Without The Ressurection
By DeeDee. Friday, 9. October 2009, 14:28:16
Nehemiah: Lessons In Rebuilding
By DeeDee. Sunday, 18. January 2009, 15:40:30
Lesson 11: Fight For What You Hold Dear
By Eric Elder
http://www.theranch.org
One of the most powerful scenes in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy comes in the final movie, when Aragorn implores his men not to give in to fear, but to fight for what they hold dear. Riding his horse back and forth in front of his troops, Aragorn calls out:
“I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!“
If you find yourself overwhelmed by fears today, don’t let them take your heart! If God has called you into this battle, don’t give in to your fears. Fight for what you hold dear. Fight for your faith. Fight for your marriage. Fight for your children, your business, your friends, your family, your neighbors, your ministry, your health, your career.
Fight the way Nehemiah encouraged his people to fight when they came under attack: Nehemiah called out:
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14).
Nehemiah didn’t discount that the battle was real. He encouraged the people to remember the Lord who had called them into this battle in the first place. But Nehemiah didn’t stop there. He didn’t throw up his hands in despair and act as if the battle would go away on its own. He called on his people to prepare for battle.
He called for half the men to keep on working, and he equipped the other half of the men with spears, shields, bows and armor to stand guard behind the workers. He had those who carried materials do their work with one hand and hold a weapon in the other. And he had those who worked with both their hands still wear a sword at their side.
He had a man stay with him at all times who could sound a trumpet. He knew that the work was extensive and the workers were widely separated from each other, so he told them, “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” (Nehemiah 4:20).
Even though Nehemiah fully trusted that God would fight for them, he still armed his people so that God could fight through them. If God has called you into this battle, He’s certainly willing to fight for you. But don't be surprised if He chooses to fight through you, too!
Nehemiah and his people worked from the first light of dawn till the stars came out, and they stayed inside the city at night. Neither he nor his brothers nor the guards with him even took off their clothes. Each had their weapon, even when they went for water.
Nehemiah’s plan worked, and God’s plan kept moving forward. The same wisdom that worked for Nehemiah can work for you, too. Look to the Lord and follow His lead.
Work with one hand and hold a weapon in the other. If the work is too extensive and spread out, sound the trumpet and call for help. Work all day, but stay in at night. Don’t let your guard down, even when you go for water.
A day may come when the courage of men fails...but it is not this day! This day we fight! Don’t give in to fear. Don’t give up on the work God has called you to do. And don’t turn your back on the battle, either. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I want to repeat Nehemiah’s quote just one more time!
“Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Don’t give in to fear. Fight for what you hold dear!
Let’s pray...
Father, help me to fight the good fight of faith today. Help me to look to You so that I can follow Your lead. Show me what I can do today to fight for what I hold dear. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
P.S. If you’d like to chat about today’s message, I’ll be in the chat room at The Ranch tonight at 9 pm, Sunday, January 18th. To join the chat, just visit this link:
http://chat.theranch.org
Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 4:14-23
http://www.biblegateway.com
To read more from this series, “Nehemiah: Lessons In Rebuilding,” visit:
http://theranch.org/Nehemiah.572.0.html
For more inspirational books and music, please visit:
http://theranch.org/The-Ranch-Giftshop.361.0.html
By Eric Elder
http://www.theranch.org
One of the most powerful scenes in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy comes in the final movie, when Aragorn implores his men not to give in to fear, but to fight for what they hold dear. Riding his horse back and forth in front of his troops, Aragorn calls out:
“I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!“
If you find yourself overwhelmed by fears today, don’t let them take your heart! If God has called you into this battle, don’t give in to your fears. Fight for what you hold dear. Fight for your faith. Fight for your marriage. Fight for your children, your business, your friends, your family, your neighbors, your ministry, your health, your career.
Fight the way Nehemiah encouraged his people to fight when they came under attack: Nehemiah called out:
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14).
Nehemiah didn’t discount that the battle was real. He encouraged the people to remember the Lord who had called them into this battle in the first place. But Nehemiah didn’t stop there. He didn’t throw up his hands in despair and act as if the battle would go away on its own. He called on his people to prepare for battle.
He called for half the men to keep on working, and he equipped the other half of the men with spears, shields, bows and armor to stand guard behind the workers. He had those who carried materials do their work with one hand and hold a weapon in the other. And he had those who worked with both their hands still wear a sword at their side.
He had a man stay with him at all times who could sound a trumpet. He knew that the work was extensive and the workers were widely separated from each other, so he told them, “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” (Nehemiah 4:20).
Even though Nehemiah fully trusted that God would fight for them, he still armed his people so that God could fight through them. If God has called you into this battle, He’s certainly willing to fight for you. But don't be surprised if He chooses to fight through you, too!
Nehemiah and his people worked from the first light of dawn till the stars came out, and they stayed inside the city at night. Neither he nor his brothers nor the guards with him even took off their clothes. Each had their weapon, even when they went for water.
Nehemiah’s plan worked, and God’s plan kept moving forward. The same wisdom that worked for Nehemiah can work for you, too. Look to the Lord and follow His lead.
Work with one hand and hold a weapon in the other. If the work is too extensive and spread out, sound the trumpet and call for help. Work all day, but stay in at night. Don’t let your guard down, even when you go for water.
A day may come when the courage of men fails...but it is not this day! This day we fight! Don’t give in to fear. Don’t give up on the work God has called you to do. And don’t turn your back on the battle, either. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I want to repeat Nehemiah’s quote just one more time!
“Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Don’t give in to fear. Fight for what you hold dear!
Let’s pray...
Father, help me to fight the good fight of faith today. Help me to look to You so that I can follow Your lead. Show me what I can do today to fight for what I hold dear. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
P.S. If you’d like to chat about today’s message, I’ll be in the chat room at The Ranch tonight at 9 pm, Sunday, January 18th. To join the chat, just visit this link:
http://chat.theranch.org
Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 4:14-23
http://www.biblegateway.com
To read more from this series, “Nehemiah: Lessons In Rebuilding,” visit:
http://theranch.org/Nehemiah.572.0.html
For more inspirational books and music, please visit:
http://theranch.org/The-Ranch-Giftshop.361.0.html
How do we get saved?
By DeeDee. Sunday, 16. November 2008, 15:11:50
I just wanna know, what does the bible say about getting saved?
Banned gay marriages
By DeeDee. Friday, 7. November 2008, 12:50:56
In California, gay marriages have been banned.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gf5HBYTJTXebd3kVnFkWX_SAaowwD948TRV80
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gf5HBYTJTXebd3kVnFkWX_SAaowwD948TRV80
Halloween and Christianity?
By DeeDee. Monday, 27. October 2008, 16:03:54
Welcome to Whitestones
We are so insignificant compared to the size of the known universe. But, we were significant enough for the Creator of the Universe to visit us.
AuthorMessage
DeeDee Post subject: Halloween and the Bible?
Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:37 am
We are so insignificant compared to the size of the known universe. But, we were significant enough for the Creator of the Universe to visit us.
AuthorMessage
DeeDee Post subject: Halloween and the Bible?
Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:37 am
Originally posted by Global moderator:
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:12 am
Posts: 678
Should Christians participate in Halloween?
The October 31st holiday that we today know as Halloween has strong roots in paganism and is closely connected with worship of the Enemy of this world, Satan. It is a holiday that generally glorifies the dark things of this world, rather than the light of Jesus Christ, The Truth.
Have you noticed how costumes and masks are getting generally more bloody, gory, and depraved each year? Unfortunately, the gruesome and grotesque and the occult are increasingly glorified in American society, not only on Halloween, but throughout the year in horror movies and in television programs.
My family does not celebrate it or participate in it. We do not believe that our children are "missing out," and neither do they. Other days are used for costumes and parties. Happily, all of our children have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We have found that Halloween provides an excellent time to remind our children that, as Christians, we are different, and not of this world (Heb. 11:13-16; 1 Pet. 2:11).
What about church "Harvest Festivals" held on October 31? Although we understand the rational and good intentions behind them, we don't think they are the best approach. Our family tends to agree with the author of an article called " Are 'Harvest Parties' for Christians?" (written by a self-avowed former witch and now active Christian). Harvest parties on October 31 tend to assume that "our children need something to take the place of Halloween, since they won't be participating in the secular and pagan celebrations. It suggests our kids are missing out on something. And indeed they are, if we allow them to spend Halloween in celebration." There are better things to do on Halloween than partying.
Also, we need to teach our children that "the fight isn't against occultists, non-Christians, Christians who feel differently than we about Halloween, or institutions that promote Halloween, but" "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV).
Relevant scripture on the issue of Halloween and Christians:
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 ("Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.")
James 1:27 ("keep oneself from being polluted by the world")
3 John 1:11 ("do not imitate what is evil")
Romans 12:9 ("abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.")
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (do not learn to imitate detestable ways, including spiritists, sorcerers and witchcraft)
Ephesians 5:11-12 ("Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" / "live as children of light")
1 Timothy 4:1 (don't "follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons")
1 Corinthians 10:21
2 Corinthians 6:14-17 ("what fellowship can light have with darkness?")
Philippians 4:8 (think about pure, lovely, noble things)
1 Corinthians 11:1 ("follow the example of Christ")
1 Corinthians 10:31 ("whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God") James 4:7-8 (submit yourselves to God / resist the devil / purify your hearts)
Ezekiel 44:23 ("…teach my people… to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.")
Proverbs 22:6 ("train a child in the way he should go")
Matthew 18:6 ("if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin…")
Hosea 4:6 ("My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.")
John 3:19-20 (people love darkness instead of light)
Romans 13:12 ("put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.")
Ephesians 6:11-18 ("take your stand against the devil's schemes.")
1 John 5:19
2 Chronicles 7:14
Are "Harvest Parties" for Christians?
originally published in the Colorado Christian News, October 1995
(author's name not published)
"What are you doing for Halloween?" Ask a Christian parent this question, and be prepared to hear an answer like, "Nothing! We don't celebrate Halloween." Thunder crashes, and you creep away, embarassed for even asking.
"What are you doing ON Halloween?" Ask the same parent this slightly altered question, and their whole manner and response brightens. "Why," they begin, as birds begin to sing and sunshine breaks through the cumulus clouds. "We're all going to the Harvest Party at church!" A choir sings. A trumpet sounds. You feel privileged just knowing these saints.
