The sermon, 'Your Adversary the Devil,' delivered by Jason Dohm, focuses on 1 Peter 5:8-11, addressing the dual realities of a caring God and an adversarial devil. The devil, depicted as a roaring lion, seeks to devour and harm believers. Christians are urged to be sober and vigilant, recognizing the devil's schemes and resisting him through steadfast faith. The sermon emphasizes the importance of being spiritually prepared, likening it to wearing the full armor of God as described in Ephesians 6. It highlights the devil's deceitful nature, often appearing as an angel of light, and draws on biblical examples like Genesis 3 and Job 1 to illustrate his tactics. Despite the devil's prowling, believers are reassured of God's grace, which includes perfecting, establishing, strengthening, and settling them after suffering. The sermon concludes by affirming the victory of Jesus Christ over the devil, urging believers to be aware and confident in their faith, knowing that God's power sustains them.

As James already mentioned, we get the privilege of our sermon scripture text being from our memory verse as well. We'll be reading verses 8 through 11 this morning. 1 Peter 5, verses 8 through 11. 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.

But may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Well, obviously I didn't spend a lot of time on the naming of the sermon, did I? It's Your Adversary and the Devil.

It's Your Adversary and the Devil, which is lifted right out of the text. So the text is about that. It is about our adversary, the one who stands in opposition against us, the one who desires to harm us, is working to harm us, tirelessly is on the prowl to harm us. And so it's something very worth taking the time to consider. Last week the text was such a refreshing text.

We had Peter teaching us that God gives grace to the humble. And then he tells us exactly what we ought to do with the fact that God gives grace to the humble. He says we ought to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of this God who gives grace, that He may exalt us in due time. And then He puts the icing on top by saying that we ought to cast all of our care upon Him. Every worry, every anxiety, every burden ought to be thrown onto Christ because He is willing to exchange burdens with us.

He is willing to take all of our burdens that are heavy, that we have hard time bearing, he's willing to take those on himself and give us his burden which is light in its place. So we can cast all our care upon him. Why? Because he cares for us. He loves us.

He's concerned for us. And so we can cast all of our burdens upon him. So Peter has been teaching us that we have a faithful father. More than a faithful father, we have a friend in heaven who stands ready to bear our burdens. But that's not the end of the story.

That's last week's text, we have a faithful father and a friend who is willing to bear our burden. But it's not period and then new topic. He continues to say not only do we have a friend in heaven who stands ready to bear our burdens, that we also have an adversary, We have an enemy too. So it is wonderful news that there is a faithful Father who is our friend who will bear our burdens, but there is more to know. We also have a very active, very intentional, very thoughtful, very persistent enemy.

And if you only know the good news and you don't have an eye towards the enemy who's always on the prowl, then you'll be in jeopardy. So this is what our text is about. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Oh God, you've called us to be a sober and a vigilant people who not only bask in the goodness that you're a father who cares for us, but also are sober minded knowing that there is an enemy who night and day desires to harm us. God, I pray that you would take the truths of the text and press them home to us today.

Come and help us through what you've given us in your Word, through your Son and your servant, Peter, in Jesus name. Amen. Let's read verses 9 and 10. Peter writes in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 8. 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. In these verses, Peter gives us the central fact which requires action. So there's a central truth here and it's a truth that must be acted upon and here it is. You have an adversary.

The fact that you can cast all your cares on God, the fact that your Heavenly Father cares for you does not mean you can live an unguarded, careless life. Did you get that? That's the point of the whole text. So I'm not going to stop there, but I almost could stop there. The fact that God cares for you, that He'll bear your burdens for you, that He loves you, does not mean that you are free to live an unguarded, careless life.

There's another truth that also demands our consideration, that we have an adversary, that there is an enemy of our souls, that he's a lion. Now Peter is telling us something about this adversary when he says that he's a lion. Think about what a lion is like. Do you love the nature shows like I love the nature shows? And they're out, they're filming out on the savanna and the cute little deer that you wish was a household pet is unwittingly grazing feet away from the concealed lion.

