Isaiah 14

Brother, today we want to continue on in our study of the Book of Isaiah.

And we're going to look specifically at Isaiah chapter 14.

Now, as I was looking at that chapter, there are a number of things that we can discuss in that chapter. But I decided to narrow my focus a great deal. And we're actually going to talk just about three verses in that chapter. Isaiah chapter 14 verses 12, 13, and 14. It's going to be a focus of the entire sermon today. Let's turn there. Isaiah chapter 14. You may notice I'm not turning in my Bible. I've gotten used to putting everything in my notes. They're like a small epistle here. So I'm just going to be reading from my paper. I'll have to watch as you turn. Make sure I'm not going too fast. But the Bible is here in case I wanted to call an audible.

So, anyhow, Isaiah chapter 14 verse 12, How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning. How you are cut down to the ground, you who weaken the nations. For you have said, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will ascend above the mountains of the congregation, on the farthest sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.

Brethren, on August 1st, I gave a sermon entitled, Out of the Abundance of the Heart the Mouth Speaks, quoting in part from Matthew chapter 12 and verse 34. When we take a look at this section of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 14 verses 12 through 14, what are we looking at? We're looking at the heart of Lucifer, or the heart of Satan, and we're seeing some very revealing commentary made here. Very revealing. Again, number one, I will ascend into heaven. Number two, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. Number three, I will also sit on the Mount of the congregation, on the farthest sides of the north. Number four, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. And number five, I will be like the Most High. In theological circles, these are called the Five I-Wills of Lucifer. Brethren, what we're observing here is what is the foremost part of Lucifer or Satan's heart. In one sense, you might say, this is sin in its embryonic state. This is where it began. Now, I say it's where it began. We don't know the very first time he began of a bent thought. We don't know that. But we know this is the result of all of that wrong thinking condensed into these five statements. In one sense, you can say, what we're looking at here is the heart of evil. Now, why do we want to focus on this? Let's turn to 1 Peter 5 and verse 8. 1 Peter 5 and verse 8. 1 Peter 5, 8, where it says, Be sober!

Be vigilant! You know, let's not be fooling around. Let's roll up the sleeves of our mind, so to speak. Let's be watchful, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Well, what's uppermost in his heart? How is he going to come at you or me? He's going to come at us with some of the things we see right here. And we want to be very careful that the things we're seeing here are not a part of our life, not a part of our heart, not a part of our thinking. 2 Corinthians 2 and verse 11. Let's turn there. 2 Corinthians 2.11. 2 Corinthians 2.11, lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. You and I don't want to be taken advantage of. We don't want to be ignorant of the way he thinks. We don't want to be ignorant as the way he's going to come at you or I.

In the process of this sermon today, I'm going to give you the citations and quote a little from two sermons that were a part of my research. Both of these sermons are from Dr. Ward. I'll give you the date he gave the two sermons and the titles because they very much are appropriate for what I'm covering with you today. We don't want Satan to take advantage of us. We don't want to be ignorant of his devices or his thinking and his thoughts. Those five I will statements are very much a part of who he is. But let's go back a little bit further. Let's go to this time, Ezekiel chapter 28. Because God did not create Satan. God created a being that was named Lucifer who became evil. But God did not create evil. He created Lucifer who rebelled and became evil. Ezekiel chapter 28, you know, in the chapters we're reading here, Isaiah and Ezekiel, it starts out talking about a man. Then it very quickly turns into a discussion that can by no means be a man. Ezekiel 28 verse 12. Thus as the Lord God, you were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect and beauty. Now that can't be said of a human being. Verse 15. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created. Again, this is not talking about some human being. You were perfect in your ways. You were the seal of perfection. You were perfect in the seal of perfection. You were full of wisdom and beauty. Perfect in beauty. Dropping over to verse 14. You were the anointed carob who covers. I established you. Notice clearly God put him in a tremendous position. I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones. So God himself established or placed Lucifer in a very high and very visible position. That wasn't good enough for him. That wasn't good enough for him, as it says at the very last part of Ezekiel 28 verse 15, till iniquity was found in you. Now the spiritual curtain rises, and we see within the heart of Lucifer the heart of evil. We see what makes him tick. I'm betting we see a lot of what he used to bring on one-third of the angels to his side. And as we go through the sermon today, as I offer some thoughts for reflection, we probably are going to see at times where we have been bitten by some of this thinking. The sin of Satan was a sin of being self-willed. Are we self-willed? Are we self-willed? Lucifer, Satan, went against God's will. It wasn't the purpose for him to be different from God. He wanted to be God. He wanted to knock God off his throne and take over. So, I've got a theme here. The theme is a question. What is the heart of evil? And what does that have to do with you? What is the heart of evil? And what does that have to do with you? We are not going to study these five I Will statements of Lucifer as an exercise in theory or theology. We're not going to study them as an exercise in historical fact. We are going to study those in terms of how he's going to be coming and has come at us as human beings. But, brethren, the good news, the very good news, is armed with this knowledge. We can amount a more effective personal resistance movement against Satan. Let's turn to James 4, verse 7.

