Our Adversary the Devil: His Mission

[0:00] Well, good morning. Let's find the book of Revelation chapter 4 and we'll kick off a new section of study here on our adversary the devil. Revelation chapter 4 is where we want to begin. And as you're finding your place, let's pray together and ask God to help us out here. Father, we ask your blessing now upon this time, upon this Sunday school hour and this lesson and help us to approach these topics and these thoughts and studies diligently and pray that you'll give us understanding and that we'll be fully aware of our adversary and of what you've revealed and of his devices. And God, help us to submit to the teachings of your word. We're thankful for this Bible, thankful that we can hold it and read it in our own tongue and understand it by your spirit. Lord, there's a lot in here that we don't understand and we pray that you'll give the illumination now as you see fit. We ask in Jesus' name.

[1:08] Amen. All right. So before we get to this passage here, we're going to start this new section here called his mission. So we've kind of, I think for the most part, gotten through the heavy stuff and the wild stuff of the studies of Satan, his beginning or his making and some of the things that he's able to do and then even his manifestations. I'm sure to a degree, some of that was enlightening to some of you. It was maybe confusing to some of you, but most of that is past. And now we're going to get to something that's a little more understandable and just something we can really grasp. But if I asked you to specifically or if you could nail down, if you could answer that thought of what is his mission, what would be, what's his goal, what is his objective in this time and as it relates to you even. If you could summarize it, if you could scale it all the way down to just one thought, to just one concept, one line, what would it be? What is his mission? Now you don't have to answer this because I don't want you to feel dumb if you say the wrong answer. And I don't want you to steal it from me too if you say the right answer. No, I'm kidding. But here's what some people would say and maybe you're thinking this right away. You think he wants to take everybody to hell.

[2:24] And sure. I mean I'd say absolutely that's part of it. And we'll even come into some of that here. He wants to damn souls, maybe as many as he can. And that's right. But I think that's only a portion. That's only a piece of what he's really up to. There's a reason that he wants to damn souls. And so it's a bigger picture than that. Some would say that he wants to build a kingdom. One that's going to be so powerful and large that one day he'll be able to usurp the authority of God. He'll overtake the Lord and get that place that he desires.

[2:56] And that's a neat thought. He does come down to earth and gather all the nations together to battle in the day of the Lord. He does things that look that way. But I struggle to think that that's his real objective and goal in all of this is to use men or even things that God created against God to dethrone him. I think he's not that dumb. The Bible says he's full of wisdom. And when he does get cast down to the earth in Revelation chapter 12 he says that he has great wrath saying that he hath but a short time. He knows that he hath but a short time. So he knows God's got a timetable.

[3:38] He knows I don't think he's going to try to do something like that or that's really his mission. Others might say that he seeks to exalt himself. You can kind of take it back to that pride in the beginning and him desiring the throne or being above the throne of God. He desires that worship.

[3:58] I think that's what he wants anyway. So maybe exalting himself is his greatest thing he can do in his mission and it's probably part of it too. But let's try to answer the question to begin here. What is his mission? Something that would represent and that would encompass all of what we're even suggesting here to begin and much more. It would encompass all of his work that the Bible describes, all of his activity over the past several thousand years, what exactly is he up to? And I believe it's this. I believe if I could just put it in a very short thought here, what his mission is is to oppose God.

[4:35] That's what it is. And I'm going to show it to you. His goal, his mission, his objective is to stand in the way of what God desires. God has a work, then Satan's going to oppose it. God has a will that he wants to see accomplished, Satan's going to step in and interfere with that. He's going to oppose God.

[4:54] What God seeks, what God desires, what God wants to enjoy, Satan will withstand and even attempt to destroy. And I think it's that easy and it encompasses an awful lot. And so we'll look at some of these things.

[5:07] I want you to understand as we begin this that Satan's problem or Satan's issue is with God. It's not with you. Not so much with you. If you have, if he has any interest or any connection to you, it's because you have a connection to God. Otherwise, you're nothing. He's not sweating you or concerned or just tempted. He's really tempting you today, huh? Well, his beef is with the Lord. Understand that.

