This week a friend of mine posted a video on facebook that showed the results of four teens texting while driving. Three of them died and the last one will never be the same again; mentally or physically. Did they know of the dangers of texting while driving? Did they just ignore the danger thinking that they would be safe?
It won’t happen to me…
Have you ever seen a child do this? (child hiding by covering their eyes with their hands) What are they doing? Hiding. Are they REALLY hiding?
What do they say to people who are on a high place and who are afraid of heights? (don’t look down) So … is it really farther down if you look down than if you don’t?
What about kids who put their heads under the covers if they think there is a monster in the room? Would blankets stop a real-life monster?
How about us adults? Will it really change anything if we pretend there is no devil? Will it make things better if we ignore his presence in the world?
George Barna’s research of 1996 and 1997.
1. Many professing Christians believe that people are inherently good, that our primary purpose is to enjoy life and that our most important responsibility is to take care of our family.
2. 81% believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves.
3. 49% believe that the Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil.
4. 72% believe that people are blessed by God so they can enjoy life as much as possible.
5. 34% believe that the Bible is not accurate in all it teaches.
6. 40% believe that all religions teach equally valid truths.
7. 60% say that Satan is not a living being but a symbol of evil.
8. 55% say that if a person is generally good or does enough good things for others they will earn a place in heaven.
9. 44% believe that Jesus committed sins while on earth.
10. 61% believe that the Holy Spirit is not a living entity but a symbol of God’s presence and power.
11. 40% believe that after he was crucified, Jesus did not physically return to life.
12. 34% believe that there are some sins that even God cannot forgive.
The New York Times reported a study about the diminishing belief in the devil among Americans. Two-thirds of Americans do not believe in the devil as a living entity. In a randomly selected survey of over 1,000 Americans, pollsters asked whether they agreed that Satan is “not a living being, but a symbol of evil.” Sixty-two percent agreed with the statement. That means over 188 million Americans believe that Satan has no influence but that Satan is just a symbol of evil. We should know and understand that Satan is real and evil is real and that this is our number 1 enemy as believers in Jesus Christ.
Now, today as we take a look at the evil one (who does not even deserve to be called by a name) it is important to remember that we are only addressing this subject in order to be aware of his desire to destroy our souls in hell. Always, always, always our fervent desire is to point to the great hope that is found in Jesus Christ alone.
He is our desire. He is our salvation. He is our great Redeemer. He is the One who was beaten and crucified for our sins. He is the One who shed His own blood for the new covenant between God and humanity! May God alone be praised! His power is unmatched. His holiness unequalled. He alone is worthy of honor and glory. As it says in 1 Timothy 1:17
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Our great hope here at Crossroads is to know and love Jesus and to love others in self-sacrificial love driven by a holy life devoted to God. But, we DO have an enemy and we need to remember this, so, that is what we will be taking a look at today.
Now, in this next illustration, please don’t think that I am equating a police patrolman with the devil. That is not the intention of this illustration, but, I think you’ll get the point …
Have you ever been going over the speed limit only to see a patrol car along the side of the road and suddenly you realize that you have been caught?
You slam on the brakes so hard that your front bumper almost scrapes the road hoping that the officer did not see the “nose dive of guilt.”
The police officer pulls out behind you but does not turn on his lights.
You have slowed down to the posted speed limit.
He goes faster than you but only until he catches up with you.
He rides along behind you.
You know that he’s running your plates to see if you have any outstanding warrants or tickets or if you ever stuck bubble gum under your desk at school.
You know he’s going to pull you over and give you a ticket but you’re pretending that he’s not really there.
Just like the little child covering his eyes.
Maybe he doesn’t see you! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Maybe you’re pretending the devil isn’t real. Most of the world does.
But what does the Bible say about him?
Before he was the evil one he was an angel in heaven.
The angels were made before the world was even created.
In Job 38:4-7 God asks these questions of Job:
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell Me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
“On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”
(angels in some translations = “sons of God” or “heavenly beings”)
Now, the devil was a created being, actually an angel of great beauty and power before he rebelled against God and was forcibly evicted from heaven. We know from the Scriptures that when he was thrown out of heaven a third of the angels followed him and became what we know as demons.
Jesus Himself witnessed the evil one being thrown out of heaven.
In Luke 10:18 Jesus says,
“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
An account of this great strife in heaven is given in the book of Revelation.
In Revelation 12:7-9 the apostle John rights,
“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he (the dragon) was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
“The great dragon was hurled down - that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
And, sure enough, the devil has been causing problems since that very time. His evil had even infiltrated the ranks of the Jewish religious leaders in the time of the Messiah as Jesus says to them in John 8:44
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He 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.”
Hmmmm… the father of lies ….
Do you remember that little story about the police office catching you speeding? OK. The devil is the father of lies, right? Now the police officer has turned on his lights, he as pulled you over, he walks up beside the car, you roll down you window and he asks that famous question.
