Participants: Kameron DeVasher
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000067
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00:23 Hello friends and welcome to
00:24 Three Angels Broadcasting Network 00:27 from the... as I always say... the biggest little city in the 00:29 world here in Thompsonville/West Frankfort, Illinois, 00:33 where we believe that the Lord is reaching out around the world 00:36 carrying this final message to a world that really needs 00:40 to know about Jesus. So thank you for tuning in 00:42 tonight. If you are walking around in your living room 00:45 or if you're still at work... whatever you're doing... 00:47 if you have this program in view, sit down for the next hour 00:50 and wait for the blessing that God has packaged for you 00:54 tonight. We have a wonderful series. Tonight is the second 00:57 night of the series entitled The Greater Controversy 01:01 and our presenter is Kameron DeVasher. 01:03 And he has blessed already and I believe that tonight 01:06 the Lord is going to pour into him again 01:08 to bless your hearts as you sit down and hear what the 01:12 Spirit has to say to the church. 01:14 The series continues tomorrow night. Also on Saturday morning 01:19 and Saturday afternoon. So we have three more parts 01:22 to the series entitled The Greater Controversy. 01:26 But thank you for tuning in and thank you for your prayers 01:28 and all you do to advance the cause of God. 01:31 Tonight before our speaker comes out we have music also. 01:35 And I'll introduce our musicians in just a brief moment. 01:38 Actually not just musicians but ministers of music. 01:41 We are blessed to have Michael and Celestine Barry 01:44 who are members of our local congregation. 01:46 Tonight we're going to share them with you 01:48 and they'll be ministering a song entitled "Friendship. " 01:51 Michael will be playing the piano and Celestine will 01:53 be blessing you as she uses the gift that God has given to her 01:56 in the wonderful voice. But before we do any of that 01:59 we want to bow our heads and invite the presence of the Lord 02:01 to be with us tonight as we wait on the Lord. 02:04 Let's bow our heads. 02:06 Gracious Father in heaven, we thank you, Lord, 02:08 that You are good all the time. 02:11 In the context of this world today there is controversy 02:14 about everything. So many controversies are growing 02:18 in these last days. Sometimes we look away 02:21 from the One who can solve all the controversies 02:24 and we get caught up in the vacuum of our preferences 02:27 and the things that have come to our hearts... 02:30 whether political or religious. 02:32 But tonight as we consider the importance of the topic 02:35 tonight we pray that You will bless our hearts. 02:37 We pray that the message "The Last Link of Sympathy" 02:41 will be centered on Christ. So bless our speaker tonight 02:45 and bless the music for Your glory and for Your honor. 02:49 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 02:53 I'd like to invite Michael and Celestine to come 02:55 and minister to us tonight. And the song is a single word 02:58 to entitle the song: "Friendship. " 03:01 I know it's about the friend- ship we can have with Christ. 03:04 Let us wait on the Lord as our hearts are drawn closer to Him 03:08 through music. 03:27 Friendship is forever. 03:34 It cannot be broken. 03:41 Love is always there 03:43 though not a word is spoken. 03:47 They have something special 03:53 that no one else can share. 03:57 They may hear a voice 04:00 or see a smile as someone passes by. 04:07 That's when they'll think of you 04:11 and breathe a happy sigh... 04:16 What is a friend? 04:23 What is a friend? 04:29 What is a friend? 04:33 Would you like 04:35 to know? 04:42 Well, He'd go with you anywhere 04:48 when others have said "no. " 04:55 When things you said or did went wrong 05:00 He'd never say "I told you so... " 05:06 He'll just keep on loving you 05:11 and on His way He'd go. 05:16 He'd be there to cheer you 05:21 when you were feeling sad. 05:23 He'd know just the right thing to say... 05:27 things to make you glad. 05:30 And when life is over and done 05:35 and the last mile you have trod 05:42 you'll find you had a friend all along 05:48 and He's still here 05:53 with you... 05:58 What is a friend? 06:05 Who is your friend? 06:11 God is your 06:16 friend. 06:23 Amen! 06:27 Good evening everyone. Good evening. 06:30 I could not have picked a better musical selection. 06:33 What a message! What a ministry! Thank you so much 06:35 for that message in song. God is our friend! 06:38 And in fact that's a great way to wrap up what we've been 06:41 talking about last night and we're going to be continuing 06:44 to talk about tonight and then the night and day to follow. 06:47 As we look at The Greater Controversy 06:50 let's take a minute to review. 06:53 Last night in our opening discussion about Beyond Ptolemy 06:57 we viewed... and I want to review several points with you 06:59 here. Number 1: that there is more involved 07:03 in the conflict between Christ and Satan 07:06 than merely the salvation of fallen sinners. 07:09 Now again, that's very important to me; it's very important 07:12 to you... because that's what we are. 07:15 But beyond us, there's a universe out there. 07:17 Number 2: Lucifer's war in heaven 07:20 was not an outwardly-violent war of arms 07:24 but a much more subtle, a much more insidious war of words. 07:28 He was politicking. He was argumentively attacking 07:32 the government of God. 07:34 And number 3: though God knew clearly the rebellious intent 07:37 and murderous motives in Lucifer's heart 07:40 He did not immediately blot him out of existence... 07:43 instead He cast him to the earth. 07:45 And the reason given in scripture is very important. 07:48 "That those who knew him might gaze at him 07:51 and consider him. " To watch him and to think about 07:55 what he was doing. 07:57 And finally, we closed with the illustration of the judge 08:00 who coincidentally presided over the trial of the man who 08:04 robbed his own house 08:05 while he was home. 08:08 Not the man robbed his own house but he robbed the judge's 08:10 house. You get what I'm saying. 08:11 And the moral of the story being that 08:14 both the judge and the accused when they walked into the 08:17 courtroom and saw each other knew the truth. 08:19 But the due process still had to go forward because 08:23 other people needed to understand the truth. 08:25 There was a broader audience; 08:27 there was a greater thing to be resolved. 08:29 Similarly, God is not only interested in being right 08:33 He's concerned about being seen as right 08:36 by His created beings. 08:39 Thus Satan was cast out of heaven so that those who 08:42 knew him might gaze at him and consider him. 08:44 And I love the fact that we have such a marvelous God 08:47 who cares what we think. 