Luke 9:37-43 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.… I. THE DEVIL'S DOINGS. When this child came to Christ to be healed, the devil threw him down and tare him. 1. First of all he does this by perverting the truth of God for the destruction of the soul's hope and comfort. 2. But Satan is not very scrupulous, and he sometimes throws the coming sinner down and tears him by telling horrible falsehoods. Many a time when the soul is coming to Christ, Satan violently injects infidel thoughts. 3. Then if the devil cannot overcome you there, he tries another method; he takes all the threatening passages out of God's Word, and says they all apply to you. II. THE DEVIL'S DESIGN. Why does he throw the coming soul down, and tear it? 1. Because he does not like to lose it. 2. Sometimes, I believe, he has the vile design of inducing poor souls to make away with themselves, before they have faith in Christ. 3. When the soul is coming to Christ he tries, out of spite, to worry that soul. III. THE DEVIL'S DISCOVERY. I will give the poor sinner a means of detecting Satan, so that he may know whether his convictions are from the Holy Spirit, or merely the bellowing of hell in his ears. 1. In the first place, you may be always sure that that which comes from the devil will make you look at yourselves and not at Christ. 2. You may discern the devil's insinuations in another way; they generally reflect upon some attribute of God. IV. Now, in the last place, we have to consider THE DEVIL'S DEFEAT. How was he defeated? Jesus rebuked him. Beloved, there is no other way for us to be saved from the castings down of Satan but the rebuke of Jesus. (C. H. Spurgeon.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. |
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