Las Artimañas del Diablo
Un Sermón sobre la Guerra Espiritual de Efesios 6:10-13
Predicado originalmente 6 de noviembre de 1960
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Escritura
10Por lo demás, hermanos míos, confortaos en el Señor, y en la potencia de su fortaleza.
11Vestíos de toda la armadura de Dios, para que podáis estar firmes contra las asechanzas del diablo.
12Porque no tenemos lucha contra sangre y carne; sino contra principados, contra potestades, contra …
Descripción del Sermón
En tiempos de batalla y grandes guerras, los líderes militares harán todo lo necesario para obtener información sobre la estrategia de sus enemigos. De igual manera, en la guerra espiritual del cristiano, estos deben conocer cómo atacará el enemigo. Afortunadamente, en la palabra de Dios se les ha revelado quién es el enemigo y cómo opera. Por lo tanto, hay gran aliento al considerar las obras del diablo. En este sermón sobre la guerra espiritual basado en Efesios 6:10-13 titulado "Las Artimañas del Diablo", el Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones usa esta Escritura para ayudar al cristiano en su comprensión de los dardos de fuego que provienen de su mano y su ejército maligno. Aunque Satanás no es omnipresente y siempre está subordinado a Dios, sin embargo tiene mucho poder. Sus ataques contra el mundo y específicamente contra el pueblo cristiano son estratégicos. Basándose en la autoridad de la palabra de Dios, el Dr. Lloyd-Jones expone sistemáticamente la estrategia del diablo. Él demuestra cómo el maligno manifiesta su poder sobre la humanidad. Este mensaje práctico es alentador mientras el Dr. Lloyd-Jones enumera algunas de las formas en que los espíritus malignos afectan la mente de la humanidad.
Desglose del Sermón
- El diablo tiene poder sobre la naturaleza y los elementos. Puede causar relámpagos, huracanes, etc. La Biblia no enseña que todos los desastres naturales son del diablo, pero sí que él tiene el poder de causar algunos.
- El diablo ataca la mente del hombre. Ciega a las personas a la verdad de Dios. Causa amargura, odio y animosidad hacia Dios y el Evangelio.
- El diablo insinúa dudas en la mente de las personas. Lo ha hecho desde el principio, tentando a las personas a dudar de Dios y Su Palabra.
- El diablo abruma a las personas con temor para llevarlas a negar a Dios. Asusta a las personas para que no sigan la voluntad de Dios.
- El diablo promueve enseñanzas y doctrinas falsas para desviar a las personas. Intenta restar gloria a Cristo y confundir a las personas sobre la verdad.
- El diablo arroja pensamientos e imaginaciones malvadas a las personas para hacerlas miserables y cautivas. Estos pensamientos no son nuestros sino del diablo.
- El diablo mantiene a las personas cautivas a través de miedos y fobias irracionales. Un mundo sin Cristo es un mundo lleno de temor.
- El diablo causa depresión, desánimo y una sensación de desesperanza. Nos hace enfocarnos en nosotros mismos y nuestros fracasos para hacernos sentir indignos y fracasados.
- El diablo infla a las personas con orgullo, lo que lleva a muchos pecados como los celos, la envidia y la hipersensibilidad. El orgullo ha causado mucho daño en la iglesia.
- El diablo juega con la naturaleza moral del hombre tentándolo con lujurias, pasiones y deseos malvados.
- El diablo tiene el poder de infligir sufrimiento físico, enfermedad y daño corporal. No todo el sufrimiento viene del diablo, pero algunos sí.
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.
El Libro de Efesios
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
El Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) fue un ministro evangélico galés que predicó y enseñó en la tradición Reformada. Su ministerio principal fue en Westminster Chapel, en el centro de Londres, desde 1939-1968, donde impartió exposiciones de varios años sobre libros de la Biblia como Romanos, Efesios y el Evangelio de Juan. Además de la colección del Fideicomiso MLJ de 1,600 de estos sermones en formato de audio, la mayoría de estas grandes series de sermones están disponibles en forma de libro (incluyendo una colección de 14 volúmenes de los sermones de Romanos), así como otras series como "Depresión Espiritual", "Estudios sobre el Sermón del Monte" y "Grandes Doctrinas Bíblicas". Es considerado por muchos líderes evangélicos de hoy como una autoridad en la verdad bíblica y la suficiencia de las Escrituras.