08:50 Who is willing to go through all of this 08:52 so that we'll be won back... not temporarily, 08:55 not by force, but by a draw of love. 08:58 Looking at His character we'll see the difference 09:00 and we'll choose the right. 09:02 Tonight we're going to continue our study, but before 09:04 we begin any study of God's Word we need to begin with 09:06 a word of prayer so that the inspirer of scripture 09:09 can be our instructor this evening. 09:11 Let's bow our heads. Dear heavenly Father, 09:12 Lord, I thank you again for the opportunity 09:16 of opening Your Word 09:19 and studying these deep things. 09:22 And Lord tonight, help us to further this theme. 09:25 Help us to see as the scripture unfolds 09:27 more clearly the character of Satan, but more importantly 09:30 the character of our Savior Jesus Christ. 09:33 Help us to see that truly He is our Friend. 09:35 We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 09:38 Revelation chapter 12. Again, this is going to be 09:41 a Bible study. I make no apology; 09:43 I'm just letting you know we're going to be in the scripture. 09:45 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 7. 09:48 We saw this scripture last evening. We're going to 09:50 pick it up this evening again. 09:52 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 7: 09:54 "And war broke out in heaven. 09:56 Michael and His angels fought with the dragon 09:59 and the dragon and his angels fought... 10:01 but they did not prevail nor was a place found for them 10:04 in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast 10:08 out: that serpent of old called the devil and Satan 10:11 who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth 10:13 and his angels were cast out with him. " 10:16 And that's where we stopped last evening. 10:17 We're going to go one more verse to verse 10. 10:20 "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven 10:22 'Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God 10:26 and the power of His Christ have come 10:28 for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before 10:31 our God day and night has been cast down. ' " 10:35 Now in this passage of scripture 10:38 it does not refer to the enemy of Christ as Lucifer, 10:42 that covering cherub, but now it refers to him with 10:44 several names: "that serpent of old" 10:46 or "the devil and Satan. " 10:48 Just in case there was any ambiguity or uncertainty 10:51 this is who we're talking about. This is Satan. 10:53 But notice that one of the monikers given him is 10:56 "that serpent of old. " 10:58 "That serpent of old. " And even a cursory review 11:01 of the Bible scripture... of scripture... would take you 11:03 back to the very beginning of the Bible 11:05 in the book of Genesis with "that serpent of old... " 11:08 that ancient serpent. So let's go there: 11:10 Genesis chapter 1. 11:14 Genesis chapter 1 describes the creation of this world. 11:17 It begins with the phrase "In the beginning... " 11:20 And now we've come to the beginning of us. 11:22 There was a beginning before this in the beginning, 11:24 but now we come to our beginning. 11:27 "In the beginning God... " verse 1... 11:29 "created the heavens and the earth. " 11:31 And it proceeds to outline all the way in which He created 11:34 each day and the sequence and order. 11:36 And I so love a Lord who takes the time to create us. 11:40 But look in verse 26. 11:42 It says here when it comes to the creation of humanity - 11:46 the crowning work of that creation week - 11:48 "Then God said: 'Let us make man... ' And this is key: 11:52 'in Our image according to Our likeness. 11:56 Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, 11:58 over the birds of the air and over the cattle 12:00 and over all the earth and over every creeping thing 12:02 that creeps on the earth. ' " 12:03 So as if to say that was God's conversation. 12:07 So as a result of that conversation He had with Himself 12:10 verse 27: "So God created man in His own image. 12:16 In the image of God He created him; 12:19 male and female He created them. 12:23 Then God blessed them and said to them: 12:25 'Be fruitful and multiply. 12:27 Fill the earth and subdue it. 12:31 Have dominion over the fish of the sea, 12:34 over the birds of the air, over every living thing 12:36 that moves on the earth. ' " 12:38 So God formed man in His own image. 12:42 In His likeness. Makes them male and female. 12:44 He creates them... for only a them can represent 12:48 a God who is plural. 12:50 Creates them and then gives them the command to be 12:54 fruitful and multiply... and to have dominion 12:56 over everything else that had been created. 13:00 They were given dominion over this world. 13:03 So get the picture from Satan's perspective. 13:06 He's been cast out of heaven and now God 13:08 through the agency of His Son Jesus 13:10 who is also known as Michael - "He who IS like God" - 13:13 has now created new beings 13:18 in the image of God and has given them dominion. 13:22 Which are not those the very two things 13:24 that Lucifer himself desired in the kingdom of heaven? 13:28 In fact, go back to Isaiah 14 in your mind 13:30 or in your Bibles... that's fine if you can do it quickly. 13:32 Isaiah chapter 14 we see that internal monologue where 13:36 Lucifer said in his heart quote: 13:38 "I will ascend into heaven. 13:41 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. " 13:44 Notice he didn't just want to be above the stars of God 13:47 he wanted to be on a throne in dominion. 13:49 "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. 13:53 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 13:55 on the farthest sides of the north. 13:57 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. 13:59 I will be like the Most High. " 14:03 This is what was eating away in his heart in heaven. 14:09 And now he desires that same thought process to be 14:14 instilled, to be imbued into the creatures who genuinely are 14:19 in the image of God. 14:22 So we go to Genesis chapter 3. 14:24 I like to point out to people that the only perfect pages 14:28 in scripture are the first two. 14:30 Everything else is the sin problem and the resolution of 14:32 the sin problem. Everything was good 14:34 for about two chapters, then we come to Genesis chapter 3:1. 14:40 "Now the serpent... " Remember, this was where John 14:43 borrows his language in the book of Revelation: 14:45 "that ancient serpent? " "Now the serpent was more 14:48 cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God 14:51 had made. " And I'll pause right there. 14:53 It's not because he developed into this cunning thing. 14:56 There's a power behind the power. 14:58 You'll see this motif running all through scripture: 15:01 that any time Satan works he always goes through a front man, 15:04 a puppet if you will. 15:05 This time he uses the serpent. 15:07 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast 15:10 of the field that the Lord God had made. 15:12 And he said to the woman... " 15:14 So there's a conversation between the serpent 15:17 and the woman: "... 