Jentezen Franklin - Three Lessons From Lucifer's Fall
In the book of Ezekiel, the 28th chapter, it talks about Lucifer and the pipes and timbrels and musical instruments that were created inside of him. It talks about how that he was created to worship. How that he was created to praise God. And today I wanna talk to you about three lessons from Lucifer's fall. You see, the devil was not always a devil. He used to be Lucifer, the anointed cherub. But there was a day when he chose to become the devil. The question that I have is what transformed an angel, a worshiping angel, into a devil? It happened when he made a choice one day in Heaven that many people make in their life.
And so today, I wanna talk to you about the lessons of Lucifer's fall. For you see, there are forces that would oppose and minimize our worship. Most of those forces are not forces on the inside - or the outside. The people in the world don't care how much we praise. As a matter of fact, the lost love to come to a lively church where the people know how to praise God. The forces that minimize worship and praise are inside, not outside. I just wanna declare today that I was born in the fire, and I can't live in the smoke. I have to have a church that is alive in praise.
1 Peter 2:9 is powerful. But you are a chosen generation. You are a royal priesthood. You are a holy nation. You are a peculiar people. Why? That you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of the darkness into this marvelous light. He said the reason that God chose you, and anointed you, and sanctified you, and delivered you is that you would show forth praise to a dark world. In other words, praise is our purpose. We were raised to praise. He brought you from death to life to worship.
The Bible said let everything that has breath praise the Lord. God breathed on mankind in the Book of Genesis. Gave him the breath of life. Before He left the earth, the Bible said, after He resurrected from the dead, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said receive the Holy Ghost. In other words, the breath is the Holy Spirit. And what He's saying is when He says let everything that has breath, let everything that has the spirit of God in them be a praiser. Be a worshipper. If you've got the life of God in you, then praise the Lord. That is the commandment of the scriptures. We were justified to glorify. We were liberated to love Him.
He took that weed outta your hands so you could clap 'em and praise God. He took those sin shackles off your feet so you could dance. He took that profanity out of your mouth so you could shout, and sing, and praise Him. Glorify God with your body and your spirit, which are God's. In other words, you've been washed to worship. You've been redeemed to rejoice. You've been delivered to dance. You've been set free to sing.
And I'm here today to defend old-fashioned worship. I'm here to say that we haven't outgrown it, and I'll never lay it down. I'm here today to say that we need to put aside everything that would hinder us from being true worshippers. And even on a Sunday morning, we oughtta lift our voice and give God praise because we have been redeemed. Everybody who's got breath from God, praise Him right now. I don't care who you are. My heart's desire is that my children and my grandchildren not be raised in a dead church. As long as I've got strength, there's gonna be some tongue talking. As long as I've got strength, there's gonna be some shouting. As long as I've got strength, there's gonna be some glory to God hallelujah.
If they're not embarrassed to cut up in a club, I'm not embarrassed to shout and praise God on a Sunday morning on national TV all around the world. He's the best thing that ever happened to me. I will bless the Lord for the rest of my life. And if you like it, you better do it. If you want a lukewarm church, just sit there. But if you want a church where God is moving, then become a praising church. Hallelujah. God's church has got to remain powerful in praise. And if you like it, you better do it. Too many churches have it in their past, but they don't have it in their present.
Praise is a serious Bible subject. And when you get to Heaven, you're gonna shout just like I been screaming. It's a serious Bible subject. It's not cheap. It's not shallow. It's not something to make fun of. It's not something to make light of. Oh, those Pentecostals or whatever. We're not Pentecostals. We are spirit-filled believers. I refuse to be put in any camp. I'm a Jesus follower fanatic. I'm a fan of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I'll never stop shouting His praise. But there's people that make light of it and make fun of it, even in the church.
David's wife rebuked him for the way he was, the Bible said he brought back the Ark of the Covenant and was dancing before the Lord with all of his might, and his wife said you're embarrassing me. Cut it out. And he said I've got a message for you, sweetheart. I don't care if you like it or not. I wasn't dancing for you. I wasn't thinking about you when I was dancing with the Ark on my shoulder. I was thinking about the one who raised me from the pasture to the palace. I was thinking about the one who gave me that lion rug in my bedroom, and that bear rug on my barn, and gave me that giant's head in my trophies case. That's the one I was praising. That's the one I was dancing.
And all around you are ex drug addicts, and ex jailbirds, and ex alcoholics. And when they praise God, they ain't thinking about you. They're thinking about when they were bound, and now they're free. They're thinking about when they couldn't help themself. But Jesus reached down His hand, and raised them and set them free. Everybody who's got a past and you're thankful it's over, give God a praise. Woo! Hey! Teach a new generation how to praise the Lord, Granny. You can't get quiet now.