Let's take a look at the typical Harvest Party.
It is a celebration.
It is chaperoned (usually).
It may have costumes.
Games are played.
Contests are held.
Food abounds.
Music blares.
Everyone enjoys themselves.
Certainly, nothing to get concerned about, right? The problem, however, lies in the billing. The Harvest Party is usually referred to as the Christian alternative to traditional Halloween hijinx. Alternative, however, implies substitute. It assumes our children need something to take the place of Halloween, since they won't be participating in the secular and pagan celebrations. It suggests our kids are missing out on something. And indeed they are, if we allow them to spend Halloween in celebration.
If we are to train our children to be soldiers in the army of Christ, why would we sign a pass for them to go on leave when the battle is escalating on the front lines?
As a child of four, I contacted the first of many spirit guides (read: demons) while playing with a Kindergarten classmates' ouija board at a chaperoned Halloween party. This spiritual assault ignited an intrigue with the supernatural that culminated in my lifestyle as a practicing witch: divination, necromancy, channeling, astrology, psychic ability, and spell working. It wasn't until I was twenty that I met the real Jesus Christ, and was released from the trap that Satan had set for this young prisoner of war sixteen years earlier.
There are too many casualities on Halloween and far too few troops fighing the enemy. Instead of partying on Halloween, teach your children how to fight. Keep them aware that the fight isn't against occultists, non-Christians, Christians who feel differently than we about Halloween, or institutions that promote Halloween, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers or darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).
How do we teach our children to wrestle spiritually?
Discourage them from participating in traditional Halloween activities (2 Timothy 2:4). Then tell them why.
Encourage them to pray on a regular, daily basis (Ephesians 6:18). Let them know first hand the power that we have in prayer. All Christians should know how to fight on their knees.
Remind them to be alert and self-controlled (1 Corinthians 16:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:6). Give them the discipline of knowing it is their responsibility to keep watch. They, themselves, might also become casualties in the war.
Make certain they are prepared for battle (Ephesians 6:11). Do they know the truth? Stand on the Word of God? Have faith? Know the gospel? Are they righteous? Are they saved?…
Instead of celebrating, what's a Christian to do on Satan's feast day? PRAY! Intercession and spiritual warfare should be the first item on our agenda. It is NOT a last resort!
Join with other families in the church. Have the pastor announce a night of spiritual battle. Organize a group of Christians parents and students from your children's school or homeschool group. As a family, designate the seven nights before October 31 as Family Prayer Outreach nights.
Pray for protection. Pray over both those who engage in prayer warfare and over those who will be out trick-or-treating or at Halloween parties. October 31 is a prime recruiting time for witches and Satanists…and a time for interested kids to experiment. Pray that the Lord keeps our kids from falling prey to those who worship the enemy.
Pray for discernment. Let the Holy Spirit direct you to specific prayer requests. Pray that the children who are "out there" will somehow "know" to keep away from certain activities. I have relatives who, even though they were not Christians, "knew" that ouija boards and levitation games were dangerous.
Pray that the Lord hinder the occult rituals. For four years, I lived in a building which over looked a cemetery where occult ceremonial markings were often found. ON certain occult feast days, usually between midnight and 3am, I would look down into the darkness and kneel at my window binding the demons that controlled the ceremonies. I'll never know this side of heaven what effect my prayers had. Maybe a potential sacrifice escaped. Maybe the occultists weren't successful in summoning their demon. Maybe a new, young recruit decided that this was not the lifestyle he thought he wanted.
Pray for the salvation of the occultists. Jesus Christ died for those whom Satan holds captive and deceived, for those who mock Him, who deny His deity or His existence. He doesn't want them to perish, but to come to Him calling Him Father, Lord. Pray the veil is lifted from their eyes, the Lord allows them to see clearly their spiritual condition and their only hope lies in Jesus Christ. Pray also, about whether the Lord would have you take a more active role in bringing the gospel to Satan's servants.
Let your children know that this is effective warfare. They must know their prayers are heard and acted on by our Father. Let them know they can make a difference. Come October 31, they'll know they have a job to do.
Resources for learning more about the issues involved
On-site links on related issues:
The Occult - What does the Bible say about it? Answer
What is the Occult? Answer
Is Harry Potter Harmless? Answer
Christian Books:
The Facts on Halloween: What Christians Need to Know by John Ankerberg and John Weldon (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1996), 48 pp.
Mommy, Why Don't We Celebrate Halloween by Linda Hacon Winwood (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Destiny Image Publishers, 1992), 17 pp.
Christian Video:
Halloween: Trick or Treat , 56 minute documentary expose.
Off-site links:
"The Dark Side of Halloween" (Logos Communications) - Go… (off-site)
"Why do many churches oppose Halloween?" (Robbins) Go… (off-site)
Halloween: The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows" (Library of Congress article) - Go… (off-site)
"Happy Halloween? Is there any good reason for a Christian to celebrate it?" (Castle) - Go… (off-site)
"Halloween! Harmless? or Hazardous?? The History of Halloween" - Go… (off-site)
"Halloween in Light of the Scriptures" - Go… (off-site)
"Halloween - a harmless ritual?" - Go… (off-site)
"Halloween - Harmless Fun or Pagan Rituals?"Go… (off-site)
"Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween" - Go… (off-site)
Halloween - Trick or Treat?
Informative DVD traces the pagan origins, history and rituals of Halloween, one of the highest holy days of the Pagan/Occult calendar of Druids, Witches, and Satanists. The occult rituals seen in this film are real and not re-enactments. This dramatic documentary may change your opinion of Halloween forever!
Author: Paul S. Taylor, Eden Communications.
In case i forgot something out of this article...here is the link
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/halloween.htm
God's Truth About Satan's Lies
By DeeDee. Tuesday, 19. August 2008, 22:39:29
“God's Truth About Satan's Lies”. The outline is as follows:
I- The Picture
II- The Pattern
III- The Present
The picture that we have painted includes nine areas of conflict between the Christian and the world. There are 26 lies that Satan tells that have corresponding biblical truth.
The pattern that has emerged is very important. Overlaying these lies with Satan's overt attacks in the garden and in the wilderness, we can discern the keys to what he can stand and what he cannot stand. We can also discern what his methods are. By knowing this, we can hopefully meet him head on.
The present refers to the events that are unfolding now. Satan's lies are now upfront. The age in which we live now becomes the most exciting time in history to be a Christian. It also surfaces Satan's greatest lie of all and God's most beautiful truth. This is where we are heading. Fasten your spiritual seatbelts, and we will proceed.
What has emerged in these last fourteen lessons? Nine areas of conflict have emerged in which Satan has declared war on the truth of God. Within those nine areas, we have talked about 26 lies. These are lies that you and I must reject as Christians. We have pointed out the 26 corresponding truths that we must accept as convictions.
What are convictions? Convictions are the principles of Scripture that you would rather die for than compromise. See how many you can remember as I review very quickly.
I- Satan's lies about the character of man.
The first area concerns Satan's lies about the character of man. There are three lies.
a- Man is innately good. It says, left to ourselves, we will do basically that which is moral, just and upright. It is a lie. The truth says, among other places, in Romans:
5:12 Wherefore by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, so then death is passed upon all men for all have sinned.
This is the truth about the goodness of man.
b- Man is his own authority. If man is basically good, he is free to develop his own devices to represent truth. We decided that science says that we define the truth. Education says that we teach the truth. Philosophy says that we interpret the truth. Psychology says that we apply the truth. History says that we confirm the truth. But all of them say, there is no truth. Even as Pilate asked the question, “What is truth?” John answered in John:
1:17 The Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
In John 14, Jesus added, “I am the truth.”
c- Man, therefore, can control his own destiny. “I am the captain of my own fate.” This is a lie. The great I AM is the captain of our fate. The Scripture says,
John 3:27 A man can do nothing except it be given him from heaven.
Proverbs 16:1 We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God's hands. (the Living Bible)
II- Satan's lies has to do with man's relationship with God.
a- There are many ways to get to God. Satan wants us to believe that it doesn't matter what you believe, only believe something. Jesus answered,
“I am the Way. No man cometh to the Father but by Me.”
In Matthew 7 He said,
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
b- Satan says that eternity is a vague uncertainty. In John 14 Jesus says,
Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me for in My Father's house there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. Now I am going to prepare a place for you. When I do that, I will come back again and take you with Me.
This is the truth about eternity. In 1 Corinthians 15 says,
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men miserable. Behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave where is thy victory?
c- Man has freedom to choose which also includes the freedom to make no choice at all. This is a lie. The truth is that Jesus said,
You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed.
This is why God demanded of Israel to “choose ye this day whom you will serve”. If you choose God, then serve Him. If you choose the devil, then serve him. You can just serve one. This is why Jesus said, No man can serve two masters.
d- The church is irrelevant is another lie. The church of Jesus Christ is neither dead nor dying. As He said to Elijah, God would say, “I have thousands, yea perhaps millions, who have not bowed their knee to Baal.” The church of Jesus Christ is alive and well. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church.
III- Satan's lies regarding man's happiness. We discussed several lies in this area.
a- Happiness comes from the good life. We need good times, good friends and good food. The truth is that God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. What should it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose all that counts, his own soul?
b- Money brings happiness. This is a lie. Not only does it not bring happiness, the truth that is found in 1 Timothy 6 states that the love of money is, in effect, the root of all evil.
c- Physical attractiveness brings happiness is another lie. The truth is found in the first few chapters of 1 Peter. He talks about the fact that real beauty comes from the inside out. The truth is again found in 1 Samuel 16:7 where it says that man looks on the outward appearance, but that God doesn't. God looks on the heart.
I Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his contenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart.
IV- Satan's lies that involve morality.
a- The first lie is that morality is relative, and there are no absolutes. The truth is that morality is absolute. Stealing is a sin, absolutely. Lying is a sin, absolutely. Homosexuality is a sin, absolutely. Drunkenness is a sin, absolutely. This has not changed and it will not change. Morality is absolute. Malachi 3:6 says,
I am the Lord, I do not change.
James 1:17 says,
In Him there is neither variableness nor shadow of turning.
b- Sex outside of marriage is acceptable. This is a lie. The truth is that sex outside of marriage is abominable. In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul says that no other sin affects the body as this one does. This is the truth. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says,
This is the will of God, that you abstain from sex outside of marriage.
c- Divorce is a reasonable option and marriage is not a permanent relationship. This is a lie. Jesus said in Matthew 19,
Because of the hardness of your hearts, Moses allowed you to have a writ of divorcement, but from the beginning it was not so. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.
V- Satan's lies regarding the area of the home.
a- Satan wants us to believe that the home is not the center of society. This is a lie. The Word of God tells us that the home is the two-fold center of God's plan. First of all, it is a training ground for real discipleship. When your children sit, when they walk, when they go to bed and when they rise up are the times that you need to teach your children. As we see in Deuteronomy 11, the home should be heaven on earth,
b- Fathers are not important in the home. This is a lie. The home is God's picture book of His most precious relationship— the Father to Son relationship. John 3:35 says
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon the Son.
You will remember that we studied 25 illustrations from the Scripture regarding how a father to son relationship teaches spiritual truth.
c- Men and women have no definable roles. The world's solution is ERA, which literally means, give me my rights so that I can lose my identity. But God's program is EDA, which is Equality, Diversity, Authority. Neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female the Scripture tells us. Total equality at last has come through Christ yet with total diversity. Physically, the man is stronger. I believe emotionally that the woman is stronger. Spiritually, they are both equal, but yet different. Total equality with diversity under authority is God's plan. Husbands love your wives the way Christ loved the church. He loved with no limits. Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as unto the Lord. Wives need to do this with no limits. This is the picture that God has for the roles of men and women. Satan hates it.
d- Parental authority threatens a child's freedom. This is a lie. Children are to obey their to parents that it may go well with them and that they might prosper.
VI- Satan's lies is in the area of authority. There are many lies here.
a- Discipline is outdated. This is a lie. Whom the Father loves, He disciplines.
b- Rebellion is an acceptable means to an end. This is a lie. Rebellion is to God is as the sin of witchcraft, and it is never an acceptable means to an end.
c- National loyalty has no virtue. This is a lie. God reveals His purposes through the nations. We are to honor the nation. We are to pray for its leaders. We are to submit to its authority as unto God.
d- The Bible is not the infallible Word of God. This is a lie. 1 Timothy tells us that it is God-breathed. Psalm 19 tells us it is perfect. Every word proves true is a statement that we read in Proverbs 30. We determined that there are three things in life that really last. It is the Word of God, the Word of God, the Word of God. The Bible is infallible.
VII- Satan's lies about responsibility.
a- Satan says that we can blame society for our failures. This is a lie. We discussed 8 things that man is responsible to do no matter what comes at him in life.
b- We can blame our parents for our weaknesses. This is a lie.
c- We can blame God for our defects. This is a lie.
d- We can blame Satan for our besetting sins. This is a lie.
VIII- Satan's lies regarding heroes.
Satan wants us to glorify those who entertain us and glorify the flesh. God says,
I will make the godly of the land My heroes and will invite them into My home.
IX- Satan's lies about alliances and relationships.
Satan says that Christians and non-Christians can be aligned together. Nations can unite with their enemies in treaties. Dating and marriage are the child's responsibility. These are all lies. The truth is, How can two walk together except they be agreed? The truth is, What fellowship can light have with darkness? What fellowship can idols have in the temple of God? What fellowship can there be between God and Satan? It is the parent's responsibility to take charge of who their children date. We are to teach them line upon line upon, precept upon precept. Every area of their lives is our responsibility.
These are the lies and the corresponding truths that we have been wrestling with in this study. To know them and to recognize them and to respond to these lies is not enough. These are but the polluted streams from which continually springs shades of deceptions. Subtleties that come our way in part come from Satan's five basic areas of attack. These areas are the media, secular education, secular counseling, entertainment and organized religion. All of these report, teach, reinforce, demonstrate and accept the standards of the world.
What are the patterns? Is Satan stupid? Does He always work from the same battle plan? I am here to tell you this morning from the Word of God that he is not stupid. The Scripture says that he is more subtle, more cunning and more deceptive than any other creature. He is no dummy. But, he does have a one-track mind or at least a four-track mind. There are four ways or places that he always surfaces. This is what I want to deal with in this lesson.
We have a great deal of information in the Scripture about how Satan works. In Matthew 13, we know that he is a tare sower. He loves to put fakes among the real thing. He is a seed snatcher. He loves to steal the truth before it takes root in the Christian's life. In 2 Corinthians 4, we are told that Satan loves to blind the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the truth. In John 8, we are told he is the father of lies, the father of all unbelievers and he cannot tell the truth. 1 Timothy 3:6 tells us that he is the perfect illustration of what happens when you try to be your own god. In Luke 13, we are told that he binds men through their physical circumstances. In Luke 22, we read that he desires to sift Christians until they fall. In Acts 5, we see that he fills men's hearts to lie. In 1 Corinthians 7, we see that he loves to destroy marriages through temptation. In 2 Corinthians 2, we read that he battles to keep Christians from seeking forgiveness from one another. In Revelation 12, we see that he knows that his time is short.
How Satan Works
While we have much information regarding how he works, there are really only two major confrontations in Scripture between Satan and man that are recorded. I think if we super-impose those confrontations on one another and examine them in the light of this study, we can reach a few conclusions about how he works and what he loves to do. I want to first list 9 things that Satan loves to do.
1- His timing is generally, carefully planned. In the garden, he waits until Eve is alone and until she is in the position to listen to the voice of a stranger. At the point of her greatest emotional need, he comes at her. In the wilderness, he waits for Jesus for 40 days and 40 nights. At the point of Jesus' greatest physical need, after fasting for that entire time, Satan approaches him. Your greatest spiritual tests will come at the point of your greatest emotional and physical need. He knows when the lies should come.
2- He is a master of overkill and unanswerable questions. He said to Eve, “Hath God not said that you cannot eat anything?” In our modern times that can be translated into, “Is God trying to put you on Weight Watchers?” Satan puts different questions in our minds such as, “How can a God of love allow war to go on? How can a God of love allow death to go on?” Satan asks questions that the natural mind cannot answer.
3- He is a master at innuendo that undermine the character of God with “if”s. He says such things as, “IF Thou are the Son of God,” as we see in Matthew 4. Twice he said this statement. Have you ever heard him say that? “IF you really are a Christian... ” “IF your conversion was real... ” “IF God answers prayer... ” “IF Jesus were coming again... ” Satan is the master of the “IF”.
4- He loves to question the reasonableness of God's Word. “How can God be so narrow? He says, ÔEat this but don't eat that.' What difference can a tree make?” Satan says, “What do you mean that you cannot lie? Even here? How unreasonable.” This causes people to think, “Why can't I steal? I am hungry. How unreasonable.”
5- He loves to get the Christian on the defense. Eve had to come back and say, “God did say that, I heard Him.” She was now defending God. Three times, Jesus had to come back with the statement, “It is written... ” “It is written... ” “It is written... ”
6- He always minimizes the consequences of disobedience. He told Eve, “Thou shalt not surely die.” “You've got to be kidding. God is teasing you.” “No God of love would follow through.” This is a lie. No, a God of love would not keep His Word.
7- He ultimately questions the motives of God. He said to Eve, “You can be just like God. The problem is that God wants to keep you His slave.” This is true. The point that Eve did recognize is that we were designed in the image of God to reflect the will of God. Every man and woman was designed to be a slave to someone. The question was, “Choose you this day whom you will serve” not “If you will serve.” If you are not a slave to God, you are automatically a slave to His enemy.
8- Before long, Satan will always focus on satisfying the flesh. He said, “Look at that food, Eve.” He said to Jesus, “I will give you all of this.”
9- He is never around when it is all over.
Satan's Common Denominators
If these are the ways he works, we can reach some conclusions about how he works. We can learn the things that Satan cannot stand. If you will notice these 26 lies, you will notice that there are at least 4 common denominators. There are 4 things that the devil hates. Everywhere he surfaces these 4 things surface.
1- He cannot stand absolutes. He says to Eve, “Life is not that simple. Eat of this tree. Don't eat of that tree. It is not that easy. God is a god of love. He understands your heart. Just because He told you not to eat that tree doesn't mean that is absolute. You have to reason it out. It is all relative.” Satan tempted Moses. He struggled with this when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Satan said to David, “What is one indiscretion?” He said to Ananias, “Just bend the truth a little.” Lie? Not at all? Steal? Not at all? Commit adultery? Is it always wrong? There are no absolutes because if there are absolutes, he is absolutely finished.
2- He cannot stand authority. You always see Satan's lies surface when authority is brought into the picture. He cannot stand God's authority. He cannot stand anyone else's. This is his lie. He claimed, “I will be like the Most High.” This was his line to Eve. He told her, “You can be like God. You don't need anybody to rule over you. You don't need a boss. You can be your own boss.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7 in the Amplified Bible talks about the mystery of lawlessness. It describes it as the hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority which is already at work until the Restrainer has been taken away.
3- He cannot stand an awareness of open spiritual conflict. This is why we have spent so much time studying alliances these past few lessons. Satan doesn't want us to know who the enemy really is. He doesn't want us to know what the issues really are. He doesn't want us to know that the issues are the pulling down of spiritual strongholds. He doesn't want us to know that good and evil cannot coexist. He doesn't want us to know that we cannot trust the enemy, which is him. You are supposed to reprove a liar. You don't listen to a liar, you flee from him.
4- He wants to do battle in the physical realm, as he cannot stand to do battle in the spiritual realm, because God is spirit. He wants you to read your spirituality by experiences. He wants you to trace your growth by legalism. He wants you to trace your progress by numbers. He wants you to think physical. He wants your priorities to be in the physical realm. He wants your goals to be in the physical realm. This is his territory. God is spirit, and God is after character and spiritual transformation.
Satan said, “Jesus, do a miracle. God will save You.” “Jesus, eat the rock, God will turn it into bread.” “Jesus, all of this physical kingdom can be Yours.” “Eve, eat of the tree, that is what we are here for. Eat, drink and be merry.”
