Let’s Make A Deal

INTRODUCTION

In the 1960’s there was a very popular game show on television... entitled “Let’s Make A Deal!”, with Monty Hall the idea for the show involved contestants trying to win what was behind one of three doors. Typically there was a really nice prize (ie. a car; vacation) behind one of the doors and a not-so-nice prize (ie. a goat; a stick of butter) behind the other two. After selecting a door, Monty would then proceed to open one of the doors and the contestant would either jump for joy or walk off the stage with a poker face. This game involved a lot of expectation from both the contestants and the audience. That was a game show, whether or not you win or lose—it was just a game. What about real life?

SATAN OFFERS YOU A DEAL...

In our everyday life Satan loves to play a game with you too, however the stakes are much higher. He will offer you immediate pleasures and rewards. In this game of his, he will offer to you the lusts of the flesh (immorality), the lusts of the eyes (materialism), and the pride of life (self-glorification). He requires virtually no effort or self-discipline on your part, he looks you in the face and tells you, “If it feels good, do it!” and “If it looks good, take it!” and “If it sounds good, go for it!” one of Satan’s tricks is to paint a fantastic picture of what your life could be like if you make a deal with him. He offers you a spiritual scratch off lottery ticket, and urges you to scratch the ticket and see what you get. The Bible refers to this deal as “the passing pleasures of sin” - cf. He 11:25. This is what the devil has to offer all wrapped up in a great big bow.

He offers you sin, sin, and more sin! And make no mistake, sin is truly pleasurable or people would not be so addicted to it. But when Satan makes these offers to you he neglects to tell you that the pleasure you will receive is only temporary, and the addiction derived from the sin is permanent. He exaggerates the pleasures of sin while minimizing the true nature and outcome of sin. He is a master marketing agent; he knows just how to package sin in order to make it look more appealing so our first reaction is to look; to admire; to want; and to take. Satan offers a fake sense of enjoyment and accomplishent—what he offers can be compared to a bad hangover.

Some of you might be able to remember, those days when you used party, party, party, but when the morning came it was “whoa as me” and “I’ll never touch another drink for the rest my life”. Someone else had to tell you that you had a good time last night because you can’t remember what happened last night. The morning after you had a terrible hangover. But when the headache faded away it was back to business as usual. Well what the devil is actually offering (but he won’t tell you) is a permanent headache, a permanent hangover. And so he constantly whispers to those foolish enough to listen, “Let’s make a deal”.

WHERE ARE YOUR THOUGHTS

Let me ask you, what do you think about? Are your thoughts on earth or on heaven? Is your mind on earthly things or on God? Well, what are you seeking? Are you seeking the things of earth or the things of heaven? Where is your heart? Unless you live there, I pray you didn’t leave in San Francisco. Is your heart focused on earth or focused on heaven?

In America today, we can see that there are many people entrapped with the love of money, possessions, and material things. In capitalism money is tied to success of almost everything.

Financial problems ruin personal relationships, marriages, and cause problems bringing up a family. Due to America’s love of money, the Bible doesn’t say money is the root of all evil — rather, it is the love of money that it warns against. The corporate giants are all too aware of this love affair wth money.

This is why now days you can now purchase smart phones, tablets and televisions. This is why you can purchase a vehicle that can park its own self because the devil deals with supply and demand. Sadly, there are many people, smart people, who have centered their entire life around their homes, furnishings, cars, lands, buildings, and last but not least stocks and the stock market.

Their goal is to acquire security and wealth, but what they do not realize and the devil doesn’t want them to know is there is absolutely nothing on this earth that is truly secure and lasting. Everything including our own bodies is aging, decaying, and just wasting away. It is all corruptible and temporal. But the devil still whispers, “Let’s make a deal”.