All right, let's try that again. This evening as we talk about Satan's fall from glory, and we come to a very pivotal point in our story, everything is perfect. We're discussing God and mankind, everything. God has a great relationship with Adam and Eve. You have Adam and Eve's relationship with one another. It's perfect. There's no fighting. There's no problems. You have mankind and the environment. Everything is good. There's no fear. There's no death. There's no penalties. There's just an absolutely perfect environment. And everything, as God would say on the sixth day, everything was very good. And God and all the angels, everything perfectly obeyed God, they worshipped him. It is a perfect, pristine environment with no flaws. Everything was beyond measure that you couldn't think about how great it could be. During creation, all the angels worshipped God for his majesty, and we're going to look at these three points tonight. Number one, Lucifer sins against his owner by rejecting his rule. Number two, God alone stands supreme. He will never give his glory to another. Number three, God in his absolute holiness is furious with all sins so much that every sinner will be punished. We find that the angels in Job chapter 38 verses 6 and 7, they would watch God finish the creation. Job 38, 6 and 7, it says, Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened, or who laid the cornerstone thereof? When the morning stars, meaning the angels, sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. God's Word first reveals Lucifer's attitude in response to God, and we're going to look at that tonight. Isaiah 14, verses 13 and 14, just to kind of get an idea this evening, Isaiah 14, verse 13, if you'd like to turn your Bible there, We'll be back and forth between Isaiah as well as Ezekiel. We'll be in Ezekiel also looking at the fall of Satan this evening. And so when you think about all that Satan and the angels and all that, not Satan, but all that Lucifer, Satan was the fallen name of Lucifer, but all that Lucifer had, all the glory and the grandeur and the praise and the perfection, everything was the way it ought to be. Isaiah chapter 14 verses 13 and 14, For thou hast set 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. Let's go to the Lord and ask for his blessing upon this evening, and then we'll look at our study this evening of Lucifer's rebellion. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I do thank you for this evening. Father, I pray that as I teach your word this evening, that Lord, you'd help me to accurately do such. Father, I pray in our hearts that we would root out any pride that is there, because pride brings with it the fall. And Lord, I ask that in each of our hearts, Lord, we'd be willing to just humbly submit before you. And for those who are not saved, God, I pray that tonight they would accept you as their personal savior. Lord, all of us want the peace and the joy of God, and that comes through a rejection of pride, and I pray, Lord, that that would be true in our lives. I love you, and I thank you for all that you will do. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen. So Lucifer, number one, Lucifer strove, or he was striving to steal God's position. Now, turn with me to Ezekiel chapter 28. Ezekiel chapter 28, another account of Lucifer's fall from glory. Ezekiel 28 14 Here's what it reads as Ezekiel 28 14 thou art the anointed cherub that covereth and I have set thee so Thou was upon the holy mountain of God thou has walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created till a nicotine was found in thee why were Lucifer and the angels created a Lucifer was created as a guardian over all the angels and He had a magnificent position in God's glory. I mean, he had direct access, close access. He was created to worship and serve and help God. How did they look when they were created? They were every way perfect. There was nothing that could be improved. Lucifer was a very, very beautiful angel. And they looked, they were stronger and smarter than mankind, they thought. But they're not God. They're stronger and smarter than us. They can be anywhere at any time. Now, obviously, they have to be in a specific place. But when you think about the angels, I mean, they could roam around with unfettered access doing God's bidding. They weren't created for an intimate relationship with God like you and I were, but yet they were still in a special, special place. They have an ability to take on the physical form and to choose for themselves where they want to go. Lucifer wanted to steal God's position as supreme ruler, and you see that image there What looks like an angel or something of sorts of the depiction there in but in verse 15 of Ezekiel chapter 28 It says thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that was created till iniquity was found in thee By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence and now as sin therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God I will destroy the old covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire thine heart was lifted up and 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." And so he forgot that he was created by God. He forgot his purpose, and in his beauty began to look at himself, admire himself, and lost his sight of God. And you know that's the same thing that happens in our lives when I begin to look at things in my life and what I'm doing well, and maybe you have some things that are going really well in your life, and you begin to look at that, we lose our position, and that is what Lucifer did. And he was corrupted. He shook his fist at God, saying, God, you created me, but I want to do my own thing. He had been honored with the highest position of all as the guardian angel over all other angels. He lived in the very presence of God, and yet, That wasn't enough. And you realize this, that in pride we're never satisfied. It should have, it would have humbled, you thought it would have humbled him. He made a very foolish decision. sin against himself as evil and as unrighteous and God cast him out of heaven as we're going to look at here. Lucifer strove to take over the position of God and look at me, going back to Isaiah chapter 14, I want you to notice with me something that is so evident in his statements. I want you to count the number of times that Lucifer says, I will, I will. See, because pride was taking the lead in his life. Isaiah chapter 14, 13 and 14. He said, for thou hast set 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 of the sides of the earth. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High five times. Do you want to be greater than God? The I wills here really refer to Lucifer's lifted up in pride. And when I do that in the same way, I can say, I will do this. I will, I will, I will. And I will always brings with it destruction. He was crazy. The pride of Satan brought him down to the lowest parts and eventually in eternity to hell. Think about this in our pride, it always brings us low. And if we look at a little comparison chart here, I don't know if you can see that up there. There's a little ripple in the screen there, but irrespective of that, just look at this. Thinking about God, mankind, and angels, we're gonna look at kind of a comparison here. God alone is able to teach us about everything. Mankind needs God's help in every way, as well as the angels. God alone exists in the beginning, eternal and greater than all. Mankind does not, as well as the angels. God alone is all-powerful, existing by his own power, needing nothing and no one. Mankind needs help in everything. God alone is spirit ever present and all seeing all the time. You and I are limited. Spirits are unlike God, limited in comparison. God alone is spirit ever present, all seeing all the time. Mankind is body limited in comparison. This past week, we saw some limitations in our body as we were exhausted and tired as you're working out there. God alone is one yet trinity and obviously mankind is quite plentiful. God alone is all knowing, nothing is ever hidden from him. We're limited. God alone is absolute owner, ruler over all, his creator. Mankind exists for God and wishes as his wishes alone. God alone is absolutely holy and always acts perfectly. Mankind and angels are not. Mankind is under the absolute authority of God's rule. And also angels are also under God's rule. Lucifer didn't know the difference really in his mind because of pride. He didn't realize the difference between him and God. He says, I want to be like the most high. Did God have any part in Lucifer's sin? Do you think that Lucifer and God, God had a part in Lucifer's sin? Absolutely not. It was solely Lucifer's decision to put himself up above God. And that's what pride does. It puts us up above God, saying, no, God has no part in our pride. Genesis 3.1 states, really, you find this, that Satan hears God and he overhears God is giving instructions to Adam and Eve. Besides, you know what, I'm going to cause him to fall because I've fallen and I want to bring others with me. I believe that really it was a warning that to Lucifer here is he hears the warning God gives to Adam and Eve. And we don't necessarily know at what time frame that sometime between Genesis 2 and Genesis chapter 3 where the serpent begins to deceive Eve. There's something that happens here, but there was a warning. He also, in Genesis 3-1, he says, did I, you know, as he's talking to Eve, yea hath God said. He heard what God had said to Adam and Eve. And he's trying to get her to fall. But Lucifer lifted himself up in pride and being powerful and knowledgeable, he was arrogant, and he felt that he'd become his own ruler, his own owner. I don't need God telling me what I ought to do. And you find the little chart up there, the pride chart, that pride tells God, you are not good, I don't need you. Pride says, I am able to overthrow the one who created me and take his place. Pride says, I exist by my own strength and wisdom. No one will rule over me or tell me what to do. I alone have the final say over everything in my life. Pride is not willing to submit. That's the thing. Lucifer is really the originator and the very definition of pride. And the center of pride is the I. And that's what happened here. Lucifer lifted himself up. And you know what that happens in our lives when we tell God, leave me alone. Don't come into my life. When I say I can do it my way, I don't need you, God. I don't need your authority in my life. I will do it my way. There's pride. And God wants to do something in our lives. And Lucifer threw his fist at God. and great devastation happened. Lucifer was really the first to bring sin into the world. You see that sign there that sin kills. Sin does kill. It ruins relationships. It ruins rewards and blessings. It ruins position. It ruins promises of God. It ruins perfection. Lucifer he was the first to bring sin into this world Lucifer lifted himself up in pride. He rejected God And God viewed this as a sin against himself when Lucifer told the Creator I will be like the Most High He threw his fist God says I can't have that You ask the question, really, if you want to get a definition, what is sin? What is sin? Sin is anything that rejects God. Sin is anything that rejects God, His character, His word, His will, His ways. Sin dishonors God, whether it's thought, word, whether it's attitude or deed. Satan's attitude was very much against God Lucifer first sin in his heart and that sin in his heart Translated into a sin of action and deeds and the very moment that those prideful thoughts came into his heart and mind He sinned it happened as soon as pride