Satan also wants to destroy the deep, spiritual truths that lie beneath those physical conflicts. For instance, we dealt with a deeper truth when we were talking about sexual purity. The reason that sex outside of marriage is always wrong, is not just because of what it does to the commandment of God, but because it violates the spiritual principle that a man cannot find God without a commitment to Jesus Christ. A man cannot find physical satisfaction without a commitment to marriage. It is the picture, the portrait of salvation.
Then there is the picture of the home, the heavenly home with the heavenly Father. This is why Satan wants to destroy the home. Why does Satan want to destroy marriage? Because he wants us to believe that there is no security in Jesus Christ. He wants us to believe that the marriage that represents the relationship between Christ and the church can be broken. Why is it that he wants to do away with discipline? He wants us to believe that there is no divine discipline. He wants us to believe that there is no hell. Why is it that he wants to do away with responsibility and rewards through accomplishments? He wants us to believe that there is no Bema Seat, that there is no reward for the believer beyond this life. He wants to do away with the Bible, because he wants us to believe that there are not absolutes. He wants us to do away with national security, because he wants us to believe that in the spiritual realm there are no real enemies, no real conflict, no real conclusions and no real distinctions. He wants to do battle in the physical realm, but he wants to destroy spiritual truth.
The real conflict, oversimplified, is that the Christian is standing on absolute truth under absolute, God-derived authority. He must then recognize truth that comes only from God. Only a lie comes from the enemy. We must recognize that what comes from God is totally eternal, and there are spiritual promises for a spiritual kingdom. We must recognize that what comes from the world is totally temporal and that there are physical promises for a physical kingdom. To try to pull into focus and enjoy both is double vision. It does not work.
The four things that Satan cannot stand are: absolute truth, God-derived authority, an understanding of the battle, and the spiritual conflict that is involved. Watch for Satan in these four areas.
As we bring this series to a close, we must recognize that in no age in history since the cross has Satan battled so openly, so fiercely, and with such reckless abandon. You would almost think that he knows the game is about over, and he is going to lose.
Imagine if you will, a prisoner who is sentenced to be executed for a horrible crime. Time after time, he has been granted a stay of execution. Finally, the day dawns, and he is escorted down the corridor to the gas chamber. He hears the roar of the crowd. In a huge grandstand, seemingly, all of humanity is gathered to watch. As they round the corner, they take off his chains, not because he is free, but because there is no place left for him to go but to his death. Can you imagine what he would do? He would be in a frenzy, putting on the show of his life. Pretending to be showing the authority a thing or two, he would rant and rave and swing and hurl himself at anything in his way. It would be the game of pretense at its most ridiculous level. The prisoner is playing king, until having bruised and battered himself in this meaningless show of self, at the precise moment scheduled, the crowd goes silent. The gas chamber is filled, and he will meet his prescribed death. All of his last minute frenzy did nothing to alter his ultimate fate.
Satan, in these last days, is determined to behave just like that. He is a defeated foe. The clock of history is at 11:55. Like a mad man, he is frantically ranting and raving to the delight of the crowd. But, at the prescribed moment in history, the song of victory that was penned on that Roman cross, will break forth from those grandstands. The executioner will step forward to complete the pre-ordained role.
Have you ever looked at a timetable or a time line of Satan's life to see how close to the end he really is? Let's look at a chart of that. At the top you will see Satan's fall which is a result of his refusal to submit to the authority of God. He was then cast out of heaven.
Below that, we see his conflict with Eve in the garden. She, too, acknowledges his philosophy. No absolutes. No authority. Unaware of the real conflict, she chooses the physical pleasure rather than the will of God. She became her own boss just long enough to become Satan's slave. All mankind was thus cursed with sin.
Four thousand years or so pass, and we see Satan's conflict with Jesus in the wilderness. He tried to play “Let's Make a Deal” with God. It is his last ditch effort to avoid a sentence, but it didn't work. About three years later, on a Roman cross, Satan's death knoll was finally complete. His future was sealed. It was all over for him.
We then see some 2,000 years or so below that, the Church Age. This is the age in which we live. Now the Holy Spirit has been placed in the believer. Now demonic warfare goes on between the agents of the enemy and the spirit of God within the Christian. The pressure begins to build and build and build as the 2,000 years pass. By the end of the age, the struggle gets intense. The conflict heightens more and more as the age draws to a close. We hear, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. Decadence, open rebellion, the outpouring of the wrath of Satan.” But, also there is the potential that God would anoint His people with the Spirit. There will be an awakening of the saints, a revival in the church, and an outpouring of God's power throughout the world as people come to know Christ as never before.
We see that as this age draws to a close and to a climax, it builds and builds and builds. The lies of Satan become more visible. The spiritual conflict becomes more intense. There are more natural disasters. There are more emerging cults and false Messiahs. There is the re-emergence of Israel. There is the hatred in the Mideast as it boils and festers like a cancer.
This is the exciting part. At this time in history, the church of Jesus Christ gets a phone call. It is God on the line, and He says, “Come home. I am waiting for you.” No matter how you place this in the scheme of events, it will make no difference in what I am trying to share in this lesson. I am placing this at the beginning of the tribulation, because I believe this is when the church will be raptured. The tribulation period comes. It will be seven years of Satan's power as he flings himself against the prison walls. Death is imminent, and he fights for all he is worth. The Restrainer is gone, at least for the moment.
Then comes Armageddon. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ in all of His glory follows. Satan is then thrown into the bottomless pit. During the millennial reign of Christ, He will rule on the earth for 1,000 years. At the end of that, Satan will be loosed, but only for a season. Then he will be cast into the lake of fire forever and forever and forever. This is the truth. This is where Satan is headed.
Satan's biggest lie of all is that he will always be in charge of this world. It is not true. His time is running out. 2 Peter 3:3 says, “knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers walking after their own lusts.” Here comes Satan's story saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? It has been so long. Maybe the Father has been asleep all of these years. Things continue as they were since the beginning of creation. What is going to happen?” Peter goes on to say,
2 Peter 3:4 And saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God's most blessed truth is that except for the mercy of God, it would have been all over for Satan a long time ago. He is on borrowed time. Because of the righteousness of God, the promise of God will not fail. Christian, listen, some golden daybreak, Jesus will come. Do you believe that? First, He will come for us. We read in 1 Thessalonians 4,
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
That is a long time. Not only that, Jesus will come with us. We see in Matthew 16:27,
For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels.
Matthew 25:30 says,
When the Son of Man shall come in His glory with the angels, then with Him, He shall sit on the throne in His great glory.
Colossians 3:4 says,
When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye appear with Him also in glory.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 says,
To the end, He might establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all of His saints.
The Scripture teaches us that on that day, every knee will bow. On that day, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is God to the glory of the Father.
When this happens, we won't have to listen to Satan's lies anymore. Revelation 20:10 says,
...then the devil will again be thrown in the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever.
This is why Satan is fighting so hard. His executioner stands before him. That is why it is such an exciting time to be alive, if you are a Christian.
If you are not a Christian, this is not an exciting time to be alive, is it? There is depression. There is economic instability. There is the threat of war. Inflation is spiraling. We really don't know what the future holds, but it doesn't look good from the world's perspective. I would just like to tell you that there is Good News. This world is not our home. The King of kings is poised on the pedestal of history, just about to emerge to take His children home forever. If you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can do that right now by simply acknowledging the fact that you cannot be your own boss, that you cannot be your own god. You need to admit that you have been separated from God because of the sin in your life. Once and for all right now, you can accept the payment He made for your sins for all of eternity. Because He is, praise God, coming back.
I- The Picture
II- The Pattern
III- The Present
The picture that we have painted includes nine areas of conflict between the Christian and the world. There are 26 lies that Satan tells that have corresponding biblical truth.
The pattern that has emerged is very important. Overlaying these lies with Satan's overt attacks in the garden and in the wilderness, we can discern the keys to what he can stand and what he cannot stand. We can also discern what his methods are. By knowing this, we can hopefully meet him head on.
The present refers to the events that are unfolding now. Satan's lies are now upfront. The age in which we live now becomes the most exciting time in history to be a Christian. It also surfaces Satan's greatest lie of all and God's most beautiful truth. This is where we are heading. Fasten your spiritual seatbelts, and we will proceed.
What has emerged in these last fourteen lessons? Nine areas of conflict have emerged in which Satan has declared war on the truth of God. Within those nine areas, we have talked about 26 lies. These are lies that you and I must reject as Christians. We have pointed out the 26 corresponding truths that we must accept as convictions.
What are convictions? Convictions are the principles of Scripture that you would rather die for than compromise. See how many you can remember as I review very quickly.
I- Satan's lies about the character of man.
The first area concerns Satan's lies about the character of man. There are three lies.
a- Man is innately good. It says, left to ourselves, we will do basically that which is moral, just and upright. It is a lie. The truth says, among other places, in Romans:
5:12 Wherefore by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, so then death is passed upon all men for all have sinned.
This is the truth about the goodness of man.
b- Man is his own authority. If man is basically good, he is free to develop his own devices to represent truth. We decided that science says that we define the truth. Education says that we teach the truth. Philosophy says that we interpret the truth. Psychology says that we apply the truth. History says that we confirm the truth. But all of them say, there is no truth. Even as Pilate asked the question, “What is truth?” John answered in John:
1:17 The Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
In John 14, Jesus added, “I am the truth.”
c- Man, therefore, can control his own destiny. “I am the captain of my own fate.” This is a lie. The great I AM is the captain of our fate. The Scripture says,
John 3:27 A man can do nothing except it be given him from heaven.
Proverbs 16:1 We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God's hands. (the Living Bible)
II- Satan's lies has to do with man's relationship with God.
a- There are many ways to get to God. Satan wants us to believe that it doesn't matter what you believe, only believe something. Jesus answered,
“I am the Way. No man cometh to the Father but by Me.”
In Matthew 7 He said,
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
b- Satan says that eternity is a vague uncertainty. In John 14 Jesus says,
Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me for in My Father's house there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. Now I am going to prepare a place for you. When I do that, I will come back again and take you with Me.
