Satan's in the animosity, grudges

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices,” Paul reminds the Corinthians.

“You notice how he says ‘devices’ plural?” notes Jordan. “Paul said we’re not ignorant of his tricky strategies. He’s got these devices, this every wind of doctrine, this sleight of men in cunning craftiness, these wiles, these schemes and plans to capture you. There’s more than one and in this passage, it’s animosity among the brethren.

“You remember the story in I Corinthians? They had a man who was living with his father’s wife. Now you hope that’s his stepmother, but that’s not what it says. In fact, Paul says it’s a kind of a sin that even the Gentiles out there don’t name, and listen, if you lived in Corinth, the Gentiles did some pretty raunchy things. You think our culture today’s bad; you go read about their’s and we’ve got a long way to go yet before we get to the bottom.

“Paul said this stuff, it’s not even named among the Gentiles, and yet the Corinthians weren’t doing anything about it. They were puffed up. They didn’t mourn; they didn’t deal with sin in their midst. You know what Satan wants to do? He wants you to ignore the sin and make out like it doesn’t count. You’d never do that if you read Romans 6-8.

“So it starts with not dealing with sin. Paul says, ‘Put the guy out; deal with him.’ In chapter 2, Paul says, ‘Now that he’s gotten right . . .’ You’ll see the guy repented. He changed his mind. He did exactly what II Corinthians 7 says: ‘Godly sorrow works repentance.’

“And now that he sought to be restored (‘Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.’) there were people in the church at Corinth who said, ‘No way we’re letting you back inside!’ And they wouldn’t forgive him. They held animosity. They held a grudge against him because of his sin.

“Paul says, ‘You know, I forgave the guy and I did it so you could see how you are to be. I’m your apostle; I’m your pattern. I did it so you could see how you ought to do lest Satan get an advantage over you.’

“That’s what Satan wants to do. He wants to get a leg up on you. When you get an advantage over somebody . . . he wants to outwit you so that he can gain the upper hand. One of the tactics in a ball game is get ahead soon. Why? Because then you have the advantage.

“One of the devices Satan uses to destroy the work of the ministry of saints working together is that animosity among the brethren and holding grudges. That’s why he says in Colossians 3:13, ‘Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’

“You’re going to have quarrels, folks. You work together and there’s going to be a little friction. So when it happens, he says ‘forgiving one another as God for Christ’s sake forgave you.’

“You don’t just forbear. You don’t just say, ‘I’m going to hold back and not have an argument.’ Because if you forbear and don’t forgive, that forbearing will produce brooding, and that brooding will produce bitterness, and that root of bitterness will destroy everything. It gives Satan an entrance into your life and through your flesh, and through the propensities of your personality, to destroy the work.

"II Cor. 10: 3-5 says, [3] For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
[4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) [5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

“You know how you fight the sleight of men and cunning craftiness; the crafty strategies, schemes and trickeries of the Adversary? ‘Casting down imaginations.’ Casting down all those high things that exalt themselves. That’s anything that contradicts what God says.

“That's every thought that you have about an issue. By that you ought to write down Philippians 4:8: [8] Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

“It doesn’t say bring every thought into captivity to the obedience TO Christ. I used to think that’s what it meant and I used to try to corral up all my thinking and say to myself, ‘You need to obey what Jesus said. You need to obey what the Word of God says.’ But my old nature would go, ‘Agh.’ And I would say, ‘No, no, you’re dead!’ and I would fight. You know what happens when you try to perform to make it real? You lose.

“Where’s the obedience of Christ? Philippians 2:8 says, [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

“You know what the obedience OF Christ is? Bring every thought into captivity to what Jesus Christ did for you at Calvary: ‘The life that I now live, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.’ I live in dependence. I’m bringing my thinking into captivity, not to ‘the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.’

“I’m bringing my thinking into captivity to what God’s accomplishing for me in His Son. And I don’t need to say to myself, ‘Stop that!’ I need to say, ‘Here’s who Christ has made me. I’m a saint of the most high God. That has no place in my life because that’s what Jesus Christ died to put away!’ ”

(new article tomorrow)