[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 16th of October, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Do you remember how David is described in the Bible? In 1st Samuel chapter 13 verse 14 we see that “The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart”. That man was David, later to be king of Israel.
But for a man after God’s own heart, David led quite a tempestuous life. Seems like he was always in trouble, always on the run from some army or another out to get him. Listen and follow along as David pleads to God for protection, from his 17th Psalm, verses 6 through 13, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
But for a man after God’s own heart, David led quite a tempestuous life. Seems like he was always in trouble, always on the run from some army or another out to get him. Listen and follow along as David pleads to God for protection, from his 17th Psalm, verses 6 through 13, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
You who save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have closed up their fat hearts;
With their mouths they speak proudly.
11 They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
And like a young lion lurking in secret places.
13 Arise, O Lord,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword.
--Psalm 17:6-13 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, just as David called upon You, so do we, for like him we know You will hear. Make Your message clear to us this morning, Father, so that we will better understand what we face, and where we can turn for help. In the glorious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
One day two men were talking as they noticed a woman walking down the road toward them. One of the men remarked, “That’s Mrs. Jones. She always has something good to say about everyone.” The other man decided to test her, so when she drew close he asked, “Mrs. Jones, what do you think about the devil?” She thought for a second and answered, “He sure is busy, isn’t he?” And that just goes to show you can find something good to say about almost anyone.
Do you happen to remember the 1995 movie, “The Usual Suspects”? In that film, Kevin Spacey played a character named “Verbal” who utters this rather poignant insight: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that... he is gone.”
Well, the devil certainly has been busy, but there’s nothing good about it. And unfortunately, he hasn’t gone anywhere, even if too many people believe he doesn’t exist. The devil is alive and well and stalking the streets of New York, London, Paris, Moscow, Rome, Baghdad… even Lexington, North Carolina. He’s looking for easy prey to pounce on, for lost souls to devour. Do you remember the old song from the ‘60s, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”? “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.” Well, it is indeed a jungle out there, but the lion we need to worry about never sleeps.
King David called upon the Lord seeking His protection from the wicked who oppress him. David compares his deadly enemies to a young lion, eager to tear its prey; a young lion, lurking in secret places. He asks God to cast that lion down, to slay it with His sword.
From our Bible studies, we know that God’s sword is His sacred word, as saved for us in our Holy Bible. But who are the deadly enemies David speaks of in Psalm 17? Who are these wicked ones that he likens to a young, ferocious lion? Through much of his life, David’s enemies were many and, as I mentioned, he spent a lot of time on the run. But I believe the Apostle Paul gives us all we need to know about David’s true enemies. Listen to what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, by way of explanation as to the type of conflict we are engaged in. You’ve heard me read this before, and will again, I’m sure. It comes from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 12…
One day two men were talking as they noticed a woman walking down the road toward them. One of the men remarked, “That’s Mrs. Jones. She always has something good to say about everyone.” The other man decided to test her, so when she drew close he asked, “Mrs. Jones, what do you think about the devil?” She thought for a second and answered, “He sure is busy, isn’t he?” And that just goes to show you can find something good to say about almost anyone.
Do you happen to remember the 1995 movie, “The Usual Suspects”? In that film, Kevin Spacey played a character named “Verbal” who utters this rather poignant insight: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that... he is gone.”
Well, the devil certainly has been busy, but there’s nothing good about it. And unfortunately, he hasn’t gone anywhere, even if too many people believe he doesn’t exist. The devil is alive and well and stalking the streets of New York, London, Paris, Moscow, Rome, Baghdad… even Lexington, North Carolina. He’s looking for easy prey to pounce on, for lost souls to devour. Do you remember the old song from the ‘60s, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”? “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.” Well, it is indeed a jungle out there, but the lion we need to worry about never sleeps.
King David called upon the Lord seeking His protection from the wicked who oppress him. David compares his deadly enemies to a young lion, eager to tear its prey; a young lion, lurking in secret places. He asks God to cast that lion down, to slay it with His sword.
From our Bible studies, we know that God’s sword is His sacred word, as saved for us in our Holy Bible. But who are the deadly enemies David speaks of in Psalm 17? Who are these wicked ones that he likens to a young, ferocious lion? Through much of his life, David’s enemies were many and, as I mentioned, he spent a lot of time on the run. But I believe the Apostle Paul gives us all we need to know about David’s true enemies. Listen to what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, by way of explanation as to the type of conflict we are engaged in. You’ve heard me read this before, and will again, I’m sure. It comes from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 12…
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
--Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
We fight against evil spirits, not against flesh-and-blood enemies. These are wicked rulers of the unseen world, even in the heavenly places. But these spirits infiltrate the physical, seen world. They tempt man to do their bidding. They inhabit the weak, those who seek only pleasure in this life. They wreak destruction and strive to divide us, turning man against man, brother against brother, sister against sister. They never rest, for spirits need no rest like mortal flesh does. And chief among these, at the head of the pack, leading all the demonic forces of darkness is Lucifer, Satan… the devil himself.