This is the truth about eternity. In 1 Corinthians 15 says,
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men miserable. Behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave where is thy victory?
c- Man has freedom to choose which also includes the freedom to make no choice at all. This is a lie. The truth is that Jesus said,
You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed.
This is why God demanded of Israel to “choose ye this day whom you will serve”. If you choose God, then serve Him. If you choose the devil, then serve him. You can just serve one. This is why Jesus said, No man can serve two masters.
d- The church is irrelevant is another lie. The church of Jesus Christ is neither dead nor dying. As He said to Elijah, God would say, “I have thousands, yea perhaps millions, who have not bowed their knee to Baal.” The church of Jesus Christ is alive and well. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church.
III- Satan's lies regarding man's happiness. We discussed several lies in this area.
a- Happiness comes from the good life. We need good times, good friends and good food. The truth is that God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. What should it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose all that counts, his own soul?
b- Money brings happiness. This is a lie. Not only does it not bring happiness, the truth that is found in 1 Timothy 6 states that the love of money is, in effect, the root of all evil.
c- Physical attractiveness brings happiness is another lie. The truth is found in the first few chapters of 1 Peter. He talks about the fact that real beauty comes from the inside out. The truth is again found in 1 Samuel 16:7 where it says that man looks on the outward appearance, but that God doesn't. God looks on the heart.
I Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his contenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart.
IV- Satan's lies that involve morality.
a- The first lie is that morality is relative, and there are no absolutes. The truth is that morality is absolute. Stealing is a sin, absolutely. Lying is a sin, absolutely. Homosexuality is a sin, absolutely. Drunkenness is a sin, absolutely. This has not changed and it will not change. Morality is absolute. Malachi 3:6 says,
I am the Lord, I do not change.
James 1:17 says,
In Him there is neither variableness nor shadow of turning.
b- Sex outside of marriage is acceptable. This is a lie. The truth is that sex outside of marriage is abominable. In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul says that no other sin affects the body as this one does. This is the truth. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says,
This is the will of God, that you abstain from sex outside of marriage.
c- Divorce is a reasonable option and marriage is not a permanent relationship. This is a lie. Jesus said in Matthew 19,
Because of the hardness of your hearts, Moses allowed you to have a writ of divorcement, but from the beginning it was not so. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.
V- Satan's lies regarding the area of the home.
a- Satan wants us to believe that the home is not the center of society. This is a lie. The Word of God tells us that the home is the two-fold center of God's plan. First of all, it is a training ground for real discipleship. When your children sit, when they walk, when they go to bed and when they rise up are the times that you need to teach your children. As we see in Deuteronomy 11, the home should be heaven on earth,
b- Fathers are not important in the home. This is a lie. The home is God's picture book of His most precious relationship— the Father to Son relationship. John 3:35 says
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon the Son.
You will remember that we studied 25 illustrations from the Scripture regarding how a father to son relationship teaches spiritual truth.
c- Men and women have no definable roles. The world's solution is ERA, which literally means, give me my rights so that I can lose my identity. But God's program is EDA, which is Equality, Diversity, Authority. Neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female the Scripture tells us. Total equality at last has come through Christ yet with total diversity. Physically, the man is stronger. I believe emotionally that the woman is stronger. Spiritually, they are both equal, but yet different. Total equality with diversity under authority is God's plan. Husbands love your wives the way Christ loved the church. He loved with no limits. Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as unto the Lord. Wives need to do this with no limits. This is the picture that God has for the roles of men and women. Satan hates it.
d- Parental authority threatens a child's freedom. This is a lie. Children are to obey their to parents that it may go well with them and that they might prosper.
VI- Satan's lies is in the area of authority. There are many lies here.
a- Discipline is outdated. This is a lie. Whom the Father loves, He disciplines.
b- Rebellion is an acceptable means to an end. This is a lie. Rebellion is to God is as the sin of witchcraft, and it is never an acceptable means to an end.
c- National loyalty has no virtue. This is a lie. God reveals His purposes through the nations. We are to honor the nation. We are to pray for its leaders. We are to submit to its authority as unto God.
d- The Bible is not the infallible Word of God. This is a lie. 1 Timothy tells us that it is God-breathed. Psalm 19 tells us it is perfect. Every word proves true is a statement that we read in Proverbs 30. We determined that there are three things in life that really last. It is the Word of God, the Word of God, the Word of God. The Bible is infallible.
VII- Satan's lies about responsibility.
a- Satan says that we can blame society for our failures. This is a lie. We discussed 8 things that man is responsible to do no matter what comes at him in life.
b- We can blame our parents for our weaknesses. This is a lie.
c- We can blame God for our defects. This is a lie.
d- We can blame Satan for our besetting sins. This is a lie.
VIII- Satan's lies regarding heroes.
Satan wants us to glorify those who entertain us and glorify the flesh. God says,
I will make the godly of the land My heroes and will invite them into My home.
IX- Satan's lies about alliances and relationships.
Satan says that Christians and non-Christians can be aligned together. Nations can unite with their enemies in treaties. Dating and marriage are the child's responsibility. These are all lies. The truth is, How can two walk together except they be agreed? The truth is, What fellowship can light have with darkness? What fellowship can idols have in the temple of God? What fellowship can there be between God and Satan? It is the parent's responsibility to take charge of who their children date. We are to teach them line upon line upon, precept upon precept. Every area of their lives is our responsibility.
These are the lies and the corresponding truths that we have been wrestling with in this study. To know them and to recognize them and to respond to these lies is not enough. These are but the polluted streams from which continually springs shades of deceptions. Subtleties that come our way in part come from Satan's five basic areas of attack. These areas are the media, secular education, secular counseling, entertainment and organized religion. All of these report, teach, reinforce, demonstrate and accept the standards of the world.
What are the patterns? Is Satan stupid? Does He always work from the same battle plan? I am here to tell you this morning from the Word of God that he is not stupid. The Scripture says that he is more subtle, more cunning and more deceptive than any other creature. He is no dummy. But, he does have a one-track mind or at least a four-track mind. There are four ways or places that he always surfaces. This is what I want to deal with in this lesson.
We have a great deal of information in the Scripture about how Satan works. In Matthew 13, we know that he is a tare sower. He loves to put fakes among the real thing. He is a seed snatcher. He loves to steal the truth before it takes root in the Christian's life. In 2 Corinthians 4, we are told that Satan loves to blind the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the truth. In John 8, we are told he is the father of lies, the father of all unbelievers and he cannot tell the truth. 1 Timothy 3:6 tells us that he is the perfect illustration of what happens when you try to be your own god. In Luke 13, we are told that he binds men through their physical circumstances. In Luke 22, we read that he desires to sift Christians until they fall. In Acts 5, we see that he fills men's hearts to lie. In 1 Corinthians 7, we see that he loves to destroy marriages through temptation. In 2 Corinthians 2, we read that he battles to keep Christians from seeking forgiveness from one another. In Revelation 12, we see that he knows that his time is short.
How Satan Works
While we have much information regarding how he works, there are really only two major confrontations in Scripture between Satan and man that are recorded. I think if we super-impose those confrontations on one another and examine them in the light of this study, we can reach a few conclusions about how he works and what he loves to do. I want to first list 9 things that Satan loves to do.
1- His timing is generally, carefully planned. In the garden, he waits until Eve is alone and until she is in the position to listen to the voice of a stranger. At the point of her greatest emotional need, he comes at her. In the wilderness, he waits for Jesus for 40 days and 40 nights. At the point of Jesus' greatest physical need, after fasting for that entire time, Satan approaches him. Your greatest spiritual tests will come at the point of your greatest emotional and physical need. He knows when the lies should come.
2- He is a master of overkill and unanswerable questions. He said to Eve, “Hath God not said that you cannot eat anything?” In our modern times that can be translated into, “Is God trying to put you on Weight Watchers?” Satan puts different questions in our minds such as, “How can a God of love allow war to go on? How can a God of love allow death to go on?” Satan asks questions that the natural mind cannot answer.
3- He is a master at innuendo that undermine the character of God with “if”s. He says such things as, “IF Thou are the Son of God,” as we see in Matthew 4. Twice he said this statement. Have you ever heard him say that? “IF you really are a Christian... ” “IF your conversion was real... ” “IF God answers prayer... ” “IF Jesus were coming again... ” Satan is the master of the “IF”.
4- He loves to question the reasonableness of God's Word. “How can God be so narrow? He says, ÔEat this but don't eat that.' What difference can a tree make?” Satan says, “What do you mean that you cannot lie? Even here? How unreasonable.” This causes people to think, “Why can't I steal? I am hungry. How unreasonable.”
5- He loves to get the Christian on the defense. Eve had to come back and say, “God did say that, I heard Him.” She was now defending God. Three times, Jesus had to come back with the statement, “It is written... ” “It is written... ” “It is written... ”
6- He always minimizes the consequences of disobedience. He told Eve, “Thou shalt not surely die.” “You've got to be kidding. God is teasing you.” “No God of love would follow through.” This is a lie. No, a God of love would not keep His Word.
7- He ultimately questions the motives of God. He said to Eve, “You can be just like God. The problem is that God wants to keep you His slave.” This is true. The point that Eve did recognize is that we were designed in the image of God to reflect the will of God. Every man and woman was designed to be a slave to someone. The question was, “Choose you this day whom you will serve” not “If you will serve.” If you are not a slave to God, you are automatically a slave to His enemy.
8- Before long, Satan will always focus on satisfying the flesh. He said, “Look at that food, Eve.” He said to Jesus, “I will give you all of this.”
9- He is never around when it is all over.
Satan's Common Denominators
If these are the ways he works, we can reach some conclusions about how he works. We can learn the things that Satan cannot stand. If you will notice these 26 lies, you will notice that there are at least 4 common denominators. There are 4 things that the devil hates. Everywhere he surfaces these 4 things surface.
1- He cannot stand absolutes. He says to Eve, “Life is not that simple. Eat of this tree. Don't eat of that tree. It is not that easy. God is a god of love. He understands your heart. Just because He told you not to eat that tree doesn't mean that is absolute. You have to reason it out. It is all relative.” Satan tempted Moses. He struggled with this when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Satan said to David, “What is one indiscretion?” He said to Ananias, “Just bend the truth a little.” Lie? Not at all? Steal? Not at all? Commit adultery? Is it always wrong? There are no absolutes because if there are absolutes, he is absolutely finished.
