Westside Church of Christ

God has offered to the crown jewels of His creation words of wisdom from the very beginning. It was simple then. Do not eat the forbidden fruit. They did, and the entire creation suffered. Sin does things to people that we can hardly perceive. Delusion is not obvious. It would seem to be apparent that no one would choose to believe something that would destroy them. Yet, those self-destructive choices are made every day.

The devil is a master at making the deadly look desirable. Amazing, isn’t it? The first couple had a paradise filled with approved options and a single prohibited one. The serpent appealed to them through the senses and deceived them with a promise which he could not fulfill. His approach really hasn’t changed. It may not come through a serpent, but it is sure to stir up inappropriate lust. We look. We desire. We act. The consequences are spiritually fatal.

The true cost of sin is brought vividly into focus on a cross. Death. Brutal, ugly, painful, bloody death to no one less than the Son of God. His record was spotless. His descent was radical, from equality with God to an execution fit only for the vilest of criminals. The highest became the lowest to pave the way back to our Creator. Nails punctuated the horror of sin.

The evil one has done a masterful job of marginalizing it. It’s painted in broad strokes of alternative lifestyles. Self-gratification has been deified. It sits on the throne of human lives dealing out lustful thoughts and prompting exploitive deeds. Christians are portrayed as being outdated and uneducated. Mass media infiltrates our minds, distorts out thinking and conquers one more soul. Yes, he is a clever devil.

Underestimating him is terrible mistake. He threw bombs of temptations at Jesus immediately after His baptism (Matthew 4). He will put pressure on us from every direction. Culture will make every effort to squeeze us into its mold. Our own wants and wishes lead us into the darkness while Satan pulls the strings all along, and we’re kidding ourselves if we think that we’re immune. Such thoughts make us even more vulnerable.

The world is the devil’s playground, and it draws at our attention every day. John’s command is not to love the lusts that it stirs up (1 John 2:15-17). It may feel good for the moment, but it is temporary. The will of God is better, and it’s forever.

That takes us back to the very beginning. Don’t eat that forbidden fruit. A solitary command that is life and death. The serpent convinced Eve to ignore the word of God, and the creation has suffered ever since. His sales pitch hasn’t changed. Forget what the Lord has said, and do your own thing. My own thing? No, it’s the devil’s, and that’s the biggest deception of all.

Call to Praise: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

His word on it: Colossians 4:2

Sermon: “Always Thankful”