The Ancient Serpent – The Angel Who Became the Devil
Pastor Tan Thai · Aug 2, 2020
This sermon examines Satan's origin, his sin of rebellion, and his ongoing schemes against humanity. Drawing from Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Revelation, it shows that Satan was once a glorious angel who fell through pride, and that his chief strategy is to lead people to worship false gods rather than the true God.
The sermon opens by establishing that Satan, not human opponents or persecuting governments, is the primary enemy of God in this world. The pastor cites Revelation 12:9 and 20:1-3 to confirm that the serpent who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden is Satan himself, and 2 Corinthians 4:4 identifies him as 'the god of this age' who blinds people's minds so they cannot believe the gospel of Christ. The sermon also analyzes the Hebrew word 'Satan,' meaning 'adversary' and 'accuser,' and draws on Job, Zechariah 3, and 1 Chronicles 21 as Old Testament passages where the definite article identifies Satan as a specific, real being.
The second section examines Satan's fall through two key passages: Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-19. Ezekiel describes Satan before his sin as a perfect cherub, full of wisdom and beauty, anointed to guard on God's holy mountain. Yet pride over his beauty and exalted position led him to sin and be cast out of heaven. Isaiah 14 portrays Satan through the figure of Lucifer, the morning star, with five declarations of 'I will,' expressing his ambition to be equal with the Most High. The sermon emphasizes that Satan is not God's equal but a created being always under God's sovereign authority, illustrated by God's limited permission for Satan to test Job.
The third section analyzes Satan's chief strategy: leading people to worship false gods instead of the true God. The sermon draws on insights from David Foster Wallace and Becky Pippert to illustrate that everyone worships something, and that worshiping money, beauty, power, or fame enslaves the worshiper. Satan deceives people into thinking they are masters of these things, while in reality they are possessed by them. This is the expression of pride — the original sin of Satan now transmitted to humanity.
The sermon concludes with 1 Peter 5:5-9, calling believers to humility, sobriety, and resistance against the devil through faith. The pastor points out that pride is the very reason many people refuse to believe in Christ — they do not acknowledge their sinfulness or need for salvation. The hardest part of receiving salvation is not intellectual understanding but the humility to admit one's need for God. The sermon calls listeners to recognize Satan's schemes and return to the one God who alone is worthy of worship.