Music Drives the Devil Away

Luther:

I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Music drives away the Devil and makes people gay; they forget thereby all wrath, unchastity, arrogance, and the like. Next after theology I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor.

—Martin Marty, Martin Luther (New York: Penguin, 2004), 114.

Satan Already Bound by the Strong Man!

Speaking of the implications of Christ's victory in the cross over Satan, Sinclair Ferguson discusses the implications under four headings: theology, doxology, ministry, and missiology. Under the rubric of missiology, among other things, Pastor Ferguson writes this weighty word:

There is a final implication of Christ's victory over Satan. Through the jugdment of Satan and his being cast out, all men are now to be drawn to the Savior—that is, men and women from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. In some definitive sense we can say that since Christ has finished his work, and in the light of his death, resurrection, ascension, and the gift of the Spirit, Satan is already bound and the undeceiving of the nations has begun (Rev. 20:2-3). This is implied in the wording of the Great Commission. All authority in heaven and earth is now Christ's; we are to penetrate "all nations" with the gospel (Matt. 28:18-20). Satan has been overcome. Jesus has asked the Father for the nations as his inheritance in accordance with the promise of Ps. 2:8. He has poured out the Spirit on all flesh to bring it to pass, and now waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.

—Sinclair Ferguson, "Christus Victor et Propitiator," in For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 187.

More Special Helps Against Satan's Devices

In the last post, I gave the first five of "ten special helps and rules against Satan's devices,"  taken from Thomas Brooks' Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices (Banner of Truth, p. 243ff). Now here are the last five (again, the italics are the author's, followed by two or three sentences of my choosing from each point that seem to communicate well each help):

6. The sixth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then keep humble. Humility keeps the soul free from many darts of Satan's casting, and snares of his spreading. . . . The devil hath least power to fasten a temptation on him that is most humble.

7. The seventh help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then keep a strong, close, and constant watch (1 Thess. 5:6; cf. Matt. 26:41; Col. 4:2: 1 Pet. 4:7). That soul that will not watch against temptations, will certainly fall before the power of temptations. . . .The best way to be safe and secure from all Satan's assaults is, with Nehemiah and the Jews, to watch and pray, and pray and watch. . . . Watchfulness includes a waking, a rousing up of the soul. It is a continual, careful observing of our hearts and ways, in all the turnings of our lives, that we still keep close to God and his Word.

8. The eighth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's snares and devices, then keep up your communion with God. Your strength to stand and withstand Satan's fiery darts is from your communion with God. A soul high in communion with God may be tempted, but will not easily be conquered. Such a soul will fight it out to the death.

9. The ninth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then engage not against Satan in your own strength, but be every day drawing new virtue and strength from the Lord Jesus. Ah, souls! when the snare is spread, look up to Jesus Christ, who is lifted up in the gospel, as the brazen serpent was in the wilderness [Jn. 3:14-15], and say to him, Dear Lord! here is a new snare laid to catch my soul, and grace formerly received, without fresh supplies from thy blessed bosom, will not deliver me from this snare. Oh! give me new strength , new power, new influences, new measures of grace, that so I may escape the snares.

10. The tenth help. If you would not be taken in any of Satan's snares, then be much in prayer. Prayer is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to the devil. . . . Prayer is the gate of heaven, a key to let us into paradise. There is nothing that renders plots fruitless like prayer; therefore saith Christ; "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation" (Matt. 26:41). You must watch and pray, and pray and watch, if you would not enter into temptation.

Brooks has a footnote with this tenth help, which says: "It was said of Charles the Great that he spake more with God than with men. Ah! that I could say so of the Christians in our days." And my response: Oh that we could say so of ourselves in these days!

So I end now these two posts on "Special Helps Against Satan's Devices" with this longing and prayer:

O God in heaven, Lord and Lover of the Church's soul, keep us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Waken us to speak more with you than we speak with people. Forgive us for neglecting Jesus' instruction to "watch and pray." We've been so often so easily seduced by Satan's devices. But you've not left us ignorant without instruction. And you've not left us without a great Savior. So pardon our sins, empower our lives, and give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ —all for your great honor and glory. Amen.

Special Helps Against Satan's Devices

In the conclusion of his book Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, Thomas Brooks sets forth "ten special helps and rules against Satan's devices" (Banner of Truth, p. 243ff). In this post I'll give the first five, and in the next the last five (the italics are his, followed by two or threes sentences of my choosing from each point that seem to communicate well each help):

1. The first help. If you would not be taken by any of Satan's devices, then walk by rule. When men throw off the Word, then God throws off them, and then Satan takes them by the hand, and leads them into snares at his pleasure.

