Thursday, December 2, 2010 - Satan is a Liar

The lie begins at an early age.  People try to make Satan into a fictitious character.  From birth we are told that "the devil" is this cute little character with horns, wearing a red suit, and carrying a pitch fork.  I remember when I was young a famous comedian, Flip Wilson, had a saying that would cause his audiences to burst into uproarious laughter when he would say, “The Devil made me do it!”  Satan uses the lie that he is harmless to convince people to forget that he is real, which will make them more vulnerable to his deceitful ways.  But we are to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Satan uses his lies to deceive people into rejecting and disobeying God. With his lies Satan appears innocent. “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Because the vast majority of people have believed the many lies of Satan, they will be punished forever in the eternal fires of Hell (Matthew 7:13-14).  Satan already knows at the end of time, he “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Satan also knows “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Satan’s main objective is to cause as many people as possible to be lost with him in Hell.  Satan’s main tool to accomplish this is his lies.

The first lie ever told was by Satan. God told Adam and Eve “of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Later Satan lied to Eve and deceived her by saying, “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). 

Jesus, in addressing the Jews who would later put him to death, says concerning Satan in John 8:44, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."  Those who sought to kill Christ possessed the nature of the devil and his desires (lusts) were theirs.  They were not born with these issues; they acquired them through their own perversions.  They had not yet killed Christ, but it was in their hearts and they awaited the opportunity.  They exhibited in their confrontations with Christ that they were without truth, that they loved falsehood and lies.  The “beginning” to which reference is made as the beginning of sin when Satan tempted Eve and brought death upon the human race.

Rom. 5:12 – “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

Satan murdered the race by bringing death upon it and so is a murderer from the beginning.  In seeking to kill Christ, they were exhibiting the nature and disposition of him as their father.  Central to the devil’s is malice is his intent to destroy.

Also central to his character is deceit.  He pursues his malicious intent by means of the lie.

2 Cor. 11:3, 13-15 - 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; For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.  And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

He continues to operate in the same way today.  The very essence of sin is seeing ourselves as an exception to the rules that apply to everybody else!

Satan’s basic falsehood comes in many different varieties. Consider these examples:

    ·         I can use alcohol, drugs, and tobacco and not be affected.
   ·         I can take morally impure entertainment into my mind and not be polluted.
   ·         I can neglect Bible study and prayer and still remain spiritually strong.
   ·         I can forsake the assembling of the saints and still be pleasing to God.
   ·         I can neglect to maintain a close relationship with my spouse and our love will still survive.
   ·         I can fail to take time to nurture my children and they will still grow up strong spiritually.

    ·         Satan says one church is as good as another and we are all going to Heaven, but just going different ways. Believing this lie will cause many people to be lost. The Lord only established His one church. Jesus says, “On this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). The one and only church Christ established belongs to Him. In Ephesians 4:4-6 we read, “There is one body, and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all”. Even though there are many false gods, there is only one true God; and even though there are many false bodies there is only one true body. What is this one body? In Ephesians 1:22-23 we read concerning Christ that God “gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body”. The one body is the one church Christ established.

    ·         Satan tries to keep people from becoming children of God by saying baptism is not necessary for the forgiveness of sins or to be saved. With this lie Satan says all you have to do to be forgiven of your sins and to be saved is just accept Jesus as your personal Saviour and say the “sinners prayer”. Satan says it is all right to be baptized “after” you are saved. Why does he lie?  Because even Satan knows one is saved at the point of baptism, and not before. If one is not baptized for the forgiveness of sins and to be saved, he still has every sin he has ever committed and is still lost. The Bible says we are to “arise and be baptized and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16). Jesus says, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Who are people going to believe, Satan or Jesus?

    ·         Satan tells people you can’t fall from God’s grace and be lost. This lie of Satan is designed to lure people into complacency so they will be lost. But God’s word says, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). We are also warned in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”. Paul tells Timothy, “some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). The seducing spirits and doctrines of devils are lies of Satan which deceive people. There are many other passages in God’s word warning us against Satan’s lie that you can’t fall from God’s grace and be lost. But again, who are people going to believe, God or Satan?

    ·         He has invaded every facet of our society and has made great inroads to destroying the very country which was founded upon a strong belief in Jehovah God.  Unfortunately, many Christians believe that the answers to our countries woes are electing “conservatives” to the seats in our government.  My friends, the answer for a return of morality in not found in the ways of man but in man humbling themselves to God through obedience to all he commands.  In Col. 3:17 we are told, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

      o   Psalms 33:12 - Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.

      o   Proverbs 14:34 - Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

Satan determined to go to war with God.  He lost.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ took away any grasp Satan thought he had over man.  But individually, we continue to go to battle with Satan every day.  We need to develop the ability to see through the deceptive appearance of all the devil’s lies.

James 1:13-14 - Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

These passages should bring us great comfort in knowing we can overcome the "greatest" liar the world will ever know.