“Do you know why I pulled you over?”
Are you going to lie or tell the truth?
This is not something that is limited to traffic stops. The evil one works in churches as well.
The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:1
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
There are all sorts of lies going on in various churches around the world and one of the most prolific lies has always been, “There really is no devil, it’s just a metaphor, something that is regarded as representative or symbolic of the evil in this world.”
Why is that lie so powerful?
Well if there’s no devil, then there’s really nothing to fear.
There is a book, written years ago by C.S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters.
The story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior Demon named Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood who is a Junior Tempter. The uncle is mentoring his nephew on how to best secure the damnation of a British man known only as "the Patient".
In one of his letters to his nephew, Screwtape writes:
“A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all - and more amusing.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
“A moderated religion.” What’s that? A half believing Christian, yes I believe in God but not in the devil? A person who believes only selected portions of the Bible? A person who only behaves like a Christian when he is at church and like the world the rest of the time?
A moderated Christian is the worst place to be.
You think you’re saved but you’re really not.
You’ve professed faith in Christ but never repented of your sins so you are trapped by your own false confessions into looking as if you are “saved” in certain circumstances yet the full force of temptation is unhindered in your life.
As a “moderated Christian” when you’re sinning you can’t enjoy it because you know it’s wrong.
When you go to church you can’t really worship because you know that a huge mass of sin has created a barrier between you and Jesus.
It’s an awful place to be. But, the demons love it. They find it to be greatly amusing all the while your life is a place of torment.
Do you really want a “moderated Christianity?”
Do you really want to be a “moderated Christian” which is really no Christian at all?
But you see, that accomplishes so much for the devil.
In John 10:10 Jesus said about the evil one,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
It sure does make it a lot easier for him to steal, kill and destroy you when you pretend that he doesn’t exist …
But, this evil one, the devil will not even escape the punishment that is due to him.
Revelation 20:10 says,
“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Do remember the question about heights? Does it really make a difference if you look down or not?
Take a look at this photo: (high steel workers eating lunch on a beam)
Now, that just creeps me out! But this is more my height!
(statue of the high steel workers but at ground level)
Now, here’s another look at height. An experience that most of us are more likely to encounter than the experiences of the high steel workers, and, that is the experience of going someplace like the Grand Canyon.
In most of the tourist areas there are fences which are meant to keep people back from the edge, back from injury or death.
Yet, there are always people who just cannot resist the urge to climb over the fence and stand with their back to the cliff
so that someone can snap their photo as they fall to their death with a look of terror on their face.
Now, just what can we know from the Holy Scriptures and this example? There is solid, safe ground. There is a fence for warning and safety, and, we can and will inevitably fall into the pit if we persist in climbing over the fence to see just how close we can get to the edge without falling in.
1) God IS the solid ground on which we can stand
1 Corinthians 3:11 says,
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
2) We know that God has erected a fence of protection for us and that fence is a combination of His Holy Word and the Holy Spirit. Originally God gave us the 10 Commandments and then simplified it even further into the two great commandments in
Matthew 22:37-40
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Why are these verses a fence of protection against sin?
Just try to imagine any action that you might take where you stopped before you did it and asked yourself, “Is this going to injure my relationship with God? Is this going to injure my relationship with others? Is this going to hurt others? Am I putting myself or my wishes ahead of the welfare of others or the pleasing of God?
If you are, then most likely you have crossed over that fence and you may be in danger
Then what happens after you cross over the fence? You go a little closer to the edge. Then you get nervous and come back. You say, “That wasn’t so bad and I didn’t get caught.” So, the next time the temptation comes around you climb over the fence again and go a little closer to the edge. And then the next time a little closer. And then the next time a little closer. And, you still haven’t been caught so you start feeling kinda comfortable over there by the cliff. Now you’re not looking so anxiously to see how close you’re getting. You’re actually starting to enjoy being over there. You’re not so restricted as those fuddy duddy people behind the fence. Then one day, you’re not watching your step and over you go … and the evil one smiles …
“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
How do you avoid that road?
Psalm 1:1-2 says,
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of
mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law
he meditates day and night.”
Are you being deceived by the evil one today? Are you thinking that you’re getting away with that little sin, or, are you in the grip of a sin so close to the edge that you are teetering there, just ready to fall?
God is watching. He won’t force you to come back from the edge of the cliff. The Holy Spirit is speaking to you saying, “You’re too close to the edge. Come back. I will help you. I will for give you. I will make you safe again. Come back.” Do you hear that voice today?
The one who is tempting you is a fool bent on your destruction.
The One who is calling you died so that you might have life and not just life but abundant life in fellowship with Jesus.
Come back today.
Invitation
Benediction:
Romans 15:5-6
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