2- He cannot stand authority. You always see Satan's lies surface when authority is brought into the picture. He cannot stand God's authority. He cannot stand anyone else's. This is his lie. He claimed, “I will be like the Most High.” This was his line to Eve. He told her, “You can be like God. You don't need anybody to rule over you. You don't need a boss. You can be your own boss.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7 in the Amplified Bible talks about the mystery of lawlessness. It describes it as the hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority which is already at work until the Restrainer has been taken away.
3- He cannot stand an awareness of open spiritual conflict. This is why we have spent so much time studying alliances these past few lessons. Satan doesn't want us to know who the enemy really is. He doesn't want us to know what the issues really are. He doesn't want us to know that the issues are the pulling down of spiritual strongholds. He doesn't want us to know that good and evil cannot coexist. He doesn't want us to know that we cannot trust the enemy, which is him. You are supposed to reprove a liar. You don't listen to a liar, you flee from him.
4- He wants to do battle in the physical realm, as he cannot stand to do battle in the spiritual realm, because God is spirit. He wants you to read your spirituality by experiences. He wants you to trace your growth by legalism. He wants you to trace your progress by numbers. He wants you to think physical. He wants your priorities to be in the physical realm. He wants your goals to be in the physical realm. This is his territory. God is spirit, and God is after character and spiritual transformation.
Satan said, “Jesus, do a miracle. God will save You.” “Jesus, eat the rock, God will turn it into bread.” “Jesus, all of this physical kingdom can be Yours.” “Eve, eat of the tree, that is what we are here for. Eat, drink and be merry.”
Satan also wants to destroy the deep, spiritual truths that lie beneath those physical conflicts. For instance, we dealt with a deeper truth when we were talking about sexual purity. The reason that sex outside of marriage is always wrong, is not just because of what it does to the commandment of God, but because it violates the spiritual principle that a man cannot find God without a commitment to Jesus Christ. A man cannot find physical satisfaction without a commitment to marriage. It is the picture, the portrait of salvation.
Then there is the picture of the home, the heavenly home with the heavenly Father. This is why Satan wants to destroy the home. Why does Satan want to destroy marriage? Because he wants us to believe that there is no security in Jesus Christ. He wants us to believe that the marriage that represents the relationship between Christ and the church can be broken. Why is it that he wants to do away with discipline? He wants us to believe that there is no divine discipline. He wants us to believe that there is no hell. Why is it that he wants to do away with responsibility and rewards through accomplishments? He wants us to believe that there is no Bema Seat, that there is no reward for the believer beyond this life. He wants to do away with the Bible, because he wants us to believe that there are not absolutes. He wants us to do away with national security, because he wants us to believe that in the spiritual realm there are no real enemies, no real conflict, no real conclusions and no real distinctions. He wants to do battle in the physical realm, but he wants to destroy spiritual truth.
The real conflict, oversimplified, is that the Christian is standing on absolute truth under absolute, God-derived authority. He must then recognize truth that comes only from God. Only a lie comes from the enemy. We must recognize that what comes from God is totally eternal, and there are spiritual promises for a spiritual kingdom. We must recognize that what comes from the world is totally temporal and that there are physical promises for a physical kingdom. To try to pull into focus and enjoy both is double vision. It does not work.
The four things that Satan cannot stand are: absolute truth, God-derived authority, an understanding of the battle, and the spiritual conflict that is involved. Watch for Satan in these four areas.
As we bring this series to a close, we must recognize that in no age in history since the cross has Satan battled so openly, so fiercely, and with such reckless abandon. You would almost think that he knows the game is about over, and he is going to lose.
Imagine if you will, a prisoner who is sentenced to be executed for a horrible crime. Time after time, he has been granted a stay of execution. Finally, the day dawns, and he is escorted down the corridor to the gas chamber. He hears the roar of the crowd. In a huge grandstand, seemingly, all of humanity is gathered to watch. As they round the corner, they take off his chains, not because he is free, but because there is no place left for him to go but to his death. Can you imagine what he would do? He would be in a frenzy, putting on the show of his life. Pretending to be showing the authority a thing or two, he would rant and rave and swing and hurl himself at anything in his way. It would be the game of pretense at its most ridiculous level. The prisoner is playing king, until having bruised and battered himself in this meaningless show of self, at the precise moment scheduled, the crowd goes silent. The gas chamber is filled, and he will meet his prescribed death. All of his last minute frenzy did nothing to alter his ultimate fate.
Satan, in these last days, is determined to behave just like that. He is a defeated foe. The clock of history is at 11:55. Like a mad man, he is frantically ranting and raving to the delight of the crowd. But, at the prescribed moment in history, the song of victory that was penned on that Roman cross, will break forth from those grandstands. The executioner will step forward to complete the pre-ordained role.
Have you ever looked at a timetable or a time line of Satan's life to see how close to the end he really is? Let's look at a chart of that. At the top you will see Satan's fall which is a result of his refusal to submit to the authority of God. He was then cast out of heaven.
Below that, we see his conflict with Eve in the garden. She, too, acknowledges his philosophy. No absolutes. No authority. Unaware of the real conflict, she chooses the physical pleasure rather than the will of God. She became her own boss just long enough to become Satan's slave. All mankind was thus cursed with sin.
Four thousand years or so pass, and we see Satan's conflict with Jesus in the wilderness. He tried to play “Let's Make a Deal” with God. It is his last ditch effort to avoid a sentence, but it didn't work. About three years later, on a Roman cross, Satan's death knoll was finally complete. His future was sealed. It was all over for him.
We then see some 2,000 years or so below that, the Church Age. This is the age in which we live. Now the Holy Spirit has been placed in the believer. Now demonic warfare goes on between the agents of the enemy and the spirit of God within the Christian. The pressure begins to build and build and build as the 2,000 years pass. By the end of the age, the struggle gets intense. The conflict heightens more and more as the age draws to a close. We hear, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. Decadence, open rebellion, the outpouring of the wrath of Satan.” But, also there is the potential that God would anoint His people with the Spirit. There will be an awakening of the saints, a revival in the church, and an outpouring of God's power throughout the world as people come to know Christ as never before.
We see that as this age draws to a close and to a climax, it builds and builds and builds. The lies of Satan become more visible. The spiritual conflict becomes more intense. There are more natural disasters. There are more emerging cults and false Messiahs. There is the re-emergence of Israel. There is the hatred in the Mideast as it boils and festers like a cancer.
This is the exciting part. At this time in history, the church of Jesus Christ gets a phone call. It is God on the line, and He says, “Come home. I am waiting for you.” No matter how you place this in the scheme of events, it will make no difference in what I am trying to share in this lesson. I am placing this at the beginning of the tribulation, because I believe this is when the church will be raptured. The tribulation period comes. It will be seven years of Satan's power as he flings himself against the prison walls. Death is imminent, and he fights for all he is worth. The Restrainer is gone, at least for the moment.
Then comes Armageddon. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ in all of His glory follows. Satan is then thrown into the bottomless pit. During the millennial reign of Christ, He will rule on the earth for 1,000 years. At the end of that, Satan will be loosed, but only for a season. Then he will be cast into the lake of fire forever and forever and forever. This is the truth. This is where Satan is headed.
Satan's biggest lie of all is that he will always be in charge of this world. It is not true. His time is running out. 2 Peter 3:3 says, “knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers walking after their own lusts.” Here comes Satan's story saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? It has been so long. Maybe the Father has been asleep all of these years. Things continue as they were since the beginning of creation. What is going to happen?” Peter goes on to say,
2 Peter 3:4 And saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God's most blessed truth is that except for the mercy of God, it would have been all over for Satan a long time ago. He is on borrowed time. Because of the righteousness of God, the promise of God will not fail. Christian, listen, some golden daybreak, Jesus will come. Do you believe that? First, He will come for us. We read in 1 Thessalonians 4,
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
That is a long time. Not only that, Jesus will come with us. We see in Matthew 16:27,
For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels.
Matthew 25:30 says,
When the Son of Man shall come in His glory with the angels, then with Him, He shall sit on the throne in His great glory.
Colossians 3:4 says,
When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye appear with Him also in glory.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 says,
To the end, He might establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all of His saints.
The Scripture teaches us that on that day, every knee will bow. On that day, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is God to the glory of the Father.
When this happens, we won't have to listen to Satan's lies anymore. Revelation 20:10 says,
...then the devil will again be thrown in the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever.
This is why Satan is fighting so hard. His executioner stands before him. That is why it is such an exciting time to be alive, if you are a Christian.
If you are not a Christian, this is not an exciting time to be alive, is it? There is depression. There is economic instability. There is the threat of war. Inflation is spiraling. We really don't know what the future holds, but it doesn't look good from the world's perspective. I would just like to tell you that there is Good News. This world is not our home. The King of kings is poised on the pedestal of history, just about to emerge to take His children home forever. If you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can do that right now by simply acknowledging the fact that you cannot be your own boss, that you cannot be your own god. You need to admit that you have been separated from God because of the sin in your life. Once and for all right now, you can accept the payment He made for your sins for all of eternity. Because He is, praise God, coming back.
McCain and Obama on Abortion
By DeeDee. Tuesday, 19. August 2008, 22:08:40
I got this from a blog on myspace.com. I am also pro-life.
