Defeating the Devil (1 Peter 5:8-9)

This sermon was preached on 19/1/2012

There are moments in life that one never forgets. Peter had his highs and lows, and one of his lows occurred when he was not sober-minded and watchful, and then discovered that he was under intense attack by the enemy of his soul which led to the denial that he knew Jesus. That occasion was when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Peter had followed them to the high priest’s house where he denied that he knew Jesus. Peter had not been thinking soberly and had not been watchful, even in a literal sense, and shortly afterwards was caught in the devil’s trap. And we can see his memory at work as he recalled that sad time.

The focus to have

Peter calls on his readers to have a certain attitude all the time. They are to be sober and alert. Sobriety refers to their way of thinking and alertness describes their concern about possible dangers. Such sobriety and alertness can co-exist together. We would expect a soldier on guard duty to be serious as well as alert. And we are always on guard duty in a sense because we have to protect ourselves from the enemy of our souls.

If a Christian is marked by sobriety and alertness, he will not fall, no matter how fierce the devil’s opposition becomes. This reality is clearly revealed in the story of Job. Job had no idea that one day he would be called to go through a fiery trial; yet what is of great significance is that he was ready for such a trial, whether he knew it would come or not. Job prepared for the future by his behaviour in the present, when he always put God first. Because he lived each day in the fear of God and in keeping away from evil, he was inflexible when the devil’s fierce attacks came.

Christians are in a war, and a war situation demands a particular strategy, which is to keep a clear head and to look for potential attacks. A Christian knows that the devil can only be in one place at a time, but the believer cannot tell who the devil will target next. Therefore the realistic Christian will always be ready because he knows that the devil could attack him soon.

The fact to face

The fact that each of us has to face is that our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (v. 8). How does he do this? John Brown, in his commentary on 1 Peter, summarises the activity of the adversary in these words: ‘He exerts himself, by his numerous agents, infernal and human, in counteracting the Divine benignant plan for the salvation of men. Error, sin, and misery, in all their forms, are, ultimately, his work; his animating principle is hatred of God, and his leading object the maintenance and extension of the power of evil.’ Here Peter likens the devil to a roaring lion; elsewhere he is likened to wily snakes and devious angels. Are there any legitimate deductions that we can make from this graphic illustration of a roaring lion?

The first is that we have a common enemy, the devil. He is the enemy of God and has been so since he rebelled in heaven. In the Garden of Eden, he showed himself to be also an enemy of the human race when he persuaded our first parents to sin. And he is the enemy of Christ’s cause, an enmity which he reveals in many different ways. He is against every single believer in Jesus.

The second deduction is that we have a cunning enemy. His strategy is like that of a roaring lion. The reason why a lion roars is to petrify its prey, and a roar of a lion can be heard several miles away. Apparently it is not too difficult to outrun a lion because it can only keep up a good speed for about 100 yards. If the prey could think intelligently, it would keep at least 100 yards away from the prowling lion. What is dangerous about a lion is not always the loudness of the roar but how near another animal is to it. But the roar can so petrify it that it does not flee.

The third deduction is that we have a confident enemy. He expects to find prey. It is the same with a lion. When it goes hunting, it is aware that there will be easy prey; there will be sick animals, young animals, isolated animals which it can easily catch. The devil does not think he will not find victims. Experience alone tells him that there is usually Christians in a similar state to what Peter was in that evening in Gethsemane.

A fourth deduction is that we have a cruel enemy. This is literally the case with a roaring lion. Once it gets hold of its prey, the victim is finished and sometimes lions will begin to eat before the animal is dead. There is no mercy for the prey of a lion. And the devil will not be lenient to any unprepared Christian he attacks. Many can testify, with Peter, that it is not pleasant to endure the attack of the enemy.

Spurgeon suggests that the devil has three roars in particular. First, there is the roar of persecution, and that was happening to Peter’s readers. Second, there is the roar of strong and vehement temptation. Third, there is the roar of blasphemous thoughts that can suddenly afflict a Christian in the most surprising places.

So how can we deal with such an enemy?

The fortitude to display

Peter calls on his readers to show spiritual courage. They are to resist his attacks by being firm in the faith. In order to understand what Peter means by firm in the faith we can borrow from Paul’s illustration in Ephesians 6 about spiritual warfare.

Paul begins by telling his readers to wear the belt of truth. The belt was used to tie up nay loose garments a soldier was wearing so that they would not hinder him. It is not too difficult to see what the belt signifies. First, it means that we must have the right understanding of the doctrines of God’s Word. But ‘truth’ refers to more than head knowledge of the Bible; it also includes our characters which are to be marked by truthfulness. This was the character of the righteous man described in Psalm 15:2: ‘He that walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.’ Such a person lives out from the heart the character of God. In other words, he becomes Christlike. When the enemy roars, think of the Word of God; think about its promises and its commands, remembering that they have been given to keep us safe when under attack.