entered and it says in Isaiah 14 13 for thou was set in thine heart and Turn with me also, James chapter 1. It's the same thing that happens to you and I. James chapter 1, 14 and 15. With the pride of our hearts. We're not willing to kneel and to bow in submission to God. And the things that God puts in our lives, no, we continue on our own path. And that's what happened to Satan. In James 1, verse 14, but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed, and when lusts have conceded, bringeth forth sin. And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. There was a death, it kills. And so what led Lucifer to sin? As we had saw, the evil desires of his heart. Some will struggle with how a perfect being, and we don't understand that since we ourselves were born sinners, how could someone who could see absolute perfection decide to throw his fist in his mind against the very one who created him? I don't understand that. other than the fact that our very nature, right now, we want to do our own thing. Choice is not evil, but it's what Lucifer did with it. You see, choice, we have a choice, as I discussed several weeks ago, as I was talking about the tree, that tree was a choice. It was an indicator of our heart, whether I'm willing to do right and express my love to God, or not do right and express my own independence. God didn't create evil. God did not create evil. And rather, He created Lucifer with the choices He created you and I. And this evil is possible, as I had said, because of choice. And one-third of the angels would follow Lucifer, as you see, kind of a pie chart up there, the two-thirds and one-thirds, but turn with me to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation chapter 12, verses 3 and 4, as we'll read about this very account, as Satan would go in defiance against God, and thereby lead one-third of the angels out. Revelation chapter 12, verses 3 and 4. Revelation 12, 3 and 4. He took a lot of angels with him. There's still a lot left in God's eye, but in Revelation chapter 12, verse 3, and there appeared another wonder in heaven behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his head his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven he cast in the earth and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered for devour her child as soon as it was born thought that that's talking about Lucifer's rebellion against God. But as you think about that, irrespective, many angels would end up going to follow Lucifer to his horrible claims. Now, many contrary beliefs that people may have about God today, as you see there, positive and negative, just two sides of the same coin, that's not the case. How does it account sometimes that contrary beliefs to Lucifer and really the origin of sin in our lives? How does it account for the origin of sin clashed with what we've been taught or believed? Here's some contrary beliefs. There is no such thing as evil. Everything is relative. I want to ask you a question. Is there a such thing as evil? If we agree with the Bible, we will affirm that saying, saying, yes, there is evil. Pride is not evil, but God made it evil. No, God didn't make pride evil. Pride is inherently evil. Also, another thing that contrary beliefs is evolution teaches that there is no evil and everything continues to improve. I'd like to say that that is absolutely false. Everything is not improving. Look at our world today. Is our world becoming a place of greater peace and rest? Quite to the contrary. Another contrary belief is that sin is cheap. No, sin is not cheap. You can't sin and get away with it. Now, you may not necessarily immediately feel the consequences, but there will be consequences for sin. So these very sins that, as I discussed here, if we have a contrary belief, what it does is it calls God a liar, and it belittles the very character of God. I have to understand, even as Satan lifted himself up in pride, he undermined God's character. And when you and I undermine God's character, great problems ensue. And he failed to believe who God is. I need to destroy these beliefs. And sometimes in our lives we think, I can sin and get away with it. You might get away with it amongst other humans, but you won't get away with it from God. Sin came into existence. with Lucifer when he rejected the rule of his owner. When you say, I will not have anyone over me, pride, pride. And that's why Lucifer fell. Number two, God alone stands as supreme. He will never give his glory to another. God will not give his glory to another. And God has forbidden any person to take his position. He is supreme. Going back to Ezekiel chapter 28, His heart is lifted up. If you would like to look at that again, you can. But Ezekiel 28, 15 through 17, I'll just look at a couple. It's 17, for the sake of time. And he says, thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty. Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness. This is Ezekiel 28, 17. I will cast thee to the ground. I will lay thee before kings that they may behold thee. Satan would be scorned and he would be, you're going to see, hear a reproach upon his very name. God's response to Lucifer's rebellion, he cast Lucifer and all of his followers down to earth. Isaiah 42.8, as we had read there, God will not give his glory to another. And Isaiah 42.8, it says, I am the Lord, that is my name and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. When I lift up myself, I'm putting myself above God. And I'm trying to steal the glory that rightfully belongs to our Savior, belongs to our Creator, God. You see, this glory is not a relative thing. It is not a, well, God gets most of it and I can have some of it. No, it's all of it. And you think about this, God is all-powerful. He's self-existent. There's no one else. He's relational. And in that relationship with God, it