And everyone who's watching has seen this a hundred times and knows how it ends and knows that it's not pretty. Because the lion, this cute little unsuspecting grazer is no match for the teeth and the claws of this lion. This is the picture that Peter is painting for us. It's a strong adversary. It's a swift adversary.

It's a cunning hunter and a cruel enemy and he's on the prowl and he's looking to devour, he's looking to gobble up. Our adversary comes to steal and to kill and to destroy. This is in John chapter 10, verse 10, where Jesus says that he is the good shepherd, where the chief shepherd talks about what a good shepherd he is, he pauses in the middle of that to say that the thief comes to steal and to kill and to destroy. Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2 verse 11. Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11.

He's in the lead up, he's been talking about the danger of not forgiving someone who's repented and not welcoming them back in. He says this in 2 Corinthians 2 verse 11, lest Satan should take advantage of you, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. Paul is saying that Satan is looking for every opportunity to take advantage of you. So you better not be ignorant of his schemes. He's a schemer.

He's devising plans to take advantage of you. He is spending time thinking up schemes, plans to take advantage of you so you better not be ignorant of his devices, his modes of operation, the ways he goes about his business to steal and kill and destroy. I want to take us to two Old Testament passages that introduce us to this adversary, the devil, this roaring lion who's walking about seeking whom he may devour. And I'm taking us to these two particular passages because they put his devices that we ought not to be ignorant of on display. The first is Genesis 3, so turn to Genesis 3.

We don't get very far into the Bible before we're introduced to this adversary, this one who wants to kill our soul. It's Genesis chapter 3 and it's a very familiar text, but it's a very appropriate text for this morning as well. I'm going to begin by reading Genesis chapter 3 verses 1 through 5. And by the way, as a way of introducing the terms, terms that we're going to begin to see in Genesis chapter 3, consider Revelation 12 verse 9, the great dragon that was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan. So in Revelation chapter 12 verse 9, this entity, this adversary, this enemy is called the great dragon, is called that serpent of old.

So Genesis 3 is the that serpent of old text. He's called the devil and he's called Satan. So he has many names. He's known by many names in our Bibles. Revelation chapter 20 verse 2 uses all those same phrases, dragon, serpent, devil, satan.

So it's repeated in Revelation. So the ending of the Bible leaves us with perfect clarity about who we're looking at in Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3 beginning in verse 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." And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.

Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good and evil. Of course we could spend the whole rest of the day in this text, so I'm not going to offer a careful and thorough exposition of Genesis 3 because we just don't have time for it now. But what we see here is what Paul comments on in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 where he says that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. Satan is always misrepresenting his intentions.

That's how he goes about his business. So if we're not going to be unaware of his devices, you have to know that this is how Satan presents himself. Not as the enemy of your soul, but transforming himself into an angel of light. Coming and presenting himself as a wise counselor who can help you think through a matter and yet what he's really doing is contradicting God. The word that Peter uses in our text is devil, that's the English translation.

In the Greek, it's diabolos, which is where we get our word diabolical from. If there's a diabolical scheme, It's a dark and sinister and devilish scheme. That's where we get that word from. And the word in the Greek literally means accuser. It means slanderer.

It means one who comes with a false accusation. This is exactly what we see in Genesis 3. And frequently when the devil appears in the Bible, this is what we see. He is an accuser. And in this instance, he comes and accuses God to man.

He whispers in mankind's ear, in Eve's ear, accusations against God. He's presenting himself as a wise counselor, but he's really just a whisperer who's working to erode man's confidence in God's goodness and in his truthfulness. Isn't that what we see in Genesis 3? He attacks, he accuses God of not being good. He says that God is withholding something that would be good for Eve from her.

