Satan’s Illusions

I. Introduction: In the history of mankind, the devil has been able to successfully tempt every person except Jesus. Most of us have succumbed to temptation more often than we would like to consider. The devil makes things seem different than they really are.

II. Text: 1 Peter 5:8-11

A. Examples of everyday illusions

B. Visit to a house of mirrors or funhouse where illusions fool our sense of balance and proportion; we sometimes see things that do not exist. If you go to a movie studio tour you will see how filmmakers fool with visual perspective and use other tricks to fool our eyes into seeing things as they want us to see them, not as they really are. In movies and funhouses this is relatively harmless, but there are more serious illusions that must not fool us—Satan’s illusions.

C. Satan wants us to see things from a warped perspective so that we will not see the truth; if our perception is wrong, our actions will often be wrong. For example, Satan wants us to look at the confusion in the religious world and opposition to true Christianity from the non-religious world and quit seeking the truth of God’s will. Sometimes he will minimize the dangers that face us for disobeying God. We must not be fooled by his deceitfulness but be watchful.

III. Deceit of material security

A. One’s wealth is neither good nor bad of itself.

B. However, a person could have a bad view of wealth and consider himself blessed by God when, in actuality, his wealth is a curse.

C. Some trust in their material security

D. Luke 12:15-21 – The Rich Fool

E. Some believe that their riches will secure them from all things Satan deceived the rich fool into focusing on the riches of this world and ignoring the riches of heaven. The rich fool also bought into the illusion that he will live a long life. We do not know when we will die or when Jesus will come again James 4:13-17 – We must be mindful of God’s will

IV. Deceit of self worth

A. Satan creates self-doubt and a sense of worthlessness by trying to convince us that we are never going to be a good Christian and should just give up.

B. Of course, we will never be good enough, but God knew that when He sent Jesus to die for us.1 Corinthians 15:9-10 – By God’s grace I am what I am We must strive to be like His Son and beg for God’s mercy and grace given freely to those who love and serve Him.

C. We have worth because of God who loves us and has adopted us.

D. Colossians 1:27-28 – Christ is in us Titus 2:11-14 – Jesus died to make us God’s special people Romans 8:14-17 God dwells with us, has adopted us and made us joint heirs with Christ in the glory of the inheritance of heaven; how can we think ourselves worthless?

E. Others have the opposite problem; pride causes them to think more of themselves than they ought to think.

F. “You can be like God,” Genesis 3:5. Luke 18:19-14 – the self –righteous worshipper The Old and New Testaments are filled with condemnations of pride and God’s hatred of such an attribute in man.

G. God cannot fill someone with His being if he is full of himself.

H. The self-reliant person cannot rely on God in prayer; it becomes a conversation between equals. The self-absorbed person cannot fervently pray for his fellow brethren because they are beneath him; he can offer lip service for them then quickly get back to the focus of his prayer—himself.

I. In order to be useful, we must be humble.

J. James 4:8-10 – Humble yourself in God’s presence Psalm 34:11-18 – We must approach with a contrite heart

V. Deceit of false confidence

A. Satan wants us to be confident in our ability to resist temptation.

B. Peter’s example

C. Luke 22:31-34 – Jesus predicted Peter’s denial despite Peter’s confidence Luke 22:54-62 – Peter’s was too confident and succumbed to temptationA very old Peter, perhaps reflecting on this event wrote, 2 Peter 3:17

D. Satan loves an overconfident Christian because he or she is ripe for picking.

E. Many a person has said, “I will never…” only to give in when weak or when the temptation was strong or presented in an unexpected way.

F. “Oh, I’ll never drink, I just like going to the bars with my friends,” yet the comfort of going to such a place weakens the Christian to sin in a time of weakness.

G. Perhaps the person is on a road trip with his company or traveling alone. After all, who would know that he took a drink?

H. How many smokers or drug users have told you they could quit anytime they wanted to?

I. They allow themselves to try something that is dangerous to them. Soon, their habit enslaves them.

J. Many marriages have been destroyed by couples that confidently asserted that they would never cheat on their spouse.

K. However, in a low point in the marriage, when other people began to look attractive and show an interest, the person gives in to temptation. The most foolish are the ones who play games: chatting intimately with someone on the Internet, talking about things one should not talk about with co-workers of the opposite sex, and other risky behaviors all the while saying, “I would never have an affair.” Soon, the person is saying, “I don’t know how it happened.”

L. Young people on dates can become too confident in their ability to resist temptation.

M. They may park in a secluded place or spend much time alone in an apartment confident that they would never give in to sensual desires; after all, they are Christians. Slowly they begin to move the lines beyond which they never would go until there are no more borders to cross. Filled with shame, guilt, and perhaps suffering physical consequences of immorality, they have to deal with the pain that Satan did not show them when he was pushing the pleasures of the flesh. Some may justify it by saying, “We are engaged” or “We are in love” but young people, if you are engaged to be married and you enjoy that physical intimacy the night before your marriage it is still fornication and it is still a sin for which you must give an account before God.

N. Do not become overconfident in your ability to resist temptation.

O. James 4:7-10 – Humble yourself before God and beg for His help Genesis 39:7-13 – Get out of dangerous situations, even if you have to run If you hear yourself trying to justify something that you would not teach and exhort your children to do, open both eyes and try to see through the illusion.

VI. Remember that Satan’s illusions are part of a trap

A. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 – Many who desire riches fall into the snare of the devil.

B. A snare is something that is attractive in the middle of a trap; bait. When I had mouse problems in Florida, I would put cheese topped with peanut butter and a splash of Tabasco sauce on the mousetrap; they could not resist and I caught mice rather quickly. A wise angler will survey the water conditions, feeding habits of the fish he wants to catch, and places where he will likely catch the fish and offer a tempting lure with a sharp hook for the unsuspecting fish.

C. Likewise, Satan does not tempt us by telling us the truth about sin; he lures us from God by deceit.

D. Occasionally you will see ads on the true effects of tobacco and alcohol on people; these are not run by the cigarette companies or brewers. Some face terrible consequences of sexual immorality because they only looked at the pleasurable part of the temptation and did not consider the trap. Some pursue wealth thinking it is harmless or justify it by talking about the good they can accomplish for the Lord, but then develop habits and practices that take them farther from God. Some convince themselves that they are pleasing God when they are not following His will; they allow the deceit of false teachers to lead them from the truth proclaimed in scripture.

E. We must look for the hook

F. By continuing to study God’s word, we can know the truth that allows us to see through Satan’s illusions. We must carefully examine ourselves in light of God’s word because the worse deceit that Satan uses is self-deceit (1 John 1:6; 2 Corinthians 13:5)