ought to be where I'm saying, God, you get the glory. Anything good that I do is because you did it. And if I say I did it, then I'm stealing God's glory. Why else does God declare that My glory will I not give to another? He will not allow anyone or anything to replace Him. He is God. He's the Creator. He started all of this that we call life and earth. And Almighty God destroyed Lucifer and his follower. God alone is supreme, will never share His glory with another. Hebrews 4.13, neither is there any creature that is... come with me here, Ephesians, or excuse me, Hebrews 4.13. Hebrews 4, verse 13, further truths about God's supremacy, of how supreme He really is, Hebrews 4, verse 13. Hebrews 4, verse 13, God was not surprised at Lucifer's action. It says, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of God with whom we have to do. Do you think that Lucifer's rebellion came at a surprise to God? It says right here that God knows. Nothing, everything is seen by God. And as I had said, Lucifer, maybe in his thought, his heart and his mind thought, I can be like God. I can get above God. God can't see my thought. And that's the same thing we do when we say, God, you can't see my thought. God, you don't know what I'm thinking. You don't know all that's going on. And I begin to, in my mind, allow this pride to fester and problems will ensue. Where could Lucifer hide in order to hatch his plan of rebellion? Nowhere. God is all-knowing, ever-present. He sees everything. And that's the same thing for you and me. Really, He made an absolutely foolish decision. And it's the same thing that humanity does today, and believers do today, that we think we can sin and get away from it. We think we can allow pride in our lives. And really, as you look in this picture here, a kind of a man's view of the battle between good and evil, you have two equally matched men that are fighting. This is a really a false view of God. We think, you know, and I'm not saying you believe it this way, but as you think about this, this is not what's happening. It's not two men that are fighting and scrapping and going back and forth. No, it's more like this. God's view of the battle between good and evil is you find that little dot there on that picture with a massive sword and Satan maybe there is on the earth, but really he's quite insignificant compared to God. You have someone who is all powerful, coming against someone who's not. God is so much greater there than Satan. And what were Lucifer and all of his followers thinking? They weren't. And you realize that that is what happens with pride. We stop thinking spiritually. We stop thinking about who God is. And it blinds us. It blinds us to the reality of the foolishness of our own thinking. Contrary beliefs to not giving God the glory that he deserves several things here another several things that we allow in our lives of Not giving God the glory that he deserves number one a contrary belief is I can live for myself I don't need anyone telling me how to live my life God wants to tell us how to live our lives Another two is I am the God of my own life. I can determine my own destiny. Well, the destiny you determine, yes, you determine your destiny, but the destiny is either heaven or hell. In heaven, you also determine the rewards or the lack thereof based upon your life. The third contrary belief that people believe, it doesn't matter what God thinks or what his words state, I'll live life my way. It does matter because God's word is the very rule book by which you're judged on your life. Here's another one. Some people may believe that God doesn't exist or God is puny. God is who you've made him up to be in your mind. The false view. God is not puny. If you've ever walked in contradiction to God's word, and you've done something in your life that's wrong, you know the misery of living in opposition to God. It is an awful, awful place to be. And God, you try to forge ahead, and you try to push ahead in your own will, in your own way, thinking God is puny, God can't control my destiny, and I tell you, my friend, you're going to be hitting your head against the wall, and it will be painful. Another contrary belief is God doesn't judge or know what I'm doing. God does know. There's also the charismatic view that we can make God do what I want Him to. If I say enough prayers or I do this or I say enough, you know, whatever scripted prayers or anything that I can think of in a religious sense that I can get God to do what I want Him to do. That's a false belief, contrary belief on God's merit. If Satan didn't succeed in taking God's position, what makes you and me think we can take God's position? What makes you and me think that we have the ability to persuade and move God in the way exactly the way I want? It won't happen. God is supreme, and His glory is not for sale. So I have to take those beliefs and destroy them. Number three, God in his absolute holiness is furious with all sin so much that every sinner will be punished. Bear with me to Genesis 2, verses 16 and 17. Genesis 2, verses 16 and 17. Verse 16 of Genesis 2, it says, And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it. Here's the problem. For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. There is God's promise to Adam. If you choose the fruit from the forbidden tree, you will get the consequences. It's inevitable. It's kind of like what we have in RU. It's inevitable and calculable and up to God with respect to the consequences of sin. He would die and be separated from God. He wasn't going to physically, he would physically die sometime, not immediately, but that relationship with God was severed in half when it would happen. We're not there yet in our study, but God was the very source of life and that source of life would be discontinued. Why would Adam be separated from God