God's withholding from you. This is a frequent device of the devil. God is withholding something good for you. He knows you'll be like him if you do this. So it isn't that you'll die, it's that he's withholding the good from you.

This is the voice of the devil. And that device wasn't used last in Genesis 3, it's been used hundreds of millions of times, I'm confident, since then. Same devil, same trick. God is withholding something good from you. So whenever a law in the Bible seems to you like it's withholding something good from you, you know what this voice is.

You can train yourself to recognize it. When the laws of God seem to be withholding good things from you, You can recognize that voice. You can train yourself to recognize that voice. And you ought to train yourself to recognize that voice. So it's accusing God of not being good, and of actually withholding good from you, and also not being right, not saying what's true.

Another very common device of the devil is has God indeed said. Did he really say that? Did he really mean that? The devil is a whisperer who comes to erode your confidence that God is good and that he's right, that what he says is true. He doesn't come as a devouring lion and present himself to you in that form.

He transforms himself into an angel of light, comes alongside you and offers himself as a quote unquote wise counselor but all he wants to do is to steal and to kill and to destroy. So we must not be ignorant of his devices. God did not make Eve do it. So it will not do for Christians to say the devil made me do it. But he does come as a whisperer to erode your faith, to erode your confidence that God is good and that everything that he says is true.

Now let's turn to Job chapter 1. Job chapter 1 is a fascinating chapter and another spot where I'd like to spend more time than we're actually going to spend. But again, we see the devil presenting himself in Job chapter 1. This time he's actually presenting himself to God. If we were spending more time in Job, we could see the events that play out in Job chapter 1 playing out again in exactly the same way in Job chapter 2.

So in chapter 1, the devil is going to come to God, ask for permission to take away all the things of Job's life. And in chapter 2, he's going to come and ask that he be able to strip away everything about his health except for his life itself. Job chapter 1, I'll begin in verse 6 and read through verse 12. Job chapter 1 verse 6, now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, from where do you come?

So Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it." So this is exactly what Peter has presented. A prowling lion. A lion who's been on the prowl. When God asks him where he's been, he says, I've been walking back and forth in the earth. And Peter tells us why.

Verse 8, then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? So Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household and around all that he has on every side, you have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. But now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has and he will surely curse you to your face." And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not lay a hand on his person.

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. So in Genesis 3 we have the devil accusing God to man. In Job 1 we have the devil accusing man to God. The devil is bringing accusations about Job to God. So in this instance the accusations are in the other direction, but he's still the accuser.

He's still bringing a false report about a man to God. This is also what we see in Revelation chapter 12 verse 10 where he's called the accuser of the brethren. He is always accusing the brethren. What we learn, one of the things we learn from Job chapter 1 is that you cannot keep the devil from attacking, but you can be ready. God decides whether the devil can bring the attack.

God sets the boundaries. We learn that so clearly from Job chapter 1 and chapter 2. So you don't decide whether he can attack or not, God does. Not even the devil does, God does. But you can be ready, and you should not be surprised, and you ought to be guarding your soul.

Job, in what we just read, is described by God as being blameless and upright, one who fears God and shuns evil. That's a ready man. That's a ready woman. Someone who is blameless and upright, who is careful about their life. Someone who fears God and shuns evil is a person who will not be caught by surprise when attacked by the devil.

As the book of Job plays out, that's exactly what you see. You see a man who is ready for the attack and can weather the storm that God allows the devil to bring into this man's life. Ephesians 6, 27, Paul says, Do not give place to the devil. So Job was a man who was careful with his life. He feared God and he shunned evil and he didn't give place to the devil.

Why? Why is it so important that Paul exhorts us not to give place to the devil? Because the devil is one, if you give him a foothold, he'll bring destruction into your life. The devil is one that if you give him an inch he'll take ten miles. So you can't leave footholds.

You can't expose yourself to his devices by not being careful with your life. Again, the fact that God loves us and stands ready to bear our burdens does not mean that we are free to live a careless, unguarded life. Do not give place to the devil is what Paul says in Ephesians 6.27. So we have the central truth that demands action. That central truth that demands action is you have an adversary.

