Are we Ignorant of the Wiles / Devices of the Devil? 2 Corinthians 2:11

 Are we Ignorant of Satan's Devices?  2 Corinthians 2:11

  Many years ago in the 17th century Christians were taught by learned and reformed ministers. This question was asked by the Apostle and Brooks does a whole series of messages on this....discussing Satan's devices ( attacks), and the Biblical remedies for Christians to know and practice.  A lot of these books and his as well have been re-published by The Banner of Truth Trust .  This series of sermons is meaty and Biblical and can help us in our Christian way of love and holiness.

 Thomas Brooks ( first published 1652) in his book Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices  has some good thoughts from the Scriptures about how Christians should not be ignorant of Satan's tricks to get them to sin. Brooks goes back to the Apostle Paul's thought in 2 Corinthians 2. " Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." vs 11.Satan is not even thought of by most Christians today , and many messages today do not mention the problem of the enemy we must fight.  

If  we take a look at the Scriptures, we see that Satan is talked about with regularity.  We are in a war Ephesians 6 :11, " Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

   When we go to war, we should know that we have to understand the tricks and sneakiness of the Devil, our enemy . Who goes to war without understanding the opposition?

 His wiles come upon us unaware.  2 Timothy 2:26 " And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." Unbelievers are being spoken about here.  The servant of the Lord must not strive with them, but gently teach with patience and meekness.

It would be wise to take some of the lessons Brooks brings out.  He was an Army Chaplain in England during Cromwell's victory over the Scots in 1650.

1. We begin with Device 1 of the Devil.  He " presents the bait and hides the hook"  Adam and Eve were listening to the lie of the devil Genesis 3:4-5 They were tested in the Garden of Eden.  Satan says, " Ye shall not surely die....your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods , knowing good and evil."

The bait was an apple .  They were to eat this apple and the lie and to exchange their heaven for something that looked so good, but was not.  

In Matthew 4:8-9 our Lord Himself was tested and tempted by the devil.  " The devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.....All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.". Brooks in his book says there is are remedies for fighting against this trick or strategy of Satan.  

" First, keep at the greatest distance from sin, and from playing with the golden bait that Satan holds forth to catch you"  Thomas Brooks

Does this make sense?  If something looks good , that does not mean it is good.  We are tempted by the many devices of the enemy. We dance near the edge of the sin .  We should be more like Joseph who fled from Potiphar's wife when she lured him to lie with him .

Romans 5:12 says Adam by one sin spread all over mankind. Today many do not believe this verse .  The old way to learn the alphabet was for the letter A, " In Adam's fall, we sinned all."  Today we have confusion about gender in our public schools,  and what is true.  

"Sin will usher in the greatest and saddest losses" - Brooks

Is sin worth the loss of our peace that passes understanding?

"Sin is of a very deceitful nature"-Brooks

Hebrews 3:13 " But exhort one another daily , while it is called Today,lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin"

" Sin so bewitches the soul , that it makes the soul call evil good, and good evil; bitter sweet and sweet bitter, light darkness, and darkness light.."  Does this sound familiar in our modern culture?  We murder the unborn , and don't execute the guilty that commit murderous crimes.  The list goes on and on.

2. Device 2 is to present sin / paint sin with virtue's colors. - Brooks

He has several remedies for this .  A poisonous pill is still that even if it has been covered with gold.

We shall see sin in its true nature when we get ill, or are near the end of our lives.  " Sin shall be unmasked , and its dress and robes shall then be taken off; then , that which appeared most beautiful will appear more vile, filty and terrible than hell, itself"- Brooks

He goes on to say, " then even those very sins that Satan paints, and puts new names and colors upon , cost the best blood , the noblest blood, the life-blood, the heart-blood of the Lord Jesus"  Remedy 4 

Let never go out of our minds the thoughts of a crucified Christ.

3. Device 3 " By extenuating and lessening of sin"

Remedy 1-  " Those sins which we call small have brought the greatest wrath of God."

Examples are touching the ark and the eating of an apple.

Remedy 2- " Giving way to less sin makes way for committing of greater"

Satan will draw you to be unclean in your thoughts, your looks, then in your words, and at last to unclean in your practices.

Remedy 3- Other saints have chosen to suffer rather than commit the least sin.

Daniel and his companions chose to be burned and cast to the lions rather than bow to the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Conclusion-  I take this to sum up what we have been saying that knowing God and loving others is the most important thing we can have on this earth.  " If any should ask me, what is the first, the second, the third part of a Christian?  I must answer: Action; as that man reads that he may know that he may do, and that labors to know that he may do will have two heavens---a heaven of joy, peace and comfort on earth, and a heaven of glory and happiness after death."  Brooks

We shall continue this important remedies against Satan and his wiles as we need to be encouraged in our Christian lives , and not discouraged to only see our failures.  But we have many examples of great saints who may have greatly sinned, but God received their labors in their works of mercy love .

" David falls fearfully, but by repentance he rises sweetly."  ( from the next discussion!)