The
enemy of our soul is hell bent to do three things to you:
1. To steal
2. To Kill
3. To Destroy
(Cf.
John 10:10)
First,
he tries to steal you away from God through “indoctrination.” This is done
through “false teachings” (2 Peter 2:1).
Second,
he tries to kill you through “infiltration.”
He is determined to get a foothold in your life, in your small group, in
your home, and in your church, to slowly capture you completely and offer you
up in death as his sacrifice to himself.
This
is why Peter says that false teachers (those of the world), now watch
this: Will “secretly introduce
destructive heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1), even going so far as to deny the Master who
bought them.
This
means that their modus operandi is very subtle. They will not infiltrate your
life with a shout and a sign warning you of their intentions. They will be secretive and subtle. They do
not want you to know what they are up to.
Therefore,
when some point out these subtle and secretive heresies, many say, “What? That’s insane! You are making way too much out of nothing.”
This
is why Peter goes onto say, because of them, “the way of the truth is maligned”
(v. 2) or slandered, smeared or defamed.
In other words, because of their subtle ploy and carefully crafted
secrecy, exposure by the truth appears stupid.
The truth will be called “conspiracy!”
What
is the driving force behind these false teachers? “Greed” (v. 3). How does greed work in their method of
operation? They will “exploit you using
false words” (v. 3).
Once
Satan infiltrates your life, home, small group or church with “false words,”
and “secretly introduce destructive heresies,” and therefore gain a foothold,
he then will try to kill you.
Now
to “kill” in the Bible can means one of two things: “Separate you from your power source -- your fellowship
with God” (through sin), or separate your soul from your body” (through death). He has no problem doing both. But he has to infiltrate
your life first and gain an advantage.
Here
is now Jude puts it: “For certain
persons have CREPT in UNNOTICED. . .ungodly persons” (Jude 4).
This
why you and I simply cannot turn a blind eye toward such things and think naively,
“I’ll just focus on Jesus and ignore all the bad things around me.” You, my friend will be like a sheep led to
the slaughter.
I
like how Nehemiah got his people to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem during
times of extreme opposition. Half of those worked while the other half stood
guard (Neh. 4:16-17). Then they
switched. The other group took up a hammer, while the other half held onto their
spears.
You
see, you have to be watching and vigilant.
There are no such things in God’s kingdom as ostrich Christians.
Third,
Satan seeks to “destroy” you through “contamination.”
If
he cannot kill you, then his next aim is for you to become a non-threat to him.
He will destroy your testimony so your message will be laughed at or not taken
seriously.
In
war, when a soldier is wounded, what happens?
Usually two other soldiers stop their shooting and go and assist the wounded
one. By wounding one soldier, the enemy had taken out three.
This
is how it is done in the church. When Satan can wound or contaminate one
Christian, then more will leave the battle to assist the wounded warrior. And
if Satan can destroy or spiritually contaminate enough Christians in the
church, pretty soon no one is left except for a tiny minority who are vigilant,
watching and on the alert. Everyone had been cleverly taken out of the battle.
Be
on the alert! Preach the gospel,
yes! Be a shinning and bright witness
for Jesus, yes! But be sober and be
vigilant. "For the enemy of your soul is
like a roaring lion seeking ways to devour you” (1 Pet. 5:8) –
Through
Indoctrination
Through
Infiltration
Through
Contamination
“But we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).
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