He's a strong one and he's a cunning one and he's a cruel one. Then Peter gives us, also in verses 8 and 9, the actions required. So if you're taking notes on the outline, we're to the second bullet. The actions required. There are things to be and things to do.

Things to do. First, be sober. This is Peter's advice. This is Peter's advice. That in making yourself ready like Job to withstand the storms that the devil will bring to you by God's permission, part of this readiness is being something, being sober.

The technical meaning, the most literal meaning is not drunk. And so you bring the sense of that not drunk over into what it really means, what Peter is really trying to communicate. When you're drunk, your wits are not about you. You lose your wits. If you've been drunk or if you've been around drunk people you know, they lose their wits.

Well, soberness, sober mindedness is the opposite of that. Your wits are about you. When you're drunk, You cease to be self-aware. In other words, you're not really aware of all the things that are going on around you. And everybody can see that but you.

It's a terrible condition. Actually, drunkenness is a terrible condition. Because You totally lose awareness of what's happening around you. Well sober mindedness is the opposite of that. You understand what's happening around you.

You're attuned to the things that are going on and the implication of those things and where those things are coming from. That is to be sober-minded. When you're drunk, you lose your inhibitions. God has given us natural inhibitions to help us, that keep us from doing stupid things or worse. And when you're drunk, you lose those natural inhibitions.

So to be sober-minded is to have your inhibitions that God has given you intact. So you have a natural sense of the things that are stupid or worse. To be drunk is not to be in your right mind. So to be sober minded is the opposite of that, to be in your right mind. Nothing in life, nothing in your enjoyments may be so intoxicating that you forget that you have an adversary that's prowling.

Nothing in your life or that you enjoy can be allowed to be so intoxicating that you forget that there's a lion maybe just feet away in the underbrush. You cannot afford to be the cute, unsuspecting bambi on the savanna. Only feet away from the teeth and the claws and totally oblivious. This is what sober mindedness is about. So first, be sober.

Second, be vigilant. The NASB and the NIV render this alert. Be alert. The ESV renders it watchful. Be watchful.

On our way to Malawi last year, we had about 20 years in Johannesburg, South Africa. Johannesburg, South Africa is the murder capital of the world. So we fly in at night and we get picked up by a local pastor there and driven across town to his church. And everything's beautiful. Johannesburg had hosted a World Cup a few years earlier, so It had been made a show place.

The most modern everything on the freeway. So it was the most modern city I had ever seen in my life. I've been in a lot of cities on multiple continents. It was the most modern city in Africa. It was the most modern city I had ever seen anywhere in the world in the dark.

Prettyed up for the World Cup to show off for the arrival of the world. The next morning in the light, the first thing an American is going to notice is that every single thing is behind barbed wire. Behind barbed wire. So you have a people, you have a culture here where 5% through oppression have kept their thumb on 95% of the population. And that stopped A number of years ago with the end of apartheid and so now there is a very tense culture And it's the murder capital of the world.

And the people are not just sitting back waiting to be murdered. So they go behind the barbed wire. This is to be vigilant. If you know that the murderers want to get at you, you put up barbed wire. You put up barriers.

You take action to try not to be murdered. There is a murderer on the loose, on the prowl. We're called to be vigilant, to be alert, to be watchful. Jesus, when he taught us to pray in Matthew chapter 6, taught us to pray this in Matthew chapter 6, 13, and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. But deliver us from the evil one.

Some translations say evil. I think evil one is a better translation, but it doesn't really matter. You end up back at the devil either way, don't you? God, please don't lead us into temptation. Please deliver us from the evil one.

