Flies Can’t Sit on a Hot Stove
We are in a strange war, one which is invisible to the eye. It has rages continuously for over 6000 years, and is continually escalating. The battle continues, but the only proof of the battle rests in the results of the lives it has affected.
The war is without limits, it involves very family, every ethnic background, every race and creed on the planet. Political affiliation, social status, nor education can exempt you from the battle. The war is not about money, or fame or possessions. Its consequences have eternal significance.
The two main parties to this war, just their names invoke fierce fighting and conflict. The two – Jehovah God and Lucifer, Satan.
Upon mention of these names, the world’s population divides quickly to the support one or the other. Some by verbal ascent but most through passivity – but all serve one or the other.
The war and each battle waged is always for the same thing – the soul and eternal destiny of a human being!
In the war, whether you believe in God or Satan you are either a participant a pawn or a passive spectator. In one corner is Satan who desires to subvert the Kingdom of God and His plans, by convincing man that God either does not exist or cares nothing for his creation. Satan desires that man turn his back on God and spend eternity with him in the hell that he created, so he will not be alone in his torments forever.
Jehovah God, on the other hand, made a declaration of His stand by sending His only Son to earth to show His love and desire to all humanity to be reconciled and to spend eternity with Him.
Christianity Today is filled with bystanders – passive spectators –
Not making any commitment – waiting to see what happens
Refuse to believe that anything like this war really exists.
We are being lulled into a sense of comfort
A place of false security
Participant - one that participates – takes part in the war – chooses a side – carries out orders from above
Pawn - one that can be used to further the purposes of another
Passive spectator - onlooker - bystander
We have something today
That Christians for centuries did not have
And that is a briefing
A detailed point by point explanation of who our enemy is and
What are his tactics
We have been apprised of the weapons that work against him
And trained in the proper use of those weapons
2 Cor 10:4 (ESV)
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
Who is this Satan?
What does he do?
Who is on his side?
Satan – who was Lucifer –
God’s highest and best creation –
He created Lucifer as a powerful anointed angel.
However, Lucifer wasn’t satisfied with that,
and he didn’t remain the anointed cherub that God created him to be.
Ezekiel 28:13-14 describe him as he originally was in the Garden of Eden:
“Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”
So, what made Lucifer turn against God?
Lucifer watched as God did something for man
that He had never done with any other of His creation.
When God created man, not only was he made in the very image of God,
but he was then given unconditional authority over this earth.
Genesis 1:26 says,
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
He didn’t say to them,
“Now as long as you follow my leading
and as long as you do what I want you to do,
I will let you have dominion over the earth.”
There was zero qualification for this power and authority.
God spoke it and that was it.
God says in Psalm 89:34,
“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”
In Hebrews 1:3 it says,
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high
God will not violate His Word.
When He told Adam and Eve
they had dominion, authority, and power
to subdue and rule, it was done.
Lucifer understood the integrity of God’s words,
and when he heard this,
He saw that Adam and Eve
had something he wanted but didn’t have:
They had unconditional authority.
In a way,
they had been made the gods of this world;
it was theirs to rule and subdue.
We read in Psalm 115:16,
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.”
Even though Lucifer may have been God’s number one angel,
he still wanted more.
He was jealous and envious;
he actually wanted to take God’s place.
In Isaiah 14:13 it says,
“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.”
The next verse says,
“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Lucifer understood that if he could deceive Adam and Eve
into willingly relinquishing their authority to him
that he could become the god of this world.
He could take the authority that was given to mankind,
use it to thwart the kingdom of God,
and receive the praise and adoration and glory he wanted.
Romans 6:16 says this,
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
So, who made Satan? We did!
The moment Adam and Eve yielded to Lucifer,
he became Satan, the god of this world.
You might be thinking,
But Satan deceived them. Shouldn’t God have stopped him?
I believe the moment Lucifer transgressed against God,
he lost his angelic power.
Satan now has no power or authority of his own;
he only has what he has been able to deceive people into giving him.
Think about what that means to you as a believer.
When we are resisting the devil and fighting against him,
Satan does not have a superior power or authority.
He is absolutely dependent upon
the cooperation of a human being
who will empower him with the authority God gave them.
Satan is going about like a roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour.
He is looking for people
who will open the door through things like lust,
rebellion, strife, unforgiveness, fear, and more.
When we yield to those things,
we are empowering him to destroy us.
So Satan has no power over you
He is a jealous, envious creation of God
Who rebelled
and desires to hurt God
By taking as many of us with him
To his hell for eternity
That’s who Satan is
4 times in the Old Testament
H1176
בּעל זבוּב
ba‛al zebûb
bah'-al zeb-oob'
From H1168 and H2070; Baal of (the) Fly; Baal Zebub, a special deity of the Ekronites: - Baal-zebub.
7 times in the New testament
G954
Βεελζεβούλ
Beelzeboul
beh-el-zeb-ool'
Of Chaldee origin (by parody upon [H1176]); dung god; Beelzebul, a name of Satan: - Beelzebub.
What does he do?
He lies
The scripture says this
John 8:44
……….. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with 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.
All he knows is lies
Distortions
Untruths
That’s what Satan does
Who is on his side?
Who helps him?
Spirits
Demons
Charged with attacking the Word of God
In our lives
With distortions
So know we know
Who he is
What he does
And who is on his side
So what do we do
Well first thing is this
Know who you are
If you are a believer in Christ
Then choose you this day
Who you will serve
Because you are serving either God or the Devil
Are you a
Participant - one that participates – takes part in the war – chooses a side – carries out orders from above
Pawn - one that can be used to further the purposes of another
Passive spectator - onlooker - bystander
If you don’t know Jesus as Lord
You can get away with sitting on the side lines
And being a passive spectator, a bystander,
But once the truth is told to you
Whether or not you choose to accept it
Whether or not you accept Christ as your
Personal Lord & Savior or not
You will be held accountable
For what you have been told
And where you stand in this war
Is your choice
Are you
Going to try and remain on the fence
A passive spectator
How- when truth has been told to you
Eventually you will be pushed
By conviction
To make a choice
Are you with Jehovah God
Or against Him
Jesus said this
I wish that you are either cold or hot
Lukewarm
He spits out
I can tell you this for certainty
Flies Can’t Sit on a Hot Stove
Demons cannot bother you
when you are on fire for God!
If you are hot for Christ
The flies may come to attack you
But they can’t hang around a fire
If you get on fire for God
The enemy may come in hard
But our God
Like a flood will raise a standard against the enemy
And every time he will be defeated
How do I know this
Because God has already won war!
The devil is fighting a losing war
He rages battles – but they are only to try and convince you!
If you stop listening
He loses
We are already victorious
There is nothing that he can do
To separate you from the love of God
The agape – love of God
The Love that promises you His Best
The love that gives without expectation of receiving back
The love that will die for you
Even if you choose to deny Him
The love that will save your family
And loved ones
Even if you are still battling an inner war yourself
He has put away all judgment against his own
Open your hearts today
To the fire of God
It’s the fire of God
That defeats the Lord of the flies
And all his works
It’s the fire of God
That will carry you to the next level
Those around you may think you are crazy
But you will have the peace
You long for
The joy that will keep you strong
And the excitement about tomorrow
That you had as a child
Come and burn with us
Lord light the flame of our hearts
………
