RESIST THE DEVIL
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
Satan
is a Liar! Jesus said so and I believe it! There is no greater
Witness in this universe than our Lord Jesus Christ. Our precious Saviour
stated: “The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill and destroy. I am come
that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”(John 10: 10)
The
Holy Bible gives us the remedy in dealing with the Evil One: “Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will Flee (in
terror) from you. Draw nigh to God,
and He will draw nigh unto you...” (James 4: 7,8)
God's
Word declares: “Be sobre, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist in
the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your
brethren that are on the world.” (1Peter 5: 7,8)
Jesus
said: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye
will do. He was a Murderer from the beginning, and abode
not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie,
he speaketh of his own: for he is a Liar, and the father of it.”
(John 8: 44)
St.
Peter declared: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of
the Devil for God was with Him.
“And
we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews, and
in Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God RAISED
UP on the third day, and showed Him openly.” (Acts 10: 38-40)
Jesus chose twelve disciples and gave them
power and authority to heal the sick and cast out devils: “And as ye go
preach, saying, The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick. Cleanse the
lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give.”
(Matt. 10: 7,8)
There
was such a need for the true Gospel to
be preached that Jesus appointed another seventy disciples. He sent them forth
to preach the Word of God and to heal the sick.
“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils
are subject unto us through Thy Name. And He said unto them, I beheld
Satan as lightning fall from Heaven.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the Power of the Enemy: and Nothing shall any means hurt you.” (Luke
10:17-19)
The Great Commission states: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the
Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but
he that believeth not shall be damned. And these Signs shall follow them that
believe; In My name shall they cast out Devils....They shall lay
their hands on the sick and they shall recover.” (Mark 16: 15:18)
Jesus
Christ, True God from Eternity, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit is
Omnipotent because He is all powerful. He is Omniscient, meaning all
wise and all knowing, and Omnipresent because He is everywhere at
once!
Ask yourself: “Why did Jesus come to this earth?” In Hebrew, His name is called Yeshua,
meaning, “the Salvation of God.” Jesus, therefore, is the God who saves, heals
and delivers! It was the LOVE of God that sent Jesus Christ to the CROSS to
atone for our sins and save us from the power of Satan and his evil kingdom!
St. Paul wrote: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath
Delivered us from the power of Darkness, and hath translated us into the
Kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we have Redemption through His
Blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:12-14)
JESUS SPOILED PRINCIPALITIES &
POWERS!
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting
out the handwriting that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it
out of the way, nailing it to His CROSS, and having SPOILED principalities and powers, He
made a show of them OPENLY, triumphing over them in
it.” (Col.
2: 13- 15).
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood He also
Himself likewise took part of the same; that through Death He
might Destroy him that had the power of death even the Devil;
and Deliver them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb. 2: 14,15)
The Bible states, “...For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of
God doth not commit sin, for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God.” (1 John 3: 18,19)
He sees ALL, hears ALL and knows ALL. And He feels ALL, as well. He
knows all about us and still loves us in spite of our rebellious attitudes,
pride, fear, self sufficiency and unbelief.
The Holy Bible says: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that
is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession. For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin.” (Heb. 4: 14,15)
St. Peter stated: “Casting all your cares upon Him for He careth for
you.” (1 Peter 4:7). Jesus Christ is still the compassionate, caring and giving
Saviour as He always has been. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
(Heb.13: 8).
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that through His poverty might be
rich.” (2 Cor. 8: 9)
St.
Paul writes: “Grace be to you and Peace from God the Father, and from the Lord
Jesus Christ, Who GAVE Himself for our sins, that He might
Deliver us from this present Evil world, according to the will of God and our
Father.” (Gal. 2:3,4)
HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US!
He
said: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (age).”
(Matt. 28: 20): “For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee.” (Heb. 13: 5). In the original, Jesus used a double imperative. He
actually said: “I will never, no never leave thee. I will never, no never
forsake thee!”
Always
is a measure of time, while alway is a measure of distance. He
will be with us to the end of life, even until we see Him face to face: “Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as
He is.” (1 John 3: 2)
Our Saviour wept over Jerusalem. He wept at the grave of
Lazarus, when He witnessed the sorrow of Mary and Martha. The Holy Scripture
declares:
“Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto
Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus
saith unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth
in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and
believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto Him, Yea,
Lord: I believe that Thou art the Son of God, which should come into this
world.” (John 11: 23-27)
“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.
