The Six States of Unbelievers 1: The Child of the Devil and Idol Worship (John 8:44)
-Human beings were created in God’s own image. Therefore, God is the source of happiness, peace, rest, and blessings. If there is no fellowship with God, they have no choice but to be addicted to and obsessed by something or someone except God. Their pursuit of happiness without God is vain and meaningless.
-Humankind must have a silent time to seek and wait for God alone. It is because he is an unique hope for our lives.
Psalms 62:5-7 (ESV) For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
-However, human beings are under the six states of unbelievers after the Fall of Adam and Eve. The first state is their spiritual state is Satan’s child who worships idols.
1.The child of the devil under the fundamental problems
1)Why does not unhappiness, misery, disasters, curses, terrors, and wars stop?
①It is because all people are under the fundamental problems.
-All human beings are sinners who have original sin and their consequential sins.
Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
-They are separated from God because of their sin.
Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
-Because of sin by disbelief and disobedience toward God’s Word, they belong to the devil.
1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
②The fundamental problems is the cause and start of all problems
-They desire their own interest, benefit, greed, and lust for themselves.
Genesis 6:2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
-Because the intentions of their mind, heart, and thought are evil and corrupted, there are no peace in this world.
Genesis 6;5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
2)Human beings as the children of the devil
①The spiritual state and address
-The father of unbelievers is the devil (John 8:44). It is their spiritual identity and address in this world. Therefore, they cannot escape the power and influence of Satan by their own efforts. They are oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). They cannot overcome Satan on their own.
②Satan always blocks the Gospel and the Word of God in the field.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV) In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
-The devil is afraid of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Satan makes people have unbelief and confusion for the Gospel. From the time of Adam and Eve to until now, the devil is working to deceive people in order to depart from the Word of God.
2.Idol worship of the child of Satan
1)People who are separated from God become the children of the devil and have no choice but to worship idols
①They who are alienated from God are under shame, anxiety, and dread (Gen.3:7-10).
②They worship idols for the sake of themselves
-They make, serve, and worship idols for their success and happiness.
Exodus 20:4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
③They make alternative religions and gods instead of true God
-However, they become the slaves of idols.
Galatians 4:8 (ESV) Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.
④As a result, there are many religions and gods in the world.
1 Corinthians 8:5-6 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
⑤Because of the anxiety and dread for their future, they have ancestral worship, shamanistic exorcism and rituals, fortune telling, physiognomy, palm readings, tarot card readings, talismans, charms, special paintings, and so on.
⑥Fate and destiny for the date, place, direction control over their life.
2)the result of the idol worship
①Whenever they worship idols, the evil spirit influences more strongly them
Matthew 12:43-45 When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.
②Ancestral worship serves not their ancestors, but demons
1 Corinthians 10:20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.
③They leave their spiritual inheritance to their children
-Because of the fundamental problems (sin, separation from God, slaves of Satan), their descendants walk the same path like they ran.
Exodus 20:5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
④Finally, they will go to hell and have eternal suffering
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
⑤However, if anyone is in Christ, he/she will have eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Conclusion
1)Now have the time to concentrate upon God alone through Jesus Christ.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”
-Now is the best time to experience and enjoy the gospel of Jesus Christ through the message. Jesus Christ is the one and only way to change your spiritual identity into the children of God (John 1:12; 3:16).