What can Satan do to Saints ?
1. He tempts them to lie. Acts
5:3 - But Peter said, "Ananias, why has
Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the
price of the land?
2. He accuses and slanders
them. Rev. 12:10 - Then I heard a loud
voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the
kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser
of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day
and night.
3. He hinders their work. I
Thes. 2:18 - For we wanted to come to you-- I, Paul, more than once-- and yet
Satan hindered us.
4. He employs demons to
attempt to defeat them. Eph. 6:11-12 -Put on the full armor of God so that you
can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.
5. He tempts to immorality. I
Cor. 7:5 - Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a
time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so
that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6.
He sows tares among believers. Matt. 13:38-39 - The field is the
world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the
sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is
the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
7. He incites persecutions
against them. Rev.2:10 - 'Do not fear what you
are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into
prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days.
Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
What can demons do ?
1. They attempt to thwart the purposes
of God. Dan. 10:10-14 - A hand touched me and set me trembling on my
hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider
carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now
been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Then he continued, “Do
not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain
understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard,
and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom
resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to
help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia
Rev. 16:13-16 - Then I saw three evil
spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out
of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are
spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of
the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God
Almighty.
Behold, I come like a
thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he
may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
Then they gathered the
kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
2. They extend the authority of Satan by doing his bidding. Eph.
6:11-12 - Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your
stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms.
3. They may be used by God in carrying out of His purposes.
I Sam.16:14 - Now the Spirit of the
LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him.
II Cor. 12:7 - Because of the surpassing greatness of the
revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given
me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-- to keep me from
exalting myself!
4. They can inflict diseases. Matt.
9:33 - After
the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and
were saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel
Lk. 13:11 - He saw a woman who
had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen
years and was unable to stand up straight
5. They can possess men. Matt.
4:24 - News about him spread as
far as Syria
6. They can possess animals. Mk.
5:13 - So Jesus gave them permission. The evil
spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about
2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the
water.
7.
They oppose the spiritual growth of God’s children. Eph. 6:12 - For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of
wickedness in the heavenly places.
8.
They spread false doctrine. I Tim.4:1 - But the Spirit explicitly says that in
later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful
spirits and doctrines of demons.
What defense does a believer have against
Satan and demons ?
1. The present
intercessory work of Christ. Jn. 17:15 - "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to
keep them from the evil one.”
2. The purpose
of God may include using Satan for beneficial purposes in the life of the
Christian. II Cor. 12:7 - To keep me from becoming conceited because of
these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a
messenger of Satan, to torment me.
3. The
Christian should never speak to Satan contemptuously.
Jude 8-9 - In the very same way, these dreamers pollute
their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. But even the
archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of
Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said,
“The Lord rebuke you!”
4. The believer
should be on guard. I Pet. 5:8 - Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
5. The believer should take a
stand against Satan. Jas. 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you.
6. The believer
should use his armor. Eph. 6:11-18 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able
to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world
forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in
the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that
you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to
stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and
HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH
THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the
shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
This
study is taken from “The Ryrie Study Bible” A synopsis of Bible Doctrine: “The
doctrine of Satan” and “The doctrine of demons.”
Let's make personal application.
Luke 22:31-32 - “Simon, Simon (your name here...), behold, Satan has demanded
permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your
faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your
brothers.”
Def:
demanded – Gk. ἑξῃτήσατο – exaitaesato, from
ex-ahee-teh-om-ahee - ἑξαιτἑομαι; “To demand the surrender of
for trial.”
Satan has
the right to bring the sin and evil in men to light before God.
Rev.12:10;
Job 1:6-11; Zech. 3:1-2
He is “the
Accuser” – Gk. κατηγορος – kat-ay-gor-os; “a complaint at
law against one in the assembly.”
He is the
agent of sifting – Mk. 3:12 - He is ready to separate the chaff from the
wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area,
gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending
fire."
Only
Jesus can defeat Satan and his work. I Jn. 3:8 - The Son of God
appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
Trust The Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior today.
