Transcript Document

Weapons of
Mass Destruction
Recent Governmental reports suggest
Americans take precautions by preparing
homes and stockpiling food and water in the
event W.M.D.’s are set off in their city.
Weapons of
Mass Destruction
Nuclear Bombs and Biological and
Chemical Warfare fail in comparison to the
weapons Satan has in his arsenal in his
war against Christ’s kingdom!
Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Satan is utilizing weapons of even greater
magnitude in his war against the spiritual
kingdom of Christ. Ephesians 6:12-13
• Satan’s weapons are much more subtle,
deceptive and harder to recognize.
• What are these “Weapons of Mass
Destruction” being utilized by
Satan?
Satan’s W.M.D.*
• False Teachers and Doctrines of men
2 Peter 2:1,2; 3:16; 2 John 9
* Weapons of Mass Destruction
2 Peter 2:1-2
“But there were also false prophets among
the people, even as there will be false
teachers among you, who will secretly bring
in destructive heresies, even denying the
Lord who bought them, and bring on
themselves swift destruction.
And many will follow their destructive
ways, because of whom the way of truth will
be blasphemed.”
2 Peter 3:16
“As also in all his epistles, speaking in
them of these things; in which are some
things hard to be understood, which they that
are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do
also the other scriptures, unto their own
destruction.”
2 John 9-11
“Whoever transgresses and does not
abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have
God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ
has both the Father and the Son.
If there come any unto you, and bring not
this doctrine, receive him not into your
house, neither bid him God speed. For he
that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his
evil deeds.”
Satan’s W.M.D.*
• False Teachers and Doctrines of men
• Pride
– Pride is a weapon that will destroy many
Proverbs 16:18-19: 18:12
* Weapons of Mass Destruction
Proverbs 16:18-19
“Pride goes before destruction, And a
haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be of
a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide
the spoil with the proud.”
Proverbs 18:12
“Before destruction the heart of a man is
haughty, And before honor is humility.”
Satan’s W.M.D.*
• False Teachers and Doctrines of men
• Pride
– Pride is a weapon that will destroy many
Proverbs 6:17; 16:18-19;
– Produces self-love and self-centeredness
Is self-willed; loves the preeminence
3 John 9-10
3 John 9-10
"I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who
loves to have the preeminence among them,
does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I
will call to mind his deeds which he does,
prating against us with malicious words. And
not content with that, he himself does not
receive the brethren, and forbids those who
wish to, putting them out of the church.”
Satan’s W.M.D.*
• False Teachers and doctrines
• Pride
– Pride is a weapon that will destroy many
Proverbs 6:17; 16:18-19;
– Produces self-love and self-centeredness
Is puffed up; loves the preeminence
– Pride refuses to acknowledge mistakes
Cannot take rebuke
Resents being questioned
Satan’s W.M.D.*
• False Teachers and doctrines
• Pride
• Ignorance
– A lack of knowledge can be a serious
and dangerous thing. Hosea 4:6
– Ex: Walking in a mined field unaware
Hosea 4:6
“My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge. Because you have rejected
knowledge, I also will reject you from being
priest for Me; Because you have forgotten
the law of your God, I also will forget your
children.”
If we are ignorant, can’t know
what we must do to be saved!
If we are ignorant, how can
we know how to live a life
that is pleasing to God?
Hebrews 5:12-14
“For though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you
again the first principles of the oracles of
God; and you have come to need milk and
not solid food. For everyone who partakes
only of milk is unskilled in the word of
righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid
food belongs to those who are of full age,
that is, those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good
and evil.”
Satan’s W.M.D.*
• False Teachers and doctrines
• Pride
• Ignorance
• Apathy – lack of interest or concern
– Indifference – not just ignorant, but not
enough concern to care!
– Leads to Atrophy – wasting away,
degeneration, decline Matt. 13:24-26
* Weapons of Mass Destruction
Matthew 13:24-26
“Another parable He put forth to them,
saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man
who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but
while men slept, his enemy came and sowed
tares among the wheat and went his way. 26
But when the grain had sprouted and
produced a crop, then the tares also
appeared.”
Apathy will lead to atrophy
if we are not careful and
diligent!
Matthew 26:40-41
“And he cometh unto the disciples, and
findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter,
What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak.”
Our Shield against Satan’s W.M.D.’s
• Test Preachers and Religious
Leaders With the Sword of the
Spirit (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11;
1 Peter 4:11)
1 John 4:1
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have gone out
into the world.”
Do How Do We This?
Acts 17:11
“These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word
with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily, whether those things were
so.”
In all things, let us ask,
“What does the Scripture say?”
1 Peter 4:11
“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the
oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him
do it as with the ability which God supplies”
We must respect the silence of
God as well, limiting our
“speech” to what is found
in His word.
WHY MUST THIS BE?
1 Peter 4:11
“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the
oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him
do it as with the ability which God supplies
that in all things God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ, to whom belong
the glory and the dominion forever and
ever. Amen.”
Our War against Satan’s W.M.D.’s
• Test Preachers with the Sword of the
spirit (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11)
• Shield ourselves from pride
with humility! (1 Peter 5:5-6;
Phil. 2:3-5)
1 Peter 5:5-6
“Likewise you younger people, submit
yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be
submissive to one another, and be clothed
with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But
gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of
God, that He may exalt you in due time.”
Philippians 2:3-4
“Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own
interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus…"
Our War against Satan’s W.M.D.’s
• Test Preachers with the Sword of the
spirit (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11)
• Shield ourselves from pride by
being humble! (1 Peter 5:5-6)
• Fight ignorance with knowledge
of God’s Word! (Eph. 3:4; 5:17;
2 Tim. 2:15).
Ephesians 3:4; 5:17
“By which, when you read, you may
understand my knowledge in the mystery of
Christ:
“Therefore do not be unwise, but
understand what the will of the Lord is.”
2 Timothy 2:15
“Be diligent to present yourself approved
to God, a worker who does not need to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Our Shield against Satan’s W.M.D.’s
• Test Preachers with the Sword of the
spirit (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11)
• Shield ourselves from pride by being
humble! (1 Peter 5:5-6)
• Fight ignorance with knowledge of
God’s Word! (Eph. 3:4; 2 Tim. 2:15)
• STAND and put on the whole
armour to guard against apathy
(Eph. 6:12-18; Rom. 13:11-12)
Ephesians 6:13-14
“Wherefore take unto you the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done
all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about
with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness….”
Romans 13:11-12
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is
high time to awake out of sleep: for now is
our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let
us therefore cast off the works of darkness,
and let us put on the armour of light."
Conclusion
Ephesians 6:13-18 tells us to put
on the “whole armor of God.”
Let us make sure we have the
“shield of faith” to guard our souls
against Satan’s W.M.D.’s
Those “fiery darts” of Satan can
come from anywhere. Rather than
fear, we must be prepared, active,
patient, and endeavor to faithfully
serve God!