Anchors of Truth

The Last Links Of Sympathy

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Kameron DeVasher

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Series Code: AOT

Program Code: AOT000067


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.


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Revised 2014-12-17