Final message on The Model Prayer from 1 Peter 5:8-9. This message originally delivered on June 30, 1996PM.
If you have your Bibles tonight, would you turn to First Peter chapter five. For the last four weeks, during eight messages, we have studied the Lord's model prayer, where Jesus Christ teaches us how to pray. And then the last petition of the six petitions in the last one. Jesus Christ says that on a daily basis on a regular basis, you are to be praying this lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Lead us not into temptation delivered from the evil one we talked about this morning, but particularly delivers from Satan. From the archenemy of man who wishes to destroy us. We're going to study tonight, Peters, exhortation to believers in first Peter 589. Regarding how to fight the devil, I've called it a plea for realism. And the reason I say that is there are so much out there today, with all kinds of weird ideas for some reason, when it comes to fighting the devil. To be a fundamentalist Christian, that is to be committed to the scriptures as the authority for life you must believe that one of the three arch enemies of your life is Satan. His desire is to destroy you, he hates you. He's got a plan and an agenda and organization out to destroy you. It is not something to be taken lightly. The first book I ever preached through my freshman year in the ministry, the very first Sunday accepted the church in rural Ohio was first Peter chapter one, well, about six and a half months later, I got to the fifth chapter, and I will never forget doing verses eight and nine. And in this section, by the way, Peter is writing I want to explain a couple things about First Peter, before I mentioned that, but I'll mention it now, as Peter wrote, I remember as I got to this section, Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, I remember having a heightened sense of the of the spiritual conflict that we're in as Christians. And with fear and trembling, worrying about the church that I was pastoring wondering if Satan was going to somehow get advantage of my life, or the life of anybody in the congregation. And you see in this book, Peter is writing to Christians, Christians that are greatly persecuted Christians that are scattered abroad. And as he is writing to them, their their situation is one of suffering and trial. They are mainly Gentiles. So they'd be much like us. And they were scattered throughout the world, and they were undergoing severe persecution simply because of their faith in Jesus Christ. And as Peter is writing, he says in the fifth chapter, after he's talked a whole bunch about suffering and a whole bunch about submission, and a whole bunch about obedience to the faith. He says in the fifth chapter, he sort of almost like the book of Proverbs is the fifth chapter of First Peter, in which he just hits almost with no really apparent order several different topics like this, I'm closing my letter, and you write several different quick one liners to remind people of certain things. Peter does that here. He writes verses in the first four verses to the elders in verse five to young men, in verse six to be humble in verse seven about anxiety. And then in verses eight, nine, he makes this comment, look at these verses, be self controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering. Now, before we get that I want to read just two or three quotes, concerning the devil by different people, Church Fathers and important people in the church. Beelzebub is one of the several names for Satan in the Bible. This is from Warren Where's visa come in, and Pilgrims Progress and speaks of his filthiness of character and works it may mean the Lord of the Flies, or Lord of the house, it also could mean the dung God pee Leith or makes this comment. This will help you understand the defeat of Satan and yet the influence of Satan upon the church listen. Before church on Easter morning several years ago, a group of boys were gathered on the front porch of a small church where I preached near Birmingham, Alabama, gazing intently into a white plastic bucket. As I came closer, I could see that they were looking at a Copperhead about eight or 10 inches long and that did founded the swampy field behind the church. The snake's head had been partly crushed, and so the innards were oozing out. Despite his injury when one of the boys bumped the bucket the snake twisted around violently, ready to strike. The wounded beyond recovery, the snake was still dangerous to pick up. It's a good illustration to know this cry East has defeated Satan. Remember the prophecy that Moses wrote in Genesis 315, the son of God, Jesus, the one born of the woman will crush your head and you will crush his heel. So he is a defeated enemy but he has not done fighting. You can understand that concept. Jay Blanchard of the truth for life makes this listen to this. It is no mark of maturity to be unconscious of the doubles activities, or to feel that we can reach a stage in life where we are beyond temptation. Henry law writes on the double ceaseless activity, he never slumbers, never is weary, never relents, never abandons hope. He deals his blows like a childhoods weakness. Use inexperienced man who had strength and the tottering years of age. He watches to ensnare the morning