'Has God indeed said 15:21 you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? ' 15:24 And the woman said to the serpent: 15:26 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden 15:29 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the 15:31 garden God has said 'You shall not eat it 15:33 nor shall you touch it lest you die. ' 15:35 Then the serpent said to the woman: 15:37 'You will not surely die. ' " 15:40 And of course if we were to look at the Lord's instructions 15:42 He had said almost the exact same thing except He had said 15:45 "you SHALL surely die. " 15:48 The serpent takes one little twist and says: 15:51 "It's actually the exact opposite of what God said... 15:54 you will NOT surely die. " 15:57 And here's the reason why in verse 5: 16:00 "For God knows... " Now let's just pause right there... 16:05 the implication being "and you don't know. " 16:09 For God knows something that He has not told you. 16:12 There's some inside information that you don't have access to. 16:15 "God knows that in the day you eat of it 16:19 your eyes will be opened... " Again, what's the implication? 16:22 Your eyes are currently closed. 16:25 There's something you can't see. There's something 16:27 beyond... something you've been denied access to. 16:32 "For God knows the day you eat of it 16:34 your eyes will be opened and you will be... " 16:36 and here's the thing... "like God. " 16:40 He takes that same mindset 16:42 that had resulted in his own expulsion from the kingdom of 16:45 heaven and he tries to implant it into these creatures 16:49 who have dominion and were created in the image of God. 16:58 Notice how they would be like God. This is key as well. 17:01 "For you will be like God knowing good and evil. " 17:07 Of course, it's the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil 17:10 from where he's setting up shop and making these arguments. 17:17 Notice verse 6 then: 17:19 "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food 17:22 and pleasing to the eye... " - 17:25 as was every other tree in the Garden of Eden. 17:27 And don't get this idea that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good 17:30 and Evil was something like a wicked witch. Dark, ugly. 17:33 No, no, no, no, no. 17:34 It was good for food; it was pleasing to the eye. 17:36 But that's not what got her to eat it. Watch this now: 17:38 "and desirable to make one wise. " 17:43 There was some information, some access 17:45 to knowledge that was from her perspective 17:49 now forbidden her, and she wanted to cross over. 17:54 "She took of its fruit and ate and she also gave 17:57 to her husband who was with her and he ate. 17:59 Then the eyes of both of them WERE opened 18:04 and they knew that they were naked. " 18:06 They didn't become like gods... they became exposed. 18:10 Vulnerable. "And the sewed fig leaves 18:13 together and made coverings for themselves. " 18:16 And what's fascinating about this chapter beyond what we've 18:18 already read is how it unfolds. 18:20 And the Lord comes walking in the garden in the 18:22 cool of the day and He calls to man and He says: 18:23 "Where are you? " 18:25 As if God ever has to ask... He already knows 18:28 but He's calling out to the man because there's a relationship. 18:31 "Where are you? We used to walk together. Where? " 18:33 And the man says: "We are hiding because we are afraid 18:36 because we were naked. " 18:37 And I love God's question: 18:39 "WHO told you you were naked? " 18:42 He didn't say: "How did you discover this? " 18:43 Or "What happened? " 18:45 Or "Where were you? " Or "What were you doing? " 18:47 He simply said: "WHO told you? " 18:50 The implication being: "You've been talking to someone. 18:54 A conversation has happened, has it not? 18:57 Who told you this? " 18:59 And of course, He goes to the man and the man says: 19:02 "The woman You put here with me. " The woman said: 19:04 "Well the serpent... " 19:06 And what's fascinating is when we get to the serpent 19:11 verse 14: "So the Lord God said to the serpent... " 19:13 To the woman He had asked a question: 19:15 "What happened? " To the man He had asked a question: 19:18 "What happened? " But to the serpent no questions. 19:20 "So the Lord God said to the serpent: 'Because you have 19:24 done this you are cursed 19:27 more than all the cattle. More than every beast of the 19:29 field. On your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust 19:31 all the days of your life. ' " 19:33 It's almost as if He has dealt with this serpent before. 19:37 He's had his opportunity to have a question and answer session 19:41 for clarification. But now there's no opportunity for 19:45 questioning... it's just sentencing. 19:48 This is that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan. 19:52 And I also think it's fascinating that 19:54 though the serpent was cursed 19:55 the man and the woman only had consequences 19:57 of their sin, both of which tied them more intimately 20:01 to that from which they were created. 20:03 To the man it was to the ground and to the woman 20:06 it was to the man... a reminder that you are indeed 20:09 NOT like God. In fact God even says to the man: 20:12 "For dust you are and to dust you shall return. " 20:16 You are not gods... you are indeed created beings 20:19 and now fallen created beings. 20:22 Basically Satan was allowed to set up shop in the 20:24 Garden of Eden and from the Tree of Knowledge 20:26 of Good and Evil he peddled the same rebellious merchandise 20:30 of envy and distrust for which he had been cast out of heaven. 20:37 Romans 6:16. There's a very simple principle, 20:41 very simple principle. Romans 6 verse 16 says: 20:46 "Do you not know? " As if to say 20:48 "This is common sense. " 20:51 "This is not deep theology, this is just regular understanding. " 20:54 "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves 20:57 slaves to obey you are that one's slave whom you obey? 21:04 Whether of sin leading to death 21:07 or of obedience leading to righteousness. " 21:11 Basically Paul lays out a very simple principle: 21:13 whoever you obey is your master. 21:16 You surrender the high ground when you obey to them. 21:20 Adam and Eve were the rulers of this world 21:22 only obedient to the Lord of Hosts. That was it. 21:25 But now Satan has come in and they have become obedient 21:28 to him and therefore they are his slaves. 21:31 In a very real sense Satan became the ruler of this world. 21:35 The Bible makes this unmistakably clear. 21:37 In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 2 he is called 21:39 "the prince of the power of the air. " 21:42 In II Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 4 he is referred to 21:44 as "the god of this world. " 21:46 That's a big statement to make about someone who is not God. 21:50 But Bible writers have no problem. 