James 4, verse 7.

James 4, verse 7. Therefore submit to God. Did Lucifer do that? Nope. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. So, we want to know exactly how we can resist this evil being. So, let's take those five phrases and let's take a good long look at those.

As long as it looks like it can take about a half hour or 45 minutes. Number one. Number one. I will ascend into heaven.

Now, prior to that, in verse 13, it says, For you have said in your heart. This is what makes this being tick. For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven. This shows his pride. This shows his haughtiness. This shows his self-will that was in his heart. The cause of his fall. In your notes, you might want to jot down Proverbs 16, verse 18. Proverbs 16, verse 18. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Now, one of the words I want to key in on here is the word ascend.

I will ascend into heaven. Now, if you go into your various Bible helps and you look up this word ascend, you'll find this word has a number of different meanings. The basic meaning that we have here is to move from a lesser state to a higher state. Lucifer wanted to leave his state, a very important state, a caribum that was right at the very throne of God. Perhaps other millions of angels were nowhere close to that. He was right there. It wasn't good enough for him, so he wanted to go from a lower state to a higher state. And understand something about his goals. Lucifer did not want God's heaven. He didn't want anything to do with God or God's heaven. He wanted his own version of heaven. He wanted his own way of doing things. He wanted his own desire to be fulfilled, his own will to be done. That's why he kept on saying five times, I will, I will, I will, I will, I will.

I've got to ask myself in my life, am I always cognizant of God's will? Before I do something, am I always asking God, what is God's will? How about you? Now the Hebrew word here for ascend is Strong's number 5927.

Allah. A-L-A-H. And again, primarily to go from a lesser to a higher plateau. But there's also another interesting definition for that word. Let me quote here from Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words. Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words. And I quote, The word can also be used passively to denote mixing two kinds of garments together, causing one to lie upon or be placed upon the other.

Now pray tell, what does that have to do with Lucifer? When you put on your shirt today, or you put on your blouse today, what did that shirt or blouse do? That shirt or that blouse overlaid your body, right? It overlaid your body. We know that Satan is the great imitator. We know that Satan is the great counterfeiter. This idea of overlaying something is very much a part of a counterfeit plan by Lucifer. He had his own plan. He wanted to counterfeit. He wanted to overlay, override God's plan. Now do we have an example of something like that in the scripture? We certainly do. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 11. 2 Corinthians 11. 2 Corinthians 11. Starting in verse 13.

2 Corinthians 11.13. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness whose then will be according to their works. So what you see here is obviously a counterfeit. But what you also can say here is you see light trying to overlay darkness, a type of counterfeit scheme.

Now again, this kind of goes back to something I was listening to when I was listening to the two sermons by Dr. Ward. Does Satan have a plan? Does Satan have a plan? Well, as one person asked me one time, can we use logic? Can we use our intelligence when we're reading the scriptures? When God created the angelic realm and everything was in perfection, didn't those angels have intelligence? Maybe very bright? Of course. Well, the more intelligent, the brighter you are, the more you want that mind to work. You want more you want that mind to do things. I'm sure God, I would think God had, and of course we don't know. I'm speculating here, I would think God had some sort of thing, plan, organization for the angels to do various tasks. They kept them happy. They kept them fulfilled. They kept them striving to be better and so forth.