And so, to the extent that we're following how Jesus taught us to pray, we have vigilance built in. Are you? Are you following the pattern that Jesus gave us for prayer so that vigilance against this enemy who's prowling about looking to steal and to kill and destroy to the extent that we take the outline that Jesus has given us for prayer and pray like that vigilance is built in because we are calling upon God to deliver us from this evil one. So first be sober, second be vigilant. Now there's a do.

It was be sober, be vigilant. Now it's do. What are you to do? Resist. Brothers and sister, we're called to put up a fight.

We are called to go to war at our enemy. Why? Because our enemy is at war with us. It's insane not to be at war with those who are at war with you, with your enemies who want to harm and kill you. It makes no sense not to be at war with this enemy.

Listen to James chapter 4 verse 7. James writes, Therefore submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James chapter 4 exactly parallels 1 Peter chapter 5 where we are. James started out saying, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble just like Peter. And then just like Peter he goes to the other side of the coin to say, you have an enemy, resist him, he'll flee from you.

Now how are we to resist him? By being steadfast in the faith. This is what Peter says. You resist this enemy of your soul, this adversary, by being steadfast in the faith. Some translations render it in your faith.

Both good translations. The difference in meaning is subtle. And I think ultimately it leads you to the same place. Here's what Robert Layton says, which is wonderful. So pay attention.

Wake back up if you're not awake. Robert Leighton says, faith sets the stronger lion of Judah against the roaring lion of the bottomless pit. And the delivering lion opposes and defeats the devouring lion. In other words, Robert Layton's counsel is, get your own lion. This is how you ought to deal with this devouring lion is get your own lion and get a stronger one.

By faith, employ the lion of Judah and let the delivering lion make war against the devouring lion and you will be victorious. Amen. Now I'd like to look at three New Testament texts that inform us about how we are to resist. So Peter is calling us to do something that is to resist, to put up a fight, to make war against this adversary. Now how do you do that?

There are three New Testament texts that tell us some about that. First is Matthew chapter 4. So turn to Matthew chapter 4. Matthew chapter 4 of course is the text just after Jesus' baptism where he's led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the adversary of his soul and our souls. So it's always a good idea to ask, how did Jesus deal with the devil when he took on flesh, took on the form of a servant, and to do likewise.

Matthew chapter 4, I'll be reading verses 1 through 11. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry. Now when the tempter came to him, he said, if you are the son of God, command that these stones become bread. That he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Then the devil took him up into the holy city set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him If you are the son of God throw yourself down for it is written He shall give his angels charge over you and in their hands. They shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus said to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Again, the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, All these things I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.

Then the devil left him, and behold angels came and ministered to him. In the account of this in Luke chapter 4 it says that the devil went away and looked for an opportune time. He comes here when he thinks it's an opportune time where Jesus is very weak in the flesh. He's fasted for 40 days. He's weakened in the flesh.

So the devil, my understanding is the devil sees that as an opportune time. So know this about the devices of the devil. He's looking for the opportune time to attack you. It's part of his planning process. He's looking for an opportune time, a time of weakness.

Now contrast this with Genesis 3. Genesis 3 is the first Adam and the devil coming alongside offering himself as a wise counselor over matches the first Adam, Adam and Eve. But he's not dealing with the first Adam this time, he's dealing with the second Adam. And Jesus is not to be overmatched by this adversary. So what they should have done in the garden, Jesus does in Matthew chapter 4.

It is written, it is written, it is written. Because the devil is the father of lies. John 844, the devil is the father of lies. So Jesus makes war against his lies with the truth. You better know the truth.

You better know your Bible. If you're not going to be overmatched by this adversary, you better be able to take up the Word of God and combat the lies with truth. The devil's not coming from left field with his lies. He's twisting scripture. But Jesus knows how to use scripture because it's his, because he's the author.

And so he says, it is written. If the devil has the boldness to attack Jesus Christ, what does that mean for you and me? Have you ever thought about that in relation to Matthew 4? If the devil has the audacity to attack Jesus Christ head on. What does that mean for you and me?