21:51 This being is the "god of this world. " 21:55 In fact, in Matthew chapter 4 21:56 in verses 8 and 9 in the temptation of Jesus in the 21:59 wilderness the scripture says that Satan quote: 22:04 "took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain 22:06 and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world 22:08 and their glory and he said to Him: 22:10 "all these things I will... " What? 22:13 "give You. " What's the implication? 22:16 I own it; it's mine to give! 22:19 "All these things I will give You 22:22 IF You worship me. " 22:27 "All of these things I will give You if You bow down 22:30 and worship me. " And in a very real sense 22:33 that was a legitimate claim of dominion. 22:37 Satan knew that Jesus had come to win this place back 22:40 and he says: "Look, I already own the place. 22:42 I'll just give it to You... well, not quite give it to You. 22:44 There's only one little price: one time bow down and worship. 22:47 This is the shortcut... this is the easy way. 22:49 It's mine to give and I'll let You have it 22:52 almost free of charge. " 22:56 And you think this is an audacious claim, but Jesus 22:59 Himself... Three different times in the book of John we find 23:02 Jesus referring to Satan as "the ruler of this world. " 23:06 You'll find it in John chapter 12; John chapter 14; 23:09 and John chapter 16: 23:10 Jesus Himself calling Satan "the ruler of this world. " 23:13 Turn with me to John chapter 12. 23:15 Let's look at that last one in particularly. 23:17 John chapter 12. 23:19 I'm sorry, the first one that we mentioned. 23:21 John chapter 12. Go to verse 31. 23:23 John chapter 12. 23:30 These are the words of Jesus. 23:33 "Now is the judgment of this world. 23:36 Now the ruler of this world will be... " 23:39 What are the next two words? 23:40 "cast out. " 23:45 Well let's keep going to verse 32, see if we can 23:47 sort out what He's saying. "And I, if I am lifted up 23:50 from the earth will draw all people to Myself. " 23:53 Wait a minute! Jesus admits that Satan is the ruler 23:57 of this world but that now he will be cast out. 24:01 But based on our presentation all of last evening 24:04 shouldn't this raise a question in your mind? 24:07 I thought he had already been cast out. 24:11 What is He talking "he will be cast out? " 24:14 Is it possible that there's two different? 24:17 Well let's just keep reading. 24:21 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 7... 24:23 starting with verse 7. I'm going to read this again 24:25 but I want you to see if perhaps there is an allusion 24:28 to two castings out in Revelation chapter 12. 24:32 Again, verse 7: 24:34 "And war broke out in heaven. 24:36 Michael and His angels fought with the dragon 24:38 and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail 24:40 nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. " 24:43 Verse 9: 24:44 "So the great dragon was cast out... " 24:46 there's our first one... 24:48 "The great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old 24:52 called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. 24:54 He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out 24:56 with him. " Now we've included verse 10: 24:59 "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven: 25:02 'Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God 25:05 and the power of His Christ have come. 25:07 For the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God 25:09 day and night has been cast down. ' " 25:13 You read those all quickly in a blur and you think 25:15 that all these casting outs and casting downs 25:17 are the same thing. But apparently Christ can 25:19 cast Satan out of heaven and then when He gets here 25:22 on the earth 4,000 years later 25:24 say he's about to be cast out. 25:26 How does this resolve? 25:30 Well either way, Adam and Eve by obeying Satan 25:33 and disobeying God have effectively relinquished their 25:36 ruler... the rule of the earth 25:38 to their Creator's adversary... Satan. 25:41 Which of course that's what the name Satan means: 25:43 your enemy, your opposer, your adversary. 25:46 Christ, however, with His death on the cross intended to 25:51 cast out the devil - and I propose - for the second time. 25:55 Go to the book of Job. 25:57 The book of Job is fascinating. 26:00 It's perhaps one of the most overlooked Bible books. 26:03 And when people do talk about it maybe they might mention 26:07 the patience of Job or the sufferings of Job 26:09 and the endurance with which and the patience he put up with 26:12 these difficult trials. But let's see the deeper 26:16 meaning of the book of Job. 26:17 Job chapter 1 starting with verse 6. 26:22 "Now there was a day when the sons of God 26:24 came to present themselves before the Lord 26:26 and Satan also came among them. " 26:30 Now I like to talk to uh... Any time I pastor a church 26:33 I like to talk in committee meetings... whether it's 26:36 nominating committee, finance committee, or 26:37 board or church business meeting. 26:39 And people say: "Why do we have so many committee meetings? " 26:41 I say: "Well this is the design of the Lord! 26:43 He operates by committees! 26:45 He calls a meeting; He has a council. 26:47 He likes to think things through in group settings. " 26:51 So here we have the sons of God. 26:54 There was a day like there was a calendar in heaven. 26:57 "There was a day when the sons of God came to present 27:00 themselves before the Lord. " 27:02 It was a regularly-scheduled meeting, and they came 27:03 into the presence of the Lord. But what was different 27:05 about this day? "And Satan also came among them. " 27:09 Verse 7: 27:11 "And the Lord said to Satan: 'From where do you come? ' " 27:15 It's almost as if as to say 27:18 "Didn't I put you somewhere? 27:20 Where? Why are you? From where do you come? " 27:26 Now, let's take a moment and pause. 27:30 Who are these "sons of God? " 27:34 Well, they are not sons of God in the way that 27:38 Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. 27:42 First of all, that's singular and only begotten is... 27:45 the Greek word is monogenes... one of a kind. 27:48 Unique... there can be no other. 27:51 So this is not the sons of God in the sense that these are 27:54 multiple Christs or Sons of God in that sense. 27:58 Nor is this referring to the sons of God in a general sense 28:02 in that all of His creatures are sons of God. 28:04 For Job was not at this meeting, neither his wife nor his friends 28:08 nor his children nor anyone else in the story. 28:09 Only these select few sons of God 28:13 came to present themselves before the Lord. 28:16 It seems to indicate that these are ruling representatives 28:21 from various parts of God's created universe. 28:23 And let's look for other Biblical data to back up 28:26 this assertion. First of all, go to Luke chapter 3. 28:30 Let me show you something fascinating. 28:32 In the book of Luke we get a clue as to who these sons 28:35 of God might be. Luke chapter 3. 28:37 And it's a genealogy of all things. 