Halloween is often referred to as the devil’s holiday. Some laugh at the idea of this being his holy day, because they do not even believe that he exists. Let us take some time to examine scripture to see that the devil is real.
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Christ told us that the lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” (Matthew 25:41). This passage is interesting, for it makes it clear that men who do not trust Christ have the same eternal destiny as the devil. Further it shows that the devil has angels. In the Greek there is actually a separate word used to distinguish these demons from Satan, though in English the word devil is often used for them as well.
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The Greek word diabolos refers to whom we typically think of as the devil. This is the word to describe the devil who tempted Christ in Matthew 4. Christ then addresses the tempter as Satan, showing us that they are the same. Revelation 12:9 also connects them.
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Peter warns us to be on guard for he is dangerous. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (I Peter 5:8).
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James drives home the reality of the devil as he commands that he must be resisted. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Notice that submission to God along with resistance to the devil, must happen before he will flee.
Peter warns about the devil, James says to resist him, and Paul tells Timothy that there is hope for those who are enslaved by him. “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (II Timothy 2:26).
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The hope for being free from the devil comes from the one who resisted all his temptations. The same one who came to this earth as God in the flesh to die for our sins. In so doing, Jesus Christ destroyed what the devil was trying to accomplish. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil“ (I John 3:8).
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Notice the connection between sin and the devil. When we sin, we are like him rather than like Christ and thus it brings us short of God’s glory. But notice as well that Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. By trusting Christ as Savior, the wages of sin are paid by Him and thus we are forgiven by His grace. Through Christ, the devil’s works are destroyed in many ways. First of all, the devil’s work of keeping us separated from God has been destroyed as we are delivered from the lake of fire and reconciled to God. Further, by trusting Christ, we are now able to say no to sin as we submit to Him. That doesn’t mean that we become sinless, but it does mean that Christ is there to enable us to resist when we couldn’t resist on our own before. Thus the devil’s victory of easily influencing us to sin has been destroyed as well.
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As we look at the reality of the devil, we cannot miss the reality of the Savior who has come to deliver us from him. Trust the Lord Jesus Christ and submit to Him as you resist the devil and have him flee from you.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Glory Not For Us, But For God
Imagine if we were able to give a truth serum to husbands and wives and we asked them why they married each other. I suspect many of them would say, “so the other person could make me happy.” That sounds quite self centered, but what if you were to ask Christians why they trusted Christ? How many of them would say, “so He can make me happy?”
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No doubt, I am happy to know that my sins have been forgiven and that God the Father loved this world so much that He sent His son to die for us. But, it is so easy to start to think that everything that God does is all about us, rather than all about Him.
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Did God make us just so He could please us? Perhaps you have heard a few sermons or motivational speeches that have left you with that impression. Actually, the truth is that God made us for His own glory. Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” That includes us. We were created not so that He could please us, but so that we could please Him.
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No doubt, as we trust Him and serve Him, we receive many blessings, but that is not the reason we are here. Revelation 4:11 actually gives us the meaning of life- the reason we are alive. That reason is to glorify the one who created us. Realizing Christ is the creator God, Hebrews 3:3-4 says, “For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.”
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We live in a society where people know about God, but they are so vain that they act as if their desires are more important than God’s. Roman’s chapter 1 talks about the downward progression of a society that has turned from God. Notice how that progression starts. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Romans 1:21)
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Too many Christians focus on what they are saved from and forget about what they are saved for. So what are we saved for? Often the focus is on heaven and its benefits, but consider I Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” This shows us that we are not saved JUST so that we can enjoy the benefits of heaven, but we are saved so that we can glorify God.
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Some may be tempted to criticize God for being so self centered in wanting all that glory for Himself, especially when He says things like, “For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.” (Isaiah 48:11) Any criticism of God is a misunderstanding of who He is.
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Being self centered is wrong for a sinful human because it takes the focus off of a perfectly holy God, for all have sinned and come short of His glory. But, for a perfect God to reserve glory for Himself is only natural. “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.” (Psalm 115:1)
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No doubt, I am happy to know that my sins have been forgiven and that God the Father loved this world so much that He sent His son to die for us. But, it is so easy to start to think that everything that God does is all about us, rather than all about Him.
-
Did God make us just so He could please us? Perhaps you have heard a few sermons or motivational speeches that have left you with that impression. Actually, the truth is that God made us for His own glory. Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” That includes us. We were created not so that He could please us, but so that we could please Him.
-
No doubt, as we trust Him and serve Him, we receive many blessings, but that is not the reason we are here. Revelation 4:11 actually gives us the meaning of life- the reason we are alive. That reason is to glorify the one who created us. Realizing Christ is the creator God, Hebrews 3:3-4 says, “For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.”
-
We live in a society where people know about God, but they are so vain that they act as if their desires are more important than God’s. Roman’s chapter 1 talks about the downward progression of a society that has turned from God. Notice how that progression starts. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Romans 1:21)
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Too many Christians focus on what they are saved from and forget about what they are saved for. So what are we saved for? Often the focus is on heaven and its benefits, but consider I Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” This shows us that we are not saved JUST so that we can enjoy the benefits of heaven, but we are saved so that we can glorify God.
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Some may be tempted to criticize God for being so self centered in wanting all that glory for Himself, especially when He says things like, “For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.” (Isaiah 48:11) Any criticism of God is a misunderstanding of who He is.
-
Being self centered is wrong for a sinful human because it takes the focus off of a perfectly holy God, for all have sinned and come short of His glory. But, for a perfect God to reserve glory for Himself is only natural. “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.” (Psalm 115:1)
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