7 Sayings of the Cross – Part 5 - I Thirst

Temple Baptist Church - 3-22-2026

John 19:28-30; Isaiah 52:14-53:11

 

Introduction:

A.  Calvary is an inexhaustible subject as it involves the infinite love, mercy, grace, and sacrifice of God for sinful man. 

 

Romans 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

 

Sinful man, loved by a holy God in spite of fault and failure.  The reconciliation of the irreconcilable!   Oh, what a Saviour Jesus Christ is!

 

B.  “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished!”  Thus far, we have seen:

 

1.  Calvary’s Pardon as Jesus Christ cried out for the forgiveness of those who knew not what they did.   “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!”

 

2.  Calvary’s Promise as Jesus Christ responded to the penitent cry of a dying thief.  “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,” thus giving hope to all who put their faith in Him.

 

3.  Calvary’s Provision as Jesus Christ placed His loving mother into the hands of John the beloved.  “Woman, behold thy son…Behold thy mother.”  Dying, our Lord entrusted His earthly family to His earthly church.

 

4.  Calvary’s Price as our Lord became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him!  “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  Because Jesus Christ literally became sin for us that we might one day live forever with Him.

 

5.  Now we come to Calvary’s Pain, as, in the darkness of the noonday, Jesus Christ’s voice was heard once more.  “I thirst.”  Sin is now taken care of from God’s side of the cross, and, for the first time, we see the human side. 

 

C.  All things are now accomplished!  Jesus Christ has done all that He came to do.  He has left nothing undone, including the care of His earthly mother.  I continue to emphasize “His earthly mother” because Jesus Christ—as Jehovah God—had no mother!  He has now become sin for us and is “forsaken” by the Father.  As we were separated from the Father by our sin, Jesus Christ is now separated from the Father by our sin! 

 

Romans 14:8-9  For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.  (9)  For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

 

D.  At Calvary, we find the climax of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry; the culmination of God’s Salvation Plan, which was pre-determined from the foundation of the world.  During these hours of darkness, we find the payment of sin manifested in a twofold suffering. 

 

E.  “I thirst!”  For the first time, Jesus Christ requested something for Himself!  In Matthew 27, before His crucifixion, the Roman soldiers offered Him vinegar mingled with gall, which would have dulled the pain and lessened the suffering.  Jesus Christ refused the sedation offered! 

 

Matthew 27:33-35a  And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,  (34)  They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.  (35)  And they crucified him…  

 

F.  That the scripture might be fulfilled - Psalms 69:21  They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 

 

Our Lord fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy during His earthly life. This was proof positive that Jesus Christ was Jehovah God in the flesh!

 

G.  An ordinary man would not have made it to this point!  Isaiah 52:14, 53:5  “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men… But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” 

 

No man has ever been beaten as Christ was beaten!  He was unrecognizable as a man before He went to the cross.

 

Isaiah 52:13-15  Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.  (14)  As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:  (15)  So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

 

Isaiah 53:1-5  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?  (2)  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  (3)  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  (4)  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  (5)  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

 

 

H.  The pain and suffering were beyond our human imagination!  I have read much concerning the suffering from a medical viewpoint, and the agony must have been beyond anything that we have ever experienced.  I do not want to major on these physical sufferings, but do want us to realize that no man has ever or ever will suffer as He suffered.

 

J.  The Roman soldiers could not kill Him!  The crucifixion could not kill Him! 

 

John 10:17-18  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.  (18)  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 

 

We will find in a later message that Jesus Christ had to dismiss (lay down) His life for us.  His death was entirely voluntary!

 

K.  The Sufferings of Christ were manifold:  **Isaiah 52:14-53:11

 

1.  The Sufferings of Gethsemane – The Sorrow of the Soul

 

a.  Suffering at the hands of Sorrow of the Soul - Matthew 26:38  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

 

b.  Suffering at the hands of Sleeping Saints - Matthew 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

 

c.  Suffering at the hands of Sinners - Matthew 26:45  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

 

d.  Suffering at the hands of a Supposed Saint - Matthew 26:47-49  And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.  (48)  Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.  (49)  And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

 

2.  The Suffering of Separation – The Sorrow of the Spirit

 

a.  The Son of God, for the first and last time in all eternity, separated from God the Father.  The great Three In One no longer in unity!  The great I AM became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him!

