Opening your Bibles this morning to Ezekiel chapter 28. We'll be there as we start today, or we'll get to it eventually I guess we should say While you're opening your Bibles, may I just say we're glad to welcome some more of the young folks back from Bible school, from Biola College. We're glad to see the Dresslers back today. It's really a joy to see these young people coming back home for the summer. It's good to see John Martinson and a friend, Jenny, with us this morning from Grand Rapids School of the Bible. First time John's been back with us on our Sunday services. We're just good to see all of these young folks here today. Any others, I'm sure I'm probably misreading some of the young folks as they come back, but we're glad you're here, too, if I didn't mention your name this morning. Shall we bow in prayer? Our gracious God and loving Father, what a joy it is to be able to come into your presence as we prepare to study your word. We pray that the Spirit of God would move in the hearts of all of us this morning. We pray these things in your precious name. Amen. Now this morning we're going to take a direct look at the person and work of Satan. He goes by many names in the Word of God. He's called Lucifer. He's called Beelzebub. He's called Belial. He's called the Prince of the Power of the Air. The Lord Jesus Christ referred to him as the Prince of this world. He's referred to as the serpent in the Book of Revelation. Many, many names and titles are given to this character who is a very real personage. There are those, of course, who scoff at the very idea of a literal devil, but the Bible tells us exactly who he is and what he's about and where he's going to end. Now, Satan attacks the lives of many, many people, but Satan is not alone in his work and ministry. We read in the book of Revelation that when Satan fell, that one-third of all the angels of heaven fell with him. And so there are many, many angels and demon spirits that are in the service of Satan. They are highly organized, and they are busy about the things of this world. One of the things that we note in the Bible is that when Satan gets in control, he is not careful how he deals with men. So we find in the Old Testament that when the Israelites found themselves in the worship of Baal or Moloch, which was definite Satan worship, pure and unadulterated, the same type of worship as is followed by members of the Church of Satan today, although not in the extremes that they practiced it always, and yet we found that when they entered into this, that they were guilty of offering human sacrifices and most often the sacrifice of their own children. As we study primitive tribes and ancient cultures, we find that when Satan was in control of kings and monarchs and nations, that it was not unusual for human sacrifices to be offered. And even today in America, we find that there are ritualistic deaths which our authorities are being confronted with more and more, and many of these are definitely linked to the worship of Satan. We find as we study the history of world nations that when Satan is in full control of kings and monarchs, dictators and premiers, whoever they might be, that human life is something that is very easily spent and taken. As we follow the career and follow the course of some of the recent nations, who have fallen prey to leaders who have denied God and who have accepted the ideology of atheism and communism, we find that life has been spent with little thought in many, many cases. The history of the Soviet Union is a history of millions of people whose lives were sacrificed to the ideology of communism. When the Communists took over China, The story there is grim indeed, of millions whose lives were lost. More recently, as we follow the career of the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh, and we see that these who deny God and who are definitely in league with Satan and his program have taken over the leadership of Cambodia, the reports are now coming back that the city of Phnom Penh, which was a city of some 500,000, is now a city of about 10,000. And the people have been forced out of the city and already almost 700,000 people have been put to death in that country of 6 million since the Khmer Rouge have taken over. These are facts that I heard on KCBS radio this past week. And so horrible is the servitude there that if any reprisal of any kind is made against a soldier, that they take out a whole village and put them to death in order to let the people know that no resistance of any kind will be tolerated. And this is what we left behind us in Cambodia. Why do things like this take place? because the Bible reveals to us that Satan is a vital force behind the governments of many nations that are in the world today and that have been in the world in all times. Four years ago, I was in the town of Goree. It is not a large town. It is located in the middle of the small country of Georgia. When I was in that city, it's the birthplace of a man by the name of Joseph Stalin, a cruel and ruthless man who was willing to put thousands of people to death because they did not agree with his atheistic communism. He was born in a two-room mud hut, which I went into. And as I stood that day in that little hut, I couldn't help but ask this question. How could a little peasant boy, born of shoe-cobbler parents, in a poverty like this and in such a small place, how did he ever get out of here and even get over the mountains into the Soviet Union? And how could it be that he could overthrow the Tsar and that he could get a stranglehold on the powerful Soviet Union? And then I left his house and I went into the museum. And I found the answer. For in the museum, while it's all written in Georgian and Russian, there was a pictorial picture of his life and oils, beautiful oil paintings of every part of the life of Joseph Stalin were there on