1Pe 5:8 NIV “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
A relationship with Christ changes everything. Based on a skit by a drama team.
He offers real peace:
Jhn 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Jhn 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
After the skit I asked…“So what just happened here?” I used the different scenes as the points of the message.
1. Scene 1 opens with the girl and Jesus spending time together. The young girl appears to be very happy with her relationship until he meets a guy who pushed Jesus out of her life.
The reality is that this world is filled with temptation to abandon the most wonderful relationship you could ever have.
Mat 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread."
4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
6 and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"
7 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'"
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me."
10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'"
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
1Cr 10:13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
2. Scene 2 someone walks in and begins to wave money in the girls face. As the person throws the money to the ground the girl falls with the money until she is on her hands & knees. She crawls around, desperately, grabbing for the money as it falls to the ground.
Rich Young Ruler was offered eternal life but couldn’t let go of his stuff.
Jesus said in Lk 12:15-20 Then he said, "Beware!
Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own."
16 Then he told them a story: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.
17 He said to himself, 'What should I do? I don't have room for all my crops.'
18 Then he said, 'I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones.
Then I'll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.
19 And I'll sit back and say to myself, "My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!"'
20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this very night.
Then who will get everything you worked for?'
Scene 3 Swimsuit Model: Girl is prancing around, looking at herself in a mirror. We often feel that everything must be perfect in our lives or people won’t like us. They’ll judge us etc.
We worry so much about what the neighbors will think…
Mat 23:23-28 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!
25 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!
26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.
27 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity.
28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Scene 4: Calling it Quits: In this scene the girl has reached the end of rope and can’t take life anymore. She is followed, closely by the devil who is trying to get her to cut her wrist. When that seemed to fail, he then handed her a gun…
She sits down on her knees with the gun to her head, crying uncontrollably. She drops the guns and looks at it, she looks up and then puts the gun back to her head.
1Pe 5:8,9 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
When the enemy controls the way you think you end up on the losing end. Stand strong and don’t give in. The enemy will try to keep you from believing and will do everything possible to keep help from arriving.
Here Jesus is trying to get to the girl but all the demons have surrounded Him and are pushing Him away.
Dan 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
18 But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.
Help arrived for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and help will arrive for you if you just hold on.
The end of the skit the girl looked around and saw Jesus fighting to get to her and she reaches out for Him. At that moment Jesus throws the demons to the four corners of the stage and runs to the girl. He removes the gun from her hand and the fear from her heart. They walk off stage with the girl in the arms of the only one who could bring hope to her life.
Maybe you are here today and you have made it to the bottom. You feel hopeless and alone. Please hear me today. There is hope, there is peace, salvation is real and Jesus is here, reaching out for you, calling for you to come. Just like He walked through that fire with those three Hebrew children, He will