thoughts. He departs not with the shades of night. By his legions, He is everywhere at all times. He enters the palace, the HUD, the fortress, the camp the fleet, he invests every Chamber of every dwelling every pew of every sanctuary. He is busy with the busy, he hurries about with the active, he sits by each bit of sickness and whispers into each dying ear. As the spirit quits the Tournament of clay, he still draws his bow with unrelenting rage. Now, I found this very interesting, because years ago, I was wondering, how does Satan influence God influences us through the scriptures? How does Satan influence and I've often thought, and I've said before, that Satan influences by putting thoughts in our minds, and I've had some people say, Well, I don't know if Satan can do that. But I've got a little bit of support from Jonathan Edwards, which is close to the quote quoting Spurgeon on this subject. But he makes this comment, Jonathan Edwards makes this comment. It is certainly not above the power of Satan to suggest thoughts to men. Because otherwise he could not tempt them to sin. Others like John Bunyan in his book on holy war, and others make similar comments. One more of my bunion just about that very point, illuminations and the grace of the Spirit of God of inward whispers is the in the word Satan gives immediate suggestions of facts and events, pleasant voices, beautiful images and other impressions on the imagination. This is Jonathan Edwards. There are many who are deluded by such things and are lifted up with them and seek after them every continued course of them and can have them almost at will they leave themselves open to the devil, he is always on hand to give them the desired impression. Let's just break this verses down first, Peter 589 and see what Peter says because this is Peters plan for fighting the devil. And first off I want you to do is we're just gonna break it down into two major, two major points tonight. The one is the devil described, here is our enemy being described. One man that I read, in fact, just this afternoon on this subject, made this comment. He says, if we did not know of a great mighty Savior named Jesus Christ, these words in this scripture, automate every Christian tremble. Look what it says about the devil here. He says, Be self controlled and alert, we'll come back to that. But notice the enemy describe your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Let's break this down the devil described first off he is your enemy, your enemy, the devil. This is the interesting word, it's a legal term. It means your adversary, your opponent in a lawsuit. I'm every other use of this in the Scripture, this word has to do with somebody that's at court going against you suing you. And so, so the devil here is is named as the great enemy of the Christian Peters writing to Christians. He says, Be sober, be vigilant because you have an enemy, the devil. Now the word devil is interesting, because it's really the word the Ebola loss, which is really the word slander. And this is the this is really interesting, because one of the terms in the scriptures for the devil is that he is one who is a false accuser, one who slanders I want you to think about this in the Scriptures right off at the very beginning of Genesis chapter three. The devil in the surform of a serpent comes to Eve and accuses God to Eve. He is the false accuser. He falsely accuses God to Eve and says God knows that if you eat of it, it will not be good for you. Now stop and think about the book of Job we get another picture there of Satan's work. And in the book of Job, you have Satan coming before God and accusing job. So in Genesis, you've got Satan accusing God to man. And in job you've got Satan accusing man to God. Think about it. Many other places in the scriptures, when you get this idea of the the slander, or you get this idea of man being accused to man, think of the church splits. Think of the anger, think of the resentment. Think of the hostilities, think of the way people can't get along all the tears that have been shed over it. And something you got to stop and take a look at is this Satan tries to ruin unity between people he accuses God demand he accuses man to God and He accuses man demand. He is the devil. Now I would just like to say this, if you've ever been anywhere where you've heard someone talking about you. You remember as a little kid right in the back of your car and your parents thought you were sleeping, they're having a conversation about you. Anybody have that? How about being somewhere else where maybe you've overheard a conversation one time I snuck out of the house, and that I really snuck back in it was some friends. And then I heard them make some comments about me. They thought I was gone. If you could tonight, listen to the demons of hell charged up. Of course there had been the devil. And we could just listen to them scheming and talking about the plans they have for you how it might put some Vim and Vigor into your prayer life. How it might suddenly cause you to seek God in devotions a little more disciplined. Remember, I said to the people in Bosnia, if they've been affected by the war? Yes, they get up and then it was just a walk out on the street. When a soldier is in the battlefield, he's in the foxhole sleeping does he