Our Enemy - the Devil - Pt 1

How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15 ESV). This Sunday I am continuing in the exposition of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I will begin with a message, continuing for the next few weeks, dealing with the reality of our true enemy, the Devil. Perhaps, if you are in the area, you may wish to worship with us at Santa Fe Baptist to hear them. Additionally, I will be doing a few devotionals that I pray will serve as background and further inspiration. So, let’s begin at the beginning. I am often asked whether I really believe in a literal “devil.” Sometimes, I am asked a follow up question as to where the devil came from in the first place. There are others who want to know how a good God could create such an evil being as the devil. First, let me be very clear in my assertion that I do believe in a “devil.” I would give him the same name the Scripture assigns to this being. In our reading today he is called “Day Star, son of Dawn.” In other passages he is called “Lucifer.” If I am going to believe other passages in the Scripture, it is absolutely unavoidable that I also believe in a created being who is the antithesis of Christ. I usually just call him the devil. Second, let me also say that God did not create someone as horrible as the devil. The devil became this way. He made a deliberate choice that turned him into what he is today: an intelligent, wicked, spiritual being who is bent on the destruction of humanity. In fact, I find it interesting to read in the first chapter of Genesis that God saw everything He had made and it was good (cf. Genesis 1:31). So apparently at that point, all the angels were still under God's direction. There was no rebellion. But then in Genesis 3, we see the serpent, or Satan, tempting Eve. Something drastic happened between Genesis 1 and Genesis 3. This once high-ranking, beautiful angel known as Lucifer rebelled against God. I believe Lucifer was not satisfied with the preeminence of God. He wanted to be placed ahead of God. He desired to be worshipped. Like man, when he made that choice, he lost his former, exalted position in heaven. By the way, Lucifer means "son of the morning," which he was. But Satan means "accuser," which he is. So Lucifer became Satan when he fell. He lived with God in heaven, but because of his bad choice, his destination is a bottomless pit and a lake of fire and brimstone forever. He knows the finality of the judgment of God; and, he desires that as many of us join him in his eternal damnation. He is our enemy. God has given us a means of escape and victory. His name is Jesus! That is the beginning. Join me there!