LION OR LYIN'

Now I’m sure everyone knows what a lion is.   Most of us have been to the circus or watched cartoons where we’ve been shown comedic caricatures of these felines such as Simba and Scar in the Lion King or the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz.     But if you have ever seen them in the wild on National Geographic or observed them in their natural habitat while on a safari, you see them from a different perspective.   Bold and majestic, we know a lion as a large, muscular and carnivorous mammal belonging to the big cat family.  Lions are aggressive apex predators with strong jaws lined with sharp teeth designed for tearing their prey’s flesh.   Powerfully built, they wield sharp, retractable claws that dig into their victim’s body preventing their escape once they are caught.  Truly a terrifying beast that, almost beyond belief, was actually used as a method of execution for those sentenced to capital punishment in ancient Rome.   Not to mention the sadistic practice of setting these animals loose against innocent humans to satisfy the deranged lust for blood at public spectacle events enjoyed by some psychotic cultures.

But when used to describe people, a lion symbolizes strength, courage, leadership, and nobility.   It can also represent confidence, dominance and a protective nature.   In a negative light it can indicate hateful ferocity, vengeful aggression, uncontrolled anger and a murderous tendency to ambush the unsuspecting.     Does this dreadful description sound like anybody we know?    If not, then please standby as I attempt to make the connection clear.

Now my objective is not to conduct a course in zoology, but to illustrate what the Apostle Peter was talking about when he was speaking of Satan and used the negatively-defined aspects of a lion’s character when he said,  “Be sober, be vigilant;  because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”  (1 Peter 5: 8)     Peter used the example of a lion because he wanted us to understand the depth of savage hatred that our enemy has for us and how he not only wants us dead, but dead in our sins.   This is a level of hostility and loathing that is hard for us to fathom, but you can believe that the devil is full of it.    

When Jesus told Peter,  “…Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat…”  (Luke 22: 31),   He was pointing out the devil’s insatiable and irrepressible craving to pulverize Peter and grind him to dust.   But He was also identifying Satan’s real objective which was to separate Peter from God.   But thank the Lord that in His awesome, glorious power,  He has prevented him from doing it.    The Apostle Paul tells us, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   (Romans 8: 38-39)     If we just stay connected to God, then no matter what the circumstance, the devil can’t touch you in this area.     Just always, and I mean always,  “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  (James 4: 7)  

You see, Satan has a real problem.   And, simply put, that problem is God and His love for us.   The devil is incredibly frustrated because he can’t operate outside the scrutiny of our ever-watchful Heavenly Father.    He is being constantly monitored and his activities curtailed according to God’s will.     Satan knows that he can’t just do anything he pleases, whenever he pleases, wherever he pleases to whomever he pleases.   Why?  Because God has always been, and always will be in charge of everything, including him.   This, plus the fact that he knows he only has a short time left to try and wreak havoc here on the earth is driving him crazy.       

Remember when the devil was mad because God’s servant Job was being blessed by God.   He couldn’t stand it.   He is tormented by the fact that we serve a God Who is so good, gracious and generous, especially to His people.   The devil had no alternative but to beg for permission to afflict Job.   “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.   And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?   Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?   Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?   Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.   But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.   And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power;  only upon himself put not forth thine hand.   So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”  (Job 1: 7-12)     

But Job remained faithful even in the most trying of circumstances.   Even when his own wife couldn’t understand his suffering and questioned his faith by saying, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity?”    She couldn’t comprehend that Job was not a  “fair-weather servant”  but trusted his Maker and knew in his heart that his Redeemer liveth.   Perhaps she was anguished by her husband’s misery, but nonetheless she still foolishly suggested that he  “Curse God, and die.”  (Job 2: 9)    But Job courageously held on tight and continued to pursue Him Whom his soul loved.     As for us, dear ones, we have to remember that, just like Job, there is a plan and a purpose to any pain or suffering we do as well, whether we understand it or not.   If we belong to God, we can be sure and must believe that  “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8: 28)     And as we reflect on Job’s encounter with the evil one, we see that no matter what the devil did, he couldn’t force Job to malign or blaspheme God.   He even bragged about what he would cause Job to do but he could only hope that he could pressure Job into doing it voluntarily.

So if the devil can’t make you do anything, what’s left for him to do?    Well, frankly speaking, he has no option.   He has no choice but to be what he has been relegated to being, which is a despicable liar.    And he’s good at it.    “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.   When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:   for he is a liar, and the father of it.”   (John 8: 44)     He’s had plenty of time to perfect his ill-intentioned craft, so he’s a tricky rascal.   Remember Jesus’ encounter with him after fasting in the desert 40 days and nights?   “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred.   And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.  But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple,  And saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down:  for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee:  and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.  Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;  And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.   Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:  for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.  Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.”   (Matthew 4: 1-11)

As you can see, the devil couldn’t force Jesus to turn the stones into bread, to pridefully tempt God or to fall down and worship him.    He had to resort to lies, misdirection, emotional appeal and temptation in an attempt to get Jesus to do it Himself.   And he’s been running this same old, tired, but very effective con game on humanity from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.   He couldn’t even make them eat the fruit of the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil,”  so he had to trick them into doing it themselves.  (Genesis 2)    He couldn’t make Achan steal the accursed things (clothes and money) and hide them in his tent, he had to trick Achan into doing it himself.   (Joshua 7)    He couldn’t make King David impregnate Bathsheba, he had to trick David into doing it himself.  (2 Samuel 11)  

And that’s what he’s trying to do to you and everyone else in the world.   He’s trying exceptionally hard to trick you to eat that forbidden fruit, to slander that person, to steal that thing, to cheat on that test, to tell that lie, to smoke that dope, to worship that money, to drink that intoxicating liquid, to seduce someone’s spouse,  to ruin someone’s reputation, to start some trouble, to run your mouth, to drive too fast, to dress too provocatively, to indulge in witchcraft, to refuse to forgive, to refuse to repent, to kill somebody and even to kill yourself.     But he can’t make you do any of these things, so he’ll do any and everything he can to convince you to do it yourself voluntarily.

