2012-09-28
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week I was led to write about what being “a new creation” means. In the course of this subject, the Holy Spirit has an important message for all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that we have no reason to be in the control of the adversary. That is because He has given us the power to battle the devil and his cohorts to victory in His name. That is the same power that the Father used to raise the Son from death to eternal life! [EPH 1: 18-20]. In previous messages I have written about Who our God is. It’s just as important that we know who the devil is-important to knowing his weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
Even before the events of Adam and Eve’s experiences in the Garden of Eden, God had appointed an angel, Lucifer, to be His angel in charge of worship in heaven. That was a high position indeed, and God loved Lucifer very much. Isaiah was given insight into this being called the “king of Babylon” in IS 14: 11-15. “All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down in the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.” While this passage relates well the act that changed things for Lucifer, it didn’t really get across God’s original love for this fallen angel. That was left to the prophet Ezekiel, who refers to him as “king of Tyre.” EZK 28: 12b-19, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
‘You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mounting were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You we blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth, I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.” Whew! What a fall from grace this is, unlike any that ever came before it!
The time Lucifer, now called Satan [which means “Accuser” in Hebrew], we are more familiar with what he did as “the serpent” in the Garden of Eden. It must be understood that placing oneself “higher than the Most High” is an unforgivable sin. So, an angry Satan thinks he will forever get vengeance against God by bringing sin to mankind. And yet anyone reading the Bible carefully knows that in GN 3: 21, before Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, God clothed them in animal skins. What is the significance of this? We find the answers first in GN 3: 15 and then in LEV 17: 11 and HE 9: 22. GN 3: 15, “And I will put enmity between your offspring and hers [Eve’s], he [Adam] will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Crushing one’s head is fatal; striking one’s heel injures but is not fatal. GN 3: 21, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” LEV 17: 11, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” HE 9: 22, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and with out the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Think about it; before an animal skin can be given for a human to wear, the animal had to shed blood. Adam and Eve left the Garden with a promise of eventual forgiveness for mankind! Our God is so much wiser and greater than Satan can ever be! So who is Satan? We see some answers in Christ’s own words in JN 8: 44, “You belong to your father, the devil and you want to carry out your father’s desire. 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.”
The key question is who is vulnerable to Satan? Mature believers in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, know that only those who allow Satan to have sway in their lives are under his control. We have a choice to fend Satan off in much the same way that the Son did during his 40 days in the wilderness [see MT 4: 1-11]. The important matter here is to have faith that Christ has given us the strength to fend off the devil in His name, and we must have the courage to use it. Satan is wily and knows where we are vulnerable. However, he isn’t like our Father-omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. We are urged to believe the truth and to engage in spiritual warfare in Christ’s name, knowing we can be victors.
PRAYER: O Lord, there is important reconnaissance that You want us to know. It’s important to us to realize that You are with us 24/7. Long ago as part of the covenant between You and Moses, You promised to be with Your chosen people. That is how You came to lead them in their wandering in the desert as a cloud in day and a pillar of fire at night [EX 13: 21-22]. Although Your disgust at the idolatry of the Jewish people in Your own temple caused You to depart physically from it, You have never stopped loving them [EZK 8: 6-10; EZK 10: 18-19]. For those of us who have pledged faith in Your Son, You have given us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and be with us always [RO 8: 14-16]. He is the invisible representation of Your eternal presence, and He intervenes in our lives to lead us on that “hard path through the narrow gate” [MT 7: 13-14] that leads to eternal life. You are not only with us all the time, but You know that we will have to face adversity and allow that, so that we will mature in our faith. 1 PET 5: 10-11, “And the God of all grace, Who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered for a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong , firm, and steadfast: To Him be the power forever and ever.” You have showed us the horrific, emotionally painful disappointment to You that Lucifer turned out to be. We know You wanted us to understand Your pain, so that we wouldn’t choose to reject You or think too highly of ourselves as he did. This is yet one more expression of the love You have for us, for You have made it Your mission to call as many of us as would listen to the truth to join You in a covenant relationship and eventually gain eternal life. We offer You praise and thanks forever in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: To give us a bigger, better picture of Satan’s limitations, God wants us to see the good things only He can do in next week’s devotion. In the meanwhile, our Lord allows us to listen in on an important conversation between Himself and Moses in EX 33: 13-14. We must understand that Moses was asking God respectfully to let him know if He, the Lord, would be with him and the people. “’If You are pleased with me, teach me Your ways, so I may know You and continue to find favor with You. Remember that this nation is Your people.’ The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’” Just how important is this to us? It’s crucial to our very well being, our very future! If you are a Gentile believer, remember you have been “in-grafted into the cultured olive tree” [RO 11: 17], so you are included in the people of EX 33: 14. The choice of these words “and I will give you rest” reminds us of our One Triune God-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just take in Christ’s words of offering comfort to those who are downtrodden. MT 11: 28-30, “Come to Me, all you who are heavy-laden; and you will find rest. Take My yoke and put it on you; learn from Me because I am humble and gentle of Spirit; and I will give you rest. For the yoke I give you is easy and the burden is light.” There is no more appropriate way to end today’s devotion than to cite PS 33: 22, “Yes, Lord, let Your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in You alone.” Join me in offering praise and thanks to our Lord, Who created us, brought His Son to earth to suffer and die on the cross for our salvation, Who gave us the faith we have in Him, Who forgives us eternally, and in Whose sight we are deemed innocent and acceptable. Praise and thanks be to Him forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.
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