The Masquerade

Sermon

Lanier Christian Church

October 28, 2012

David Simpson

"The Masquerade”

2 Corinthians 11:14

“…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

– 2 Cor. 11:14

Paul said it so well, when talking about false teachers in the early church of Corinth:

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”

I will never forget going over to my cousin’s home one Halloween, with my cute little Popeyes costume on and minding my own business walking up to the front door to say “trick or treat” only to have a gorilla jump out of the bushes and “attack” me! Well my brain didn’t exactly filter out at the time that gorillas do not live in Milledgeville, so I was scared out of my wits! It caused enough trauma for me that night that I wasn’t interested in knocking on anyone else’s door! Of course, I soon found out that this was my cousin, Phil, in disguise, masquerading as a frightening gorilla.

From our early Halloween experiences, all of us should know by now that everything is not always what it seems. There are fakes all around us. We must be discerning enough as Christians to be able to tell what is real and what is not. And yet, we are fooled so often. It is difficult at times to tell the real thing from the impostor. That’s why we need God’s guidance, in this case, to prevent us from being drawn in by deceit…to guide us away from the masquerade of Satan’s trickery.

Proverbs 17:24 says: “A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.”

To the Philippians Paul said: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ…” (Phil. 1:9,10)

So, today’s lesson is to beware of the deceit of Satan! Use the discernment God is willing to offer you to guide you away from the masquerade and know that….

1. The devil is a liar. (John 8:44)

Speaking of the devil Jesus said: “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.” – John 8:44

Jesus didn’t beat around the bush. He told the truth about the devil. He is a liar. There is no truth in him whatsoever. So we should know, then, that when he tempts us he is placing a lie before us. And we should not cave in to the temptation.

The word devil is from the Greek “diabolos” meaning: “slanderer.”

Our English word, “diabolical” comes from this Greek word.

Every word, every temptation, every deed of the devil is a lie.

It is interesting to me to note that Jesus is the exact opposite of the devil. He said in John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Jesus is truth. The devil is a lie.

Guide me Lord away from the masquerade of Satan’s deceptive lies and into your strengthening truth.

2. The devil is an enemy. (1 Peter 5:8)

“Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Have you ever seen those National Geographic TV programs where they show the African jungle and all the different animals? Then at some point they focus in on the lion, which is often seen stalking, then attacking, then devouring his prey. He is not called the “king of the jungle” for nothing!

The lion is the natural enemy of most of the animals of the jungle. When it comes to the Christian, the devil is our natural enemy!

He is not a friend. He is not a neighbor. He is not an acquaintance. He is not a helper. He is not a buddy. He is not a bystander. He is not even somebody you just pass by on the street. He is our enemy! We must never forget that!

The word "Satan" is a greek word that means, "adversary or opposer."

His intent is not just to distract, or to mislead, or even to harm…but to destroy!

Jesus called him a “murderer.” The devil is the one who brought about death due to sin. When Satan gets his claws in you, he does not just want to scratch you up and send you a message, but to completely gobble you up and destroy any ounce of faith and belief in you!