[5:35] He envies God. He envies his position and his worship and his holiness. He despises, even hates him. And that's the one that he seeks to be like, the Almighty. So Satan has a problem with God or an issue with God and God then is the one that stands in his way of getting what he really desires. So he opposes him. He opposes him. Satan, I think, wants that exaltation. He desires that worship.

[6:06] His wicked heart is lifted up inside of him. And so that's the one that destroyed him and cast him out. And vengeance is in his heart coupled with a derive and desire to get that status of being that anointed, glorious, bright, being cherub back. He wants to be back up there. And so until then, he's going to oppose everything that God does. And so his ultimate goal, if we could say it in a quick little line, is to oppose God. It's to keep God from enjoying the desired fruit of his creation.

[6:41] And that is bringing us right to Revelation chapter 4, a verse you all probably well know, verse 11. And this is a scene up in heaven where there's beasts giving glory and honor and thanks to God.

[6:55] And there's 4 and 20 elders that are falling down worshiping him. And here's what they're saying in verse 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. And this last phrase, let's pay attention to, for thou hast created all things. And for thy pleasure they are, present tense, that is they exist today, currently, still, and were, past tense, back in the very beginning, were created.

[7:24] Why were they created? For thy pleasure. Why do they still exist? For thy pleasure. Why is everything the way it is or why does it exist and even God didn't just destroy it and wipe it all out for good?

[7:35] For his pleasure. We need to understand that and we'll move forward with this. So God created all things for his pleasure. His pleasure are things that can please him. It can come to him, I'd say, in the form of praise, in the form of worship, in the form of even fellowship. He takes pleasure in that.

[7:56] And our adversary, the devil, is there to prevent and to oppose as much of that from happening as possible. From God getting pleasure out of his creation.

[8:09] Now turn to Romans chapter 14. Romans and chapter 14. And notice verses 7 and 8.

[8:30] Considering that you're here to bring God pleasure. That's why you exist. That's why you were created. Romans 14 verses 7 and 8.

[8:42] The Bible says, For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord. And whether we die, we die unto the Lord.

[8:54] Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's. Nobody just popped up on this planet randomly. We didn't just show up here. There's a design and a true purpose to all of life and to all living things.

[9:12] Especially man. We are the Lord's. Now whether we please him or not, that's a different story. But the fact is, we're created by him and for his pleasure. We're his.

[9:23] Doesn't matter if you oppose that yourself or if somebody denies that. That has nothing to do with it. But the fact is, the Bible truth is, the creator made you for a purpose. And he seeks pleasure out of your life and glory from you.

[9:37] And so we are the Lord's. In Acts chapter 17 verse 28, Paul says, For in him we live and move and have our being. Without him we don't live, we don't move, and we don't have any being.

[9:50] We are the Lord's. So, if it brings pleasure to God, or, let's just say it that easy.

[10:03] If it brings pleasure to God, Satan opposes. Satan interferes. And I want to show you examples of this in the Bible. And what I'm not going to do is show you every verse that says, This brings him pleasure, and then this is where Satan opposes it, and do some chain references, which we could do.

[10:19] It's in there. But I'm going to ask you, when we look at these items, or even as I bring them up, to, I guess, just use your own logic, and your own spiritual understanding of these things that we mention from the Scripture that brings God pleasure to see, Oh, yeah, he's absolutely interfering with that.

[10:41] He's absolutely opposing and keeping God, or doing his best to keep God from having what he desires. is fellowship with man, and worship, and true praise, and just bringing him pleasure in any way.

[10:56] So, based on the thought in Revelation 4, the first thing I think that I want to say that brings God pleasure is mankind. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and go just through those chapters, he puts man on a planet.

[11:14] But he already created the whole thing, separated this and that, and created a place for dry land, the animal kingdom, the vegetation.