You may wonder why he’s been so successful with his lies.    As we said before, Satan is a wily critter and he employs his lies as a master martial artist would skillfully use self-defense techniques such as Judo, Aikido, Jiu-Jitsu or Tai Chi where an opponent’s strength is used against him.   In the devil’s case, he uses your weaknesses against you.  Taking a page out of "The Art of War," he'll capitalize on your vulnerabilities to turn you against yourself.    And while one of the brittle parts of your wall of defense may be anxiety, frustration or depression, one of the devil's most effective styles of assault is the use of temptation to stir up lust. Lust for what? Lust for anything.    And not his lust, yours.   Yes, yours.   He puts a tremendous amount of effort into destroying you with your own lust.    James 1, Verses 13-15  says,   “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:   for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:   But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.   Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:   and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”   

Paul said,  “For I know that in me  (that is, in my flesh,)  dwelleth no good thing.”   (Romans 7: 18)    He was acknowledging that in the frailty of our humanity we may sometimes struggle with unrighteous desires that are contrary to the laws of God.   This is why we must trust the Lord with all of our heart and ask Him daily to help us fight against Satan’s vicious attacks.   The old spiritual hymn, “Yield Not To Temptation”  says it all:  

“Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin; 

“Each victory will help you, some other to win;  

Fight valiantly onward, evil passions subdue;

Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

Now sing that chorus!

You just ask the Savior to help you, comfort strengthen and keep you;

He is willing to aid you, Jesus will carry you through.

And once you allow the Lord to help you with resisting that devil, He has a reward already lined up and waiting for you.   “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:  for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.”   (James 1: 12)

So don’t fret and don’t be afraid because the devil ain’t the lion some people may think he is.   He wants to be a lion, but again, he’s just a liar.   He wants to be God, but he’s just a goon.   Remember, Peter didn’t say that he was a lion, just that he walks around perpetrating like he is a lion, trying to make you terrified of him.   But he has already lost any status he ever had because of pride and was stripped of all privilege and cast out like the evening trash.  The prophet Isaiah tells us who he really is:  “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!   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:  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof;  that opened not the house of his prisoners?”   (Isaiah 14: 12-17)    He is a godless traitor who failed at a heavenly coup and now awaits his day of reckoning in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone along with his demonic sidekicks.   “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.”   (Revelation 20: 10) 

But until that day he will continuously attempt to get you to defy God’s commandments, derange your understanding of His Word, delude you into a false sense of security and dare you to do dastardly deeds on your own.   Of course, I understand that he can wield some pretty powerful influence, but don’t take that bait.   I purposely pause whenever I consider using the words always and never.   However, when it comes to the devil I don’t hesitate for one moment when I say to you,  “Never bow down, never back up, never retreat, never concede, never negotiate, never capitulate and never cooperate.    Likewise, I unleash my tongue, delivering the fruit of my lips, offering up the sacrifice of praise to the Ancient of Days when I declare unto you,  “Fear God always, trust God always, be mindful of God’s covenant always, call upon God always, pray to God always, rejoice in God always, give thanks to God always, abound in the work of the Lord always and be ready for His return always.” 

Remember, the devil is no lion, he’s just lyin’.   He wants to be a lion so bad he can taste it, but it’ll never happen.   So, praise God because there is a real Lion Who will subdue all the enemies of God and rain eternal destruction on the defiant, the rebellious and the disobedient.   A real Lion Who will soon usher in the beginning of a new heaven and new earth for an eternity of love and joy.     A real Lion who will pour out His righteousness on all creation and preside over a perfect and perpetual peace that extends to infinity and beyond.  

And Who is this real Lion?   Of course we know Who it is, but what joy we have in just saying His precious, praise-worthy and powerful name!    Even God Himself has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:   That at that name every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.   And that every tongue should confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.     And what is that name?    Come on, say it with me.   Jesus, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah!    Let’s say it again!   Jesus, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah!   Glory to God, one more time and say it like you mean it!    JESUS, THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH!    

And as an earthly lion is called the  “king of beasts or king of the jungle,”   Jesus is rightly worshipped and magnified as the undisputed, undefeated and undeniable King of All Creation.    We belong to Him and we are so grateful that He has made us  “…a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;  that we should shew forth the praises of Him Who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.”   (1 Peter 2: 9)    He is our Rock, our Strong Tower and Firm Foundation.   A Glorious Giver of Grace, a Secret Place, a Calming Comforter, a Heavenly Healer, a Patient Provider, a Passionate Protector and a Righteous Redeemer.   He is the King of glory!    Let this soul-stirring psalm of David move you to worship His Majesty through this divinely-inspired description:  “Who is this King of glory?   The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.   Lift up your heads, O ye gates;  even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;  and the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory.”   (Psalm 24: 8-10)

So fear not and let us continue to remind each other and encourage each other of a glorious day that is on the way.   A day that was written about in Paul’s first epistle to the church in Thessalonica saying,   “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:  and the dead in Christ shall rise first:   Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord.   Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”   (1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18)

Believe that the Lord is with you now and will not leave you ever.   Praise God that we have the best of both worlds because the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is also the beloved Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!  

And I ain’t lyin’.