“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” (Matthew 4:23 NKJV)
“Gospel” simply means “glad tidings” or “good news,” but came quickly to be used in reference to the preaching and teaching of Jesus as those who were drawn by His Spirit to respond found new life and transformation in their relationship with the Lord Jesus.
What we sometimes overlook or fail to recognize is that Satan also shares a “gospel” of his own; a story of “good news” to those who are perishing. Satan’s gospel seeks to blind the spiritual eyes of those who are walking contrary to God’s will for them by lying to them. His lies, clearly exposed in the true Gospel of Christ, essentially seek to lull people to sleep in their sin.
Satan’s focus is, of course, this world and the things of this world: wealth, power, prestige, pleasure, honor, fame, recognition, enjoyment, and anything else that promotes “me-first!” Satan’s ultimate request when he tempted Jesus was that Jesus bow down and worship him. In other words, “Make me first!” And what did he offer Jesus?
Luke records the devil’s offer in Luke 4:5-7: “Then the devil took Him up and revealed to Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ‘I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,’ the devil said, ‘because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to You if You will worship me.”
That’s essentially the “gospel” of Satan to us, but why? Arthur Pink gives us insight when he writes: “The gospel of Satan aims to make this world such a comfortable and congenial habitat that Christ’s absence from it will not be felt and God will not be needed.”
It’s ironic on some levels that what the enemy offers actually sounds better than what the Lord offers, it’s just not true. Satan offers happiness without heartache, life without pain, sex without consequence, sin without shame, fulfillment without effort, life on our terms with no view of eternity.
The Lord offers one thing that is critically different: He offers Himself – to never leave us! When happiness fails – He’s with us! When heartache threatens to cripple us for life – He’s with us! When the pain is relentless – He’s with us! He gives us sex within the safe bounds of marriage and is with us! He paid the penalty for our sin and bore our shame on the Cross. He gives us fulfillment we never dreamed could exist and is with us every step of the way.
But the most beautiful part of the Gospel of Jesus is that it far supersedes the boundaries of life on this planet. Our eternal life doesn’t begin when we die, it begins the moment we’re born again by the Spirit. We may be dying physically, but we’re growing stronger and stronger spiritually as our spirit is gearing up to be housed by our brand-new body the Lord is preparing for us in heaven.
Sin is pleasure for a season. Is it enjoyable? Of course, if it wasn’t, what would be its draw. Is sex more pleasurable than abstinence? Hello! But that’s the beauty of God’s plan. Sex, like every other avenue of sin grows old, stale, lifeless, unless it’s guarded by the sacred bonds and boundaries of marriage. Sin is enjoyable, but life in Christ is the essence of joy! In this season of my life, I find no pleasure in anything except that which the Lord provides and which includes His companionship. If I can’t share it with Him, it’s not worth having.
The gospel of Satan is an eternal lie! The Gospel of Jesus is eternal life! Your choice. Choose wisely!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 