 

b.  The suffering of separation from God the Father!  I believe that the greatest of all of the sufferings of Christ were shown in the statement, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” 

 

c.  In hell, the rich man of Luke 16 was separated from Abraham’s Bosom by a gulf that was “fixed” by God.  It was a gulf that could not be breached.  Sin separates and this division must be reconciled in order for men to eternally live with the Lord.  At Calvary, we find a great gulf “fixed” by God that could not be breached until sin had been paid for once and for all.

 

3.  The Sufferings Of Golgotha – The Sorrow of the Flesh

 

a.  He was lied about - Mark 14:55-56  And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.  (56)  For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.

 

b.  They spit upon Him - Matthew 27:30  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

 

c.  They smote Him - Matthew 26:67  Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

 

d.  They mocked Him - Luke 23:11  And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.

 

e.  They scourged Him - John 19:1  Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

 

f.  They crowned Him with thorns - Mark 15:17  And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

 

g.  They smote Him on the crown of thorns - Mark 15:19  And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.

 

h.  They rejected Him for a thief - Luke 23:18  And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:

 

i.  They caused Him to bear His cross - John 19:17  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

 

j.  They nailed Him to the tree - Psalms 22:16  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

 

k.  They pierced His side - John 19:34  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

 

Conclusion:  So few words to describe such suffering.  “They crucified him…I thirst!”  What the world normally watched in the light, God shrouded with darkness.

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1.  The Magnitude Of That Thirst can never be fully realized.

 

2.  The Meaning Of That Thirst takes us to the depths of hell and a rich man who cried for water out of his torments.

 

3.  The Message Of That Thirst is once again that Christ died for the sins of the world!  They crucified Him – Three little words!  Psalms 22:14  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 

 

He suffered physically in almost every way—I know that Christ's death and suffering were different from others, but here is a description of what crucifixion would feel like to the human body, and Christ experienced that.

 

Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild sedative. He refuses to drink. He is laid on the cross on His back. His flesh is in ribbons, and the pain is excruciating. The Roman soldier drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through one hand and deep into the wood. He moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The cross is then lifted into place and drops into its socket. His weight falls helplessly upon the nailed hands and feet. The Victim is now crucified. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in His hands, excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain—the nails in the hands and feet put pressure on the nerves. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again, there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, as the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps, He cannot push Himself upward. Hanging by His arms, His pectoral muscles are paralyzed, and the intercostal muscles cannot act. Air can be drawn into the lungs but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and bloodstream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and draw in the life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences recorded. Now follows hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, and searing pain where tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins—a terrible crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. One remembers again the 22nd Psalm, the 14th verse: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart struggles to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues; the tortured lungs make a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues flood the brain with stimuli. Jesus gasps His fifth cry, "I thirst." One remembers another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death." A sponge soaked in vinegar is lifted to His lips. He apparently does not take any of the liquid. Jesus’s body is now in extreme distress, and death nears. He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. His mission of atonement has completed as He cries, "It is finished." With one last surge of strength, He once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, "Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit." Now He wills His body to die for you and for me!

The People That Walked in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light

 Temple Baptist Church - 12-23-2025

Isaiah 9:1-2

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  At the time of the birth of Christ, Israel’s Messiah and our Lord and Saviour, Israel walked in dark times.

 

1.  Spiritual Darkness: The Darkness of Religion.  In the 400 Silent Years preceding the birth of Christ, we find the rise of Pharisees and Sadducees.  Feared by man and not respected by God.

 

Matthew 3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

 

Matthew 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 

2.  Physical Darkness: The Darkness of the Rule of Rome.  Rome was the seventh and last of the World Powers.  It is Rome that will be revived at the end times.

 

a)  Rome began as a kingdom around 753 BC and became a republic in 509 BC, governed by a Senate, magistrates, and consuls.  It transitioned into a World Empire. 

