SERVING SATAN - # 1

If Satan is a murderer, a thief, and a liar, why would most of the world choose to serve him?

Jesus said in Mt. 7:13 that most of the world will be lost.

Most choose to have the devil as their spiritual leader.

Why do so many choose a spiritual head that is absolutely evil?

STARTING TODAY I WANT TO DEVOTE SOME TIME TO STUDYING PEOPLE WHO CHOSE SATAN TO BE THEIR SPIRITUAL HEAD.

A. Our first example is found in Gen. 3:6.

B. Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden.

C. God specifically told this couple to leave a certain tree and its fruit alone (Gen. 3:3).

D. This tree, whatever it was, was in the middle of the garden.

E. According to Gen. 3:1 the devil appeared to Eve and asked a question – READ 3:1.

F. There is no reason to believe that the devil was ignorant about the forbidden fruit.

G. He must have known that eating from the tree of knowledge was the one thing they were to avoid.

H. This may be why he slyly asked, “Did God say you cannot eat that fruit?”

I. The woman said that Satan was right. If she and Adam ate this fruit they would die.

J. Satan didn’t take long to offer a response. He said, “You shall not surely die” (verse 4).

K. The devil was and still is a good salesman.

L. When a salesman finds someone who has a slight interest in a product he swings into high gear.

M. His sales pitch becomes more fervent.

N. Salesmen usually become more aggressive if they see that someone is interested in something.

O. This is what the devil did.

P. After denying that the first couple would die if they ate the fruit, Satan added another thought.

Q. He said, (verse 5), if you eat the fruit “your eyes shall be opened.”

R. This doesn’t mean that Adam and Eve were blind.

S. The devil meant that they would receive some new knowledge.

T. They would learn about some new things.

U. The first couple would be exposed to a brand new range of experiences.

V. This was true. Adam and Eve were introduced to sin. That was new.

W. They were introduced to punishment. That was new.

X. Satan didn’t say the new things would be good, but he did promise new experiences.

Y. He also said that the first couple would know the difference between “good and evil.”

Z. In fact, they would be “as God.”

AA. Adam and Eve were already created in the image of God.

BB. Additional knowledge that was forbidden would not help them.

CC. Eating this fruit would not be a step forward.

DD. Yet, Eve listened to the devil’s sales pitch.

EE. When she looked at the tree its fruit was a delight to her eyes (verse 6).

FF. The Bible says she ate of the fruit and then she shared some with her husband.

2. GENESIS 3 SHOWS THAT ADAM AND EVE DECIDED TO SERVE THE DEVIL. AS WE STUDY THIS ACCOUNT WE LEARN SOME THINGS ABOUT SERVING SATAN

