that was meant for us.  In doing so, He took away the enmity that stood between us and God.  He brought us into peace with God (Rom 4:24-5:1).

 

 

The FORWARD look at His second coming is spoken of in 1 Thess 2:19…

 

19) For what [is] our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? [Are] not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

Keep in mind, our future “homecoming” with Christ is a source of great joy for the Christian.  Just knowing that we will be delivered to a sinless life of peace and joy with Him brings us great joy.  However, also this verse brings out the idea of a reunion with those we love and hold dear to us.  If those who have passed on before us are saved, we can expectantly wait to rejoin them at the final resurrection.  What a day that will be!  What a source of joy those thoughts bring to us even now.

 

THE APPLICATION:

 

True joy can only be found in God the Father through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is

through His work on the cross that we can receive “joy unspeakable and full of glory”.  This joy enters our life as we walk with Him enjoying communion and spiritual strength. By acknowledging both His past, present, and future blessings, we can experience joy as a part of our daily walk with Him.

 

All of this, can only come to us through His precious Word that clears reveals the way of salvation and the blessings that proceed from our gracious Lord.

 

 


If you have any questions concerning the way of salvation please feel free to visit or call a Bible teaching church in your area.  They will be happy to speak to you about the Lord Jesus and the salvation He graciously gives.

 

Or, if you would rather, feel welcome to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com.  I’ll be more than happy to answer any question you may have. 

Also, if you look at my blog page “How To Have A Relationship With God”.  On this page, you will find several blog entries explaining the way of salvation.

 

Please visit the “Settled In Heaven Ministries” homepage – http://www.settledinheaven.org
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