The Text
In the church at Corinth there was an unhappy person who had committed the sin of incest — a kind that does not even occur among pagans. The Apostle Paul in his first epistle severely reprimanded the church for not disciplining this man and commanded them to hand him over to Satan, that the sinful nature might be destroyed and his spirit saved. The Corinthians obeyed — but then unhappily ran into another fault: having been too mild before, they were now too severe. Paul therefore exhorts them to forgive and comfort the repentant man, lest Satan should get an advantage of us — for we are not ignorant of his devices.
As Satan has many devices, and his quiver is full of poisonous darts beyond those which drive us to despair, I shall this morning discuss: (1) who Satan is; (2) the principal devices he uses against new converts; and (3) remedies against them.
I. Who Is Satan?
The word Satan means an adversary. He is the chief of the devils, who was found guilty of trying to raise his throne above the stars of God and to make himself equal to the Most High. For this great sin he was cast out of heaven and is now permitted with his demons to prowl around the earth like roaring lions, looking for men and women to devour and destroy.
We hear of Satan immediately after the creation, when in the form of a serpent he lay in wait to deceive our first parents. In the Book of Job, Satan came among the angels to present himself before the Lord. In the New Testament he goes under different titles: the evil one, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
He is an enemy of God and goodness, a hater of all truth — why else did he slander God in paradise and tell Eve: Ye shall not surely die? He is full of hatred, envy, and revenge. He is a being of great power — so great that were God to permit him to use his full strength, I do not doubt he could pull the sun out of its orbit. But he is most known for his remarkable ability to use cleverness against mankind. Since he has not been given power to take us by force, he waits for opportunities to betray us by deception. As the Apostle says: we are more in danger of being seduced by his system of deception than overpowered by his strength.
II. The Principal Devices Satan Uses Against New Converts
What I am about to say is intended only for those who have actually entered into the Divine Life — those who have been truly born again in Christ Jesus. Here are the devices which Satan uses:
Device 1: Drive us to despair. When God awakens a sinner by the terrors of the law and convicts him of sin in order to lead him to Christ, Satan generally aggravates those convictions to such a degree as to make the sinner doubt he will ever receive mercy from the Mediator. We see this in Satan's temptation of our Lord: If thou be the Son of God... Likewise the Apostle Paul was no doubt assaulted with such desponding thoughts right after his conversion, for three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything. But do not let any of you be influenced by Satan to despair of finding mercy. It is not the magnitude or number of our sins, but our unwillingness to repent and our foolish unbelief, that will prove our ruin. Though our sins outnumbered the hairs on our head, the merits of Christ's death are infinitely greater, and faith in his blood shall make them as white as snow.
Device 2: Tempt us to be proud. When a person has for a while tasted the Word of God and felt the powers of the world to come, Satan will puff him up with the conceit of his own attainments, and tempt him to look down on his brethren as if he were holier than they. A proud spirit generally goes before a fall, and God is obliged to send some humbling situation or permit us to fall into some grievous sin, that we may learn not to be egotistical. To help prevent spiritual pride: remember that we did not choose Christ — we were chosen by him. The free grace of God alone has made the difference between us and others. Being proud of grace is the quickest way to diminish it, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Device 3: Tempt us to doubt God when prayers seem unanswered. Those who have passed through the new birth know what I mean by a period of deadness and dryness in prayer, when God does not seem to be listening. When persons are first awakened to the Divine Life, God often bestows extraordinary illuminations of the Holy Spirit. But when they are more mature, he frequently permits a deadness to overwhelm them, to stretch their faith. Do not be afraid — this is no more than your blessed Redeemer has undergone before you. Witness his bitter agony in the garden, when his soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death, and he sweat great drops of blood. In patience therefore possess your souls. Persevere in seeking Jesus even in the use of external means though they seem cold and useless. Consider that Christ is with you though hidden behind a curtain, as he was with Mary at the tomb, though she did not know him — withdrawn but for a little while, to make his next visit more welcome.
Device 4: Trouble us with blasphemous, impure, unbelieving thoughts. Among all Satan's devices, there is none by which he more succeeds or by which he more grieves the children of God than this. Some ascribe all such evil thoughts to the simple wickedness of man's heart, but those who know anything of the Christian life can tell you that for the most part these wicked thoughts proceed from that wicked one the devil. You that have felt his fiery darts can attest how often he has darted into your thoughts a thousand blasphemous and wicked suggestions even in your most solemn times of prayer. I appeal to your own consciences: have some of you, when lifting up holy hands in prayer, been pestered with such a crowd of horrid thoughts that you were tempted to get up from your knees? But do not marvel at this as though some strange thing were happening to you. God is not angry with you for these involuntary distractions — he knows it is not you but Satan. You are more acceptable to God when performing your holy duties in the midst of such involuntary distractions than when you are wrapped up by devotion into the third heavens — for you are then suffering as well as doing the will of God. Do not be driven away from the Lord's Table, prayer, or worship by these suggestions. That is exactly Satan's plan.
Device 5: Tempt us through our carnal friends and relatives. When Satan cannot prevail by himself, he tries what he can do through the influence of others. Thus he tempted Eve that she might tempt Adam; he stirred up Job's wife to say, Curse God and die; he made use of Peter's tongue to persuade our Lord to spare himself the cross. In our lives he often stirs up our most powerful friends and dearest relatives to persuade us not to walk down that narrow road which alone leads to eternal life. Our blessed Lord has furnished us with a sufficient answer: Get thee behind me, Satan — thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Device 6: Not tempt us at all, in order to surprise us when we least expect it. This device is as dangerous as any of the former. By withdrawing himself for a little while, Satan comes upon us at an hour when we least expect it. Thus it is said he left Jesus Christ only for a season. Our blessed Lord commanded us to watch and pray that we do not enter into temptation — thereby implying that Satan, whether we think so or not, is always seeking new ways to devour us. If we lay down our spiritual weapons of prayer and watching before death, our spiritual foe will quickly prevail. What if he has left us? It is only for a season. Yet in a little while, like a roaring lion with double fury, he will break out upon us again.
III. Closing Exhortation
Let me exhort my young fellow soldiers who, like myself, are just entering the field: do not be discouraged at the fiery trials that are sure to come your way if you seek to be found faithful servants of Jesus Christ. Our way through the wilderness of this world to heaven is beset with thorns, and there are enemies of the cross to be grappled with. But do not let these — like false spies — discourage you from going up to fight the Lord's battles. Say with Caleb and Joshua: We will go up and fight, for we are well able to conquer them.
Jesus Christ the great Captain of our salvation has in our place confounded the grand enemy of mankind, and we have nothing to do but to fight under his banner and go from conquering to conquer. Our glory does not consist in being exempted from, but in enduring, temptation. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him (James 1:12).
Since Christ is praying for us, whom should we fear? Though a host of demons be lined up against us, let us not be afraid. God has them all reserved in chains of darkness until the final judgment day. They shall only go as far as he permits them, and no further. Let us therefore be strong and very courageous, and put on the whole armour of God. Above all, let us take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and the shield of faith — always fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
To which happy place may God in his infinite mercy bring all of us, through our Lord Jesus Christ — to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, three persons and one eternal God, be all honour and glory, now and forevermore. Amen.