 

b)  Julius Caesar came to power in 44 BC and consolidated Rome’s power.  August Caesar became Rome’s first emperor in 27 BC. 

 

c)  It was under the rule of these two men that we find Israel, bringing us to Luke 2:1. “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.”

 

B.  Today, in the last days, we find spiritual darkness.  Our nation is filled with denominations that have left biblical, doctrinal soundness.  From the false doctrine of Roman Catholicism and Reformed Churches, to the “no doctrine” of the Popup Churches. 

 

C.  Physical darkness permeates our nation as morality is at an all time low, integrity is a thing of the past, and common sense has died.

 

D.  The darkness that overshadowed Israel was spiritual darkness.  In the midst of Israel’s darkness, a “great light” shone.  Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with Us, was born.    Isaiah 9:2  The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

 

E.  The darkness that overshadows America and the world today is a spiritual darkness.  In the midst of the world’s darkness today,  there are three “great lights” that still point mankind to God.

 

1.  There is the Natural Light of Creation.  The World around us.  This Natural Light of Creation is observed by all. 

 

Psalms 19:1-4  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  (2)  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  (3)  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.  (4)  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

 

a.  The Light of God’s Glory is declared in Creation.  Declare – a continual proclamation, not to be silent.  The universe and our earth shout the glory of God.  Who He is, not merely what He made!

 

b.  God’s Creation is Undeniable.  It is neither random nor accidental; it is designed testimony to the Intelligence and Power of the Divine Creator.

 

c.  The Knowledge of God’s Creation is Universal.  There is no “speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”  Every man, every where sees the same glory and hears the same declaration as we see here in America. 

 

d.  The Creation of God renders mankind without excuse!  General revelation.  This is a revelation, though without words, that is yet unmistakable.

 

Romans 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

 

Psalms 14:1-3  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.  (2)  The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.  (3)  They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

 

2.  There is the Innate or Inherent Light of God.  The Witness within us. The Light of God’s Breath! 

 

a.  Life is not Spontaneous: arising from inanimate or non-living matter.  Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) definitively disproved spontaneous generation.  Life can only come from pre-existent life.  Only life can beget life, and our life came from our Creator.  This principle became known as Biogenesis: the synthesis of substances by living organisms.

 

Genesis 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

 

John 1:4-9  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  (5)  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  (6)  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  (7)  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.  (8)  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  (9)  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

 

b.  The Breath of God is the life is found in Birth.  This life is the light of men.  This truth is carefully grounded in the Bible.  I find no place on earth where men do not seek and worship the Divine.  No man or woman is born atheistic.  Atheism or Agnosticism is learned, not innate behavior.

 

c.  The Breath of God is the life found in Behavior. 

 

Romans 2:12-15  For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;  (13)  (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.  (14)  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:  (15)  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

 

d.  A light that is known. 

 

John 1:7-12  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.  (8)  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  (9)  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  (10)  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  (11)  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  (12)  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

 

e.  A light that can be quenched.

 

Matthew 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

 

f.  A light that must be shown and shared.

 

Matthew 5:14-16  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  (15)  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  (16)  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

3.  The Light of God’s Word.  The Word given to us.  God gave the word and great was the company that published it.

 

a.  A Light that was Given by God.  2 Peter 1:19-21  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:  (20)  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  (21)  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

 

b.  A Light that Gives us Guidance.  Psalms 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 

c.  A Light that Gives us Birth: Eternal Life.  1 Peter 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

Conclusion:  Spiritual darkness is progressive in nature.  As man seeks light, he finds light.  If a man quenches the light, he begins to “walk in darkness.” As it was in the time of the First Advent, the birth of our Saviour—Israel's Messiah—the Christ, so it is in the end time when His Second Advent is on the horizon.  The world once again walks in darkness but, rest assured, the light of His coming will be soon.

 

"Walk in the light" so that the world may know the Christ of Christmas.

Hamartiology: The Doctrine of Sin - Part 1

Temple Baptist Church - 8-31-2025

Isaiah 14:12-16; Ezekiel 28:11-19

 

A. Hamartiology is derived from two words in Greek: hamartía, Greek: ἁμαρτία – to miss the mark, and logos, which means “word”— the study of sin. These messages will contain a lot of information. If you want my messages in their entirety, send me your email address at pastorjohnston@gmail.com and I will gladly add you to my sermon list.