the wall. And Alex, remember as we walked through the museum that day, in those paintings I saw that Joseph Stalin as a small boy was born and was raised up in the church, the Georgian church. Not the Russian Orthodox, but the Georgian church. and he had determined that he was going to be a priest, a minister of God. And I saw the pictures of him as a small lad learning the Word of God. And I saw and heard and Alex translated and told of how that he had memorized great passages of Scripture. But finally the day came in his teens when he renounced all of that, when he turned his back on God and he embraced the atheism of Lenin and he sold himself into Satan's hand and Satan was a powerful moving force behind his emergence to that dictatorship. I believe that with all my heart. In no other way could I see the possibility of such a thing taking place. Now this is exactly what we see depicted for us in Ezekiel chapter 28. We are reminded of the fact that world leaders and nations can be totally and completely dominated by this evil creature called Satan. Satan is not tied up today. I met a man one time who said to me, he said, you know, Satan has been bound for over a thousand years. I said, well, that's amazing. I didn't know that. He said, that's because you went to a Baptist school, didn't you? I said, I certainly did. Well, he said, I'm a Presbyterian and we're greater students. And we have learned that Satan has been bound up for a thousand years. Oh, well, I said, that's very interesting, but I said, your Presbyterians aren't the only ones that are confused that way. I know some other folks that think that, too. But I said, you know, in 1 Peter 5.8, and by the way, he was not an average Presbyterian. He was a covenant Presbyterian, and he really was a scholar. But I said, you know, 1 Peter 5.8 is good enough for me. 1 Peter 5.8 says that Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Now, praise God that when you've trusted Christ as your Savior, your body has become the temple of the Holy Spirit of God, and Satan cannot indwell the life of a believer. God and Satan cannot dwell together in the same home and in the same temple. You can be harassed by Satan, you can be tempted by Satan, but, praise God, you cannot be possessed by Satan or his angels if you are a born-again child of God. I believe that with all my heart. But dear friends, I want you to turn, if you will, to 1 Timothy chapter 2. 1 Timothy chapter 2. And we read there in verse 1, I exhort therefore that first of all supplications, prayers, intercession, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority. that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Do you realize that we are told there that we as Christians are to pray for world leaders, not just for our own president, but for all world leaders? Why? because Satan wants to control and does control many world leaders. But praise God, God is more powerful than Satan. And even though world leaders may be in the control of Satan, may be the pawns and minions of Satan, praise God that prayers of the saints of God can keep them in their place. A man can be totally controlled by Satan, he can be diabolically led by Satan, but he can be overcome by the prayers of the saints. Isn't that wonderful to know? And so we are to pray for world leaders. Now, to further amplify this premise, turn to Ephesians chapter 6. And in Ephesians chapter 6, in verse 12 we read, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but we wrestle against principalities, against powers, against world rulers in darkness. That's the literal translation of that passage. I believe it brings it out a little clearer. Against world rulers of darkness. Against spiritual wickedness in high places. We read here that Paul says that Satan's program is to totally dominate the governments of the world and there are governments that he is completely in control of. How does he control them? He controls them through men that are totally sold out to him. Totally sold out to him. Turn to Daniel chapter 10. In Daniel chapter 10 we have another glimpse of this. This is an interesting passage of scripture. Daniel has been praying to God for three weeks. He's been asking God to help him and to help his people. And suddenly an angel comes and appears before Daniel. I believe it's probably the angel Gabriel. And the angel Gabriel says in verse 11, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to thee, and stand upright, for unto thee am I now sent. And Daniel said, when I saw that angel, Daniel said, I was so frightened at his greatness, at his power, at his beauty, Daniel says that I fell down. And the angel said, Daniel, get up, it's me, I'm just an angel, I'm not God. And Daniel said, I got up, but I was trembling. He was shaking still. This was an experience that had really rocked him. And Daniel finally got up, and there he was, like this, standing in front of that angel. And the angel said something that's interesting and bears on the thing we're talking about this morning. Notice what he says. And he said, From the first day, Daniel, that you sent to me to understand and to chasten thyself, your words were heard, and God sent me. He said, Gabriel, go down and tell Daniel what I want him to know. But he said, Daniel, for three weeks I've been fighting the Prince of Persia. He's been seeking to keep me from coming to minister to you in this way. He said, the Prince of Persia has been against me, and he's withstood me. And he said, Daniel, I might not even be here today, but Michael came and helped me. Michael's the archangel. And he said, Michael came and helped me. And then go to verse 20, and he says, now Daniel, I'm going to go back. And he said, I know when I go back, the prince of Persia is going to get me again. We're going to have another wrestling match. And he said, and not only am I going to have to fight him, but he