MY MOM JUST DIDN’T KNOW

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

MOTHER’S DAY 2011

Although I think of her often and thank God for having blessed me through that wonderful woman, I’m more apt to publically tell folks about my love and appreciation for my mom on Mother’s Day than I am the rest of the year. As I look back throughout the almost 78 years of my life; I’m increasingly convinced that of all the women I have ever known or been aware of she was the perfect mom for me, just as the woman who is the mother of my children is the perfect wife for me. To think that back in eternity past our Creator chose these two women to play such significant roles in my life is truly awesome.

My mom is the one who taught me about God and how much He loved people. When I asked why He didn’t stop what the Nazi’s were doing to the Jews during the Second World War, she said she didn’t know but that He must have a good reason. Her child-like faith enabled her to trust God no matter what and then move on. When I was old enough she also taught me about the devil to the best of her ability. There were a lot of facts about the devil my mom undoubtedly was unaware of. For instance, had she know I’m sure she would have told me how diabolically clever the devil is in influencing people. A case in point is that he was recently able to successfully orchestrate a series of upsetting events that occurred just before and during the three days my wife and I were on the Maine Coast celebrating our 53^rd Wedding Anniversary. I’ll explain later how the devil was able to whack me real good during our three day vacation.

Whenever we pick up a prescription from a pharmacy we’re always given a computer generated printout of very important precautions and warnings. This is vital information because a lack of such knowledge can result in very serious consequences including death. That’s why I have decided to devote this Mother’s Day sermon to help mother’s expose the devil and share with their children things about him my mom wasn’t able to teach me because she just didn’t know.

I realize much of what I’ll be speaking about is well known to most of you folks, but I also know some of you know next to nothing about it. For instance, before God created our world He created invisible spiritual beings called angels. Then on the sixth day of the creation of our world we read that,

³¹And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:31 (ESV)

Please don’t misunderstand me on this point. I’m not saying that God created the devil and demons because nothing could be further from the truth. Allow me to explain. When these invisible beings were created by God they were good and that included an archangel named Lucifer. However, there were some of them “…who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— (ESV)

Although the Prophet Isaiah was speaking of a Babylonian king, he obviously was also alluding to Satan in the following insightful passages.

12 How have you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer and daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened and laid low the nations [O blasphemous, satanic king of Babylon!] 13 And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol (Hades), to the innermost recesses of the pit (the region of the dead). Isaiah 14:12-15 (AMP)

We find another allusion to Satan in Ezekiel.

¹¹Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹²Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: You are the full measure and pattern of exactness [giving the finishing touch to all that constitutes completeness], full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. ¹³You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the carnelian, topaz, jasper, chrysolite, beryl, onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and your settings and your sockets and engravings were wrought in gold. On the day that you were created they were prepared. ¹⁴You were the anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai]. ¹⁵You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity and guilt were found in you. Ezekiel 28:11-15 (AMP)

Notice that God created Satan blameless just as He did Adam. It was some time later that Satan become wicked. Jesus had quite a bit to say about Satan. For example, speaking to a group of first century Jews, Jesus told them, You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false. John 8:44 (AMP)

¹⁹While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside. Matthew 13:19 (AMP)

³¹Now the judgment (crisis) of this world is coming on [sentence is now being passed on this world]. Now the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world shall be cast out (expelled). John 12:31 (AMP)

³⁰I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.] John 14:30 (AMP)

¹¹About judgment, because the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world [Satan] is judged and condemned and sentence already is passed upon him. John 16:11 (AMP)

In the Revelation Jesus gave to the Apostle John we read:

⁹And the huge dragon was cast down and out—that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him. ¹⁰Then I heard a strong (loud) voice in heaven, saying, Now it has come—the salvation and the power and the kingdom (the dominion, the reign) of our God, and the power (the sovereignty, the authority) of His Christ (the Messiah); for the accuser of our brethren, he who keeps bringing before our God charges against them day and night, has been cast out! Revelation 12:9-10 (AMP)

The Bible provides us with ample facts about these invisible spirits. The good ones serve in God’s army and are always ready to eagerly execute His every command in the war against the devil and his evil cosmic forces of darkness. These demonic slime-balls constitute the devils army and are relentlessly attempting to destroy the works of God, especially the followers of Jesus. In other words, they hate God and everything and everyone God has created, especially Christians. Whether they realize it or not, all human beings are always surrounded by angles both good ones and bad. The following passages of scripture explain my point.

