2002-01-01
Good Morning Fellow Believers,
Before I leave the subject of Satan's origin, I am led to share some citations that help to lend illumination on the subject of spiritual warfare. As I have said so often before, all of us who share faith in Christ must deal with spiritual warfare, but we don't have to go into it feeling unequipped, alone, or without vital "combat intelligence." If a soldier is conscripted into the army, he has no choice about being a soldier any more than our country had a choice about being attacked by Osama bin Laden and his El Aqaeda terrorists. However, the attitude he takes into the battle he must fight can have a huge impact on how at peace he is with what he is forced to do and how effective he can be at doing it. PHIL 2: 5-11 addresses this issue for Christians facing spiritual warfare. "The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: He always had the nature of God, but He did not think that by force He should try to become equal with God. Instead of this, of His own free will He gave up all He had, and took the nature of a servant. He became like man and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death-His death on the cross. For this reason God raised Him to the highest place above and gave Him the name that is greater than any other name. And so, in honor of the name of Jesus all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will fall on their knees, and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
As you know, sin is defined as separation from God. I spent some time looking over a lot of citations that I won't take time here to give about Satan's personality and those of his followers. Repeatedly, one of the traits shown most often is that of arrogant boasting, not about God but about oneself. Our parent-apostle, James, has some pretty important pronouncements in JAS 4: 13-17 that warn us against arrogant boasting. "No listen to me, you that say, 'Today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot of money.' You do not even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke which appears for a moment and then disappears. What you should say is this: 'If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.' But now you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong. So then, the person who does not do the good he knows he should do is guilty of sin." Our physical lives really are ephemeral (last only for a short time from God's perspective). Isaiah addressed himself to this issue in IS 64: 6 in the context of his words about human sin, "All of us have been sinful; even our best actions are filthy through and through. Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind." However, when there is an absence of sin and a presence of faith in Christ Who died on the cross for us, our spiritual lives are lived eternally, forever surrounded by the love and joyful proximity with the Father. To live "in Christ," it is perfectly okay to boast about our Lord, but it is never acceptable to boast about ourselves or other people. Humility is like a light that pierces the darkness of any separation from God.
One of the most meaningful metaphors in the Scriptures is the one which Jeremiah uses in JER 18: 6 of the Potter and His clay. "Do I not have the right to do with you people of Israel what the potter did with the clay? You are in My hands just like clay in the potter's hands." Satan's assertions in IS 14: 13-14 that he would climb up to heaven and place his throne above the highest stars (angels), that he would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where gods assemble, and that he would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty-all of these, were arrogant boasts. They were examples of the clay wanting to direct the potter! No only is that unnatural, but it is obscene! I personally feel it is an honor to be the clay in our Potter's hands. That is because our Potter is always righteous and always tries to create something beautiful out of something that is quite ugly in its natural state. Satan and his followers are too stupid to know that truth. They are too self-absorbed and anxious for prestige and attention. They are too evil to know the life-giving warmth and comfort that comes from real faith in the Father and His Son.
When we examine our lives, we have to know that God examines them too. He knows the attitude of our hearts and the condition of our faith. If our faith is real, then we have nothing to hide from him. Just as Adam and Eve could not hide their sin from Him in GN 3, we can not hide ours from Him either. Each of us needs to go before our Father, genuinely confess our sin, and ask for His blessing. He is only too eager to have us do this. He is thrilled to be there for us when we are in pain and suffering. He wants us to seek Him out. His love for those of us who do knows no bounds.
PRAYER: O Lord, once again we come to Your altar, seeking You out to teach us about the attitude we should have in facing spiritual warfare. You teach us through the words of David in PS 11: 4-7 what You want us to know to begin. "The Lord is in His holy temple; He has His throne in heaven. He watches people everywhere and knows what they are doing. He examines the good and the wicked alike; the lawless He hates with all His heart. He sends down flaming coals and burning sulfur on the wicked; He punishes them with scorching winds. The Lord is righteous and loves good deeds; those who do them will live in His presence." We learn more from PS 16: 9-11, "And so I am thankful and glad, and I feel completely secure, because You protect me from the power of death, and the one You love You will not abandon to the world of the dead. You will show me the path that leads to life; You presence fills me with joy and bring me pleasure forever." David demonstrated for us joyful and humble worship, the kind that pleases You greatly in PS 26: 6-7, "Lord, I wash my hands to show that I am innocent and march in worship around Your altar. I sing a hymn of thanksgiving and tell of all Your wonderful deeds." David spoke of confessing his sins day and night and of Your cleansing forgiveness granted him in PS 32. This is a reminder to us that we should approach You the same way, knowing that out of Your righteousness and justice, we too will be forgiven. Our heads are bowed to You, Dearest Abba, and we have confidence in Your compassionate response. You gave us the gift of salvation through Christ's Atonement; we offer You our humble adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, honor, glory, praise, and utmost thanksgiving in response to it. In Christ's name, amen.
There are still more delicious citations that we shouldn't miss, so I am led go on with these in tomorrow's message. Until then, we should all meditate on the enormous gift we have been given of God's presence in our lives and His love. A book I read recently told the story of a new arrival in heaven being given the tour by a welcoming angel. When the new arrival saw a warehouse, he asked the angel about it. His guide fitted a key in the lock of its door and opened it, affording a view of what was inside. It held shelves piled with boxes and boxes of packages wrapped in white with red ribbons. "What is all of this?" the new arrival asked. The angel answered, "These boxes contain all the blessings God is eager to give to people for which they have not yet prayed." This story is a reminder to us that we have a loving Abba Who is eager to shower us with blessings, and all we have to do is to seek Him out in prayer and ask for them. God loves you and so do Peter and I.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn