Lent - Day 4

Posted on: March 4, 2020
by: Gerrit Dawson, Senior Pastor

Day 4 Wednesday

THE OPPOSITION BEHIND THE OPPOSITION

That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1: 3).

FOLLOWING THE SCRIPT

Genesis 3: 1, 4-5

The serpent said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’? . . .” “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Matthew 4: 1, 8-10

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil… The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to [Jesus], all these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

John 8: 44

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Revelation 12: 9

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him.

1 John 3: 8b

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

CAST NOTES

The Biblical story has from the beginning acknowledged the existence of an adversary. We translate the Greek word diabolos as the devil, which means the slanderer, the one who maligns us. We translate satanas as Satan, the adversary, the accuser. The two words are used interchangeably. Jesus also refers to him as “the evil one” (Matt. 6: 13).

The devil appears as early as Genesis 3 in the guise of the serpent who tempts Eve.

There is no explanation given for why God’s good creation has a tempting serpent in the Garden. It’s just the way it is. Scripture gives little information about how Satan came to be or even why he is the way he is. But Scripture is clear from beginning to end that the devil and his minions exist.

Jesus was tempted by the devil to take short cuts in his redemptive work, and he considered Peter’s suggestion that he decline crucifixion to be the words of Satan himself (Mark 8: 33).

But he came to destroy the works of the devil. Satan introduced the temptation that, when taken, caused death to enter the world. Jesus would, by dying a criminal’s death as an innocent man, destroy the power of death. He would break the Accuser’s argument by taking away the fear of death.

Through death, Jesus “destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [will] deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2: 14-15).

PRAYING AGAINST THE CHARACTER

Father, we know that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 12).

Father, deliver us from evil. Deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6: 13).

For by your Word, we reject his temptations and his accusations:

Get behind me Satan, for you do not set my mind on the things of God, but of man (Mark 8: 33).

You seek to sift me like wheat (Luke 22: 31).

You seek to devour me like a lion (1 Peter 5: 8).

You seek to deceive and to accuse (Genesis 3: 13, Revelation 12: 9-10).

The Lord rebuke you! (Jude 9).

I resist you in Christ’s name (James 4: 7).

For greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4: 4).

The Son of God appeared to destroy your works (1 John 3: 8). And indeed he has!

Jesus, Son of God, you partook of flesh and blood that through death you might destroy . . . the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery (Hebrews 2: 14-15).

Jesus, you give us eternal life, and we will never perish, and no one can snatch us out of your hand. For your Father, who has given us to you is greater than all (John 10: 28-9).

Jesus, you are the propitiation for our sins and our advocate before the Father (1 John 2: 1-2). We are yours forever and therefore we are yours this day.