The Thief

THE THIEF

John 10:10

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”

LET US PRAY

Who is this thief?

He is one who desires to be like the Most High.

How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground.

You who weakened the nations!

For you have said in your heart

I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God

I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

On the farthest side of the north;

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,

I will be like the Most High.

I will, occurs here five times. (Repeat the, I will’s)

Two things occasioned Satan’s fall; pride that presumed to supplant God’s rule with his own, and self-will that asserted independence from the Most High.

In our own lives we must beware of selfish ambition that sets itself above God and pride that takes glory from God.

We must understand that they are the hallmarks of Satan’s rebellion through which he became God’s enemy.

He is the tempter

He searches out our areas of weaknesses and uses them to attack us.

Lust of the eyes (our desire to please our physical appetites)

Lust of the flesh (our desire for personal gain)

Pride of life (our desire for power, self rule, self glory)

Genesis account: Gen 3:1-7 (turn with me there in your Bibles)

Genesis 3

Ge 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, ’You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?"

Ge 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

Ge 3:3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ’You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ "

Ge 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.

Ge 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Ge 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Ge 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Matthew account: Matt 4:1-10 (turn with me there)

Matthew 4

Mt 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Mt 4:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

Mt 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

Mt 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, ’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ "

Mt 4:5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

Mt 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ’He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ’In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ "

Mt 4:7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, ’You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ "

Mt 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

Mt 4:9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

Mt 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ’You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ "

Mt 4:11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

He is darkness

His work is done in darkness.

Darkness means anywhere you cannot be seen committing an act of sin

Nighttime

Your innermost thoughts

Behind closed doors

He is a liar and the father of it.

The first recorded words in the Bible from him are lies.

“Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

When you lie you make him your father