[11:25] It's all set up and established for what? For just to watch it go around and around? No, he put a man there. He put a man there that he can fellowship with.

[11:37] And so, mankind is the very first thing we see in the Scripture, at least in this study, that is created to bring God pleasure. So, come back to Genesis chapter 6.

[11:49] Genesis chapter 6. Based on what we read in Revelation 4, that all things were created by him, and for thy pleasure they are and were created, I can confidently say that mankind was created for God's pleasure.

[12:09] So, in the beginning, he created man and woman. Male and female created he them. And he commissioned them to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, have dominion over all the creation, to keep the garden, name the animals, and just got the thing off and running.

[12:34] And then, enter Satan. God, before this, is fellowshipping with them. He's walking in the cool of the garden with man. He's showing up on this planet, fellowshipping with man and woman.

[12:49] I think it's all going well. And Satan's watching on and says, Oh no, this isn't good. This isn't what I want.

[12:59] Oh, he wants that? Then I'm going to do something about it. And so, he singles out the weaker vessel, and he lies to her and deceives her, and causes the fall of man.

[13:10] And if you focused on Adam and Eve, and sin entering into the world, and death by sin, and you focus on what they lost, it's a tragedy.

[13:21] But let's back off of man and stop thinking about him, and think about God. What did he lose? What did he do? He created this thing for his pleasure, and Satan shows up, and interferes with what God established, and commanded, and deceives him, and causes the fall, and causes God to curse the very thing that he created for his pleasure.

[13:44] And it gets so bad, so fast. Look at Genesis chapter 6, and notice verse, well, let's look at 5 and 6. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.

[13:57] This is not his plan. And that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, not what he had in mind. So look at verse 6. This is horrible.

[14:08] And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth. And it grieved him at his heart. And so in verse 7 he says, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.

[14:24] At the end of the verse, it repenteth me that I have made them. Why? How did it get to that point? Do you not, can we not use logic here and see this was Satan?

[14:38] You see how God did something that he was going to be pleased with, that he had a plan for, it was going to go on and on and on? And Satan shows up here and interferes with it, and opposes, and keeps God from getting pleasure.

[14:53] So, sin enters the world, death by sin, it goes downhill fast, God decides I'm destroying the whole thing, I wish I didn't even do this. And so God takes Noah, in verse number 9 it says that Noah walked with God.

[15:07] And God's pleased with this man, and so he takes Noah, eight souls, his wife, his three sons, and their three daughters, and he does in fact wipe out the human population, save those eight.

[15:20] And he decides to recommission Noah, give Adam's commission to Noah, to be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth, and you can read that in Genesis chapter 9 when he comes off the ark, everything is fresh, everything is new, they're starting over, and that doesn't last very long.

[15:39] There's already problems by the end of chapter 9, and then going into chapter 10 and 11, we get into this tower of Babel where God wants them to be scattered abroad across the face of the whole earth, and man says, no, we don't want to be scattered abroad, we want to build a tower in a city, and we want the top to reach unto heaven, the top of this tower.

[16:00] And so the Lord looks down, and he's not pleased, the people is one, in chapter 11, verse 6, and then he decides to confound their language, and so then verse 8, the Lord scattered them abroad.

[16:16] So what's going on with mankind is they're growing, they're not spreading, they're not doing what God's intention is for man, they're ignoring God's will for them, and doing their own thing, he ends up showing up, and forcing their hand, and scattering them, and of those nations, and of those men scattered all across, he looks down and he picks one.

[16:40] He sees Abram, and he likes what he sees, and he makes a covenant with Abram, and he says to Abram, forget the rest of them, you and me, from here on out, it's you and me, and you're going to, I know you, and I know you're going to command your children, and your household, after the way of the Lord, and so I'm going to bless you.

[17:04] As a matter of fact, anybody out there that curses you, I'm going to curse them, but if they'll bless you, I'll bless them. That's how it's going to work. Everything's going to come through you, Abram, and God sets up something new now.

