Text: Isaiah 14: 11 – 19 and Ezekiel 28: 11 – 19
Memory Verse: “...God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”James 4: 6
Welcome to May, the month of grace. May the special and unmerited favour of God which we call grace, be poured on you continually this month and always; and may this grace lead you to do everything pleasingly to God your Creator and Lord. Amen.
This month, I have chosen, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, to challenge us on how best to walk with God. The Holy Bible tells us in the book of Micah 6: 8 that there are three things that God requires of us, for us to live a life that is pleasing unto Him. They are: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God. In this month’s homily, we shall concentrate on this last requirement – walking humbly with God, by looking at the example of somebody who did just the opposite of it. And as I sat at my desk to write this issue, I thought to myself that isn’t it strange to write on a topic by concentrating on the opposite of that topic? However, God’s Spirit in me reminded me that it is God who works in me to will and to do of His good pleasures; and that He knows what message He has prepared me to send out to some specific people whose lives and attitudes need to change if they were to avoid situation where God will set Himself against them, causing untold disasters in their lives. And so, in obedience to God, I have carefully chosen the title of this homily – “Beware of Lucifer’s sin”. It will be to your advantage, nay, to your profit, favour and salvation if you do not only read this piece but also meditate and act on what it contains therein.
Who is Lucifer and what is his sin? The name Lucifer is just another name for Satan, who is the head of the evil world system and the real, though invisible, power behind all the evils we see in the world today and always. In its original use, the name means “bearer of light” or “morning star”, referring to the former splendor of Satan as the greatest of the angels – an archangel. He was one of the three archangels (the others being Michael and Gabriel) God created and gave great authority to reflect majesty and beauty, and to administer His government in the Angelic Realms. Lucifer’s sin is rebellion, which stems from pride in him. He is the first and the worst rebel in the world today. As our texts clearly show, he was not content to be who and what God created him to be. Consumed with pride, envy and greed, he wanted to become like God and perhaps even, to be above Him. Using his exalted and vintage position, he garnered so much support that he almost actualized his plot. The Holy Scriptures tells us in Revelation 13: 4 that he had the support of a third of the angels in heaven. These were the ones hurled down and displaced from their habitation with him when the archangel Michael and the remaining two-third of the angels fought and defeated Lucifer. As it is popularly said, to every action, there is consequence. Lucifer’s rebellious action led to losing his heavenly estate, his right to the name, the position, the authority and the beauty he once possessed. He became Satan and Devil; and his angels became demons. Such is this loss that it is very hard to imagine that Satan was once a beautiful and powerful angel in heaven, who administered God’s government, praised and worshipped God. This loss is however not the only consequence of the rebellious act that resulted from pride in him, nor is it the end of it. The Holy Bible says in the book of Revelation 20: 1 – 3, 7 – 10 that a time is coming (and I pray God, let it be soon) when Satan will be seized, bound and be thrown into the Abyss for a thousand years where he will languish before his final condemnation and doom in hell fire, a lake of burning sulfur, where he and his demons and those who chose now to obey, follow and worship him will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Perhaps you might be thinking like the author of a piece I read recently, titled “In Praise of the Devil”, that God is a “sadist” who demands “slavish conformity and obedience” and exudes a “psychotic rage at any display of independent thinking and behavior”. You might have opined that the punishments meted out to the Devil as described above are not warranted and are perhaps out of proportion. Can I tell you this straight? God is right in what He did and He will always be right. Listen to what the Holy Bible says in Genesis 18: 25: “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Moreover, God declared Himself a Jealous God (Exodus 20: 5). His jealousy stems out of His might, holiness, righteousness and justice. He will not tolerate insubordination, neither will He allow it. He will punish every act of disobedience and rebellion; and He will not allow His glory, fame, authority and position to be shared or usurped by anyone. He has always been upfront about this right from the beginning. The pages of the Holy Bible are full of it. He has never allowed such acts in the past; and He will not start now. Why? It is because He is God, the Creator and Owner of heaven, earth and everything in them. Are you proud and arrogant in your ways? Is your heart haughty? Are you disobedient and rebellious in your attitude to God, His words, His Son, His prophets and the authority instituted by Him? Or are you likely to do or be any of these, either openly or secretly in your heart? Be warned and avoid the sin of Lucifer. It carries dangerous and disastrous consequences. Remember, our God is a consuming fire and it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. Instead, why don’t you court His grace by being humble and obedient as our memory verse says? This is the word of the Lord for you this month.
Dr Abel Adegoke