Would you condemn Me that you may be justfied? ~Job 40:8

Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. ~1 Samuel 2:3

Those who deal truthfully are His delight. ~Prov 12:22

Those who say “I know Him” but do not do what He commands are LIARS, and the truth is not in them.” ~1 John 1:4

They serve the creature (other men) rather than the Creator. ~Rom 1:25

A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the fool’s back. ~Prov 26:3

I am small and despised, but I do not forget Your precepts.~Psalm 119:141

I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. 1 Samuel 2:1

My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. ~Psalm 7:10

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait on You. ~Psalm 25:21

An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked. ~Prov 19:27

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. ~Prov 12:15

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight. ~Isaiah 5:21

But the Lord is with me as a Mighty Awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. ~Jeremiah 20:11

For You have maintained my right and my cause. ~Psalm 9:4

When the wicked spring up like grass, And when all the workers of iniquity flourish, It is that they may be destroyed forever. ~Psalm 92:7

He who despises the Word will be destroyed. ~Prov 13:13

Blessed is the one who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. ~Psalm 40:4,5

Do good O Lord, to those who are good, And to those who are upright in their hearts. As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, The Lord shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity. ~Psalm 125:4,5

I have walked in Your Truth and no longer sit with idolatrous mortals, nor will I go in (harlot “church” denominations) with the hyprocrites. ~ Psalm 26:3,4

The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall. ~Prov 10:8

The triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment. ~Job 20:5

Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. ~Psalm 11:6

HIS truth is my shield and buckler. ~Psalm 91:4

Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all. ~Prov 28:5

Confidence in an unfaithful person in a time of need is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint. ~Prov 25:19

Those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. ~Prov 24:25

Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by faith. ~Habbakkuk 2:4

The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure. ~Psalm 101:5

They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips. ~Psalm 140:3

They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. ~Psalm 109:2

And when you mock, should no one rebuke you? ~Job 11:3,4

You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, for their deceit is falsehood. ~Psalm 119:118

I see the treacherous and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word. ~Psalm 119:158

You are near in their mouth (“In God We Trust, God Bless You” “Jesus loves you”, etc) but far from their mind. ~Jeremiah 12:2

They delight in lies; They bless (each other) with their mouths but they curse inwardly. ~Psalm 62:9

When the wicked surround the righteous, perverse judgment proceeds. ~Habbakkuk 1:3

Those who forsake God’s law praise the wicked, but such as keep His law contend with them. ~Prov 28:4

Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. ~Psalm 31:18

But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. ~Psalm 63:11

A proud and haughty man—scoffer is his name; he acts with arrogant pride. ~Prov 21:24

You destroy those who speak falsehood. ~Psalm 5:5,8

Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, And prepart them for the day of slaughter. ~Jeremiah 12:3

To execute on them the written word…..this honor have all His saints. ~Psalm 149:9

It is time for You to act, O Lord, for they have regarded Your law as void. ~Psalm 119:126

ii. It’s easy to see how a first reading of this passage gives the picture of the church as an assaulting army, bombarding the gates of Hell, and plundering Hell and conquering it. The problem is that this understanding is completely inconsistent with the rest of the Scriptures. Nowhere do we read of the church assaulting or conquering Hell in this way.

iii. Instead, we should understand what is meant by the phrase “the gates of Hades.” In the ancient world, the city council, judges, and city leadership gathered together at the gates of the city. It was the place where the city life was planned, organized, strategized. It’s in this sense that Jesus speaks of the gates of Hades. He means that no satanic strategy, no plot from Hell will ultimately succeed against the church.

iv. Instead of picturing the army of the church seeking out and attacking some kind of demonic fortress, we are to have the idea that Jesus illustrated in His ministry. Jesus didn’t patrol around, looking for demons to conquer. That would almost be allowing demons to set the agenda for His ministry. Instead, Jesus knew what God the Father wanted Him to do, He set about doing it, and He dealt with satanic opposition when it arose. When satanic opposition raised itself, Jesus stood against it and was not moved.

v. So the idea is that God has given us a call, a mission, a course to fulfill. Satan will do his best to stop it. When he attacks and intimidates, we are to stand. It is plain that this is Paul’s emphasis in Ephesians 6:11 and 6:13. We love an energetic church that advances the Kingdom of God so vigorously that it shakes the councils of hell, but we don’t let principalities and powers set our agenda. We do the Lord’s work and stand against every hint of spiritual opposition.