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Getting Indignant About What's Going On

1. Paul wrote, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:15-17).
   
   
2. It comes as no surprise to hear that there are problems to be faced by the Christian. The challenge is to be accurately informed as to what the most significant problems are.
   
   
3. In the preceding lessons we have tried to focus on some of these hindrances.

   What's Hurting Us Right Now Materialism Our Fascination with Fun Overcrowded Lifestyles Crippled Families Our Shortage of Personal Evangelism

4. We conclude these studies by asking what our attitude should be toward these critical matters. Are we to be:
   
   
   1. Discouraged?
      
      
   2. Fearful?
      
      
   3. Flippant?
      
      
5. What outlook would God want us to have toward the challenges that confront us?

The Seriousness of the Threat
Posed by Satan

1. The attitude we need to have is, first of all, one that takes seriously what we are up against.
   
   
   1. We are involved in nothing less than a war -- one of truly cosmic proportions. "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" (Eph. 6:12).

      God's enemy is our enemy -- and he is intent on our destruction.

   2. Peter wrote, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pt. 5:8).
      
      
2. Satan is not without intelligence and shrewdness in pursuing his malignant intent against us.
   
   
   1. "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"'" (Gen. 3:1).
      
      
   2. "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time" (Lk. 4:13).
      
      
   3. "Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11).
      
      
   4. "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3).
      
      
3. In the warfare between good and evil, we will be casualties if we are preoccupied with problems other than the ones where the devil is hitting us hardest.

   We must discipline ourselves to fight hardest at those points where we are sustaining the greatest damage.

4. We need to be wide-awake, alert, and careful about the business at hand.
   
   
   1. It is necessary that we govern our minds and take a serious approach to life's challenges. "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pt. 1:13).
      
      
      1. "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15,16).
      2. "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" (1 Tim. 4:16).
         
         
   2. While being harmless as doves, we also need to be wise as serpents. "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Mt. 10:16).

1. We do need to recognize the extent of the damage Satan has done to our world.
   
   
   1. We live "in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation" (Phil. 2:15).
      
      
   2. Satan has wreaked so much havoc in this world -- so much of it is under his present dominion -- that he is described as "the ruler of this world" (Jn. 14:30).
      
      
      1. "Of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged" (Jn. 16:11).
      2. "Whose minds the god of this age has blinded" (2 Cor. 4:4).
         
         
2. But Satan's dominion is a usurped dominion.
   
   
   1. It is as if our world is presently "enemy-occupied territory," held under the influence of an occupying army that has no right to the realm.
      
      
   2. The devil's encroachment will not last indefinitely.
      
      
      1. "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels'" (Mt. 25:41).
      2. "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out" (Jn. 12:31).
      3. "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment" (2 Pt. 2:4).
         
         
   3. When the devil gives us grief about our past, we would do well to remind him of his future!
      
      
3. God has overcome Satan, He is on His throne, and this world has never been anything but His.

   This Is My Father's World O let me ne'er forget that, though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. -- Maltbie D. Babcock

   1. The outcome of the struggle between good and evil does not depend on the faithfulness of any single Christian or congregation.
      
      
   2. If we fail to fight valiantly, we ourselves will be lost -- but the Lord will win His victories without us. The Lord will accomplish His purposes. "Then Mordecai told them to answer Esther: 'Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'" (Esth. 4:13,14).
      
      
   3. There can be no doubt about the survival of God's kingdom. "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Dan. 2:44).
      
      
4. God has granted His Son all authority.

   "Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth'" (Mt. 28:18).

5. Jesus Christ is the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" (Rev. 19:16), the absolute Sovereign over all creation.
   
   
   1. Our Savior has victoriously triumphed over evil; the courage we can have is grounded in His having overcome our enemy. "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hb. 2:14,15).
      
      
   2. The deciding battle has already been fought, the outcome of the struggle has been decided. For us, the only thing yet in doubt is which side we will have placed ourselves on when the final end comes.
      
