The Father of Lies 04 Nov 18

3 Lies that Satan keeps repeating:

1. He lies about himself.
2. He lies about God.
3. He lies about the benefits of rebellion.

2 Lies Satan tells about himself:

1. He doesn’t exist.
2. He can be controlled.

The Law of Unintended Consequences:
We control our decisions but we cannot control the results.

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John 8:44 NIV

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44 NLT

For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Start talking. Find a conversation starter for your group.

• What are some of the typical lies children tell?  What are some of the typical lies people tell on their first date?
• Do you remember telling any of them?  Did they eventually get you into trouble?

Start thinking. Ask a question to get your group thinking.

• Check out these synonyms for the word lie: deceit, dishonesty, distortion, misrepresentation, and backbiting. Can you think of any more?  What are some examples of these behaviors that have affected you personally?
• Read discuss John 8:44. Satan is called the __________ of lies.
• Read Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-6. What did God really say? How did Satan twist the truth? What were the consequences of Eve’s decision to believe Satan?
• In stark contrast to the father of lies, God is the father of truth. He is the Source of truth. He does not lie. (Titus 1:2).   Discuss Martin Luther’s quote “all sin is contempt of God” and Satan’s lie that God is not looking out for me. Read and encourage one another with part of Jesus’ prayer to God on behalf of believers that is found in John 17:15-17.
• Troy said, “Control ends the moment we make a decision.” Have the tactics of Satan ever persuaded you that you would be able to control the outcome of a decision? How did that work out? Share with the group.

Start doing. Commit to a step and live it out this week.

• Read John 8:47. Do you belong to God? Have you begun your relationship with Jesus? If not, do you want to?  Talk to you leader or group about it.
• If you have already begun your relationship with Jesus Christ, He’s got you “in His hand” and you can trust Him!  Read and discuss John 10:28, Numbers 23:19, and Psalm 100:5. Think of ways you can trust God more in your daily life and start doing them today.

Start praying. Be bold and pray with power.

• Pray that those who have not begun their relationship with Jesus Christ will reach out, ask questions, and turn to God. Pray that believers will stop listening to Satan’s lies and, instead, focus on God’s truth.
• Have someone in your group pray through the requests in your prayer journal.

Start digging. For further study.

• Read the red sections in the article below.  Discuss the “common lies” listed. Can you think of any more?  What are some of the lies that Satan personally “whispers” to you over and over that you know are not true, but have a hard time not dwelling on or believing them?  How can you apply God’s truth to stop believing the lies?

Question: “What does it mean that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44)?”

Answer: Speaking to a group of Jews, Jesus says, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Satan is the “father of lies” in that he is the original liar. He is the “father” of lies in the same way that Martin Luther is the “father” of the Reformation and Robert Goddard is the “father” of modern rocketry. Satan told the first lie in recorded history to Eve, in the Garden of Eden. After planting seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind with a question (Genesis 3:1), he directly contradicts God’s Word by telling her, “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). With that lie, Satan led Eve to her death; Adam followed, and so have we all.

Lying is Satan’s primary weapon against God’s children. He uses the tactic of deceit to separate people from their heavenly Father. Some of his more common lies are “there is no God,” “God doesn’t care about you,” “the Bible cannot be trusted,” and “your good works will get you into heaven.” The apostle Paul tells us that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), so that what he says and does sound good and seems reasonable. But it is nothing more than a false appearance.

Many of Satan’s lies tend to perpetuate themselves. This is what happened when Eve convinced Adam to also believe the devil’s lie. Today, Satan still uses people to spread his lies for him. Often, he uses charismatic but foolish people to further his falsehoods, as in the case of false religions and cults.

The Bible has many names for Satan to describe his true nature, including “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “tempter” (1 Thessalonians 3:5), “deceiver” (Revelation 12:9), “Beelzebub” (literally, “lord of the flies,” the ruler of demons, in Matthew 10:25), and “Belial,” meaning “wicked” (2 Corinthians 6:15).

Satan has told more lies to more people (and even angels) than any other being ever created. His success depends on people believing his lies. He has used everything from “little white lies” to huge, pants-on-fire whoppers to deceive folks. Adolph Hitler, a man who learned how to lie effectively, once said, “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”

Whether a lie is small or large is not really the issue. Lies are of the devil. If you’ve lied even once, then, unless you repent, you will not enter heaven. The Bible teaches that all liars “will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Proverbs 19:9 also teaches that anyone who lies will be punished.

Avoid this fate by obeying Mark 1:15: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), and He will never deceive you. Those who come to Jesus in faith will find that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

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