Temptation

Today’s sermon is about temptation. It starts with the story of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in Genesis.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.
 

– Genesis 3
 

Imagine living before the knowledge of good and evil. Imagine the time before the fall from grace. I wonder if you can. I wonder if you can close your eyes and ears to all that surrounds us and imagine that time of innocence.

Today we are going to talk about sex. Not the fig leaves of the artistic depictions of Adam and Eve with their new-found knowledge of good and evil. NO. Today we are going to talk about the temptation of deviant sex.

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Eve took the serpent’s apple in her mouth. How symbolic this is? Is the apple really about knowledge? Is the bible passage here telling us about anything other than sex? Where is Adam when this is all happening? He’s right there in the garden with Eve. The serpent is his.

With this original sin, whether it involved eating an apple or lying in sin with Adam, Eve sealed our fate. Would we rather have the story be about an apple, or about fulfilling fantasies in the Garden of Eden? Why fool around with the G-rated version when we can have something to sink our teeth into?

Eve gave in to temptation. Since then man has been losing the battle against temptation, one apple at a time. What was once the described as the bite of a forbidden apple has progressed to devious filth. Fetishes have moved from 42^nd street to Main Street. Moved from bizarre oddities and underground pornography to the living rooms of suburbia.

Devious behavior was once hidden in the depths of an individual’s mind, with little chance of finding a compatible partner to finish the matching set. But now we have the internet. A tool to bring people together – this collection of social networks that spans the globe. Regardless of your sick pleasure, a mate is only a click away. Imagine how quickly Prince Charming would have put the shoe back on the foot of Cinderella – or better yet – found a dominatrix with a foot fetish. Just a little click click – and there she is – both shoes off.

The Satin Strangler personifies this obsession with sexual deviance. Her victims enjoyed her company until it was too late to turn back. They took pleasure in her sadistic offerings, enjoyed the satin tightening around their necks. Naked and suffocating – a far cry from nibbling on an apple. This is how far we have come. What would our mothers say?

Temptation will always be with us – It has been since the beginning of time – And the choice will always be ours to yield or resist. But these are not your parents’ temptations of the past, and your children will face temptations tomorrow that we cannot even fantasize today. Every day we move beyond yesterday’s satisfaction. And why not? WHY NOT? The hurdles have been reduced to nothing – Absolutely nothing. Have an urge – Satisfy the urge – Immediate and complete satisfaction. The target of all our urges is as ubiquitous as drinking water for the thirsty – Gushing out of faucets at the turn of a knob.

We must continue to resist temptation. It is more difficult than ever – But therefore more satisfying when achieved. To have an urge is natural – To act on it is the ticket out of paradise. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is still death to those who partake.

Giving in to temptation will lead to punishment by the Creator – Sooner than you would ever think –

Readers of this article may also be interested in purchasing the following items:

t-shirt: “Tempting?” with picture of Destiny Blande – $22 plus shipping
t-shirt: “Resist Temptation” with picture of Destiny Blande – $22 plus shipping
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t-shirt: “Say ‘No’ to the Satin Strangler” – $22 plus shipping
t-shirt: “No Salvation for Stranglers” – $20 plus shipping
t-shirt: “Eve Ate the Apple; All I Got was This Lousy T-shirt” – $12 plus shipping
Mouse pad: Destiny Blande face on the devil – $20 plus shipping
Mug: “Denounce Destiny’s Denial” – $9 plus shipping
Plaque: Destiny Blande face on the devil - $75 plus shipping

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This is post #79 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

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False Gods

Today’s sermon is about false gods. We think too little about false gods nowadays, but they were once considered so deplorable that they led off the Ten Commandments. I am the Lord Thy God. Thou Shalt Not Have False Gods Before Me. But what does it mean to us today? What does it mean to us as a society, or to each of us as an individual?