 

1. The word “hamartia” (more accurately hamartía, Greek: ἁμαρτία) is a fundamental term in the New Testament. It is the most common Greek word translated into English as “sin” in the King James Bible.

 

2. In the Theological sense, it means to miss the mark, to fail, or to err concerning God’s laws and standards. Sin is found in the rebellion of mankind against God, whether by omission (not doing what is right) or commission (doing that which we know is wrong).

 

B. Today, I want to look at the Origin of sin and its results. When sermonizing sin, we must find its beginning and work from there.

 

1. I do not want to spend a lot of time on Angelology, but to understand the origin of sin, we must look a Lucifer.

 

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

 

2. Sin did not originate on earth. It originated in heaven; therefore, we must look into Angelology to a degree in order to understand sin’s origin and originator.

 

C. The Person of Lucifer. Lucifer – “light bearer” – “son of the morning” – a created being referred to as “the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

 

1. As to the time of Lucifer’s creation, we are not sure, but I believe that it was around the time of creation, as the Bible says, “In the beginning God created!” This expresses the thought that there was nothing created before creation. We do know that Lucifer’s sin took place after creation because he walked in Eden, the garden of God, before his sin.

 

Ezekiel 28:13a Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God

 

2. Lucifer was created as a Cherubim. Cherubims are different from angels in general, as they were specifically designed for a specific work. They are the defenders of the holiness of God.

 

D. The importance and work of angels.

 

1. There are different types of heavenly creatures mentioned in the Bible. I will start at the bottom. I will be general in my terms.

 

a). Angels in general. They are servants of God who do multiple things. 1) Angels were created to glorify God 2) Angels serve God’s people 3) Angels execute God’s commands 4) Angels deliver God’s messages 5) Angels protect believers 6) Angels accompanied Christ in His earthly ministry 7) Angels will participate in the final judgment. 8) Angels are never the center of attention but always point back to the greatness of God.

 

b) Seraphim (to burn or be on fire) are mentioned only twice in Isiah but are the Living Creatures found in other places in the Bible – 1) Seraphim dwell in God’s immediate presence 2) Saraphim proclaim and magnify His holiness 3) Saraphim model reverence and humility before God 4) Seraphim serve in God’s work of cleansing and preparing His messengers 5) Seraphim assist in the unfolding of God’s will in heaven and earth.

 

c) Cherubim - 1) Cherubim guard the holiness of God 2) Cherubim bear the throne and glory of God 3) Cherubim symbolize God’s presence in worship 4) Cherubim reflect God’s attributes of God in creation 5) Cherubim exalt the holiness and sovereignty of the God.

 

d) Three Special Angels:

 

1a) Michael the Archangel protects God’s people, especially Israel 2)Michael will lead angelic armies in battle against Satan 3) Michael is the leader among the angels 4) Michael will deliver Israel in the end-time.

 

2a) Gabriel the Messenger - 1) Gabriel delivers God’s word as His messenger 2) Gabriel interprets prophecy and give understanding 3) Gabriel announced God’s plan of salvation in Christ 4) Gabriel represents God’s presence as His envoy 5) Gabriel brings good news of hope and redemption.

 

3a) Lucifer (The Cherubim) – “Light Bearer” – “The Anointed Cherub that Covereth” “The Defender of the Holiness of God!”

 

1b) Cherubims protected the Tree of Life after Adam’s fall. Genesis 3:24 – After Adam and Eve sinned, God placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, with a flaming sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

2b) Cherubims protected the Mercy Seat where God spoke to man. Exodus 25:18–22 – God commanded two golden cherubim to be placed upon the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. God said: “there I will meet with thee…from between the two cherubims.”

3b) Lucifer had a special task to perform as he walked in Eden, the Garden of God. The only thing in Eden that needed to be protected was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil!