Lucifer was right there at the throne of God. Did he overhear some of those things? Did he overhear God the Father and Jesus Christ talk about the plan for mankind? Again, Dr. Ward talks about this in a couple of his messages. So what was Satan wanting to do? Was he just wanting to go up, knock God off his throne and just sit by and that's it? Or did he have his own plan? Let's go to Ephesians 6 and verse 11. Ephesians 6 and verse 11.

Ephesians 6 and verse 11. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The wiles of the devil. That's Strongs number 3180. Wiles could also be translated to tactics, schemes, or strategies. The word there in the Greek is methodia, from which we get our word method to read from the complete word study Bible and the complete word study dictionary New Testament defining methodia.

To work by method, the following or pursuing of an orderly and technical procedure in the handling of a subject. We're told that Satan has wiles. He's got methods. He's got a way he's going to do things. He's got goals. But he wanted to overlay. He wanted to mimic. He wanted to counterfeit some of the things God was doing. Now, I promised you I'd give you the citations for Dr. Ward's messages. Let me give you the date.

Sometimes it's hard for people to write down all the titles. I'll give you the title as well. But the first one that Dr. Ward gave that I used for background and material today is August 11, 2018. August 11, 2018. The title of that sermon is How Dialectics Shape Our World. How dialectics shape our world. Whenever we post a sermon message, we post the title, and we also post a summary statement. So as brethren are looking at various things that might be of interest to them, might be helpful to them, they can take a look at the summary statement and see if that's something that truly would be what they're looking for.

The summary statement for how dialectics shape our world is this. And I quote, Is there a philosophical system behind the seeming contradictions that permeate our world? Does Satan have a grand master plan for deceiving the nations into worshipping him? Does Satan have a grand master plan? The other sermon that I took note of, listened to, and enjoyed was given on July 27, 2019.

July 27, 2019. And the title of that sermon was Satan's Organization. Satan's Organization. Summary statement there. How have, and I quote, how have people in the world come to the point where they are willing to die or to kill another person made in the image of God? Could there be a great spirit mind behind all the evil in the world today? Satan has developed an invisible governmental structure in order to achieve his plan to destroy mankind in hopes of thwarting God's plan of salvation.

Again, he wants to overlay his plan over God, so he doesn't want anything to do with God. Interesting sermons. Let's turn to Matthew 6. Christ's disciples asked, well, how can we, how should we pray? How is the most beneficial? How is the best way, effective way, we can be praying to the Father?

Let's turn to Matthew 6. And as we look at just these first two verses, verses 9 and 10, think of it in terms of, as God the Father and Jesus Christ were thinking about how to put the Scriptures together, this model prayer, thinking about what happened with Lucifer. Matthew 6, verses 9 and 10. In this manner, therefore, pray, our Father in heaven. Now right there, that's something that Lucifer forgot, didn't want to think about, as a created being, in a sense, God was His Father.

But he wanted to walk away from that. Hallowed be your name. Did Lucifer, hallowed, did he respect, stand in awe of, give reference to, worship, admire the name of God and all that God stands for? No. And brethren, if we don't appreciate the fact that God is our Father, if we don't properly hallow His name, then we can drift. We can drift and be in a situation spiritually we don't want to be in.

Verse 10, your kingdom come. See, Lucifer had his own ideas as to what he wanted for a kingdom. Your kingdom come. No, not our kingdom, God's kingdom, not our little fiefdom, God's kingdom. And notice, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Lucifer said, I will this, I will, I will, I will, I will. And here we have in a model prayer, your will, God's will, be done on earth as it is in heaven. So brethren, some thoughts for your consideration on this very first point, where Lucifer said, I will ascend into heaven. Lucifer wanted to set himself up as supreme. As I mentioned prior to this point, are we always asking what is God's will? What is God's will?

We know what we think our will is. Sometimes that might change, but you know, are we just, we just rush into something and do what we want to do? Where do we first ask, well, what is God's will on this matter? Lucifer wanted to ascend so that all the angels could pay how much to him? Well, again, how will it be God's name? God's name. We want to always have a proper, reverential view of God in our minds.

