Part 8 Satan is Real

A.M. Sermon

Spring Hill, TN

3/18/07 a.m.

Series: “Discovering the Spiritual Realm” (Pt.8)

Text(s): Various texts

Summary: In PART 8, we explore the reality of Satan and the Biblical information about this spiritual being (A helpful resource utilized in this study was Bert Thompson’s Satan—His Origin and Mission published by Apologetics Press, 1999).

“Satan is Real”

Introduction:

A. Satan—The Adversary to Man’s Spirituality

1. In our pursuit to Discover the Spiritual Realm, we must also investigate the spiritual beings that exist in God’s created Universe.

2. In the previous lesson we explored the holy beings known as “angels.” But there are also evil beings within the creation also.

3. The leader of all evil beings is none other than Satan himself.

B. Is Satan Real?

1. Statistics demonstrate that 47% of evangelical Christians, 69% of Catholics and 65% of mainline Protestants believe that there is no such thing as a real devil (Beam, Seeing the Unseen, pg 50).

2. Many believe that Satan is only a symbol of evil that exists.

3. In this lesson, however, we explore the Bible’s teaching on this matter and we will discover that “Satan is Real.”

I. SATAN IS REAL!

A. Satan is not a myth

1. Unbelievers and religious liberals often deny the personal existence of Satan claiming that the idea of “the devil” was simply invented by Christians as a “scare tactic” to motivate people to avoid destructive behavior.

2. Others claim that the idea of “Satan” is simply a mythological tool to explain the personification of evil within the world.

3. Some individuals that claim to be religious will acknowledge a strong belief in the God of the Bible, yet deny the existence of Satan as a real being.

4. Contrary to the claims of skeptics, the Bible continually affirms the reality of Satan and his existence as an actually spiritual being.

B. Satan’s reality in Old Testament

1. The Hebrew word “sa-TAN” is used throughout the Old Testament and literally means “opponent” “adversary” “one who stands against.” Sometimes the word is used in contexts where it refers to an “opponent” generally.

2. However, there are numerous passages, especially in the book of Job, where the word is used with the definite article (the adversary) and refers to the greatest adversary of mankind, the archenemy of good. These texts clearly present Satan as an individual spiritual being that converses with God and opposes mankind.

3. Our first introduction to Satan seems to be in the form of the serpent in Genesis 3 that tempts Eve to rebel against God’s commands.

4. Before God’s judgment seat, Satan (the adversary) stands like a prosecuting attorney and makes accusations against mankind (Job 1:6-12; Zech. 3:1-2)

C. Satan’s reality in the New Testament

1. Although some claim that the idea of Satan is simply Jewish myth, we discover even further proof of Satan’s existence in the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles.

2. Jesus refers to Satan with the Greek word diabolos (translated into the English “devil”). This word means “a slanderer,” “a deceiver” or “a traitor.”

3. Jesus affirms that the devil has been a murderer and deceiver from the beginning (John 8:44).

4. The truth of Satan’s reality is seen in the fact that Jesus himself is tempted by the devil in Matthew 4:1-11. In this temptation we see a spiritual conflict between mankind’s Savior and mankind’s accuser.

5. Later, Jesus calls Satan “Beelzebub” which means “lord of dung” (Matt. 12:27). Satan and his activity is the polar opposite of purity.

6. It was Satan who placed the temptation within Judas Iscariot’s heart to betray Jesus (John 13:2).

7. Certainly Satan is a real spiritual being and not some myth or imaginary figure.

The Bible does not give a specific description about the origin of Satan. However, there is adequate information within the Bible that can allow us to build a logical conclusion about his origin.

II. SATAN’S ORIGIN

A. Satan is not deity

1. Satan is clearly presented in Scripture as being a powerful being with considerable resources.

2. However, Satan does not enjoy the status of being deity.

3. Only God (Father, Son, Spirit) are deity possessing the qualities of omnipotence (all power), omniscience (all knowledge), and omnipresence (all present).

4. First, Satan is not all-powerful in that Scripture says, “greater is he [God] that is in you than he [Satan] that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Satan is limited in his power; he had to ask God’s permission to “sift” the apostles as wheat (Luke 22:31).

5. Second, Satan is not all-present, like any other non-divine being Satan can only be at one place at a time; he cannot be everywhere at once. To be all-present means a being is not restrained, but Satan not being divine is limited. Although Satan may have never been in your direct presence, Satan’s influence and lure has infected many aspects of life and we are indirectly tempted by his influence. Most of the time we tempted by Satan’s lures, devices, and traps that he has gone forth setting in this world (James 1:14; 2 Cor. 2:11).

6. Third, Satan is not all-knowing. Like other spiritual beings, Satan is unaware of the time of the LORD’s return (Matt. 24:36). Satan does not have the knowledge of how to “snatch” us from the LORD’s hand (John 10:28).

B. Satan was not created evil

1. Satan is not deity. Knowing this is true, there is something else that we know about Satan.

2. Only deity is eternal. Since Satan is not deity he is not eternal.

3. Any being that is not eternal must be created.

4. Therefore, Satan must be a created being.

5. Was Satan created by God to be evil? Did God design Satan to be man’s adversary?

6. This cannot be the case, in that Scripture clearly affirms that “everything” that God created was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). This includes every created thing, even Satan.