A. First, Adam and Eve were not bad people.

B. These first two people were good people. In fact, before this sin they were perfect.

C. Sometimes we think that those who serve Satan are wicked and vile.

D. Only bad people serve the devil. Gen. 3 says this isn’t true.

E. Adam and Eve were people who were without sin.

F. The first couple had a very close relationship with God.

G. For a time they made the right choice. They abided by God’s instructions.

H. A time came when they chose Satan and sin.

I. This choice resulted from a single act.

J. In our world we sometimes get a free pass on certain things.

K. Our insurance company may say that our first accident is overlooked.

L. Our insurance bill will not be increased if we have just one accident.

M. Failing to be on time, in some cases, may be overlooked.

N. Making an error may not be counted against us.

O. With sin there are no free passes.

P. If we accountable for our actions and we sin one time, Gen. 3 teaches that we belong to Satan.

Q. Those who are non Christians and are accountable for at least one sin belong to the devil.

R. If someone is not serving God he or she is serving Satan.

S. Gen. 3 also shows that in a marriage both partners may serve the devil.

T. Both Adam and Eve turned their lives over to Satan.

U. They gave up their relationship with God for a piece of fruit.

V. This reveals to us another point about serving Satan.

W. Many serve the devil and get very little in return.

3. Adam and Eve had the perfect home.

4. They and their world were in perfect harmony.

5. Life was peaceful. Day to day living was pleasant.

6. The first couple traded paradise for a piece of fruit.

7. I am pretty sure that most would say that this was a bad trade.

A. Serving Satan is a poor investment.

B. We may even say that serving the devil is man’s worst investment because of the consequences.

8. In a moment we will deal with the consequences described in Gen. 3.

9. Before dealing with the Genesis account I want to introduce 1 Tim. 2:14.

A. Paul knew about Adam, Eve, and the fall of man.

B. Paul said that Eve was tricked.

C. 1 Tim. 2:14.

D. The word “beguiled” means “to deceive.”

E. Eve was deceived.

F. Suppose that the account in Gen. 3 were to go something like this.

G. Satan came along and appeared in all his ugliness.

H. Suppose he said to Eve, “I am a terrible creature and I have come to hurt you.”

I. “I want to destroy your perfect life and bring pain to your family.”

J. “I want to drag you into a life that will be imperfect and harsh.”

K. “I want to force you from your beautiful home.”

L. “I am going to do something to you that will make childbirth an unpleasant experience.”

M. “I want to fill you with guilt and shame; feelings that will burden you.”

N. “I am here to wreck your life.
“If you go over to that tree and eat the fruit I can do my job.”

10. If Satan had presented his offer in this way Eve surely wouldn’t have listened.

11. She would have concluded that serving Satan was a bad idea.

12. The devil deceived Eve and this deception caused her to serve the devil.

A. Today many still serve Satan because they are deceived.

B. If people really knew what the devil is like they would run from him.

C. If people knew they are being deceived at least some of them would change.

D. Many are deceived for years and sometimes for an entire lifetime.

E. In Mt. 7 Jesus describes the end of time.

F. What Jesus said shows that Satan sometimes uses religion to trick people.

G. Most think that if a person is religious they are pleasing to God.

H. This conclusion is a lie from the devil.

I. According to Jesus many religious people will be lost.

J. Hell will be full of religious people who did many works in Jesus’ name.

K. Some of those in hell will be people who thought they performed miracles by Jesus’ power..

L. These people were faithful churchgoers.

M. Yet, here is what Jesus will say to them – Mt. 7:23.

N. These people served Satan.

O. When religious people hear this they will be stunned.

P. They will be absolutely shocked – verse 22.

Q. Satan is good at deceiving people.

R. People are part of his kingdom and they serve him without knowing it.

S. Right now there are religious people who believe they are serving God but are serving the devil.

T. These churchgoers may pray, preach, teach, and live a life that is consistent with Biblical morality.

U. This life is useless because Satan has tricked them with a false religion.

V. Satan deceives those who are religious (Mt. 7) and those who are not.

13. For the next reference I want to read Rom. 6:16.

A. In this passage Paul said that we present ourselves unto someone.

B. That is, we serve one of two beings. Someone is the spiritual head of our life.

C. READ Rom. 6:16.

D. Someone is our spiritual leader.

E. Though some say, “I don’t have a spiritual head” God says this is not true.

F. All of us obey and serve God or we belong to Satan.

G. We are owned by God or we are owned by the devil.

14. The person who says, “I reject both and do not serve either one” has chosen his leader.

15. SATAN DECEIVES PEOPLE INTO SERVING HIM AND SOME NEVER REALIZE IT UNTIL THEIR LIFE IS OVER.

A. Serving Satan is always a bad choice.

B. Notice the consequences faced by Adam and Eve.

C. Gen 3:7 says the first couple had their “eyes opened.”

D. They knew that they were naked.

E. They decided it was time to put string fig leaves together.

F. This implies guilt, shame, and embarrassment, and regret.

G. Serving Satan did not bring Adam and Eve joy; it brought pain.

H. It also brought fear.

I. The presence of God appeared in the garden (verse 8).

J. The end of the 8^th verse says that “the man and his wife hid themselves.”

K. A lot of people who serve Satan want to hide or hide some of the things they do.

16. People serve Satan for many reasons but the end result is always the same: destruction & unhappiness.

17. Adam and Eve served Satan largely because of deceit.

18. There were other things such as lust and perhaps curiosity.

19. The Bible specifically lists deceit as a cause of the first sin.

20. Have we been deceived by Satan?

21. Paul gave an interesting command to the Corinthians when he closed his second letter (13:5).

22. He said, “try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith.”

23. Then he said, “prove your own selves.”

24. According to Jesus in Mt. 7 many at the last day will have failed to do this.

25. Many will have not tested themselves to see if they are in “the faith” (the right way).

26. Many will not have proved themselves.

27. People often serve Satan because of deceit and ignorance.

28. Are we 100% sure we are not being deceived by the devil?

29. Would we like to ask some questions about our spiritual condition?

30. Or do we know that Satan has deceived us in the past and we are going to change that.