Serpent and the Lamb

Illustration (Video of Kaa and Mowgli)

Trust in me, just in me Shut your eyes and trust in me You can sleep safe and sound Knowing I am around

Slip into silent slumber Sail on a silver mist Slowly and surely your senses Will cease to resist

Trust in me, just in me Shut your eyes and trust in me

This morning our Sermon is entitled The Serpent and the Lamb

I believe when God inspired the writing of the Scriptures, even the smallest details have significants.

So the question this morning, is why did God use the word Serpent to describe Satan?

From the first book to the last book of the Bible we see Satan referred to as a Serpent.

Genesis 3:1 (NASB95)

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Revelation 20:2 (NASB95)

And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

The Oxford dictionary defines a serpent like this.

A large snake.

A serpent is a sly or treacherous person, especially one who exploits a position of trust in order to betray it.

What is interesting is snakes exhibit many of the attributes which are used to describe Satan.

One of the most poisonous creatures in the world is the Inland Taipan Snake. “The inland taipan has one of the most lethal venoms; one drop can kill up to 100 adult men, and it works in as little as 45 minutes.” John 8:44

John 8:44 (NASB95)

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The spider-tailed horned viper has a tail shaped like a spider to lure birds. Rev. 12:9

Revelation 12:9 (NASB95)

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

The Spitting Cobra will cause blindness if its venom hits your eyes 2 Cor. 4:4

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NASB95)

in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Satan had a problem…

Instead of being happy with what God created him to be, Satan wanted to be God Isaiah 14:12-15

Isaiah 14:12–15 (NASB95)

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God,

And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

Satan wants so much to be God, that everything he does is a twisted version of God.

Satan has his own trinity--the devil, the beast, and the false prophet (Revelation 16:13).

He has his own church, "a synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 2:9).

He has his own ministers, "ministers of Satan" (2 Corinthians 11:3-5).

He has formulated his own system of theology "doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1).

He has established his own sacrificial system; "The Gentiles...sacrifice to demons" (1 Corinthians 10:20).

He has his own communion service, "the cup of demons...and the table of demons" (1 Corinthians 10:21).

His ministers proclaim his own gospel, "a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you" (Galatians 1:7-8).

He has his own worshipers (Revelation 13:4).

Satan is very real, and he knows he has been defeated, and he is trying to take as many as he can with him.

He even walks around like a lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), But there is only one true Lion and that is the Lion of Judah (Jesus Christ!) Rev. 5:5.

Like I mention earlier, This morning our Sermon is entitled The Serpent and the Lamb

We see how Satan is a serpent, he is vile, he is evil, and all that he does to try and pervert and destroy everything that is God and what God loves.

Lets take a moment and look at the Lamb.

John the baptist called Jesus “The Lamb of God.”

Unlike a snake, a lamb is not deceitful. You have heard the phrase “Gentle as a Lamb.” It does not seek to kill and destroy, but it is kind and loving.

Satan wanted to be God…

Jesus is God and instead of coming to earth as King, which He had ever right too, he came as a common man Phil. 2:5-8.

Philippians 2:5–8 (NASB95)

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The Bible describes us as sheep. Ps 44:22

Psalm 44:22 (NASB95)

But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Not only did Jesus come down and humble Himself to be in the likeness of man, but He took our place on the cross.

Isaiah 53:6 (NASB95)

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

Hebrews 9:22, Reminds us there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood.

What does remission mean? (it is a cancellation of debt, or penalty)

If you are believer here today, remember when Jesus died on the cross for you and me, he cancelled our debt and paid it in full Col. 2:14.

I started todays sermon by mentioning how God doesn’t miss any detail. As we study scripture we find there are things we read, but often miss a beautiful nuggets God has placed there for us.

I read awhile back that there was a sheep farmer, who was concerned when one of his sheep was bitten by a rattle snake. Much to his surprise, after about 2 days, there were no ill effects to his sheep.

What is amazing is this… God before time began designed sheep to have such a strong immune system, that their blood is used to create anti-venom for those who are bit by snakes.

The Bible tells us Satan is like a serpent and his venom is great, but Jesus is the Lamb who’s blood can be used as an anti-venom defeating, Satan’s bite, but also gives victory over death and sin.

Revelation 12:11 says this…

Revelation 12:11a (NASB95)

“And they overcame him(Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb.

Let’s pray…