[17:17] He sets up through Abram, Abraham then, a nation, and God has a plan for that people. Something that didn't work out with Adam, and it didn't work out with Noah, it's going to work out with Abram, and I'm going to make sure it works out with him.

[17:34] So look at 1 Samuel chapter 12. I want to show you a couple things about this people. A few things God says, because he absolutely has a plan for this people.

[17:48] They're a special people. Meanwhile, Satan is observing, and he's looking on, what is he up to?

[17:59] So 1 Samuel chapter 12, and this is something that Samuel says when he makes Saul the king, and he says this in verse 22.

[18:14] For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, notice this phrase, because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.

[18:27] It hath pleased the Lord. They're a pleasure. Now, up to date, we could backtrack a little bit through this Bible and see they haven't been such a pleasure to him.

[18:38] And going through the times of the judges, going through their complaining and murmuring in the wilderness, but nevertheless, God made a covenant with that man. He fully intends on making good on it all the way to the end, and it pleased him to make them that people, or make them his people.

[18:56] Turn to Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43. A few more things God says in regards to this people. In Exodus chapter 19, in the wilderness, before he, as he was giving the law to Moses, just before that, he says this, that his desire of Israel is to make them an holy nation, a peculiar treasure, and a kingdom of priests.

[19:30] Now look at Isaiah 43 and start at the very beginning. But now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.

[19:51] When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior.

[20:06] I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee, therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

[20:21] What's that mean? It means he'll destroy heathen nations, and he won't even care about it because he cares about them. You're mine. I love you. I'll destroy them.

[20:31] I'll wipe those Canaanites out. They'll be gone forever because I love you, and I'm going to do something special with you. I'll give men for thee. This is what he says. In verse 5, Fear not, for I am with thee.

[20:45] I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Keep not back. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth.

[20:56] Even everyone that is called by my name. Watch this. For I have created him for my glory. I have formed him, yea, I have made him.

[21:08] Skip down to verse number 21. This people have I formed for myself. They shall show forth my praise.

[21:19] So without a doubt, Israel is a very special people to God. Very special. And the sad thing is, by the end of this Old Testament, the last prophet, the last voice that God sent to them, Malachi chapter 1 and verse 10, the Lord says, I have no pleasure in them.

[21:43] So they're not fulfilling at all what God had established them to be. And it hasn't been coming to pass. And I think we could make some points and show throughout their worshipping of devils, their being led astray, and their wicked and stubborn heart, and all of these things, stiff-necked.

[22:01] And we could point out flaws. But understand that there's somebody that has been in the back of all of this, watching the will of God, and the working of God, and what is he up to, and what does he desire.

[22:16] And he made a promise, did he? Oh, I'll see about that. And somebody shows up and opposes. Now, think on this on a different level, about that one nation, among all the nations.

[22:29] What one nation, over the course of time, has been more attacked, has been more hated, more despised, so much so, that the neighboring nations and other nations alike have sought to exterminate that people?

[22:46] Which one? America? No. Just because some Arab nations declare that we're the, you know, satanic nation, and this, you know, the western civilization, no, that's, we're not the one they hate the most.

[23:01] Not at all. It's Israel. It's true in the past, it's true in the present, it's, you can count on it, it's going to be true in the future. So much so, that as Revelation 12 describes Satan, that he's persecuting the woman, that's Israel.

[23:16] And then he tries to cast a flood out of his mouth to carry her away. So that nation is something special to God. And from the past, present, and future, Satan's been after him.

[23:29] And seeking to destroy even, even the promised seed that would come through that line, or you can, you can look throughout, God, Satan will do anything he can do to get God to curse that nation.

[23:41] So now let's move to another thought here. Something from, from all of mankind, and down to one nation. Now let's look down to something that's even a little more individual. Something maybe you can relate to personally.

[23:54] Go, I want you to get two places. 1st Chronicles 29, and then Psalm 147. 1st Chronicles 29, Psalm 147.

