Prayer Meeting 14/11/2023

Snares And Solutions - Part 1

(Drawn from Puritan Thomas Brooks)

2 Corinthians 2:11

Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Well tonight I want to bring the start of what will be two sessions on a wonderful work and teaching from puritan Thomas Brooks. I have mentioned this work before, way back when we were in the Gospel of John - in John 17 ‘The High Priestly Prayer’.

The teaching Brooks brings is on a subject he calls ‘Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices’. Of course, we did do a series from Brooks earlier, from his work called ‘The Privy Key To Heaven’ (or ‘the private prayers’).

Let me just give you a tiny biography of Brooks again. He lived 1608 – 1680 and studied at Cambridge Emmanuel College. This was Jeremiah Burroughs’ college; they were friends I believe. I know Brooks was one of those who completed Burroughs works on Hosea.

He was one of Charles Spurgeon’s favourites. Spurgeon even wrote a book on Brooks’ quotes, the book is called ‘Smooth Stones Taken From Ancient Brooks’. Its only when I studied for these sermons on Brooks I noticed the meaning of Spurgeon’s book.

Spurgeon wrote this about Brooks:

Had Brooks been a worldly man, his writings would have been most valuable; but since he was an eminent Christian, they are doubly so. He had the eagle eye of faith, as well as the eagle wing of imagination. He saw similes, metaphors, and allegories everywhere; but they were all consecrated to his master’s service.

Brooks’ full work is in a six volume set. I personally love him. He isn’t long winded, and goes very quickly to the point, and does so with great insight into the human condition of apathy, laziness, lack of awareness, and the carnal desires to simply just quit on God.

Yet he brilliantly gives us fantastic, simple instruction in order to stay focussed and bear fruit. No teaching gives you more clarity of these gifts than the one we will be starting tonight: The Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices.

Let me first again, as always, start with a puritan prayer that is relevant to the subject.

Our prayer tonight is taken from Tim Chester’s book ‘Into His Presence’, page 83, and is by Thomas Brooks. It’s called ‘Sin’s True Colours,’ and for me it’s the prayer of the teaching he has done which we will be covering over the next few weeks.

The very language he uses is word for word from some of the points he makes in his work. It’s a fairly lengthy prayer. But the words are so impacting and striking, especially when you have read his teaching. This is the prayer of the very teaching we will be pondering over this week and again in the next meeting. I hope and believe this prayer will become one we will return to again and again, as a reminder of this teaching and lesson.

Lord God, when the devil presents the bait, show us the hook. When the devil presents the golden cup show the poison hidden inside. When the devil presents the sweet pleasure of sin, show us the misery that will follow, When the devil presents the profit of yielding to sin, show us the wrath that comes from committing it. When Satan promises the soul honour and profit, give us eyes to see the shame and loss he delivers. Strengthen our resolve that we keep at the greatest possible distance from sin, and not play with the golden bait held out by Satan. May we tremble at sin, and keep our distance from it. Give us eyes to see that sin is a bitter sweet whose sweetness quickly vanishes, replaced by lasting shame, sorrow, horror and terror. May we fear to lose that divine favour that is better than life, that joy that is unspeakable and full of glory, that peace that passes understanding, those divine influences by which our souls are refreshed, raised and gladdened. Help us to see when Satan paints sin with virtue's colours: when pride is called neatness and cleanliness, when covetousness is called good stewardship,, when drunkenness is called good company, when a lack of self-control is called liberality, and when wild living is called youthful tricks. Help us to see through the deceits of sin, Help us to see sin as one day we will see it: when what once appeared sweet will appear most bitter, what once appeared beautiful will appear most ugly, what once appeared delightful will appear most dreadful. Gracious Father, may we reckon the true price of our sins, that it cost the best blood, the noblest blood, the life-blood, the heart-blood of our Lord Jesus. In temptation, impress these truths on our hearts: that Christ came from your side to sorrow and death; that God should be manifest in the flesh; he who was clothed with splendour, wrapped in rags: he who filled heaven with his glory, cradled in a manger the God of the law, subject to the law; he who is the fullness of all things, hungry and thirsty: the God of strength, weary; the Judge of all flesh, condemned; the God of life, put to death; the fairest of faces, spat upon; hands that hold the sceptre of heaven, nailed to the cross, eyes purer than the sun, put out by death's darkness; each sense aggravated: his feeling with a spear and nails; his smell with the stench of death; his taste with vinegar and gall; his hearing with reproaches; his sight with his mother bemoaning him; his soul, comfortless and forsaken; and all this for those very sins that Satan dresses up in fine colours! Oh, may these considerations stir up our souls against sin, that we might fly from temptation, and use all holy means to subdue and destroy it! May the thoughts of the crucified Christ never leave our minds. May they be our meat, our sweetness and comfort, our honey and our desire, our life, death and resurrection.

