John 10:1-18
DATE: 15 July, 2001
PLACE: BBC Mallow
I.
Introduction (John 10:10)
A.
The devil is a thief. Judas Iscariot, who Jesus said was a devil,
was a thief. According to John 10:10, there are three things the thief does when
he comes.
B.
The devil is after you, and I want you to know, that when you
sense he is at work against you, he has a three-fold goal in mind:
1.
To kill your confidence
2.
To steal your crown
3.
To destroy your character
4.
And it is all because he wants to destroy YOU! No joke!
II.
Message – What the Devil Wants from You (John 10:1-18)
A.
Main Goal - The Devil Wants YOU (10:1; 1Pet 5:8)
1.
He wants control
2.
He wants to determine your destiny
3.
He wants to steal the life that God gave you, and when he is
through with it, he will only destroy it
4.
People mess with satanic stuff all the time (wicked stuff) and get
trapped
a.
Tarot cards
b.
Ouiji boards
c.
Rock music
d.
Pornography
e.
Drugs
5.
People also mess with supposedly good things and get trapped
a.
Religion – no better than drugs – both are an illusion (Mt 21:13;
23:14; John 10:7-10)
b.
Working hard all the time – no time for God
6.
That is how the devil works – entraps people! So that, like a lion, he
tears them apart (Luke 22:31)
If
the devil can’t have you, he will try and steal three things from you
B.
The Devil
Wants your Confidence, to Kill it
(Lk 22:31,32; Cf 2Tim 1:7).
1.
Christian Confidence is certainty about the Lord’s abilities, and His
will for a person’s life – what IS God’s will for your life?
a.
To be saved (2Pet 3:9)
b.
To be holy (1Cor 7:34)
c.
To be faithful in the little things
d.
To SERVE God – not just job, your family, or yourself (Rev 4:11)
2.
Few Christians today have Christian confidence – they are like waves of
the sea, tossed back and forth between hope, and confusion
3.
That makes the New Testament church invalid – limping along, and
useless to God!
4.
With confidence IN THE LORD, we turn this world upside down
a.
We wouldn’t look at finances
b.
We wouldn’t worry about talent
c.
We wouldn’t get hung up on personalities
5.
The devil kills people’s confidence in the Lord by doing three things:
a.
By getting
people to doubt the Scriptures
(Gen 3:1)
1)
This has been the devil’s primary attack
2)
Just ask how many religious priests teach people that the Bible is the
word of God from cover to cover, and is without error, and must be read,
believed, and held to for a sound mind?
3)
NONE! Most “churches” today neglect the Bible – only USE it
4)
Do you know what a Christian who really believed this Bible would be
doing?
a)
Talking to people day in and out about the coming judgment
b)
Never giving an inch on what the Bible says and commands
c)
Christians would be the strongest people in the world!
b.
By getting
Christians to doubt their salvation
– thinking they just have never done enough!
1)
Some “christians” are NOT saved to be sure, and ought to question
whether they have just prayed a prayer, or surrendered to Jesus Christ
2)
But some Christians are just constantly hindered by doubt in the finished
work of Christ for them – these probably are not saved either
3)
Some Christians struggle with sins in their lives, and the guilt
convinces them that they are not really “saved!”
4)
If a person is doubting their salvation all the time, they will really
never worry about other people’s eternities!
5)
If a person is settled where their destiny is, they will ONLY worry about
others getting saved!
c.
By getting
believers to doubt their abilities to serve
(Ex 4:10-12)
1)
This is very sad
2)
How qualified were you of being a child of God?
3)
How qualified is anyone to serve God?
4)
People look at their INABILITIES instead of the Saviour
C.
The Devil
wants your Crown, to Steal it
(Rev 3:11)
1.
Crowns are God’s rewards for a life that is lived totally for Him
2.
Not given out like modern awards are today – to everybody
3.
Only given to those who earn them
4.
Salvation is a gift – rewards are earned
5.
Rewards then can be lost, or STOLEN! How?
a.
By getting
you out of God’s purpose for your life
1)
Purpose, is the reason for living
2)
The devil will attack the way you think about what is important, and
“spoil” you (Col 2:8)
b.
By getting
you out of God’s place for your life
1)
The crown is for the faithful
2)
The one who knows where God wants them, and they STAY
a)
As a light
b)
As Salt
c)
As a witness of God’s goodness, mercy, and grace
c.
By ruining
your purity (Cf
1Cor 6:9-11) – this is the biggest way today
1)
Young men start off pure and clean at salvation
2)
Young women start off pure and clean at salvation
3)
We are supposed to stay clean (James 1:27)!
4)
The devil is so busy convincing teenagers that waiting until marriage is
old fashioned
5)
The devil is busy convincing boys that girls are just to be conquered
6)
The devil is busy ruining the minds of young people with all the wicked
movies, and magazines
6.
A lot of Christian girls and boys grow up miserable for the rest of their
lives because
a.
They have VD, or AIDS, or bruises, or ruined homes
b.
All because they wanted to “have a little fun!”
7.
DON’T LET THE DEVIL STEAL YOUR CROWN
D.
The Devil
wants your Character, to Destroy it
(Pr 4:23)
1.
Your character is how you are when you are alone, or with supervision
2.
The devil wants to change you so you are a hypocrite. Nice and sweet on
Sunday, but filthy Mondays and Fridays, and especially Saturday nights
a.
The thing that makes this world sick are hypocrites
b.
Every person, no matter how saved is going to fail
c.
But TOO MANY CHRISTIANS DON’T EVEN TRY TO STAY RIGHT
d.
God is looking to develop in every one of us CHARACTER, INTEGRITY
3.
How the devil destroys a Christian’s character:
a.
By getting
you to make flippant decisions that are WRONG choices
1)
Not caring about what you wear
2)
Not caring about what you watch on TV – just make flippant choices
3)
Not caring about where you work – IT’S NOT THE JOB, it’s the
CHARACTER you have while doing the job
4)
You don’t have ANY character handing liquor to people
b.
By grouping
with you worldly companions
1)
A Christian at a disco is no testimony!
2)
People automatically can tell a person has gotten saved – we
shouldn’t try and convince them otherwise by hanging around with wrong friends
and doing wicked things
c.
By providing
you with wicked thoughts and contemplations
The devil is working overtime to ruin Christian minds (not even imagining what
he is doing to unsaved people’s minds)
1)
Internet
2)
TV
3)
VIDEOS – rated 15 is wicked!
4)
Bad friends – especially the ones that only get you griping and
complaining
III.
Conclusion/Applications
A.
Was the devil successful in the Garden of Eden? So everything from
mankind
B.
He would be totally successful in your and my life too if it weren’t
for JESUS – the GOOD Shepherd
C.
That’s why I got SAVED – I was only a puppet, being slowly chewed,
and ultimately destroyed!
D.
If you have not repented, and been BORN AGAIN the Bible way, then the
devil has YOU – period!
E.
If you are saved, then realise, the devil is not finished yet! He will
work you over until you leave this world behind. Never let your guard down.
Never think the battle doesn’t matter!