just get up and say, Okay, I'm gonna go brush my teeth and get in his PJs and walk across to the outhouse. No. And when the Christian gets up in the morning, it is nothing that is delusionary. It's nothing that's been in matures, nothing has been some kind of crazy mindset to think that you must one of your early thoughts is this you have a heavenly Father You can pray to and also there is one planning to destroy you. That's what the Scriptures say. He is the devil. I have seen this if he accused Eve, if he accused God to Eve and he says nothing could stop and think about how slick he must be. Eve is in a perfect world. There is nothing wrong in the garden. And he comes along and he says Did God say and then it comes along and says You won't die and then he comes along and says the day you eat of it. You're gonna be like God, I clearly slanderous accusation against Almighty God who would put Adam and Eve in a perfect garden and fellowship with Him every day. And he says the day that you eat that God doesn't want what's best for you. slander against the Almighty, hateful slander. There is a vent on the devil to try to break up a relationship between God and men. He desires to slander us against God, God against us and us against each other. Friends start with things I hear people in the world they say things like this. If there is a God, that's good, then why does he love all this suffering? How many of you heard something like that? Listen, my friends, God is good. The Bible said it That settles it. The people that have that kind of attitude have been listening to the dark one. How about this? And I just I've heard this three or four times this year. If there is a God, then he's got a lot of explaining to do to me when I meet him. I'm glad you're laughing because you've got somewhat of a biblical mindset. That's good. Because I'll tell you something, friends. Stop and think of how the devil has got this thing twisted around. The devil makes it seem like this for you to obey the Word of God is gonna be slavery for you to obey the Word of God will be terrible. The Bible says to obey the Word of God is life and liberty and freedom. The Bible says to disobey the Word of God is slavery. Stop and think of how the world listens. Stop and think about mixed up Christians are because we listen more to the world and to the devil's whispers than we do to the Scriptures. Notice this he is the devil he is the slander get this look at his actions being described. What does he do? Look what the text says he prowls around like a roaring lion. This is so interesting. This is the word PETAA. Oh which is the word to walk to tread to trample wine, the treble grapes, I guess make them into wine. And that's the word Perry Hear, which is the word for perimeter. So he is walking around, is what it means that they're gonna be great. Theologians see that. Notice it says this, he's prowls around this is the NIV. Other translation says something a little bit differently. But the point is, he's always on the move. He's full of energy. He is way superior way greater in physical strength than we are, if I could use that kind of terminology for him. I don't know if that's the best way physical, but I mean, he's gotten way more energy than we have. But listen to this friends. In the book of Job, Satan reports into God, God says to Satan, and this is mystery friends, we see through a glass darkly when we read these passages. This is mystery, Satan is reporting to God. And God says, Where have you been? And Satan says, From roaming to and fro across the earth, do a study of the devil and you will see that every time he's mentioned there is some kind of understanding of incredible ability to travel back and forth and moving relentlessly, ceaselessly like he can't rest because he's just so energized by his malicious heart to do wrong. He prowls around walking about like a roaring lion. Here he's like, or he's as a roaring lion. Lion that roars a lion by the way, it's very interesting. A lion is referred to in Scripture to Jesus Christ. And a lion is referred to in Scripture as the devil. And serpent in Scripture is referred to as the devil and the serpent in Scripture is referred to as Jesus Christ. It's very interesting. Remember, the serpent lifted up is what led to the salvation of men in the book of Numbers. And hear what the point of lion is this great strength. He prowls around like a roaring lion. He's not just a lion. But here you see a lion if you've ever heard the roar of a lion. We're at the Chicago zoo visiting some relatives and we're walking in some other place also here the moon what was that? That was the lion roaring What do I say? Yeah Mark that down John. 20 of your anniversary. Want that one read if you could. He's howling. Really. It's interesting. The word Roy there he's howling. Listen to this. You read one lexicon? Here's what it says. This Roar is the howl of a beast in pain. The roaring of of the devil a beast in pain roaring to raise your voice and allowed inarticulate cry. Lion being great strength. He's roaming back and forth. He seems to be patrolling the earth. And then get this his actions looking for someone to devour. You know what it's so interesting. See the word looking if you get a King James to seeking I'm not sure probably the American Standard says