DEWITT
TABERNACLE TEACHING SERIES
“A
MESSENGER OF SATAN”
By
C.W. Wood
June 2008
In
this sermon, we intend to show how our Sovereign God has totally conquered the
rebellious angel named Lucifer!
Our
God took from Lucifer, his free-moral-agency when he was put out of Heaven. When
nations war against each other, the victor takes over the government of the
defeated nation. And so, is this true in the spiritual realm. When our God had
won the battle with Lucifer, He took away his free-moral-agency and ruled him
from that time on. Satan would then be used to complete God’s own plan on
Earth! Never again would Lucifer be free to force his own will upon Earth! He is
now a tool in God’s Hands for good! Our motive is to remove all fear from the
mind and heart of God’s Bride! Our enemy is defeated and is now being used to
test and prove God’s Elected Ones.
QUOTE:
MASTER PIECE, PAGE 2,
“We’re here in service of the Lord this morning, knowing that we believe
God, that we believe that He’ll make everything just exactly right. Regardless
of what it is and how it works out, we know it’s got to work for good. He
promised that. It’s just got to be that way. Sometimes we can’t understand
that, gets very complicated at times, but yet we know that it’s the truth,
‘cause the Bible says it’s the truth. And the Bible to us is God in letter
form.” (End quote)
Knowing
before hand what Lucifer would do, our Lord created him because he would use him
in his overall plan to overcome evil.
Pro.
16:4, “The
Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of
evil.” God telling us, “Do not fear Satan. I am using him to fulfill My
Plan! I am in charge!
QUOTE:
WHY, PAGE 19,
“See, you were made to be happy and free. You were made to live like children
before your Father, and know that He makes every day, everything work right for
you each day. Yes, sir.” (End quote)
Let’s
read now where God gives orders to Satan, and then we will better understand
that He gives Satan orders concerning us also! This will stop us from giving
Satan credit for what God is doing in our lives, through using him.
In
Judges
9:22-24, “When
Abimelech had reigned three years over
23
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the
men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: (God gives orders to devils.)
24
That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten son of Jerubbal might come, and
their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them, and upon
the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. (Devils follow God’s orders.)
I
Samuel 16:13-14, “Then
Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and
the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up,
and went to Ramah.
14
But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord
troubled him. (God
sent a devil.)
15
And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God
troubleth thee.
I
Kings 22:20-23, “And
he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his
throne, and all the host of Heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his
left.
20
And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at
Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
21
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said I will
persuade him. (A
demon)
22
And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will
be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt
persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. (Devils follow God’s orders.)
23
Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all
these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.”
The
Lord controls all devils, then and now!
QUOTE:
HEBREW BOOK, PAGE 108-109, “Here come the children of
One
of them climbed upon a hill, and said, ‘Oh – oh! Alas! Alas! It’s
Pharaoh’s army!!’
God
said, ‘What you so scared about? Didn’t you believe what I did down there?
What you so worried about? Why do you make Me angry?’
When
they got down there, Moses went out and interceded to God. God just opened up
the
Then
what did He do? Look like, “Well, we had one big trial; bless God, we got over
it. We won’t have no more. We’re on our road to the promised land.’ And He
led them right out into the desert where there’s no water. See? Could you
imagine? God with His – with His sanctified, holy people, led them right out
in this trap, then got them out of that trap and led them right out here where
there is no water; when He could have took them some way, where there was water.
Why, He could just made a river all the way along if He wanted to. He could have
broke every mountain into joy, spurting water fifty feet in the air, if He
wanted to. Sure, He could. But if He done that, it’d been too easy. Oh, my.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
‘Why
did God let this happen, Brother Branham? Why did God…?’ God’s doing that.
Let Him alone, just walk on. That‘s God’s business. ‘The footprints of the
righteous are ordered by the Lord.’ Yes sir! What difference does it make?
‘Lost
all my money, Brother Branham.’ Well, bless God, anyhow!’
‘Oh,
I did this, and this happened, storm blowed in my house.’
Bless
God anyhow. ‘The Lord give, the Lord take it away, blessed be the Name of the
Lord.’ Just keep walking on; it’s all the Glory of God. God knows what
He’s doing.” (End quote)
Now,
let’s go to the Scripture and see how God has chosen to use the enemy in our
lives to prepare our character for the Rapture! He has assigned each of us a
“messenger of Satan” to keep us from being exalted above measure over the
abundance of revelations. We are not more spiritual than Paul, and he needed to
be kept from false pride. Now we are receiving full revelation and we need to be kept humble also! And so, the Lord
is dealing with us as He did with Paul!
II
Cor. 12:1-10, “It
is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and
revelations of the Lord.
2
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot
tell: or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one
caught up to the third Heaven.
3
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell:
God knoweth;)
4
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it
is not lawful for a man to utter.
5
Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine
infirmities.
6
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the
truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he
seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the
revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan
to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. (God
sent the demon.)
8
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9
And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I
strong.”
These
scriptures, of themselves, solve some mysteries about Paul’s throne in the
flesh. We are put here to overcome the Enemy! There was a controversy between
our God and His arch enemy. Lucifer claimed he could win over the angels in
Heaven that did not fall, if he had time. God declared him to be wrong, and we
are put here, by God, to prove Satan wrong. Read the promises to overcomers in
the book of Revelations 2:7, Rev. 2:17, Rev. 2:26, Rev.
3:5, Rev. 3:12, and Rev. 3:21.