2. The second help. As you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, take heed of vexing and grieving of the Holy Spirit of God. Whoever be grieved, be sure the Spirit be not grieved by your enormities, nor by refusing the cordials and comforts that he sets before you, nor by slighting and despising his gracious acting in others. . . . The Spirit of the Lord is your counsellor, your comforter, your upholder, your strengthener.

3. The third help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then labour for more heavenly wisdom. There are many knowing souls, but there are but a few wise souls. . . . It is not the most knowing Christian, but the most wise Christian, that sees, avoids, and escapes Satan's snares.

4. The fourth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then make present resistance against Satan's first motions. It is safe to resist, it is dangerous to dispute. . . . He that will play with Satan's bait, will quickly be taken with Satan's hook. The promise of conquest made over to resisting, not to disputing: "Resist the devil, and he will fly from you" (Jas. 4:7).

5. The fifth help. If you would not be taken with any of Satan's devices, then labour to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is a Spirit of light and power; and what can a soul do without light and power "against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). It is not enough that you have the Spirit, but you must be filled with the Spirit, or else Satan, that evil spirit will be too hard for you. . . . Therefore labor more to have your hearts filled with the Spirit than to have your heads filled with notions, your shops with wares, your chests with silver, or your bags with gold. . . .

As Per Your Promise, Father, Silence All Slander

A Lutheran prayer in the face of false accusations:

As you have promised, give us your goodness in place of our wickedness. Silence all cruel slanderers and accusers, those who magnify our faults, and the devil. Do so now and whenever our conscience is worried. Keep us from all backbiting and from exaggerating the sins of others. Judge us not by the evidence of the devil and by our own depressed consciences. Hear not the cry of our enemies who accuse us day and night before you, just as we would not listen to the slandering and accusing of others. Take from our souls the heavy burden of all our sins, so that with a clear, joyful, and sincere conscience we may endure and do all things, and live and die fully confident of your mercy. Amen. 

—Martin Luther, Luther's Prayers (ed. Herbert F. Brokering; Augsberg: Minneapolis, 1994), 35-36.

Dear Father, Grant Grace for the "Three Tempters"

A Lutheran prayer for the Father's assisting grace against the "three tempters":

We have the three tempters: the flesh, the world, and the devil. Therefore, dear Father, we ask you to give us the grace to expel the lusts of the flesh. Help us to avoid excessive eating, drinking, and sleeping, and to resist laziness.

Grant that by fasting, careful eating, and proper clothing and care for the body we may watch and toil to become useful and fitted for good works. Help us to kill and to crucify with Christ's help all evil inclinations and lusts of the flesh, with all its cravings and temptations, so that no one will concede to its temptations or follow them. 

Help that when we see a beautiful person or creature we may not be led to temptation but to admiration and to praising you through your creation. Grant that when we hear something pleasant and perceive something lovely we may not seek lust in it but rather praise and glory. Amen.

—Martin Luther, Luther's Prayers (ed. Herbert F. Brokering; Augsberg: Minneapolis, 1994), 34.

Supping with the Savior One Day; Sinning with Satan by Monday?

At my local church, we sat done with Jesus yesterday at his table. We partook of his body and blood together, and we renewed fellowship with him and with one another. And I have one question, mainly for myself, before the Lord himself, as I begin this week, but also for all who regularly sit down to sup and cup with the living Lord Jesus:

We just sat down at supper with Jesus yesterday: how then can we dine with the devil today?

Calvinism Everywhere, Part 18

Reviewing the names of David's mighty men, 2 Sam. 23:9ff recounts the victories wrought by the Lord: "And YHWH brought about a great victory that day . . . and YHWH worked a great victory" (2 Sam. 23:10,12).

Now break your brains over these two texts juxtaposed: 2 Sam. 24:1 and 1 Chr. 21:1. Very likely here we have important critical issues (like time of composition) to consider when considering this sort of tension. But theologically (after all, I'm arguing, along with the Bible, that we live in a theocentric universe!) something like the cosmic stage of Job 1:6-12 undoubtedly undergirds the historical unfoldings in 2 Sam. 24:1. Ponder the scene of Satan getting permission from the Lord in Job 1, and ask yourself if the same sort of scenario might not fit 2 Sam. 24:1 and 1 Chr. 21:1. Although, I'll venture an addition: that God himself is said to incite David on account of anger makes this scenario slightly different from that of Job 1. For there Satan initiated; here YHWH initiates.

