Is Satan real?


“Is Satan Real?

Ephesians 6: 10-13

Hello, Friend! I’m Mack Lyon and the program’s a Bible study In Search of the Lord’s Way. Is Satan real? Should we take him seriously? Does Satan really tempt us? Should I be afraid of Satan? What does the Bible say about him? Phil Sanders has prepared some thoughts about the devil. Oh say, you’re going to want to stay tuned for this.

Thank you, Mack. Hello, I’m Phil Sanders and we’re here to search the Scriptures for the Lord’s Way. Thanks for spending this time with us, and we love to hear that you’re watching or listening. We want to be a part of your life each week.

For most people Satan is a riddle that won’t go away. We’ve heard about him, known about his evil influence, and wrestled with him more than once. Many folks, however, don’t know what to make of Satan. A recent Barna poll found that more than half of American adults say that the devil, or Satan, is not a living being but a symbol of evil.

Medieval Christians depicted Satan as a character with a tail, dressed in a red suit, smelling of sulfur and carrying a pitchfork. They believed that he was the warden of hell and will torture for an eternity the unfortunate, evil souls who are cast from the presence of God.

Hollywood usually depicts Satan as a rich, cunning, successful, powerful and good looking man. He appears as a winner with every pleasure he wants. His prime work seems to be to roam over the earth seeking individuals who will sign over their souls to him in exchange for special powers or possessions. Well, in the end of a Hollywood script Satan never wins but gets outwitted and reverts to a more familiar angry, immature, hate-filled guy with horns and revenge in mind. To Hollywood Satan doesn’t seem particularly intelligent, because he’s easily tricked by humans. But is that the real Satan?

The Bible always tells the truth; and if we want to know what Satan is really like, let’s go to the Bible. We don’t want someone’s imaginary idea about Satan. We want what God has to say, and only the Bible gives us a true picture.

For thirty years Search has offered the information on this program free. And if you’d like a printed copy, a CD or tape of our study, mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or by e-mail to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or, if you like, call our toll-free telephone number. That number is 1 (800) 321-8633 . We also stream this program on our website at http://www.searchtv.org/.

Ken Helterbrand will lead the Edmond church in song, and then we’ll read from Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 to 13.

Our reading today from God’s Word comes from Ephesians 6, verses 10 to 13. ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ Now that’s God’s Word for us today. Let’s pray together. Father, we are so grateful to call You our Father and to know that You can help us to withstand in the evil day. Help us to do all that we can to please You and to serve You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

People who deny the supernatural usually regard Satan as merely a symbol of evil. For them, Satan is a spiritual threat but not an actual being. The devil or Satan is only an impersonal evil force present and operating in the world. Since mentioning hell or judgment is politically incorrect for some people, they have no need for Satan. Many people believe that everyone is ultimately going to be saved, so Satan is merely a token, spiritual opposition. For 13 percent of Americans hell is just a symbol for a bad outcome after life is over. Many people regard Satan as the personification of an influence.

Well, the Bible describes Satan and demons as actual beings during the days of Jesus, but churches that hold classical liberal views explain Satan away by saying the first century was pre-scientific and used the concepts of demons and Satan to frighten people into obedience and to account for events and diseases for which they had no other explanation. They regard belief in Satan and demons as a real being today as a view that was left over from a pre-scientific day.

The word ‘Satan,’ though as it appears in both Hebrew and Greek, means ‘adversary.’ The word describes a person who lies in wait as an enemy. Satan is commonly called ‘the devil,’ which points to one who engages in slander or accusing. In addition to these two principal names, the Scriptures also call Satan the tempter (Matthew 4, verse 5); Beelzebub (Matthew 12, verse 24); the enemy (Matthew 13, verse 39); Belial (2 Corinthians 6 and verse 15); an adversary (1 Peter 5 and verse 8); the deceiver (Revelation 12, verse 9); and the father of lies and a murderer is found in John 8 and verse 44. First John 3 and verse 8 says that the devil has ‘sinned from the beginning.’ And the Lord Jesus describes Satan as the ‘evil one’ in Matthew 13, verse 19, that is, the one whose nature and his will are given over to evil. Now, moral evil is his dominant attribute. The devil stands in stark contrast with God, our God the Father who is the ‘Holy One.’ (Isaiah 1 and verse 14)