And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said, Father I thank Thee that Thou hast
heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always: but because of the people
that stand by, I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me.
“And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a
loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand
and foot with grave clothes: and His face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus
saith unto them, loose him, and let him go.” (John 11: 41-44)
CHRIST IS LORD OVER ALL!
Jesus
Christ has all power in Heaven, in earth and the regions below! Demons obey Him
and angels worship Him, for He is worthy to be praised. It is not
within our grasp as mere mortals, however, to understand the unsearchable
greatness of His Person and awesomeness of His love, mercy, grace and power!
The
Bible says: “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne and the beasts and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honour, and glory and blessing.
“And every creature which is in Heaven, and on
the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing and honour, and glory and power, be unto Him
that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Rev.11-13)
Jesus
rejoiced in Spirit and danced for joy, after praying to His Father.
(Luke 10:21). He would not tolerate the merchandising of His Father's
House and drove them out of the temple.
( Matt.21:12); He looked about in anger at the hard-heart hypocrites.
(Mark 3:5). He knew their thoughts.(Matt.12: 25).
By a miracle, He multiplied the loaves and the fishes on two occasions.
(Matt.14: 15-21; 15: 32-38). He saw the multitudes in their tremendous need
and healed them:
JESUS SAID: 'GET OUT SATAN'!
“And
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every
disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved
with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as
sheep having no shepherd.” (Matt. 9: 35-36)
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
of the devil...Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him ONLY shalt thou serve. Then
the devil leaveth Him, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.” (Matt.
4: 1-11)
Jesus commanded the host of demons to leave the insane man of Gadera.
When the demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter a herd of swine which were
nearby, He simply said: “Go!” (Mark 5: 1-15)
MARTIN
LUTHER said: “By God's grace, I know Satan very well. If Satan can
turn God's Word upside down and pervert the Scriptures, what will he do with my
words or the words of others?”
BILLY
GRAHAM stated: “All of us engaged in Christian work are constantly aware
of the fact that we have to do battle against the supernatural forces and powers. The devil follows me every
day. He tempts me. He is a very real presence to me.
“There is a connection between the devil and the increase in drugs,
pornography, sexual licence, and occult in the U.S. We see people who are
committing all kinds of violence, mass
murders, and we have learned that they have been involved with the occult. The
very word 'witchcraft' stems from the same Greek word as the word 'drugs'.”
POPE PAUL V1 stated: “The smoke of
Satan has entered the temple of God through a fissure in the church. Evil is
not merely a lack of something, but an effective agent – a living, spiritual
being – a terrible reality, mysterious and frightening.”
If anyone should KNOW Satan's lying tactics
it was our Lord, Who had created him as a pure, righteous archangel and saw his
treasonous actions and disastrous fall. Pride, arrogance and pure Evil
had overtaken him, causing the greatest Rebellion in historical record!
CHRIST'S BLOOD CONQUORS SATAN!
The
archangel Michael ejected Lucifer the offending, rebellious archangel, from
Heaven, together with one third of the angelic host, who had followed the
Rebel! (Isaiah 14: 12-17; Ezek. 28: 12-17; Rev. 12: 7-11).
Jesus
Christ cast out thousands of demons from sick, suffering and demon possessed
people during His earthly Ministry. On the 'Cross of Shame', however Jesus
delivered the final death blow to Satan and his Evil kingdom.
The
Bible records: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said,
It is finished and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30).
Jesus spoke in Greek and the word He uttered was tetelestai. That
word is taken from the Greek verb teleo which has three essential
meaning: to finish something and bring something to an end; to fulfill
something; to pay that which is owed.
Jesus had finished His work of Redemption. He had brought to an end
Satan's domination over the human race. He had fulfilled all the Scriptures
about the Jewish Messiah. He had paid for all our sins, past, present and
future, as well as all our sicknesses and pains!
JESUS WAS AGAINST SIN & SICKNESS!
Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Isaiah
foretold His Mission: “Surely He
hath borne our sicknesses (heb. makob), and carried our pains (heb.
nasa): yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He
was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”
(Is. 53: 4,5)
Everywhere
He went, Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons, liberating lost, sick and
suffering souls: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching
in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every
sickness and every disease among the people.
