HOW SATAN HINDERS

 HOW SATAN HINDERS

Ezra 4:1-6 (KJV)

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

 

One of the most important things a believer can understand is that Satan is real, personal, and actual.

 

He is more than an idea

He is more than a force

 

·   Satan does not have a physical body, but he can influence people who have physical bodies

·   Satan cannot be in more than one place at a time, but he has devils who can do his work in places all over the world and at the same time

·   Satan does not know everything, but he does know the Bible and is a master at misusing it

·   Satan is ugly to the core, but he can transform himself into something that appears beautiful[1]

 

Satan is real.

 

And he is the enemy of all true faith in the Living God.

 

This is important to know for a number of reasons, but I think one of the most important of them is to remember, anytime sort of a critical negative spirit in us toward the work of God, is almost certainly satanically motivated.

 

Also, any sort of desire to change our way of worship, ought to be viewed with suspicion. It is likely something the devil is working in us.

 

Having been in the ministry for very nearly 40 years, I have witnessed a lot of change. 

 

I notice that among those who are younger than me, this change is applauded.

 

Among many, not all, but many who are my age or older, these changes are not so welcome.

 

Statements like this are pointed at old guys like me, “You’re preaching the same old messages you did in the 80’s.”

 

When I was in college the accusation sounded like this, “You’re still doing church like they did in the 50’s.”

 

Here’s the thing – we’re preaching a Bible that has not changed in 2000 years.

What changes do you suppose we should make?

 

I don’t think everything they did in the 1950’s was absolutely right.

 

But I am sure that any changes we have made since then have not been for the better.

 

In the 40s and 50’s fundamental Baptist churches left the old conventions because they had gone modernistic and liberal.

 

The terms are different today.

It’s now called progressive instead of liberal, but it’s not better.

 

So, I am pretty concerned when pastors claiming to be independent Baptists 

·   Learn from progressive teachers

·   Use progressive methods and

·   Associate with progressive organizations

 

When we, 

·   Become critical of our teachers and 

·   Speak negatively of the churches we grew up in and even

·   Change the doctrines we once preached[2]

 

I think we ought to at least pause a bit.

Those actions are easily prompted in us by Satan.

 

Satan is deceptive and he is able to appear beautiful and right and appealing.[3]

 

But the Word of God also teaches us, “we are not ignorant of his devices.”[4]

 

At least we don’t have to be. We have all kinds of Scripture to teach us the methods he employs to get an advantage of us to hinder and hurt the work of God.

 

Our passage tonight is just one of them.

 

·   It was God who had allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture the Jews and take them into captivity.

·   It was also God who stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem

 

It was not God, who moved upon the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin to hinder them in the building of the Temple of the LORD.

 

I want to give to you the threefold movement of the adversaries of God’s people and suggest to you that these are among the most popular of Satan’s devices, especially in hindering what happens in the house of God.

 

They won’t always happen in the same order we’ll find them here. 

 

It seems to me, historically, Satan will mix them up, using one for a time, then changing tactics, and sometimes moving back to one he already used.

 

Notice first that the adversaries attempted

I. COMPROMISE

Ezra 4:1-2 (KJV)

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

 

It is the Word of God who tells us that they are adversaries.

 

They did not say that about themselves.

 

What they said about themselves was

 

A. We do sacrifice to God

They have a form of worship and they have been faithful at it.

 

In the case of this passage, they had even made their sacrifices in and around Jerusalem.

 

The adversaries of God can be very religious, even spiritual people.

 

There is even, I think, a little bit of a play for compassion in the text, “since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.”

 

·   “We’re conquered and captured people, just like you.”

·   “We’ve been removed from our homes, just like you.”

 

It might be that you and I would really like them.

 

It might be that very few people would ever see them as adversaries of the LORD.

 

The reason why a wolf wears sheep’s clothing is so the sheep won’t know he is a wolf.

 

It’s the shepherd’s job to study them all very carefully so he can spot the real sheep from the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

 

B. We seek your God as you do

I attempted to answer this in my Sunday school lesson this morning.[5]

 

Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Pentecostals, Jews, Muslims, Catholics….

 

They all claim to seek the same God we do.