David isn’t the only one to compare the devil to a stalking lion, nor does only Paul see our true spiritual enemy. Hear what the Apostle Peter has to say, in his 1st letter to the far-flung church, chapter 5 verse 8…
Our adversary, our real enemy Satan, walks across this land like a roaring lion, just looking for another soul to devour. As David says, the devil surrounds us all. He oppresses us, trying to weaken our faith, our resolve to stand. He watches closely, eager to tear us to shreds if we let our guard down, if we lower our shield for even a second. He hides in the darkness, lurking in the secret places even within our own hearts. He’s waiting… waiting…
Family, this is a war like none other. This is the last war, the final war, although it has been running throughout all of human history and will continue until Christ comes again! And it is a war we must win, as individuals and as a church. For to lose this war is to lose our eternal souls.
What are some of the weapons arrayed against us? Temptations can come from any place and in any form. Take a look at the picture on the screens… How many of those look familiar? Facebook, Twitter, photos, newspaper articles, email, regular mail, magazines, television… Yes, those things can provide good, reassuring, faith-filled messages, too. But Satan uses them and more every day, every second of the day, to tempt some poor unfortunate soul into losing everything for nothing more than a bit of pleasure, a moment of lust, a hint of revenge.
Family, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Our foe isn’t the person who flips us off in traffic or who breaks in line ahead of us in the store, it’s the demon that tempted them to do that. Our enemy isn’t a radical religious fanatic, it’s the demon who possesses him. Our adversary isn’t a Democrat or a Republican or a liberal or a conservative, it isn’t a pimp or a producer of pornography, it isn’t an ISIS fighter or a Taliban insurgent, it isn’t a pirate or a scammer or a member of any corrupt government or illegal organization or gang. It isn’t any human being at all.
Our enemy is Satan, a spiritual being. Our war is spiritual in nature, as we battle for our very souls. So our armament must also be spiritual. We must rely upon God’s truth and His righteousness, keeping our faith strong at all times. We must hold to the Gospel, the Good News of salvation that only Jesus can bring. We must hold fast to our only offensive weapon, the word of God, studying our Bible and depending on what God has given us in its pages. And above all, we must pray. Pray to God for strength, for help, for guidance.
Be alert, be sober, be ever vigilant, for Satan is walking the land looking for souls he might devour. And he is a lion that never sleeps.
In the saving name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You have given us everything we need to protect ourselves from Satan, who prowls about looking for the weak. You are righteous and ever faithful to us, and You give us the righteousness of Your own Son if we just believe in Him and hold fast to our belief. You give us Your holy word to be our sword, the same sword that Jesus will wield when He returns in all His glory to conquer our foe.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, calling upon You and praying straight from our hearts…
Lord Jesus, You are our only hope of salvation. Only through You can we gain everlasting life in heaven with You and our Father God. You are the truth. Help us share and spread that truth. Our faith in You is our only shield against all the weapons Satan may unleash toward us. Give us the strength, Lord Jesus, the strength and the resolve to stand against whatever the devil may throw against us, the strength to resist until the end and then to share with You the final victory.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
David isn’t the only one to compare the devil to a stalking lion, nor does only Paul see our true spiritual enemy. Hear what the Apostle Peter has to say, in his 1st letter to the far-flung church, chapter 5 verse 8…
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
--1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)
Family, this is a war like none other. This is the last war, the final war, although it has been running throughout all of human history and will continue until Christ comes again! And it is a war we must win, as individuals and as a church. For to lose this war is to lose our eternal souls.
What are some of the weapons arrayed against us? Temptations can come from any place and in any form. Take a look at the picture on the screens… How many of those look familiar? Facebook, Twitter, photos, newspaper articles, email, regular mail, magazines, television… Yes, those things can provide good, reassuring, faith-filled messages, too. But Satan uses them and more every day, every second of the day, to tempt some poor unfortunate soul into losing everything for nothing more than a bit of pleasure, a moment of lust, a hint of revenge.
Family, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Our foe isn’t the person who flips us off in traffic or who breaks in line ahead of us in the store, it’s the demon that tempted them to do that. Our enemy isn’t a radical religious fanatic, it’s the demon who possesses him. Our adversary isn’t a Democrat or a Republican or a liberal or a conservative, it isn’t a pimp or a producer of pornography, it isn’t an ISIS fighter or a Taliban insurgent, it isn’t a pirate or a scammer or a member of any corrupt government or illegal organization or gang. It isn’t any human being at all.
Our enemy is Satan, a spiritual being. Our war is spiritual in nature, as we battle for our very souls. So our armament must also be spiritual. We must rely upon God’s truth and His righteousness, keeping our faith strong at all times. We must hold to the Gospel, the Good News of salvation that only Jesus can bring. We must hold fast to our only offensive weapon, the word of God, studying our Bible and depending on what God has given us in its pages. And above all, we must pray. Pray to God for strength, for help, for guidance.
Be alert, be sober, be ever vigilant, for Satan is walking the land looking for souls he might devour. And he is a lion that never sleeps.
In the saving name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You have given us everything we need to protect ourselves from Satan, who prowls about looking for the weak. You are righteous and ever faithful to us, and You give us the righteousness of Your own Son if we just believe in Him and hold fast to our belief. You give us Your holy word to be our sword, the same sword that Jesus will wield when He returns in all His glory to conquer our foe.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, calling upon You and praying straight from our hearts…
Lord Jesus, You are our only hope of salvation. Only through You can we gain everlasting life in heaven with You and our Father God. You are the truth. Help us share and spread that truth. Our faith in You is our only shield against all the weapons Satan may unleash toward us. Give us the strength, Lord Jesus, the strength and the resolve to stand against whatever the devil may throw against us, the strength to resist until the end and then to share with You the final victory.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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