How much is he licking his chops in the bushes when he sees you being careless and unguarded. He's drooling in those bushes. Now turn to Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. This is the full armor of God passage.

This has to do with your adversary, the devil, and how you weather the storms that God allows him to bring into your life. Ephesians chapter 6, I'll be reading verses 10 through 18. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 6, beginning in verse 10, 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. Stand therefore, Having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Praying also with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. So how do you resist this adversary? Matthew chapter 4 says you resist it by saying it is written by knowing what is in the truth of God, His Word, and being able to bring it to bear when you're attacked.

In Ephesians 6, Paul says, put on your armor. This goes right to the heart of standing steadfast in the faith. That's what Peter calls us to in 1 Peter chapter 5, today's text. Stand steadfast in the faith. Be immovable in the faith.

Truth is a piece of armor that you need. It's a belt to gird your waist because Satan is the father of lies. Preparation of the gospel of peace is a piece of armor. The gospel of peace can make you ready, can prepare you for the attacks of your adversaries. It's a covering for your feet.

Faith is a piece of armor. It is a shield. And Paul says, above all, take up the shield of faith by which you may quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. Salvation is a piece of armor. It's a helmet to guard your head.

The Word of God is a weapon of your warfare. It's the sword of the Spirit. Prayer is a piece of armor. Why? Because it connects you to the one who's willing to fight these battles on your behalf.

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. This is 1 John. So prayer and faith are how you lay hold of help for these battles. There's much to be said. We had a whole Father-Son retreat on this text and I'm just touching on it.

But this is a list that those who want to resist the devil need to know. They need to think about truth and cultivate truth. They need to cultivate preparation of the gospel of peace. They need to cultivate faith. We need to cultivate salvation.

We need to cultivate the word of God. We need to cultivate prayer. Because there are weapons, there are armor in this war. So these things should be known, they should be nurtured, they should be prioritized. We should soak in these things so that we're ready for the attack.

Finally, turn to Revelation 12. This is the last text that we'll go to. Revelation chapter 12. I've been ambitious in going to all these places, but I left so much out. This is a sermon series.

We're not going to make it a series. So we're going to get the best overview we can and keep moving. But there's so much to know here. Revelation chapter 12, beginning in verse 7, reading through 12. And war broke out in heaven.

Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come. For the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives to death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, in you who dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you, having great wrath because he knows that he has a short time. It doesn't get much more encouraging than verse 10 where you have this loud voice saying, Now salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ have come.

So we should be sober and we should be vigilant, but we should not fear. We should be aware. We should be ready. We should guard our souls, but we do not have to be afraid because the kingdom of our Christ has come. Now we are told how to resist.

These brethren that have been accused overcome him, the devil, won by the blood of the lamb. The blood of the lamb resists and overcomes the adversary of our souls. Number two, the word of their testimony. This isn't just playing defense. But the kingdom of Jesus has come and it's expanding.

Ground is to be taken for this king. We're to overcome this adversary by the word of our testimony. Number three, not loving life even unto death. These are the three things that overcome the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony, and not loving our lives even unto death. Now think about Matthew 16.

In Matthew 16, it's Peter's high moment. He gets it. And Jesus says, who do you think I am? And he says, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And then in the next breath, after Jesus has begun to talk about what he came to do, to die, Jesus says, this shall not happen to you.

And what does Peter says, this shall not happen to you. And what does Peter says, this shall not happen to you. And then what does Jesus say? Get behind me, Satan. Peter is unwittingly Trying to get Jesus to compromise to save his life.

Jesus is the ultimate overcomer of this adversary. And he doesn't love his life even to the point of death and he won't compromise. He won't make peace with the devil even if it cost him his life. The devil would have us backpedaling and compromising, either to keep our comforts or maybe even to keep our life. We should never backpedal.

We should never trade compromise for our comforts. Verse 9 ends this way, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. Don't think it's strange when you get attacked by the devil. If you do, it's because you've not been paying attention in church or reading your Bible. We cannot be caught by surprise because God has told us there's an adversary and that he's on the prowl, that he wants to steal and kill and destroy.

He wants to devour you. If we're surprised now, shame on us. We shouldn't think it's strange. The devil brings worldwide suffering. Our brethren in all four corners of the earth are experiencing the war being made by the devil.

By the way, when we were in Genesis 3, I meant to read verse 15, which is the curse against the serpent, that serpent of old, which promises that there will be an ongoing war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. And so it is. And This brings suffering on the Lord's people in all four corners of the earth. Now verse 10, verse 10. Back to 1 Peter chapter 5, 1st hand.

But, you have an enemy, he wants to eat you, but may the God of all grace who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. In verse 10, Peter gives us the four things that God does for his people, and the things named here are grace, because Peter says they're grace. These are gifts, these four things in verse 10 that God does for his people are things that we can only get from God. James 1 verse 17, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Peter, our author, is totally agreeing with James that the good gifts come from God.

And God is saying in 1 Peter chapter 5 that He is willing to give these four good gifts. But before starting the list, Peter says that this God of all grace called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. God did something. God called us. He called us to something, His eternal glory.

And there's one way that this happens, by Christ Jesus. This is the fountainhead for the grace of God, for the gifts of God. He names four of them here, but the fountainhead for all the gifts of God are by Christ. It's what He purchased for us. The grace of God, the gifts of God.

Now Paul speaks about this calling which leads to the glory of God in Romans 8 verse 30. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 8 verse 30. Moreover, whom He predestined, whom God predestined, these He also called. Whom He called, these He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Paul, in Romans 8 verse 30, is explaining the sequence of the grace of God in the lives of his people. He predestined them before the foundation of the earth. And for those he did that, for whom he did that, He called them. There was a point in time where he called them and said, your mine, and he put their hand upon them and he granted them repentance and faith. You didn't decide it, he decided it before the foundation of the world.

But then you're living your life in rebellion, living for self, and God says, you're mine. And he gives you gifts, faith and repentance. And those who God puts His hand on and calls, He justifies. He applies the blood of the Son. He grants you your pardon.

So You don't have to serve out your own death penalty. And those whom he justifies, he glorifies. He allows you to share in his glory. Now what are the four things in verse 10? These four gifts.

Number one, God perfects his people. Gift number one, God perfects his people. The Greek literally means to mend. So if you think it makes you perfect so that you never have any more sin, that's not what it means. Sorry.

It means he mends. The ESV and the NIV render it, he restores. This same Greek word is used in the Gospel accounts when the disciples are mending their nets because they've fallen into disrepair. And so the Greek word means to make one what he or she ought to be. To take this net that's in disrepair and make it what it ought to be.

That's what the Greek word behind perfect means. God takes people in disrepair and He makes them what they ought to be. He restores them, He perfects them, He gives them progress. Number two, God establishes His people. Gift number two is that God Himself, the almighty sovereign God of the universe, establishes His people.

The Greek means to make stable, to place firmly, to set fast, to fix in place. It means to put your feet on a rock. Listen to Psalm 27 verse 5. Here's, I think, two Psalms that tell us perfectly what it means that God establishes His people. Psalm 27 verse 5, for in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion.

In the secret place of his tabernacle he shall hide me. He shall set me high upon a rock. This is God establishing his people to take you into his tabernacle to hide you and to set you high upon a rock. Consider Psalm 42 verse 2. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps." This is what it means that God establishes his people.

He brings you up out of a horrible pit and out of the my re clay and he sets your feet upon a rock and he establishes your steps. God establishes his people. Number three, God strengthens his people. Gift number three, God strengthens His people. Listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 verses 7 through 9.

