Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:57-64
What the Devil Does about the Word of God
Intro.
1. Without God’s word, man would be lost without a compass and drowning without a lifeline! (Jer. 10:23) Psa. 119:57-64
2. In our conflict with the devil we have been given the sword of the Spirit, Eph. 6:17 (2 Cor. 10:3-5); Heb. 4:12.
3. Satan is faced with the problem of what to do about the word of God. Consider what he has done and what he will do (2 Cor. 2:11)…
I. DENY AND DOUBT IT, Gen. 3:1-6.
A. Denial and Doubt Lead to Disobedience.
1. Deny its warnings of sin, its plan of salvation, its rebukes of error, 2 Tim. 3:16-17; cf. Acts 13:44-45.
2. Deny its inspiration, its accuracy and its relevance.
3. Doubt its commands, promises and warnings.
4. By uniting the word of God with faith, Satan’s scheme will fail in your life! Heb. 4:2
II. TRY TO GET YOU TO “LOSE” IT, 2 Kgs. 22:8, 11, 13.
A. Through Worldliness.
1. cf. 55 yrs. under Manasseh, 2 Kgs. 21:9.
2. Person steeped in worldliness has little use for the word of God because it condemns his lifestyle, Jno. 3:19-21; Gal. 5:19-21.
B. Through Compromise, cf. Rev. 2:14-16.
1. Compromising with religious error and immorality of the world causes God’s word to be “lost” in people’s lives.
2. The word of God destroys compromises, Rev. 2:16.
C. Through Neglect, 2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 5:11-12; 2 Pet. 3:16-18.
1. Without reading, studying, meditating – Will not obey it!
2. Word of God is also neglected in the pulpit and in Bible classes; in decisions (personal, family, business and recreational).
III. MAKE IT VOID THROUGH THE TRADITIONS OF MEN, Matt. 15:1-9.
A. By Convincing us that our Opinions are Equal to God’s Will, Col. 2:8, 20-23; 3:16; Gal. 1:8-9.
B. By False Teachers, 2 Pet. 2:1-2 (Matt. 7:15-16).
1. Test everything! 1 Jno. 4:1, 6; 1 Ths. 5:21-22; Acts 17:11
2. Accept truth and reject error, 1 Ths. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:13.
3. False teachers not only introduce error, they may also leave out what ought to be taught, cf. Acts 20:20, 27.
a. Men-pleasers teach what people want, not what they need (2 Tim. 4:3-4).
b. What kind of teacher are you content with?
IV. CROWD IT OUT OF OUR LIVES, Lk. 8:14.
A. Through the Cares of the World, Materialism and Desiring Other Things (Mk. 4:19).
1. Priorities and desires set our pattern of how we use (or fail to use) the word of God, Lk. 8:14.
2. Our lives ought to revolve around God’s word, Deut. 6:6-9.
3. We get so busy with everything but God’s word. Stewardship of our time (priorities, things that last), Matt. 6:33.
B. Through a Hardened Heart, Matt. 13:13-15 (cf. 13:19, 23).
C. Through Hypocrisy: “Say and Do Not”, Matt. 23:2-3; Lk. 6:46; Jas. 2:14.
Conclusion
1. The devil wants people to think the word of God is a dead letter:
a. That is what the lives of many “believers” convey!
b. Yet: Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:22-25.
2. Through the power of the Lord you can defeat Satan by never: denying and doubting God’s word, “losing” it; making it void through error, or crowding it out of your life.