Satan The Accuser
Notes
Transcript
Intro; We have looked at how Satan attacks the believer by deceiving the mind and destroying the body. This morning we are going to look at one of the most effective strategies of satan against the believer, “Accusation”.
Satan has great enjoyment in pointing out our flaws to others and especially to the Lord. Look at what the scripture says;
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
Satan is always in “accusation mode” against the believer! Day and night the scriptures says. No one likes to be accused of anything, whether it is true or not because it can blemish our reputation and harm our witness of Christ to others. Satan will lie about us to make us look bad before God and men. But there are times that when Satan accuses us, he’s probably telling the truth.
This morning as we look at the scriptures, the context is about the nation of Israel and God’s covenant with them, and that He will accomplish it even when they failed. But it also points to God’s covenant in Christ with the church.
Text; Zech. 3:1-8
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.
6 Then the Angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying,
7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.
8 ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
Prayer
Summary; Chapter three is the fourth vision of eight concerning Israel, Joshua the priest and Zechariah the governor, and their call to rebuild the temple of God. Israel has returned to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, had started the work of rebuilding, but have faced some opposition and have just quit the work God has called them to do. Not obeying God is sin and sin breaks our fellowship with the Lord. And when our fellowship is broken and we try to repair it, that’s when Satan starts making accusations against us. That’s what is happening here.
This vision we see is like a courtroom setting. God is the Judge, Joshua the high priest is the defendant and Satan is the prosecutor trying to prove Joshua [nation of Israel] guilty. But Joshua has the best defense attorney ever, The Angel of the Lord, Christ!!
1. Satan’s Accusation; 1, 3
1. Satan’s Accusation; 1, 3
The high priest had two responsibilities;
The first was to represent God to the people. They played an intercessory role [go between]. They presented the holiness of YAWEH to his people.
The second part of the High Priest’s duty was to represent the people to God. They brought sacrifices from the people to a holy God according to His commands for them to be cleansed and accepted for holy living before Him.
So the priest duty was holiness. He had to be clean to stand before God and he presented God as Holy and clean before the people. But in this vision, this is not the case.
Filthy Garments- That word filthy means that there was human excrement on them! Not only was he dirty looking, but he smelled bad. That filth represented the moral pollution of the nation of Israel.
Two things about Joshua being filthy;
First; As the high priest Joshua was never to enter the presence of the Lord in this manner. The question is why did he?
We can be deceived into thinking that times have changed and we have no need to be concerned about our sin. We can be fooled into thinking that we had a good reason to lie and we should feel no guilt over being dishonest.
We can be tricked into believing that everybody around us is cheating and it is only fair for us to cheat as well.
We can be deceived to believe that since we are in a committed relationship with the person with whom we are living and having sex, we don’t have to get married to make things right.
Second; Once we begin to think that way it makes it easier for Satan to make his accusations against us.
[v.1] Satan stood at the right hand of Joshua to oppose/accuse him before God.
Right hand is the hand of power and strength, yet at Joshua’s right hand is satan, our adversary, the liar and father of lies.
Abraham- [Gen. 12 & 20] He lied about his wife Sara two times to save his own skin and he’s who you chose to be the father of Your nation Israel
David- [2 Sam. 11] Really God, David committed adultery with his friends wife and then tried to cover it up with murder
Peter- [Mt. 26] Did you hear that God, Peter cursed, swore and denied Your Son not once, but three times!
Satan was telling God it would be useless for Joshua and Zechariah to continue to rebuild the temple and restore worship because it would all be a farce due to their sin!
Satan accuses God’s people so we will feel defeated and guilty. In doing this he wants us to believe that we can’t be forgiven of our sin and that God won’t use us again.
2. The Lord’s Rebuke; 2
2. The Lord’s Rebuke; 2
God rebuked satan for condemning whom He had chosen.
God’s covenant with Abraham/Israel cannot be changed. God will see it through regardless of Israels sin.
Israel was punished for their sin by being in captivity for 70 years in Babylon. But God plucked them out the fire to rebuild the city, the temple and to restore worship to Him!
6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
So while Satan comes to us when we are guilty saying, “There’s no hope for you. You might as well be dead,” God comes to us when we have sinned and says, “Repent. Turn from your sin and I’ll forgive you. I’ll make things right again. I love you.”
3. God’s Mercy and Grace; 4-8
3. God’s Mercy and Grace; 4-8
For Joshua to stand before God as His high priest, he must be wearing clean garments. And God provides clean garments through His mercy.
There was a mercy seat in the temple. That is where the blood of the sacrifice was to be sprinkled by the high priest on the Day of Atonement.
Today we have a mercy seat— His name is Jesus!
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation [mercy seat] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
[v.5] Zechariah speaks up and asks God to put a clean turban on Joshua’s head, and He did. This is a priestly turban so he can serve the Lord.
36 “You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD
37 And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban.
38 So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
God’s mercy forgives our sin, God’s grace enables us to serve Him!
[6-7] The Angel of the Lord [Jesus Pre-Incarnate] admonishes Joshua after his cleansing
Admonish- to warn and command
“If” you do this, “then” I can use you.
Joshua’s cleansing had been given unconditionally when he turned to the Lord and repented. And so is ours.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Joshua’s usefulness to the Lord was conditional. “Walk in My ways, keep My commands”, then you will judge My house and lead My people.
It is the same with us today. Our usefulness to God depends upon on our faithfulness to Him!
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Close;
Satan accuses us so we will feel guilty and uncomfortable before God when we sin so that we think we can’t be forgiven.
But God wants us to feel guilty when we sin so we will come to Him in repentance and He will cleanse from sin and guilt so He will be glorified in us!
Just As I Am [5th verse]
Just as I am, Thou will receive,
Will welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God I come! I come!
This morning. If Satan has made a accusation against you before the Lord, and it is true, would you come to Jesus and be made clean?