seeking. Something I want you to notice is this is the word as they tell you what that word is. That is the same word in Matthew 633 that says, Seek ye first the kingdom of God. It's used of Herod seeking for Jesus. Remember jealous Herod seeking for Jesus? Remember that this is here and kills all the babies. Seek ye first the kingdom of God seeking God in prayer. It's looking at talking about a merchant who is seeking fine pearls of a shepherd looking for a lost sheep. He's out seeking of religious leaders looking for a way to arrest Jesus, of Judas looking for an opportunity to hand us over. In other words, he's ready. He's looking, he's on the alert. He's ready to do this. He's all the time seeking he's looking in liquid he's looking for everybody for someone to devour. Someone just the right person. Remember what Paul says in Ephesians Put on the whole armor of God that you could stand in the evil day he's looking for people but don't have the whole armor of God on just this week with a couple of my buddies in the church, we were down fishing in Florida and and we I was at a conference for a couple days and I went fishing for a couple days with them and and we had such a good time and and one thing that we learned is if you find the tarpan which everybody wants to catch behind the tarpan or the sharks, and so you see Turpin then the sharks follow because the tarp and just come in these massive schools and devour everything in sight and there's all kinds of little pieces leftover and the wounded fish plops down on the side of the tarp and only wounded and the sharks come in and grab them. I just was thinking here he had described as a lion. You could also describe him as a shark. There he is waiting for that wounded person waiting for the moment when you're bitter waiting for the moment when you're full of self pity, waiting for the moment when you have not kept lesson check. Waiting for just the right moment when you're a little discouraged knowing just right. By the way, when did he come to our Lord to tempt him at the beginning of the 40 day fast or at the end of the 40 day fast? At the end of the 40 day fast, knowing what just when you're super tired, knowing just when you're in a weak moment, and there he is looking for someone and please get this to devour the friends this is so interesting, because this is the word Pinto and the Greek which is the word to drink. But right before it's a compound word, it's kata Pindell, it means this to drink down. He is looking for someone to Greek to drink down. It's used in some Greek literature of a beast swallowing his prey in one gulp. He's looking for somebody, just like some barbarian. It's all over his beer just running down. Just in some kind of malicious, evil, greedy way like that is the devil trying to destroy us. He's looking for someone to devour. This is the same word used. For instance, in First Corinthians 1534, where it says Death has been swallowed up in victory. There's the word swallowed up. He's looking for someone to swallow up. By the way, do you think Peter knew anything about that? Do you think Peter knew anything about being defeated by the devil? You stay where you are tonight's a Sunday night just relax. Let me read you something. In Luke chapter 22. I want to just read you a little story. Because remember who wrote First Peter? Can you guess? Peter? Great. This is a scholarly group Steven. Okay. Now look at verse 31. This is the night before Jesus was betrayed. Listen to what it says. Luke 2231 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. But he replied, This is Peter replying, Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and the death. Jesus answered, I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me. Let's listen. We don't under I don't quite understand this. How did our Lord know this? Because he's the Lord. But the Lord has special insight to spiritual battle. He knew Peter was going to be a key member in the cog of the beginning of the church. And he also knew that there had been special permission granted at the last meeting where Satan said I want Peter and I don't quite understand it if you put it through the whole grid of Scripture I don't understand but maybe something like the case where Satan said something about job and Jesus Christ looks at Peter and says Peter, listen to me Satan his desire to sift you as wheat now Peter goes all know me, I'm gonna be loyal to you no matter what and when Peter said those words I think he was completely sincere we know this because you know when he cut off the the chief priest, servants ear he wasn't trying to get the ear you realize it's so Peter was meaning it I mean, Peter meant well, but we but we've got to realize this. We must be very humble in the sense of of satanic attack that let me read on further. This is what happened just later that night, listen. Then seizing him they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest Peter fall to the distance. This is Luke 2254. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw them seated there in the firelight, she looked closely at him and said, This man was with him. But he denied it woman. I don't know when he said a little later, someone else saw him and said, You also are one of them. Man, I am not Peter replied. About an hour later and other asserted, certainly this goal was with him for he is a Galilean. And Peter replied, man, I don't know what you're talking about. Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed, the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Jesus just started coming down out of the Upper Room. And you all beaten up even slapped around spittle all running down his face looks at Peter. Then Peter, remember the word of the Lord spoken to him before the rooster crows today yield in so many three times and he went outside and wept bitterly. The friends I want to ask you this question. Looking for someone to devour. How did Satan attack Peter? He got Peter Tonight Christ he got Peter to disown his allegiance to Christ. When we talk about satanic influence, I said it to you this morning I will say it to you again, the number one way the devil was going to attack is to attack the character of God attacked a crystal centric view of life. He's going to attack it so that you'd be ashamed of Christ you sent out won't want to live for Christ, you'll somehow put someone yourself on the throne rather than Jesus Christ of your life. He's gonna somehow make it seem everything's gonna be foggy and hazy, oh, it doesn't matter. That's fanaticism, I'm okay, I'm still a Christian, I can disobey. He's going to do that. He'll subtly laugh as he gets you going off course. This attack is to do this, just like it was against evil was to get him to get her to doubt the character of God. So it is to get you to not trust God and not to want to live for Jesus Christ. Our Lord warned Peter Peter failed. Now Peter warns us, and Peter is speaking to us tonight by the Holy Spirit and saying this, watch out. Here's your enemy. He's the devil. He's looking at what he's trying to do. Now, having said that, let's just look at what Peter says to do to defeat the enemy. Here's four things you do in your fight against the devil, according to Peter. Number one, I want you to see is this be self controlled. That means to be sober, to be calm and collected in spirit to be temperate to be circumspect. If Satan sees impulsiveness, if Satan sees you giving in to listen to me, listen to me carefully. Satan sees you giving into self pity. Satan sees you giving into some some just at the right moment. He's walking, he's on the prowl. He's energized he's looking for someone to devour. And we got a week with over here. The Turpin, the wounded one over here, he raises their tune for all across the earth looking for someone to devour. A clear and steady principle to overcome the devil is to be self controlled. It means this, as Hendrickson says, to look at reality with a clear mind, it's a person who controls their disposition. When Paul writes to the church, on the island of Crete, as he writes to Titus, he encourages everybody in the about to tell the older women this tell the older women this tell the younger women this and tell the young men this one thing tell the young men be self control. This idea of being self controlled is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. But the sense is, this is it, you're in control. You're not just all the time tossed back and forth in a good mood in the bad mood back and forth. No, you're controlled, you're not you don't run every blue light special and spend all your money. You don't give it every time there's some impulsiveness. You don't just give it and you say, wait a minute, here, I'm on a mission. And God is the Spirit of God isn't controlling my life and I don't give in to every little impulse. We live in a society today, in which it's absolutely considered crazy for you not to just give into your passions on a regular basis. I've talked with many people in many areas of life. And just to say this friends, if you want the devil to gain advantage of you do not be a self controlled person. Be alert. This is interesting. This comes from the words wake up. It comes from the word when you go like this, Hey, get up, wake up, arise. It needs to be watchful, to be on your guard to give strict attention to listen, wants that you are taking in what you're not taking advantage of. Because if you're indolence to be in a perpetual state of watchfulness and readiness. Listen, listen, by the way, listen to this. The night that Peter failed so badly. Listen to what Jesus said to him. Jesus said, Therefore, keep watch. He says, Peter, watch and pray lets you enter into temptation. Peter slept, and he was defeated by temptation. To be on the alert, whenever I thought of this word, I often think of a defensive safety in the NFL, the guy is getting paid and gets cut if the guy catches too many passes. And then he's going up against world class Splinter sprinters on the other side. And he's looking like this, and he's ready and they got these guys are gonna think one way and go the other and he's back there and he's looking, he's gonna watch for the volunteer. He's gonna watch guys certain ways. He's got to be completely alert. He's got to be completely focused on what he's doing. And if you list a few of them go, he's gonna lose his big salary. So that guy's backing up and he's just looking like this. This is the idea of being watchful being alert. Another illustration came to our mind on this word is is the idea of coming home after You've been robbed. I remember in eighth grade, we got