“And His fame went throughout
all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with
divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils and
those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy, and He healed them.”
(Matt.4: 23-24)
“But Jesus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
Kingdom, and healing every disease and disease among the people. But when He
saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they were
scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” (Matt. 9: 35, 36)
GOD'S PLAN TO BLESS HUMANITY!
Jesus
laid out His plan for world evangelism when He ordained TWELVE disciples to help lift the burden of
bringing deliverance and healing to the
masses of sick and suffering
people:
“And when He had called His twelve disciples, He gave them power
against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of
disease... These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying...
“And as you go, preach saying the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the
sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have
received, freely give.” (Matt.10: 1, 7,8)
Later, He added another SEVENTY disciples to His team of evangelists and
sent them out with the same directions as the twelve: “And into whatsoever city
ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And
heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The Kingdom of God
is come nigh unto you.” (Luke 10:1, 8,9)
The
Bible says: And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the
devils are subject unto us through Thy name. And He said unto them, I
beheld Satan as lightening fall from Heaven. Behold, I give unto you
power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:
and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10: 17).
WHY DID JESUS HEAL THE SICK?
Everywhere
our Saviour went, He preached the Kingdom of God and HEALED the sick and
cast out EVIL SPIRITS from those who were bound. He commissioned His
apostles and disciples to do the same. Why did Jesus of Nazareth have
such a vengeance against sickness and disease? For the same reason He
cast out devils wherever they manifested!
Look at this Scripture: “And He said unto
them, let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also: for therefore
came I forth. And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee,
and cast out devils.” (Mark 1: 3, 29).
Any thinking person reading the New
Testament would very quickly understand that Jesus was greatly involved in
driving out unclean spirits from those who were bound. In nearly
every Scripture text where He healed the sick and diseased, He also cast out
devils.
I have come
to the conclusion that JESUS loved the sufferers and was very much against the
diseases and sicknesses and evil spirits
that had afflicted them! The Bible states: “...For this PURPOSE the Son
of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1
John 3: 8)
MAN
CREATED WITH A SOUND BODY!
As God the
Son, He was involved in the creation of man and knew why sickness had come upon
the human race. There was no sickness or disease in the Garden of Eden.
There was no pain, fear, or death! And God would walk and talk with our First
Parents!
Adam and Eve
lived in a Paradise, without sin, sickness, disease or death. After their
disobedience and tragic fall, everything changed. God drove them out of the
Garden and sin, sickness and death have reigned ever since!
There will be no sickness or disease on earth
during the Millennial Reign of Christ or in Heaven. Jesus saw sin, sickness and
disease as enemies of the human race, which were caused by the fall. These
things were abhorrent to Him, so He attacked them by bringing HEALING
to the sick and suffering, and by casting out the evil spirits who had invaded
the human race.
JESUS was
showing us what life will be like in His Kingdom. By commissioning His
apostles, disciples and followers to carry on His work, He was laying out
specific guidelines for His Ministers to continue in His absence. Later, He
sent the Holy Spirit to lead His Church. He hated sin and sickness because they
are the work and result of Satan's treacherous lies and the fall of man.
The Bible
says: “When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were
possessed with devils and He cast out the spirits with His Word, and healed all
that were sick. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Easias the prophet, saying, Himself took our sicknesses and bare our
sicknesses.” (Matt.8: 16,17)
Oral Roberts wrote: “Healing is a part of the
Christian's inheritance. This is a precious truth. If Jesus took our sicknesses,
then we need not bear them any longer. Sickness is a part of the curse. (Gal.3:
13).
“He suffered
in your stead so that you would not have to carry your sicknesses. Every
conceivable form of sickness was borne by Jesus in order that all may be
healed. It was His joy to heal the sick and afflicted. It is still His joy to
do so.” (Matt. 8: 16, 17)
“Healing
is a presentation of the Kingdom of Heaven. When the healing of a
person starts, the Kingdom of Heaven is nigh. God has come on the scene. He is
present. Sickness is torment: It is the devil's oppression. It is
a frontal attack of Satan against the Kingdom of Heaven. Really, Satan isn't
striking against you or me. He is striking against God. But Christ, in His
power, comes to deliver us. Healing is God's counter attack against Satan.”
My Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, You
healed all who came to You when you walked among men, hear my humble cry for
Your mercy and grace in healing all today, because You are the same now as
then! Time has not diminished Your ability to work miracles, for your Word
states that You are the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb.13: 8).