This is very important. This has an incredibly important bearing on today's text of 1 Peter. What Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 7 through 9. Paul writes, unless I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me." So Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 is talking about the work of Satan in his life and God's use of it. A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me, 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." When we come to what is taught in Job chapter 1 and Job chapter 2, where the devil clearly has boundaries beyond which he cannot go and those boundaries are set by God so that he can only do what he is given permission to do. It begs the question, why doesn't God completely restrain the devil then? If the devil must have the permission of God, why doesn't he just completely restrain him? This is why.

He wants to use even the malice of our enemy to cause us, to force us to be dependent upon God so that we would know that we are weak, so that we would know that he is strong, so that he could put his strength on display, even in our trials brought to us by the hand of the devil. So that Paul says, this humbled me, and God's strength was put on display and he receives the glory. That's why. Number four, God settles his people. Gift number four, God settles his people.

The devil wants to disrupt you, to disquiet you, to move you. God will settle you. When? When? All these gifts, when will they be given to you?

After you have suffered a while, this is what Peter says. After you've suffered a while, after God has used it in His plan to accomplish what he wanted to accomplish after he's used it to help you grow up and trust God. After you've suffered a while, he'll give you these gifts. Listen to what Peter said in 1 Peter chapter 1. We were there weeks ago.

1 Peter chapter 1 verses 6 and 7. Peter has just talked about the abundant mercy of God and then he says this in 1 Peter 1, 6 and 7. In this you greatly rejoice. In the abundant mercy of God you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. God will let us suffer a little while.

He's refining us. He's growing us. He's helping us. A life that sees through these lenses is such a happy life. Even your troubles, you know they are for your good.

You know that God is helping you to grow up. Not a week goes by where I don't see ways in which I need to grow up and stop being a little boy in Christ. Start being mature. God brings these things into our lives for our good and His own glory. Verse 11, the end result, glory and dominion.

To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. All things are working together for His glory and our good. His enemies are being made His footstool. This is what you need to know about the adversary.

He is a strong adversary. He is a swift adversary. He is a cunning adversary. But as Revelation 12 said, he knows his time is short. Every enemy of Christ is being made a footstool.

Jesus will have his foot on that neck. A few concluding remarks. Two really. Number one, increased awareness is in order. We need to be a sober people, we need to be a vigilant people.

Days and weeks cannot go by without a contemplation of our enemy. We actually need to pray like Jesus taught us to pray. We would be proactively asking God to deliver us from the evil one. Increased awareness is in order. The last thing you want to be is Bambi on the savanna, feet away from the fangs and the claws and oblivious.

Number two, Finally, confidence is also in order. Increased awareness is in order, but confidence is also in order, not fear. 1 John 3 verse 8, for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. This is why Jesus came in the flesh to destroy the deeds of the devil, to destroy the works, the best-laid plans of the devil, destroyed by a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll close reading Luke chapter 22.

Since we're in 1 Peter and Peter's talking about the devil, we should read Luke chapter 22 verses 31 through 34. And the Lord said, Jesus said, Simon, Simon, Indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren." But Peter said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. And he said, I tell you Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know me.

Peter was in the sights of this adversary. And Peter had all the overconfidence that would make him a tasty meal for a lion like this. But Peter doesn't get to decide that, and the lion doesn't get to decide that. God Almighty decides that. And if Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father and is praying for you that your faith will not fail, then your faith will not fail.

This is not to say that we ought to be careless and unguarded. The whole text was about being careful and guarded. So we should study Ephesians 6 and know the full armor of God and be nurturing those things, but at the end of the day it does not depend upon us. It depends upon a Savior who sits at the right hand of God who prays for His people that their faith will not fail. Let's pray.

Father, I thank you that you not only save the people, but you keep them, you sustain them. Even when they're careless and unguarded, it is you who have predestined, who have called, who have justified, who will glorify. I thank you God that you who indwell us are greater than he who is in the world. I pray God that you would make us wise, that you would make us sober and vigilant as your word calls us to be. In Jesus' name, Amen.

He's the same. Amen.