Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Theme: Satan, Our Real Enemy
Texts:
- Ephesians 2:1-10
- Ephesians 4:20-
- 1 John 2:15-17
Notes:
- What does Paul mean by ‘dead in trespasses and sins’?
- Entirely without the capacity to desire or please God
- Entirely without comprehension of God
- How can people who are dead be made alive?
- By the work of Christ
- By the grace of God
- Jesus Christ overcame the world (v2), the flesh (v3), and the devil (v2)
- Those who are joined to Him by faith may overcome as well
- not by their own power, but by Christ’s
- Those who are joined to Him by faith may overcome as well
- We cannot even believe in God apart from God granting us the faith to do so (v8)
- Why has God deigned to show such mercy as such great cost?
- God shows mercy in salvation not because of anything worthy in us,
but because God delights to show mercy - If God has made us alive to salvation (v5), would He not make us alive to sanctification as well?
- A life that displays no sanctification (empowered by Christ), are you truly saved by the same power of Christ?
- If God has given the grace to save you, He will grant the grace to sanctify
- God shows mercy in salvation not because of anything worthy in us,
- Can there be salvation without repentance?
- Repentance is just as necessary as faith
- Ephesians 4:20-32
- Faith is not the same as mentally assenting to a fact
- Repentance is just as necessary as faith
- Salvation necessitates:
- A change of direction — “…turned to God from idols”, 1 Thessalonians 1:9
- A change of desire
- A change of decision
- God is so intent on sanctifying you that He will discipline you
- God’s glory and our joy are not only not exclusive, but are entirely integrated
- God’s child cannot find joy outside of God’s will
- Within historical Christianity, different groups have emphasized different temptations
- Puritan / Reformed have generally emphasized the flesh
- Pentecostal / Charismatics have generally emphasized the devil / demons
- Fundamentalists have generally emphasized the world
- More extreme examples:
- Monasticism, Amish – apart from the world
- Manicheism
- The World and Satan
- Satan:
- Satan is on God’s leash–there is nothing that Satan can do outside of God’s righteous rule
- Example: the events in Job
- The evil events were caused by Satan, but were ordained by God
- Satan is on God’s leash–there is nothing that Satan can do outside of God’s righteous rule
- The World: the spiritual system of this fallen world that is against God
- 1 John 2: Just what is it about this world that we are not to love?
- The real question: is who or what do we love?
- Do we love Christ, or do we love something else?
- Romans 12, “do not be conformed to the world”
- Conform–to appear the same outwardly despite being different inside
- We are often completely unaware of our culture’s values because it so pervasively surrounds us
- 1 John 2: Just what is it about this world that we are not to love?
- Satan:
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