said, because of the things that I've told you, he said, I'm also going to be attacked by the prince of Greece. Notice that. When I am come, and now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia, and when I'm gone forth, lo, the prince of Greece will come. What is he telling us here? He's telling us that Satan has mobilized his forces, and that he has underpowers and authorities of the angels, and Satan has appointed emissaries to be responsible to propagate his work and his ministry in every nation of the world. I believe if there's the prince of Persia, there's the prince of Russia today. There's the prince of the United States of America. There is the prince of Great Britain. There is the prince of Greece, still in operation today. He's been in business a long time, hasn't he? And there's the prince of Egypt. And all of the nations of the world, I believe that Satan has his princes who are seeking to dominate and control the governments of those nations. I think we need to know that. I think we need to be aware of that. I think we need to be praying that God will keep us from having leaders who will be sold out to Satan and his program. Now, in the book of Revelation, chapter 13, and in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, there we are told, and I'm going to turn to 2 Thessalonians 2 now. You might like to turn there with me. There we are told that during the tribulation time, a great political leader who will rule the Western world will emerge on the scene. He will be a political leader and he will be a military leader, a man of great might and strength. He is referred to in the Bible as the Beast and he is also referred to as the Antichrist. And the Bible tells us that he will be totally sold out to Satan in every way. He will be ruling and reigning over the western nations of the world for the purpose and program of Satan and Satan alone. Notice his description in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. In verse 3, the last part of it, it says he will be revealed as the man of sin, the son of perdition. He will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he is God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. And then down in verse 8, And then that wicked one, that antichrist, that beast, that great leader will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the work of Satan. With all power and signs and lying wonders, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perished, We find then that this coming world leader of the Western world is going to be a man who is totally possessed and controlled by Satan. We are told to pray for world leaders. We are told to pray as Christians that God will keep us from leaders like that. That God will give us leaders who will stand for God rather than Satan. We will have men in the leadership of our country who will recognize God and His presence. We have forces within our nation today who are seeking to destroy every vestige of the recognition of God from our national and public life. We have women like Mrs. Madeline Murray O'Hare, who is bringing every suit that she can to stop the mouth of God from being known in any official way in our national life. Praise God she has not been successful. I thank God that our national anthem still says in the last verse, O thus be it e'er when free men shall stand between their loved homes and the worlds Desolation, blessed with victory and peace, may the heavens conquer land, praise the power that is made, and preserve this a nation, and conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto, in God as our trust. Do you know the last verse of the National Anthem? Well, there it is. We'll sing it sometime. Learn it. We'll sing it on the 4th of July, the first and last stanzas. In God is our trust. I'm glad it's in there. I'm glad to be able to look on a penny and see in God we trust. I'm glad it's still in there. I'm glad that our Pledge of Allegiance says one nation under God, and I pray that God will help the people of God to keep praying that God will keep a man of sin and Satan out of the leadership of our nation, that we might remain a nation that honors God. And this is the prayer that God's people ought to be involved in in days like these and in times like these. For there are many nations in the world today that are totally dominated by men who were sold out completely to Satan. Tyre was one such nation. And so now we are in Ezekiel chapter 28. And we find that judgment is predicted against the king of Tyre in verses 1 through 10. And why is judgment predicted against the king of Tyre? Notice, because this man has come to the place where he is the king of a great and wealthy nation. We've discussed with you in previous Sundays how marvelous this city was, how great and wealthy and rich and beautiful and powerful were the people of Tyre. And the king that's before us here is a man by the name of Ithilbal II. He lived from 587 to 573 B.C. when he was overtaken by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and put to death ignominiously, his body laid out in the field unburied for the birds and vultures to pick. But before that time took place, he came to the place where he said within himself, I am a God. Now, you know, this is not so unusual. He's not the only world leader that said he was a god. Nebuchadnezzar said he was a god. He made an image unto himself and called the nation to bow before it. And God made him eat like a beast for a number of years to bring him to the place of humility. Sennacherib, the king of the Assyrians, had said that he was a god when he came against Hezekiah. It is not unusual for earthly monarchs and dictators, even in our day, to take on godlike characteristics. when they have been given great power. One of the things I discovered when I was in Russia was that some of the early dictators of Russia sought to present this