28:40 But Luke chapter 3, recounting the lineage of Jesus, 28:49 we'll just pick up at the very end. 28:50 We're not going to go through the whole thing, 28:52 but the faithful line of Jesus - those who preceded Him. 28:55 It says in verse 38, going all the way to the deepest 28:58 history of Jesus' lineage, 29:00 it starts with the son of Enosh, 29:02 who is the son of Seth, 29:05 who is the son of Adam, 29:07 who was the son of God. 29:11 Not the son of dirt nor the son of some other evolutionary 29:15 process that came before but God made Adam... 29:19 thus he was the son of God. 29:22 You ever think about that? Adam was referred to as 29:25 the son of God. But of course, Adam was given dominion 29:29 over this planet. But through his transgression 29:31 he relinquished that control and became slave to the one 29:35 whom he obeyed... which of course was Satan. 29:40 I would like to imagine that Adam was supposed to be 29:42 representing our world there that day. 29:44 But Satan came among them... Also 29:49 in Job chapter 38 when discuss- ing the creation of the world 29:52 the Lord describes it as the time when "the morning stars 29:56 sang together... " which is always a reference to angels... 30:00 AND the sons of God shouted for joy. 30:05 So the "stars" and the "sons of God. " 30:09 The angels and these other created heavenly beings. 30:14 Interesting. And obviously according to Christ's question 30:19 to Satan: "From where do you come? " 30:21 it implies that the other representatives are from other 30:25 places. These other sons of God are coming from other parts 30:28 of the created universe and there on this day 30:30 representing their location. 30:35 So Satan comes among them and look at his answer 30:37 in verse 8. Going back to the book of Job 30:40 chapter 1 and verse 8 notice that Satan 30:44 does not give the simple answer. 30:47 He almost gives a - well how should we say it? - 30:51 a sassy answer or a snotty answer. 30:54 Job chapter 1 verse 8. Notice what he says: 30:59 I'm sorry... verse 7 still. "And the Lord said to Satan: 31:01 'From where do you come? ' So Satan answered the Lord 31:04 and said: 'From going to and fro on the earth 31:09 and from walking back and forth on it. ' " 31:13 He didn't just say: "I'm from the earth 31:15 or from the tree where I was... " No, no, no, no. 31:18 He's like: "I'm from the earth 31:19 and I go wherever I want on it. 31:22 I walk this way; I walk that way. 31:24 Everywhere I step my foot is my dominion. 31:27 I'm representing them now. 31:30 They gave me the keys... " if you will. 31:36 And this has to be an interesting, tense meeting: 31:40 Christ and His adversary having an open dialogue like this. 31:44 So verse 8: 31:46 "Then the Lord said to Satan: 'Have you considered... ' - 31:52 I love this phrase - 'My servant Job? 31:57 That there is none like him on the earth? 31:59 A blameless and upright man; one who fears God 32:02 and shuns evil. ' " 32:05 Like interesting. "You claim to have the whole world 32:08 yet I'm looking down and I see Job. 32:10 Have you thought about him? Have you considered him? ' " 32:13 Notice that the Lord likes His creatures to consider things. 32:17 "Have you considered My servant Job? " 32:20 Hmmm. And, um, hmmm. 32:24 You know, we live in a society where... 32:26 OK, let's say that Satan was the ruler of the world. 32:28 We're... you're used to a society in this world 32:31 where not everyone who's under the control of a government 32:33 appreciates their leaders. 32:35 Let's just be honest about that. 32:36 And so to say: "Do you not like the president? " 32:39 Or "Do you not like the leader? " or "Do you not like 32:40 the prime minister? " That wouldn't be a big deal 32:42 in our society. But that's a devastating argument to Satan 32:46 who just said: "I'm running the whole place. " 32:48 And God said: "Yeah, but there's one who still likes Me. " 32:51 "It's interesting. You claim to have the whole thing 32:53 but there's one left. At least one... we'll just 32:56 pick on this one for right now. " 32:59 And so what does Satan do? Look at verse 9: 33:01 he comes back with the only argument possible. 33:05 "So Satan answered the Lord and said: 33:08 "Does Job fear God for nothing? " 33:11 "Huh, you don't think he's doing it for free, do You? " 33:13 And again, we live in a society where people are paid by the 33:16 government all the time, 33:18 so of course they're going to be loyal. 33:19 But God's government works on a whole different system. 33:22 He doesn't want to work by force or enticement. 33:24 He just wants people to be drawn by love. 33:26 The service of love is the only thing that's acceptable. 33:28 And Satan comes back and says: "Yeah, but you're paying 33:32 him off. Of course he likes You, You're bribing him. 33:36 If given a clear choice, he would obviously choose 33:41 the government of freedom 33:43 instead of the government of law. " 33:47 So he proposes a test: 33:51 touch all that he has. 33:53 And the Lord allows him to do this, and this closes with: 33:56 "So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. " 33:59 And the rest of the book of Job 34:01 is the outplaying of this. And we think it's all about Job. 34:04 No, no, no, no, no. 34:05 Job's simply the tug of war 34:07 in this conflict between Christ and Satan. 34:10 He's exhibit A in the courtroom drama of the universe. 34:16 It's an interesting idea. 34:19 And of course Job goes through some horrible hardships. 34:23 His family is ruined; his finances are devastated. 34:25 His friends are awful. Yet in the midst of all that 34:29 beautifully in Job chapter 13 verse 5 he says: 34:32 "Though He slay me yet will I trust Him... " 34:36 decisively ending the argument of Satan on this point that day. 34:41 What a beautiful thing. And I love that story that 34:44 even through this the Lord can sustain this man 34:46 that though - and notice it doesn't even say it, 34:48 this takes it to a deeper level - 34:50 he doesn't say: "Though I die because of whatever's going on" 34:52 he says "Though He slay me" speaking of God. 34:56 "Even if He were to slay me yet will I trust Him. 34:59 I trust Him even unto death. " 35:03 Hmmm. Now, what I particularly find interesting in the story 35:09 is not actually what Satan said or even what the Lord said 35:12 and especially not what Job said 35:14 but what I do find interesting is what these sons of God say 35:17 or more accurately what they don't say. 35:20 They don't say a word. 35:23 Here's Satan in their midst... here's Christ. 35:25 And it's like they're at a tennis match 35:26 or some sort of thing. They're just watching: "Whoo, 35:28 that was a good point. Ah... next point. " 35:29 "Oooh, oh. " They're just watching this back and forth, 35:32 back and forth, not saying a word. 35:34 I mean, aren't they supposed to be on the Lord's side? 35:37 Shouldn't they step in and say: "Hey, get out of here. 35:39 We don't tr... " 35:41 But they don't. 35:44 You know, I mean... even impetuous, crazy Peter 35:48 when Jesus was being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane 35:51 what does he do? He reaches for his sword to chop... 35:54 And he's got bad aim, but he cuts off Malchus' ear. 35:56 I mean, at least the spirit was in the right place 35:59 if his head wasn't, you know? 36:01 Jesus heals the ear, but at least Peter knew. 36:03 I mean, "My Redeemer, my Lord is being attacked 36:07 and I need to defend Him. " But these sons of God 36:10 do nothing. 