If you look at the words of the bible, you realize that this commandment means the same exact thing today that it meant back in the time of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. False gods can take many shapes. They come in the form of false prophets walking among us. We hear their voices in the lyrics of heavy metal music, or disguised in the form of the so-called rock ballads. We worship these false prophets, placing them in a position alongside or even above our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today we talk about a false god that we know only too well – The Satin Strangler.

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As we read in Exodus in the Old Testament, Moses dealt with false gods as soon as he returned from the mountain with the Ten Commandments.

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
 

– Exodus 32
 

Despite his efforts, and despite the efforts of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his followers, false gods walk everywhere among us. They are the stars that we deify on our movie and television screens, our music stages, our sports fields and our political arenas.

The false god that we see every day when we wake up and turn on our television or boot up our computer or download our news feeds is the Satin Strangler. We are her followers – the straying flock. She is leading us away from the kingdom of heaven – down the easy and slippery path to hell.

The Satin Strangler is the ultimate false god – preaching to us in her cloak of good. She is everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Yesterday – in a local card shop – right in the front window – staring at me – representing the false god of the 21^st century – was a row of Satin Strangler bobble-head dolls. Dolls in the visage of a murderer. Every doll carried satin stockings – ready to kill. KILL. Children were tapping the heads of the dolls and pressing their hands against each other’s necks, laughing.

How should one react when we see dolls glorifying murderer? How should we react as a community under God? I tell you right now that we should not act as we are – standing silent as evil takes over.

What would our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ do if He walked the streets of Main Street, USA, and saw the news stands filled with this week’s magazine covers? What would He do if he saw children pretending to strangle each other in front of dolls worshipping the image of a murderer? He would tell us we have had enough murder. He would tell us not to accept this modern day icon of Satan. He would tell the world not to accept the Satin Strangler as our false god.

Follow the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and say “no” to the Satin Strangler and her legion of false god worshippers. Follow the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the gates of His kingdom in heaven, my friends.

Readers of this article may also be interested in purchasing the following items:

t-shirt: “No False Gods” with picture of Destiny Blande – $22 plus shipping
t-shirt: “Say ‘No’ to the Satin Strangler” – $22 plus shipping
t-shirt: “No Salvation for Stranglers” – $20 plus shipping
Mouse pad: Destiny Blande face on the devil – $20 plus shipping
Mug: “Denounce Destiny’s Denial” – $9 plus shipping
Plaque: Destiny Blande face on the devil - $75 plus shipping

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This is post #75 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

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The Transfiguration

Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9 tell the story of the transfiguration.

Many rumors had been circulating about the identity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as he walked among us. One day He asked his disciples who they thought he was. Simon Peter spoke first, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) Jesus then explained the need for Him to suffer, die, and rise from the dead in order to pay for the sins of man.

Six days later, Jesus walked with Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain for prayer. The three disciples soon fell asleep. When they awoke, they saw Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. Jesus had been transformed, His face shining, His clothing dazzling white. He spoke with Moses and Elijah about His pending crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.

A brilliant cloud then surrounded them, and a voice spoke out, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." (Matthew 17:5) The disciples collapsed to the ground, paralyzed with fear. When they finally looked up, only Jesus remained, once again in his normal appearance, telling them not to fear. While descending the mountain, Jesus told the disciples not to speak of the vision until He had risen from the dead.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ knows when we are ready to hear The Word, and when we must spread The Word. He is speaking to us now. He knows that we, much like the disciples on the mountain, are ready to spread The Word. Join me in this mission.

Loaves and Fish

All four Gospels (Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6) tell the story of Jesus and the loaves of bread and fish.

One day Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ received terrible news. His friend John the Baptist, the prophet who proclaimed him the Messiah, had been beheaded by Herod. Jesus' disciples had just returned from a mission. After recounted to Him their journeys, He led them in a boat voyage across the Sea of Galilee to rest and pray in solitude with Him.

