The Devil's Weapons of Mass Destruction
Text: 1 John 2:12-17
Thesis: I want the listener to be aware of some of the devil’s tools to get man off the strait and narrow.
Introduction:
A. Read the text—I read this merely to serve as a backdrop of our study tonight.
B. Our enemy, the devil, is real. By way of introduction tonight I want to observe:
1. From a negative standpoint:
a. The devil’s debut—The best I can tell, Satan is most likely a fallen angel (Lk. 10:18; Job 1:6; cf. Job 2:1; Rev. 12:9).
b.
The devil’s destructiveness—Satan is still powerful today (Lk. 9:12; cf. Eph. 6:16).
c. The devil’s deception—Satan will flat out lie to you (Jn. 8:44).
2. From a positive standpoint:
a. The devil’s defeat—The devil is being defeated (1 Jn. 3:8; cf. Heb. 2:14).
b. The devil’s departure—The devil is a coward, and if you will stand up to him, then he will leave you (Mt. 4:1-11).
C. Now, let’s shift gears. Tonight I want to talk about “weapons of mass destruction.” I read a report, just this week, put out by the M.D.A.A. that said, “Terrorists and rogue nations around the world now have the capability to strike the United States with ballistic missiles carrying weapons of mass destruction.”
D. The threat of weapons of mass destruction, such as: chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or large explosive weapons was in part a reason for our engaging in war with Iraq. Specific items such as the “mustard blistering agent,” “V series nerve agent,” and “G series nerve agents,” “anthrax,” and that’s just chemical W.M.D.’s.
E. These are not the weapons of mass destruction that I want to talk about tonight. Tonight, I want to talk about “The Devil’s Weapons of Mass Destruction.”
Discussion:
The devil uses . . .
I. ANXIETY AS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
A. Anxiety is a tool of the devil and it robs Christians of productivity.
1. “And what does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow, brother, of its sorrow; but, ah! it empties today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil, it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. It does not bless tomorrow, and it robs today. For every day has its own burden. God gives us power to bear all the arrows of his making; but he does not give us the power to bear the sorrows of our own making, which the anticipation of sorrow most assuredly is.”
2. Jesus said, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Mt. 6:27).
3. Worry does nothing for the Christian. It’s a lot like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but you never go anywhere.
B. What to do when you are suffering from anxiety—to the point that you feel like giving up:
1. Don’t give up, but fess up.
a. Sometimes anxiety is brought on by sin. If that’s the reason, then you need to remember there is hope for you.
b. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).
2. Don’t give up, but look up.
a. Great things happen when you pray. The entire Godhead listens (Mt. 6:9; 1 Tm. 2:5; Rm. 8:26-27).
b. The power of God is harnessed. God still works today by means of divine providence (Jas. 5).
3. Don’t give up, but cheer up.
a. I once read that a “sorrowful heart which manifests itself in a downcast countenance breaks the spirit of man; but a cheerful heart which shows itself in a smiling countenance lifts the spirit of man.”
b. If you have fessed up and looked up, then it’s time to cheer up.
c. Trust that God has listened to your supplications and that He will work in your life.
d. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken” (Prov. 15:13). “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth up the bones” (Prov. 17:22).
4. Don’t give up, but grow up.
a. When you have fessed up, looked up, and are cheered up, you are now ready to grow up. That’s what the spiritual life is about.
b. Paul said it this way, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).
c. Peter said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pt. 2:20).
II. INDIFFERNCE AS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
A. If you recall your biblical history, After some seventy years of the Jerusalem captivity, Judah would return in three stages to rebuild the city.
1. The first group would be led back to Jerusalem by Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They would then rebuild and dedicate the temple.
2. The second group was led by Ezra. A great revival was experienced among the people at this time, led by Haggai and Zechariah the prophets.
3. The third group was led by Nehemiah. It was under his leadership that the walls were rebuilt.
B. Let’s consider some background material as it relates to the subject at hand.
1. Read Nehemiah 2:11-18.
2. It is amazing to me that as you continue reading this impressive book, that Judah was able to complete this task in just fifty-two short days (Neh. 6:15).
3. My question is, given what I know about the vastness of such a project, how did they do it? Nehemiah gives the answer, “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work” (Neh. 4:6).
C. In connection with this, let’s read about some of those who helped in this great task.
1. Read Nehemiah 3:12—the women.
a. Where would the church of our Lord be without godly working women?
b. I think about Lydia in Acts 9. Priscilla in Acts 18. Phebe in Romans 16. Apphia in Philemon 1:2.