image of themselves to the people. They said, there is no God on earth, so I as a man will be your God. And the little children were taught at times that they could pray to Khrushchev or pray to Stalin. and their prayers would be answered. And so God says to us that this man entire said to the world, I am a God. Many monarchs, many kings, yes, even presidents get involved in a self-love of themselves and in the grandeur of their personage when they assume high office. it seems to be a malady of leadership. He says, Behold, you have said that you are wiser than Daniel. See, this is interesting. Daniel has been in Babylon for 25 years now. He's been next to Nebuchadnezzar as one of the high regents and advisors of the land. And isn't it interesting now that Daniel's fame has been blessed and prospered so that throughout the world, the known world of that day, the name of Daniel is known synonymously with great counsel and wisdom. But you remember, every time that Daniel was asked for counsel, Daniel always said, It's not me, it's my God who gives me the answer. One of the things that I love about Daniel was he never pointed to himself. He always pointed to God. Didn't he? You read the book again. It'll bless your heart to see how the Daniel was constantly directing everyone's attention away from himself and up to the Lord. But this man, he said, I'm wiser than Daniel. I want people to realize that all of the success of the nation belongs to me. It reminds you of an election year speech, doesn't it? My, we need, you know, I'd be more inclined to vote for a man if he wouldn't tell us what he's done, but if he would be willing to say, look what God has done. Look what God has done. But they come along and they say, elect me and I will make you rich. I won't tax you anything, and I will lower your taxes, and I will make everybody rich. I don't know how they're going to do it, but that's what they promise. And the man who's in says, vote for me for look at all of the things that I have done. And that's what the king of Tyre said. He said, I've done so much for everybody that you may as well worship me. Well, God said, no, no, no. Verse 6, God says, Thou hast set Thine heart as the heart of God. Therefore I will bring strangers upon Thee, the terrible of the nations. They shall draw their swords against Thy beauty. They shall bring Thee down to the pit. You shall die in the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt Thou yet say before him that Thou dost slayeth Thee? I am a God. What are you going to do when Nebuchadnezzar comes? You're going to tell him at the last minute, You can't kill me! I'm a God! Ah, God says when Nebuchadnezzar comes in, He's going to find out that you're just a man after all. He said, Thou shalt be a man, and not a God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. And thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised. God says, Your body will be thrown out. You won't even be granted the privilege of a decent burial. You'll just be thrown out like the beast, your body left there for the vultures to feed on, and your bones picked clean, and nobody to even know that you even lived. That will be your end. And then, as Ezekiel looks at this man, suddenly he begins to see that this man is not alone. For superimposed over the image of this king is the very image and the very person of Satan himself. Because beginning at verse 11, we find that he moves away from the king of Tyre. And the language that's used there, I can't go into it because time won't permit me this morning, but the language there that is used now indicates to us that he's no longer talking about the king, but he's talking about the man whose image is superimposed over the king. That the king of Tyre is acting the way he is because he is a man who has sold himself completely out to the program of Satan. He said, Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus saith the Lord God, Thou sealest up the sum full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. This could not be a portrayal of the king of Tyre. He may have been handsome, but he wasn't perfect in his beauty. But there is one being that was absolutely, totally perfect in all of his beauty. And this being was in the Garden of Eden. He was there before man. You see, man is involved in a conflict which has been in existence between God and the angels, a conduct of rebellion between God and the angels, which has been going on for millions of years, long before man was ever created or brought here and placed upon the earth. The Bible tells us in the book of Job that on the day that God brought the universe into being, that suddenly God spoke the word and the angel spirits were brought into existence. And the angels of heaven sang forth the praises of God on that creation day. And God created great ranks of angels. And the highest of all of these was the cherubim, those angels that were commissioned to stand around the throne of God. to protect the holiness of God and to protect the righteousness of God. These were the angels that Ezekiel had seen as the book first opened. Those angels that bore forth and carried the chariot of God as it marched across the history of man. These were the angels that God had put upon the top of the Ark of the Covenant where the mercy seat was to guard and to protect the righteousness and holiness of God as God dwelt there among his people in the midst of that tabernacle in the Holy of Holies. The cherubim were the highest of all the ranks of angels. And the leader and the greatest of all the cherubim was Satan. And God says to Satan, you were in the Garden of Eden. You were there before man was even put there. The whole universe was yours to travel about in, to enjoy, to explore, to parade in. And what a sight he must have been. Notice what it says. Every precious stone was I