Since You are Eternal and not limited by Time or Space, You are able
to do Your miracles at a moment's notice anywhere across the world, dear
Saviour and Lord. Please hear my heart's
cry regarding the Divine miracles that are needed for all who suffer terribly
from the onslaughts of Satan, that wicked enemy of men and God!
Have mercy upon me dear Lord and make your presence known and felt in
the lives of all who are sinful, defeated, discouraged and earful. Breathe upon
them, O' God and HEAL all sickness, disease and infirmity among Your people, O'
Lord. Remember every family member who suffer. Grant a miracle to each of them,
I pray in Your name! Amen.
What
was the motivation of Lucifer's great sin of High Treason against Almighty God?
Why was he not satisfied in being the Covering Cherub, leading the praise and
worship to the Lord God in the Highest?
Without
doubt, it was the sin of PRIDE! It was greed, selfishness and downright
stupidity! It was self-glory, thinking of himself to be greater than he was.
The original Hebrew gives the implication that he not only wanted “to be
like God”, but to dethrone God and be God.
God never created a stupid angel,
so where did this stupidity come from? How could a created being think that he
could unseat God Most High, Creator, Sustainer and Giver of Life? His
unthinkable folly teaches us what sin can do an otherwise intelligent
personality.
What did Lucifer's arrogant, haughty action accomplish? What was
the outcome of his folly? He was cast out of Heaven, stripped of his position
and consigned to an eternal censure as a renegade angel and a despised, hated,
evil, perverted enemy of God and man! He will always be known as a tyrant,
murderer, liar, and filthy monster who
will eventually be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity!
Jesus
called Lucifer, the fallen archangel by three names: Satan, the Opposer,
Adversary, Enemy; The Devil, liar, false accuser, traducer; Beelzebub, god of
flies, filth, corruption!
St. Paul warns: Be not deceived. God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” (Gal.6: 7). May no-one reading these lines follow in his treacherous foot steps which lead only to heartbreak, sorrow and death. A present day example, is the murderous and devilish life-styles of Islamic Terrorists who answer Satan's call to follow him in raping, pillaging, beheading Christians and Jews and dying as suicide
SATAN'S DEMISE:TOTAL DEFEAT!
“Thus saith the Lord God: Thou sealest up the sum, full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the Garden of God:
every precious stone was thy covering...the workmanship of the tabrets and of
thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
“Thou art the anointed cherub that
covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God: thou
hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect
in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in
thee...
“Thou
hast SINNED: therefore will I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will
destroy thee, O Covering Cherub, from the midst of the stones of
fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy Beauty, thou hast
corrupted thy wisdom because of thy Wisdom by reason of thy brightness:
I will cast thee to the ground...” (Ezek.28: 12-17)
The
prophet Ezekiel laid out the case against Lucifer. He had been the
Covering Cherub, the guardian of God's throne and full of wisdom and beauty,
until the day that he sinned. He led a revolt against the Almighty and was
judged and cast out of Heaven.
Some believe that in the distant past, Lucifer had been given
charge of planet earth and planned his assault on
God's throne from there. And when he was cast out of Heaven to the
earth, God made the earth a wilderness. Others believe that Lucifer's wrath was
so great that he destroyed everything.
The Genesis record states: “In the beginning God created the heaven
and earth.” God created the heaven and earth perfect, but something
happened to make the earth a wilderness. “And the earth was without form an
void.” Then, God recreated the
earth.
God
said to Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth.” (Gen.1:28). That speaks of the earth being inhabited at an
earlier time. Only God knows, however, the Gap Theory makes sense.
Here
is what Isaiah recorded: “How art thou Fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning! How are thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the
nations!
“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into
Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
North: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I
will like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the
sides of the pit.
“They
that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee saying, Is this
the man that made the earth to tremble, and did shake kingdoms; That made
the world as a Wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened
not the house of his Prisoners? (Is.14: 12-17)
On
the Isle of Patmos, St. John was given this amazing revelation: “And
there was WAR in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought against his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their
place found again in Heaven.
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old
Serpent called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was
cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
“And
I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven: Now is come salvation, and strength, and
the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of the
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
And they overcame him (Satan) by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Therefore rejoice, ye Heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitors of
the earth and of the sea!