[24:15] We're considering, what is it that brings God pleasure? It pleased the Lord to make Israel his people. It pleased him to make mankind upon the earth.

[24:29] But what about on an individual level? What is it that brings God pleasure? The Bible will give us some light on this. 1st Chronicles 29 is the first place we want to be.

[24:44] And verse number 17. I know also, my God, that thou tryest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness.

[24:57] Now I'm going to pause here, because we're going to be on this very thought, in the next hour, about God trying the heart. Or the thought of, checking you out, and looking, and inspecting.

[25:10] And, God tries the heart, and he has pleasure, in a particular thing that he would find, and that is, uprightness. What is uprightness? It's just, doing right.

[25:22] It's loving righteousness. And, coupled with that, is hating evil, and iniquity. Like Job, he eschewed evil. So thou hast pleasure, and uprightness.

[25:33] As for me, and the uprightness of mine heart, I have willingly offered, and goes on from there. Now turn to Psalm 147. I want to point out a verse here as well. Speaking on the individual now.

[25:49] Verse number 11. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, and those that hope in his mercy. So, putting the two verses together, it's a pleasure to God, to see a man, or a woman, that's going to walk uprightly, they're going to do what's right, and they're going to fear God.

[26:09] Now that sounds exactly like Job, as a matter of fact. You don't have to turn, but, I'll read you verse number one. As we're introduced to this man in the Bible, there was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

[26:27] So Job fits the bill, and I bet he was a pleasure to God then. I bet he was a real pleasure to God, because God takes pleasure in an upright heart, and he takes pleasure in somebody that fears him.

[26:40] God was pleased with this man's character. He was pleased with his conduct. He accepted his worship. And so Satan shows up one day, with the sons of God, and God says to Satan, do you ever consider my servant Job?

[26:53] And a lot of people say, oh God picked a fight with him. He picked a fight with Satan and Job, and you know what I think that statement is though? I think that statement, is him saying, he fears me, he eschews evil, he's upright and perfect before me, through and through.

[27:10] And I think God is using Job's testimony, as a rebuke to Satan. He's just a man. Have you considered him? Have you considered this is what he lives like?

[27:21] What about you, Satan? You didn't do, you didn't toe the line at all, did you? You don't fear me. You don't eschew evil. You're not upright in heart.

[27:31] There was iniquity found in you. And I think God's rebuking Satan, as he appears before him. And so, Satan says, well, I can take him down.

[27:43] I'll curse, he'll curse you to his face, to your face. You just let me do it. And Satan did. We've studied it already in chapter 1 and 2. He persecuted and harmed an innocent man that loved God, and that had an upright heart.

[27:58] And he just went after him, to get him to curse God. Now, as far as it applies to you, every time, just know this, every time that you choose to do right, it pleases God.

[28:11] Especially, when it's to your hurt, or to your harm, or you end up suffering, or losing out, or reproached in some way. But when you sacrifice for him, because it's what's right to do, God is pleased.

[28:26] It's a sweet smelling savor that comes up before him. And he enjoys that. He's pleased. And so let me encourage you this morning, don't be afraid to do right.

[28:37] Don't be afraid. Don't realize God sees. He knows. He's accounting it all. And he realizes that it hurts you a little bit. And it's not your choice. But when you choose him and righteousness over taking the easy way out, he recognizes it.

[28:53] He sees it all. Don't be afraid to do right. Remember that he takes pleasure, even in the littlest of things. When your heart decides, I'm going to do this instead, because this is what's right.

[29:05] Or I'm not going to do that, or go that direction, or say that, or participate in that, because it's wrong. When you eschew that evil, when you choose the right, God's pleased.

[29:16] God is very pleased. And this life is but a vapor. So the more that you can please him now, it's going to be worth it. Even in the littlest of things. Those are the ones that are more important than the big ones, by the way.

[29:28] They make the difference. So Satan's mission is to oppose God. If God has people that please him, well then he'll interfere with that. And he'll show up and oppose that.