covering. Sardis, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, carbuncle, gold. The workmanship of thy timbrels and of thy flutes was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created. When God created Satan, God gave to us the epitome of his creative mind and thought. And here is this being so gorgeous and so beautiful and so mighty and so powerful and so brilliant. And as we see the chain of God's creation, we see that at the top is God, and then below God is Satan, and then below Satan the cherubim, and below the cherubim the seraphim, and then below them the other angels. And crowning all of God's creative work is this marvelously beautiful creature. And God says, not only were you beautiful, but God says, I gave to you greater authority than I gave to any other being. You were the anointed cherub, verse 14. The anointed cherub. And you had that position because God says, I have said it so. I gave it to you. I placed you there. You were upon the holy mountain. You were there with me in heaven. You were right there at the top of the mountain of creation where my throne is, and that's where Satan's access was. You walked up and down in the midst of the stone of fire. This could not be said of any earthly man. This description fits only one being, Satan, this great creature. who lives, who is in existence today. Thou was perfect in thy ways. People say, if God loves men, if God is righteous, then why did God create the devil? And the answer is this, that God didn't create the devil. God created a beautiful cherub, who was perfect and without sin, who was holy in all his ways. Thou was perfect from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thy heart." And suddenly the Bible tells us that one day Satan looked at all that God had given to him, and Satan looked at all of God's creation, and Satan said, it's not enough! And Isaiah chapter 14 says that on that day, Satan said in his heart, I'm not content to be the greatest of all of God's creations. I will be God. Pride brought Satan to rebellion. In Isaiah chapter 14, Satan says, I will ascend to the most high. I will be God. I will do this. I, I, I, I. And I say to you this morning that all sin, every sin that is found in the world is related to pride. Pride is the root of every sin that exists. And that's why that even among believers God says that I will resist pride and I will give grace to the humble. How does a Christian produce pride in his life? A Christian produces pride in his life when he lets his old carnal nature be in control. How does a Christian produce humility in his life? He produces humility in his life when he yields to the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus Christ who is within him. We were talking about humility in the women's Bible class Tuesday morning. I said, the problem with humility is this, that God says He can't use us unless we are humble. And God's word also teaches us that you aren't humble if you, and the only people that are humble are the people that don't know it. For the moment you think of your humility, you become proud. You're like the man who wrote the book, Humility and How I Obtained It. He didn't have it. The moment you speak of your humility, your humility is gone. The only people that are humble before God are those that are yielded to the Spirit of God and are living in the person of Jesus Christ, and they're thinking not of themselves, but they are thinking of Him. That's humility. And of course, Jesus Christ is a great example of humility because he was the God of the universe who came down and became a man and died the disgraceful death of a cross that he might come and live in our hearts. And then when we yield to him, we are living the humility that God can use in our lives. And every other thing in this world reverts right back to pride. No matter what sin you name, the root of that sin is pride. Pride is the thing that has brought about the rebellion against God. And it was spontaneously generated in the heart of this perfect creature that God had made. God did not create the devil. The devil was created when Satan turned his heart against God. God says to Satan, by the multitude of thy merchandise, they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned, therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God. God says, one of these days I'm going to cast you out of heaven. Satan goes to heaven today, he still has access there. What is he doing up in heaven? The Bible says he likes to go up there and accuse the brethren. He likes to find Robert Graves living in his old fleshly nature. He likes to see Robert Graves filled with pride. He likes to see Robert Graves doing things that are wrong. And then he delights in going before the throne of God and said, Sage, you see what that preacher friend of yours did? And oh, how my heart should be grieved because the Bible says that the Spirit of God is grieved when I allow sin to come into my life as a Christian. I think each one of us today ought to be conscious of this and we ought to be saying, Oh God, help me to be the kind of a Christian who doesn't give Satan opportunity to come into your presence and accuse me before you. I want to be the kind of a Christian like Job was, a believer. The Bible says that Job was the kind of a man that when Satan came before God, there wasn't a thing that he could bring up against Job. And God spoke to Satan and he said, Satan, have you seen my servant Job? How that he serves me and that he walks uprightly. Satan accuses us when we've sinned and brings our name before God in disgrace. And the Bible says he delights in this, and he's there. But the Bible says that God loves to bring to Satan the life and testimony of those who are living in victory. I want to be that kind of a Christian, don't you? I want to be like Job. I want God to be able to say, Satan, have you noticed, Pastor Graves, that he's walking in yieldedness