Sermon for the 4 th Sunday after Easter – April 20, 2008
“ If I depart, I will send him unto you. And when the Comforter is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. ”
IN every fairy tale there is a prince. The prince must do the impossible, overcome a great obstacle: vanquish the evil sorcerer, travel a vast distance on a quest, rescue the fair maiden, return with the golden fleece. The prince is always the hero and we rejoice to see him after he has done what no other dared or cared enough to try.
Even in this 21 st century there are princes in the world; kings of Arab lands, a queen in England, royalty in Sweden, the son of the Shah of Iran in exile. Some princes are good, others less so. America has always shunned the concept of a ruler by divine right. Our entire aristocracy died the other day as we mourned the death of Charlton Heston.
Jesus spoke of the Prince of the World, and at first it surprises us that the Lord holds him in contempt. “I go away, and come again unto you… I go unto the Father… Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” John 14:28-30 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me… for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.” John 12:31-36 For Jesus, this Prince is a enemy, one that He came to defy and destroy. This prince is the one God told in the garden: “upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen 3:14-15 This is the dark prince of the world, one who has rulership in high places, but against whom we need to wear the armour of God, “that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places . Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.” Eph 6:11-13
But that's the devil ! Does anybody really believe in the devil nowadays? He's the spiritual boogyman of our forefathers' ignorance! Isn't he just a superstition that explains iniquity and temptation, madness and evil desires, today more easily understood as instincts and psychological disorders? Can we seriously entertain the notion of an evil man in a red suit, a pointed tail, horns and a pitchfork torturing people with flames and plotting wicked intrigues against the innocent?
I, for one, believe in the devil (not the red suit). I have seen his work. I encountered his voice speaking through people possessed and inhabited by his associates. I have foolishly followed some of his ways myself, and felt the hot breath on my neck, or his icy wind whipping around my legs and back. He's not a fairy tale. And he is not my prince. But I do know of him and am not beguiled along with some of today's Church into thinking the devil is some children's felt-board character or story book villain. And I have good company:
St. Peter wrote: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 St. Paul also: “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men , In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; … that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” 2 Tim 2:22-26 “For to this end also did I write… To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also… Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Cor 2:9-11 And St. James: “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? … Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:5-8
If Jesus and His apostles speak openly about the devil in Scripture, by the infallible direction of the Holy Spirit, who am I to argue? And if there is a personal evil spirit named Satan , should I not also know of him and what he is about? So should you.
The ancient book of Job finds angels assembled before God's throne one day “and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” God points out Job and how good a man he is, but Satan complains that God has blessed the man too much, and protected him from any painful experience. “But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” Job 1:6-11 God gave Satan permission to take away Job's wealth and family, but Job remained faithful to God. Another day comes when Satan presents himself to God and they speak of Job's successful resistance. Satan's reply : “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.” Job 2:4-7
This passage sounds almost like God is in league with the devil. The book almost says God is responsible for our temptations and evil days. He gives permission to Satan and sends him out. But in the end, Job is lifted up. By what right does the devil come before God and rule this earth with horror and degradation? Because of what we did and what we may still do. Remember…
God made man and woman, and gave them rulership over the creation. When they fell through the insinuation of the serpent, they gave that rulership to him. Christ came to restore in Himself the rulership over this world and cast out the pretender. But the snake will still get in his licks, and bruise the Lord's heel. He did all he could to thwart the mission of Jesus on earth, and still does. “There appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon... And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born… And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Rev 12:2-9
The good news is that Satan is defeated, and will be cast into a lake of fire forever. The good news is that he has no right to capture us and take us into his kingdom, if we have by faith been translated into the kingdom of God's Son. The good news is that Jesus cut the chains with which Satan had bound our souls by taking upon Himself the punishment we had earned and paying for our deeds on the cross, rising victorious over death and making a new and living way back to His Father.
Now by what right does Satan have rule over your life? Only that which you give him. You're back in charge as governor of this world, if your king, your true Prince is Jesus. If not, you have placed a demon on the throne of your world and bowed the knee to him. It's one prince or the other. Choose wisely.
And how might we always know the difference? Some choices are hard to make, difficult to discern between what is of God and what is a deception. There are clues, and one of them is whether we are aiming for this world or the next. Is the kingdom we seek here and now, or do the things we follow and obey serve the kingdom that is beyond this world. Jesus is not of this world. As He said, “Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.” John 8:23 “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, …but now is my kingdom not from hence. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” John 18:36-37 Our Lord does not belong to this world, though the world belongs to Him. He will demonstrate that fact on the last day. And if we are in His Kingdom, we are in this world but not of this world. Things temporal can't rob us of our reward, and personal losses, illness, separations, tragedies, and pain can't dim the hope that lies within our hearts, for we know our end.
The devil only wants to deceive you. He only wants to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” John 10:10 He may not offer you a baseball career, as Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO, or Faust's bargain over his soul, but the stakes are just as high. Don't believe him. He's a liar and the father of lies. “In time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience… and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Eph 2:1-3 One of his favorite ploys is to tempt you to sin and when you fall, to accuse you of sinning. Nice entrapment. He may haunt you with the sins of your former life. He may tell you that you lost it then and can't regain it now. He's a liar. Tell him so. Remember what the Good Book says: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are , and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Rev 20:10
So when the devil reminds you of your past, just remind him of his future. Jesus said, “The prince of this world is judged.” So be it. Let him rage. Don't believe him or follow him. He's a loser. You are not of this world anymore. The Prince of Peace, better than any fairy tale hero, is risen from the grave, victorious over impossible odds, and is the eternal ruler of God's creation once more. We have a Prince once more and He is Jesus.
PFH+