I want to return to John 8 this morning to contrast Jesus and Satan. In verses 43-44, hear Jesus' testimony on the nature of Satan, our Enemy.
43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept my teaching.44 You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
There have been speculations about other passages in the Bible that are purported to describe Satan, but this one is quite clear:
1. he is a murderer and has been so ever since his creation
2. he is not only a liar, but the father of lies, because it is his nature.
A little later on, in John 10:1, 10, Jesus adds this about the enemy:
3. he is a thief, a robber, who comes to seek, kill and destroy.
And two more...Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:14 - -
4. he disguises himself as an angel of light; he is a deceiver.
5. he is the god of this world, this age, by God's permission 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - - -
"But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ, who is the very image of God."
Now, by contrast, Jesus says of Himself in John 8:58 - - -
"Before Abraham came into existence, I AM."
There it is, plainly said. Jesus is stating that He is God, the One who has no beginning and no end, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. Incontrovertible, unmistakable, clear.
What will you do with Jesus?
The renowned English writer, C.S. Lewis, who himself was an unbeliever for much of his life, confronted this same question. As a result of his great spiritual struggle, he wrote his masterpiece, Mere Christianity. Here is one of the more famous quotes from that book:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.”
(Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/who-is-Jesus.html#ixzz3ICWCm5nt )
Have you made your choice? To not decide IS to decide. Choose love! Choose life!
Good morning, Lord. Thank you for the rain falling this morning to water the earth and for the nourishing water of your Word, to fill our souls. I pray that anyone reading these words this morning will be convicted to choose Jesus today or, if he/she has already made that choice, be encouraged to beware of our mutual enemy and his wily schemes. In either case, Lord, please open our eyes. Don't let us be fooled. Help us all to be hyper-aware that our words and actions have consequences for all eternity. In Jesus' name, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment