HATCHING SNAKE EGGS
ISAIAH 59:1 8
Living in the country has so many advantages that I had forgotten about. The scenery, the freshness of the air, the crickets playing their music in the night. And there is also the opportunity for seeing some of God's most beautiful creatures... (do the snake)
But for many the snake is not one of the most popular of God's many creatures. And even in the Word of God it is sometimes given a negative image...such as in the passage I want to read this morning. READ Isaiah 59:1 8
This morning I want to look at v. 5 especially, and the idea of hatching snake eggs and spinning spider webs. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that in the world today there is a serious breakdown of holiness even among God's people.
And this is certainly not a new phenomenon. Isaiah addressed this issue thousands of years ago. He was told to go to them and speak a word to them about their walk with God. Let's look back to 58:1 2
These were people who looked like they were doing all the right things...and yet something was wrong. Their prayers were not getting through...their fasting was in vain.
And they came to the conclusion that all their sacrificing...all their praying...all their seeking after God was not paying off. They felt separated from God...that He was somehow ignoring them or hiding from them. And I guess in some ways that was the case. God was angry.
And there was a good reason for God's anger. His people were going through all the motions..they were faithful to church..they said all the right words..they seemed to be obedient..they looked so religious! And yet God would not come near to them!
Why? What sin caused God to withdraw His presence? It was this sin of hatching snake eggs and weaving spider webs. But just what does that mean? What are the snake eggs and spider webs?
Well, evil thoughts are the serpent's seeds that are planted in our minds...seeds that will become eggs if they are not immediately destroyed. And this is what God always looks at. He doesn't judge by outward appearances...he considers the heart..[actually what we think]
God's people were giving Him lip service...they would "Amen" the cries for holiness and appeared to love the truth...but their minds were filled with serpents eggs, and they were sitting in His presence hatching evil thoughts.
They were weaving spider webs with flimsy excuses so they could indulge in things they knew deep down were wrong. Outside they were doing the right things but their minds were not clean. Their thoughts and imaginations were not brought into captivity.
And I want to stress to you that there is nothing harmless or innocent about evil thoughts. If they are not immediately put down they can poison your very soul.
The problem is that so many Christians let the enemy sow evil thoughts in their minds and then let those thoughts linger..doing nothing about them...not realizing the danger.
2 Cor. 10:4 5 says this, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God...and we take captive every though to make it obedient to Christ."
Evil thoughts become strongholds. Satan plants those thoughts and he is determined to keep them there until they can become full grown serpents. And to coddle and put up with evil thoughts is to hatch a viper, which is not just a snake...but a very poisonous one.
But God says, "Pull it down..cast it out..don't let a single evil thought be allowed to roam around in your mind." Now, what are these evil thoughts that Satan plants in our minds? Obviously there could be hundreds...but I think we can narrow it down to a few basic categories...the first of which are thoughts of injury.
When someone misunderstands you and says hurtful things to you or about you..what happens? We begin to play those things over and over in our minds. And very soon we conceive and hatch eggs of bitterness and resentment. The need for justification fuels this even more.
There are husbands and wives...parents and children who are for all practical purposes enemies. There are Christians who don't speak to each other. There are so many who say, "I can't forgive what was said or done...I just can't get over it."
They have hatched snake eggs, and now the snakes have hatched and are running through their minds spreading bitterness and venom. Do you constantly dwell on this through the day...even stay up at night... brooding and burning...replaying every word or action that took place? Then you are in a very dangerous place...you are living in the midst of poison and death. And God is saying, "Don't kick it around...kill it! Don't fight your accusers...don't react. Forget about your trying to justify yourself...
Let the heel of Christ crush the serpent's head. Suffer the wrong... take it. Swallow the hurt...put away the though of hatred and revenge ...put it clear out of your mind.
But that is not an easy thing to do. Lies...innuendoes...and gossip are all very poisonous to us...IF we allow them to enter our hearts...if we dwell on them...if we feverishly defend ourselves and hope for revenge.
But according to Hebrews 10:30, God says, "Vengeance belongs to me...I will repay..." If you will cast out all those thoughts of vengeance and stay clear of the bitterness that can come...God will balance the books. And not only that...you'll be glad you let Him do it because the peace of God will fill you that otherwise will never come.
Besides thoughts of injury there are also the snake eggs of fear...the kind of fear that brings confusion, anxiety and torment. Now, there are many kinds of fear...but all fearful thoughts are fatal because this develops into the most poisonous of all snake eggs.
And many Christians are sitting on a nest egg of fears. So many wives are hounded with thoughts about losing their husbands, and vise versa with so much divorce and marital difficulties going on...
Parents fear losing their children to drugs and alcohol...or to a promiscuous lifestyle. They see this generation falling apart spiritually and wonder how they can keep their children from all the confusion...
Others fear for their jobs or for the economy..wondering if everything is going to collapse and if it does, how will they pay their bills? Many fear not finding their place in life.."Will my life count?...Will I be useful? What is my future?