to my Holy Spirit? Oh, God, help me to be that kind of person. And God help you to be that kind of man, that kind of woman. You know, the book of Revelation chapter 12 tells us that one of these days in the middle of that tribulation time that God is going to give a nod of his head to Michael. He's going to say, Michael, take the angels. And when that day when Satan comes, he's going to say, Michael, put him out and tell him he can never come back again. And the Bible says there's going to be war in heaven. And Michael is going to jump to the fray and it says he's going to take the devil, the old serpent, and he's going to cast him out and he'll never get back into God's heaven again. Praise God. When we get there with our new bodies, Satan won't be found. Aren't you glad? Yes, you see verse 16 says God says I'm going to cast you out of the mountain I'm going to cast you out of the mountain of God one of these days and I'm going to destroy you Oh covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty. Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness. I will cast you to the ground. I will lay you before kings that they may be holy." Yes, you see, the Bible says that one of these days that Jesus Christ is coming back at the end of the tribulation time. And when he comes, the first thing that he's going to do, he's going to grab Satan, that old serpent. And the Bible says before all of the kings of the earth, he's going to bind him up and he's going to cast him into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. And all the people of the earth are going to see it take place. And for a thousand years, there's going to be a rule and reign of righteousness on the earth with no influence of Satan found anywhere. At the end of that time, he's going to be released. And then God is going to take him this time. And the book of Revelation says he's going to cast him into the lake of fire forever and ever and ever. But the dreadful thing is this, that along with him are going to go all of the men and all of the women who were born and lived and died and never took Jesus Christ as their Savior. You see, apart from Jesus Christ, every man in this world has a God, but their God is Satan. And every man and every woman who walks through this world, having never trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior, are going to follow Satan into the lake of eternal fire. Oh, if I were here today, if I were here today, I would trust Jesus Christ as my Savior. Every head bowed and every eye closed. With our heads bowed and our eyes closed, I want to ask you this question. Do you know Jesus Christ is your Savior? Pastor, you haven't talked to us about that this morning. I want to talk to you about it right now. It doesn't take a long sermon to explain the gospel. Here's the gospel. It's simply this. That you're born into this world as a sinner. You're a subject of Satan. You're in his control and dominion. And the only hope of salvation that you have is to be delivered from a child of this world and be born a child of God. And that can only take place when you, by faith, believe that Jesus Christ is God, that he came down and became a man, that he died on the cross and paid for your sins and took your place, that he rose again from the dead to demonstrate his deity, and that he will forgive you and save you and grant to you eternal life. If you will just by faith, trust Him as your Savior. And I say that to you on the authority of the Word of God, for here's what God says. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Or in Romans 10, He says this. If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be a Christian. I'm asking you again, have you ever confessed Jesus Christ as your Savior? Dear friend, if you're here today and you haven't done that, I'm going to invite you to trust Him right now, just where you sit. With our heads bowed and our eyes closed, would you join me in this simple prayer of salvation? Say, Lord Jesus Christ. Say that in your heart. Lord Jesus Christ, I do believe you are the Son of God. I know that I've sinned. I believe you died on the cross for my sin. I believe you rose again from the dead. And right now, I confess you as my Savior. I trust in you for the salvation of my eternal soul. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for saving me. Dear friend, if you prayed that prayer, you're a Christian. God has forgiven your sins. He saved you. He's come into your life. I have a book that I share with every new Christian. I'd love to see that you get one this morning before you leave. I wonder if you'd be willing, where you are, to just slip your hand up and say, Pastor, I wasn't sure, and I prayed with you today, and I trusted Christ. I meant that prayer. I'd like you to know that I made that prayer. Would you slip your hand up, anyone at all? Just slip it up, and I'll see it. And we'll be so glad to know that you trusted Christ today. anyone at all. Just slip it up where you are. Father, we thank you that you are greater than Satan. We thank you, Lord, that you control him today. We thank you, Lord, that we as Christians can pray that you would keep our government secure and safe from his control. We pray, Lord, that we might pray for our president and for other world leaders, that even if they have given themselves to his control, that you might contain and overwhelm his influence in their lives. Grant, Lord, that we might be burdened to pray as we've never been burdened to pray before. We pray these things in your precious name. Amen. This message has been brought to you by the Santa Rosa Bible Church. Our mission is to see the lost reached and believers transformed by Jesus. You can find out more information about us at our website at srbible.org. Or you can visit us in person at 4575 Badger Road in Santa Rosa, California. You can also reach us by phone at 707-538-2385.