The devil’s also called ‘the dragon,’ and ‘the old serpent’ in Revelation 12, verse 9; he’s ‘the prince of this world’ (John 14, verse 30); he’s ‘the prince of the power of the air’ in Ephesians 2 and verse 2. Paul calls him ‘the god of this world’ in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4 and ‘the spirit (the devil is that spirit) that now works in the children of disobedience.’ (Ephesians 2 and verse 2)

The devil’s power is very great in the world. He’s a ‘roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour’ according to 1 Peter 5 and verse 8. Satan is the one who takes the word away from men in Mark 4 and verse 15. The Bible says that people are ‘taken captive by him’ in 2 Timothy 2 and verse 26. And Paul warned Christians against his ‘devices” or his schemes in 2 Corinthians 2 and verse 11. James called on Christians to ‘resist’ the devil in James 4 and verse 7.

The Lord Jesus faced Satan when he was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil in Matthew chapter 4. And Satan tried to persuade Jesus, the Son of God, three times to follow His desires and to disobey the will of God. Well, Jesus met each temptation by citing to the devil principles from the word of God. He quoted from Deuteronomy 8: 3; and Deuteronomy 6: 16; and Deuteronomy 6: 13. And in the end, the Lord Jesus said, ‘Go, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’ Well, then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him according to Matthew 4, verses 10 and 11. Luke 4: 13, which also tells of that story, notes that when ‘the devil had finished every temptation, that he left Him (but he left Him) until an opportune time.’

Now, in this Biblical passage one has to admit the devil is just as real as the angels. If Satan is merely an influence, this passage becomes nonsense. When Jesus told Satan to ‘go,’ He was not speaking to a symbol but to a person. And in these verses, the Bible speaks of the devil as a person who travels, and reasons, and speaks, and is persistent. Such characteristics belong to a person.

When Jesus predicted to his apostles that He must go to Jerusalem and there suffer many things, to be killed, and rise again the third day, you remember that Peter took Jesus aside and he rebuked him saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ And in response, Jesus said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.’ Now that’s from Matthew 16, verses 21 to 23. When Jesus called Peter ‘Satan’ that suggests that Jesus considered Peter’s behavior like that of the evil person Satan, who sets his mind on human interests. Personalities (not symbols) set their minds; personalities make decisions, and oppose the will of God. My friend, Satan is a person!

In Luke 22 and verse 31 Jesus revealed that Satan had asked permission of God to sift Peter like wheat. Well, such language again suggests that Jesus considered the devil a person.

Again, the Lord Jesus recognized the problem that the church at Smyrna faced in living in a city where they were being blasphemed. And Jesus condemned ‘the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews but are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.’ (Revelation 2 and verse 9) Now, the book of Revelation reveals the final end of Satan, the devil. And if Satan were just a symbol, such a graphic statement would be meaningless. Revelation 20 and verse 10 says that, ‘the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.’ One cannot torment a symbol; one can only torment a person.

That Paul regarded Satan as a real person may be seen in many of his statements in Scripture about Satan. When he wanted to visit the Thessalonians, Paul said that ‘Satan hindered us.’ (1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 18). In 2 Corinthians 2 and verse 11 Paul described Satan as one who had ‘schemes;’ well, now that’s a sure indication of intelligence and personality. In 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 14 Paul reveals that Satan ‘disguises himself as an angel of light.’ And from this Paul says it’s not surprising that ‘his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.’ (chapter 11, verse 15)

Paul judged the man who had his father’s wife by delivering ‘such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.’ (1 Corinthians 5 and verse 5) And in 1 Timothy 1, verse 20 Paul handed over Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan, ‘so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.’ Now, such statements don’t reflect a mere influence, but rather suggest one who has the ability to do physical harm to disobedient saints.

In a different way Paul also speaks of being given a ‘thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!’ He mentions this in 2 Corinthians 12 and verse 7. Well, Paul was well aware of the powers in the heavenly places with which he wrestled. Satan was not an influence, not a personification, and not a symbol; he is a person.

And so God’s Word says as we read in Ephesians 6, verse 10 to 13, ‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.’

Now, each of us faces a battle in life against the devil. It is a personal battle, and we can’t pass this battle off to someone else. When people fought battles in ancient times the one who was standing at the end was the winner. The other person perished in death. Now, our battle is spiritual; we’re not fighting for our lives but for our souls. We’re also fighting to show others what side we are on—to encourage others to fight the good fight and to stand.

We need the Lord’s help in fighting this battle. We need His strength and the armor that He provides to us. If we ignore the fact that we’re engaged in a spiritual battle, we will surely lose. If we fail to arm ourselves with God’s strength, we will fall victim to the devil. If we are unwilling to fight, we’ll perish spiritually. If we don’t give it all, our all, then we’ll likely come in second place. Now to lose this battle means that we will lose our souls. And this is no matter to take lightly.

God’s Word says in Ephesians 6, verses 14 to 17, ‘Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’

The Lord loves us and so He equips us with armor that will help us win against the devil. Fasten on ‘the belt of truth.’ Why? Because the devil is a liar, and the truth exposes his lies. God gives us the knowledge of the truth. My friend, the best way to defeat the devil is to expose him for what he is, an enemy who lies and accuses people falsely in order to gain power. He gains power when he enslaves people to sin. Oh, he promises the pleasure of sin, but that pleasure never lasts. In the end it enslaves and destroys.

The Lord equips us with the breastplate of righteousness. God lovingly forgives and cleanses us from sin. Righteousness motivates us to do what is right and to avoid destructive sins. The Lord equips us with protective shoes that allow us to move quickly in the gospel of peace. Oh, the gospel of Christ gives us peace and confidence, so that we can handle life’s spiritual challenges without fear.

The Lord equips us with the shield of faith, which is able to put out the fiery arrows of the devil. When a Christian believes in Christ and believes Christ and everything He said; he has a power to block the lies the devil tells. He knows that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that every word, every word, that He spoke is true and righteous altogether. He knows whatever Jesus says is right and there is a difference between right and wrong. He knows that he’s a created being and not a product of evolution. He knows heaven and hell are real destinies of souls for each of us.

The Lord equips us with the helmet of salvation. The helmet protects the head from the blows of an opponent, and our salvation protects us. The Scriptures marvelously promise us in 1 John 1, verse 7 ‘that if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, that we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.’ Verse nine says that, ‘If we confess our sins, that He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ If we walk with the Lord and confess our sins, asking God to forgive us, we as Christians have an ongoing relationship with God that keeps us completely free from sin.

The Lord also equips us with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. God’s Word instructs, reproves, corrects, and trains us, so that we might fight the good fight of faith. Soldiers used the sword both defensively and offensively. The Scriptures keep us from sin and defeats the devil by exposing his wicked ways. You can trust the Bible to give you the answers that you need to overcome temptation, to overcome sin, and overcome the devil. Ah, keep your Bible close to your heart if you wish to win this battle for your soul. Let’s pray together. O Father, we are thankful that through Your kindness and mercy You have equipped us with this wonderful armor to protect us and help us to win against the devil. This is our prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen!

The Scriptures reveal that the devil is a deceiver, a liar in disguise. He wants people to think he’s an angel of light, while in reality he is pure evil. Make no mistake, Satan is not now, nor has he ever been, your friend. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5, verses 8 and 9, ‘Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.’

God’s Word says in James 4, verses 7 and 8, ‘Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.’ God wants us to draw close to Him and submit to His commandments. If we draw close to God and resist the devil, the devil will flee from us; and we’ll win this battle!

Well, how do you draw close to God? Well, submit your heart and will to Him and place your trust in Him. You can’t draw close to God if you doubt Him or you’re fighting with Him. You can’t be friends with sin and be friends with God. You must give up the sin and submit to God. And with your faith and repentance, you must be willing to confess your faith in Jesus Christ before others and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins according to Acts 2 and verse 38. And it’s at that point that God cleanses you from sin; He adds you to His family the church; and you can draw close to Him and He will draw close to you! Now, if you are a Christian who has moved away from Christ, come back to Him by repenting of sins and praying to God for forgiveness.

We hope that you’ve been blessed by today’s study of God’s Word. And if you want a free printed copy, a CD, or a tape of this message, ‘Is Satan Real,’ then mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or e-mail us. Send it to searchtv@searchtv.org.

Or, you can call the Search office toll-free at 1 (800) 321-8633. Now all of our programs also appear on our website at http://www.searchtv.org/. You can access them or download them in a printed, audio, or video format. We also now offer free study sheets to go along with our programs. You can download them free at our website, too. They will help you study God’s Word with us.

Now, please attend worship at one of the churches of Christ in the area served by this station or network. They love guests, and you’ll be glad you visited. Mack and I will be back next week, Lord willing; so keep searching God’s Word with us and tell a friend. God bless you and we love you from all of us at In Search of the Lord’s Way.”