Exposing The Enemy I

Message Clutch Student Ministries Pastor Jordan Biel Rock of Grace A/G 11.15.2006

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be doing a message series on Exposing the Enemy.

Exposing the Enemy’s Plan, Strategy, tactics and ultimate plan.

Satan’s objective is to steal, kill, and destroy.

John 10:10 “The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” NLT

We mentioned at Velocity last week (by they way, don’t miss Velocity this Sunday night – Is there a Steelers and Browns game on?) In sports, a good coach always studies his enemy to learn his moves so that the enemy doesn’t win.

In basketball, you might watch the tapes of the other team and learn their plays.

WHY? So you’re better prepared when they try to beat you with that play.

Exposing the Enemy is about discovering the plays – the plan of the Satan – WHY? So we’re better prepared when he comes to us to defend ourselves with the Word of God.

The main point of tonight’s message is for you to know that…

Satan’s 1^st strategy to lie about God.

He wants so badly for you to misunderstand God. Satan, the enemy of your soul, is going to tell you lies – lies about who God is, what God’s about, and what God’s plan is for your life.

We’ve talked a lot about God’s plan for your life – His plan to prosper you, give you a good life, make you successful, and even give you eternal life with Him in Heaven when your life here is over.

But, over the next few weeks we’re going to unveal Satan and his schemes.

We’re going to expose the enemy.

One of Satan’s main tactics in lying about God is to deceive you. To tell you a little bit of truth mixed with a whole lot of lies!

So because Satan’s 1^st strategy is to lie about God, He’s not always just going to come out and tell lies point-blank. He’ll often mix those lies with a little bit of truth.

ILL> PIC. of Rat Poison Rat poison is %99.99 good food. Want some?

No! Of course not! Why? Because though there’s a lot of good food in their, there’s also poison that could kill you!

In the same way, Satan tries to bait you – often times using a little bit of truth.

Deception always starts with a little bit of truth.

Remember in the Garden of Eden. When Satan came to Eve? What did he say? Let’s read that story.

Gen 3:1-7 “Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?"

2 "Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. 3 "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die." 4 "You won't die!" the serpent hissed. 5 "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil."

6 The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. 7 At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves.” NLT

And so, the first woman ran the first man out of house and home. It’s always the woman! J.K.!!!

What happened? Satan put doubt in her mind about what God had said. He said, “Did God really say…?” He was putting doubt in GOD’s authority – in God’s word.

Then he came right out and lied. “you wont die…” Read Vs. 5.

A little truth: yes, they’ll know about good and evil, BUT they won’t become like God! And they would actually die!

Do you think that people are still believing the lies of the enemy today?

Do you think that teenagers are listening to the deception of Satan?

Let’s see…

ILL> Read the Ethics of American Youth Statistics

Satan has duped American teens into believing that they’re “moral and ethical,” people, though the statistics prove otherwise.

Satan is telling you when your taking your exam “go ahead and cheat. You can see the answers on that girl’s test.” “What’s it gonna hurt?” “You won’t really be sinning.” “It’s not like your killing someone.” And before you know it, he’s got you to rationalize your sin.

Remember, God is telling us in this next verse not be deceived! Don’t be deceived about people who say that they’re Christians, but then don’t act like it. Don’t be deceived by their lives to think that you can live a “double-life” also.

1 John 3:7-10 “Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. 9 Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians does not belong to God.”

Satan is going to do everything he can to make you believe that God’s Word isn’t true – that God’s consequence of sin isn’t real. That God doesn’t really love you and that God doesn’t really forgive you of sin.

Remember, it’s satan’s #1 obejective to get you to believe lies about God.

He wants you to not realize how much God loves you.

He doesn’t want you to know that God can and will forgive you of any sin you could ever do.

Let’s watch this video and see how this boy responded when he made a mistake.

ILL> nooma Video: Lump (to purchase nooma videos, visit Zondervan.com or google Rob Bell)

Satan doesn’t want us to believe that God loves us enough to forgive us of anything and give us a brand new start. This is all possible by receiving forgiveness from Jesus Christ