robbed twice in the same week. And if you've been robbed, and someone just completely dismantled your house and stolen everything you have, and you're scared to death, the next time you come home, for the next several times, you come home, you come home a little differently. You know, like you carry an axe in your hands, or a baseball bat. And you're sort of like this and you're listening for noises. Maybe a better illustration would be if you, you sort of had the hint that someone was gonna throw a surprise party for you. And so you just keep listening for a little clues that may be the best illustration yet. Because you're constantly saying, I'm in the scriptures. I'm controlled, but I'm alert. I'm watching Satan trying to trick me. Want to find out where the party is? So I don't go. Like this. Look what it says next, resist him standing firm in the faith. This one you dropped down to verse nine. First Peter five. Notice, be self controlled, be alert, resist him standing firm in the faith. You know this is really interesting know what the word resist means. It all goes together resist him standing firm in the faith. The word resist here is where we get the word and a histamine. It does. That's exactly what it means. It's the idea. To resist to oppose to stand is the idea. For instance, in Romans where it says, If you resist government, you're resisting God. That's the same word. It means to stand. It's used in Ephesians, six on the Greek chapter of spiritual warfare. The Bible says in James chapter four, submit to God resist the devil, he'll flee from you. It means to resist them to stand against them to take a strong stand. I'm not giving in. I'm gonna stand firm. It means to be to be in movable and your stance. Does it? And how are you supposed to resist them by standing firm in the faith notice, it doesn't just resist them by sheer willpower. Notice that's not what it says. It says resist him standing firm in the faith. In other words, to be stronger in movable in the faith. What's that is that somebody of Dr. Lord could mean that but what it mainly means is this know the Scriptures. Know them. What happened when screen Jesus Christ was tired Satan comes to him and what it's like what a scene by the way, do you ever consider that passage in Matthew For what an amazing scene, here's the Son of God, 40 days without food. And Satan comes to him at the end of that period of time, and tries to tempt him with all of these fantastic temptations, and Jesus, and you know what he uses every time Satan uses the word of God, but he twists it. And Jesus Christ comes back and gives you the Word of God as it really is. Let's stop and think friends. How important it is that we would know the word remember in Genesis chapter three, what's the first thing he says? Did God say what's the next thing he says you will not die he contradicts the Word of God. We're not in here with those devices. He does that right from the very beginning. So means this resistance in the faith, know the word remain firm, in one's trust in God even though life is hard. Even though you're in persecutions, even though you're in some trauma, don't give up and listen to this, particularly when you're in a great deal of suffering and the devil has really been attacking you. Don't give up the faith. Stay strong in the faith. It's interesting, isn't it that Ephesians chapter two verses one through three says this that before we are saved, we cannot resist the devil. If you read Ephesians 2123 You'll find out that before someone is saved, they have no ability to say no to the devil. But after they become a Christian now we can take our stand resist them. I'm not going to give in you know what's so sad today. It seems to me like so many Christians don't have the stance like this. And say you know what they're doing. They're standing like this. Oh, this is interesting. What it is I can get look with it. This looks so the lowering rather than resistant. Listen, this I'm going to read you have some examples of resisting. Listen to this. Just stay where you are. I'm going to read you and here's a here's an example in the book of Revelation of people resisting to the max, are you ready? Revelation 12 Nine says this. The great dragon was hurled down that ancient serpent called the Devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, now have come to salvation, the power of the Kingdom of God and the authority of Christ. For the accuser of our brothers who accuses them before God day and night has been hurled down. They overcame him. How do they overcome him? How did the saints overcome the devil, by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. There's somebody that there's a group of people there that didn't mind resisting. Listen to this. In southern France overlooking the Mediterranean stands the tower of constants. There in the 18th century, Huguenot women were in prison for decades because they refused to surrender their Reformed faith. In the towel room where they were held captive. A strong coping surrounds around open into the floor. inscribing the stone is the word in their in their language for resist. Maria Duran entered that room in 1729 when she was 15 years old. Three years later, her brother Pierre was hanged in Mount pellier. In 1745, she was offered her freedom if you would agree to renounce Protestant worship. 