When people learned that Jesus was near, they rushed to Him, bringing their ill loved ones in the hopes of a miracle. Jesus was merciful, teaching them of The Word and healing the sick. Looking at the crowd of thousands, Jesus asked his disciple Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (John 6:5)

Philip did not have enough faith and knew not what to do, but Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, brought a young boy who had 5 small loaves of bread and 2 fish. Jesus took the loaves of bread, looked up and gave thanks to God, and passed them to his disciples. He then did the same with the fish. Somehow, as they passed the food through the crowd, they all ate as much as they desired without the food running out.

When everyone was finished eating, they still had enough food left over to fill 12 baskets. The crowd was convinced by this miracle that Jesus was the Messiah for whom they had waited.

So many people had to directly witness the miracles of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in order to believe that He was the Messiah. We see evidence of these miracles every day, in almost everything that we do, and yet so many falter and forget The Word at moments when we are at our weakest. It is at those times that we need the reminder of The Word, perhaps from each other, perhaps from the writing on these pages of Salvation Sermons. No matter what the source, we hope to end up together on the path to the Kingdom of God.

Woman at the Well

John 4 describes the story of the woman at the well.

While traveling from Jerusalem to Galilee, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his disciples walked through Samaria. Jesus sat by Jacob's Well, exhausted and thirsty, while his disciples went to Sychar to get food. During the hottest part of the day, a Samaritan woman came to the well to get water.

Jesus then broke three Jewish customs. First, He spoke to a woman. Second, the Jews traditionally despised the Samaritans. Third, her getting Him a drink of water would have made Him ceremonially unclean. The woman was shocked by all of this.

Then Jesus said that He could give her "living water" so that she would never thirst again. By this He meant eternal life, which confised the woman at first, but as they talked more about their beliefs, she voiced her faith that the Messiah would soon be coming. Jesus said, "I who speak to you am he." (John 4:26) The woman now understood her encounter with Jesus. She left her water jar and returned to town. Many Samaritans soon arrived and asked Jesus to remain with them. Jesus stayed and spoke to them about The Word of God.

How often do we look upon others and believe that we understand them from their outer appearance? How often do we think that we know the whole picture from the outside? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ sees through this outer layer. Similar to seeing through the woman at the well, He continues to look with penetrating eyes into our hearts, into our souls, and knows what we are truly made of. The inner self can only hide from so long from the all knowing power of God.

The Wedding at Cana

John (2) describes the wedding of Cana.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ attended a wedding feast in Cana with his mother Mary and a few disciples. They ran out of wine at the wedding, which threatened humiliation for the bride and groom. Mary gestured toward Jesus and then told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." (John 2:3-5)

Nearby were six water-filled stone jars commonly used for ceremonial washing, each holding up to 30 gallons. Jesus instructed the servants to fill the jars with water and then take some to the master of the banquet. Amazed, the master took the bride and groom aside and complimented them. Most couples serve the best wine first, he said, then bring out cheaper wine after the guests would no longer notice the difference. "You have saved the best till now," he told them (John 2:10).

Through this miracle, Jesus was able to demonstrate that he was the Son of God to all of the guests at this large wedding. Nonbelievers look for proof from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every day, but they miss the signs right before them. Look for Him as you go through your day, and listen for His Word.

Jesus Walks on Water

Matthew 14 tells the story of Jesus walking on water.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ sent some fo the disciples ahead in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. During the night, the disciples encountered a storm. Jesus came to them by walking on the water. At first the disciples thought they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Peter replied, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." When Jesus agreed and invited Peter to come join him, the disciple began walking on the water toward Him. But then Peter momentarily took his eyes off Jesus, saw wind and waves, and began to sink. He cried out, and Jesus immediately reached out his hand to catch Peter. The storm ceased as they climbed into the boat together.

Similar to Peter, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and stay focused on His Word. If we get distracted by the swirl of wind and waves around us, we will lose focus on what is important, and we, too, will begin to sink. We, too, shall begin to give in to the evil forces that swirl wround us, hoping to drag us down. Of course, when we call out to Jesus, he reaches out to bring us back toward Him - back to safety. Once we have Jesus in our boat, the waters calm and we can see everything around us with a new clarity.