One Goal

June 14

Read: John 10:1-18

One Goal

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (v.10,11)

The ultimate goals of Jesus and Satan could not be more opposite. Jesus leads us into “life abundant” whereas Satan seeks only to “steal, kill, and destroy.” We must remember this. It is hard for most of us to fathom how ontologically - at its core - something or someone could be so evil. Satan is not just trying to “make you do bad things”. Satan is not simply trying to stop you from following Jesus. Satan is not bent on making you “naughty”… he is bent on your DESTRUCTION. He will not leave you alone until he has robbed you, drained you of life, and destroyed you. His goal for the world is no different.

Jesus on the other hand calls to us… leads us out into the “pasture” to find what we need. (cf. Ps. 23) Jesus is committed to bringing us abundant life. Jesus is as committed to bringing us life as Satan is committed to destroying us. Jesus will stop at nothing to bring those whom are his “sheep” LIFE. After all, Jesus is “The good shepherd (that) lays down his life for the sheep.”

When the lies and accusations of Satan are taken as truth the end result WILL be destruction. Satan will stop at nothing short of this. The presence of evil spirits is always accompanied by self destructive behavior. Look at Mark 9:22 who a father brings his son to Jesus. How does he describe what happens to his boy when the evil spirit seizes him? - “… it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him.” Another example is in Mark 5:5, and a demon possessed man who lives there in caves on the outskirts of town. He is described as: “Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.” Do you see it? Cutting himself with stones… self destructive behavior. These are micro-examples of a macro idea. The work of the enemy breeds self destruction and suicide.

For this reason, we can never think that “a little sin” is no big deal. Satan and sin doesn’t work that way. Likewise, we can never think “a little Jesus is enough - and I am good.” Jesus doesn’t want you to simply have a “little” life… look at the passage! He wants to LEAD you into ABUNDANT LIFE. Do you have friends around you who are tied up in self destructive behavior? What lies form the enemy have they bought into? Pray fervently for them. Seek them out. Share with them the truth of the “good shepherd” - Jesus. Are YOU caught up in something self destructive? Do you realize that Satan will stop at nothing to DESTROY you? He seeks to literally and figuratively KILL YOU.

This is Satan’s blueprint for the world - and those who buy into his lies are bent on the same things whether they know it or not. Have you ever thought about this when it comes to the destruction of life with abortion? Or the ways that evolutionary biology would shrug off the death of the weak in the quest for the “survival of the fittest”? What about the suicide rates seen in different sectors / cross sections of people? Do you think this is random? (What people have disproportionate rates of suicide, and could it be tied to decisions or activities that are rooted in deceptions from the enemy?) The good news is that Satan will lose. The message and hope of Jesus is greater than the lies of the Devil. We will look at Satan’s final end tomorrow and wrap up this short study on the enemy. Love you guys. - JDP