16 years later, she refused all such offers and remained captive for 38 years. All she had to do to walk out the prison doors was to bring out renounce her faith. Resisting the temptations to despair, to suicide to betrayal from her imprisonment, she began a ministry of encouragement by correspondence and some of her letters are kept today in the Muse Museum of wilderness. That's what it means to resist. I believe this with all of my heart, Satan comes along and says, give up your marriage. Come on, he'll never be happy. And he sends in some devil speakers. And what I mean by Devil speakers is people in suits with PhDs sit around saying, Yeah, your job is to be happy. And they've been listening to the devil from the back. And they're gonna keep sitting there telling you Oh, yeah, we'll be Oh, sure. If you can't be happy with that person, find somebody who can be happy with you the thought came to me is I've dealt with so many these I know, I keep using this as an illustration, my friends, but I'm gonna tell you, we've got a lot of people that need to get serious about what Jesus Christ says about marriage. And I want you to know this that I've often thought went to see Michael card concert. And you know, when she showed it halftime of his concert, he showed this illustration of these people in China suffering for their faith. And you know, what they do with one guy, one guy for something like 16 years, was put in prison all day. And then they were taken, they put him in a in a group in up to here in sewage, I mean, human waste. And he stood there every day for 12 hours having to shuffle something with human waste up to here. And you know what he said, he said, it was his best time they have this little video clip they were they were saying it was my best time of the day. Why was it your best time of the day? Because I could be alone and sing hymns and quote Scripture. Now, you know what, I stopped when I think this what in the world is God's gonna say to you? When you give up your marriage, because you want to be happy when people are sending the sewage up to here to live for Christ, and you think you've got it bad. Where in the world have we gone? You have been duped by the devil. So far, you don't even know it. And we've got to stop and say things like this like gut marriage and and holy living and, and obedience to the Word of God is worth whatever the price is. We must know the word resistance standing firm in the faith. I know what the Scriptures say. That's why the way by the way, you come to church and what happens when you go to church is you shouldn't be taught the Word how the devil must love it. That 1000s go to church now and nobody teaches him anything. He must love it. Because these are easy pickings for me, thank you pastor keep it up. Fourth thing I want you to know is this know that you're not alone. You say, Kim, you just thrown that in there. No, look at the text. Look at verse nine. First Peter five what it says resist him standing firm in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. You know, there's something here listen, here's the four steps that Peter gives. I want to tell you something. There's something about this one. There's something to know this one of the things I regularly seen as I have pastored people is there's a sense when they are really, really under the temptation and the trials of dub devilish attack. There's this deep sense where Satan has convinced them they're the only one in the world like that. If you're here tonight, and you feel like you're the only one in the world like that, you can be assured that that's not the case. Because here's the whole point. You're not the only one suffering these Christians were suffering but know this, this kind of persecution and suffering that the devil was thrown on the church is going on everywhere. You're not alone. And notice this, notice this. Notice that the text says that the attack of the devil is particularly against God's people. Some Christians say this since I became a Christian, my life's gotten harder. Friends may be sold because for the first time in your life the devil now is going to attack you look at the Buddha says Be self controlling alert your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. By this time the gospel been around that you're 63 this time the gospel is gone all around the world been going since Pentecost since about the year 37. So you're talking about 16 years where the gospel have spread at this point. And he says people from all different Northern Africa, Europe all over the place, the gospel is going forth, and they're suffering and you're not alone. It's sort of like soldiers where their morals are strengthened because they know that others have got it just as bad as they do. This would be a terrible time for me, or anybody in this church. Is that another Bible study? Thank you. Interesting. Got my Greek words down. Thank you. Let's go. Remember there is one out there with the wants to destroy you. Good song, let's pray. Father, thank You for the instruction today from Jesus. And from Peter. Help us to apply now the scriptures to our lives, to live them out for you or to help us to be sober, to be watchful and standing firm in the faith and to remember that we're not alone. In Jesus name, Amen.