36:14 It's as if they're like: "Look, we're loyal to You, Lord. 36:17 Of course, we're still in Your council... but 36:19 let's at least hear him out. " 36:22 It's as though they needed to more fully understand 36:26 the ultimate end of Satan's proposed government. 36:31 They didn't quite get it yet. 36:34 Hmmm. There's something important about the 36:38 demonstration. And speaking of the ultimate end, 36:42 let me... let me bring this in. 36:44 As inspiring as Job's faithfulness is 36:49 and as wonderful as it is that the Lord once again 36:53 blessed him abundantly... because you go to the end 36:55 of the book of Job... And there's so many things 36:57 I love in Job... Job is there for 37-some odd chapters 37:00 just railing: "Woe is me... " "Why has this happened? " 37:03 And the Lord comes and answers him. He says: 37:05 "Brace yourself like a man. 37:06 I will ask you questions and you will give Me answers. " 37:09 And God just rolls up His sleeve and you'd think He would 37:12 come to the aid of Job and comfort him. And He says: 37:14 "What are you talking about? Who is this that darkens 37:16 My doorstep with words without knowledge? " 37:19 And He says: "Were you there when I made the foundations 37:22 of the earth? Oh surely you know... " 37:24 God was even sarcastic to poor suffering Job. 37:29 And Job finally has to say "I have put my hand over 37:32 my mouth. I will not speak again. My bad. " 37:38 And it's not like even then the Lord said: "Oh, 37:40 all right. Now I've broken your pride. Let Me explain 37:43 what was going on. " He never gave him an answer. 37:45 He blessed him abundantly. And we look at the end of that 37:48 and say: "See, patience pays off. The Lord will double your 37:51 blessings. " But let me tell you something. 37:53 We can sometimes leave the book of Job with the impression that 37:56 "and then he lived happily ever after. " Right? 38:00 Let me tell you, the story of Job does not end happily, 38:03 and here's the bare basic reason why: 38:05 because it ends. 38:07 The very last verse in the book of Job... 38:11 the very last verse - Job chapter 42 verse 17- 38:15 these are the last words of the book of Job: 38:17 "so Job died being old and full of days. " 38:23 And we look at that and say: "But he was old and 38:26 full of days. That's a good death. " 38:27 Right? That's a blessing... we think. 38:32 Huh, sometimes we recount the story and we think 38:34 "Oh, he lived happily ever... " No, he died! 38:36 At the end of the story it's a death. 38:39 With no explanation... Just think about this. 38:42 We have become so accustomed to the condition of things here 38:46 on this earth that we actually celebrate when someone has 38:48 lived what we consider to be a long life 38:50 and we'll say: "Well at least they didn't die young. " 38:54 Right? You've heard those phrases before. 38:57 But let me tell you how ridiculous that is 39:01 in the eyes of this Council... the perspective of heaven. 39:06 When we celebrate the death of a 90 or 100-year-old, 39:08 110... "My word! 100 years? " 39:13 Really? I mean, think of Adam's long life. 39:18 How long ago? 930 years? 39:21 We can't even wrap our minds... 39:23 If we were here today instead of for this event 39:24 we were actually here commemorating the life 39:26 because he had just died last week of a man who lived 39:29 the same lifespan as that of Adam. 39:31 His life would have ended at 2012 39:34 but it would have begun way back in the 11th century 39:39 in the year 1082. 39:44 Right? You're not boggled enough because you're still... 39:47 you haven't passed out. 39:51 In his midlife crisis at the age of 410 39:54 Columbus set sail for America. 39:57 410 years old 40:00 he sees the discovery of the New World. 40:03 When he's 700... almost 700, just a few years shy 40:06 of 700 years old... the Declaration of Independence 40:09 is signed. 40:11 And we are today memorializing his great life. 40:16 And we look at like 80, 90, 100 and think that's old. 40:19 Come on! From the perspective of heaven 40:22 everybody dies young because no one is supposed to die. 40:29 And this whole Council is watching that happen too. 40:33 And in fact, they've watch every death that's ever occurred. 40:35 You know, with only just a couple of very, very rare 40:38 exceptions everyone who's ever lived has died. 40:45 And the Council is watching and wondering 40:49 and trying to examine and explain all of this. 40:52 You know, and although Satan has had a great deal to play 40:55 in all of those countless deaths 40:57 in each case he could still make a very persuasive argument. 41:00 Catch this now: "But hey, hey! 41:03 It was their own sin that landed them into the 41:06 condemnation of the law. And by the way, it was God's law 41:10 who said that 'the soul that sinneth it shall die. ' 41:13 That's not me... that's on them and that's on God. 41:19 He set up this place; I'm just playing by His rules. 41:25 I'm not a murderer; I'm just executing His judgments. " 41:31 Hmmm. But getting back to Job, my point is that 41:35 no matter how convincing Job's witness was during that 41:39 particular time of trial or no matter what he demonstrated 41:43 at that point, he was still a fallen human being 41:46 and as such at some point he had yielded his allegiance 41:49 to another king and therefore was subject to death. 41:52 He was not a perfect man in the sense that Christ was perfect 41:56 without sin. He just stood up under the trial 41:58 through God's strength. 42:01 By the way, this leads me to three reasons 42:03 why even a faithful man like Job was insufficient... 42:08 we still needed a Savior even after that demonstration. 42:11 First of all as we just said regardless of a person's 42:14 temporary faithfulness in a particular trial 42:17 or even their victorious life in Christ after their conversion 42:21 their entire life's record is still tainted 42:23 with rebellion and sin. Right? 42:27 Even in the Old Testament symbols always the sacrifice 42:29 had to be without blemish 42:31 representing that entirely pure life. 42:34 And no one here has that. The Bible is very clear. 42:36 "All have sinned and come short of the... " What? 42:39 "the glory of God. " 42:41 Which by the way, there is always an equivalence 42:42 in scripture between the glory of God and the character 42:45 of God. All of us have fallen short of that standard. 42:49 Sinners cannot be a substitute for other sinners. 42:53 That's one reason we needed something even better than 42:56 a faithful Job. How about number 2? 