The Enemy of the Church!

 

Series: The Church

Sermon 2: “The Enemy of the Church!”

 

Introduction:

A.   There is a popular Contemporary Song, “God’s Not

  Dead.” 

1. It is the theme song of a Christian movie from the same title.

2. It is something we can all relate to.

3. But there is one part that strikes me as odd from a biblical standpoint. 

4. It compares God to a roaring lion.

5. Nowhere in scripture that I can think of does it refer to God as a roaring lion.

6. That isn’t the common image of a lion in scripture.

 

B.   Most of us haven't had much experience with wild

animals such as lions, tigers, and bears.

 

C.   When these animals are caught, put in a zoo, and kept fed all they can eat, they aren't overly ferocious.  We walk by them, and they don't seem to want to attack us; they usually just lay around taking their afternoon nap!

 

D.   But you let a lion escape in a city and get hungry and

it is cause for alarm!  When he gets hungry enough, he

will attack a person!  Lions are like house cats in

that they stalk their prey:  they sneak around and

pounce on it!

 

E.   In the Bible days, they used these animals as a means

of persecution.  These animals would be kept in

captivity and kept hungry.  When they would throw a

person in with them, they would tear them up.

Fighting for the flesh that was on his/her bones!

 

Trans:

Keep in mind this picture of a lion as we read our scripture this morning, not the one we get from the “God’s Not Dead” video.  This would be the picture the

first readers would have had in mind!

 

 

                            Prayer

 

                         I Peter 5:1-11

 

Text verse    

(1 Pet 5:8 NRSV) ADiscipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a

 roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around,

 looking for someone to devour.@

 

I.      The world has an adversary.

 

A.   I believe we can picture Satan walking among all people devouring all that don't take on the necessary

protection:  Christ.

 

B.   The lost aren't our enemies; Satan is our enemy!  They are just being devoured by Satan.

 

C.   When someone hurts us, remember that!  They are caught in Satan's clutches about to be destroyed.  Oh, that we could lead them to the one who can save them!  Isn=t that the mission of the Church?  To make Disciples of Jesus Christ?

 

II.  But wait!!  Who is Peter talking to here?  (v. 1&2) The

Elders!  The Church!  We too have an adversary.

 

A.   Satan is walking among Christian people (stalking them out) seeking whom he may devour.  We have an adversary! We have an enemy!

 

1.      Satan is mighty!

 

2.      Satan knows our weaknesses!

 

3.      Satan is hungry for Christians because he doesn't  already have them!

 

4.   Satan has the ability to put thoughts in our minds: temptations, doubts.

 

B. Satan wants to destroy us!

 

1. He wants to destroy our families, Christians too!

 

a.   The family unit that was instituted by God!

A unit in which we can find a lot of

happiness and satisfaction!  A unit in which

we should get the proper training for life!

He wants to Destroy it! I=m not talking about

just biological family units (there are a lot of different family units today, a lot of different kinds of family units today); I=m talking about that unit through which we get nurture!

 

b.   He knows we need to communicate to grow  together!

 

c.   He knows the areas we have trouble communicating, the sensitive areas.  This is                    where he will work!

 

1)      He will try to cause problems here.  Hoping that we will just get angry and  say, "I don't want to talk about it  anymore!"

 

2)   When he gets us to stop talking about it, he has his foot in the door.

 

a)   Since he has us not talking about  it, misunderstandings can no

longer be cleared up in that area!  We can no longer tell our spouse what we think in this area.

 

b)   So he will tell our spouse what to  think!  We can be sure it will not  really be what we think, and it will be meant to destroy!

 

2.   Satan wants to destroy our church!  He knows that God wants to work through the church, like I talked about last week.  He knows it is Athe plan@ instituted by Christ through which his work and the gospel message are to go forth carried out by people working together as a group of believers (to show the world that God sent Christ and that God Loves them), and HE WANTS TO DESTROY IT!

 

a.      He knows the areas that are sensitive to us!

 

b.   He knows who he can work through to get the

job done!  Sometimes it might be the pastor;

other times, it is other folks in the church.

 

c.   He can plant thoughts in our minds, we act

upon them, hurt someone, and problems start.

 

d.   People, I know how he works to destroy

churches.  I have been there.  He catches

churches when things are going good!  That is when he will work the hardest to destroy it!

 

1)   Share about a church that split! Satan

used the split to destroy a might work

that God was doing in that congregation!

 

2)   It was destroying us so we finally left  the church!

 

3)   Those divisions existed until one of    those churches finally closed and was made into apartment buildings.  The other is still struggling along today!

 

e.   Not much good seems to have come from that   situation at first glance.

 

1)   But God allowed us to be a part of  something good at the church where we went after this!

 

a)      This church too had its problems.

 

b)   They had come near splitting a

couple years before we started!  We didn't realize it at the time.

 

c)   But we got to see what God is able

to do with a group of people who

are willing to put it all behind

for the cause of Christ!

 

d)   I know God can work miracles among

us today because I have seen it!

 

e)   I know God can take the bad things Satan causes and bring something good out of them because God has done it for me!

 

2)   Christ began a church called Forsyth UMC, and I know he wants to make a difference here. Forsyth has had its struggles. We came through Covid!  You came through a pastor who left and the church was down to 8, but God wants to work some miracles!

I Cor. 14:33

"For God is not the author of  confusion, but of peace, as in all  churches of the saints."

 

3)   Christ began the UMC through the works

of John Wesley! In recent years, we have had disaffiliations and issues within the church!  God wants to use the UMC!

a)      We have what the world needs!

b)      In a world where people have been hurt by the church, we offer Love and Grace where people can encounter God!

c)      We just need to let people know that God loves them and we are here!

 

3.   Satan wants to Destroy us!

 

a.   This is the ultimate reason for all the problems Satan causes, whether family or church problems!  He wants to destroy us as individuals: he wants to destroy our Soul.

 

b.      He uses family and church problems to do his work.

 

1)   When these things happen we will either get bitter or turn to God! Maybe you=ve had this happen in the past!

 

 

2)   Many people get bitter and turn away

from God, or if they don't completely

turn away from God, they back off from

God's service:  they withdraw from God's people and become bitter.

 

a)      This my friends is still a step in the wrong way!

b)   When this happens, we may not be

lost at first, but this bitterness

will destroy us!

 

III. Yes, we have an adversary, but we also have a Savior that is      stronger than Satan!

 

A.   Peter goes on to say, "Resist this adversary through  standing steadfast in faith." (Paraphrased)

 

B.   Christ can bring us through!  We can be Victorious!

 

1.   God can save our families!

 

2.   God can save our churches!

 

3.   God can save our souls!

 

4.   If we will only come to God and accept that we are accepted through Christ!

 

Conclusion:

 

A.      Have you accepted this morning?

 

B.   Christian, Do you know God as one that can defeat Satan in your life and bring good from the bad?

 

Matt. 16:18

"Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates

of hell shall not prevail against it!"

 

Upon the fact that Jesus is the "Christ the Son of the   Living God!" 

 

     C.   If you do, the sky is the limit for us as a Church and

          the people of God!

 

 

     D.   If you are struggling with this one, as we encounter

          Christ at the table this morning, come to Christ!  Let Christ help you overcome our adversary!

 

 

Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion