The Tricks of the Devil on Those Who are Rebuilding Their Lives According to Scripture

The below is from my friend, Elder Scott Brown.  So good, I just had to post it!

----------------

Hello Brothers,

I would like to point you to a sermon I preached recently on Ezra 4, “The Tricks of the Devil on Those Who are Rebuilding Their Lives According to Scripture.”

Here is a description of the high points:

Nothing causes more trouble in your life than when you are with people who are returning to God - especially for those who desire to return to the regulative principle of worship. Most people in the modern church have drifted into thinking that if you are godly then you will have no conflict, your best life is now and your deepest desires will be met as you get your designer life. Most have forgotten that there was the pain of the cross before the resurrection.

Ezra 4 speaks of the effect of the troubles from opposition that was sustained for 117 years against the Israelites returning from Babylon and beginning to rebuild. The discouragement that comes from trials can be crippling and debilitating. It can sap your energy, neutralize your vision, make you listless, apathetic, heartbroken, and sometimes bitter. The devil works through discouragement. In C.S. Lewis’ book “The Screwtape Letters,” Uncle Screwtape counsels the novice in the art of temptation saying, “Work hard… on the disappointment or anti-climax…”

Ezra 4 weaves the story of how the opposition started, who started it and what they did to perpetuate it. It speaks of how to deal with both religious and secular people who have not crowned God as King of kings and Lord of lords. It is not just paganism that resists the church. Christianity “lite” will always be trying to destroy the true worship of God as well. Why, because the worship of God in the true church is the most important thing happening in the world. There will always be two kingdoms in conflict - the kingdom of the light of the world, ruled by the prince of peace - Jesus the Son of God, and the kingdom of darkness ruled by the accuser of the brethren and the father of lies - the devil. This conflict is the subject of Ezra 4. 

The church exists behind enemy lines. Opposition will always be a reality. At the beginning of Ezra 4, the devil raises up adversaries – the Samaritans. From this chapter forward, to the end of Nehemiah, all you encounter is the opposition to the efforts of rebuilding worship: slander, threats, manipulation, and half-truths.  

Following is an outline of the tricks of the devil to frustrate the establishment of the worship of God in a community:

I. Temptation to compromise - Opposition from Cyrus to Darius (536bc), the work stops for 16 years, Ezra 4:1-5, 24.

II. Accusatory letters - Opposition from Ahasuerus to Artaxerxes (522bc), Ezra 4:6-7. 

III. Slanderous misrepresentation - Rehum’s letter to Artaxerxes, an attempt to destroy using slanderous misrepresentation to apply pressure for public censure, Ezra 4:8-16.

IV. People of influence believe a lie - Artaxerxes responds to the letter, an example of self-serving and poor research, Ezra 4:17-23.

V. Intimidation and discouragement – Israel stops the work and focuses on themselves. The work ceased for 16 years, Ezra 4:24.

Here are some final applications:

1. Separation is necessary for great commission work. What was at stake was their distinctiveness as a people who worshipped God in the way He prescribed.  Would they be a holy people or would they be like the nations? Would they have only a little bit of God or would they follow Him wholeheartedly. 

2. God is concerned with His own impressiveness, not our success. The returnees refused to compromise but it did not mean that they would have an effortless, successful experience. Often we want to maintain our own impressiveness, but God wants the world to know about His impressiveness. God takes satanic attack and re-directs it for the advancement of His goodness and impressiveness.

3. Ezra is making it clear that building the temple is a multigenerational matter, one generation works and then the next takes over the work.

4. There may be long periods of difficulty where there is no revival. 

5. There is no victory without pain. There is no peace without trouble. There is no resurrection without death. God wants you to have a better life than your “designer life.” He wants you to be deeper than you are, more real than you are, more mature, more steady, more patient, more loving, and stronger. Often He uses pain and trouble to get you there. 

6. Be ye separate from the world - there is a time to stand up to the bullies. There is a time to stand your ground, refuse to compromise, and to reject the favor, money and the personnel of the world to help you.

7. Are you a success junkie? When the king shut down the work, it was the end of a dream. Their hopes were dashed. But, when mans dreams are ended; God’s visions take over.

8. Don’t pre-judge your disaster. Remember, in looking back it is often clearer. There are temporal setbacks, but they do not contradict that He is good; His love endures forever to Israel. God is taking history to its happy ending.

9. Do you trust the story line of the Bible? Do you believe that your story was designed to glorify the story of God? Have you fully embraced the idea that your life is not your own? Have you abandoned the idolatry of your perfect life? Have you considered the words of Jesus, “In the world you shall have tribulation, but I have overcome the world?” Has your loss of trust in the story line made you lose sight of the mission in the midst of the discouragement? Remember that your story is God’s story. The Bible is about the drama of the preservation of the people of God to the end.

10. Therefore…walk by faith, not by sight. Why do some flourish in trials and others dry up and blow away? Why do some find more hope in trouble and others find reason to let their hope blow away? It is their faith in God’s promises for His people.

11. The greatest battle and suffering ever is over: The suffering of the Son of God for sin. He was despised and rejected. He was spat upon. He was crucified. He destroyed the works of the devil – unraveling and disarming. Why? So that He would take the punishment that sinners deserved so that they could be set free. His suffering satisfied the wrath of God. 

 

Given Up, Given Over

 

Eph 4:17  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Eph 4:18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Eph 4:19  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

 

This powerful section of Holy Scripture describes the state of mind of who Paul calls “other Gentiles.”  In context, Paul is referring to those who aren’t saved, and rebelliously so.  We can assume this by their behavior as written in this Text.

In verse 19, there are two noteworthy descriptions of these people in their sad state.  They are “past feeling” and they have “given themselves over” to sin.

“Past feeling” literally means to become desensitized.  It comes from a Greek work that means “apathetic.”  Additionally, to give oneself over means to surrender or deliver over oneself.  Sadly, these Gentiles were apathetic to sin and unrighteousness and had totally surrendered to it.

Here is my question: It is possible that the church sometimes does the same?

It is possible that the church of the living Christ can, through coldness of spirit, carnality of the mind, and rule of the flesh, become somewhat desensitized to the commands and precepts of her Lord?  It is possible that we who are indwelt by the Spirit can sometimes act like those are are not?

When personally addressing His churches in Revelation, Jesus said through the Apostle John:

  • Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
  • Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
  • Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
  • Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
  • Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
  • Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Does the description of “lukewarm” denote a desensitizing to the things of God?  Isn’t the Lord after a zealous church?  Does Jesus want us to feel about Him the way He feels about us?

Look around.  Look at how often we approach the Word in haughtiness and pride instead of holy fear and trembling.  Look at how often we have the nerve to boldly teach contrary to what is clearly written.  

The Apostle Paul describes God “giving men over” to their lusts due to their own disobedience.  Is it even in the realm of Kingdom possibilities that God may be judging His church in a similar manner, allowing lying spirits (1 Kings 22:22) and strong delusion (2 Thes 2:11) among us? May the Lord’s church NEVER have to endure such a judgment…

  • Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
  • Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
  • Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
  • Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
  • Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
  • Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
  • Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
  • Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
  • Rom 1:26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
  • Rom 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
  • Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
  • Rom 1:29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
  • Rom 1:30  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
  • Rom 1:31  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
  • Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

———

Oh Lord, we know You won’t leave us nor forsake us.  But we also know that you reprove and discipline those whom You love.  Oh Great King, break our hearts for Thy Word.  Open our Eyes!  Restore our fear and trembling, as well as a fervent love for Thee.

Help us.

Respect

Watch this video first:

Ok, nobody freak out!  I’m not becoming a Mennonite, or Amish, etc. :)  But I do have to confess the level of respect I have for our Anabaptist brothers and sisters at least in this: they aren’t afraid to stand out from the world.

I’ve been saying for a long time (and lamenting over the sin in my own life) that the Western church is very carnal, very worldly.  Despite the Scriptures…

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Rom 8:6-7)
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15-17)

…we truly love the world.  We copy the world and resist most teachings that admonish us to pull away from worldly things for the glory of God.

Look at this video.  Look at the stark contrasts.  Stay with me now.  Beyond styles of dress and songs, what kind of courageous hearts must it take to be this different from the world in the midst of the world?

One can literally and metaphorically see the way the church is supposed to brightly shine, in holiness and love, in the midst of the culture.

Look, this isn’t about being just like them.  Please no one be offended.  I just wanted to say I have crazy respect for these brothers and sisters, particularly in this day and hour.

Respect!

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)

Cart (0)