if he disobeyed God in this way? because he'd be choosing independence from God. He would not be wanting God to tell him what is good and evil in every decision, in each and every decision. It would be like if Adam chose that fruit, he's saying, you know what, God, I know better than you. Kind of like I remember as a young kid, I was with my parents, very strong-willed, and there were times in my life I really wanted to do something, and mom and dad would say, it's not gonna work, and they would allow me to do it sometimes, and they were right, and I was wrong. And even more so with God and our lives, that God gives us things he wants us to do, and when I say, you know what, I don't understand, it doesn't make sense, but I'll follow it. than what I'm doing and saying, you know what, there's no pride, it's absolute submission. Actually, that's going to be something we'll be talking about on Wednesday night with respect to Ruth. She had such an influence because of her testimony. We'll talk about that. But also, if Adam sinned, if Adam wanted to be separated from God, his decision to live is independent from God. And you know what? Many times in our lives, and I know in my teen years, there was that struggle for independence. I want to be independent. I don't want someone telling me what to do. And so there's those things that come in our life that independence And that is a very, what it's doing is saying, I know better for life than you do God. God wants us to say, no, I want you to be dependent. He's not saying I want to do everything for you, but no, he's saying, I want you to, I want, allow me to give you wisdom. God punishes Lucifer and he passed him down to the earth. And then in Revelation chapter 12, verses seven through nine, if you'd like to read about this, Revelation chapter 12, verses seven through nine, we'll look at this here briefly. consequences of Satan's sin. He was without excuse. Revelation chapter 7, excuse me, chapter 12, verse 7. This is what will happen someday and has happened in the past. Verse 7 of Revelation chapter 12, and there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought against his angels and prevailed not, neither was there place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil. And Satan, which deceived the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Here's an account of what happened. God removed Satan, Lucifer, excuse me, from his presence. And that's what happens to us every time I lift myself up. Now, I don't lose, I'm not cast out. I'm not cast into outer darkness if you're a child of God, but I'm cast away from a close presence with God, removed. Not only did Lucifer lose being cast out, he also lost his position before God. Was Lucifer able to make good on his boast of taking over as the most high? Was Lucifer able to be like the Most High? Absolutely not. It wasn't even a thought. It couldn't even happen. He was no match for God. How do you think that Lucifer felt at the moment he realized, uh-oh, I've made a mistake? Do you not think that there could have been fear? But also, God changed Lucifer's name to Satan, the devil, or enemy of God. His followers were renamed demons or evil spirits. God judges sin, and that's something that we have to have at the forefront of our mind when I'm going to commit an action. I have to evaluate, is it right or wrong before God? It's not that it's before you or someone else. It's, are my actions right before God? Matthew 25 41 then shall he say also unto them on the left hand depart from me he cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels see hell was in its inception was a place of punishment for satan and the angels it was not a place for humanity humanity at the time that satan fall fell was still perfect Find that God prepared the lake of fire and it had no end. It was eternal. It was a place for Satan and the angels Not for you and me Why would God refer to Satan and his angels as being cursed? He's angry being dishonor. What does it mean by God to be cursed? What does it mean to be cursed by God? You have God's judgment against you And all humanity is cursed by God Until they put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ And so satan and the demons right now. They're not a lake of fire. They're on the earth And they are trying to bring as many as they can with them to the place where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth in the lake of fire just a picture of a Looks like a wooden fire there, but just imagine that for eternity In matthew chapter 13, he gives us a slight description of hell in matthew 13 49 So shall I be at the end of the world. The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." In this place of the lake of fire, there's eternal regret, there's hopelessness, wishing, you know what, I could change what happened. I wish I could go back and change my life, but it's too late. It's eternal. That fire will burn, as Mark 9.48 says, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. It is an everlasting fire. In Revelation chapter 20, verse 10, it says, and the devil that deceived them was cast a lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever. It is an eternal punishment. How do you think they'd feel after being cursed by God? There'd be fear. You see, something that we ought to have, and it's the fear of God that will bring you and me. When we got saved, it was a fear of God that brought us to the place of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. I realized that God was serious about sin. I realized that I deserved hell, and as a result of realization of my deserving of hell, I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And so, Would we think that God is too severe? Satan knew God. He had seen Him. He had served Him. He had defied Him. He dishonored Him, disobeyed Him. God is holy. And