Originally posted by a blog from myspace:
(WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENTS AND I’M NOT SORRY)
Category: Religion and Philosophy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRZX_ndZN-g
Obama doesn't seem to understand when an embryo becomes human. Maybe this will help him...
http://www.abort73.com/HTML/AbortionPictures/images/abortion-09-02.jpg
ABORTED AT 7 WEEKS - Do you see the human body here, OBAMA???
http://www.lifemalta.org/files/abortedpics/fullsize/07w-02.jpg
HOW ABOUT THIS OBAMA? IS THIS A TINY LITTLE HAND OF A 7 WEEK OLD FETUS? THIS BABY'S MOMMY JUST FIGURED OUT SHE WAS PREGNANT ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO...YEAH! THIS MAY BE "ABOVE MY PAY GRADE TOO", BUT I CAN SEE THIS IS A HUMAN HAND. BTW....I SUPPOSE YOU KNEW THE FETUS GETS RIPPED APART DURING ABORTION????
http://www.abort73.com/HTML/AbortionPictures/images/abortion-11-03.jpg
11 WEEKS....YA THINK THIS BABY FELT THE PAIN? THAT'S A NASTY LITTLE CUT!!! LOOKS HUMAN TO ME. ARE WE GETTING UP CLOSE TO YOUR "PAY GRADE" YET?
http://www.wickedshepherds.com/22_weeks-01.jpg
22 WEEKS.... BUT, THEN - HEY - MOMMY HAD A "CHOICE" AND SOME POLITICIANS AND LAWMAKERS WILL UPHOLD HER "CHOICE". THIS IS CLEARLY A HUMAN BEING.
http://www.headscarf.net/int_24WK_01.jpg
24 WEEKS - DOES THIS MEET YOUR DEFINATION OF "HUMAN" YET, OBAMA???? JEEZ.... MOMMY DEAREST CARRIED THIS LITTLE GIRL 24 WEEKS. I'M SURE IF SHE CARRIED HER JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER - SOMEONE WOULD HAVE ADOPTED HER AND LOVED HER FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. BUT....NOOOOO....MOMMY DEAREST HAS CHOICES........
AM I ANGRY? YOU BETCHA!!! I WANT TO YELL IT FROM THE ROOF TOPS....."NOBAMA!!!!!"
THINK PEOPLE!!!! PRO-CHOICE IS MURDER!!! DRESS IT UP ANY WAY YOU THINK IT WILL WORK TO SOOTH YOUR CONSCIENCE, BUT ABORTION IS MURDER!
I DO NOT WANT A PRESIDENT WHO SANCTIONS MURDER!!!
I'M DONE..... SAY WHATEVER YOU LIKE!!!!!!!!!!
BTW...The Saddleback Civil Forum was very informative. You can watch it here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/16/warren.forum/index.htmlcnnSTCVideo
DO ALL WORLD RELIGIONS LEAD US TO GOD BUT BY DIFFERENT PATHS?
By DeeDee. Tuesday, 19. August 2008, 21:55:09
I got this piece from a blog on myspace.com
Do the world's major religions, many of which believe in the Golden Rule and await a messiah or savior of humanity, share the same underlying values and beliefs such that they can be harmonized with each other?
Are the world's religions complementary?
Are they alternative paths to the same place?
Do they each provide a part of the ultimate truth, which is only understood when they are all blended together, providing a holistic perspective on the one ultimate truth?
Pluralism is the view that gives parity to all religions. They are all equally true or, alternatively, equally untrue. I will put aside the latter as that gets into the question of whether God exists, which is a topic all by itself. What about the position that all religions are equally true—the idea that all faiths are essentially teaching the same thing and heading in the right direction? There is a Japanese saying that although there may be different paths to the mountain peak, from that point one sees the same moon.
For many, pluralism is enthusiastically embraced as it seemingly offers a way toward world peace, of bringing people together, and of transcending our petty differences. This is arguably a beautiful and hopeful way of bridging our differences and seeing the unity we all have in God. Think of each of the world's religions as pieces of the same puzzle or alternative paths to the same goal. Perhaps Bahaism best embodies this noble, if elusive or problematic, goal. It is a syncretistic faith that blends together elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
A relatively new religion dating back to the mid-19th century and having its origins in Iran, the Bahai faith, believes that "throughout history, God has revealed himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, whose teachings guide and educate us and provide the basis for the advancement of human society. These Messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed. Their religions come from the same Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God." [ http://www.bahai.org/ ]
However, and space and time do not permit me to delve into this further, the reality is that there are sharp and fundamental differences between all of the world's religions. The result of trying to blend them all together is not a coherent, complementary and seamless whole like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that fit together. The result is a hodgepodge of often conflicting and opposed views. Many may have some belief in a messiah or savior or in something like the Golden Rule, but beyond that the differences emerge.
For example, Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God; Jews do not. Muslims believe that Mohammed was a Prophet of God; Christians and Jews do not.
I do not believe that all religions are equal. In the words of an online essayist named Dan Clendenen, "I'll never grant David Koresh religious parity with Mother Teresa. I don't think that Aztec human sacrifice and Buddhist almsgiving can expect equal allegiance. Hindu widow-burning, female infanticide, phallic worship (Egypt, Assyria, Greece, Rome, India, Japan, Native American), and the mass suicide of 913 people at Jim Jones' 'Pople's Temple' in northern Guyana all strike me as badly wrong."
In sharp contrast, Christianity and Islam each claim to be the only right path to God. That is, only they alone have the truth; all other religions are false. This view is known as exclusivity. "Jesus said, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" Many Christians cite this verse from the gospel of John to support an exclusive claim that Christianity is the only true religion and that there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ.
Jesus' words prompt us to ask two questions: Is Christianity the only true religion? Will people other than Christians be saved?
So, as you can see, we are presented with two possibilities. The first, pluralism, is that all religions lead us to the same destination, albeit using different paths. If this is true, then it does not matter, for example, if you or I choose to be Christians or Buddhists. Despite our differences, we will all arrive at the same end as others who have chosen different spiritual paths. We will all meet up in heaven and we will all come to know God.
The second possibility (if true), exclusivism, does not offer this warm and rosy blanket assurance. If there is only one true or valid religion and you or I choose the wrong one, then that spiritual path leads to disaster and ruin. That being so, if I know of people who have chosen the wrong path, I may well want to warn them of the peril they face by making the wrong choice. The third possibility, which I dismissed at the outset, is that all world religions are wrong. For if that is indeed true, then there is no point in our spiritual quest because it is impossible to find ultimate truth given that all religions are nothing more than human fantasy. This would put me in a funk. Is that all there is? Is there no hope for all of us? Is this as good as it gets? That being so, though, we have Paschal's wager to fall back on. Essentially, the proposition is that we lose nothing by living a good life, acting ethically according to the precepts of our faith, even though there may no heaven and no God.
Is it narrow-minded and bigoted for Christians to believe that Christianity has an exclusive claim to the truth and that all other religions are false? Surely, we know of people of other religions (both living and dead) who are obviously good people. "Good" in the sense that they have embodied Christ's commandment to love one another and, in some cases, to lay down their lives for those of others. Gandhi and the Dalai Lama come to my mind. How could God not embrace all people of good will?
If God does not accept non-Christians, many will conclude that the God proclaimed by Christians is a small and petty God or that Christians have put God in a box. Many non-Christians are turned off to Christianity when they encounter the Christian exclusivist view. Instead of the love of Jesus Christ, they often encounter the smug, self-righteous, holier-than-thou and morally superior Christian who in their zeal for truth have lost the spirit of Christ's radical message and have become pure like white-washed tombs.
Before we dismiss the exclusivist view, though, there a few things we need to thoughtfully consider. First, by the end of the First Century AD, it is estimated that Christians numbered in the low thousands. They were a persecuted minority. Many of them, including the Apostle Paul, had to endure imprisonment, torture and martyrdom. It was their bravery and courage that attracted many to Christianity. Had they not believed with tall their hearts, minds and souls that Jesus Christ was the only path to salvation, even to the point of being willing to sacrifice their lives for it, Christianity might well have been a fad or fringe cult that would quickly have disappeared from the scene.
We also read in Scripture, "I am a jealous God—you shall have no other gods before me." Worship of other gods is idolatry, according to much of Scripture.
I do think it is important for us to develop a critical ability to analyze today's religious or spiritual market and, along those lines, to be able to separate the wheat from the weeds. There is much wisdom in this saying: if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
I hope that as we think about these questions and attempt to answer them, we will refrain from fueling religious hatred and intolerance. For I believe this is terribly wrong and so contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is one of embracing others with love despite differences as in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus preached unconditional and inclusive love. Unfortunately, some Christians have done the opposite. They cannot accept or love the person whose religious convictions (or sexual orientation) they reject.
With that in mind, I suspect that we will be able to find that there are some commonalities that are shared by world religions having to do with 1) God or the Divine Creator, 2) the human condition, 3) salvation and eternal destiny, and 4) the nature of evil. I support and encourage inter-faith dialogue. Where we can work together we should. We need to respect and love each other even if we see things differently and even if we reach opposite conclusions.
Loving our neighbors in the spirit of Christ means being able to disagree without being disagreeable. It means being open and loving toward others and valuing that more than being right on all questions (pride). In other words, I am calling for us to approach these questions with humility and charity—not the holy stiff-arm.
Gandhi, the great Indian civil rights leader who advocated non-violent protest, once said something to the effect he loved and respected Jesus Christ. It is Christians that he had a problem with. They often preach one thing, but do another. Many seem to emulate the self-righteous Pharisees instead of modeling the compassion and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Recently, I was impressed with the comment that a fellow Christian that had posted to a blog. I invited her to become a MySpace friend, which, as you all know, involves no more commitment on one's part than a mouse click. She wrote back saying that she had read my MySpace profile, which is quite detailed, and insinuated that I did not believe the Bible or love Jesus Christ, that we were diametrically opposed in terms of our spiritual beliefs, and the only thing we had in common was a fondness for coffee. She rejected my offer of friendship because, in her mind, although I claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, I am not, and that makes me someone she could never consider a friend. That is the holy stiff-arm that non-Christians so often encounter from
Christians, especially the ones who in judging and condemning them, like to say "Jesus loves the sinner but hates the sin." They are the Christians who fling Bible verses at other Christians in a game of Scripture ping-pong. Here's my James 2:21. Oh yeah, take my Mark 2:17. The idea seems to be that whoever can post the most verses carries the argument. The Bible says it, I believe it, and that makes you wrong.