You know, John the Baptist said, referring to Christ, he must increase, but I must decrease. John 3.30. We always want to have that frame of mind. And certainly another thing for us to consider, you know, Lucifer wanted to be the ultimate authority. He wanted his own kingdom. But, brethren, we want to make sure that we don't go through life wanting our own little kingdoms, our own little fiefdoms. And have we seen that in the church?

Have we seen that in the church? Aren't we sick of seeing that in the church, where people feel, I know the best, I got a call of shots, and if you won't play ball with me, I'll leave and I'll take these people with me? You know, I remember as an Ambassador College student back in 1974, there wasn't a lot of splits in a large organizational way happening back in those days. But I remember I was a senior at Ambassador College in Pasadena, and word went out to the Student Center, to all the classrooms, the people at work. There's going to be a meeting of all the employees and all the students in the gymnasium. Get there as soon as you can.

We got there, and of course back in those days, whenever there was a meeting like that, you know, we were always expecting that we were going to get word that we were going to Petra or something like that. You know, there was always an air of excitement. But when we got there, and I forget now who even took the meeting, I don't think it was Herbert, I think it was Gardner-Tent Armstrong, made mention that on the East Coast, you know, here we were on the West Coast, on the East Coast, a number of ministers had broken away from the Worldwide Church of God and were starting their own thing. They were starting their own little kingdom.

And they named the ministers, I won't go through all that. Don't remember all of it, but we've seen too much of that where people want their own thing. Not God's will, their will. So that's part of the heart and mind and thinking of Lucifer. I will ascend.

Well, we don't want that. Second thing he says, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. Now what do we learn there? Let's turn to Exodus chapter 25.

Exodus chapter 25 verse 18.

Exodus 25 verse 18.

And you shall make two carob of gold, of hammered work shall you make them at the two ends of the mercy seat, make one carob at one end, the other carob at the other end.

We're seeing a physical manufacture of something that was in heaven, where Lucifer was one of these carobs. You shall make the carob at the two ends of it as one piece with the mercy seat, representing God's throne. And the carob shall stretch their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another. The faces of the carob shall be toward the mercy seat. So here we see that God instructs the Israelites to make a physical model of his throne for the tabernacle they'd be carrying with them in the wilderness. At either side of the mercy seat, which represented God's throne, was a golden carob. Wings extended to cover the mercy seat. Remember, we read earlier in Ezekiel chapter 28, you were the anointed carob who covers. And God said, I established you. I put you in that place, a place of awesome distinction. Not every angel was doing that. There wasn't a rotation.

He accompanied, he was with God on God's throne, held a position of very high honor, very high distinction. Thoughts for our consideration here. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, this idea about being exalted. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 7. 2 Corinthians 12, 7. And lest I should be exalted above measure.

See, there's a difference between Paul's thinking, a converted man's thinking, a man thinking the way God wants us to think, and the way Lucifer was thinking, Satan was thinking. Lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan above me, lest I be exalted above measure. 3. Considering this thing, I plead with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. So obviously Paul wanted it to go.

4. And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly I'd rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of God may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, and reproaches, and needs, and persecutions, and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Notice here's a man who's being plagued by some sort of a physical issue, but he comes to understand that this is going to keep him in the right frame of mind before God.

Now, Lucifer didn't care about that kind of a distinction. He wanted to be exalted. He wanted people of angels to bow down to him. He wants us to bow down to him. He offered Christ. In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, do this and we'll give you the whole world.

No? There's a difference between the way a converted person thinks and the way Lucifer thinks. We don't want that kind of exaltation. So again, thoughts for our consideration.

This probably bleeds back to what I said a moment ago. In Lucifer's mind, the position of service God gave him, he didn't appreciate that. Do we appreciate the positions of authority that you have been given in the church, whatever position that is? You can be a wonderful rank-and-file member of the congregation who's full of God's Holy Spirit, who prays and fasts and God answers your prayers. You can be somebody who leads songs or gives sermonettes or give sermons. You can be somebody who sets up chairs. Whatever it is, are we content with what God gave us? Can we appreciate what God has given us? God has given us those who are called by God and follow God and do their best to obey God. It can be said that we've got God's ear. And yet, that's not been good enough for some of us. I'm not talking so much here in Chicago. I'm talking about corporately over the course of history in our church culture. Some people didn't appreciate what they had, and they had to rise and take and be exalted and so forth.

