(Re-boot of Palm Sunday 2021 – For FVC Sunday AM)
The Devil
1. Text. 1Pet 5:8; 2Cor 2:11
2. Intro. Today is Palm Sunday. We acknowledge that this is the day on the liturgical calendar when most churches throughout all varieties of Christendom preach-teach-celebrate Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of “holy week” which is the Sunday prior to Easter Sunday when the Lord triumphantly rode into Jerusalem on a donkey in fulfillment of prophecy, and was celebrated and had palm branches thrown on the ground before him. Just a few days later, those same people were calling for His crucifixion. Palm Sunday has now been acknowledged.
You ever look at this world, and wonder:
How can people be so wicked and depraved… who taught mankind how to be so evil?
How can people see the miracles and majesty of Christ and walk away?
How can people “taste of the glory of God” and fall away (Heb 6:5-6)?
How can people try to destroy Christianity from within churches and seminaries through sowing seeds of doubt? Who taught them that?
Proverbs 4:16 talks about a type of person so degenerate that “they sleep not, except they have done evil, and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.” There are people who toss and turn all night if they failed to commit evil that day!
You ever look at the Life of Christ, and wonder:
How can people celebrate and worship Christ on Palm Sunday and kill him on Friday?
How can Judas live with Jesus for 3.5 years, experience all of it, and sell out?
How can soldiers witness the bodily resurrection, and take the payoff and keep quiet (Mat 28:11-15)
Friends, the devil probably didn’t make you do it, but he and his vast network of supernatural beings and the fallout of their influence probably gave you the push you needed and wanted.
Satan, AKA the Devil is the origin of evil.
Christians need to drop the superstition and get real about the reality of the Devil and his tactics, and spiritual warfare. Refusing to say his name, as if he were Voldermort, won’t help you. There is power in the name of Jesus; not Satan.
Think of it as “opposition research,” or “counterintelligence.”
Learn what the Bible says about the Devil and you will learn more about your own sin nature. Study how to defeat the Devil and you will learn more about living to the glory of God.
III. The Devil
Original Narcissist – Ezekiel 28:11-15 explains how Satan (lucifer) was beautiful and wonderful and had a special place over the throne of God to reflect his glory. Vs.16-17 go on to explain that lucifer became full of himself and impressed with himself and became corrupted with his own narcissism, and was then cast down.
Luke 10:18 Jesus says he “saw Satan fall from heaven like flash of lightning.”
Like all narcissists since, Satan has lived in a distorted and twisted reality demanding worship of others ever since.
The Devil taught us to be narcissists. Christ calls us to worship God alone.
Original Liar – Genesis 3:1-5 shows how the serpent, the Devil approached Eve and challenged God’s one command and lied to her about the consequences… “has God said?” “you won’t surely die.”
Jesus said that the Devil is the “father of all lies.”
Jesus said “the truth will make us free.” Now think of the damage caused by half-truths, lies, misdirection, head-fakes, distortions, manipulations.
The Devil taught us how to lie. Christ calls us to live in God’s truth.
Original Murderer – Romans 5:12 “wherefore as by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.”
Adam and Eve had a good thing going for a while; an all expenses paid tropical vacation in the garden with no clothes required, with a clean conscience and innocence.
The Devil came and tricked them and tempted them, leading to sin, and the entire world condemned to death under Adam’s headship. The firstborn human (Cain) murdered the second born human (Abel). Adam is responsible, but he and Eve were tricked and tempted. The whole of the human race is murdered and condemned, and treats one another savagely, murdering itself for pleasure and profits, with an entire industry now dedicated to murdering the unborn. God created life and the Devil created death.
The Devil taught us how to murder. Christ calls us to be life givers.
Original Accuser – Study Job chapters 1-2. Job was a righteous man and loved God and his family. The Devil challenged Job’s loyalty before God and got permission to engage in a sadistic chess match involving Job’s family, wealth, health, friends, and reputation. Satan aimed to create trouble for no reason at all, accusing Job’s worship of being conditional.
Accusation and agitation have clear tools of the Devil since the beginning, creating breaches and splinters and wedges. You know people like this… yes you do.
Revelation 12:10 tells about a war in heaven between supernatural beings, and how the good guys rallied against the Devil and his forces who “was the accuser of the brethren, day and night.”
You will deal with bitter false accusers and agitators your whole life. You will also deal with people that never let you live down past sinful choices, even after repentance and forgiveness.
The Devil taught us how to accuse and agitate. Christ calls us to live in peace.
Original Tyrant – You can put together the biblical account of Satan’s fall and how he took 1/3 of supernatural forces with him and have been at war with God ever since. He promised power he cannot deliver and a victory he cannot win, like all tyrants that would come after him.
The Devil taught us tyranny. Christ taught us the glory of God.
Original Tempter – Matthew 4 lays out how the Devil had the audacity to tempt Jesus.. you think you are out of play? The first Adam failed; the second Adam (Jesus) did not and cannot.
He used the things that get us in 1st Jn 2:16.. “the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.”
Out flesh wants all that it cannot and should not have, and this world has become a vast Satanic enterprise to put us in a constant state of temptation and stimulation.
The Devil taught us temptation. Christ call us to yield ourselves and appetites to God.
Let’s practice holiness this holy week.
Original Pervert – Romans 1 hits mankind pretty hard for our fallen worldview culminating with the embrace of sexual depravity. Mankind fell in sin and became perverted quickly. Satan has had a sustained and unrelenting attack against God’s clear plan for marriage, sexuality and identity ever since.
The Devil taught us perversion. Christ calls us to purity.
Original Influencer – Ephesians 2:2 The Devil is the prince of the power of the air and he is super influential on this world at war with God. Let’s get weird.. The Devil has vast influence and controls over a lot of what happens all around us. There is an unseen spiritual world and he is called the “god of this world.” There is a lot of evil influence bearing down on those far from God and those following God.
Original Deceiver – 2nd Cor 11:14 “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
A lot of cults and false religions have been started through supernatural beings appearing to individuals. Additionally, a lot of foolish and immature people are tossed around with every wind of doctrine and driven by feelings. Tickle the ears with things people want to hear, and put a candy coating over something and ignorant people line up. It come in the form of tolerance and wokeness, and political correctness for some. For others it comes in the form of affirmation of pet sins. Others are entirely feelings based.
2Cor 4:4 “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them.”
The Devil taught us deception. Jesus taught us to detect falsehood “trying the spirits, whether they be of God.”
4. Conclusion
The Devil is the originator of all those bad things and a bunch more.
The Devil is also the Original Loser. He loses at the end of all things.
Revelation 20:1-3; 7-10
He has also lost every key battle in this war.
He lost when God forgave Adam and Eve and promised a redeemer.
He lost when God ordained Israel to deliver our redeemer.
He lost at the first advent when Christ was born.
(in his biggest triumph) He lost when Christ died on the cross for the sin of the world.
He lost again on Easter Sunday when death died and Christ walked out of the grave.
He will lose in the second advent as Christ returns and makes everything right.
He will lose for eternity in the Hell created for his torment.
The Devil taught us how to lose. Christ teaches us how, by Faith to live in Victory!
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