 

E. Lucifer (“light-bearer”) was created as a perfect, exalted cherub before his rebellion.

 

Ezekiel 28:11-19 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (12) Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. (13) Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

 

1. “Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” (v. 12)

 

2. “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God…” (v. 13)

 

3. “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth…” (v. 14)

 

4. “Thou wast perfect in thy ways… till iniquity was found in thee.” (v. 15)

 

1. The Sin of Lucifer.

 

Ezekiel 28:15-16a Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (16) By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned:

 

a. Isaiah 14 lists the “I wills” of Lucifer.

 

Isaiah 14:12-16 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

 

1) “I will ascend into heaven.”

 

2) “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.”

 

3) “I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation.”

 

4) “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.”

 

4) “I will be like the most High.”

 

b. His sin was pride and a desire to usurp God’s throne (1 Timothy 3:6 warns against “the condemnation of the devil”).

 

1 Timothy 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

 

This verse does not mean that the devil condemns, it is saying that the same pride that we have is what condemns us just as it did Lucifer! Pride elevates the self above God and, therefore, causes us to place ourselves in the place of God. Therefore equal with God.

 

2. The De-Elevation of Lucifer.

 

Ezekiel 28:16b-19 Therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (17) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. (18) Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (19) All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.”

 

a. These verses are both present tense practically and future tense in their prophecy.

 

b. By practical, the Bible speaks of Satan now. Satan means adversary or accuser—Devil – the supreme spirit of evil. Though he does not hold his previous position as the “anointed Cherub that covereth,” he still has access to the throne of God as the accuser of the brethren, as well as access to the earth.

 

Job 1:6-7 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (7) 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.

 

Satan is given many titles in the Bible describing his character and work:

 

Satan – “adversary” (Job 1:6; Zechariah 3:1).

 

Lucifer – “light-bearer” before his fall (Isaiah 14:12).

 

Devil – “slanderer” (Matthew 4:1).

 

Serpent – deceiver in Eden (Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9).

 

Dragon – symbol of destructive power (Revelation 12:3, 9).

 

Prince of this world (John 12:31).

 

God of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).

 

Prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

 

Accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10).

 

Tempter (Matthew 4:3).

 

Wicked one (Matthew 13:19).

 

Angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14 – he disguises himself).

 

c. By prophetic, the Bible speaks of a future time when Satan will be “cast … to the ground … will lay thee before kings … will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee … and never shalt thou be any more.”

 

1) Cast down. Revelation 12:7-12 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, (8) And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9) 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. (10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (12) Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

 

2) Laid before kings. Cast into the bottomless pit. Revelation 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

 

3) Destroyed forever. Finally cast into the lake of fire forever. Revelation 20:10 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 for ever and ever.

 

3. The Hatred of Lucifer.

 

a. Satan hates God.

 

1) He opposes God’s plan (Isaiah 14:13–14).

 

2) He counterfeits God’s works (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

 

b. Satan hates Christ.

 

1) Tempted Christ in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11).

 

2) Entered Judas to betray Him (Luke 22:3).

 

c. Satan hates Believers.

 

1) Accuses (Revelation 12:10).

 

2) Tempts (1 Thessalonians 3:5).

 

3) Deceives (2 Corinthians 11:3).

 

4) Devours (1 Peter 5:8).

 

5) Sows tares (Matthew 13:39).

 

6) Hinders the work of God’s servants (1 Thessalonians 2:18).

 

d. Satan hates the World

 

1) Blinds the minds of the lost (2 Corinthians 4:4).

 

2) Works in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2).

 

3) Controls kingdoms of this world (Luke 4:5–7).

 

4. The Serpent. Not to surmise a little but I believe that this must have happened.

 

a. The very thing that Lucifer was to protect because the object of his attack on all that God loved.

 

b. As we know that Lucifer walked in Eden, the Garden of God, he must have personally picked the serpent to do his dirty work. The body was a serpent, but the voice was one of Satan!

 

c. “Yea, hath God said?” The temptation of Eve, the deception of Eve, led to the sin of Adam, which led to Romans 5:12!

 

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

 

Conclusion: Lucifer – Satan – the Devil – is the epitome of sin incarnate as he used his time in God’s Garden of Eden to influence the serpent to entice Eve!