The second piece of armour mentioned by Paul is the breastplate of righteousness. A Roman soldier’s breastplate covered his chest and stomach and protected many of the vital organs. What does the apostle have in mind by righteousness? Paul is speaking about imputed righteousness, that is, the perfect lawkeeping of Jesus that was credited to our account. We wear this as our breastplate, and it is a breastplate that fits comfortably as well as giving a sense of security. When the enemy roars, think of the suitability of what Jesus has done for us.

The third item in the armour concerned the soldier’s footwear, which Paul says is the readiness or preparation of the gospel of peace. We need shoes to keep our balance, they provide protection as we move, and they enable us to move more quickly. Paul is not saying that we are being prepared to pass on the gospel; rather he is saying that the gospel prepares Christians to defend themselves against the enemy. A Roman soldier had always to be ready for a sudden change in the enemy’s tactics. Each Christian has to be ready as well because he does not know when the devil will change his tactics.

The peace here is not with our enemy but with our Commander. So it is a reminder that we were once at enmity with him. Yet Paul is not referring only to a cessation of enmity; he is also referring to an experience of peace in our hearts; he is not only referring to our Christian standing before God, he is also referring to a Christian’s sense of security. The first aspect concerns the removal of hostility, which occurs at conversion because of what Jesus did when he was on the cross; the second concerns the confident sense of God’s favour, which should be our ongoing experience. The first is reconciliation between God and us; the second is assurance. Paul is saying that the preparation we need to fight the devil is an understanding that we are reconciled with God and are enjoying the assurance of his favour. We need this awareness of reconciliation accomplished and the experience of peace in our souls when the lion roars.

The fourth item in resisting the devil is, according to Paul, the shield of faith. We should note that Paul here changes the verb from ‘having’ to ‘taking’, which suggests that some items have to be utilised in specific locations. Obviously a shield in battle had to be flexible: sometimes a soldier would hold it in front of him, at other times he would hold it above his head. A believer’s faith has to focus on matters that are suitable to a particular time. What matters about faith is not its strength, but its object, and the object of Christian faith is Jesus. As noted earlier, such faith will concentrate on the aspects of Jesus that are needed at the moment. So if a person is under Satanic attack, he will focus on the power and on the sympathy of Jesus.

A Roman soldier prepared for battle by drenching his shield in water. Then, in the battle, the fiery arrows would be extinguished when they attached themselves to the wet shield. A soldier who failed to wet his shield did not make adequate preparation for the battle. We need to saturate our faith in the Word of God, and we will diminish the effects of the devil’s roar.

The fifth item mentioned by Paul is the helmet of salvation. The Roman helmet was designed to protect the head. Paul is saying that salvation is the particular doctrine that will protect the believer’s mind and vision. This salvation enables the Christian to resist the devil by looking back (a good memory), looking up (a good attitude), and looking ahead (clear-sighted about the future). He can look back to conversion, indeed even further back to the eternal counsels when Jesus agreed to become the Saviour. And he can look back deliverances he has known in the Christian journey. Then he can look up to where Jesus is and see how he is willing and able to help each of his people. And he can look ahead to what he will receive when Jesus returns and there will be the great resurrection and transformation of his people.

The sixth item is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. A soldier’s sword was for using at close quarters and we have to use the Bible when we find ourselves under attack. The Bible was produced by the Spirit and he ensured that it is full of Jesus. It is also always his property, even when we are using it, so he will only use it in a right way. Yet we have to familiarize ourselves with it in order to use it. The Bible is a very effective way of dealing with the roaring lion.

Paul adds another feature, which we can call the Christian soldier’s battle cry, and that is prayer. When the lion roars, respond with the battle cry, which is prayer in the Spirit. In a sense, all we do is tell our Commander that the enemy is roaring. Such prayer is very specific in asking for divine help.

In addition to the items in Paul’s spiritual armour, Peter reminds his readers that their experience of Satanic attack is not unique – it was ‘being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world’ (v. 9). This is a call for sympathy because the experiences of conflict should lead us to empathise with others enduring the same. But it is also a call to learn from and be challenged by the faithfulness of others. This is what the writer of Hebrews does in his eleventh chapter. It is good for us to think about those who have endured trouble for the faith, whether we have read about them or even knew them. And regarding some of them we know that they were taken safely through a hostile world by their faithful Master.

So there are many reasons for being confident when under threat from the devil. His roaring cannot harm us and eventually Jesus will reveal that he has already won the victory over all his enemies. If we keep our heads with regard to the roars and watch carefully for signs of his advance, we will discover that he has provided what we need to resist the attacks of the devil.