So enough on that. I don't want to beat that too much. But as a pastor, who, as I have pastored congregations in the past and moved out of the area, and others have moved into the area and who preached the new truth or preached their own thing or did horrible damage to the congregation I formerly pastored to see what happened to some of those people, it grieves my soul. It grieves my soul. Now, we're fortunate here in a Chicago church where we've had really good teaching over the years. I think you're a very stable group of people. It was interesting, recently, not that long ago, you filled out a survey. You were critiquing me as your pastor. You were critiquing one another as a congregation. And that critique was really helpful. Between Chicago and Beloit, 49 of you, some of you probably were as joint, maybe husband and wife, sent in the survey results on your own, but it was really helpful for me to see what you thought of me and what you thought of one another, and what you thought of the Chicago church in relation to other churches in our organization. It was very helpful to me, and I appreciate what you wrote.

And there's a great deal of stability. I'll just say this, there's a great deal. Someday I might get a state of the church address, like you have a state of a union address. I used to give those in other areas, state of the church address. I'll give that someday when I've got my car running at the side door. It would not be bad. For this congregation, it would not be bad. But there, you know, we've got our weaknesses. We've got our weaknesses. We know we don't walk on water yet, folks. Number three of these five statements of Lucifer, and I will be taking you over time, as you can tell. Number three, I will also sit on the amount of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will also sit on the amount of the congregation in the sides of the north. Lucifer desired to sit and to be enthroned in the highest place, having all the angels assembled submit to him, and so forth. Now, why the north? I used to have great fun when I was in the south, talking about this, you know, where God lives. And of course, I had great fun with that because so many times people come to me, oh, you're from the north. And I actually had one, I think I may have mentioned this sometime in the past, but I actually had one person who had a college degree, four-year degree, come up to me in the south and say, Mr. Del Sandro, do flowers grow up there in Michigan? And this person, I was waiting for her to laugh, and it never came. She wondered if we grew flowers here. And so I just had, you know, being a good Yankee, I just had to put a little back at them a little bit. I repented that, but you know, the sides of the north has a special designation. Let's go to Psalm 75 verse 6. Psalm 75 verse 6.

I'll be reading here from the King James version. Psalm 75 verse 6.

For promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. So when you take out what's left, promotion comes neither from the east, the west, or the south. It comes from the north. Okay. Now in Isaiah chapter 14 verse 13, where it says, For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne. The word exalt in Isaiah 14.13 and the word promotion in Psalm 75.6 are the same word, the same word. The word is Yahshab, Strong's number 3427, and it means to judge. Lucifer wanted to judge like God was able to judge, to be in a position of judgment, to be in a position of governing. But Satan didn't want to employ God's ways of judging and governing. He wanted to set up his own laws and standards. You know, that's one of the reasons why I enjoy quoting John 10.10 so much. You know, Christ said he came to give us the abundant life. Those are what happens when you obey God's laws, when you obey Satan's laws, and there's murder and stealing and all destruction. As a matter of fact, let's turn to Romans 6 and verse 20.

Romans 6 and verse 20.

I'm going to read this out of the New Living.

If you like a translation that really is a little more colorful than the New King James, I don't know that it's any more technically accurate, but the New Living translation is a very good read. Romans chapter 6 and verse 20 and 21.

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You know, what's the result of going Satan's way? You were now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. Things that end in eternal doom.

So, some thoughts for consideration here on this third point. You know, I happen to be a Star Trek fan. I'm a Trekkie. I enjoy watching all the very Star Trek episodes. I'm working my way through. I'm not binge-watching, but I'm working my way through Star Trek Enterprise.

You know, in Star Trek, you've got the Prime Directive. What are some of Satan's Prime Directives? Let me give you a couple of his Prime Directives. Principles of Judgment.

One of the principles, number one, is to lean to your own understanding.