-Thomas Brooks

In Brooks’ work he lists 12 devices Satan uses to draw the human soul to sin. Then 8 devices that keep the soul from holy duties. Then 8 devices Satan uses to keep the soul sad and doubting. And lastly, 4 device Satan uses to destroy all sorts and ranks of men ( by this he means men of strong-standing position, men of influence, men in power etc.).

Within each category of each of Satan’s devices Brooks gives remedies to overcome these devices from Satan. The work is 180 pages long; packed with amazing stuff. You need to read it.

The good news is that it is also a Banner of Truth abridged Puritan Paperback ‘Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices’. Of course at 180 pages long we won’t be able to go through it at the depth in which it truly deserves. I heard one reviewer saying: ‘it’s one of the most shocking books on the human soul he has ever read’.

Tonight, and then next time, I’m going to share the twelve devices Satan uses to draw our souls to sin. Tonight I will share six, and next time another six. Each time I share one of the devices, I will share one of Brooks’ remedies that couple that device. Hope you are following.

Out of this amazing 180 page teaching, Brooks draws simply from one verse from one chapter. It’s Paul’s final letter or second letter to the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 2:11

Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

The NASB reads:

So that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

And the ESV:

So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Okay, lets delve in. Crash helmets on, or don’t bother: let your head and heart be smashed by these truths. But even more importantly let’s not be naïve, or apathetic, or passive, or ignorant:

ἀγνοέω- ‘agno-e-o’ - to have no intelligence or knowledge. To sin due to being unknowing.

This is not to say that it’s not our fault: but as Paul writes to the church that it’s up to us to educate ourselves, and not sleep on the job, as it were. As Satan will most certainly take full advantage of any crumb of ignorance you show him.

Okay, the first device of Satan to draw the soul to sin Brooks shares is that Satan:

…will present the bait, and hide the hook.

Don’t you just love the depth of that simplicity? I could write an essay on that one line without looking at another thing. However, let’s see where the genius of a puritan mind takes this.

Brooks writes:

He presents the golden cup, but hides the poison.

Satan always presents the pleasure and not the sting of shame, or guilt, or the misery that follows. Satan always offers on a plate the sweetness. Yet hides the bitterness.

Brooks talks of Eve, and her encounter with the serpent when he tempts her. Eve says she must not eat, yet Satan says “surely you will not die.” but instead become like God.

He hides the shame to follow, the wrath to come, the guilt that will eat away at you. Brooks calls it leading us to a ‘fool’s paradise.’

Brooks remedy for this device:

Keep at the greatest distance from sin and playing with the golden bait.

Brooks uses two men from scripture as opposite examples.

Brooks writes:

Jospeh kept at a distance from sin, and stands. David draws near and plays with the bait and falls.

Brooks gives more remedies but for the sake of time, I’m only going to share one device and one remedy. You can read it for yourself, and really ought to.

The second device Satan uses to draw the soul to sin, Brooks writes is:

By painting sin with virtue’s colours.

Again I could write an essay on that heading. You could add that statement to what we see today and it would sit perfectly. Yet it was written 400 years ago.

Brooks writes:

Satan knows if he presents sin in its own nature and dress, our soul would fly from it. Therefore he presents it unto us not in its own proper colours, but painted and gilded over with the name and show of virtue.

He adds:

He presents it to the soul as neatness and cleanliness.

How true. That we in our minds, when we are tempted and we do not flee from sin, can we find even sound reason as to why it’s actually not sin at all, because we have sold ourselves some virtue and goodness.

Look at what’s tolerated and celebrated today as pure and clean, and acceptable.

You may think its shocking. And it is, but ask yourself, what does your pride sell itself as pure and find a place of acceptance of what’s clearly sinful when the virtue mask is taken away? (I’m a nice person, I’m not doing any harm, I’m not hurting anyone, it’s all with a good heart, I’m only trying to seek what would make things better for me and my life, and my home, and my kids and my marriage, I’m only trying to better myself) – That’s the virtue we are talking of.

When in truth its sin, and a pursuit of sin.

Brooks remedy - some of these are just so insightful. He lists and writes about 4 remedies it was hard for me to pick one. Here is one - I have just choose the one that both impacted me most, and secondly, as your pastor, the one I think fits where I see the greatest blind spot.

Brooks:

The more we paint virtue colours over sin, the more dangerous it will become to your soul.

To put it another way: the more you try and sell yourself something, the more you justify something, the more you try and make it all sound balanced and godly, the more detrimental it will become to your soul.

Okay, the third device Brooks says that Satan uses to draw the soul to sin is:

By extenuating and lessoning of the sin.

Brooks then writes:

Ah saint Satan. It’s only a little pride, a little worldliness, a little uncleanliness, a little drunkenness.

The justification is astounding at times isn’t it? “It’s only” we say internally. It’s so little, as Brooks writes, that Satan tells us “it’s not dangerous to your soul.”

The remedy:

Note that giving away to a lesser sin, makes way for a far greater.

Oh how true, you just have opened the door for temptation to bombard you. David started with a wondering eye and ended up murdering Uriah. Peter’s pride and lack of humility led to totally denying Christ.

Okay, the forth device that Satan uses to draw the soul to sin is:

By presenting the souls of the best men’s sins, and hiding their sorrows and repentance.

Oh again I could just get lost in that text. How easy is it at times to sell ourselves sin, by saying: “well look at so and so, they did it also.”

Look at David, and God blessed him. Look at Jacob, and God used him. Look at Peter and God used him.

Yes - but look at the pain, the despair, the loss, the sorrow, the devastation. Look at Absalom.

Brooks says: in doing so:

 …we hide the sighs, the tears, the groans, the melting and humbling.

I’ve heard people say: ‘well it worked out okay for you by starting a relationship wrong’. Yes, but do you know the tears, the pain, the struggle? Satan in his stealing your soul wants that to be hidden from you, to make it of zero importance.

It’s Satan’s scheme to make your heart shut out from the wisdom of people’s agony and mistakes.

Remedy: Brooks presents four in this. Each one as powerful and wise as the other. Again, I will only share one:

The spirit of the Lord has been as careful of showing you their repentance as he has their sin.

The detail of Peter’s repentance is greater than what he did, as is David’s. God has detailed the repentance to show the error and the cost, and of course His heart, but none the less: he hasn’t hidden the pain, why should we think it won’t cost us?

Clement of Alexandria wrote that Peter:

…so repented that every night he heard the cock crow and it brought him to his knees.

Brooks points out an even greater point and a scary one:

Many can sin with David and Peter, that cannot repent with David or Peter.

Okay, nearly there - the fifth device Satan uses to draw a man’s soul to sin is:

To present God to the soul of one made up of all of mercy.

Oh how true is this? How the world sees God, and to see Him as anything other is to make Him Satan. Anything other than total acceptance, inclusion, approval, is so controlling and tyrannical.

Brooks:

God is more prone to pardon than punish, and therefore will not take advantage against the soul, and why then saint Satan, should we make such a matter of sin?

Why make it such a big deal, why bother trying to live righteous, why put yourself through the pain of trying not to be tempted? - God will forgive you anyway.

Remedies: Brooks on one of six remedies pens:

When God lets the way to hell be smooth, and a pleasant way, that is hell on this side of hell, and a dreadful sign of God’s indignation against man.

Oh what a true and frightening statement, when you can sin so nonchalantly without a fear of God, you are in one truly sorry state.

I think of Romans 1:28

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

A lack of retaining who God is in our hearts one scary thought, oh how the mind would be so thrown into a pit of sin, without that conscience being seared.

Thank goodness for guilt, and conviction, and being chastised. What would you be willing to continue to do without it? How far would you go? Some of you know fine well you would go very far, because when you’re not seeking God, it takes you way, way, too long to repent and turn.

Which leads to my sixth and final device, or should I say Brooks sixth device that Satan uses to draw the soul to sin. He does so Brooks says, by:

Persuading the soul that repentance is an easy work.

Brooks adds:

Suppose you do sin, saint Satan, it is no such difficult thing to return and confess and be sorrowful and be pardoned.

I believe, just like Brooks, that few mindsets make us more slaves to sin than this belief. I will say sorry, I will, when things are back to normal, repent and return to God. I know it’s not right but I just need to give myself some time to let it go. I just need some time to process things.

Or even: look it’s not only me, there are others whom are not ready, I’m considering them as well. Oh really? You think you can just turn back when you want, and are ready on your terms?

Brooks writes:

Repentance is a mighty work, a difficult work, it is a work that is above our power.

How true. How many think it’s on their terms only, in their time, when they are ready, God is waiting, He is not in a hurry, He will be ready to accept you after you have had your fill of sin long enough.

Really? How many a man is still living a life thinking one day I will return, never ever to return. One day I will seek God, one day I will go to church, one day I will devote my life, but at the moment I have other more important things.

Of the six remedies on this device, I particularly loved this one, and I will close with this. And for me I’m saving the best, or worst (depends on how you think), to the last:

That he that now tempts thee to sin, upon the account that repentance were as easy, then we will err long, and work thee to despair, and forever break the neck of thy soul, to the point it turns repentance into the most hardest and difficult work in the world.

Satan’s game plan in making repentance easy, is to make you think you can turn anytime, therefore you can keep sinning, and adding to your sin.

Then when you’re a total slave to it, and you are gripped by it, he shows you how vile your soul is, to the point you couldn’t dare turn to God; your far too ugly and wretched. You simply are now a slave to him.

Amen.