“For the devil is come down
unto you, having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
(Rev. 12: 7-12)
THE BEST NEWS OF ALL!
“And the seventy returned again with joy saying, Lord, even the devils
are
subject unto us through Thy Name.
And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning Fall from
Heaven. Behold, I give unto you Power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy: and nothing shall
by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10: 17-20)
Jesus
promised: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My Name
shall they cast our devils...they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall
recover.” (Mark 16: 15-20)
“...For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the Devil.” (1 John 3: 8): “For as much then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, He (Jesus) also Himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is the devil.” (Heb.2: 14)
St. John saw it all in a vision given to him by Jesus Christ: “I
saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the Key of the Bottomless Pit and a
great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old Serpent which
is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
“And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and put a seal
on him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Rev.20: 1-3)
“And the Devil that deceived them was cast
into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the Beast (Antichrist)
and the False Prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and
ever.
“And I saw a great White Throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened;
and another book was opened, which is the BOOK of LIFE: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to
their works.
“And death and Hell were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second
death. And whosoever was not found written
in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.” Amen.
EXPOSING SATAN & HIS LIES!
Jesus
called the Devil by three names: Satan which means the adversary,
enemy, opposer; the Devil meaning liar, slanderer, deceiver and
false accuser; Beelzebub which means the god of flies!
The Bible says: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his
craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ. “And no wonder! For Satan himself
transforms himself into an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11: 3, 14)
HE
IS THE TEMPTER:
St. Paul wrote: “For this cause, when
I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means, the TEMPTER
have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.” (1 Th.3: 5)
Immediately after Jesus of Nazareth was
baptized in the River Jordan and the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove fell
upon Him, He was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Here is
the Holy Record of that temptation and Christ's total victory over the Tempter:
“Then
was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards an
hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, if Thou be the Son of God,
command that these stones be made bread.
“But He answered and said, It is written, Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word the cometh out of the mouth of
God.
“Then
the devil taketh Him up into the Holy City, and setteth Him on the pinnicle of
temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for
it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their
hands they shall bear Thee up, lest Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.
“Jesus
saith unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
“Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and
showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them: And saith
unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship
me.
SATAN'S THREE TEMPTATIONS!
These are the three temptations
that the devil uses: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride
of life! Satan tempted Jesus with the lust of the flesh, the pride of life and
the lust of the eyes!
“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou Serve. Then, the devil leaveth Him,
and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.” (Matt.4: 1-11)
The
Bible warns: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If
any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
After fasting for forty days and forty
nights, Jesus was hungry. Immediately,
the Tempter approached Him with his first temptation. Jesus did not give
in to the temptation, but rather counter-attacked by using the Holy Scriptures!
Look at the sly, devious approach the Tempter used, “If Thou be
the Son of God...” What an
insidious, evil, proud and preposterous Liar!
Jesus
stopped him on each occasion with the Word of God, saying: “It is written...” By using
the Word of God to stop Satan, our Lord gave us a powerful weapon to use
against the Tempter when he seeks to destroy us or distort our
testimony.
HE
IS THE SERPENT:
“And
the great dragon was cast out, that old SERPENT called the Devil, and Satan
which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth
and his angels were cast out with him.” (Rev.12: 9)
The
conflict between good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness and between
God and the Devil began when the proud, lying and disobedient archangel Lucifer
SINNED against his Creator, Lord and God.
Leading a revolt against the Almighty, he and his
co-conspirators were cast out of Heaven and became the enemies of God and
mankind!
The
Bible gives us the charge levelled against him and God's judgment against him
and his Sin: “And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done
this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;
upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
“And
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed: it shall bruise (crush) thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
(Rev.3: 14, 15)
Satan had entered the serpent and he used the SNAKE through which he spoke to Eve. God brought judgment upon the serpent, saying that it would crawl on its belly. Scientists confirm that at one time serpents walked; God's curse upon the serpent brought it to pass.
SATAN'S HEAD WOULD BE CRUSHED!
God also spoke to Satan and brought an eternal
curse upon him. He declared the coming of the DELIVERER who would CRUSH Satan's
head. He also declared the Virgin birth of His only begotten Son, His paschal Lamb, Who would die upon the cross of
shame and rise again in power on the third day!