Lean to your own understanding. In his sermon, How Dialectics Shape Our World, Dr. Ward used the example of Adam and Eve. How Lucifer said, well, you know, God said this, but is that really the case? And what do your eyes tell you? You're an intelligent creature. You're an intelligent being. You're able to name all these animals and so on and so forth. And, you know, you and your husband, and you're taking care of this garden and so on. Can't you make a decision based on what you're seeing yourself? Lean to your own understanding. That's a directive that Satan would have us follow. In your notes, you can jot down Proverbs 3, verses 5 through 7. Let me read that for you. Proverbs 3, verses 5 through 7. Again, think about these set of verses in terms of the way Lucifer was thinking. Verse 5, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lucifer knew that? No. What happened to him? Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. He did that. Look at what it's caused throughout the course of human history. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths. Is that what Lucifer did? No. But if we do this, if we trust in the Lord with all our heart, and we don't lean to our understanding, and we acknowledge him, he shall direct our paths. Lucifer went on an insane path because he wasn't doing what it says here to this point. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

So tremendous insight for us as to how we are to live our lives. So that's one of Satan's prime directives. Another prime directive is to take matters into our own hands. Be self-reliant. Now, is there something wrong with doing for yourself what you can do for yourself? Of course not. God expects us to do for ourselves what we can do for ourselves. But there comes a point where we can cross a line and we can start taking matters into our own hands. We stop asking, well, what is your will, God?

One woman commented this. I quote, I spent over a decade of my life attempting to maintain control of what I could amidst some pretty nerve-wracking experiences. Big life changes, health issues, relationship issues. I liken that time to feeling like a tightly closed fist, exerting all my strength in keeping things together for how I thought best. Yet the more I tighten that fist, the more things started to unravel. I wanted to believe that if I did just enough, planned enough, tried hard enough, I would find success. It was a very painful time. Thankfully, God's mercy is infinite, and He gently showed me how to open that fist and receive His will for my life.

In Exodus 16, we see where God was going to bless His people with food. They were complaining about not having enough to eat, so God was going to give them the manna, God was going to give them the quail, and so forth. God told them how they are to handle all that. You know the story. I don't need to rehearse all that with you. But some didn't want to follow God's will. Some didn't want to follow what directions God gave them. They felt, well, you know, He said, just go out there daily, as with the exception of the seventh day. But go out there daily and get what you need. Some said, well, let's go out there and get a little more. Exodus 16, verse 20. Notwithstanding, they did not heed Moses, but some of them left part of it until morning, and have bred worms and stank. When we follow our own will, when we do our own thing, then our ways before God are stench in His nostrils.

Number four. Lucifer says, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.

Brethren, clouds are often used in the scriptures to speak of the glory of God. You've got Exodus 13, the pillar of cloud leading the Israelites. You've got Exodus 19, the giving of the law at Sinai in a cloud. You've got 1 Kings 8, filling the temple with the cloud God. Revelation chapter 1, the second coming, talked about with clouds. Lucifer coveted glory. He wanted preeminent status. See any of that today? Entertainers, sports figures, politicians, business leaders?

Lucifer failed to acknowledge that his glory and his beauty all came and were dependent upon God. And over the years, brethren, you have seen and I've seen good people come into our church, come into the church of God, and they come in, they are zealous, and they are doing everything that they think they should be doing as they hear they should be doing and really going to town. And then four or five years down the road, some of these people stop coming to church. They're kind of like a shooting star, you know, bright and zealous, and then all of a sudden they disappear.

Sometimes people get full of themselves, full of themselves, and they forget, yes, I've got a great mind. I'm really smart, but who gave me the great mind? Yes, I'm very talented, but who gave me that natural ability? Yes, I've got a wonderful home that I live in, and so on and so forth, and a great car, and a great job. But who helped put you in that situation? Who helped us with all of those things?

Lucifer wanted to be rise above the stars. Isaiah 42, verse 8. Isaiah 42, verse 8. I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory I will not give to another, nor my praise to carved images. My glory I will not give to another.

God will not give his glory to another, because all glory, honor, and praise belong to him and him alone. So thoughts for our consideration here.