²⁰Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word. Psalm 103:20 (AMP)

Christ describes the sowing of the tares among the wheat as the work of an enemy.

²⁸He replied to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and weed them out? Matthew 13:28 (AMP)

Although the Bible doesn’t tell us the exact number of these invisible spirits that God created but there obviously are many. For example, those of you who are well versed in the Bible will remember the following event concerning the Apostle Peter when.

“Jesus said to him, Put your sword back into its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions [more than 80,000] of angels? Matthew 26:52-53 (AMP) and what Jesus said to the demon, “He asked him, what is your name? He replied, My name is Legion, for we are many. Mark 5:9 (AMP)

Frederick Leahy brings to our attention a very important fact concerning these invisible beings. He writes, “...angels constitute a company as distinguished from a race. Each was created separately and there is nothing in the angelic world corresponding to decent or procreation.”

³⁰For in the resurrected state neither do [men] marry nor are [women] given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. Matthew 22:30 (AMP)

“Consequently we may say that each apostate angel fell by himself, that is, by his own personal decision; whereas humanity, being a race, fell at once in its father [Adam] and representative head. (A)

There is so much more I could say about the devil and his fellow slime-balls, but this morning I would like to bring to your attention only some of the biblical facts. It’s possible for many of these spirits to be present in one place at the same time. For example, consider the following account of an event which Jesus and His beloved disciples came across thousands of years ago. One day,

¹THEY CAME to the other side of the sea to the region of the Gerasenes. ²And as soon as He got out of the boat, there met Him out of the tombs a man [under the power] of an unclean spirit. ³This man continually lived among the tombs, and no one could subdue him any more, even with a chain; ⁴For he had been bound often with shackles for the feet and handcuffs, but the handcuffs of [light] chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he rubbed and ground together and broke in pieces; and no one had strength enough to restrain or tame him. ⁵Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always shrieking and screaming and beating and bruising and cutting himself with stones. ⁶And when from a distance he saw Jesus, he ran and fell on his knees before Him in homage, ⁷And crying out with a loud voice, he said, What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? [What is there in common between us?] I solemnly implore you by God, do not begin to torment me! ⁸For Jesus was commanding, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit! ⁹And He asked him, What is your name? He replied, My name is Legion, for we are many. ¹⁰And he kept begging Him urgently not to send them [himself and the other demons] away out of that region. ¹¹Now a great herd of hogs was grazing there on the hillside. ¹²And the demons begged Him, saying, Send us to the hogs, that we may go into them! ¹³So He gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out [of the man] and entered into the hogs; and the herd, numbering about 2,000, rushed headlong down the steep slope into the sea and were drowned in the sea. ¹⁴The hog feeders ran away, and told [it] in the town and in the country. And [the people] came to see what it was that had taken place. ¹⁵And they came to Jesus and looked intently and searchingly at the man who had been a demoniac, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, [the same man] who had had the legion [of demons]; and they were seized with alarm and struck with fear. ¹⁶And those who had seen it related in full what had happened to the man possessed by demons and to the hogs. ¹⁷And they began to beg [Jesus] to leave their neighborhood. ¹⁸And when He had stepped into the boat, the man who had been controlled by the unclean spirits kept begging Him that he might be with Him. ¹⁹But Jesus refused to permit him, but said to him, Go home to your own [family and relatives and friends] and bring back word to them of how much the Lord has done for you, and [how He has] had sympathy for you and mercy on you. ²⁰And he departed and began to publicly proclaim in Decapolis [the region of the ten cities] how much Jesus had done for him, and all the people were astonished and marveled. Mark 5:1-20 (AMP)

Commenting on these passages, Randy Alcorn writes: “This ancient story captures the emptiness and desperation of countless people today. “This man lived in tombs, and no one could bind him... He tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” The man inflicted punishment on himself, as many in our culture do emotionally, and some physically, including cutting themselves.” The story reveals much about demons, people, and Jesus. Demons oppress, attack, and possess people, sometimes empowering them to do evil.” (B) (A case in point is bin Laden. That man was possessed by the devil. While he lived in this world he exemplified pure unadulterated evil in the flesh as do many other human beings who are alive today.) Another important fact is that angels sometimes take on the form of a human being. For example,

“Abraham once saw what seemed to him a group of three men. One of the visitors immediately assumed control of the conversation and he is called Jehovah.”

