Weapons of Mass Destruction

2. Weapons of Mass Destruction Recent Governmental reports suggest Americans take precautions by preparing homes and stockpiling food and water in the event W.M.D.’s are set off in their city.

3. Weapons of Mass Destruction Nuclear Bombs and Biological and Chemical Warfare fail in comparison to the weapons Satan has in his arsenal in his war against Christ’s kingdom!

4. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Satan is utilizing weapons of even greater magnitude in his war against the spiritual kingdom of Christ. Ephesians 6:12-13 • Satan’s weapons are much more subtle, deceptive and harder to recognize. • What are these “Weapons of Mass Destruction” being utilized by Satan?

5. Satan’s W.M.D.* • False Teachers and Doctrines of men2 Peter 2:1,2; 3:16; 2 John 9 * Weapons of Mass Destruction

6. 2 Peter 2:1-2 “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.”

7. 2 Peter 3:16 “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

8. 2 John 9-11 “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed. For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

9. Satan’s W.M.D.* • Pride • Pride is a weapon that will destroy manyProverbs 16:18-19: 18:12 • False Teachers and Doctrines of men * Weapons of Mass Destruction

10. Proverbs 16:18-19 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

11. Proverbs 18:12 “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.”

12. Satan’s W.M.D.* • Pride • Pride is a weapon that will destroy manyProverbs 6:17; 16:18-19; • Produces self-love and self-centerednessIs self-willed; loves the preeminence3 John 9-10 • False Teachers and Doctrines of men

13. 3 John 9-10 "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.”

14. Satan’s W.M.D.* • Pride • Pride is a weapon that will destroy manyProverbs 6:17; 16:18-19; • Produces self-love and self-centerednessIs puffed up; loves the preeminence • Pride refuses to acknowledge mistakesCannot take rebukeResents being questioned • False Teachers and doctrines

15. Satan’s W.M.D.* • Pride • False Teachers and doctrines • Ignorance • A lack of knowledge can be a serious and dangerous thing. Hosea 4:6 • Ex: Walking in a mined field unaware

16. Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” If we are ignorant, can’t know what we must do to be saved! If we are ignorant, how can we know how to live a life that is pleasing to God?

17. Hebrews 5:12-14 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

18. Satan’s W.M.D.* • False Teachers and doctrines • Pride • Ignorance • Apathy – lack of interest or concern • Indifference – not just ignorant, but not enough concern to care! • Leads to Atrophy – wasting away, degeneration, decline Matt. 13:24-26 * Weapons of Mass Destruction

19. Matthew 13:24-26 “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.” Apathy will lead to atrophy if we are not careful and diligent!

20. Matthew 26:40-41 “And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

21. Our Shield against Satan’s W.M.D.’s • Test Preachers and Religious Leaders With the Sword of the Spirit (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11; 1 Peter 4:11)

22. 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Do How Do We This?

23. Acts 17:11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” In all things, let us ask, “What does the Scripture say?”

24. 1 Peter 4:11 “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies” We must respect the silence of God as well, limiting our “speech” to what is found in His word. WHY MUST THIS BE?

25. 1 Peter 4:11 “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God suppliesthat in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

26. Our War against Satan’s W.M.D.’s • Test Preachers with the Sword of the spirit (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11) • Shield ourselves from pride with humility! (1 Peter 5:5-6; Phil. 2:3-5)

27. 1 Peter 5:5-6 “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

28. Philippians 2:3-4 “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…"

29. Our War against Satan’s W.M.D.’s • Shield ourselves from pride by being humble! (1 Peter 5:5-6) • Test Preachers with the Sword of the spirit (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11) • Fight ignorance with knowledge of God’s Word! (Eph. 3:4; 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:15).

30. Ephesians 3:4; 5:17 “By which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ: “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

31. 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

32. Our Shield against Satan’s W.M.D.’s • Shield ourselves from pride by being humble! (1 Peter 5:5-6) • Test Preachers with the Sword of the spirit (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11) • Fight ignorance with knowledge of God’s Word! (Eph. 3:4; 2 Tim. 2:15) • STAND and put on the whole armour to guard against apathy (Eph. 6:12-18; Rom. 13:11-12)

33. Ephesians 6:13-14 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness….”

34. Romans 13:11-12 “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."

35. Conclusion Ephesians 6:13-18 tells us to put on the “whole armor of God.” Let us make sure we have the “shield of faith” to guard our souls against Satan’s W.M.D.’s Those “fiery darts” of Satan can come from anywhere. Rather than fear, we must be prepared, active, patient, and endeavor to faithfully serve God!