Schemes The Devil Uses Against Us 20260301

Satan uses schemes to trick and cause us to fall. Christians are in spiritual warfare against him, not against man. Satan uses man to spread lies and false doctrines. It is important to seek God's truth in His Word to combat Satan's schemes of intimidation. Peter denied Jesus three times due to intimidation. Paul, formerly Saul, intimidated and persecuted Christians before becoming an apostle. Recognizing and resisting Satan's intimidation is crucial in staying faithful to God. Again, it's good to be with you today. I want to speak to you a few moments concerning some of the schemes that Satan uses towards us. Last week we spoke of some of the things that Satan cannot do, but I want to speak to you on some of the things he can do and some of the schemes that he uses as he tries to trick us and cause us to fall. The word scheme, according to Webster's Dictionary, is a plan of action, especially a crafty one. Well, that fits Satan, doesn't it? A Christian, as we talk often, we're engaged in spiritual warfare. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 4, the Apostle Paul says to Timothy and New King James, Our primary focus in this life is to seek God, hear him and keep his commandments, and we're not to entangle ourselves with the things of this world, although now God put us in this world to live, but our primary concern would be that to serve God. In Ephesians 6 and verse 12, Paul is invited to the church at Ephesus from a Roman prison. He said, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Satan uses man as his tool. You know, the only time that Satan came as a serpent was in Genesis chapter 3. And after that, when sin came into the world, we have no record that Satan ever came as a serpent again. In fact, he uses us, he uses man, to skew forth his lies and his trickery and his schemes. And Satan, you notice here in Matthew chapter 3 and verse 7, to me it's just interesting to note, here's John the Baptist baptizing at the River Jordan. And some Pharisees and Sadducees are coming toward John the Baptist, and he calls them brood of vipers. In other words, the word brood refers to a family of more than one brood of vipers. Vipers refers to a snake. It goes all the way back to Genesis 3, when Satan came as a serpent. And John the Baptist is saying, you're just a bunch of snakes. It's really what he's saying to these Pharisees and these Sadducees in Matthew 3 and verse 7. Our enemy is not man, but it's Satan. But Satan uses man to teach false doctrines. And so God, Jesus, died for all, all of mankind. In 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 14, beginning, Satan and his servants disguise themselves even as an angel of light, doesn't it? It says, themselves as serpents, servants of righteousness, who then will be according to their deeds, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11, 14 and verse 15. If you notice in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21, notice in Matthew 7 and verse 21, New America Standard, Jesus is speaking here, and he said, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles? And Jesus said in verse 23, I then will declare to them, I never knew you depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. You know, here we have Judas, didn't he perform miracles in Matthew chapter 10, cast out demons? But we have to finish the race, and we know that he did not do that. In Ephesians 6, verse 10, New American Standard, Paul tells the church at Ephesus, he said, finally be strong in the Lord, in the strength of his might, put on the full honor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. That's the New American Standard. What is the strength of God's might? His Word. His Word. We know in Romans 1, verse 16, Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. The power is in the Word. So if you're Satan, what do you want to do? You want to twist that Word. And he did that with Eve, didn't he? In Genesis chapter 3, when Eve said, when we, the rich, were dead and fruit, that we will surely die, he said, you will surely not die. So he changes the Word. Isn't that what denominations do today? They change the Word. In fact, in Mark chapter 16 and 16, Jesus said, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. And they said, no. Baptism is not essential, but that's not what Jesus said. And he's going to be the one that judges us. You know, John 8, verse 44. Here you have these well-known as Pharisees inscribed from verse 3 of John chapter 8. And so I'll just read this. John chapter 8 and verse 44. These elite of the Jews, these leaders of the Jews, were trying to test Jesus and trying to, well, they just, they really just hated him to the point of death. And they said in verse 39, we were, notice how they flung this at Jesus in verse 41. We wasn't born in fornication. Isn't that something? Because we know it may have been that they were referring to Jesus. You remember the Holy Spirit overcame, overshadowed Mary and she conceived. And they said we wasn't born in fornication. And Jesus said to them in verse 43, if God were your father, you would love me. For I proceed forth and have come from God. For I have not even come on my own initiative, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I'm saying? It is because you cannot hear my words. You are of your father, the devil. Now that's strong, isn't it? Jesus is saying to the Pharisees, these elite, you are of your father, the devil. He is a murderer from the beginning. Remember Genesis chapter 4, Cain and Abel? He is a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature. For he is a liar and a father of lies. But you, because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. And so Jesus is saying, I'm speaking the truth. Satan is speaking something that is a lie. And you of your father is the devil. We have to be careful. We have to make sure we glean the truth from God's word. And yes, it's strict, but it's God's will. And without God's word, we would not know about the schemes of Satan, would we? Because God points that out to us. Satan doesn't tell us about hell, but