¹NOW THE Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks or terebinths of Mamre; as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day, ²He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood at a little distance from him. He ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the ground ³And said, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant, I beg of you. ⁴Let a little water be brought, and you may wash your feet and recline and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵And I will bring a morsel (mouthful) of bread to refresh and sustain your hearts before you go on further—for that is why you have come to your servant. And they replied, Do as you have said. ⁶So Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, Quickly get ready three measures of fine meal, knead it, and bake cakes. ⁷And Abraham ran to the herd and brought a calf tender and good and gave it to the young man [to butcher]; then he [Abraham] hastened to prepare it. ⁸And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had made ready, and set it before [the men]; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. ⁹And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, [She is here] in the tent. ¹⁰[The Lord] said, I will surely return to you when the season comes round, and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah was listening and heard it at the tent door which was behind Him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; it had ceased to be with Sarah as with [young] women. [She was past the age of childbearing]. ¹²Therefore Sarah laughed to herself, saying, After I have become aged shall I have pleasure and delight, my lord (husband), being old also? ¹³And the Lord asked Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I really bear a child when I am so old? ¹⁴Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord? At the appointed time, when the season [for her delivery] comes around, I will return to you and Sarah shall have borne a son. ¹⁵Then Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh; for she was afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh. Genesis 18:1-15 (AMP)

“Later the other two ‘men’ went towards Sodom, leaving Abraham alone with the Lord. We find them described as two ‘angels’ in the following chapter [19] and thereafter they are referred to as ‘men’”.

I doubt if any follower of Jesus will forget the following incredible event. “At the time of the resurrection of our Lord, the women who went to the sepulture early in the morning saw an angel in the form of a ‘young man’ (Mark 16:5).

Leahy explains, “We cannot say whether the bodies assumed by angels on such occasions were real or apparent. It is clear, however, that, while angels are much freer in relation to space and time than man, yet because they are created spirits they are finite. Their intelligence and power are obviously superhuman. (C)

Before I end my Mother’s Day message I’ll explain how the devil wacked me read good during our vacation. I’m sure my mom would have tipped me off about this particular tactic but she just didn’t know.

My wife and I left for our vacation very early on Sunday morning. I didn’t mention the fact that I had received a very upsetting email from a hurting young woman most of you folks know and care about greatly. She wrote, Mike, during the past week it’s been very hard to escape from the devil, especially when I’m alone. I ask Jesus to shoo him away from me but he comes right back. The devil keeps telling me to kill myself and I almost did. Then I heard another voice telling me not to and I snapped out of it.

So we drove away from our home with me not knowing if this woman was still in our world or the next. I knew you folks would because of the way the devil told her to kill herself would be all over the local news. I was glad a couple of you had agreed to email me that day telling me how the morning Worship Service went and that was the first thing I did when we checked in. Nothing! I checked on and off throughout the day and the next. You can imagine the thoughts that were popping into my head. They were ranging from, “these two people didn’t want to tell me and put and damper on my vacation” or “maybe something bad happened in their lives.” I was greatly relieved when I received an email from the woman towards the end of the following afternoon. “Mike. I’m sorry for sending you an email about my experiences when you are supposed to be enjoying your anniversary. I’m very sorry to make you worry about me. You need this time to mend and heal. I’ll be OK because Jesus is taking care of me by shooing the devil away. We can talk when you return. Hope and pray you and VI are well and enjoying your time together. I’ll be praying for you.” Needless to say I phoned the woman several times during our vacation in an attempt to comfort and encourage her. I found out the day after we returned home that the two folks who assured me they would let me know how the Worship Service went just happened to get caught up in a lot of unexpected busyness and simply forgot. As I said in the beginning of this message the devil was able to whack me real good during our three day vacation. My mom never told me how diabolically clever the devil is in influencing people because she just didn’t know.

Lord willing, next week ...

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(A) Satan Cast Out, A Study in Biblical Demonology, © F. S. Leahy 1975, Reprinted 2004. Published by The Banner of Truth Trust, P. O. Box 621, Carlisle, Pa. 17013.