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Dr. Ronald Powell
This Week's Message
SATANIC DEVICES - Part 5
2 Corinthians 2:1-11
(Key Verse - 2 CORINTHIANS 2:11 "LEST SATAN SHOULD GET AN ADVANTAGE OF US: FOR WE ARE NOT IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES.")
SO FAR WE HAVE DISCUSSED:
Week 1: Distraction
Week 2: Discouragement
Week 3: Dissillusionment
Week 4: Discontentment
TODAY:
Week 5: Discord (division)
A. 1 Corinthians 1:10-11 "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you."
B. There are four ways the devil brings about division in the church.
- He uses Selfishness,
- Favoritism,
- Narrow-mindedness,
- and Lack of Fellowship
C. Selfishness says; do it my way or no way.
Favoritism says; our way is better than your way.
Narrow-mindedness says; we've never done it that way.
Lack of Fellowship says; you go your way and I'll go my way.
D. Romans 12:3-5 "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."
E. The secret of every discord in Christian homes and communities and churches is that we seek our own way and our own glory.
F. It is too bad that anything so obvious should need to be said at this late date, but from all appearances, we Christians have about forgotten the lesson so carefully taught by Paul: God's servants are not to be competitors, but co-workers.
G. Philippians 1:27 "Only let your conversation be as it becomes the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;"
VI. Disassociation
A. Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
B. The devil loves when believers do not fellowship: he loves it when we distance ourselves from each other.
C. 1 Corinthians 12:18-21 "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you."
1 Corinthians 12:25 "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another."
D. Communion is strength; solitude is weakness. Alone, the eland is an easy target for the stalking lion. The devil would like to isolate believers just like predators separate their prey from the herd thereby weakening it and easily killing and devouring it.
E. 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:"
F. Churchgoers are like coals in a fire. When they cling together, they keep the flame aglow; when they separate, they die out. - Billy Graham, evangelist.
G. Community ... means people who have to learned how to care for each other.
Christ has given us an alternative: to forgive each other for the pokes we receive. That allows us to stay together and stay warm.
CONCLUSION: This morning has Satan been working overtime in your life? Has he been able to distract you? Has he gotten you majoring on minors with priorities out of alignment with God's? Has he gotten you discouraged, feeling like you are in the battle alone? Have you become disillusioned and disenchanted? Have others disappointed you? Have your dreams and plans failed to come to fruition? Have you allowed a spirit of discontentment to slip into your life? Do you find yourself grumbling and complaining? Has Satan brought discord into your life with its "us" and "them" attitude? Is Satan working on you to have you disassociate and isolate yourself?
Ephesians 4:27 tells us, "Neither give place to the devil." This morning, will you come and let God give you the victory over the devil's devices? |
