Harmony Community Church
1201 S. Pennsylvania Avenue
Guthrie, OK 73044
“Shining Light into the Darkness”
Pastor: Larry Spargimino, Ph.D.
www.harmonyccok.org
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The Overcomers – Part II
HCC – 72
God intends for his children to be overcomers. Jesus came to “destroy the works of the
devil” (1 Jn. 3:8b). But overcoming involves commitment, sacrifice and faith: “And they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved
not their lives unto death” (Rev. 12:11).
The idea of overcoming involves engaging in a battle against a mighty force arrayed
against us. Ephesians 6:12 says: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.” Note the word “wrestle.” It’s a word that signifies struggle
and effort. Luther’s “Mighty Fortress” expressed the might of the enemy:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe.
His craft and power are great And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Satan’s goal: death; his tactic: lies. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and
the father of it” (John 8:44).
We are Objects of Satan’s Battle Plan - As every military commander has testified, a good
battle plan is essential for victory: “How can we best use our resources to win this war?”
“Should we use a frontal assault, or a flanking action?” “Should we attack in the daytime or
nighttime?” “When should we depend on armor, or air power?” Careful planning and a wellthought-out game plan are important. Christian, do you realize that YOU are the target of a
similar well-thought-out game plan, in the spirit realm?
Scripture speaks of “the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). The NLT has the “strategies of
the devil”; the NIV has “the devil’s schemes.” We need to be alert. Satan has eyed the saints of
the planet and has a strategy. Paul Harvey, legendary ABC radio commentator, gave the
following on April 3, 1965.
If I were the Devil…I should set about however necessary to take over the United States. I would
begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I
whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” To the young, I would whisper, “The Bible is a myth.” I
would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide
that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square.” In the ears of the young marrieds, I
would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution
them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old, I would teach to
pray…”Our Father, which art in Washington”…
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If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything
else would appear dull and uninteresting…I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less
work, because idle hands usually work for me….If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to
refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions…I would evict God from the
courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in
His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because
that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to
control them…
Satan’s First, and Most Primary Strategy: Discredit the Bible - Unfortunately this is done not
only by the foes of the Bible, but also by its “friends.” Sometimes its “friends” make unfounded
statements about a particular translation—“it just dropped out of heaven”—and then bring
God shame when it’s obvious that every translation has some limitations.
There are “friends” of the Bible who glorify ignorance and depreciate careful study,
analysis and exegesis, as though God has told us to throw our brains to the wind. (He
hasn’t!)Other “friends” of the Bible take a pet phrase in Scripture out of context and build a
whole theology on their warped interpretation and come up with racist interpretations that
create the impression that all Christians are “strange,” “weird” and “out-of-touch.” Some really
are! Pogo, the comic strip character, said: “We’ve met the enemy and he is us!”
Satan’s First Attack on Scripture – In Genesis 3:1-5 we read:
“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One
day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat of the fruit from any of the
trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman
replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed
to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t
die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as
you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil” (Gen. 3:1-5, NLT).
Satan’s Strategies
1. Raise some questions about what God said: “Did God really say you must not eat of the
fruit?” “Are you sure you heard him right? Maybe you misunderstood what He said.”
2. Directly contradict God: “You won’t die!” “God said one thing, but He’s wrong. Don’t
believe Him. Disobey God…it will be ok.”
3. Attack God’s motive in giving the prohibition: “God knows that your eyes will be
opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God.” “God wants to be in charge
around here and He doesn’t want you to be as smart as He is.”
Some Really Critical-concern Issues:
1. Has God really said that marriage is between one man and one woman for life?
Copyright © 3/19/2016, by Dr. Larry Spargimino. All rights reserved
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2. Does God really want me to live an unhappy life and be tied down to my aging and nolonger-exciting spouse?
3. Does God really want me to love the people I don’t like?
4. Does God really want me to love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself
for it?
5. Does God really want me to submit to my husband?
6. Does God really want me to have that baby when I know having a baby will interfere
with my career? (By the way, it’s a part of MY body and I should do what I want with MY
body.)
Satan and Company
Christians have many allies in this battle. We will look at them in another message. At
this point let us acknowledge that Satan has a great company of allies under his command. We
know them as “demons.” Though Satan is neither omnipotent, nor omnipresent, he is a
formidable foe whose forces have pretty much covered the planet.
There are those (Amillennialists and Postmillennialists) who will argue that demonic
activity is now virtually non-existent because Satan is “bound.” Amils and Postmils believe that
Revelation 20:1-6 is being fulfilled in “this present-day Gospel Millennium.” However, the best
way to deal with Satan and company is not to deny the reality of their activity, but to “resist”:
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7b). How do we resist? James 4:7a tells
us: “Submit yourselves therefore to God” (James 4:7a).
Putting Satan and Company into Perspective
While we don’t want to be preoccupied with the forces of darkness, neither do we want
to ignore them. In his book Spirit Warriors, author Stu Weber gives us three points of balance.
Demons are real—don’t toy with them. Demons are defeated—don’t sweat them.
Demons are not a biblical emphasis—don’t make them one (p. 132).
In view of the terminology used in Scripture in passages like Ephesians 6:12, the powers
of darkness are organized and ranked, as in the military, and are under the leadership and
authority of Satan (Matt. 12:24). They are powerful spiritual beings who fell from their original
place of glory and are cooperating with Satan in his mission of evil. We must never forget that
there are several passages in Scripture showing that Jesus is sovereign even over demons.
There was a man in the synagogue possessed of an unclean spirit and crying out. “And Jesus
Copyright © 3/19/2016, by Dr. Larry Spargimino. All rights reserved
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rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had
torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him” (Mark 1:25). In the case of the
Gadarene demoniac we are told that the demons begged Jesus, saying, “Send us into the
swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean
spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place
into the sea, (there were about two thousand) and were choked in the sea” (Mk. 5:12-13).
Satan Often Uses Discouragement and Disappointment
1. We are overcomers, but remember that every child of God faces disappointment. Paul
prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh be removed, but it wasn’t (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
In Acts 16:7 the apostolic evangelists wanted to go into Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit
would not allow them. Have you ever felt that God was going to give you an emphatic
“yes” answer to a prayer, but it really turned out to be an emphatic “no”?
But remember this: since God is working all things together for His glory and our good
and we are disappointed in something, we must believe, by faith, that God’s “no” was for His
glory and our good. When God says “no,” don’t look at yourself and blame yourself. Look at
God and thank Him for His faithfulness to you.
2. When you are disappointed and feel discouragement coming on, don’t be passive.
Ask God three questions:
1) What are you trying to teach me?
2) In what way(s) do you want me to change?
3) Who do you want me to reach for you?
God never wants us to NOT reach any one. God can speak through disappointment. If
you want to serve God in Mexico, but that door closes, it is important that we still keep our
flaming desire to serve burning brightly. Maybe He wants you to stay right where you are NOW
and reach your neighbors. When God closes one door that does not mean that He has closed all
doors. He may be gently moving you in the direction of another door. When the Lord closed the
door to Paul’s ministry in Bithynia, Paul came to know that the Lord wanted him to serve in
Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10).
In an intimidating world overcomers don’t need to be intimidated. There are many
things that matter. God has given us the call and the resources by His Spirit.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter.” We don’t have to be silent about things that matter.
Copyright © 3/19/2016, by Dr. Larry Spargimino. All rights reserved