Let's make sure, brethren, that we always give God the full credit for what we're able to accomplish. We can't do anything if we're dead. And who gives us the breath of life? Who gives us the ability to live and move and have our being? Make sure that we give all credit to God. It's a big thing.

Let's turn to Numbers, chapter 20, and see just how big a thing it is. We're going to see a failing here, one of the greatest men in Scripture, because he didn't give God the due credit. Truly sad story in the Bible.

Numbers, chapter 20, verse 8.

The Israelites needed water. Backround. 20, verse 8. Take your rod, and you and your brother Aaron, gather the congregation together, speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water. Thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock. You shall drink the congregation unto their animals. Notice. Speak to the rock.

Verse 9. So Moses took the rod before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered assembly together before the rock, and he said, To them, here now you rebels. Must we, must we bring water for you out of this rock?

Who's getting the credit there? Not God. Not according to Moses. Verse 11. Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Maybe he struck it twice, once for himself, once for his brother. I don't know. He struck it twice. He was told to speak. He struck with his rod. And water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did this, because you did not believe me, to hallow my name in the eyes of the children of Israel. Therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.

How important is that? A man as great as Moses, one of the great figures in the Bible. He let his emotions get control of him. He took credit as opposed to giving the credit to the Almighty. And he paid a dear price for that. Something else for us to consider regarding I will ascend above the clouds is we should not have a higher view of ourselves than is warranted. Don't have a higher view of yourself than is warranted. We are clay. We are red mud. We are nothing. The only thing we have that is of any worth is whatever God gives us, whatever God does through us.

Romans 12, verse 3. Romans 12, verse 3.

For I say through the grace given to me that everyone among you is not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one, a measure of faith. A measure of faith that would add a measure of grace.

Let's not think higher of ourselves than we should. Okay, let's go to the very last I will statement, number five. I will be like the most high. I will be like the most high. In a sense, this is a summary statement for those five I will statements. Lucifer claimed he wanted, I should say, wanted to be God. He wanted to remove God from his throne, take the place as a possessor and ruler of all. And I don't know what he was going to try to do with God, but he wanted to knock God off of his throne. Again, thoughts for our consideration. Lucifer was not grounded in spiritual reality. We can ask ourselves, are we grounded in spiritual reality? He was blinded by self-will. He was blinded by pride. Have we always been able to see things as clearly as we should? Or have we been blinded by self-will? Have we been blinded by pride? A couple of quotes here from C.S. Lewis.

Quote number one, Pride is spiritual cancer. It is the complete anti-God state of mind.

The complete anti-God state of mind. And a second quote from C.S. Lewis, For pride is spiritual cancer. It eats up the very possibility of love or contentment or even common sense.

Peter wrote, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, and he may exalt you, that he may exalt you in due time. First Peter, 5-6, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

Just a couple more points will be done. Brethren, what are symptoms of self-will? Again, five times Lucifer's talked about, I will this, I will that. Five times. What are some examples for us to be aware of, possibly be aware of in our lives?

Stubbornness. Any stubbornness in the room? Has anybody ever thought you were stubborn? I see a lot of smiles out there. Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 3. Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 3. 3. O Lord, are not your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock. They have refused to return.

Has anybody said to you that you want to avoid correction? That you are stubborn. Have they said it to me? Those are things we have to ask ourselves. One other symptom of self-wielding will begin to close the sermon down. Jeremiah chapter 7 verse 24. Jeremiah 7 and 24.

Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts and went backward and not forward. Over the years, I've talked to a number of brethren who felt they were going backward. You know, in the world they call it backsliding. Felt they were going backward and not forward. Is that because of self-will? Is that because we're now following God properly? We're not spiritually in tune with reality.

So brethren, today we've taken a look at these five I Will statements of Lucifer. We didn't come here today to discuss theory or just historical fact. We wanted to take a look at what he was saying, what was in his heart of hearts, and make sure that doesn't become a part of our heart of hearts or a part of our actions.

Final Scripture, James chapter 4 and verse 7. James 4.7. We've already read this once today. I want to read it again. James 4.7. Therefore submit to God, and I will read it again. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.