The mighty foe
Scripture Reading: John 2: 1-11
There is wisdom in that familiar saying, "Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer." (Sun Tzu) If a man is to walk safely through his life in the way of faith in Jesus, he must know the very powerful work of Satan. Keep Satan close. No, not in the fulfillment of his personalized temptations, but know who he is and how he works. You may only flee from the enemy when you have the knowledge that you are under siege in the first place. He knows what you are thinking, he knows what your weakness is for his study of your being plummets depths you have not even discovered about your own self. He has a poison to set before you and is lying in wait for the corrupt will of your heart to take hold and commit itself to a deadly obedience to himself.
By nature he has a great influence over the heart (Acts 5:3) and he uses his demons who are invisibly present to do his bidding. He will make you to be drowsy in church, filled with all manner of distraction, he will lull you to sleep, he will tempt you to over-indulge your appetite, set what to our own mind seems good and honest to become a snare in order to lead you to greater and more dastardly sins and he will lure you to the very gates of hell itself all while your deceitful heart believes itself to be on the pathway to the celestial gate. Yes, he is formidable (1 Peter 5:8) coming as the serpent, the roaring lion or the angel of light. Satan along with this world and the hardness of man's heart presents what seems to be an unconquerable foe. The will being not free, but under a slavish bondage to him as our natural father (2 Timothy 2:26) knows only obedience to him, outside of saving grace. Our lives then ultimately ending in eternal terror under punishment for the great affront against the Triune God, in darkness forever while dying and never coming to an end of suffering. This is the position of every man and the end thereof. We don’t want to know this and certainly in today’s hedonistic society of pleasure seeking, who could stand to hear it?
But, to you who have been under the gospel, let’s take a short look at the Scripture passage in the 2nd chapter of John…Jesus first of thirty-seven miracles. No, we are not going to spend time on the miracle itself or occasion and fashion of it, but let’s look very briefly at one verse in particular:
“And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”
As is the case with some sayings and expressions used in modern day society, they can be traced back to a Biblical root. Surely, we have all heard that familiar expression: “saving the best for last”, which has root in Christ’s miracle when He provided through His Divine transforming power the best of wine, which the governor tasted after the worse wine had been depleted. This lead him to his statement of surprise here in verse 11: “but thou hast kept the good wine until now.” But, have you ever considered the reverse of these words? The governor’s words provide for us a glimpse into the tactical ways of how Satan lures sinners. This is the trickery with which Satan operates, setting forth what seems good only to bring in sorrow to the soul after the sin is committed. He can't make us sin as some have tried to use “the devil made me do it” as a scapegoat for their own sinful actions. It takes man’s volition to decide to commit the sin after being tempted and so the responsibility is on our account when transgression is fulfilled.
Has it not also been the case already from the beginning? After the lying tongue of Satan in communication with Eve, her immediate position was one of consideration and so the gaze of her eyes landed on the fruit which was pleasant to her sight and something to make her wise. And after Adam & Eve (and we with them) took of that savory bite of forbidden fruit that which was worse followed instantaneously to the eternal injury of all mankind.
In John Bunyan’s famous book, The Holy War, Diabolus acts in similar fashion through his lure of false promises which seem good to the mind, until he and his band gained entrance through the gate of Mansoul only to wreak havoc and take it captive. “Alas, my poor Mansoul, I have done you this service to promote you to honor and to increase your freedom,” said Diabolus.
We can only think through and observe with eye and ear how Satan has done this through modern media, social platforms and music. A little first sip, a dipping in of the toe into the shallow end and before we know it we are both drunk and drowning in the deep waters of iniquity…one sin leading to the next. The great doom scroll of the 21st century will distract billions as digital addictions bring in the new wave of Satan's devices (quite literally) to our eyes, ears and fingers. How the gates of our Mansoul need protection!
Though Satan has many different devices with which he makes strategic use of to tempt man and though I have described him as a mighty foe, I hope we can turn this dark page to one of a hopeful light.
The mighty foe has not only met his match, but has altogether been crushed in defeat. (Genesis 3:15) Seeing how our hearts are stained deep black and having fallen into temptation, does it not make a look upon Jesus hanging there on Calvary all the more attractive to you? And if today you have to confess in secret that you don't know Him or if you have been a backslider who has to confess a going away from Jesus, be encouraged today as He calls to you.
For the one without that divine birthing work of the Holy Spirit of life, you can yet call out unto the Lord to give you a sight and taste of the darkness that you are. He can show you your cold dark abyss of a heart, but also how He is willing to take that stony heart and give you an heart of flesh for He has said, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36: 26, 27) Plead with the Lord for that heart.
For the one who has lost their footing as a Christian and backslidden in a grievous or even imperceptible manner, I encourage you with some words from the Lord's Word out of Jeremiah 3:22 “Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.”
And here is an encouragement that I have found beneficial from the great reformer Octavius Winslow in his book Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul:
“But so far from this, we state it distinctly and emphatically, that whatever be the departure of a backsliding child of God, it is recoverable: not a step has he lost but may be retraced; not a grace has decayed but may be restored; not a joy has fled but may be won back. Alas! for us, when the day comes that shall close up every avenue to the return of a backsliding soul! that tells us that the Father no longer welcomes home the prodigal; that the blood of Jesus no longer heals a wounded spirit; that the Holy Spirit no longer restores the lost joys of God's salvation! But we desire now to show, that for every poor, self-condemned, heart-broken, returning soul, there is a lingering affection in the heart of the Father, a welcome in the blood of Jesus, and therefore every encouragement to arise and come to God.”
Therefore, think on your own soul’s current condition and position before the Triune God. Think on the enemy’s deceitfulness as well as your own heart deceitfulness!