St. Paul stated: “For as much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise
took part of the same; that through Death He might Destroy him
that had the power of death, that is, the Devil. And Deliver
them that were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2: 14, 15)
And
St. John declared: “He that commiteth
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.” (1 John 3: 8, 9).
JESUS
said: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son
of man be lifted up. That whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish but have Eternal Life.
“For
God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish but have Everlasting Life.” (John 3:14-16)
The Good News is that the the Serpent's Head is crushed, the Snake is
dead and has no power over believers in Christ. God's Word has been fulfilled
and we are Free! (John 10: 10)
“Be sober, be vigilant: because
your Adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour: whom RESIST in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (2 Peter 5; 8,9)
“And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
“And I heard
a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the
Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
“And
they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens,
and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth
that he hath but a short time.” (Rev.12: 7-12)
The word Satan means, 'the
enemy, the opposer, accuser, adversary! In His parable of the tares in the field,
Jesus said: “...He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man. The field is
the world. The good seed are the children of the Kingdom; but tares are the
children of the Wicked One. The enemy that sowed then is the Devil; the
harvest is the end of the world. And the reapers are the angels.” (Matt. 13:
37-40)
HE IS BELIAL:
“Be
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with
darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part
hath he that believeth with an infidel?
“And
what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the
Living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I
will be their God, and they shall be My people.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing and I
will receive you. And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor.6: 15)
St.
Paul used the Hebrew word, Beliel,
meaning worthless or wicked. Satan, therefore and his kingdom is both worthless
and wicked. Why would anyone desire to be apart of a kingdom that is both
wicked, evil, devilish and worthless? No-one in their right mind want to follow
Satan lying, evil loser!
HE
IS THE ACCUSER:
“And
there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought and his angels. And prevailed not; neither was their place
found any more in Heaven.
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was
cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God , and the power of His Christ: for
the Accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Rev.
12: 7-10)
LIE NO. 1: GOD DOESN'T REALLY CARE
If God didn't care about the human race He
would not have created Adam and Eve, with the ability to recreate. He would not have a created the
Garden of Eden as their home. He would
not have killed a lamb (a picture of Jesus the Lamb of God), the blood to cover
their sin and the skin to cover their nakedness.
If our Heavenly Father doesn't care, why would He sacrifice His
only begotten Son to redeem us and reclaim us for Himself? And why would He
send the Blessed Holy Spirit upon His church to fill us, protect us and lead us
into all truth? And why would He give us His power to cast out devils, heal the
sick and bring His great love to the whole world?
The Bible says: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him, for He
careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:6,7)
LIE NO. 2: GOD ISN'T RELEVANT
That is a ridiculous claim, without merit!
God, who made the worlds, the earth,
heavenly bodies and outer space, doesn't know how to relate to the creature
called man? The One who made our puny minds can't relate to us? Satan has
made a play for the minds of men and clouded out the realities of life,
death and eternity so that men's minds are poisoned to think like the devil's
own perverted thinking!
The
Bible says: “Jesus Christ is the same, Yesterday, Today and Forever.” (Heb. 13:
8). He is total knowledge, wisdom, love, purity and power! He is our freedom, peace and life! He is our
everything and He is our ALL.
LIE NO. 3: GOD IS TOO HARSH
God is full of compassion, love and goodness
toward us! Although He is a God of Order
and Righteousness, He is also filled with Mercy, Love and Compassion!
“Bless
the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine
iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.
“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who
crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth
with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord
executeth righteousness and judgment for
all that are oppressed.
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in
mercy. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according
to our iniquities. For as the heaven is
high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.
“As
far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions
from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that
fear Him. For He knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we are dust.” (Ps. 103:
1-14)
LIE NO. 4: THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTES
Jesus
stated: “He that is not with Me are against Me; and he that gathereth
scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, it shall
not be forgiven Him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good
things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But
I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an
account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matt.12: 30-32, 35, 36)
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7)
Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the
Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6); “For God so loved
the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
“The
Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that beliveth not the Son
shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him.” (John 3:16,
17, 36)
“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and Preach the Gospel
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but
he that believeth not shall be damned..”(Mark 16:15,16);
“And
... because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but
had pleasure in unrighteousness.”(2 Th.2: 10-12)
“For he saith, I have heard Thee in a time
accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured Thee: behold NOW is the
accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2)
“Come Now, and let us reason together,
saith the: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow Lord;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Is.1:18)
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted
up his hand toward Heaven and sware by Him that liveth forever and ever... that
there should be Time NO LONGER...” (Rev. 10: 5,6)
“And the Spirit and the bride say Come. And
let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take of the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17)
LIE NO. 7: THERE IS NO GOD
“The fool hath said in his heart, there is no
God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth
good.” (Ps. 14:1). This Scripture does not speak of an imbecile, but of someone
who is far from God, believes he is his own God and has a darkened soul filled
with perversity, pride and stupidity!
