We Have An Enemy
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man
who sowed good seed in his field: But while
men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares
among the wheat, and went his way. But when
the plant was sprung up, and brought forth fruit,
then appeared the tares also. So the servants
of the householder came and said unto him, Sir,
did you not sow good seed in your field? from
where then has it tares? He said unto them,
An enemy has done this. (Matthew 13:24-28a)
If we are followers of Jesus, there's a couple of things we need to know: First, we need to know we have an enemy. And not just any enemy: he is called the prince of the devils.
Not just a devil, but the prince of devils.
But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils
through the prince of the devils. (Matt. 12:24)
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said,
This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by
Beelzebub the prince of the devils. (Mark 3:22)
A prince is a powerful ruler, and commands many powerful lackeys to do his will. He is also called the prince of this world. (John 12:31; John 16:11)
He is also the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is at work in the children of disobedience.
And you has He made alive, who were dead
in trespasses and sins: In which in time past
you walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power
of the air, the spirit that now works in the
children of disobedience.(Ephesians 2:1-2)
This enemy of ours is mean: His intents and purposes are all bad, there is nothing good in him. He is a murderer and a liar, and the father of all lies.
He comes with one purpose: to steal, kill and destroy.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal,
and to kill,and to destroy: I am come
that they might have life, and that
they might have it more abundantly.
(John 10:10)
You are of your father the devil, and
the lusts of your father you will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning,
and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he
speaks a lie, he speaks of his own:
for he is a liar, and the father of it.
(John 8:44)
The second thing we need to know is that our enemy has powerful weapons - he's not coming to us empty handed! On of his favorite weapons is temptation.
Think of how he caused the fall in the garden of Eden, by tempting Eve with a simple apple.
He continually uses the same weapon he has used from the very beginning, because it works so well!
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted
of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempts he any man: But every man is tempted, when
he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then
when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin,
when it is finished, brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)
He also uses deception to his advantage. Notice in our key verse, the enemy sowed tares, or weeds, among the good seed. Here's the thing: weeds look exactly like the
wheat in it's young stages. Deception often looks and sounds like truth in it's first stages.
Many people fall to the temptations and deceptions of the enemy, for one simple failure: they fail to submit themselves to God.
Without that, we are not able to resist the devil's lures. We just are not spiritually strong enough unless we are willing to submit ourselves to the Lord.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
Our enemy is powerful, he's mean, and he hates us. Why does this enemy hate us so much? Because God loves us! Satan hates God so much,
he tries to destroy anything God loves. And there's no doubt of God's great love for us:
For God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16)
But God commendeth His love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
We have a very powerful enemy, it's true, and we have to be aware of his power and his weapons. But here's the third thing we need to know:
we do not have to be afraid! Over and over, the Bible tells us "Fear not...". Our God is greater than our enemy!
We don't have to live in fear our enemy, regardless of how powerful
he may be. Our Lord is Almighty, most powerful of all, and He will give us the ultimate victory! We have His word on it! Amen, and amen!
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome
them: because greater is He that is in you, than
he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:57)
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the
world: and this is the victory that overcometh
the world, even our faith. (1John 5:4)
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