If today you are a Christian in more than just name, the revelation of the three-fold enemy to yourself will show you your moment by moment need of the Almighty sovereign power of the Three-fold God. In Jesus the Almighty Conqueror there is grace for you to walk as having eyes in your head, a heart that may be tenderized by His ever flowing love and even love requited from your own soul's union with Christ by His Spirit back to Him. He prays for you now to uphold you. His mediating work is because He has placed His Holy Spirit in you who also makes intercession and so this is the ground for why the believer's prayers are also heard…because at the core of the matter as Scripture has stated, He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). His armor is perfect, every piece of it fit to suit you fully believer. It is an armor He purchased on the cross and in His resurrection. In the defeat of the enemy himself, He gives grace to overcome Satan, the world and the old man.
May then our eyes be upon this precious Jesus that we may withstand and overcome, that we may sit with Him eternally. Love him, obey Him, be as a fit vessel daily to be poured out in the service of Him in whatever He calls you to do. Above all, seek a closer union to Him in His means. He comes in love each Sabbath and to those who are seeking Him earnestly for their soul's temporal and eternal benefit. Who is a God like unto Him (Micah 7:18)? There is none that could compare and so may the heart be overjoyed and desirous even now to speak with Him in communion to uphold you, strengthen you, add to your graces and to make you to be trees whose boughs bow to the ground with over 100 fold fruit and may the God of all grace apply Himself by His Spirit to your present case for He has defeated the mighty foe!
To this end believing soul, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Cor. 2:11)…let's lastly consider from the pen of the Puritan Thomas Brooks ten abridged, special helps against Satan’s devices. (From the book, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks)
The first help if you would not be taken by any of Satan's devices, then walk by rule of the Word of God (Prov. 12:24; Gal. 6:16) He who walks by rule, walks most safely; he who walks by rule, walks most honorably; he who walks by rule, walks most sweetly. When men throw off the Word, then God throws them off, and then Satan takes them by the hand, and leads them into snares at his pleasure.
The second help as you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, take heed of vexing and grieving of the Holy Spirit of God The Divine Spirit is very tender; if you grieve him, he will certainly grieve and vex your precious souls (Lam. 1:16.) It is the Spirit who is best able to discover Satan's snares against us; it is only he who can point out all his plots, and discover all his methods, and enable men to escape those pits that Satan has dug for their precious souls.
The third help if you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then labor for more heavenly wisdom. Ah, souls! you are much in the dark, you have but a little wisdom compared to what others have, and compared to that you might have had. There are many educated souls—but there are but a few wise souls. There is oftentimes a great deal of knowledge, where there is but a little wisdom to improve that knowledge. It is not the most knowing Christian—but the most wise Christian, who sees, avoids, and escapes Satan's snares.
The fourth help if you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then make immediate resistance against Satan's first motions. It is safe to resist, it is dangerous to dispute. Eve disputes, and falls in paradise (Gen. 3); Job resists, and conquers upon the ash-heap. He who will play with Satan's bait, will quickly be taken with Satan's hook! The promise of conquest is given to resisting, not to disputing: 'Resist the devil, and he will flee from you' (James 4:7).
The fifth help if you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then labor to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is a Spirit of light and power; and what can a soul do without light and power against spiritual wickedness in high places? (Eph. 6:12). It is not enough that you have the Spirit—but you must be filled with the Spirit, or else Satan, that evil spirit, will be too hard for you, and his plots will prosper against you. That is a sweet word of the apostle, 'Be filled with the Spirit' (Eph. 5:18); that is, labor for abundance of the Spirit. He who thinks he has enough of the Holy Spirit, will quickly find himself vanquished by the evil spirit.
The sixth help if you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then keep humble. An humble heart will rather lie in the dust than rise by wickedness, and sooner part with all than the peace of a good conscience. Humility keeps the soul free from many darts of Satan's casting, and snares of his spreading; as the low shrubs are free from many violent gusts and blasts of wind, which shake and rend the taller trees. The devil has least power to fasten a temptation on him who is most humble.
The seventh help if you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then keep a strong, close, and constant watch (1 Thess. 5:6). A sleepy soul is already an ensnared soul. That soul that will not watch against temptations, will certainly fall before the power of temptations. Satan works most strongly on the imagination, when the soul is drowsy. The soul's slothfulness is Satan's opportunity to fall upon the soul and to destroy the soul, as Joshua did the men of Ai. The best way to be safe and secure from all Satan's assaults is, with Nehemiah and the Jews, to watch and pray, and pray and watch.
The eighth help if you would not be taken with any of Satan's snares and devices, then keep up your communion with God. Your strength to stand and withstand Satan's fiery darts is from your communion with God. A soul high in communion with God may be tempted—but will not easily be conquered. Such a soul will fight it out to the death. Communion with God furnishes the soul with the greatest and the choicest arguments to withstand Satan's temptations. Communion is the result of union. Communion is a reciprocal exchange between Christ and a gracious soul.
The ninth help if you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then do not engage Satan in your own strength—but be every day drawing new virtue and strength from the Lord Jesus Certainly that soul that engages against any old or new temptation without new strength, new influences from on high—will fall before the power of the temptation. You may see this in Peter; he rested upon some old received strength—'Though all men should deny you, yet I will not!' (Matt. 26:35)—and therefore he falls sadly before a new temptation.
The tenth help if you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then be much in prayer. Prayer is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God and a scourge to the devil. David's heart was often more out of tune than his harp. He prays, and then, in spite of the devil, cries, 'Return unto your rest, O my soul.' Prayer is the gate of heaven, a key to let us into paradise. There is nothing that renders Satan's plots fruitless like prayer; therefore says Christ: 'Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation' (Matt. 26:41).
Are you battling in this way against the foe?