My family and I have four cats. One of them is literally crazy. I call her crazy eyes. This crazy cat actually chases her own tail. I really think that she thinks that she can catch it. You’ve probably seen a dog or a cat do this same thing. It looks funny when they run around in circles. I also remember when I was a kid several of us would spin around until we made ourselves dizzy and fell down. We would literally run around in circles and we thought it was fun.
Now 45 years later I don’t spin around until I’m dizzy and fall down, but there are many days that I feel like I’m just running in circles. Do you ever have days like that? Do you ever have days where you collapse into bed at the end of the day and realize that you didn’t get a single thing done that was on your list at the beginning of the day? Or do you ever have busy days where again it’s the end of the day and you wonder where the day went? How about weeks? months? or even years?
An old time preacher by the name of Vance Havner used to say “If Satan can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” I agree with Mr. Havner that Satan will keep you busy, but it doesn’t take Satan to make us bad. We were all born with a sinful nature. Isaiah 64:6 says But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. We are all sinners. We have all fallen short of God’s glory. We are unclean, we are filthy and we get carried away in our sins.
We don’t need Satan to help us sin. We do this naturally on our own. But have you noticed that when you are sinning, enough is never enough? When you are out drinking, if you’ve had three beers, you still want one more. If you are out fooling around on your wife, one time isn’t enough. You want to fool around some more. Whatever your sin of choice is, it is never satisfying. Enough is never enough. You never reach a point on your own where you say, ah, this is the perfect amount of sin. You always want more. K. Marshall Williams, Sr. said, “Sin is always a bad investment. Take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, cost you more than you want to pay.”
Human beings don’t need Satan’s help to sin, but he is more than willing to help us out. Even though we have a sinful nature and we don’t really need any help getting into trouble, he is always there whispering in your ear. Take another drink. It won’t hurt. Just one more. No one will ever know. You like that video game in the store? Just swipe it. The stores charge too high of prices anyway. They are the real thieves. They’ve robbed you enough. It’s payback time. Or the devil will lure you into being unfaithful to your wife. If she loved you like she used to, she’d pay more attention to you. That co-worker sure is looking good. Just take a peek. One look won’t hurt you. You can flirt with her. You aren’t hurting anyone. You can go to lunch with her, you are just friends after all. He will keep luring you and tempting you until you’ve gone too far. Your marriage is wrecked, your wife leaves you and she takes the kids with her. It doesn’t hurt to be bad. No one is perfect all the time. Go ahead and have a little fun, let your hair down. You can always be good tomorrow.
People are easily persuaded by the devil because they want to do what they want to do to begin with. He just nudges you along the way. He is the great deceiver. Satan will tell you half truths and out and out lies all the time. In John 8:44, Jesus said You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior then Satan has one main goal, to keep you lost and on the broad road to Hell. He will keep you neck deep in sin if he can and he’ll keep piling on more and more temptation on you. The more you give in, the farther he will take you. He will keep you running and running in circles. You get dizzy and fall down and he tempts you right back up to start running the race again, to jump right back into your sins, the pleasures of the flesh and keep you running and running and running. The devil will keep you distracted and running around in circles your whole life if you let him. That is until that one day when you run too far. Until that day when your running in circles and you fall down, but you don’t get back up. Until that one day when you fall from this life into the pit of Hell. The same Hell that’s been waiting for you the whole time.
Once you end up in Hell, there will be no rest there. The Bible says there is no rest day or night in Hell. It is eternal, everlasting torment. Anguish and pain beyond belief. A place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. A place where the smoke of your torment will rise forever and ever. A place where you will be constantly dying, but you’ll never die. A place where you will beg for just one drop of water. Think about that. One drop of water really does you no good. If I told you that you could have a drop of water from my water bottle here, not a drink but just a drop, you’d say forget it. But people in Hell are begging for just a drop of water.
This is the fate that awaits you if you continue doing the same thing day after day. If you continue living selfishly for yourself. If you never repent by turning away from your sins and turn to Jesus. this is what awaits you. Hell is patiently waiting for each and every one of you that have never surrendered your life to Jesus. You go to Hell after you die because of your sins. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If Jesus is not your Lord, you are working for, you are living for the sinful pleasures of this life you are living for yourself, you have made yourself “god” in place of the great God of Heaven and earth.
Some of the greatest lies that Satan has ever perpetrated, he has used on this generation. Lies like the one where he doesn’t even exist. Lies like we all just need to be tolerant. Lies like God would never send anyone to Hell, let alone you. Lies like, everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t you? Lies like no one will ever know. Or lies like you are just barely breaking the law, it’s not like you are a real criminal. Lies like God forgives everyone. Lies like all you have to be is a good person to go to Heaven. Lies like god accepts you just the way you are – you don’t need to change anything.
Folks, we talk to people all the time out here in downtown Springfield who profess to be Christians. But their actions do not match up with their words. In Matthew 15:7-8 Jesus said You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you saying, This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Do not be deceived by the little g god of this world. Satan wants to keep you in the dark because Jesus is the light. Satan pretends to be an angel of light. So he convinces you that you are saved, that you can claim Jesus and still live for the devil at the same time. Folks, this doesn’t work. Jesus said that you cannot serve two masters.
Either you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ tonight or you are Satan’s pawn. Which is it? It’s either one or the other. Jesus said that we would know His followers by their works. Your works don’t save you (Ephesians 2:8-9), but you will have works when you are truly saved. When you have been born again, you have truly surrendered your life to Jesus. When you are truly saved, God has taken away your heart of stone and Hes given you a heart of flesh. Do you love yourself tonight or do you love Jesus. Are you serving yourself, the pleasures of the flesh or are you serving Jesus. Are you snared by Satan and following his luring or are you truly following Jesus. Following Jesus you say? Then why are you drunk tonight? Why are you going into that bar? What are you seeking? Jesus is not your drinking buddy! And yes, we’ve heard people say this before. If you think Jesus is your drinking buddy tonight, Satan has you blinded. He has you bound in darkness and he has you serving your sin.
There is hope tonight. There is hope in Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus can free you from your bondage of sin. Whatever your sin of choice is. Jesus can cleanse you; He can make you whole. He can free you from bondage. John 8:28 Then said Jesus to them, When you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father has taught me, I speak these things. 29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father has not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. 30 As he spoke these words, many believed on him.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We are Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how do you say, You shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say to you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abides not in the house for ever: but the Son abides ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.
Tonight, quit running around in circles ensnared by the devil. Turn away from your sins and put your trust in Jesus. Surrender your life to Jesus tonight. Confess Him as your Lord and Savior. Submit your life to Him. Believe that Jesus paid your sin debt. Believe that He paid the ultimate price for a guilty sinner like you. Believe that He died on the cross in your place, was buried and rose from the grave the third day. Believe that God raised Him from the dead. Belief is more than intellectual knowledge. Belief is understanding that Jesus paid your sin debt in full. Belief is understanding that you could never pay that debt, no matter how long you lived or how many good things you do in your life. Belief is truly saying and meaning, Lord, Your will be done, not mine.
Oh, be saved tonight. Repent and put your faith in Jesus. Do this tonight and stop running in circles where you’ve been following Satan. Tonight, trust Jesus and receive the peace that passes all understanding. Tonight, be set free from the bondage of sin, be set free from Satan’s grasp and rest in Jesus the Christ. Be saved tonight. Come to Jesus. Repent and believe the Gospel. In John 5:24 Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say to you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death to life. Choose life tonight. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on March 21, 2014)