Satan Series

SERMON BRIEF

Date Written: February 2003

Date Preached: February 2003

Church: BBC (PM) Wednesday

FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS

Series: What the Bible Says About…

Title: Satan

Text: Matthew 4:1-11

Introduction:

Did you know that Satan does NOT want any of us to know about and study his characteristics? He does not want us to know about or study about the tactics he is using in this world today.

Satan would rather be working in the background and keep the world in the dark and believing that he is just a hokey Halloween character who walks around this world in his cape, red horns and tail.

With the world believing that this is an accurate picture of satan means that the world believes he is NOT a real person, but some sort of mythical figure or fiction character that only ‘represents’ the evil influence in the world. But, as believers, we must know and realize that the Bible clearly describes the devil and carefully outlines his strategy for derailing all Christians and their witness.

First of all tonight, I want us to take a look at the origin of the devil. Now when it comes to the Devil most people do not realize that the Devil is a created being… he is NOT a god.

For us to know this and understand this we can go to Scripture in Colossians 1:16 which reads, “…for by Him (Jesus) ALL things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – ALL things have been created by Him and for Him…”

So we know that Satan or the devil is NOT a god but merely a created being like all the angels in heaven. But as for when they were created the Bible gives us no real way to know WHEN that occurred. But the Bible DOES state the God created the angels. Let’s go to John 1:1-3 and read…

“…In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the word Was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him NOTHING came into being that has come into being…”

And when it comes to angelic beings being created we find that the devil, Lucifer, the angel of light, or Satan (those are just a few names) we find that he is the only angel in which the Bible records any information about their creation.

Let’s go to Ezekiel 28 and read a few passages about the devil. In this passage the writer of Ezekiel was speaking of the King of Tyre who was a despicable and terrible ruler. Many believe that Satan himself had possessed this King to try and establish an earthly kingdom.

In v.15 we find Ezekiel writing the words of God in saying, “…you (the devil) were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you…”

Satan was created a perfectly innocent and blameless angel, but then unrighteousness crept in and we know the story of Satan trying to take over heaven and how God kicked him out of heaven along with all his angels.

We can find that the Bible refers to the devil as the “angel of light.’ These facts suggest that Satan at one time was highly regarded in the heavenly realm. He was banished and became a strong force against all of God’s desire!

If we look closer at v.11-19 we can see that these verses are a symbolic representation of the devil. Starting out in the Garden of Eden thru his destruction in the end of time.

Now we know that the devil is a created, angelic being whom God exiled for all eternity out of heaven. But let’s also look at the personality of the devil.

We can see that the devil exercises all the functions of a ‘real’ person. Isaiah describes the devil as having completed his course and having been judged at the end of time.

Isaiah addressed him as “Lucifer, son of the morning. But he also referenced the devil as a fallen creature and that he takes a firm aim at spoiling God’s plans and purposes.

In the garden of Eden we find Satan portrayed as the evil ‘serpent’… now Moses did not write this story this was simply b/c he did not like the devil.

We can see that Moses was merely revealing to his readers and to the world the true nature of this created, angelic being who had been evicted out of heaven for trying to take over. He was evil, sinister, and a liar… that is how he is introduced into human history and that is how he has stayed…

We find his strategy revealed in the garden as he challenges God’s authority and commandments from the very beginning. And we can find in the NT how Paul reveals that strategy to the Corinthian believers. Let’s read 2 Cor 11:3, 13-15.