42:58 Even if... Now we're going to... Each step is a little bit 43:00 deeper, OK? We're taking our floaties off and diving into 43:03 the deep end one step at a time. 43:05 Number 2: even if a sinless being could be found 43:10 who would be willing to step in and take the penalty 43:12 for man's sin... and there are plenty of sinless beings 43:15 still in the universe who are not God... 43:17 Angels. Perhaps the members of this Council. 43:20 You see what I'm saying? 43:21 And if they volunteered to come in and take the penalty 43:24 for our sins, no matter how spotless their record was 43:28 they could not accomplish all that needed to be done 43:31 because there was something more even than 43:33 a sinless sacrifice that was required. 43:36 For only an infinite sacrifice could atone for the violation 43:41 of God's infinite law. 43:42 The law is the transcript of His character. 43:45 It's equivalent with God Himself... 43:47 and it was that law that was broken! 43:48 It needed an equivalent sacri- fice to make that atonement. 43:53 But even deeper still... 43:55 and this is where we get to the greater controversy... 43:57 Even deeper still... even beyond making atonement 43:59 for a broken law... there was more to Christ's sacrificial 44:04 death than merely being a suitable substitute 44:08 for sinful people. 44:10 Watch this now: "Payment for man's penalty of sin 44:14 was not the only thing Christ accomplished on the cross. 44:18 Christ's selfless life and sacrificial death 44:22 was the ultimate rebuttal to Satan's accusations 44:26 against the character of God. " 44:30 Even if it didn't win back a single soul 44:34 it would have still answered Satan's charges. 44:37 There's something beyond just the salvation of man. 44:40 "The cold-blooded murder of not merely a man who 44:44 was godly but THE MAN who was God 44:47 forever answered any lingering questions 44:51 as to Satan's true intent in the eyes of that heavenly Council. " 45:00 "Christ bowed His head... " Well, we'll get there 45:02 in a moment. When Christ died on the cross 45:06 that violence that you recall was bound up within him - 45:10 speaking of Satan now... was bound up in Satan - 45:14 was unleashed on the very Son of God. 45:19 Think about the magnitude of that. 45:23 You know, ending the life of a sinner who's already 45:27 doomed to die anyway... The Council's like: 45:31 "Well I mean he has a point. They're slotted for death 45:34 anyway but this One... there was no fault in Him. 45:38 This One was not even a sinless being; this was God Himself. " 45:43 And finally all of that violence that was pent up within Lucifer 45:46 was unleashed on the very Son of God. 45:49 "In that moment, all the onlooking universe 45:53 recognized unmistakably 45:55 the contrast between the character of Christ 45:58 and the character of Satan 46:00 which before they could not see so clearly. " 46:05 In Desire of Ages page 761 46:08 Mrs. White describes the scene with these words... 46:12 notice very closely 46:15 speaking of the death of Christ on the cross: 46:19 "Could one sin have been found in Christ, 46:21 had He in one particular yielded to Satan 46:25 to escape the terrible torture, 46:27 the enemy of God and man would have triumphed. 46:31 But Christ bowed His head and died 46:34 but He held fast His faith and His submission to God. " 46:37 Now pause right here. If you were writing these words 46:41 describing the crucifixion and death of Jesus, 46:44 His sacrificial, substitutionary death, 46:47 His sinless life that culminated in that execution, 46:50 are there not a myriad of passages in the Bible 46:55 that you could support that idea? 46:57 For instance, couldn't you pick a text from say Matthew, 46:59 Mark, Luke, or John... one of the four gospels? 47:01 Or maybe something from the apostle Paul. 47:04 He wrote most of the New Testament and he's determined 47:07 to preach only Christ and Him crucified. 47:09 So if you wanted to support this idea that Christ died 47:12 for our sins there's a plethora of texts you could choose 47:15 to support that. But notice the text that Mrs. White 47:19 references to support the idea 47:21 that Christ died a faithful death. 47:25 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10. 47:32 Go to it again if you forget. We've been referencing 47:34 it all night to come to this point. 47:36 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10. 47:44 Scripture reads: "And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: 47:50 'Now is come salvation and strength 47:55 and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ 47:58 for the accuser of our brethren is... ' What? 48:02 'cast down 48:06 which accused them before our God day and night. ' " 48:10 Think of the significance of this. 48:12 Revelation chapter 12 7 through 9: 48:14 all about the war in heaven some nearly 6,000 years ago now, 48:18 right? All about that war in heaven. 48:20 And that the great dragon - verse 9- was cast out. 48:23 "That serpent of old, the devil and Satan, who deceives 48:26 the whole world, he was cast to the earth 48:28 and his angels were cast out with him. " 48:29 Speaking of something that happened literally thousands 48:32 of years ago. But then in verse 10: "Now 48:37 salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God 48:41 and the power of His Christ have come 48:42 for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God 48:44 day and night has been cast down. " 48:47 Mrs. White lists verse 10 and applies it directly 48:51 to Christ dying on the cross: 48:53 the second casting out of Satan. 48:56 In fact, she makes that... in other writings. 48:59 These are a little bit more rare to find, but 49:02 in Manuscript release volume 12 page 411 49:05 you find this interesting statement... 49:07 again speaking of the crucifixion and death of Christ. 49:09 "Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. 49:12 That the character he had tried to fasten on Christ 49:15 was fastened on himself. " 49:17 You know we talked about how it was a polemic war? 49:21 It was a war of ideas. 49:23 Satan saying: "No, no, no, no. I'm not the one to blame. 49:25 God has a problem. His law is unkeepable; 49:28 His character is tainted. 49:29 He's actually a control freak; He actually wants to... 49:32 I'm offering you freedom! " 49:37 That's what he tried to paint and put on God 49:40 and put on Christ. 49:42 But it says here that Satan when the cross event happened, 49:45 when the crucifixion of Christ occurred, 49:47 saw that his disguise was torn away. 49:50 That the character he had tried to fasten on Christ 49:53 was fastened on himself. 49:55 All that stuff he'd been saying against God 49:57 was seen to be true about him. 50:00 And then she writes these words: 50:02 "It was as if he had the second time fallen from heaven. " 50:09 How about this one from the Youth's Instructor, 50:11 June 21, 1900. 50:13 Again speaking now of God looking upon the crucifixion 50:16 scene... God the Father: 50:18 "He looked upon the victim expiring on the cross 50:21 and said: 'It is finished! 