For
44 years, I have heard all kinds of teaching from all kinds of ministers about
Paul’s Thorn! And some of the unscriptural teaching caused me to really get
down and study what the Scripture says about it. I have heard it taught that
Paul’s Thorn was weak eyes, and that God never healed him form the blindness
that came on the road to
II
Cor. 12:7, “And
lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,
lest I should be exalted above measure.”
Read
it in your Bible! It was “The messenger of Satan” sent forth to buffet Paul
so he would not be exalted (lifted up in pride).
Simply
stated, the thorn was a demon, sent by God. Now remember, Satan is a defeated
foe…no longer a free-moral-agent! He is a tool in God’s Hands taking orders
from our God. Being used to prepare God’s Bride for Rapture! Satan, being used
to perfect our character, to cause us to be overcomers! This must cause him much
pain, to know that we know it! A great paradox (mystery) that God sends him to
us, then turns around and tells us to resist him and he will flee! This is our
scriptural proof that Satan is a bluff. God said resist him and he will flee,
because he has no power, he can only try and bluff us!
Our
sermon title is “A Messenger of Satan, sent by God” God used a “messenger
of Satan” to perfect the great Apostle Paul (save him from false pride) and
this demon could only do what our God allowed him to do. Paul did not like this
messenger of Satan always around to buffet him. Paul was a spiritual man and he
knew there was a devil following him around! He prayed three times for that
devil to leave him permanently! But, God said, “No, my grace is sufficient for
you, for my strength is made perfect through your weakness.” The devil God
assigned Paul would buffet him all his life. (Read his life story and see.) But
what about the scripture that says, “Resist
the Devil and he shall flee from you.”? It is true, as is all Scripture,
but remember, the Lord Jesus, Himself also had a messenger of Satan to buffet
Him. But Jesus resisted him, and he fled, but only for a season (Luke
Bride
People, we are in God’s
Finally,
Paul was given the revelation that all his troubles were needful in order to
perfect him. After the revelation came, here is what he said.
II
Cor. 12:9-10, “And
he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I
strong.”
In
these scriptures, Paul tells us exactly what his thorn was. It was not any one
single thing! It was infirmities (or sicknesses). Sicknesses keep us humble. The
Scripture says, “Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, but the
Lord delivereth him from the all.”
A sickness
can be to humble us, to correct us, or just to give us compassion for others who
are sick.
Reproaches
– we will be put down by the world and by Church Natural, and at the same time
called on to love them! This is our lot.
Necessities
– Contrary to the modern prosperity teachers, God will lead us through times
of temporary need.
Hebrews
11:36-38, “And
others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and
imprisionment:
37
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the
sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute,
afflicted, tormented;
38
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains,
and in dens and caves of the earth.”
Still
listing Paul’s thorn as described in Scripture….
Persecutions
– It means to be harassed, mocked, molested, annoyed, badgered, or tormented.
Distresses
– To be in despair wondering what to do next.
II
Cor. 1:8-10, “For
we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in
Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we
despaired even of life:
9
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in
ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that
he will yet deliver us;”
We
are studying how the scriptures show that Paul was helped and trained by God
through a messenger of Satan sent and controlled
by God. We are teaching the revelation that all true Christians have been
assigned a messenger of Satan to help train us.
Philip.
Paul
saying, “I am suffering so as to be a better minister, to understand the needs
of the people and have compassion.” The Bride is having to do the same thing,
and so we have been assigned a messenger
of Satan. Our attitude toward God’s dealing with us is all important! To
believe it’s the Devil doing his will with you is to walk in fear and lose
your joy! Fear is doctrine of demons and must be resisted. To resent the way God
is dealing with us is to rebel and the Scripture says, “To rebel is as the sin
of witchcraft.”
We
must obey. II Thess. 5:18, “And
in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you.” When we believe this and testify to it, we will have
fullness of joy, and our joy is our strength. Our joy is our physical health.
Speaking
of our health, let’s speak for a little bit of allergies. We are being taught that we are allergic to all kinds of
things, but this is only true when we believe
it!! House dust, pollen from flowers, trees, birds, cat hair, all kinds of
foods, different kinds of insect bites, dog hair, and yes, even to sunshine! I
want to zero in on one thing for a minute. Wasp stings! I am not criticizing or
condemning, I am preaching the Gospel. It is my duty. There is a fear teaching
going on around our town concerning wasp stings. It is taught that some of us
are allergic to the bite. The world allergic
means to be unable to tolerate certain things – to be incompatible with
certain things. The Devil has a camouflage teaching meant to direct our minds
away from the real reason for our problems, which reason is he, himself! He
hides under the false teaching that we are not able to co-exist with creation,
as God has made it. Before my wife and I were Christians, the Devil taught us,
through medical science, that my oldest daughter was allergic to house dust.
Then he taught that there was no way to escape all of it, so that she was not
able to be healed. We used many medicines. My precious child spent some years
with running sores over her little body. Then we were saved and the Lord showed
us that it was not house dust at all that was causing her problem, but rather a
devil who was hiding under the cover of this false allergic scare! We saw the
truth in God’s precious Holy Word.
Acts
10:38, “How
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; for God was
with him.”
Our
problems come from being oppressed by the Devil, from being lied to by him! God
will let us believe what we want to, but may He lead us to His Word, because as
“It is written” the Truth will set us free. Amen. The correct way to spell
allergy is “DEVIL.” He attempts to hide himself!
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