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Satan’s
Devices
We will
explore some insights about Satan that we can understand
through the Garden of Eden. We'll refer back to Genesis
chapters 2 and 3 for our lesson tonight. So if you have your
Bibles, please open them to Genesis 2 and 3; we'll begin in
just a few moments. We aim to learn about Satan, whom the
Bible describes as our adversary. Let’s analyze what we can
glean from the account in Genesis 2 and 3 regarding the
Garden of Eden. I first want us to notice Genesis chapter 3,
verses 1, 2, and 3. It states, "Now the serpent was more
cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had
made, and he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, you
shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"' The woman
responded to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees
in the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the
midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it nor
shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Here we see something
about Satan already; he exploits our lack of knowledge or
misunderstandings against us. Eve did not accurately quote
God's instructions. If we revisit God's words in Genesis
chapter 2, this is what God communicated in verses 16 and
17: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every
tree of the garden, you may freely eat, but of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat; for in
the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.'" Notice
the difference between the two: God didn't mention anything
about touching the tree; he did not say they would die if
they touched it. That’s something Eve added; therefore, she
did not quote God's instructions accurately at all.
But what is
Satan going to do? He will use this lack of understanding
against us. The Bible states that God's word is fixed or
settled in heaven. In that great Psalm, Psalm 119, which
speaks of God's word, verse 89 declares: "Forever, O Lord,
your word is settled in heaven," meaning it stands firm.
Thus, God's word is fixed; it should not be changed, added
to, or removed in any way, shape, or form.
What Satan
did here—we see that he desired and still desires—was to
make us think that God's word is not settled, firm, or
fixed, but rather changeable. Throughout time, that's
exactly what humanity has consistently done from the very
beginning: alter what God has said, often to accommodate
their own desires. In Genesis 3, we find Satan presenting
God's word in the most negative light possible. He continues
to do this today, and people worldwide frequently discuss
the restrictions of God's word. That’s precisely what Satan
did here; he emphasized the restrictions.
As God
indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree in the
garden," see? That’s his focus: that one thing, rather than
the freedoms God granted Adam and Eve. God instructed them
they could eat from all the various trees and plants in the
garden except one. There were far more freedoms than
restrictions, but that's not where Satan placed his focus.
So, that's what we learn about Satan. Another lesson here is
that Satan minimizes the consequences of sin. In Genesis
chapter 3, verse 4, the serpent told the woman, "You will
not surely die."
Now, this
is right after Eve said that God told her, "You shall not
eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die." Then the
serpent replied, "You will not surely die." Of course, if
our actions have no consequences, we can do whatever we
please. We'll notice something important if we look at the
New Testament, specifically in First Corinthians 15. In
verse 32, Paul states, "If, in the manner of men, I have
fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me?"
Listen to his argument: if the dead do not rise—First
Corinthians 15 is indeed the great chapter on the
resurrection—then let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.
This is the same argument Satan was making: if there are no
consequences, then let's just eat and drink and do whatever
we want. Many people today follow this reasoning. They don't
believe there are any consequences for their actions, at
least not for eternity, so they do what they wish. However,
the Bible indicates just the opposite: every choice we make
carries a cost, and we must always consider that cost. Jesus
illustrated this concept in Luke chapter 14 when He
discusses counting the cost, which is very important—Luke
14, verse 28. In this section, Jesus speaks about leaving
everything to become His disciple. He asks in verse 28, "For
which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down
first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish
it?" Thus, every decision we make, whether it's following
Christ or any other choice, comes with associated costs.
There are always consequences.
Another
lesson from our account in the Garden of Eden is that Satan
consistently tries to emphasize the benefits of sin. Looking
at the next verse in our text, we started with Genesis
chapter 3, verses one through three, then moved to verse
four, and now we arrive at verse 5 of Genesis 3. "For God
knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be
opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
This is what Satan is attempting to persuade Eve to believe.
He highlights the supposed benefits of sin, despite God
warning, "If you eat of it, you shall surely die." But look
at what you'll gain: your eyes will be opened, and you'll be
like God. Today, people are tempted to sin because of what
they can gain or enjoy. However, we know that all of this is
fleeting. Near the end of the New Testament, the writer John
emphasizes this point in 1 John chapter 2. Pay attention to
what John writes in 1 John 2, verses 16 and 17: "For all
that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of
the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of
it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." John is
asserting that anything you might gain from sin, such as the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life—are all temporary. He stresses that they are fading
away; the world and its desires will pass, but the one who
does the will of God will endure forever.
This
mirrors what Satan did to Eve in the Garden of Eden, as seen
in Genesis chapter 3, verse 5. Satan questions God's
intentions by implying He is withholding these so-called
benefits from Eve. Another crucial lesson about Satan is
that he will never triumph over God. We see this after Satan
ruined man's paradise in the Garden. In Genesis chapter 3,
the last two verses state: "Therefore the Lord God sent him
out of the Garden of Eden," referring to Adam, "to till the
ground from which he was taken." So He expelled the man and
placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, along
with a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way
to the tree of life. Thus, Adam and Eve were banished from
this paradise, the beautiful Garden of Eden. Satan destroyed
this home, but his ultimate fate was foretold in Genesis
chapter 3, verses 14 and 15. These are the words of God: "So
the Lord God said to the serpent," addressing Satan
directly, "Because you've done this, deceiving Eve and
causing all these problems, you are cursed more than all
cattle and more than every beast of the field. On your
belly, you shall go and eat dust all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between
your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you
shall bruise his heel." This foreshadows what happens when
Jesus enters the world; Jesus is referred to here as her
seed. Jesus’ heel was bruised in the sense that He was
crucified, but He bruised Satan's head by conquering Satan's
power over death. In Hebrews chapter 2, the writer
references this in verses 14 and 15. Let’s read that now:
"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and
blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same—referring to
Christ—that through death He might destroy him who had the
power of death, that is, the devil. And verse 15 states: and
release those who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage.
So, by
Jesus' death on the cross, he destroyed Satan's power over
death, going all the way back to the prophecy in Genesis
chapter 3 that we read. Yes, Jesus was killed, and his heel
was bruised, but Jesus, in turn, did far worse because he
destroyed Satan's power over death in that Resurrection.
What does this mean for us? If Satan questions God's word,
then we need to be ready for that, prepared for that; we
need to have his word written on our hearts. The psalmist
refers to this in that great Psalm about God's word, Psalm
119, where he says in verse 11: "Your word I have hidden in
my heart that I might not sin against you." One of the
reasons to have God's word within us, studied, meditated
upon, and memorized is that it helps us not to sin. That's
one thing we need to do. We also learn that Satan tries to
minimize the consequences of sin, trying to deceive people
into believing, "Well, this isn't all that bad; it's not as
bad as something else." He tries to downplay the
consequences of sin, but we need to remember where sin
leads. We know that it leads to death. In Romans chapter 6,
we have a very famous verse in verse 23 that says, "For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord." So, the wages, the consequences
of sin, is death. If Satan highlights the benefits of sin,
then we need to remember that those benefits are only
temporary, as we read; they are not lasting. And since we
already know who will win, and that is God, while Satan is
going to lose, we need to stay on the Lord's side. In
Colossians chapter 1, when Paul wrote to the church at
Colossae, he told them this in verse 13: "He has delivered
us from the power of darkness"—talking about God—and
"conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." See,
that's what he's done; he's taken us from Satan's kingdom,
the dark kingdom, into the kingdom of his Son, the Kingdom
of Light. In Revelation 20, we see that great final scene of
judgment, and I want us to read beginning there in verse 10,
where we see the end of Satan. Revelation 20, verse 10: "The
devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and
they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
That's the end of Satan. Verse 11: "Then I saw a great white
throne, and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,
and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is
the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to
their works, by the things written in the books. The sea
gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades
delivered up the dead who were in them, and they were
judged, each one according to their works. Then death and
Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death, and anyone not found written in the Book of Life was
cast into the lake of fire."
That's why
we need to always stay on the Lord's side, because that's
the side of victory. We need to understand that Satan is a
liar; Jesus said he is the father of lies and a murderer
from the beginning. That's what Satan is. He doesn't want to
help us or make our lives better. What he tries to do is
deceive us into believing that sin doesn't have consequences
and that we can do whatever we want. Satan knows that if we
do that, we will spend eternity with him in that lake of
fire and brimstone, which is exactly what he wants.
Therefore, we need to hold onto God's word closely and
remember that there are consequences for sin, and that we
need to remain faithful to God.
May 24,
2020
Prepared by
Bobby Stafford
The church
of Christ at Granby, MO
Located at
516 East Pine St.
P.O. Box 664
Granby, Mo. 64844
(417) 472-7109
For more
lessons and Sermons, please visit
granbychurchofchrist.org/
granbychurchofchrist.com/ |
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church of Christ
