Please join us as we discover how God Uses Everyday Things, Even a Pool Table, To Teach Us About Him.
Supporting Scriptures for "The Sneaky Serpent" Genesis 3:1 Ephesians 4:18
"God Uses Everyday Things," even pool table accessories to teach us about Him. We have learned that the white cue ball can remind us of God, the completeness of His creation and the goodness of the world that we live in. The number "1" and number "2" balls can remind us that we are God's creation and that our life and worth come from Him. Let's add another billiard ball to our cast of characters.
Now you all remember that the serpent was the most clever and sneakiest of all the creatures that God had made. What billiard ball would be the most appropriate to represent the "sneaky serpent?" You are right. The black "8" ball.
We all know that when we watch a western movie the good guys are riding a white horse or wearing a white cowboy hat (remember our white cue ball) and the bad guys are riding a black horse or wearing a black cowboy hat. And let's not forget what color Darth Vador wears in Star Wars!
We all naturally associate the color black with darkness or evil and the Bible is full of references to darkness.
Listen to this verse from Ephesians 4:18.
"Their closed minds are full of darkness. They are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against Him."
Let's remember that when we shut out God from our life, we are dark like the black "8" ball and we are living a life far away from God.
"THE SNEAKY SERPENT"
STUDY QUESTIONS:
Question 1
Who was/is the serpent?
Revelation 12:9 - "This great dragon - the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world - was thrown down to the earth with all his angels."
Revelation 20:2 - "He seized the dragon - that old serpent, the Devil, Satan - and bound him in chains for a thousand years."
Question 2
Name characteristics associated with the Devil.
Acts 13:10 - "You son of the Devil, full of every sort of trickery and villainy, enemy of all that is good, will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?"
James 3:15 - "For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil."
Zechariah 3:1 - "The the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. Satan was there at the angel's right hand, accusing Jeshua of many things."
2 Corinthians 4:4 - "Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."
Question 3
The Bible is full of references to darkness and evil. What action are we to take against darkness and evil?
Romans 13:12 - "The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light."
Ephesians 5:11 - "Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them."
Question 4
In Zephaniah 1:15, what are descriptions associated with darkness?
Zephaniah 1:15 - "It is a day when the Lord's anger will be poured out. It is a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, of clouds, blackness,"
Question 5
What is the opposite of evil? What is the opposite of darkness?
Job 30:26 - "So I looked for good, but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell."
Question 6
The following verses talk about darkness. For each verse, replace the word "darkness" for another word that you think fits.
1 Samuel 2:9 - "He will protect his godly ones, but the wicked will perish in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone."
Job 16:16 - "My eyes are red with weeping; darkness covers by eyes."
Psalm 18:28 - "Lord, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness."
Psalm 74:20 - "Remember your covenant promises, for the land is full of darkness and violence!"
Psalm 107:10 - "Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, miserable prisoners in chains."
Proverbs 4:19 - "But the way of the wicked is like complete darkness. Those who follow it have no idea what they are stumbling over."
Isaiah 9:2 - "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light - a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow."
Amos 5:18 - "How terrible it will be for you who say, "If only the day of the Lord were here! For then the Lord would rescue us from all our enemies." But you have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will not bring light and prosperity, but darkness and disaster."
Matthew 8:12 - "But many Israelites - those for whom the Kingdom was prepared - will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Luke 22:53 - "Why didn't you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns."
Romans 13:12 - "The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light."
2 Peter 2:17 - "These people are as useless as dried-up springs of water or as clouds blown away by the wind - promising much and delivering nothing. They are doomed to blackest darkness."
1 John 1:5 - "This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all."
1 John 2:9 - "If anyone says, "I am living in the light," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness."
