Series Eleven: The Dangers of False Teachers

Satan has a methodical process to lead men astray. There is always a lie involved, trying to misdirect us.

1. Men are no match for Satan, humanly speaking.
   1. Our minds are susceptible to his craftiness, and he leads us astray by deception.
   2. He has specific methods to lead us astray.
   3. He uses lies to misdirect us.
2. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
   1. He deceives the whole world (Rev 12:9)!
   2. He deceives entire cultures and nations.
   3. He leads them to perform acts of evil and atrocities.
   4. He deceives people to believe that they will inherit a sensual paradise.
3. Satan attacks where the influence is greatest.
   1. He attacks through a leader or an influencer, someone in a position to lead groups or many individuals astray.
   2. Only rarely will he focus on someone on the fringe, unless he can seize an opportunity to snare a leader or an influencer through that person.
4. Satan has deep knowledge and resources (“the deep things of Satan” [Rev 2:24]).

“His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate; on earth is not his equal.” (Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”)

5. Satan exploits the use of Scripture to his advantage.
   1. He twists the truth as a means to deceive.
   2. Satan’s first victory was getting Eve to dialogue about God (Gen 3:1–5).
      1. He simply wanted Eve to think that two creatures could have a casual conversation about the Creator!
      2. His success was in getting Eve to converse about the nature of God.
   3. Men will muse on our own human opinion.
      1. We are far more prideful in our arrogance than we realize.
      2. Satan uses that pride to lead us astray.
   4. “Let no man deceive himself” (1 Cor 3:18).
6. “The schemes [methodeía] of the devil”—three observations about Satan’s schemes:
   1. Snares are placed where they cannot be seen, where they won’t be obvious.
   2. Snares are laid in our path.
      1. We don’t have to go out of our way to find snares; the snares will find us.
      2. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8).
      3. Satan will find on our paths the particular distraction that appeals to us individually.
         1. He is not omniscient, but he is intelligent, and he studies us to know our weakness.
         2. Like Roman soldiers, we need to “gird up our loins,” to tie up the loose ends of our lives so that nothing can be caught onto or grabbed as we run into battle and about our lives (cf. 1 Pet 1:13; Heb 12:1).
   3. Snares are craftily set.
      1. He has deep knowledge and resources, and we are called to know his schemes (Eph 6:11).
         • Suggested resource: Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices.
      2. Don’t allow Satan a foothold by holding on to bitterness or lack of forgiveness.
7. Satan’s most useful tool is the promise of pleasure.
   1. Temporal pleasures of the body and mind (1 John 2:15–16)
      1. The lust of the flesh
      2. The lust of the eyes
      3. The pride of life/accomplishments
      4. “Christian hedonism”
   2. Eternal pleasures—persuading jihadists to kill and commit suicide for the promise of eternal sensual pleasures.
   3. If we love pleasure or self-gratification, Satan will exploit those weaknesses. “He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich” (Prov 21:17).
   4. Satan promises relief.
   5. Pleasure is a hallmark of our age. We love fantasies and self-exaltation, self-pleasure and narcissism.

Bear the reproach of Christ as Moses did (Heb 11:24–26). He chose to be mistreated with the people of God, and willingly bore the reproach of Christ rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.