There are a few New Testament texts that are completely relevant to our study of Jesus’ victory over the coming months. In I Corinthians 2, Paul follows up on the theme that God chooses the foolish things to confound the wise; the weak to shame the strong; and the low and despised in the world to bring to nothing things that are highly acclaimed.
He says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” What an admission! It echoes the truth Jesus speaks to Nicodemus in John 3 when He says, “That which is born of flesh is flesh. That which is born of Spirit is Spirit.”
Then over in Matthew 12, Jesus is pronouncing woes on a couple of Palestinian cities. Suddenly He shifts His focus to His Heavenly Father saying, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” Now think of what that means. His Father’s will is to reveal Himself and His truth to His children. Because of His grace the Father will be known by His children. But how do his children put themselves in a place where they receive His revelation? By humbling themselves and seeking His face.
Last week’s message ended with several questions. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (PERIOD) And the earth became a wreck and a ruin, and darkness covered the face of the deep.” What happened? What caused God to destroy what He had created? What was the catalyst for God’s perfect creation becoming a wreck and a ruin? The same thing Paul is warning the Corinthians against – PRIDE.
This week we turn to two biblical prophets, Ezekiel and Isaiah, to fill in the space between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Here in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 God pulls back the curtain and lets us see back in time, to a time before time began, when the greatest, most glorious being God ever created, in his pride rebelled against the sovereignty and majesty of God. According to the prophets it was an event that was seen by all the heavenly host. Indeed, Jesus refers to the event in Luke 10, when He says to His disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven…do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
This week our focus is on the one called by many names in Scripture – Beelzebub, Satan, the devil, the great dragon, etc. But, before Genesis 1:2, before his fall, he was known by only one name – Lucifer – which comes from the Hebrew root heyler meaning “to shine”, “to bear.” When the Hebrew text was translated into Latin the word used for him was Lucifer, meaning “the morning star.” Who is he? What can we know of him? What is the position he once occupied? What is the nature of his fall? All of these questions will be addressed this Sunday in a message entitled, “The Son of the Morning.”
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. What do you make of these words? “God loves your fault mixed with repentance more than your virtue seasoned with pride.”
2. What are the seven deadly sins?
3. How is pride the foundation for all sin?
4. What is the context of Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28?
5. Who is the King of Tyre? Does history record a “King of Tyre”?
6. What other examples are found in Scripture where God speaks of an event, past or present, by linking it to an historic figure?
7. How is the one described here in Ezekiel 28 unlike any human being?
8. What offices did Lucifer appear to hold prior to his fall?
9. Did Satan truly have the authority to make good on his temptation in Luke 4:6?
10. What is the cause of Lucifer’s rebellion? (v. 17)
11. What is at the root of unbelief and rejection of Christ?
Looking forward to Sunday!