2. Read Nehemiah 3:20—the manner (earnestly).
a. Notice that word “earnestly” in the KJV. It is a word that signifies “burning” and therefore connotes “zeal.” In connection with that, I want us to notice a very interesting passage in Jeremiah.
b. It says, “Cursed [that gets my attention] be he [that stirs me up even more, because I don’t want to be the he] that doeth the work of the LORD [did you know that you can be subject of the anathema of God, while doing his work?]…” (Jer. 48:10). Now, let’s notice the marginal rendering in the KJV for a better understanding. It says, “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently….”
D. Words of commendation for the earnest workers of the church….
E. But there are exceptions.
1. Nehemiah 4:5—laziness.
2. Nehemiah 4:10—negativeness.
F. Ladies and Gentlemen, we would do well to take a dose of James 1:25. “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work….” The last word there is not “word,” it is “work.”
G. Are you a diligent worker? Do you have a mind to work? Or are you indifferent? Brother Lipscomb once said, we are just to busy “playing at religion.” Why is that? Why are we so indifferent?
1. Sometimes we depend too much on others. But we need to bear our own weight.
2. We don’t distinguish between the work and worship of the church.
III. CONFUSION AS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
A. Ill: “A teacher was handed the following note by one of her students: ‘Dear Teacher, Please excuse Harriet for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it on Monday, we thought it was Sunday.’”
B. The religious world tries to confuse the masses. I think they are following the advice of H. Truman when he said, “If you can’t convince them, then confuse them.”
C. “One church is as good as another,” they say. “Your way of salvation is o.k. as long as mine is,” they say. “You’re o.k., I’m o.k.,” they say. “You can believe it that way, and I can believe it my way,” they say.
D. Here’s the problem, God says, “[I’m] not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33). God says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6). And God says, There is one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God (Eph. 4:4-6).
IV. TIME AS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
A. Someone once said, “We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end.” Well, that’s the devil. He wants to catch us griping about our time while causing us to forget that one day, all time will end.
B. When the devil can’t convince us that there is no God, or that there is no plan for man, or that one plan is just as good as another. His next option is to convince us that we have all the time in the world to obey God—the problem is, we are believing that lie!
C. May God help us to “…to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psa. 90:12).
D. May He help us to redeem the time (Eph. 5:16).
Conclusion:
A. The devil is attacking every day. He is the ultimate terrorist. Has he reached you with one of his many weapons of mass destruction?
B. There is a solution. Obedience and continual obedience to God’s Word.
Thesis: I want the listener to be aware of some of the devil’s tools to get man off the strait and narrow.
Introduction:
A. Read the text—I read this merely to serve as a backdrop of our study tonight.
B. Our enemy, the devil, is real. By way of introduction tonight I want to observe:
1. From a negative standpoint:
a. The devil’s debut—The best I can tell, Satan is most likely a fallen angel (Lk. 10:18; Job 1:6; cf. Job 2:1; Rev. 12:9).
b.
The devil’s destructiveness—Satan is still powerful today (Lk. 9:12; cf. Eph. 6:16).
c. The devil’s deception—Satan will flat out lie to you (Jn. 8:44).
2. From a positive standpoint:
a. The devil’s defeat—The devil is being defeated (1 Jn. 3:8; cf. Heb. 2:14).
b. The devil’s departure—The devil is a coward, and if you will stand up to him, then he will leave you (Mt. 4:1-11).
C. Now, let’s shift gears. Tonight I want to talk about “weapons of mass destruction.” I read a report, just this week, put out by the M.D.A.A. that said, “Terrorists and rogue nations around the world now have the capability to strike the United States with ballistic missiles carrying weapons of mass destruction.”
D. The threat of weapons of mass destruction, such as: chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or large explosive weapons was in part a reason for our engaging in war with Iraq. Specific items such as the “mustard blistering agent,” “V series nerve agent,” and “G series nerve agents,” “anthrax,” and that’s just chemical W.M.D.’s.
E. These are not the weapons of mass destruction that I want to talk about tonight. Tonight, I want to talk about “The Devil’s Weapons of Mass Destruction.”
Discussion:
The devil uses . . .
I. ANXIETY AS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
A. Anxiety is a tool of the devil and it robs Christians of productivity.
1. “And what does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow, brother, of its sorrow; but, ah! it empties today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil, it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. It does not bless tomorrow, and it robs today. For every day has its own burden. God gives us power to bear all the arrows of his making; but he does not give us the power to bear the sorrows of our own making, which the anticipation of sorrow most assuredly is.”
2. Jesus said, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Mt. 6:27).
3. Worry does nothing for the Christian. It’s a lot like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but you never go anywhere.
B. What to do when you are suffering from anxiety—to the point that you feel like giving up:
1. Don’t give up, but fess up.
a. Sometimes anxiety is brought on by sin. If that’s the reason, then you need to remember there is hope for you.
b. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).