God does. See, Satan doesn't do that. You know, he, Satan, he uses other people and other ways to speak forth his lies. One of the reasons, one way that Satan does of his schemes is intimidation. You know, he wants to intimidate and he's successful at times with that. In Matthew 10 and verse 28, Jesus said, do not fear those who kill the body. And Peter did. We know this happened in Matthew 26, 69 through 75, where he had denied Jesus three times. But Jesus said, do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body. And hell, that's gone. In 1 Peter 5 and verse 8, you know, Satan is about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he can destroy or devour. In Luke 22, verse 54, beginning, New American Standard Version, talking about the intimidation of Satan. This is one of his schemes that he tries to get people to quit the Lord, to not obey the gospel. Luke 22, beginning in verse 54. This is talking about Peter denying Jesus three times. And just shortly before that, Peter said, Lord, I'll go easy on you today. I'll never deny you. But he did three times, didn't he? In verse 54, beginning of Luke 22, New American Standard, having arrested Jesus, they led Jesus away and brought him to the house of a high priest. But Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting amongst them. And a servant girl, she and Peter, as he said in the firelight, in the firelight, and was looking intently at him, said, This man was with him too, talking of Jesus. But Peter, what did he do? Just shortly before that, he said he never would do this. But he denied Jesus. And he said, Woman, I do not know him. Verse 58. A little later, Peter denied, said, A little later, another saw him and said, You are one of them too. But Peter said, Man, I am not. And verse 59, after about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, Certainly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean too. But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are talking about. Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Boy, I think when I was growing up, sometimes I might be misbehaving at a gathering. And all my daddy had to do was just turn and look. And I got the message. And don't you think Peter got the message? He went out and wept bitterly. But Satan, Satan schemes his intimidation. I think that's his number one scheme, to intimidate, to intimidate people. Notice what Paul did. This is one in Acts 26, verse 9 through 11. This is when he was Saul, but now he's the Apostle Paul. And Luke is recording this for us. In verse 9, beginning of Acts 26, Paul is speaking to Tina Griffin. So then I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem. Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prison. That's intimidation, isn't it? Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from a high priest or chief priest, but also when they were being put to death. Boy, now you're talking about intimidation. When they were being put to death, Saul, who later became the Apostle Paul, he said, I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme. And being fiercely enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities. You know, as I read, Josephus claimed that there's over a hundred synagogues in the city of Jerusalem alone at the time of Jesus. Oh, you can read over in Acts where there's one synagogue named the freed man. There was this, Paul would go to these synagogues and people who had become Christians, he would try to compel them to blaspheme. That's intimidation. That's intimidation. In Galatians 2 and verse 11 is another example. Here's Peter. You remember up at Antioch, Antioch of Syria. Well, whenever Peter was up there, he would eat with those converted, both Jews and Gentiles. But there was some Jews came up from Jerusalem. What did Peter do? He withdrew. He withdrew and he would not eat with the Gentiles. He was intimidated. Notice what Paul did. Paul, now when Peter had come to Antioch, Paul said, I withdrew, stood him to his face because he was to be blamed. For before certain men came from James and Peter, he would eat with the Gentiles. But when they came, these Jews who had come up from Jerusalem, who had become Christians, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with Peter, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. Peer pressure, isn't it? Peer pressure is great. It's great today. Peer pressure is. But, you know, we have some, and David, he was not intimidated with Goliath. Here's Goliath, you remember, in 1st Samuel 17, verse 44 through 50. The Philistine also said to David, come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds, the birds of the sky and the beasts of the fields. And then David said to the Philistine, the guy, he said, you come to me with a sword and a spear and a gavel, that I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day, the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the armies of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and of the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God of Israel. Verse 47. And that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and the battle is the Lord's and does not, and he will give you into my hands, our hands. Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly towards the Philistine. He wasn't intimidated. He ran towards the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into his bag and took out from it a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone sunk into his forehead so that he fell on his face to the ground. Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him, but there was no sword in David's hand. A sword at that time was a prevalent weapon to be used in warfare, and David didn't even have one. The battle belonged to the Lord. Jesus was not intimidated. I know Satan used schemes. Intimidation is one of his main schemes that he uses. But in Luke 22, verse 52, beginning, Then Jesus said to the chief priest and the officers as they came to arrest Jesus, to take him to crucify him. And he said to the chief priest and the officers of the temple and the elders who had come out against him, Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber? While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on me, but this hour, and the power of darkness are yours, he said. Jesus was not intimidated. He knew, notice in John 12 and verse 27, Jesus said, Now my soul has become troubled. And what shall I say? Father saved me from this hour, but for this purpose I came to this hour. Satan uses intimidation. I think that's one of his main schemes. You know, what is going on in Nigeria today, isn't it? Where they're killing people who deny Jesus. I mean, those people, they want them to deny Jesus. Would you lie? You know, that's an intimidation because of fear at a job or within a family. You know, as a preacher, I had a lady, one lady called me, she knew she was wrong. She called me and she said, I'm not going. I'm leaving the Lord's church and I'm going with him to a denomination. I said, you know, you're wrong. And she was just surprised. She said, but I want to keep my family together. And, you know, to this day, she's still in that denomination. She's raised her children. She's raised her children. Now they do not know the truth that she was intimidated by her husband. That's one of Satan's schemes, intimidation. Another, he's using intimidation in Philippians 1 in verse 27 and 28. Paul said to the church at Philippi, I only conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit. Don't be intimidated. With one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, in no way alarmed by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction for them that are the salvation for you. In 3 John 3, I reckon 3 John, it's only one chapter. But in 3 John, in verse 9, John says, I wrote something to the church, but Deoxys, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. So Deoxys was a weapon of Satan. He intimidated people, didn't he? Notice what he says, verse 10, for this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds, talking about the atrophies, which he does unjustly accusing us with wicked words. And not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out. And puts him out of the church. That's intimidation, isn't it? Deoxys was using the method of intimidation. Notice how they did in the early days of the church in Acts 4, verse 29, Peter and John asked God for boldness. You remember, they were commanded, don't teach anymore in Jesus' name. And they prayed for boldness. And notice in verse 29 of Acts 4, And now, Lord, take note of the Jews' threat, and grant to your bondservants, speaking of themselves, that we may speak your word with all confidence. Acts 5 and verse 27, The Sanhedrin had commanded the apostles not to teach in the name of Jesus, but notice verse 29, They said to him, we ought to obey God rather than man. They didn't succumb to the intimidation of the Jewish leaders of that day. If you cannot do it with intimidation and allurement, Satan uses the scheme of allurement. He lures, he makes, he wants the world to appear appealing to someone. And Satan can only use the things of the world. Well, all spiritual blessings come from God, not Satan, so Satan can only use the things of this world. The word, according to Webster's dictionary, the word allurement is to entice by charm or attraction. Make something appear to be something that's not. God made the world for us to use, and he wants us to enjoy life and have good days, but he doesn't want us to fall in love with the world. Love not the world, and neither the things that are in the world. It says in 1 John 2, 15, verse 17, you King James Version, Do not love the world or the things that are in the world. Do not love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away in the lust of it. But he who does the will of God abides forever. You remember the attractiveness of sin, pornography today. Man, it's addictive. Your eye, control your eye. Eve was attracted to the forbidden fruit, wasn't she, in Genesis chapter 3. It was, notice what it says, in Genesis 3 and verse 6, When the woman saw that the tree was good for fruit, this is a tree that was forbidden for man to take from, and that it was a delight to the eyes. It was an appealing tree, wasn't it? Because it said it was a delight to the eyes. And that the tree was desirable to make one wise, that's speaking of pride, isn't it? She took from its fruit and ate, and she gave to her husband with her, and he would eat. So allurement, Satan used that. He didn't use intimidation with her. He used an allurement. We, man, it's in Job chapter 31, Job said, We're to make a covenant with our eyes. Job said, I have made a covenant with my eyes, why then should I look upon a young woman? Adultery, fornication. It looks appealing. But Joseph, down in Egypt, he fled, didn't he? He had to run. You know, I often say, sometimes we don't, as ladies, not to be look-getters, and that means, men, we tend to be lookers. We have to be careful. All of us need to make a covenant with our eyes, and Satan uses these schemes of attractiveness to allure people into sin. Internet, television. You know, how can a person watch a sex scene on television without being aroused? You shouldn't be doing those kind of things. Another scheme by Satan is doubt, deceit, and confusion. I've had people, as I've studied with them, that, why would my preacher tell me such and such? My preacher, he wouldn't do something like that, and that preacher tries to present doubt in their mind. In Genesis 3, verses 4 and 5, didn't Satan, as a serpent, try to put doubt in the mind of them? You surely will not die. That's a scheme. Verse 5 of Genesis 3, Satan puts confusion into the mind of Eve. Satan says, for God knows that in the day that you reap from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So, he's putting doubt. And in conclusion, God warns us about the schemes of Satan. We're not to be ignorant of his devices. We have his word, God's word, for us to be given our defense of that. If you're here this morning and you're not a Christian, we beseech you to become one. If you are, and you've fallen back into the ways of the world, that needs to be made right.