SBS Sermon Notes Note 08/04
Reading: Geneses Chapter 3
INTRODUCTION
Few people, comparatively speaking, consider themselves
a priceless prize being sought after by the two spiritual superpowers
of the universe: Satan the Devil on the one hand and
Yahweh the Creator on the other. Nevertheless, believe
it or not, you are an extremely valuable prize and both
these superpowers are after your soul! But are you worth their
efforts? Are you a valuable prize in the first place? Yes you
are. The worth of an object can usually be measured by the price
a knowledgeable collector is prepared to pay for it: the
higher the price, the more valuable the object.
In Sermon Note 05/06 you will learn
of the price the Creator paid for your soul, your redemption!
It was great! Scripture tells us that you and I were bought with
the precious blood of the Son of God! Pause
a moment and give that stunning fact some thought. Once more ask
yourself: Are you valuable? Do you count? Has anyone told you
that you are a unique and priceless treasure? Possibly not.
Well, I'm telling you now. You - and every other person on earth
- are priceless! Perhaps not in your or another's estimation;
but most certainly in God's opinion. You are a valuable prize
to be won. Never forget that fact. This world is a spiritual
stadium where you and I are allowed to decide on whose side
we play and who will captain our souls. This world is an auction
market where we - individually - decide whose bid wins our
allegiance. This world is a garbage dump where we decide
if we're going to rot away with the mass of humanity, or be salvaged,
redeemed and sanctified by the Saviour. Oh yes, you are valuable.
Let no one ever tell you otherwise. But, and here is a fact you
must not forget, God is not the only one seeking your allegiance.
Satan is also after you, after you with a diabolic determination.
1. ULTIMATE OBJECTIVES
Yahweh's objective for you is to live eternally
with Him in the new universe. The Bible tells us that He
has scheduled Himself to make all things new.
| Revelation 21:1 | And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. |
Do you want to be in the new universe, to live for all time with the Creator? I certainly do. When we consider the present universe, its size, weight and complexity we join the Psalmist and ask the question:
| Psalm 8:3 | When I consider thy heavens, the work
of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4: What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5: For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6: Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: |
The new universe will be managed by the redeemed host under the divine control of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) the Son of Man! Beneath him in descending steps of spiritual authority and power will come the apostles, prophets, martyrs and leaders in the redeemed host: with every saint having the power and authority reflecting his/her performance whilst on this earth. The following parable pictures this.
| Luke 19:15 | And it came to pass, that when he
was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these
servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money,
that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16: Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17: And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18: And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19: And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. |
2. SATAN'S AGENTS
But Satan wants the inhabitants of the universe to
worship him. That is his supreme objective. In the distant
past Satan conceived the astonishing idea of dethroning the
Almighty and setting himself over the universe! Why such a
foolish thought entered his head is impossible to tell,
but that is what happened. Read the story of Satan's colossal
pride and fall in Ezekiel chapter 28. Satan's revolution against
Yahweh is also pictured in Revelation 12. where we see how
he sought to kill the Son of God. Over the centuries, and
with a measure of success Satan set up an organisation
of evil beyond our ability to understand. Its polluting effect
on the universe, and particularly on mankind can be seen in
the murder, violence, greed, rape, war, famine and disease
rampant in human society. Yes, the real enemy of mankind
is Satan and he is bidding for your soul! That is a fact you
ignore at your peril. What should you do about it?
| Ephesians 6:11 | Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. |
3. TYPES OF SATANIC ATTACK
Like an expert fisherman, Satan will try every bait
he can think of to catch his victims. Here are a few of his numerous
lures.
Casting Doubt on God's Word
Genesis 3:1-4 Yea hath God said?
Luke 4:3 If thou be the Son of God…
Bribery
| Luke 4:5 | And the devil, taking him up into an
high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in
a moment of time. 6: And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7: If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. |
Sexual Pleasures
| 2 Samuel 11:1 | ... But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
2: And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 3: And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4: And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; |
| Numbers 25:1 | And Israel abode in Shittim, and
the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters
of Moab. 2: And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3: And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. |
Denial
| Luke 22:54 | Then took they him (Jesus),
and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And
Peter followed afar off. 55: And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. 56: But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. 57: And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. 58: And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.. |
Money / Goods / Position / Fame / Pleasure
All these and many other diversions are used by Satan
to tempt people to destruction. Beware!
4. CALL FOR HELP
Is escape possible? It is, but only with the help
of God. To obtain help we must first recognise the fact
that over and above Satan is the supreme ruler, Yahweh the
Almighty God of Israel. He is able and willing to send
help to those who request it. Here is proof:
| Psalm 86:5 | For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. |
| Joel 2:32 | And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: |
| Romans 10:13 | For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. |
Call for help, pray for help, cry out for help because
help is on hand and escape is possible. Prayer is the best weapon
against Satan. If necessary ask the whole church to pray for you
in your trouble. God will answer.
5. VICTORY OR DEFEAT
Your personal conflict with Satan will end with victory
or defeat. There is no middle course. You either overcome Satan
or he overcomes you. Every day is a separate battle, to be
won or lost. With Yahweh's help you can be increasingly victorious.
But it's up to you. With God's help you can do it. Without His
help you are lost before you even start; no matter how strong
you may consider yourself to be. Satan is an extremely powerful
enemy and victory over him is only possible if you have the Holy
Spirit of the Most High on your side. Yeshua (Jesus) not
only overcame Satan in days gone by; but he will help you do the
same in this evil day and age.
Be an Overcomer
| Revelation 2:7 | To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst
of the paradise of God…11: He that overcometh shall
not be hurt of the second death. ...26: And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations. |
| Revelation 3:5 | He that overcometh, the
same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out
his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name
before my Father, and before his angels. ... 21: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne |
| Revelation 12:11 | And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. |
And there you have it, your choice between Satan's trinkets (the pleasures of sin, fame, wealth, possessions) and the priceless prize offered by the Most High: eternal life, peace, joy and glory in the new universe with Him. The choice is yours to make. Every day - indeed, every hour of every day - a spiritual conflict is being fought in the mind of every soul on earth. The two spiritual superpowers of the universe, Satan the Devil. and Yahweh the Creator are contending for your soul. Are you worth the attention and effort? Are you such a valuable prize to be won? On the evidence of Holy Writ, I can assure you that you are an extremely valuable prize. So never underestimate yourself. Instead, insure that God rules your life and not Satan.