[29:39] He'll attack. He'll destroy. He'll tempt. He'll harm. He'll harm family. He'll do whatever it takes to mess up a relationship with God and keep God from getting pleasure.

[29:50] Keep them from pleasing him. Let's take a look at one here in Psalm. Look at Psalm 149. I think you're right there, are you?

[30:01] Psalm 149. And let's read the majority of this psalm here and think about music for a minute.

[30:14] Psalm 149. Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him.

[30:25] Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise his name in the dance. Let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. Why? For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people.

[30:37] He will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory. Let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand.

[30:50] Now in the context of God taking pleasure in his people, you can't miss it. He's calling for them to praise him and sing and the instruments to be brought out. And I thoroughly believe that God takes pleasure in the praises of his people.

[31:05] And the ones that know him, that he's revealed himself to, that understand who he is and just in turn send it up. Praise him. Lift up your voice and give it to him.

[31:18] And God takes pleasure in that. The Bible says in Psalm 22 that he inhabits the praises of his people. That's a pretty powerful thought to consider. The Lord likes that stuff.

[31:30] He shows up and he enjoys it. Now I'm not talking about just anybody singing praise or playing music. When the heathen worship some great spirit or worship something that they think is God, God's not taking pleasure in that.

[31:44] Remember in John chapter 4, Jesus Christ said that God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

[31:55] Those are two big qualifiers. In spirit, not in flesh. And in truth. Truth is very, very important to God. And he's revealed truth in his word.

[32:07] Now, the Bible says in Hebrews 13, by him, speaking of Jesus Christ, by him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.

[32:19] Do you think Satan's unaware of that thought? Do you think he's unaware that God takes pleasure in his people praising him? Do you think he's unaware that he commands men to praise him and to glorify him?

[32:31] He calls on his people to lift them up and to sing a new song and praise in the congregation? I'm sure he's quite aware of that. And so when it comes to the area of music, again, I say the second time, enter Satan.

[32:46] And here he comes. And the praise and the worship that is directed to a holy God today, I hope you are aware of this and aren't just completely in a bubble here, but the praise that is being offered from the body of Christ to a holy God has been, in my opinion, very corrupted.

[33:08] Very, brought down very, very low to man's pleasure, to what appeals to man's sinful nature, his flesh. And I find it hard to believe that it's acceptable to God.

[33:23] That's a holy God. That's a God of spirit that says, you worship me in spirit and truth. In that Bible, he says to the believers, come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord.

[33:35] In his Old Testament times, they had the songs of Zion, the songs of their land. They weren't the songs of the heathen. They couldn't even sing the songs of Zion in the heathen land. It just wasn't working for them.

[33:47] It was wrong. There's a separation in praising and worshiping God and his style and his music and spirit and truth. And don't think for a minute that Satan hasn't been trying to oppose God from getting that pleasure.

[34:02] What God desires to receive, Satan has done his best to pervert and to distort into a form that God would reject.

[34:12] His holiness would reject and refuse. While man and the young Christian kids today are just rocking away and they're just jumping around at their loud concerts and light shows.

[34:25] I'm glad I didn't do it. I started to do this was to pull up some images to show you. I did some Google searches this week on Christian concerts. And the images that popped up, I'm telling you, if you came out of the grave from 100 years ago and saw the pictures or even 50 years ago and saw the images, you would say, there'd be no way you'd say that's a Christian concert.

[34:49] That's Christian. You would absolutely think it's some heavy metal thing in some cases where the guys are wearing cut off leather and tattoos going down both arms.

[35:01] Their hair is long. They're sweating all over their face and their mouth just shouting into the mic. You would absolutely say, that's some heavy metal rock concert. And underneath it says, such and such Christian band, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[35:14] And those are the extreme ones. Just the majority of them are just light shows, flashing, kids jumping around and screaming and shrieking at the boys when they come on stage and sing. Don't get me on that.

[35:26] I didn't put it on there because I don't want to go that direction. But there they are, worshiping God. And some, just remember, we studied this already. This, our adversary is a musical being.