Lucifer has not always been the devil. There was a time when he was the anointed cherub, and he was created with music and worship in him. But Lucifer had a problem that most musicians have. He thought music was the main thing. And he tried to make music the main thing and dethrone God. One third of the musicians and singers and worshippers of Heaven tried to kick God off the throne and make music the main thing. Music is not the main thing. All we're doing is pointing you to the main thing, and He's the one who sits on the throne. He's the most important.
We don't need unsanctified talent. We don't need beer-breath celebrities. I like it when you look at me like that. That just spurs me on. We need anointed singers and musicians who spend time in prayer, not just on the stage, but they prayed, and they've sought God. And when they get up, they're not just doing a gig and playing a chart, but they're worshipping God because it sets an atmosphere that drives devils crazy. When David played his harp, the devil got crazy and went outta Saul, and demons go jumping out windows.
And if you got the devil in your house, learn how to praise God. Walk through there praising God. Depression will flee. Demons will flee. Somebody shout and praise God. This sounds like old-fashioned preaching, doesn't it? Lucifer was the choir director, the worshipper leader, until iniquity was found in him. And he was dismissed, demoted, and distanced from the throne of God forever, without possible restitution. Without repentance possible. Whatever he did so ticked God off that God said you'll never get in my presence again. What did he do? What did he do? His inward sin was pride, self-exaltation, and rebellion, but notice how that sin inwardly manifests outwardly.
It may not be the way you think. It wasn't as big of a deal as you think. But what turned an angel into a devil? Rebellion, self-exaltation, and pride. But how does it manifest outwardly? It manifests outwardly when he said as of today, I will no longer worship God. I will be worshipped. And in that moment, the anointed cherub became a devil. The day he decided I'm not going to be a praiser. And the way that pride manifests itself is to not praise. So don't look down your nose too much. Some of you hadn't said as much as an amen the whole service.
And notice how pride, self-exaltation, and ego manifest. Refusing to worship. And at that moment, he was hurled out of Heaven at the speed of light. "And I beheld Satan fall from lightning", Jesus said, "fall as lightning from Heaven", Jesus said. At the speed of 186.284 miles per second. The only thing that can keep you, notice this, the only thing that can keep you in a spiritual atmosphere is to praise and worship God. The day you decide I'm not gonna worship God, you get outta God's presence.
A fish cannot exist without water, the human body cannot exist without oxygen, and a Christian cannot live long without praising and worshipping God. Sooner or later, you're gonna have to praise God. Sooner or later, you're gonna need to learn how to clap your hands and say hallelujah. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. I love you, Lord. Glory to God. Sooner or later. If you don't, you won't be in God's presence. And if you don't get in God's presence, you die. Well, I got to hold on to my swag. Your swag doesn't mean nothing to God.
When someone ceases to worship, they begin to solicit worship. Notice that when Satan ceased to worship God, the next thing you see him doing is in Matthew 4. He goes to Jesus in the wilderness, and he says fall down and worship me. Because when we refuse to worship, when we don't worship Jesus, we begin to solicit worship for ourself. And you're never more devil-like then when you say praise me, notice me, honor me. Everybody see me. Everybody be in awe of me. When people don't worship God, most of them are wanting praise for themselves.
God said Heaven is not big enough for two objects of worship, so you're getting out. I'll be worshipped. And in Jude 1, it says that the angels that kept not their first estate, number one, were cast down. So when you refuse to worship... here it is, quick now. I'm in my last five minutes. The lesson of Lucifer's fall. When you refuse to worship, you get down. You go down. There's nowhere to go. I've noticed that people who will not worship and refuse to worship always are down. They're not happy. They're not joyful. They are down, down, down. They're always in a valley. They're always in a struggle. If you wanna be a down Christian, then just be too proud to worship.
Number two, the Bible said, and they were bound in chains. The angels that kept not their first estate. Jude 1. And they were bound in chains. Notice that once the enemy takes praise from you, you go down, just like the angels did when they were cast out of Heaven. You get bound in chains. You start going back to your iniquities, back to your former life. Everybody say I'm not bound. Say it again. I'm not bound. Say Jesus set me free, and I refuse to go back to being bound especially with religious chains. Lucifer became the devil when he quit worshipping God.
Listen. If you don't praise God, you will become something you don't want to be. I don't always feel like shouting and praising God, but I doubt Jesus felt like being spit on, and carrying a cross, and the Bible commands to weep with those that weep, and to rejoice with those that rejoice. Do you understand that's a Bible commandment? That if anybody on your row starts rejoicing, you are commanded to rejoice with them? And if you don't, you're breaking the scriptures? Well, I don't even know what we're rejoicing about. We'll figure that out later.