 

It takes careful consideration and some pretty solid convictions to recognize that, despite their claims, their god is not our God.

 

C. Let us build with you

This is such a tempting idea.

 

·   Many hands make light work.

·   Sometimes they come with lots of money behind them.

 

·   They’ve been worshiping God already – maybe we can fix their doctrinal errors and

·   After all, they seek the same God we do.

 

I know I made mention of this the last message, but it bears repeating here.

 

When I was in Bible college we were warned not to buy into the appeal of Southern Baptist help.

 

A church planter in need was approached by the local Southern Baptist field representative and offered a full-time income and money to buy land and build a church building.

All he had to do was to agree to lead this new church into the Southern Baptist Conventions.

 

We were taught to expect those sorts of offers and to resist them.

 

When we were in Astoria, the Southern Baptist representative visited me. He never offered me money or a building – but he did show me the building he was building over in Warrenton.

 

The answer to compromise was separation

Ezra 4:3 (KJV)

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

 

I don’t think separation means we have to be unkind; but it does mean that we have nothing to do with them.

 

The second device in the passage is

II. CONFLICT

Ezra 4:4 (KJV)

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

 

In other words, they attempted to physically stop the building.

 

The same guys who had just said, let us help you had completely changed their tune and here they were literally trying to stop them.

 

There is just shy of 1500 years of Christian history to show how people can go from claiming to be on your side to trying to kill you, if necessary, to stop what you are doing.

 

Jesus had multitudes who followed Him. 

 

Eventually, when they realized He wasn’t going to help them defeat the Romans, they turned against Him and even used the Romans to help them kill Him.

 

Constantine claimed himself to be a Christian and offered protection to any Christians who would come under his leadership.

But then he led in a persecution of all Christians who would not give him the authority over their churches.

 

Martin Luther used the Anabaptists of Germany to help him in his plight from the Pope. But when he gained power over Germany, he turned its armies against the Anabaptists.

 

Things have been pretty easy for Christians in the United States. There is no promise that it has to stay that way. Indications are that it is about to get heated pretty soon.

 

The answer, in Ezra’s day, was confrontation

You don’t see it in this account but we know what happened when Nehemiah began building the walls of Jerusalem.

 

·   There was the offer of compromise

·   Then there was direct conflict

 

And the Bible says at that time, Nehemiah 4:15-17 (KJV)

And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.

And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.

They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

 

Of course, you understand, that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.

While we work to serve the Lord in the house of God, we must

·   Put on the whole armor of God to withstand and then we must

·   Use the word of God and prayer to engage our enemies.

 

Satan’s third device in the passage is,

III. ACCUSATION

Ezra 4:5-6 (KJV)

And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

 

Here’s what we know about the devil

A. He is called the accuser

Revelation 12:10 (KJV)

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

 

The devil is a liar and the father of it.

 

But one of his names in the Bible is “the accuser of our brethren.”

 

I’m telling you, there is something wrong with a person who claims to be a Christian but is constantly accusing others for their problems.

 

B. He was the accuser of Job

Job 1:6-11 (KJV)

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

 

·   God praised Job

·   Satan accused him

 

If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, God only sees the righteousness of Christ in you.[6]

 

But the devil won’t let you forget your sins.

 

The answer was appeal

I don’t want to get ahead of myself in the study of Ezra, but what’s going to happen is that they are going to appeal to the king and eventually, Darius will approve the building when he learns that Cyrus had already granted them permission.

 

There are times when we need to make appeals to human authorities.

 

Paul did that.

 

But our most important appeal must always be to the Lord.

 

Conclusion

Our adversary is real, active and powerful.

 

·   He can take lost people captive at his will.

·   He can plant wolves in sheep’s clothing in our churches and

·   He can sway our own thinking so that we become a hindrance to the house of God

 

Be we are not ignorant of his devices.

 

More importantly, when we resist Him (through humility) he has to flee.[7]

 

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[1] 2 Corinthians 11:14 (KJV)

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

[2] Or sat under the preaching of.

[3] 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (KJV)

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

[4] 2 Corinthians 2:11 (KJV)

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

[5] That’s right.

Adult Sunday school is an important part of the whole process God is doing in our lives.

 

[6] 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

[7] James 4:6-7 (KJV)

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.