There was a church where a generous businessman owned the local pharmacy. He often volunteered to buy whatever the church needed but he always used it as a chance to advertise his drugstore.

The church needed new songbooks, so at a business meeting he said, “I’ll take care of it. I’ll buy them.” Everyone expected that he would put an advertisement in the front of every book.
The books arrived, and they checked the cover, no advertisement. They checked the back, nothing. They thought he was slipping.

Then Christmas came. The first song scheduled was Hark the Herald Angels Sing. But as they began singing, the lyrics were… different:

“Hark the herald angels sing,
Burpee’s pills are just the thing.
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
Two for an adult, one for a child.”

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 37:25, “I was young and now am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread.” I can testify that this is true. I’m an older pastor myself, nearly 80, and recently retired.
Sometimes younger pastors ask me for advice. One young man asked an older pastor, “How did I do?” The old pastor answered, “Three things were wrong with your sermon:

1. You read it.
2. You didn’t read it very well.
3. It wasn’t worth reading!”

I hope today’s sermon will at least be worth reading.
Although it’s Christmas time, stay with me, you’ll see how this relates to the birth of our Savior.

Isaiah 14:12–14 says:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning…
I will ascend into heaven… I will exalt my throne… I will be like the Most High.

These words were spoken to the king of Babylon, but they mirror what happened to Satan.
Today I want to speak on the origin of the devil and the battle of the ages and show you what the Bible is really about.

Many say the Bible is about sin. It isn’t.
Some say it’s mainly about God. But God is the hero, the devil is the villain, and that’s still not the main point.
The Bible is a library of 66 books, and to understand it, we start with the Trinity, one God in three persons:

• God the Father – might, power, wrath, judgment
• God the Son – grace, atonement, redemption, salvation
• God the Holy Spirit – purity, comfort, holiness

Each person of the Trinity has heavenly helpers:

• The Father’s helpers: Cherubim
• The Holy Spirit’s helpers: Seraphim
• The Son’s helpers: Angels

There are also archangels, each representing a person of the Trinity:

• Michael represents God the Father
• Gabriel represents the Holy Spirit
• Lucifer once represented God the Son

Lucifer, whose name means “bright shining one,” was originally in harmony with Jesus, the Light of the World. But when God said, “Let us make man … he will fall, and we will redeem him and place him above the angels,” Lucifer said, “Not above me.”
He led a revolt and was cast out of heaven.
That’s the origin of the devil.

Scene 1: Lucifer Falls
God wins; Lucifer loses.

Scene 2: The Garden of Eden
Satan gets Adam and Eve to put him, rather than God, on the throne of their hearts.

Scene 3: God Pronounces the Curse
In Genesis 3, God says:

The seed of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head.

The “seed of the woman” is Jesus, born of the virgin Mary.
Satan knew then that God’s one plan, His one “arrow”, was the incarnation. If Satan could stop the birth of Jesus, he could stop redemption forever.
So for 4,000 years, the devil tried to stop the birth of Christ.

The devil attacked every generation:

• Cain and Abel
  Satan corrupted Cain and had him kill Abel. But God raised up Seth.
  
  
• Noah’s day
  The whole earth became corrupt except Noah’s family. The promised line continued through Shem.
  
  
• Abraham and Sarah
  Satan tried to prevent the promised son. Ishmael was born through the slave girl, but God said the Redeemer must come through the free woman, Sarah.
  
  
• Isaac
  Isaac was timid, but God directed the servant to find Rebekah as his wife.
  
  
• Jacob and Esau
  Satan made Esau carnal and tried to corrupt Jacob. Failing that, he stirred up hatred so Esau would kill Jacob.
  
  
• Joseph
  Satan thought Joseph, Rachel’s firstborn, would be the chosen line. He targeted Joseph for death, but God’s choice was Judah.
  
  

Again and again, Satan lost the trail.

When Jesus was finally born, Satan had no idea until wise men asked Herod, “Where is He who is born King of the Jews?”

Herod ordered the massacre of all Hebrew boys two years old and under. Satan was certain Jesus had been killed.

But at Jesus’ baptism, God announced:

“This is my beloved Son.”

He tried temptation.
He tried crucifixion.
Hell celebrated.

But on the third day, Jesus rose.
Satan lost, forever.

Since then, the devil has counterfeited:

• Grace with works
• Salvation with self-righteousness
• Baptism with sprinkling that does not picture death, burial, and resurrection
• Christian living with careless, worldly Christianity

He knows his time is short.
One day, God will say:

“Michael, take this chain and bind the devil.”

Satan will be cast into the pit for 1,000 years, then into the lake of fire forever.

Are you trusting:

• your goodness?
• your record?
• your works?

Or are you trusting the finished work of Christ?

Christmas is not merely the story of a baby in Bethlehem.
It is the story of God’s unstoppable plan to save you.

This article is based on a sermon delivered by Pastor Don Estes and has been adapted for written format.