Matthew 4:8-9 (ESV)
[8] Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and
showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. [9] And he said to
him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Satan is a liar. In John 14:30 Jesus calls Satan “the ruler of this
world,” so yes, in a sense Satan could have given Jesus the world. But it’s a little
bit like a squatter offering to give a house to the rightful owner. He takes the
owner through the house showing off all the great features of the house and
then offers to give it to him for price. Of course, the owner has another plan.
He will likely call the police. In this case, Satan has usurped the authority
of the earth by convincing the rightful overseers to abdicate their role. That
is what happened in the Garden of Eden. Jesus has a different plan. Satan
offers the world if only Jesus will abdicate his place as God and worship him,
a created being. It’s a short cut, but there are consequences. In reality, the
world will be back under Jesus’s authority again, but only when the Enemy has
been thoroughly trounced. That trouncing began at the cross and is finished
when he is thrown into the Lake of Fire. Satan is a liar and a deceiver. Jesus
was promised the world, but in bowing before Satan he would have given up
everything.
It is no different with us. Whether we are talking about drugs and alcohol, violence,
gambling, or just bad habits, in the end they deliver the opposite of what they
promise. Sitting up late watching mind-numbing television to escape the
pressures of the day only add to the pressures the next day by keeping us from
good sleep. Drugs offer freedom from physical or emotional pain, but in the end,
they become the source of our worst pain. Unforgiveness sounds like justice,
but in the end, it only hurts the one who is unwilling to forgive. Satan is a
liar. As believers we need to walk in the truth and watch for the lies. God’s Word
is truth.
Comments
Post a Comment