The Reality of the Devil

The Reality of the Devil

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The word “Satan” means “adversary.” The word “devil” means “accuser” or “slanderer.” This being (most likely an angel that God created and then sinned falling from heaven [2 Peter 2:4, Revelation 12:7-9]) is both the primal enemy of God (and his people) and the one who accuses God (and his people). He tempted Eve in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-4), brought cruel trials upon Job (Job 1:9-12, 2:4-7), and tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:1-10). He is the adversary of God’s people because he seeks to sift them like wheat (Luke 22:31), devour them (1 Peter 5:8), and oppress them (Acts 10:38). He is the enemy of all righteousness (Acts 13:10), the father of lies, and a murderer (John 8:44).Satan bound in chains

The devil is a corruption of something that was once good. He perverts what is good and uses it for purposes that oppose God. When people oppose God, they do the devil’s work and are used by him for his own purposes. (We have mercy upon those who sin because they are being used.)

The devil does not compromise. He demands absolute loyalty. He will not quit until he has conquered as many as he can. God’s people should not compromise with his evil, but use the message of the gospel to convert people to Jesus Christ since the devil’s goal is to get as many as he can to go to hell, a place prepared for him and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Don’t be deceived by his lies as he can appear as an angel of light to trick you (2 Corinthians 11:14).

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Singing a Hymn of Confidence?

Hymn: Is My Name Written There?

There is no way that the author of a hymn has of knowing just how widely it may be used. In every generation, there are songs which briefly appear and just a few years later they are rarely used. There are other songs which have been around for decades, and there must be a reason for this. There was no way for Daniel S. Warner to know in 1893 that the song he published would be around over a century and be translated and sung in both Russia and Germany and become part of over forty hymnals. It is not sung as much today as it once was, but the message it conveys is timeless.hymn name

My name is in the Book of Life,

Oh, bless the name of Jesus;

I rise above all doubt and strife,

And read my title clear.

(Refrain)

I know, I know, My name is there;

I know, I know, My name is written there.

Jesus describes the new birth by which one becomes part of the family of God. The Spirit of God uses the words of God to convict men of sin, righteousness and of the coming judgment (John 16:8) and brings them to a burial in the waters of baptism (John 3:5). The Lord says that if this does not happen, he will never enter the kingdom of heaven. However, when one is baptized, he is added to the kingdom his name is “…registered in heaven (Heb. 12:23). There is a divine book that has within it the names of all who have been born again.

At the final judgment that book which contains the names of all the redeemed will be opened. “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15). It is these words which lie in the background of the hymn written 130 years ago.

Can you know that your name is there? The Holy Spirit has revealed how one becomes a child of God in His family. Believers who repent (decide to turn their lives over to Jesus) are lead by the Spirit to be buried in water, into the death of Jesus, as they call upon God to save them (1 Pet. 3:21).

These words of the Spirit bears witness that if one does obey Jesus his name will be written in that book. The sobering question is whether your spirit can bear witness that you have obeyed the words of the Spirit. There are two witnesses needed to establish truth. The witness has been given from heaven, there is another witness and that is that your spirit (your soul). Can you say that you have obeyed the Lord and I know your name is written there? The Bible does not say “to my spirit,” but says “with my spirit.” The Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am saved (Rom. 8:16).

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God is Bigger

God is Bigger

There is a scene in the movie Prince Caspian where Lucy approaches Aslan the great Lion (who symbolizes Christ). “’Aslan’ said Lucy ‘you’re bigger.’ ‘That is because you are older, little one’ answered he. ‘Not because you are?’ ‘I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.’”Bigger

The Bible teaches that God does not change. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change.” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Psalm 102:27, “But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.” The Bible also teaches that human beings are to grow spiritually. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). These two truths work together. Without stability, there can be no growth. Without the good ground, the plant won’t germinate (Matthew 13:8). Without the river, the tree won’t bear fruit (Psalm 1:3).

We are not plants or trees, but people. Growth occurs from the nourishment of the word of God, our faith in it, and under conditions where faith is tested. “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12). It’s not until those times of testing that we learn God actually is bigger, not because He has changed, but because we have. Do we teach our children to sing “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty; there’s nothing my God cannot do,” and then shrink back? When we do so, we deny ourselves the opportunity to experience and know our big God. What are we doing to walk by faith?