For many there is a fear of illness. With every lump they feel, they think, "Cancer!" Others think, "What if I get old and sick with nobody to love or care for me?" And we could go on and on. [Will our church survive?]
But this habit of nurturing fearful thoughts has to stop before it poisons you...renders you helpless and crippled...and literally destroys you. And forget all the formulas on how to win over fear. The Bible has no 4 step program to overcome fear.
But God does tell you what to do when these fearful thoughts invade your mind. This is a matter of spiritual warfare...and it's not a child's game...it is a life and death issue.
In Deuteronomy 20:8 God told Moses not to send the fearful into battle. Why? Because the fearful and fainthearted didn't believe God's Word...they doubted His promises of deliverance. And more times than not, that is where we fail God today.
But we need to ask the question, "Has God ever failed you? Did He bring out those who trusted Him through the wilderness? Did he fail many of you parents who went through the great depression? Hasn't He seen many of you through the most trying and difficult times in your past?
When the odds look hopeless...when you seem overwhelmed with no sign of help or escape...God says, "Fear not...for I am God and am with you to save you!"
The sinfulness of fear is that it accuses God of neglect. It robs us of confidence in His loving care and concern. So we need to bring every fearful thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Finally, there are those thoughts that end in sensual, lustful action. You know, drug addicts will usually testify that they can easily kick their physical habit...but not their mental habit, because their minds keep replaying those old thoughts.
Why is it that so many who get delivered go back to their old habits? Why isn't the grip of sin broken? Because when evil thoughts are later planted by lying spirits...they are not immediately cast down.
You let a single lustful thought stay in the mind for 30 seconds and it will take hold. Soon it becomes an egg, with a snake waiting to be hatched. And that is why God's Word literally screams, "Cast out the wicked thought!"
Don't flirt with it...don't give it an inch. Run to the Lord...run to His Word...cry out for a cleansing of the mind and let the fear of God drive out every evil thought.
You must be persuaded that if the evil though is entertained...if it's conceived and becomes an egg...it will hatch and the mind will be bitten and poisoned.
As soon as any wrong thought comes to mind, we must say, "This can kill me. This will destroy me. This is deadly. I could lose my life and my soul if I flirt with it.
We have to realize that this thought is not mine...it is not natural.. it is not my flesh...it's not just an old desire returning...IT IS SATAN HIMSELF. It is a lying spirit from hell sent to deceive and destroy me.
And the Bible promises, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you!" You must resist him in your mind by resisting the very first thought of evil or wrongdoing.
We have the provisions for eliminating these deadly thoughts..but what are the consequences of hatching these snake eggs? God clearly tells us what happens to those people who allow these wrong thoughts to rule them.
Look at verse 7 (READ)
Remember, Isaiah was speaking to people who had turned from their wickedness...people who rejoiced in their newfound victory and freedom. But when Satan returned and dropped the seed of thought into their minds...they didn't cast it out and the snake came forth.
And once this happens nothing can stop them...no friend..no argument.. not even the Bible...because they are set to do evil and they run to do what they've thought in their mind. They are on a path of waste and destruction...with many innocent people in their way.
(illustration worked at V.A. hospital...woman with throat cancer... still wanted a cigarette.)
„ªSecondly„« people who allow these thoughts to rule them will lose all sense of peace...and their discernment. Look at verse 8 (READ) These people become the most miserable people in the world, because nothing satisfies them.
Why? Because they once knew that peace but now that they are walking contrary to the will of God, the peace that we so desperately desire is something we just can't grasp...no matter how hard we try.
„ªThirdly„« the mind that continues to be ruled by these evil thoughts eventually become blind and full of horrible darkness. READ v. 9 10
The coldest, hardest hearts in all the world belong to those who were once loving, open and happy in their knowledge of the Lord. But now, because of their sin, they don't even want to hear about Him. They become strangers to God.
„ªFourthly„« they develop a Jekyll and Hyde personality. READ v.11a One minute they are ready to tear everyone apart..friend or foe...they are mean, angry, and violent. But the next hour they cry, "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean it...help me, please!"
Today women stay with husbands who beat them because at times they are so kind and gentle. But God will have nothing to do with these up and down moods. These wild mood swings mean that there is a satanic poison at work. The spirit of Christ is always gentle, loving, kind, and longsuffering. It is never violent...never roaring like a bear.
But I want to leave you with some ironclad promises from God... absolute assurances that no evil thought needs to conceive in your mind and become a poisonous snake that will destroy.
Romans 12:2, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." That is exactly what God wants to do this morning. How do we do that? First, we need to admit that we have indeed allowed these thoughts to rule us. If we justify ourselves we'll never be able to be cleansed.
But then we need to renew our minds...and that means to change our way of thinking. So many places in the Bible it tells of the importance of meditating on the Word of God.
I want to challenge you to take the Scripture printed on the back of your bulletin and read it..memorize it...put it where you will constantly see it. And let it become a part of your life. If you do you will find a peace that will truly pass all understanding.