If anybody breaks out in a praise, you just are supposed to... now look around you. Is anybody? You are commanded, you can figure it out on a cup of coffee after the service. But if anybody gets happy, it oughtta break out all over the place. Hallelujah! Your preacher's happy. How 'bout the balcony up there? How 'bout the overflow? How 'bout anybody live streaming? Praise God. The Bible commands you to praise God with me. Rejoice with them that rejoice. We don't wanna hear your whiney mess. The Bible said elders should not be given to much wine. Have you ever read that? And I wanna put an H in that. We shouldn't be given to much whine. Whine, whine, whine. Whine, whine. How you doing? Whine, whine, whine. You need to rejoice.
Look at your neighbor and say God told me to shout with you. Say I don't even know what you're shouting over, but if you shout, I shout. Now test 'em. Here's how you test your neighbor. You say, "Hi day". And if they say "loo ya", you're sitting by the right person. If you say thank you and then look at them, and they say "Jesus", y'all got something going on, and Jesus will show up on that row. But if you look at 'em, and they just sit there like a knot on the log, you're in trouble. You're in the wrong section.
Turn to somebody and say will you praise our king with me? I'm rejoicing. Rejoice with those... woo! Hallelujah! It's the joy of the Lord, and it is our strength. Not whining. Praising. Somebody praise Him right now. You been down too many days. You been depressed too many days. Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of Heaven.
Let me finish. Amen. My God. You remember my little story. You remember the little story about North Carolina and the Air Force base where the planes land? They got a big billboard that says pardon the noise. It's the sound of freedom. Look over at your neighbor and say I just put up a sign. You need to read it. Here I go. Pardon the noise. Is anybody free? Think about where the Lord brought you from. I don't care how much money you have. I don't care if you're a millionaire. If God's been good to you, you need to praise Him with all your heart.
Now here's the third lesson, and it's a big one. Keep standing. Notice that when Lucifer stopped praising the Lord, one-third of the angels stopped praising the Lord with him. You see, if you don't worship, you encourage somebody else to not worship. What would happen if every teenager got so full of the Holy Spirit? Because you either, through your worship, encourage worship or like Lucifer, when you don't worship, one-third look at you, and especially if you're a leader, and especially if you dress good, and look cool, and look nice, and got some influence. Your influence is either you being used by Satan or God, and you're just a dummy standing there.
What I learned at a young age is I could influence the youth group with my praise. And I wanna say to the parents, I wanna say to the dads, I wanna say to the moms, I wanna say to the grandparents, we can't afford to have any services where we don't have real worship going on in the house because God is raising up a new generation. When I held my grandbaby in my arms last night, the thought really hit me. This baby's never been in a Holy Ghost service yet. And bless God, we got some more coming, I guarantee you, because that baby's gonna get in a Holy Ghost service. And some a you... now what is that? Well, God bless your little heart. You need to experience that, too.
There's nothing like God's people getting free. There's nothing like tears flowing, and shouts pouring, and people rejoicing, and deliverance breaking down walls of religion and chains that hold us back from miracles. So if you don't worship, you encourage your family not to worship. If you don't worship, you encourage your husband, your wife not to worship. Your children. The reason we have so many youthsicles is because we have so many popsicles. Well, I'm gonna tell ya something. We're living in a wicked world, and we better realize our weapons are not carnal. And one of the greatest weapons we've got is the weapon of praise. When you're down, you can praise your way outta the valley. You can praise the devil outta your teenagers. You can praise the devil outta your marriage.
There's something about praise that drives Satan crazy. We're replacing him when we praise the Lord. Now watch this. I'm through. So here's the summary. The lesson of Lucifer's fall. Boy, this is a big one. What you don't turn into praise turns into pride. And we were never created... the higher we go up, the more we're supposed to defer the praise to God. The glory to God. The honor to God. And the more God blesses you, you're not supposed to get more prideful, and more look at me, and I don't have to worship like those lowly people. You were just nothing, and God picked you up and blessed you.
And to whom much is committed, I don't know who I'm preaching to, but I guess I'm saying you still need to get broken. You still need to have tears. You still need to bow down and say you're the king of kings, you're the lord of lords, and all my achievements I throw at your feet and give you the glory. Because what you don't turn into praise will eventually turn into pride, and pride will cause you to have a fall. God's gifts are wonderful things and dangerous things, especially when you're super talented. So the more God raises you, the more people honor you, turn that praise and give it to God, or it'll turn into pride and destroy you.