Oftentimes these texts are spoken of as problem texts. Okay, I know what is often meant, and I'm okay with this after a fashion. However, more and more I have a felt sense that the problem is in me, the problem is in us, not in the text. My head and heart are out of step with the Spirit, and my wisdom, as Job's (Job 38-41), falls far short of the counsels of the everlasting, infinitely wise triune God of Scripture—who has to lisp in infinite condescension to speak intelligibly to us!

So "I lay my hand on my mouth" (Job 40:4). And I tremble at "putting God in the wrong" (Job 40:8). I fear "darkening counsel by words without knowledge" (Job 38:2). I fear hearing the living Lord say: "Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me" (Job 38:3). His judgments, they are upright—they are altogether true and just, good and wise, faithful and everlasting! How "unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Rom. 11:33). "This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true . . ." (2 Sam. 22:31). A joy to declare it—yes!—this "LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation" (2 Sam. 22:47). Amen, and amen.

There's Knowing, and then There's Knowing: Information and Wisdom

"There are many knowing souls, but there are but a few wise souls. . . . It is not the most knowing Christian, but the most wise Christian, that sees, avoids, and escapes Satan's snares" (Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, 244).

Faith Overcomes the World

How does one overcome the power of sin, the seduction of Satan, the worldliness of the world, and the onslaught of hell? Thomas Brooks answers:

It is only faith in Christ that makes a man triumph over sin, Satan, hell, and the world (1 John 5:4). It is only faith in Christ that binds the strong man's hand and foot, that stops the issue of blood, that makes a man strong in resisting, and happy in conquering. Sin always dies most where faith lives most. The most believing soul is the most mortified soul. Ah! sinner, remember this, there is no way on earth effectually to be rid of the guilt, filth, and power of sin, but by believing in a Saviour. It is not in resolving, it is not complaining, it is not mourning, but believing, that will make thee divinely victorious over that body of sin that to this day is too strong for thee, and that will certainly be thy ruin, if it be not ruined by a hand of faith (Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, p. 220).

Resolutions are good, but they often fail. Our resolve often proves powerless, but faith overcomes the world.

Sensuality and Covetousness: Like Hand in Glove

Rob Bell is a false teacher. He has clearly perverted the Gospel of the grace of God. And this did not start, by the way, with his teaching about the absence of a populated hell.

Now given that he is a false teacher, although he is garbed in light, the deeds of darkness are doubtless manifest there (or soon will be). In particular, there is undoubtedly sensuality and covetousness in Rob Bell, which fit false teachers like hand in glove. See 2 Peter and Jude. If such perversion and ungodliness have not yet been uncovered, wait a while. Without repentance those filthy deeds of the flesh will be unmasked, and those who see him as an angel of light will see him that way no more (hopefully).

But the prayer of the Church ought to be that God would grant Bell repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, delivering him from the snare of the devil (2 Tim. 2:24-26). However, let it be said with Paul, if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be anathema (1 Cor. 16:22).

Self-seeking Blinds the Soul

From Thomas Brooks' Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices:

Self-seeking blinds the soul that it cannot see a beauty in Christ, nor an excellency in holiness; it distempers the palate, that a man cannot taste sweetness in the word of God, nor in the ways of God, nor in the society of the people of God. It shuts the hand against all the soul-enriching offers of Christ; it hardens the heart against all the knocks and entreaties of Christ; it makes the soul as an empty vine, and as a barren wilderness: 'Israel is any empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit to himself (Hos. 10:1). There is nothing that speaks a man to be more empty and void of God, Christ, and grace, than self-seeking. The Pharisees were great self-seekers, and great undervaluers of Christ, his word and Spirit. There is not a greater hindrance to all the duties of piety than self-seeking. Oh! this is that that keeps many a soul from looking after God and the precious things of eternity. They cannot wait on God, nor act for God, nor abide in those ways wherein they might meet with God, by reason of self (p. 189).

Incidentally, it is obvious that Brooks lived in primitive times. The masses, at that time, were not enlightened by the modern doctrine of self-esteem. But had Brooks lived in our enlightened times, how might he have put his instruction?

So let's meditate upon Phil. 2:3-11. And be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves (Jas. 1:22).

Satan's Coming Assaults

"In a calm, prepare for the storm" (Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, p. 181).

