Written by: John Sernaque
Call to Worship
Zechariah 3: 1-3
3:1 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: [is] not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
3:3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
False Accuser—
Those who honor God and keep His commandments are subject to the accusations of Satan. The enemy works with all his energy to lead persons into sin. Then he pleads that on account of their past sins, he should be allowed to exercise his hellish cruelty on them as his own subjects. Of this work Zechariah has written. “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest”—a representative of the people who keep the commandments of God—“standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.” {4BC 1178.2}
Christ is our High Priest. Satan stands before Him night and day as an accuser of the brethren. With his masterly power he presents every objectionable feature of character as sufficient reason for the withdrawal of Christ’s protecting power, thus allowing Satan to discourage and destroy those whom he has caused to sin. But Christ has made atonement for every sinner. Can we by faith hear our Advocate saying, “The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” {4BC 1178.3}
“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments.” Thus sinners appear before the enemy who by his masterly, deceptive power has led them away from allegiance to God. With garments of sin and shame the enemy clothes those who have been overpowered by his temptations, and then he declares that it is unfair for Christ to be their Light, their Defender (Manuscript 125, 1901). {4BC 1178.4}
And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. Even Christ Jesus was subject to the accusations of Satan. However, Christ passed through the great conflict, defeating Satan who had the power of death. Jesus’ death and resurrection gave humanity the victory over sin. Though Satan is a defeated foe, he will not stop his devious plans to tear us apart from God, though Christ has redeemed every sinner that repents and confesses his sins and His name. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
We come into Your presence in thanksgiving, praise, and prayer. We thank You for being our Father and accepting us into the Royal Family. We are so ever grateful for the love and mercy You give to us every day. We are sorry for what we put You through because of humanities sinful nature that Satan imputed unto us at the Garden of Eden. With every sin, we wound You afresh. We pray for wisdom and strength to overcome the wiles of Satan. Help us to overcome, as You overcame, that we would sin no more. We pray to take off our filthy rags and be clothed in the white robe of righteousness. We reject Satan and everything he stands for. Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. We thank You for Your light and Word to live by. Please guide us into all truth. Help us see the fruitlessness of sin. Help us in the daily battles against Satan, who is always working to separate us from You. Please keep a hedge of Your Holy Angels round about us to keep us safe and protected from Satan, his demons, all the people he works through, and all the devices he uses to defeat Your purpose. He claims that we are still under his dominion and under his control. He knows he cannot prevail against Your divine power; therefore, he accuses us before You daily. We thank You for passing through the great conflict, defeating Satan who had the power of death, giving humanity the victory over sin. We pray to draw nigh unto You that You will draw nigh unto us. We submit ourselves therefore to God. We resist the devil that he will flee from us. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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