As we continue our sermon series through the Book of Acts, we can stumble upon subjects in the text that are unwelcome to our modern sensibilities. As Peter addresses Ananias because of his lie to God, he asks, "How is it that Satan has filled your heart?" Ananias is in the Christian community, and most likely a believer, yet Satan has filled his heart. It does not mean that he is demon-possessed but rather he values what Satan values. He is greedy, proud, and selfish but wants to appear Godly. This attitude can be especially true of people who practice a false religion or spirituality. We see this in the religious leaders who arrest the apostles for proclaiming the gospel of forgiveness of sins by the death and resurrection of Christ. The evil one does not want God’s message to go out and uses the religious leaders to challenge and stamp out the good news of what Christ has done for us.
As the gospel message advances and many are coming to faith, the evidence of a spiritual battle is present in Acts. Ultimately, the war is not with the religious leaders or secular government officials but the evil one, Satan. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
The evil one battles against the gospel message in any way he can, and most notably, for a modern consumerist society, distractions are better than demon possessions. Poet Charles Baudelaire states, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” Apologist Ken Ammi shares another form of deception. “The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he is the good guy.” Satan leads us to selfish desires for what we believe to be a righteous goal.
If you dismiss the existence of Satan and his influence over you and your Christian walk, your enemies become earthly– moral or political. This allows earthly dramas to appear larger than they should be. Who is behind them is what really matters, therefore diminishing the importance of the fears they incite and the actions they provoke. In his article, “Whatever Happened to Satan,” Trevor Wax states, “If you're not talking about Satan, you're probably not talking about sin and salvation in ways beyond therapeutic, secular categories of doing whatever's good for you versus what's bad for you.” Wax concludes with what I think is very true for the church today. “A church can be orthodox and adhere to a sound confession of faith yet fail to give weight to what the Bible emphasizes. It's possible to check off the right doctrines yet fail to treat them with the gravity they deserve.”
Let’s read the Bible with soft hearts, being open to reason and eager to be transformed by the Lord through his Spirit.