[35:39] Remember, he was created with musical instruments built into him. He, as they say, is heaven's choir director. He knows music. He's full of wisdom and he's created that way.

[35:52] So don't think for a minute that he hasn't been involved in the decline of what the body of Christ has been offering up to God and at the same time entertaining themselves with. So, let's do one more and come back to Ezekiel chapter 18.

[36:08] Ezekiel. Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel. Ezekiel. And we'll close this morning's lesson by considering something that God does not take pleasure in.

[36:36] Ezekiel 18 and look at verse number 23. I'll back up. Let's back up just a touch. Verse 20 and get the context here. The Lord says this, The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

[36:50] The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live.

[37:08] He shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him. In his righteousness that he hath done, he shall live. Here comes a question. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should return from his ways and live?

[37:28] What's the will of God? That all should come to repentance. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Have I any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked?

[37:39] The answer is no. His desire and will is for them to turn and to come to him. Look at verse 32. He says it again, For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God.

[37:52] Wherefore, turn yourselves and live ye. The death of the wicked. You know what God delights in? He delights in mercy. That's our God.

[38:03] He delights in mercy. But when man refuses to turn from his sin, the wages of sin is death. It's going to happen. It's going to come. It doesn't please the Lord to damn souls in their sin.

[38:17] As I said, he's not willing that any should perish. He doesn't have pleasure in that. But that's not going to change his nature. He's a just and holy and balanced and righteous judge.

[38:28] He's not going to cave in because he doesn't want to. He's going to do the right thing every time. Now because this is true, he doesn't have pleasure in it. Therefore, that first answer that many people give about what Satan's mission is to damn souls, now you see why that would be his desire.

[38:46] He'll damn as many souls as he can because God created them for his pleasure. And he doesn't desire to damn them or to curse them or for them to die in their sins.

[38:59] So Satan desires, therefore, to see God damn those souls, to promote sin, to promote the very wickedness that God despises. He lays snares for men.

[39:10] He lays traps for men to bind them in their sins. Proverbs chapter 5. God's will is for men to repent. But Satan's goal, then, is to keep them from repenting.

[39:25] I've got one verse I'll turn to. I'll just read it to you and then we'll close. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse number 25 says, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will.

[39:50] God is saying, I want you to turn and repent. And the Bible is showing us that those men are taken captive by him at his will. Why is it his will?

[40:00] Because God's calling for them to turn and repent. So Satan's pulling them back. He's pulling them back. He's laying more and more snares and temptations to trip up men and to bind them into sin because that's not what God wants.

[40:14] So you can almost free your mind of this thought that Satan's just this ultimate evil being. He's just full of filth and wrath and smut and that he's just the vilest of the vile.

[40:27] I don't think that's him at all. He's such a being that once worshipped and that's not a very worshipped full being. He once exalted and worshipped and men to praise and love him and the one that stands in his way is almighty God.

[40:44] And so when God has pleasure in something when God's doing something with man when God seeks to save men or for them to turn from their sins or to live a righteous and upright life that's where he shows up and says no.

[40:55] Not because he hates men. Not because he just wants to destroy you. It's because he doesn't want you to please him. So does that make sense to you? That's his mission.

[41:08] That's the overall. That's the big picture. And it's manifest in all these different ways in different areas and that might help you understand why. It's against him. And so when you're not pleasing him now you're making Satan happy.

[41:22] Not in the sense of yay but that's what I want the whole time. So understand that and we'll look at two more next week and then we'll move on to another part of this to show you not just the things that bring God pleasure but there are certain things in this Bible that God declares to be his will.

[41:39] Like he wants to see this happen. This is my will. And I'm going to show you Satan shows up and says not if I can help it. So he's going to oppose God and God's will and his work and anything that brings him pleasure.

[41:52] So let's have a word of prayer and then we'll close. Father, Lord please help us understand these thoughts. I pray they'd make clear sense to us all.