A Roaring Lion

A Roaring Lion
October 1, 2011 5:30 AM -0500
Manuscript
Outline
Notes
Bibliography
There is a war raging in spiritual realms, and Christians are on the front line. But to fight the enemy, we must first know who he is.
Thesis: We must be on guard and ready for a fight because Satan is diametrically opposed to us.
Objective: Challenge believers to trust Jesus to help them stand victoriously against Satan and his tactics.
  1. Intro
    1. Pearl Harbor
    2. “The Church in the West today presents too easy a target for Satan. We do not believe we are at war. We do not know where the battleground is located, and, in spite of our weapons, they are neither loaded nor aimed at the right target. We are unaware of how vulnerable we are. We are better fitted for a parade that for an amphibious landing.” (Ed Silvoso)
  2. Our enemy is real (8).
    1. He’s against us (“Your adversary;” The Devil is poised against us, period. There can be no reconciling, no compromising, not even appeasing him. He is, by definition, our adversary.).
    2. He’s a liar (“the Devil;” His primary tactic is betrayed by his name: he will lie, cheat, and steal. In short, he will stop at nothing to take us out. NOTE: Devil is the translation of diabolos, which means “false accuser, slanderer” according to Strong’s).
    3. He intends to devour (Strong’s defines “devour” as “to drink down, i.e. gulp entire (literal or figurative) :- devour, drown, swallow (up).” In short, Satan intends to take us out completely.).
  3. We must resist (8-9).
    1. We must be alert (“Be serious! Be on the alert!” (8); ).
    2. We must resist (“Resist him” (9); We must not surrender or retreat before Satan. We’re commanded to flee temptation (), but that’s more an advance to rear. ILLUSTRATION: ???).
    3. We must stand firm in faith (“and be firm in faith” (9); It’s not enough to not surrender or retreat. These things would be suicide if we’re not committed to our faith. We have to stand firm, resolved to keep - and live - our faith.).
    4. We’re not alone (“knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world” (9); When Satan is pounding us, it is essential to remember that we’re not alone.).
  4. God will help (10-11).
    1. He’s a God of grace (“the God of all grace” (10); When we’re being blasted by the liar Satan, it does us very well to remember that God is graceful. He has forgiven our past sins and pours out grace upon us so that we can press forward in victory (i.e., holiness).).
    2. He’s a God of calling (“who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus” (10); Not only does God offer grace for the past and present, but He has a calling for our future. He has a plan to use us and, ultimately, promote us to glory!).
    3. He’s a God of reinforcement (“will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little” (10); God will come to us with exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. He restores us when broken, establishes us when pushed back, strengthens us when weakened, and supports us when we’re on the brink of collapse. If we will resolve to resist and stand firm in faith, God will personally reinforce us.).
    4. He’s a God of power (“The Dominion belongs to Him forever” (11); God is in power. Nothing can or will change that. Even Satan’s most terrible assaults can’t move God. He wins, and because He does, we do, too. So ultimately, as horrible as the attack may be right now, we must not forget that we win!).
    Ryrie
    • (8) “The word devour also describes what the Red Sea did to the pursuing Egyptians (Heb 11:29). Satan wants to completely drown or swallow up our testimony.”
    • (9) “Knowing that other Christians were also suffering should help strengthen them.”

    Reflecting God
    • (8) alert “Perhaps Peter remembered his own difficulty in keeping awake during our Lord’s agony in Gethsemane.”
    • (9) 1 Th 5:6-8: “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
    • (9) “They are not isolated; they belong to a fellowship of suffering.”
    • (10) Grace is “the Christian adaptation of a common Greek form of greeting.” Peace is “the common Hebrew form of greeting.”
    • (10) “Although ‘grace and peace’ were commonly used in the greetings of secular letters, the words that follow show that Paul intended a spiritual dimension.”

    ESV Study Bible
    • (8) “Christians need to be spiritually vigilant, watching for attacks from the devil, their great enemy and opponent.”
    • (8) “Peter uses the graphic image of a lion to describe Satan’s destructive threat: he prowls around … seeking someone to devour, hoping that believers will be terrified in their hardship and persecutions, or that they will be deceived and fall into sin.”
    • (8) “Though the devil may threaten to “devour” Christians, they nonetheless have assurance that they will be guarded by God’s power (1:5).”
    • (9) “Christians need not fear the devil, for the Lord has given them power to stand against him by being firm in your faith (cf. Eph. 6:12–18). Trusting in God’s promises, believers know that suffering is not the final word and that ultimately they will be exalted (cf. James 4:7). The suffering experienced by the believers in northern Asia Minor is not unique to them, for it is the portion of believers everywhere (your brotherhood throughout the world). Hence, they can take courage that they are not alone.”
    • (9) “Though “throughout the world” does not indicate an empire-wide decree against Christians in Peter’s day (see Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background), Christians who suffer in any age can be assured that they are not alone in their distress.”

    HCSB Study Bible
    • (1-11) “In this closing exhortation, Peter encouraged his readers who were suffering to be responsible.”
    • (1-11) “The word therefore in verse 1 shows that what follows in this section grows out of the preceding verses.”
    • (8-9) “Peter warned believers to be aware of Satan's deceitful practices and to resist him firmly. Such behavior is fitting for temporary residents of this world. Peter strengthened his readers with the knowledge that other Christians were also suffering.”
    • (10-11) “God will strengthen and honor in heaven those who endure suffering for their faith while on earth.”
    • (12-14) “Silvanus (Silas, v. 12) may have helped Peter write this letter as his secretary (amanuensis), but more likely he was the letter carrier.”
    • (12-14) “Peter conveyed greetings to his readers from the church in Rome, i.e., from the church in Babylon, and also from Mark, my son—Peter's son in the faith, not his biological son.”
    • (12-14) “The kiss of love was a customary form of greeting in the first-century church.”
    • (12-14) “Peace is the sense of well-being and blessedness that believers have because of their relationship with Christ. This benediction is an appropriate ending to the letter because when Christians are being persecuted on earth, heaven's peace cannot be taken from them.”
    Other
    • Strong’s: serious = “of uncertain affinity; to abstain from wine (keep sober), i.e. (figurative) be discreet :- be sober, watch.”
    • Strong’s: alert = “to keep awake, i.e. watch (literal or figurative) :- be vigilant, wake, (be) watch (-ful).”
    • Strong’s adversary = “(anti) and <G1349> (dike); an opponent (in a lawsuit); specially Satan (as the arch-enemy) :- adversary.”
    • Strong’s Devil = “from <G1225> (diaballo); a traducer; specially Satan [compare <H7854> (satan)] :- false accuser, devil, slanderer.”
    • Strong’s devour = “to drink down, i.e. gulp entire (literal or figurative) :- devour, drown, swallow (up).”
    • Strong’s dominion = “vigor [“great”] (literal or figurative) :- dominion, might [-ily], power, strength.”

  • Ryrie, Charles C. Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
  • Barker, Kenneth, ed. Reflecting God Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.
  • The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
  • The HCSB Study Bible. http://www.mystudybible.com
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