We can spend countless hours debating and arguing what is true and what is not with respect to religion. No matter what you say, you will not convince me for my God is bigger than yours. So goes the drill. In fact, we have done so for centuries and will continue to do so until the end of time. Each religion has its own Scripture and creeds, which, for them, define what is ultimate truth. What we choose to believe ultimately comes down to faith. Consider, for example, that while Jesus lived and walked among in first century Roman-controlled Palestine, and was performing numerous supernatural miracles while claiming to be the Son of God, not all were convinced and believed. You see, faith, upon which our beliefs are based, is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
This quote from the Reverend Alison Quin, an Episcopal priest, sums up how I understand things. "For my part, I hold Christianity to be true. I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I believe that salvation comes to the world through Jesus Christ, but as C.S. Lewis put it, I have no idea what arrangements God has made with other people. I trust God's love and tender compassion for all people…. But in the end, the way I live out our faith is even more important than the content of my beliefs. And on that, Jesus left us clear instructions and his own example. Love your neighbors as yourself, bless your enemies and be willing to forgive, just as we have been forgiven."
I apologize if my comments seem somewhat disjointed or stream of consciousness. This is a wide-ranging topic and I simply do not have the time to polish and better organize my thoughts at this time. I look forward to reading and gleaning additional insight from the comments others will post here in response.
Grace, peace and blessings,
Colby
Remarks?
Do the world's major religions, many of which believe in the Golden Rule and await a messiah or savior of humanity, share the same underlying values and beliefs such that they can be harmonized with each other?
Are the world's religions complementary?
Are they alternative paths to the same place?
Do they each provide a part of the ultimate truth, which is only understood when they are all blended together, providing a holistic perspective on the one ultimate truth?
Pluralism is the view that gives parity to all religions. They are all equally true or, alternatively, equally untrue. I will put aside the latter as that gets into the question of whether God exists, which is a topic all by itself. What about the position that all religions are equally true—the idea that all faiths are essentially teaching the same thing and heading in the right direction? There is a Japanese saying that although there may be different paths to the mountain peak, from that point one sees the same moon.
For many, pluralism is enthusiastically embraced as it seemingly offers a way toward world peace, of bringing people together, and of transcending our petty differences. This is arguably a beautiful and hopeful way of bridging our differences and seeing the unity we all have in God. Think of each of the world's religions as pieces of the same puzzle or alternative paths to the same goal. Perhaps Bahaism best embodies this noble, if elusive or problematic, goal. It is a syncretistic faith that blends together elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
A relatively new religion dating back to the mid-19th century and having its origins in Iran, the Bahai faith, believes that "throughout history, God has revealed himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, whose teachings guide and educate us and provide the basis for the advancement of human society. These Messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed. Their religions come from the same Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God." [ http://www.bahai.org/ ]
However, and space and time do not permit me to delve into this further, the reality is that there are sharp and fundamental differences between all of the world's religions. The result of trying to blend them all together is not a coherent, complementary and seamless whole like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that fit together. The result is a hodgepodge of often conflicting and opposed views. Many may have some belief in a messiah or savior or in something like the Golden Rule, but beyond that the differences emerge.
For example, Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God; Jews do not. Muslims believe that Mohammed was a Prophet of God; Christians and Jews do not.
I do not believe that all religions are equal. In the words of an online essayist named Dan Clendenen, "I'll never grant David Koresh religious parity with Mother Teresa. I don't think that Aztec human sacrifice and Buddhist almsgiving can expect equal allegiance. Hindu widow-burning, female infanticide, phallic worship (Egypt, Assyria, Greece, Rome, India, Japan, Native American), and the mass suicide of 913 people at Jim Jones' 'Pople's Temple' in northern Guyana all strike me as badly wrong."
In sharp contrast, Christianity and Islam each claim to be the only right path to God. That is, only they alone have the truth; all other religions are false. This view is known as exclusivity. "Jesus said, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" Many Christians cite this verse from the gospel of John to support an exclusive claim that Christianity is the only true religion and that there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ.
Jesus' words prompt us to ask two questions: Is Christianity the only true religion? Will people other than Christians be saved?
So, as you can see, we are presented with two possibilities. The first, pluralism, is that all religions lead us to the same destination, albeit using different paths. If this is true, then it does not matter, for example, if you or I choose to be Christians or Buddhists. Despite our differences, we will all arrive at the same end as others who have chosen different spiritual paths. We will all meet up in heaven and we will all come to know God.
The second possibility (if true), exclusivism, does not offer this warm and rosy blanket assurance. If there is only one true or valid religion and you or I choose the wrong one, then that spiritual path leads to disaster and ruin. That being so, if I know of people who have chosen the wrong path, I may well want to warn them of the peril they face by making the wrong choice. The third possibility, which I dismissed at the outset, is that all world religions are wrong. For if that is indeed true, then there is no point in our spiritual quest because it is impossible to find ultimate truth given that all religions are nothing more than human fantasy. This would put me in a funk. Is that all there is? Is there no hope for all of us? Is this as good as it gets? That being so, though, we have Paschal's wager to fall back on. Essentially, the proposition is that we lose nothing by living a good life, acting ethically according to the precepts of our faith, even though there may no heaven and no God.
Is it narrow-minded and bigoted for Christians to believe that Christianity has an exclusive claim to the truth and that all other religions are false? Surely, we know of people of other religions (both living and dead) who are obviously good people. "Good" in the sense that they have embodied Christ's commandment to love one another and, in some cases, to lay down their lives for those of others. Gandhi and the Dalai Lama come to my mind. How could God not embrace all people of good will?
If God does not accept non-Christians, many will conclude that the God proclaimed by Christians is a small and petty God or that Christians have put God in a box. Many non-Christians are turned off to Christianity when they encounter the Christian exclusivist view. Instead of the love of Jesus Christ, they often encounter the smug, self-righteous, holier-than-thou and morally superior Christian who in their zeal for truth have lost the spirit of Christ's radical message and have become pure like white-washed tombs.
Before we dismiss the exclusivist view, though, there a few things we need to thoughtfully consider. First, by the end of the First Century AD, it is estimated that Christians numbered in the low thousands. They were a persecuted minority. Many of them, including the Apostle Paul, had to endure imprisonment, torture and martyrdom. It was their bravery and courage that attracted many to Christianity. Had they not believed with tall their hearts, minds and souls that Jesus Christ was the only path to salvation, even to the point of being willing to sacrifice their lives for it, Christianity might well have been a fad or fringe cult that would quickly have disappeared from the scene.
We also read in Scripture, "I am a jealous God—you shall have no other gods before me." Worship of other gods is idolatry, according to much of Scripture.
I do think it is important for us to develop a critical ability to analyze today's religious or spiritual market and, along those lines, to be able to separate the wheat from the weeds. There is much wisdom in this saying: if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
I hope that as we think about these questions and attempt to answer them, we will refrain from fueling religious hatred and intolerance. For I believe this is terribly wrong and so contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is one of embracing others with love despite differences as in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus preached unconditional and inclusive love. Unfortunately, some Christians have done the opposite. They cannot accept or love the person whose religious convictions (or sexual orientation) they reject.
With that in mind, I suspect that we will be able to find that there are some commonalities that are shared by world religions having to do with 1) God or the Divine Creator, 2) the human condition, 3) salvation and eternal destiny, and 4) the nature of evil. I support and encourage inter-faith dialogue. Where we can work together we should. We need to respect and love each other even if we see things differently and even if we reach opposite conclusions.
Loving our neighbors in the spirit of Christ means being able to disagree without being disagreeable. It means being open and loving toward others and valuing that more than being right on all questions (pride). In other words, I am calling for us to approach these questions with humility and charity—not the holy stiff-arm.
Gandhi, the great Indian civil rights leader who advocated non-violent protest, once said something to the effect he loved and respected Jesus Christ. It is Christians that he had a problem with. They often preach one thing, but do another. Many seem to emulate the self-righteous Pharisees instead of modeling the compassion and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Recently, I was impressed with the comment that a fellow Christian that had posted to a blog. I invited her to become a MySpace friend, which, as you all know, involves no more commitment on one's part than a mouse click. She wrote back saying that she had read my MySpace profile, which is quite detailed, and insinuated that I did not believe the Bible or love Jesus Christ, that we were diametrically opposed in terms of our spiritual beliefs, and the only thing we had in common was a fondness for coffee. She rejected my offer of friendship because, in her mind, although I claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, I am not, and that makes me someone she could never consider a friend. That is the holy stiff-arm that non-Christians so often encounter from
Christians, especially the ones who in judging and condemning them, like to say "Jesus loves the sinner but hates the sin." They are the Christians who fling Bible verses at other Christians in a game of Scripture ping-pong. Here's my James 2:21. Oh yeah, take my Mark 2:17. The idea seems to be that whoever can post the most verses carries the argument. The Bible says it, I believe it, and that makes you wrong.
We can spend countless hours debating and arguing what is true and what is not with respect to religion. No matter what you say, you will not convince me for my God is bigger than yours. So goes the drill. In fact, we have done so for centuries and will continue to do so until the end of time. Each religion has its own Scripture and creeds, which, for them, define what is ultimate truth. What we choose to believe ultimately comes down to faith. Consider, for example, that while Jesus lived and walked among in first century Roman-controlled Palestine, and was performing numerous supernatural miracles while claiming to be the Son of God, not all were convinced and believed. You see, faith, upon which our beliefs are based, is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
This quote from the Reverend Alison Quin, an Episcopal priest, sums up how I understand things. "For my part, I hold Christianity to be true. I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I believe that salvation comes to the world through Jesus Christ, but as C.S. Lewis put it, I have no idea what arrangements God has made with other people. I trust God's love and tender compassion for all people…. But in the end, the way I live out our faith is even more important than the content of my beliefs. And on that, Jesus left us clear instructions and his own example. Love your neighbors as yourself, bless your enemies and be willing to forgive, just as we have been forgiven."
I apologize if my comments seem somewhat disjointed or stream of consciousness. This is a wide-ranging topic and I simply do not have the time to polish and better organize my thoughts at this time. I look forward to reading and gleaning additional insight from the comments others will post here in response.
Grace, peace and blessings,
Colby
Remarks?
Isn't it strange?
By DeeDee. Sunday, 10. August 2008, 13:54:18
Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?
Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?
Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?
Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or ZANE GREY book?
Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?
Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?
Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?
Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?
Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?
Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?
IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT?
Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?
Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?
Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or ZANE GREY book?
Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?
Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?
Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?
Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?
Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?
Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?
IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT?
Showing posts 1 - 10 of 35.
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jonrod
2009-04-05 14:19:58Just joined your group. Hope to make some new friends. Oh, and I live in beautiful Idaho.
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