You Asked For It

Why Does Satan Exist?

Some Basics

• All angels are                                                                              who were created good

  Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Psalm 103:20

  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
  Genesis 1:31

• Satan and his demons are                                angels

  How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.
  Isaiah 14:12-15

• Very powerful - stronger than us

  Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
  Matthew 12:29

  . . . yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.
  2 Peter 2:11

• Satan is NOT God

  He is not                                                        ,                                                   , nor                                                   

• Jesus IS                                                    over Satan in the resurrection -- so are we!

  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
  Genesis 3:15

• Ultimate punishment of Satan is coming - eternal torment in the fire of Hell

  "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
  Matthew 25:41

What Satan Seeks To Do

• We are at                 -- personally and as the Church

  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
  Ephesians 6:12

• He is after your                      -- but consider the opportunities you give him

  Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
  1 Peter 5:8

  . . . but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
  James 1:13-15

• Seeks to harm you                                                   

  . . . and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. . . Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"
  Luke 13:11, 16

• All                                          is the work of the devil -- Non-Christians unwittingly do his work

  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
  Ephesians 2:1-2

•                                of the devil and his work is a work of the devil!

  You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
  John 8:44

• Physical possession is a reality

  When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
  Matthew 8:28

• The devil keeps God's Word from "taking root."

  Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
  Luke 8:12

•                           doctrine in the church is a work of the devil

  Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
  Matthew 13:24-25

• God uses the devil and his demons to                                the                                     always in hopes of leading to                                                    and                          

  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
  2 Thessalonians 1:8

• God uses the devil and his demons to                 believers -- consider Job

  Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
  James 1:2-3

  To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
  2 Corinthians 12:7-8

  1. Our faithfulness gives                                to God

  2. Jesus experienced it - why do we think we shouldn't?

  3. Learn to live in the                           and                                               of Christ to overcome Satan

     Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
     Ephesians 6:10-11

How To Stand Strong Against Satan

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

• Authority in the name of Jesus

• Speak Scripture

• Armor of God (Ephesians 6)

• Repentance

• "Clean House"

• Prayer coverage by others

So, Whose Side Are You On?