2. Don’t give up, but look up.
a. Great things happen when you pray. The entire Godhead listens (Mt. 6:9; 1 Tm. 2:5; Rm. 8:26-27).
b. The power of God is harnessed. God still works today by means of divine providence (Jas. 5).
3. Don’t give up, but cheer up.
a. I once read that a “sorrowful heart which manifests itself in a downcast countenance breaks the spirit of man; but a cheerful heart which shows itself in a smiling countenance lifts the spirit of man.”
b. If you have fessed up and looked up, then it’s time to cheer up.
c. Trust that God has listened to your supplications and that He will work in your life.
d. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken” (Prov. 15:13). “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth up the bones” (Prov. 17:22).
4. Don’t give up, but grow up.
a. When you have fessed up, looked up, and are cheered up, you are now ready to grow up. That’s what the spiritual life is about.
b. Paul said it this way, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).
c. Peter said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pt. 2:20).
II. INDIFFERNCE AS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
A. If you recall your biblical history, After some seventy years of the Jerusalem captivity, Judah would return in three stages to rebuild the city.
1. The first group would be led back to Jerusalem by Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They would then rebuild and dedicate the temple.
2. The second group was led by Ezra. A great revival was experienced among the people at this time, led by Haggai and Zechariah the prophets.
3. The third group was led by Nehemiah. It was under his leadership that the walls were rebuilt.
B. Let’s consider some background material as it relates to the subject at hand.
1. Read Nehemiah 2:11-18.
2. It is amazing to me that as you continue reading this impressive book, that Judah was able to complete this task in just fifty-two short days (Neh. 6:15).
3. My question is, given what I know about the vastness of such a project, how did they do it? Nehemiah gives the answer, “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work” (Neh. 4:6).
C. In connection with this, let’s read about some of those who helped in this great task.
1. Read Nehemiah 3:12—the women.
a. Where would the church of our Lord be without godly working women?
b. I think about Lydia in Acts 9. Priscilla in Acts 18. Phebe in Romans 16. Apphia in Philemon 1:2.
2. Read Nehemiah 3:20—the manner (earnestly).
a. Notice that word “earnestly” in the KJV. It is a word that signifies “burning” and therefore connotes “zeal.” In connection with that, I want us to notice a very interesting passage in Jeremiah.
b. It says, “Cursed [that gets my attention] be he [that stirs me up even more, because I don’t want to be the he] that doeth the work of the LORD [did you know that you can be subject of the anathema of God, while doing his work?]…” (Jer. 48:10). Now, let’s notice the marginal rendering in the KJV for a better understanding. It says, “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently….”
D. Words of commendation for the earnest workers of the church….
E. But there are exceptions.
1. Nehemiah 4:5—laziness.
2. Nehemiah 4:10—negativeness.
F. Ladies and Gentlemen, we would do well to take a dose of James 1:25. “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work….” The last word there is not “word,” it is “work.”
G. Are you a diligent worker? Do you have a mind to work? Or are you indifferent? Brother Lipscomb once said, we are just to busy “playing at religion.” Why is that? Why are we so indifferent?
1. Sometimes we depend too much on others. But we need to bear our own weight.
2. We don’t distinguish between the work and worship of the church.
III. CONFUSION AS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
A. Ill: “A teacher was handed the following note by one of her students: ‘Dear Teacher, Please excuse Harriet for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it on Monday, we thought it was Sunday.’”
B. The religious world tries to confuse the masses. I think they are following the advice of H. Truman when he said, “If you can’t convince them, then confuse them.”
C. “One church is as good as another,” they say. “Your way of salvation is o.k. as long as mine is,” they say. “You’re o.k., I’m o.k.,” they say. “You can believe it that way, and I can believe it my way,” they say.
D. Here’s the problem, God says, “[I’m] not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33). God says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6). And God says, There is one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God (Eph. 4:4-6).
IV. TIME AS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
A. Someone once said, “We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end.” Well, that’s the devil. He wants to catch us griping about our time while causing us to forget that one day, all time will end.
B. When the devil can’t convince us that there is no God, or that there is no plan for man, or that one plan is just as good as another. His next option is to convince us that we have all the time in the world to obey God—the problem is, we are believing that lie!
C. May God help us to “…to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psa. 90:12).
D. May He help us to redeem the time (Eph. 5:16).
Conclusion:
A. The devil is attacking every day. He is the ultimate terrorist. Has he reached you with one of his many weapons of mass destruction?
B. There is a solution. Obedience and continual obedience to God’s Word.
posted by Neil Richey | 7:39 AM
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