      
6. God is fully able to deliver us from the evil one. "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Mt. 6:13).
   
   
   1. "To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Ac. 26:18).
      
      
   2. "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (Rom. 16:20).
      
      
7. We cannot take the claims of Christ seriously without being endowed with confidence in His power.
   
   
   1. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (Jn. 14:27).
      
      
   2. "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33).
      
      
   3. "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 Jn. 4:4).
      
      
   4. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith" (1 Jn. 5:4).
      
      
8. Whatever our difficulties may be, God is "able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Eph. 3:20).

   "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

9. Our God is indeed a "mighty fortress." We may rest our complete confidence in Him with no fear whatever that He will let us down.
   
   
10. Paul could say, "For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (2 Tim. 1:12).

Our Need for Righteous Indignation

1. In light of these things that we know about God, what really should be our attitude toward the problems with which Satan tries to hinder us in the Lord's work?
   
   
2. I believe it is of utmost importance that we begin to develop the mentality of triumphant overcomers through Christ.
   
   
   1. We need to quit thinking of ourselves as "just getting by." In Christ we are overwhelming conquerors. Cf. Rom. 8:35-39; Rev. 21:1-7.
      
      
   2. Our weaknesses are no obstacle to what God can do through us. God's strength is made perfect in weakness. "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9,10).

      We need to be empowered with the confidence that through the Lord we can make a difference for good in our families, congregations, and communities.

   3. When we abound in the Lord's work our effort is not in vain. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
      
      
3. We need to adopt the viewpoint of the warrior, the soldier. True militancy is needed in our struggle.
   
   
   1. Our duty and privilege is to "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3).
      
      
   2. Our summons is to "wage the good warfare" (1 Tim. 1:18), to fight "the good fight" (2 Tim. 4:7).
      
      
   3. We are commanded to put on "the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:10-20).

      It is time to answer the Lord's call to arms.

4. In waging the good warfare, of course, it is important to keep clear who the enemy is.
   
   
   1. Often we treat those in sin as if they were our enemies.
      
      
   2. Sometimes we even focus our indignation, anger, and militancy against one another in the Lord's body. "But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!" (Gal. 5:15).
      
      
   3. We need to learn to distinguish the enemy from victims of the enemy. "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:24-26).
      
      
      1. "So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" (Lk. 13:16).
      2. "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him" (Ac. 10:38).
         
         
   4. Victims of the enemy need to be rescued, not despised.
      
      
      1. "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins" (Jas. 5:19,20).
      2. "And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh" (Jd. 22,23).
         
         
5. As the "soldiers of Christ," there is nothing we need any more than courage.

   It is important for us to "watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong" (1 Cor. 16:13).

   1. God told Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh. 1:9). Cf. vv.1-9.
      
      
   2. Fighting for God, we need to have the same attitude that the Philistines tried to have fighting against God: "Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!" (1 Sam. 4:9).
      
      
6. The courage that we can have is based on what the Lord has done and will do for us: we are not merely to be strong, but to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Eph. 6:10).
   
   
   1. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7).
      
      
   2. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).
      
      
   3. Cowardice in the spiritual realm is more than a slightly bad habit -- it will damn our souls.
      
      
      1. "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels" (Mk. 8:38).
      2. "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8).

         If we will remain faithful, the Lord will overcome whatever threatens us: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10).

7. We are not merely helpless victims who must submit to the devil's tactics. We can go on the offensive and defeat our enemy.
   
   
   1. Satan cannot separate us from God against our will.
      
      
   2. Jesus said of His disciples, "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand" (Jn. 10:29).
      
      
      1. "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
      2. "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen" (1 Jn. 5:18-21).
         
         
   3. We must determine not to "give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27).
      
      
      1. "Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6,7).
      2. "Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully" (1 Tim. 5:14).
         
         
   4. The devil can successfully be resisted.
      
      
      1. "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7).
      2. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world" (1 Pt. 5:8,9).