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Noah walked with God

Noah walked with God

The man Noah is mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible.  He was born during a timeframe when the Lord saw that the hearts of mankind were focused upon evil “continually”.  Due to this fact, God had it in mind to destroy man. After generations of bad decisions, the majority chose to wholly pursue evil.  Noah was not one of those people.  He chose to be righteous (Genesis 6:9).  His example (and that of Enoch before him) demonstrates Humans are not inherently evil as Calvinists proclaim.  “Noah Found Grace in the eyes of the Lord” because of the way he walked with God. walked with God

Noah is widely known for his obedience in building an ark by the commandment of the Lord.  The ark saved Noah, his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law from the wrath of God upon the sinful via a worldwide flood.  It is quite likely that those with Noah were saved to enable the repopulation of the earth (Genesis 9:1).  However, consider the possibility that they were saved due to Noah’s righteous instruction (2 Peter 2:5).  God could have easily started humanity again from the rocks of the earth (Matthew 3:9).  He could have repopulated earth with only Noah and his wife birthing children.  God did not choose to just save two, He saved eight.  In the book of Ezekiel, Noah is mentioned in the grouping of two other men: Daniel and Job.  These also were righteous, God-fearing men.  The text in Ezekiel establishes that no righteous man can deliver the souls of others, but rather souls are saved by their own righteousness that is by faith.  Thus, again, consider the proclamation of righteousness by Noah.  Noah walked with God and may very well have led to the obedient walk and salvation of those with him.

Another intriguing aspect of the life of Noah is that his father Lamech declared Noah would bring relief concerning the work of their hands upon the cursed ground.  Recall that the ground of the earth (nothing else) was cursed when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.  Many consider this curse to continue today, however, the Bible does not substantiate this claim.  In fact, the Bible refutes it.  Following the flood, Noah and his family depart from the Ark.  Noah then made an offering to the Lord.  God declares that for the sake of man He will no longer curse the earth.  Does He know that man will continue to conceive of evil even when young?  Yes.  However, the Eternal Father blesses man in their new beginning, desiring once again that they be fruitful and fill the earth.

Noah is a transitional character in scripture.  He is the end of an era and the start of another.  Noah walked with God and is an example of how important that is.  Noah’s life illustrates the impact of not only living righteously but sharing God’s direction to live so.  Noah could not save the world, but by proper recognition of God, he enabled the creation of another.  He ended a curse, and he drew a blessing.  Noah was only one person, but he was the right person.  He was the person that God desired him to be.

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Two Kinds of Leaven

Two Kinds of Leaven

It had to be frustrating for the Lord as He tried to prepare the apostles for the time when they would be at the forefront in the growth of the church. An illustration of this can be seen in how those men responded to the words of Jesus. “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” The apostles totally misunderstood what He said about this leaven.unleavened bread

They had just traveled across the Sea of Galilee and had failed to bring any bread with them. When Jesus mentioned leaven, they immediately thought He was talking about this. However, our Lord had far more in mind than actual bread.

Jesus first reminded them that they were not dependent on ordinary means to find food. They had just fed five thousand men and then four thousand men with just a few loaves and fish. Jesus asked them to recall these two miracles, and the apostles began to finally understand that this kind of bread was not what he was discussing.

It was not actual bread, but the false teachings of the Jewish leaders He was discussing. “Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt. 16:5). False teaching is so much like leaven.

Think of how often the Bible mentions that a little leaven leavens the entire loaf. It does not take large quantities of leaven to impact everything that is around it. It does not take large quantities of false teaching to bring disaster into the lives of men. Sometimes we so easily overlook this.

When you first open the door to allow just a small element of false teaching to enter you may never be able to close that door. So often so much more that is wrong comes rushing through. This is why Jesus sounded the alarm with the words, “Take heed…” There is such grave danger at times like this.

The brothers of Joseph probably did not think that being jealous of Joseph’s coat of many colors could lead to so much evil. However, that sinful “leaven” of jealousy lead them to plan to kill their younger brother. It lead them to bring unbearable grief to their father, Jacob. When you open the door to allow smaller matters to enter, far more may enter that open door.

There is little difference in the sin of these brothers and the embracing and teaching of false doctrine. Any sin when left alone weakens those involved. The Bible is filled with illustrations of this truth. The tragedy is that while personal sin is devastating to the individual teaching of false doctrines is devastating to an entire church or nation. How should we deal with it? Beware of it and close that door when it begins opening.

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