Narnia And An Angel Of Light Series

OPEN: (Played an ApologetiX CD featuring “The Devil Went Down to The Jordan” while showing the lyrics on the overhead projector)

The devil went down to the Jordan

He was lookin’ for a show to steal

He was in a bind cause Jesus came to find

The people willing to make it real.

And he came upon the Son of Man

Saw He had no vittles and was prayin’ to God

Then the devil jumped upon the chance to temp Him

Said “Boy let me tell ya it’s hot!”

“I guess you didn’t know it but I’m a vittle craver too

And kid I’m scare this desert air might get the best of you

Now you ain’t been eatin’ your vittles boy

But kid your dinner is due

So if you’re really God’s son, then turn these stones

To bread and I’ll butter it for you.

The Lord said “I am hungry, but that would be a sin

“Cause it ain’t by bread man’s gonna be fed

“But by the Word God’s given him.”

John the Baptist washed the Lord and there’s where it all starts

Cause Jesus left the Jordan and the devil hit Him hard

And if He wins we get to walk on heaven’s streets of gold

But if He sins, the devil gets your soul.

The devil took Him up in space and said “Christ start to throw

Yourself off of this temple top as I’m watchin’ from below

Cause I’m sure You know that God will bring

All His angels to assist

And then men would believe that You’re Him

If they saw You did something like this”

When the devil finished, Jesus said

“Well you’re temptin’ God, old son

And it’s written down in that book right there

That thing shouldn’t ever be don:

Shout from the mountain what God’s done

The devil ain’t a match for the rising Son

You can never tempt God, did you not know

Man doesn’t live by bread alone

Devil finally said “Jesus, if You’ll just worship me

Then I’ll give you gold that glitters

All these crowns, and all You see”

Jesus said “Devil, just turn on back

Cause I’m never gonna buy your scam

I love God too much, I’m gonna resist

I’d suggest you’d better scram!”

And we say - Shout from the mountain what God’s done

The devil ain’t a match for the rising Son

You can never tempt God, did you not know

Man doesn’t live by bread alone.

(Parody of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” performed by The Charlie Daniels Band and written by J.T. Crain Jr., W.J. DiGregoria, F.L. Edwards, C.F. Hayward, J.W. Marshal, and C. Daniels)

APPLY: Throughout Scripture we find Satan described as the deceiver:

· We find him disguised as a serpent in the Garden and tempting Eve to sin by his deception

· In 2 Corinthians 11:14 we’re told that “…Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

· Revelation 12:9 describes him as “the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.”

· And Jesus declared: “… the devil… was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

And now, here Mt. 4 (as Jesus begins His ministry) we find Satan attempting the same approach. Three times Satan tempts Jesus, and each temptation is based upon deception aimed at getting Jesus to compromise… to accept a lesser goal than what He had set out to accomplish.

I. When C.S. Lewis sought to personify Satan in his “Tales Of Narnia” he chose to depict the power of evil in the form of a white witch

I got to thinking… why would he symbolize Satan’s power in the shape of a “white witch?”

In the world of the occult there are those who believe there are good witches and bad witches. Guess what color “good witches” are? That’s right – they’re white.

Those who accept the concept that witches can be good, use the color white because it depicts purity and goodness. It symbolizes cleansing power.

Even in Scripture white is a “GOOD” thing. For example: Isaiah 1:18 declares "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow….”

I believe Lewis’ choice of a “White Witch” to represent Satan was deliberate. I believe he was trying to declare that there was no such thing as a “good” witch. Wickedness is wickedness no matter what color you may paint it.

In fact, one of the basic tricks of Satan is to get you to believe that he is “good”. As 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us “…Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

In one part “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, Lewis wrote “it was part of (the witch’s) magic that she could make things look like what they aren’t.” p. 138