And Paul shook off the poisonous viper
into the fire, and felt no harm.
Acts 28:5
This afternoon I was asked to give a short message to the congregation before the chaplain was to provide us with the main sermon for the day...
into the fire, and felt no harm.
Acts 28:5
This afternoon I was asked to give a short message to the congregation before the chaplain was to provide us with the main sermon for the day...
I spoke for approximately twelve minutes on the theme of shaking off those things that could poison and cause damage to our relationship with the Lord. My main text being Acts 28:16. In this passage, a shipwrecked Paul was helping to gather driftwood from the banks of an island in the Adriatic Sea, where he and 275 sailors, prisoners and prison guards had just been marooned. Their ship had crashed among the rocks and all onboard had nearly drowned. Instead all managed to reach shore, albeit soaking wet on a bone-chilling day.
But in the process of gathering wood to help keep their newly lit fire going, a poisonous viper had been hidden in the pile of wood the apostle picked up, and it suddenly bit him. Paul, however, immediately shook off the serpent into the now burning flames. To the amazement of the island's residents and all who were around him, Paul suffered no ill effects. Everyone witnessed a miracle.
I shared with the men that what I got from this, is that as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to shake off the things that are harmful. Things that could damage our walk with the Lord, which of course is what Satan would love to see happen.
I then added how the deadly serpent in the story is an obvious representative of the Devil. How he'd often strike suddenly and unexpectedly in his efforts to harm the Christian. Many of the men nodded in agreement.
I said that some of the Devil's poisonous darts are fear, doubt, discouragement, depression, addictive drugs, and all kinds of lusts and temptations, to name a handful. This being the case, we must do as Paul did. We have to quickly resist and shake off all his attacks before any of his poisons enter into our spirit man.
I closed by explaining that in order to safeguard ourselves from Satan's bites, we need to stay close to the Lord through a life of daily prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17). We also need to have on the "full armor of God" at all times (Ephesians 6:10-18). And we need to know what the Word of God (the Bible) says, because His word is our guide through life (Psalm 119:105).
This was the gist of it.
D. B.
But in the process of gathering wood to help keep their newly lit fire going, a poisonous viper had been hidden in the pile of wood the apostle picked up, and it suddenly bit him. Paul, however, immediately shook off the serpent into the now burning flames. To the amazement of the island's residents and all who were around him, Paul suffered no ill effects. Everyone witnessed a miracle.
I shared with the men that what I got from this, is that as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to shake off the things that are harmful. Things that could damage our walk with the Lord, which of course is what Satan would love to see happen.
I then added how the deadly serpent in the story is an obvious representative of the Devil. How he'd often strike suddenly and unexpectedly in his efforts to harm the Christian. Many of the men nodded in agreement.
I said that some of the Devil's poisonous darts are fear, doubt, discouragement, depression, addictive drugs, and all kinds of lusts and temptations, to name a handful. This being the case, we must do as Paul did. We have to quickly resist and shake off all his attacks before any of his poisons enter into our spirit man.
I closed by explaining that in order to safeguard ourselves from Satan's bites, we need to stay close to the Lord through a life of daily prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17). We also need to have on the "full armor of God" at all times (Ephesians 6:10-18). And we need to know what the Word of God (the Bible) says, because His word is our guide through life (Psalm 119:105).
This was the gist of it.
D. B.
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