when I allow that pride into my life, I begin on the path of destruction, the same as Satan was. Now, if you're saved, you won't go to hell, but you definitely will lose many blessings. And Satan's fall was a warning to Adam beware you know what in our lives many times that when you see maybe someone doing a sin in their life not to be a warning to us and you begin to see the consequences of sin in a person's life you say whoa whoa whoa I don't want to go down that path and so here's a warning to Adam and his descendants potentially at that time and They were in the perfect state and seemingly they may have even heard about what happened. Why do you think God tells us about Lucifer's fall today? God wants to warn us that when you defy me, there's consequences. No one can fight against God and you'll never win. You'll never win. However you think in your mind that you think and reason that it is possible to win against God, Discard that thinking because that's on a path to destruction. Satan, in absolute awe of who God is, His holiness and His position as supreme, decided to defy and go against and ended up in a great mess. Lucifer's fall is really the source of all demons and ghosts. God's word also reveals another huge truth. The demons, evil spirits, ghosts, and goblins as the world makes fun of today and likes to put them into movies to create fear and Hollywood and entertainment thinks it's just something to play around with. The thing is, is really the basis for these demons is even toys. You can go into a toy store and you can find Ouija boards people make fun of in the local newspaper horoscopes and mediums and witches and fortune tellers, spirit healers, spirits of the dead. They'll conjure them up thinking it's something great. When what you're doing is you're bringing to life those who are in opposition and defiance of God. God will reveal more about this as we go on, but the heart of pride coming back to this truth, the heart of pride is trying to take God's place. The heart of pride, and God is angry at the heart of pride, at those who lift themselves up, because pride is a seeking of independence from God. And when I try to be independent of God, I'm telling God, I don't need you. making themselves your own God. And that's what happened to sin. And so some beliefs that contradict God's holiness and wrath towards all sin and the lake of fire. Here's some contrary beliefs that we may find. I'm not concluding here before too long, but some contrary beliefs, the lake of fire isn't a literal place. You believe in hell, pfft, you're old-fashioned. You're one of those hellfire brimstone preachers. No, I'm a Bible-believing preacher. I'm a Bible-believing Christian, as many of you are. You see, another contrary belief is a God of love would never send anyone to the lake of fire, especially for an eternity. How could a God of love ever punish someone to eternity in hell? How could a God of love not punish someone for eternity who refused Him? And Satan, another thought is, ah, who needs to worry about hell? Satan's in control of it. No, Satan's chained in hell someday. He's in torment. And God is, in His holiness, is absolutely furious and angry and wrathful towards sin, so much so that every sinner will be punished forever. Our responsibility is to lay aside pride and take on humility and dependence upon God. When Adam and Eve They were dependent, they were obedient to God in that very situation. And God was blessing, there was perfection, there was a wonderful, marvelous relationship. It was a relationship like we will have someday in glory with God, but they had it way back when. But pride is what lifted them up. And so as I come to the conclusion this evening, a huge piece of the puzzle confused many for so long is why, where did sin come from? It originated with a man in pride who lifted himself up, an angel, not a man, but angel, Satan. That's where it came from. And as we're open to God's Word, we can understand that Lucifer sinned against God by rejecting His rule. God alone stands supreme, and God in His absolute holiness is furious with sin. I want to ask you, are you thankful that God's revealed these truths to you? You know, we can learn from history. We can learn of what to do. and definitely what not to do. And if we think upon the truth of Satan, his life and how he turned from God and the pride, pride is so destructive, deceptive, It comes in so small and just think that you've done something well and it begins to grow and to fester and fester and fester until you're in absolute rebellion against God. You see, I ought to take those truths, those contrary beliefs of God, laying them aside and say, God, I'll be dependent upon you. And I will be humble before you as you think upon that truth this evening. So I'm just going to conclude here. We'll have a time of invitation. Satan's rebellion caused great destruction and it started with pride. I will. And so this evening, I want to ask you a question. Will you be dependent or independent of God? with all heads bowed and eyes closed. When you're done praying, would you look back up front? We'll know you're done and I will conclude in prayer, but just a challenge in your heart. Are you living in independence or dependence upon God? I trust that none of us would be on the path of Satan living in pride. It's such a subtle sin, but so devastating. May all of us stay right before God. And this evening, if you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, may tonight be the night of salvation, realizing, God, I've been prideful in my own heart. I know I need Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sins and be my Savior. And if you'll simply, by faith and trust in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, for the forgiveness of all the wrong you've ever done, tonight can be the night of salvation.