The Psalmist cries out: “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in
all the earth! Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens. When I consider Thy
heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast
ordained; What is man that Thou art mindful of him?...” (Ps. 8:1, 3, 4)
LIE NO. 8: THERE IS NO HELL
“And it came to pass, that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels into Abraham' bosom: the rich man also died and
was buried; and in Hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
“And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. And send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue for
I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy
lifetime received good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted,
and thou art tormented.
“And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so
that they that would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us
that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that
thou wouldest send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren that he
may testify unto them, lest they come into this place of torment.
“Abraham saith unto him. They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rod=s bfrom the dead.” (Luke 16: 22-31)
LIE NO. 9: WHEN YOU DIE THAT IS THE END
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (Rev.20: 12)
LIE NO. 10: I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STAND
“Now
unto Him that is able to KEEP you from
falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of
His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 24, 25)
Satan is a persistent, untiring, tenacious, incessant and putrid liar, deceiver, oppressor and precocious pursuer of mankind. Pursuer as one who stalks and follows to catch, harm, kill. Predacious as in living by prey, a predator. Putrid as in rotten, foul, thoroughly corrupt, disgustingly filthy and depraved. Tenacious as in stubborn, obstinate and sticky and persistent, Incessant as in ceaseless, continual and never stopping his unrelenting, impossible quest for power, glory and worship. Satan is the eternally Doomed Despot!
SHRINKING THE DEVIL!
“And
the scribes which cane done from Jerusalem said, “He hath Beelzeub, and by the
prince of the devils casteth He out devils. And He called them unto Him, and
said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
“And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand but has
an end. No man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods,
except he will first bind the strong man, and the he will spoil his house.” (Mark 3: 22-27)
The
strong man that Jesus referred to is Satan who holds captive those he
has enslaved. Only someone who is stronger would have the ability to bind Satan
and free the captives. Jesus is that One who is stronger and by the Holy
Spirit cast out multitudes of evil spirits during his earthly ministry.
And when Jesus paid the supreme price for our eternal salvation through
His vicarious death on the cross, Satan was DEFEATED and stripped of his power over
the Human race.
Since that glorious day, every individual who calls upon the name of the
Lord for mercy in the name of Jesus Christ is forgiven and brought into the
Kingdom of God!
The Bible says: “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another and the BLOOD of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our sins (to God), He is faithful and
just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1
John 1: 7, 9).
He has also made provision for
any who have fallen back into sin: “And if any man sin, we have an advocate
within the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: and He is the propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1
John 2: 1,2)
Jesus said: “And ye shall know the truth , and
the truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye
shall be free indeed.” (John 8: 32, 36):
“I am the DOOR: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall
go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill and
destroy. I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.
“I am the GOOD SHEPHERD, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the
Father knoweth Me, even so I know the
Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I
give unto them Eternal Life; and they shall never perish, Neither shall any man
PLUCK them out of My Father's hand.” (John 10:9-15, 27-27)
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His
might. Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalites, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. STAND
therefore, having your loins girt about with TRUTH, and having on the
breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS;
“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of PEACE; Above
all take the shield of FAITH, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of SALVATION, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Praying always with all prayer in the
Spirit, and watching, thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints.” (Eph. 6: 10-18). Amen.
Max Solbrekken
World Mission Box 22440 RPO Garside Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6; Email: [email protected];
comehometojesus.ca; Facebook; Youtube; Blog: MSWM; Donations can be made by
e-Transfer. Make your donation to [email protected]. This
would be an opportune time to give an offering to win lost souls!
Here is touching old
song;"Into a tent where a Gypsy boy lay, dying alone at the close of the
day. The Gospel of Jesus to him it was told. He kept repeating, Tell it again,
Tell it again. Till none can say of the childen of men, no-one has told it to
me before! - Pastor Max & Donna
