The Wiles of the Devil
A Sermon on Spiritual Warfare from Ephesians 6:10-13
Originally preached Nov. 6, 1960
Scripture
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
In times of battle and great war, military leaders will do all that is necessary in order to obtain information about their enemy’s strategy. Likewise, in the spiritual warfare of the Christian, they have to know how the enemy will attack. Thankfully, they have been told in God’s word who the enemy is and how he operates. Therefore, there is great encouragement in considering the works of the devil. In this sermon on spiritual warfare from Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “The Wiles of the Devil,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones uses this Scripture to aid the Christian in their understanding of the fiery darts that come from his hand and his evil army. While Satan is not omnipresent and is always subservient to God, he nevertheless has much power. His attacks on the world and Christian people specifically are strategic. Based upon the authority of God’s word, Dr. Lloyd-Jones systematically exposes the devil’s strategy. He demonstrates how the evil one manifests his power over humanity. This practical message is encouraging as Dr. Lloyd-Jones lists some of the ways evil spirits affect the minds of humanity.
Sermon Breakdown
- The devil has power over nature and the elements. He can cause lightning, hurricanes, etc. The Bible does not teach that all natural disasters are from the devil, but that he has the power to cause some.
- The devil attacks man's mind. He blinds people to the truth of God. He causes bitterness, hatred, and animosity towards God and the Gospel.
- The devil insinuates doubts into people's minds. He has done this since the beginning, tempting people to doubt God and His Word.
- The devil overwhelms people with fear to lead them into denial of God. He frightens people away from following God's will.
- The devil promotes false teachings and doctrines to lead people astray. He tries to detract from the glory of Christ and confuse people about the truth.
- The devil hurls evil thoughts and imaginations at people to make them miserable and captive. These thoughts are not from us but from the devil.
- The devil holds people captive through irrational fears and phobias. A world without Christ is a world filled with fear.
- The devil causes depression, discouragement, and a sense of hopelessness. He makes us focus on ourselves and our failures to make us feel unworthy and like failures.
- The devil puffs people up with pride which leads to many sins like jealousy, envy, and oversensitivity. Pride has caused much damage in the church.
- The devil plays upon man's moral nature by tempting him with lusts, passions, and evil desires.
- The devil has the power to inflict physical suffering, sickness, disease, and bodily harm. Not all suffering is from the devil, but some is.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Spiritual Warfare
What does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones identify as the nature of our spiritual conflict?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, we are engaged in a spiritual conflict that's not merely against human beings ("flesh and blood") but against "principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). He emphasizes that "everybody has this conflict, but only those who are Christian are aware of it." The preacher clarifies that the problem of the world is not primarily about human struggles but about these unseen spiritual forces.
What is the origin of evil according to Lloyd-Jones' sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that evil originated from "a great precosmic fall" that occurred before the world and mankind were created. This was a fall in the angelic realm, which resulted in Satan, the devil, fallen angels, demons, and evil spirits coming into being. Subsequently, when God created the world and mankind, this enemy came in and caused man to fall through his subtlety and wiles, resulting in man being "subjugated by the devil" and placed "in the dominion of Satan in the kingdom of the devil, the kingdom of darkness."
How does the devil exercise power over nature according to Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that the devil has some power over nature itself, as evidenced in the book of Job. He points to examples where Satan was given permission to cause lightning to strike and burn up Job's sheep and servants, and to send a great wind (hurricane) that killed Job's children. The preacher clarifies that the Bible doesn't teach that all natural phenomena like lightning and storms are the devil's work, but that sometimes they can be. He also mentions power over animals, referring to the case of the Gadarene swine.
What methods does Satan use to attack human minds according to the sermon?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Satan attacks human minds in several ways: 1. Blinding minds to the truth of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) 2. Creating bitter hostility toward Christian truth 3. Insinuating doubts (as with Eve in Genesis 3) 4. Overwhelming with a spirit of fear (like Peter denying Christ) 5. Promoting false teachings ("doctrines of devils") 6. Attacking with evil thoughts and imaginations 7. Creating irrational fears and phobias 8. Causing depression and discouragement 9. Stimulating pride (as with David numbering Israel) 10. Provoking jealousy and oversensitivity
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the connection between physical ailments and spiritual warfare?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that the devil can sometimes affect the human body, though he's careful to note this isn't always the case. He cites examples including: 1. Satan smiting Job with boils (Job 2:7) 2. The devil causing dumbness and blindness 3. The woman with a "spirit of infirmity" for 18 years whom "Satan hath bound" (Luke 13) 4. Paul's "thorn in the flesh" described as "a messenger of Satan" (2 Corinthians 12:7)
The preacher emphasizes he's not teaching that all illnesses are demonic, but that some "may be the result of the devil's activity."
What is the key to understanding history according to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that "the only key to history, any sort of history, secular history, as well as this more purely spiritual history that we have in the Bible" is understanding that history "is the record of the conflict between God and his forces and the devil and his forces." He describes this as "the great controlling principle" which is essential not only for understanding past history but also for comprehending current world events and the future.
What is the devil's primary objective according to the sermon?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the devil's "one central object" is "to destroy God's work." Having fallen through pride and jealousy of God, the devil is now confined within certain limits, which he hates. To vent his spleen upon God, "his one great concern is to bring disorder into God's perfect creation." His main tactic is "to produce confusion, to produce a state of trouble and of chaos." Above all, "his supreme ambition is to separate men from God and to do everything that lies within his power to hinder men from worshipping God and obeying God and living to the glory of God."
What protection does Lloyd-Jones recommend against spiritual attacks?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes his sermon by emphasizing that there is only one place of safety against these spiritual attacks. Quoting Ephesians 6:10-11, he urges believers to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might" and to "take unto you the whole armor of God." He reminds his listeners that they are facing "a most relentless, subtle, intelligent, powerful foe who can attack you from all quarters," and the only defense is to "put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all to stand."
How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish between temptation and sin?
Lloyd-Jones makes an important distinction between being tempted and actually sinning. He specifically addresses evil thoughts, saying: "The fact that you are tempted by evil thoughts mustn't lead you to the conclusion that you're not a Christian." He explains how to distinguish between our own thoughts and the devil's attacks: "If you hate them and if you wish that they were not there, they're not yours. They're the devil's." This distinction offers comfort to believers who might be discouraged by the presence of temptation, helping them understand that temptation itself is not sin.
Is the devil omnipresent according to Lloyd-Jones?
No, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explicitly states that the devil is not omnipresent: "I've been emphasizing the great power and authority of the devil. But he's not omnipresent. He isn't everywhere. God is omnipresent, but the devil cannot be everywhere." He explains that this is why the devil delegates work to fallen angels, demons, and evil spirits. Lloyd-Jones references Job 1:7 where the devil describes himself as "going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it," indicating his limited presence.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.