Angels, Satan and Demons Oh My! Satan's attack on the family

Here are my notes from the sermon this morning. Please feel free to comment me with any questions you might have...


Satan’s attack on the family…

Destroy marriages and families – all divorce, abuse, neglect, crimes within families is a result of Satan’s attack on the family

Before the fall, marriage was perfect and I believe families would have followed that same pattern…but

Genesis 3 – Eve is deceived and sins, then man follows suit.

The man did not protect his wife.

I believe he witnessed Eve’s deception and then he willingly disobeyed God rather than be obedient.

Eve sinned not only in disobeying God’s specific command but also in acting independently of her husband by failing to consult him about the serpent’s temptation. Adam sinned not only by disobeying God’s command but also by succumbing to Eve’s usurpation of his leadership, thus failing to exercise his God-given authority. Both the man and the woman twisted God’s plan for their relationship, reversing their roles – and marriage has not been the same since. (MacArthur, John: Different by Design. Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub, 1994.)

Cain then follows in the pattern of sin and murders his brother in Gen 4. Once mankind was infected with sin, the breakdown of the family began. It is one of Satan’s strategies to get at God.

If Satan can’t have the esteemed position he desires, he will make a mockery of God’s creatures and attempt to thwart God’s plan.

The first book of the Bible is filled with accounts of the breakdown of the family and marriage.

John MacArthur summarizes the defilement of marriage like this…

· Polygamy – Gen 4:23
· Impure Sexual thoughts – Gen 9:20-27
· Adultery – Gen 16:2
· Homosexuality – Gen 19:4-5
· Fornication/rape – Gen 34:1-2
· Incest/prostitution – Gen 38:13-18

That is just the first book. Throughout the OT and the NT we find examples of gross immorality and sin affecting the family. Sin originated with Satan and he will do everything possible to tempt us in those same patterns.

Now, lest we fall into the lame excuse of “the devil made me do it”, let’s understand this: Satan can’t read our minds, however he is very cunning and sly. He has the advantage of millennia of learned experiences with mankind and can almost with 99% accuracy predict what will cause us to stumble.

As father’s, the burden falls on our shoulders to protect our families. Adam failed and since that time we follow in those footsteps. Being a godly father, or godly husband or even a godly man is a difficult challenge in today’s world.

· Satan can’t stand to see us grow into God-fearing, Jesus-loving men who make our families a priority.

· Satan doesn’t want to see fathers training up children in the way they should grow.

· Satan doesn’t want to see husbands loving their wives they way Christ loves the church.

· Satan doesn’t want us living out our covenants between our spouses and Christ because he hates everything that has to do with our King.

· Satan doesn’t want to see husbands leading their families spiritually.

· Satan doesn’t want to see a family building on the foundation of Christ because they have access to great power in prayer (1 Peter 3:7 (HCSB) Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honor as co-heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.)

· Satan doesn’t want fathers preparing the soil of their children’s heart to receive the word of God leading them to repent of their sin and accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

· Satan can’t stand it when we act like real God-fearing, Jesus-loving men who make our families a priority.

So men, what is our answer? How can we become God-fearing, Jesus-loving men? How do we overcome all the baggage, the immorality, and the bad examples throughout history of those who failed? We have to stop making excuses and blame shifting and look to Jesus.

· We change only after we understand we are hopelessly lost in sin and the reality of sin is death.

· We change only after we understand God doesn’t excuse our sin, yet He will forgive our sin.

· We change only after we understand God doesn’t divide our families to make knew ones because it makes us happier.

· We change only after we understand God’s word is truth and we must obey it.

· We change only after we repent of our hardheaded attitude of selfishness and pride and begin loving our children and our spouse as Jesus loves the church.


Why does all this fall to men?

…Adam’s guilt was greater, not less, than Eve’s. And throughout Scripture, Adam is the one who is indicted for the fall (cf. Romans 5:12–19; 1 Corinthians 15:22). Eve was immensely guilty, of course. But she was deceived; Adam disobeyed deliberately (1 Timothy 2:14). As the representative head of the human race, he bore the ultimate responsibility for the fall, and his actions were determinative for all his offspring. (MacArthur, John: The Battle for the Beginning : The Bible on Creation and the Fall of Adam. Nashville, TN : W Pub. Group, 2001, S. 210)

Turn back to Gen 3 for a moment and look at God’s curse on Satan.

Now let’s look at Romans 5:12-19.

When we looked at what the Bible teaches about angels, we learned they celebrate when one lost person is saved. I just wonder if Satan and his demons have the opposite reaction. I believe one of the things Satan hates more than anything else is when a lost person is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

The other thing he hates just as much is a God-fearing, Jesus-loving man obeying God. He will do everything he can to trip us up, to place doubt before us, to lead us into temptation, to cause the joy of our salvation to grow dim, to cause our witness to be tarnished… and on and on.

Here are two things we need to do men:

1. Know Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior.

2. Live our lives to bring honor to Jesus Christ.


If we commit to do those two things, we will be headed in the right direction to overcome temptation and lead our families well.

Let's commit to be God-fearing, Jesus-loving men who make our families and our faith a priority!