         "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it" (Gen. 4:7).

   5. We can, in the name of God, order Satan out of our way.
      
      
      1. Jesus did not take a passive stance with the devil: "But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For you are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men'" (Mt. 16:23).
      2. "And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve"'" (Lk. 4:8).
         
         
8. We need to be consumed with righteous indignation against the devil for what he has done.
   
   
   1. If we have any sense of zeal for the Lord's honor, how can we simply stand by and let the devil work his mischief? Cf. Num. 25:7-11.
      
      
   2. Should we not take what the devil is doing as a personal insult?
      
      
   3. In most places the devil has had it all his way for way too long.
      
      
   4. We can resolve that his work will not go unopposed where we live one day longer.
      
      
   5. We can determine that, God being our Helper, we are simply not going to take it any more.

      We can put the devil on notice to keep his filthy fingers off of those we know and love. We can let him know that he will not take a single soul within our reach without a fight from us.

Three Requirements for Surviving
What Satan Is Doing

1. We must care deeply about what is going on.
   
   
   1. We cannot afford to be complacent. It would be dangerous merely to assume that everything is going well in our own congregation. "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12).
      
      
   2. We cannot afford to be apathetic or indifferent about what is happening.
      
      
   3. We are being hurt spiritually in ways that seem to escape our notice.
      
      
   4. It is time to wake up and repent of our unconcern.
      
      
2. We must make up our minds whose side we are on.
   
   
   1. The Lord will not fight our battles if we compromise our convictions and accommodate ourselves to the enemy. Cf. Josh. 23:4-13.

      We cannot defeat sin while dabbling with it; we cannot conquer evil while compromising with it.

   2. The Lord's help is available only to those who are wholeheartedly on His side, those who have truly consecrated themselves to Him.
      
      
      1. "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (Jn. 17:14-17).
      2. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pt. 1:3-5).
         
         
   3. There is a clear-cut choice that must be made about where our loyalties are going to be.

      "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (Jas. 4:4).

   4. If we expect to overcome our spiritual difficulties, we must genuinely sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Pt. 3:15).
      
      
3. We must be steadfast -- we must simply refuse to give up.
   
   
   1. In the end, it will not be enough to have had the right attitude for awhile and then quit.
      
      
   2. Christ is "a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (Hb. 3:6).
      
      
   3. "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Gal. 6:9).
      
      
      1. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
      2. "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hb. 12:1,2).
         
         
   4. We must keep on keeping on.

1. At the end of these studies, perhaps this quotation is appropriate: "I fully realize that I have not succeeded in solving all of the issues. Indeed, I know I have not solved any of them completely. And the solutions I have suggested only lead to more problems (some of which we weren't aware were even issues when we began). To sum it all up, in some ways I know we are as confused as ever, but I believe that we are confused on a much higher level and about far more important things!" Sandra D. Wilson, Hurt People Hurt People (Nashville: Nelson, 1993), p. 221.
   
   
2. Our intent has been for these studies to be sobering. "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Rom. 13:11,12).
   
   
   1. Jesus did not pray that His disciples be taken out of the world, but that they be protected from the work of Satan in the world. "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" (Jn. 17:15).
      
      
   2. Great adversity is often attended by great opportunity. Cf. "For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Cor. 16:9).
      
      
3. There is hope -- but only in the Lord, and only for those whose eyes are open wide enough to what is happening to arm themselves with the Lord's might.

   Sin's disasters can be avoided only by those who are willing to be warned.

4. If we will radically and unreservedly place ourselves on His side, our God will bless us with every strength and sustenance we need to overcome in His name.
   
   
5. We need to conduct ourselves like children of the King. Cf. Rev. 19:11-16.
   
   
6. God is waiting to do His work through us. Cf. 2 Cor. 9:6-11.
   
   
7. Soldiers of Christ, arise!

Gary Henry
WordPoints