Resist Him in the Faith

Just a reminder (mainly to self) that we are in a cosmic battle, where everything is at stake—including the soul:

"Be sober! Be vigilant! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking anyone to devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being accomplished by your brothers in the world" (1 Pet. 5:8-9).

Smoke in Satan's Eye

A follow up to the last post is in order due to a deficiency.  One more holy exhortation: after having a holy time of horsing around, don't forget to toast and thank the truine God of redemption with a glass of wine.  Then, and this is very important; without this the instruction would be incomplete: be sure to blow some cigar smoke in Satan's eye.  (Yes, of course this instruction is aimed at heads of households.  And be sure to pass this on to your sons, men.)

Holy Marriage and Holy War

Is it coincidental that domestic relationship instructions in Eph. 5 and 6 precede holy war instructions in Eph. 6?  Or are these instructions of a piece in the seamless Christian life?  Are these part and parcel of the one fight of faith?

It ought not to come as a surpise to the Church that the devil wants to destroy relationships, especially marital.  And it also ought not to be surprising, therefore, that a holy, healthy, and harmonious marriage is an awesome weapon with which to wage holy war against the enemy of our souls. 

So let us don the whole armor of God--including the robust marriage instruction of Eph. 5.  This is one of the sharpest of the Spirit's swords.  And to men, especially, let us take up that sword and slay every dragon that attempts to ruin our marriages.  Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and petition, let us wield the weaponry of a Word-fashioned marriage to throw down what was already thrown down decisively at the cross.

Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood.  Consequently, our weapons ought not to include peashooters--impotent instruments like secular psychology, twelve-step programs, and romance advice from the gurus.  We should be fully prepared and armed to wield the holy Word and a holy marriage. 

One more salutary tactical bit of biblical instruction (pulling out one of the big guns): don't forget to flout the devil frequently with some holy horsing around in that pure and undefiled marriage bed.

Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices

Blessed Steve Belonger!  That holy man of God who counseled my soul many times as a young believer!  And one of his counsels was this: read Thomas Brooks' book Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices.  He called it his favorite book. 

Well, I've taken it up to read it.  And oh how much help I've been getting for me and my house as we seek to serve the Lord and not Satan!

Section III is entitled, "Satan's Devices to Keep Souls From Holy Duties, To Hinder Souls In Holy Services, & To Keep Them Off From Religious Performances."  Here he discusses many of Satan's devices in this regard.  Device 7 is this:  "By casting in a multitude of vain thoughts, whilst the soul is in seeking of God, or in waiting on God."  Brooks goes on, "By this device [Satan] hath cooled some men's spirits in heavenly services, and taken off, at least for a time, many precious souls from religious performances."

Well, what are the remedies for this device of Satan?  Brooks gives seven:

Remedy 1:  "Have your hearts strongly affected with the greatness, holiness, majesty, and glory of that God before whom you stand, and with whom your souls do converse in religious services."

Remedy 2:  "Be peremptory in religious services, notwithstanding all those wandering thoughts the soul is troubled with."

Remedy 3:  "Consider this, that those vain and trifling thoughts that are cast into our souls, when we are
waiting upon God in this or that religious service, if they be not cherished and indulged, but abhorred, resisted, and disclaimed, they are not sins upon our souls, though they may be troubles to our minds; they shall not be put upon our accounts, nor keep mercies and blessings from being enjoyed by us."

Remedy 4:  "Solemnly consider that watching against sinful thoughts, resisting sinful thoughts, carries with it the sweetest and strongest evidence of the truth and power of grace, and of the sincerity of your hearts, and is the readiest and the surest way to be rid of them."

Remedy 5:  "Labour more and more to be filled with the fullness of God, and to be enriched with all spiritual and heavenly things."

Remedy 6:  "Keep up holy and spiritual affections; for such as your affections are, such will be your thoughts."

Remedy 7:  "Avoid a multiplicity of worldy business."

The enlargements upon each remedy are worthy of careful and prolonged meditation.  I bless God for wise counsel from ages past!  For such counsel and wisdom is regrettably rare today, at least in America, not least in much of so-called evangelicalism.  Again and again I find that I get more help from older writers than newer.  We should all heed C. S. Lewis' advice to avoid chronological snobbery in our reading.  Per Lewis, for every two modern books we read, we should read at least one outside of our century.  And the Puritans should be on that reading list fairly regularly.  They were strong where we are weak!