7. Satan must have been created good but then became evil.

C. Satan is a “fallen angel”

1. In the book of Job, Eliphaz seems to indicate a belief that God charged some of his angels with wrongdoing (Job 4:18).

2. Apparently angels, like men, have the ability to choose good or evil in that Peter mentions the “angels when they sinned” (2 Peter 2:4).

3. Additionally, two New Testament passages indicate that God punished certain of the angels (incarcerating them until judgment) for not keeping their proper “habitation” (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).

4. Jesus speaks of Satan as being the “prince of the demons” (Matt. 12:24), and he mentions “the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41), which seems to indicate that Satan led other angels in his rebellion.

5. What exactly was Satan’s sin? Paul seems to indicate that Satan’s sin was that of pride. Speaking of elders, Paul says, “and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6).

6. In pride, apparently Satan led an insurrection (or rebellion) against God.

7. But when did this take place? We discovered in the previous lesson (“Angels are Real”), that angels were created by God just prior to the creation of the world where they shouted for joy (Ps. 148:2, 5; Job 38:6, 7).

8. Sometime after the creation of angels, apparently Satan (once an “good” angel) in his pride led other angels in a rebellion against God.

9. In a highly prophetic passage about the king of Tyre, Ezekiel may give us some additional information about Satan and his fall (Ezekiel 28:12-17).

10. Although we cannot be certain, this passage may indicate that Satan was given the angelic responsibility of being the beautiful guardian of the Garden of Eden. Satan’s fall as an angel may have occurred at the same time as mankind’s fall from grace (Gen. 3).

III. SATAN’S MISSION

A. Satan is opposed to God and man

1. When Satan and his angels “sinned” (2 Peter 2:4) by not keeping their “proper abode” (Jude 6), God prepared a place for them to dwell (Matt. 25:41), a place where they would be “kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6).

2. Although Satan’s rebellion was put down by God, Satan continued to set his will against all that is right and good.

3. God had proven too powerful for Satan’s rebellion, so Satan needed another way to strike back at God—Satan needed an indirect target.

4. Rather than attempt another direct mutiny against God, Satan set his sights upon the creatures that had been created in God’s “image” (Gen. 1:26-27).

5. Satan began his accusation against mankind (Job 1:9-10), his attempt to slander Israel (Zech. 3:1-2), and even attempted to destroy the mission of Jesus Christ (cf. Matt. 2:13; Matt. 4:1-11).

6. When Satan failed to destroy Jesus and his mission, he then began to “make war” with those who “keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17).

7. Therefore, Satan continually exerts his influence upon the world prowling “around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

8. Therefore, Christians everywhere must be armed with the “full armor of God” because we struggle against the spiritual forces of Satan from heavenly places (Eph. 6:10-17).

B. Why does God allow Satan to exist?

1. But why would God allow Satan to continue to tempt us?

2. Why does God not simply destroy Satan? Why allow Satan to continue his existence?

3. The answer to this question has to do with the very nature of spirit beings (angels) that God has created.

4. Jesus tells us in Luke 20:33-36 that one day the righteous will inhabit heaven where “neither can they die anymore, because they are like angels.”

5. God is an eternal being, but God created humans and angels as immortal beings.

6. An immortal being, by definition, is a being that (once created) will never cease to exist.

7. If God determines to make a being that will never cease to exist (immortal), then even God cannot “go back on his word” and cause that being’s existence to be erased.

8. Since Satan and his angels are immortal, God created a “holding cell” for them in chains of darkness to await the final judgment (Matt. 25:41; Jude 6).

9. Until judgment, God apparently uses Satan for his purposes. God allows Satan to tempt us apparently to test us and purify us as a people for God’s possession.

10. Eventually, Satan and his angels will be judged along with all wicked and disobedient human beings and they will be thrown into the “lake of fire and brimstone” where they will be “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).

C. Satan is man’s adversary

1. Satan is the originator of sin; John explains, “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning” (1 John 3:8).

2. However, just because sin originated with Satan one should not think that Satan is the cause of sin in an individual’s life.

3. Satan has no power to override our free moral choice. Satan’s ability to control people has been “bound” (cf. Rev. 20:2).

4. James explains that God does not tempt anyone, but neither is sin caused by Satan (as though Satan “makes” us do something); rather sin comes about when an individual is “carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14).

5. Certainly, Satan casts “lures” of lust before us, he tries to deceive and mislead us (2 Thes. 2:10), he promotes false religious teaching (1 Tim. 4:1), and spreads lies (John 8:44).

6. By studying God’s word we can be made aware of all of Satan’s methods of temptation; “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).

7. God has provided us with spiritual protection that can protect us against all of Satan’s attacks; “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11).

8. If we prepare ourselves with God’s word, God has limited Satan’s ability to overtake us in temptation, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

Conclusion:

A. We must have a healthy respect for Satan, he is powerful and one must never believe that one is “beyond” being tempted. Even Michael the archangel would not slander the devil (Jude 9).

B. However, with God on our side we can be confident that Satan has no power to “snatch” us from the Father (John 10:28).

C. As long as we remain faithfully obedient to Christ, we can know with certainty the truth of the Apostles affirmation, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).