50:22 The human race shall have another trial. 50:25 The redemption price was paid... ' 50:27 And watch this now: 50:29 'and Satan fell like lightning from heaven. ' " 50:32 We often think the only casting out of Satan 50:35 was at the original... in the war in heaven. 50:39 But no, no, no, no, no. 50:41 Watch what I'm saying here: 50:43 he was physically cast out of heaven. 50:45 He was cast out of the courts of heaven some 6,000 years ago. 50:50 But only when Jesus died on the cross was he cast out 50:53 of the sympathies of heavenly beings. 50:57 Now that's a tough concept to wrap your mind around. 50:59 That perhaps even for 4,000 years of death and 51:02 destruction and decay and degeneracy 51:05 that even through all of that Satan's arguments were so subtle 51:09 and so intriguing that even those angels loyal to God 51:15 needed to see clearer evidence before they saw his true 51:18 character revealed. 51:20 And only when Jesus died on the cross 51:23 did they see in one event 51:25 the character of Christ who would give everything 51:29 in contrast with the character of Satan 51:32 who would take everything... even if it took the very life 51:35 of God to get what he wanted. 51:37 Hmmm. Again, continuing in the Desire of Ages page 761: 51:42 "Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. 51:48 His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels 51:51 and before the heavenly universe. " 51:53 Notice: no mention of like Jesus died on the cross 51:58 and now sinners can get into heaven... which of course 52:00 that was part of it. 52:01 But the emphasis is on what it did up there! 52:05 On the greater controversy. Not just the redemption 52:07 of fallen humanity but the demonstration 52:10 to unfallen worlds. 52:13 Again, "Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. 52:15 His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels 52:19 and before the heavenly universe. 52:20 He had revealed himself as a murderer. " 52:25 What did Jesus say? He was a "murderer 52:28 from the beginning. " 52:29 But the violence was within. 52:31 They couldn't see it. 52:33 But when Jesus' sacrifice was complete, 52:37 when Satan finished that horrible task, 52:41 they saw the deceiver unmasked. 52:44 And then they saw. "Ah hah! We see now 52:48 what Christ has seen in his heart from the very beginning... 52:50 he truly is a murderer. " 52:54 "He had revealed himself as a murderer. 52:58 By shedding the blood of the Son of God 53:02 he had uprooted himself from the sympathies 53:05 of the heavenly beings. " Think about that... 53:10 the weight of that. There were angelic hosts, 53:15 other beings in God's heavenly universe, 53:18 perhaps these sons of God who were in Council in the book 53:23 of Job, who - while they remained loyal to God - 53:27 still had some level of... and that's her word... 53:30 "sympathy" for Satan. 53:35 Ah hum... my friends, think of... 53:39 Whenever Satan comes knocking on your door 53:42 don't try to talk with him. 53:44 Don't banter about. Don't think: "Ah, I've got this. " 53:47 He will win... right? 53:51 But praise God "greater is He that is in you 53:54 than he that is in the world. " 53:56 But don't ever underestimate. 53:58 He is subtle. He's more crafty, more cunning 54:00 than any of the beasts the Lord God had made. 54:03 And even to those angelic hosts 54:06 who loved the Lord, who were loyal to Him, 54:08 who chose to be on His side, 54:11 they wanted to see clearer evidence. 54:13 They needed a demonstration of character 54:17 so that they would be forever placed beyond the idea 54:19 of having sympathy for Satan. 54:22 Again it says here: 54:25 "By the shedding of the blood of the Son of God 54:27 he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the 54:29 heavenly beings. " And I love this part: 54:31 "Henceforth his work was restricted. " 54:33 Now watch this carefully. 54:35 "Henceforth his work was restricted. 54:37 Whatever attitude he might assume... " 54:39 So he might come in with a smile "Hey guys, how you doing? " 54:42 Or "Hey, let me in. " "Whatever attitude he might 54:45 assume, he could no longer await the angels 54:48 as they came from the heavenly courts 54:50 and before them accuse Christ's brethren of being 54:53 clothed with the garments of blackness 54:55 and the defilement of sin. " 54:57 And you would think: "Ah hah! So then is when 54:59 God really kicked him out. He closed the door. 55:01 He locked the gate; he put up a flashing, flaming sword 55:04 and he wouldn't let him in any more. " 55:06 No, no, no, no. Why was his work restricted 55:09 after the death of Jesus? 55:11 It wasn't because God just sealed the gate. 55:15 I believe God left the door wide open... 55:17 but no one was listening any more. 55:21 Watch this now: "Henceforth his work was 55:23 restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume 55:25 he could no longer await the angels when they came 55:27 from the heavenly courts and before them accuse 55:29 Christ's brethren of being clothed with the garments of 55:30 blackness of the defilement of sin. " 55:32 Here's the very last sentence 55:33 and the title of tonight's message: 55:35 "The last link of sympathy 55:38 between Satan and the heavenly world was broken. " 55:44 God didn't have to force him out... 55:47 they chose to just stop listening. 55:50 They were no longer sympathetic with the cause of Satan. 55:55 They were no longer intrigued by his subtlety. 55:57 They were no longer listening to his arguments. 55:59 They just said: "We're done... 56:01 you can't come in here any more. " 56:06 Hmmm. 56:09 Tomorrow night we're going to pick up on: "Now what happens? " 56:13 But now we've seen the first two stages. 56:15 Stage 1: God saw right through Satan's rebellious... 56:19 right into his rebellious intent, the murderous intents 56:22 of his heart and He physically removed him from heaven... 56:27 the courts of heaven. 56:28 But He allowed the process to go on because there were 56:31 other beings up there who needed for themselves 56:33 to see what God had seen in the heart. 56:35 Exposed, revealed. 56:38 And the death of Christ did that very thing. 56:41 They saw the contrast and they said: "Satan, 56:44 we're done. You don't come here any more. " 56:47 Now my friends, the question is: will we answer the same way? 56:52 Do we still have sympathy with Satan? 56:55 Or are we going to say: "Satan, for me and my house 56:58 we will serve the Lord. " 57:00 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 57:03 Dear heavenly Father, thank you so much 57:04 for being a God of due process. 57:07 A God who takes His time and gets it right... 57:11 even if that means the sacrifice of an infinite self. 57:15 Lord, we love You. 57:17 Help us to understand the consequences of our choices. 57:21 Help us to make better choices. And, Lord, 57:24 by Your grace make us heavenly even now. 57:28 We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17