In Pursuit of Jesus - Week #6 "Jesus & Satan's Family"

Different Missions

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

“Have you ever wondered why Jesus married those two statements? Did you even know he spoke them at the same time? I mean, he says them in one breath. And he has his reasons. By all means, God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed. It doesn’t just roll in on a tray. There is a thief. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. In other words, yes, the offer is life, but you’re going to have to fight for it because there’s an Enemy in your life with a different agenda. There is something set against us.”

What do we know about Satan?

- What do these familiar names for Satan really mean?

- How did Satan become God’s enemy?

What Forces Shaped Satan?

“And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

- Satan loved his own beauty more than God.

- Defeated, Satan can no longer directly assault God. Because he wants to still hurt God, Satan turns his attention to God’s children.

“When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” (Revelation 12:13)

Jesus Interacting with Satan

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8b

Read Matthew 4:1-11 from the Message Translation

- What different ways did Satan try to attack and destroy Jesus in the wilderness?

- Why would Satan attack Jesus in these ways?

- What assumption does Satan make about why Jesus has come?

- What assumptions does Satan make about Jesus’ heart?

- Why did Jesus respond to Satan the way he did?

- Why did Jesus use Scripture to respond to Satan?

- Unlike his interactions with the Pharisees, Jesus never raised his voice or got angry or called Satan names. Why?

Jesus Casting Out Demons

Jesus Destroying the Works of Satan – here are some examples:

1. Jesus is mocked and “outed” by a demon, but he muzzles the demon (Luke 4:33-35)

2. Jesus casts demons out of “many” early in ministry (Luke 4:41)

3. Jesus casts a “mob” of demons out of Gerasene man (Luke 8:26-36)

4. Jesus casts out a demon from a possessed boy (Luke 9:38-43)

5. Jesus’ disciples say, “Even the demons are subject to us!” (Luke 10:17-20 – NAS)

6. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of using Satan’s power to exorcise (Luke 11:14-26)

7. Jesus casts out a demon from a woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-16)

8. Jesus allows Satan to “sift” Peter (Luke 22:31-34). Satan demands permission, and God gives Satan room to move against Peter, but only for God’s greater purposes in Peter’s life. Satan is constrained, just as he was constrained in his attacks on Job.

After looking at all these examples, pick one or two to discuss with the following questions:

- What can we learn about responding to Satan’s influence in our lives from the way Jesus responded to Satan and his “family”?

- What does Jesus want to communicate about himself with his actions?