We know that Satan will tackle any child of God because he used every ruse that had worked on men to try to pervert Jesus, the very Son of God.  When Jesus was exceedingly hungry, he tried to get him to sin by turning stones into bread.  Jesus could have done this as easily as he turned the water into wine at the wedding of Cana of Galilee.  Satan knew this, and due to the extreme hunger of Jesus after fasting forty days, thought that he could catch him in his most acute fleshly desire and perhaps get him to sin.  If he had been able to succeed in persuading Jesus to sin, the offering that he made to his Father for our sins would have been of no benefit.  Satan knew that he was without sin; knew that he did not have an earthly father.  The nature of sin or tendency to sin is transmitted through the father.  This is why Jesus must have been born of a virgin.  Mothers do not pass the tendency to sin to their children, it comes from the father.  For those who deny the virgin birth: If Jesus was not born of a virgin, then his death was of no benefit and we are all yet in our sins.

     Satan had been cunning and crafty from the beginning and had ever plotted to destroy the firstborn of God and left nothing undone which he had the slightest hope would destroy the effectual work of Jesus.  Of course, there was no chance for success on Satan's part, but he is as a roaring lion, going about seeking whom he may devour and was not deterred from making the effort because he thought he saw a weak place caused by the hunger of Jesus from the forty days' fasting.  When Satan finds a weak place in our armor, he will try to subvert us.

     When Satan found that he could not overcome the Son of God through the weakness of Jesus' body, Jesus having used the perfect weapon to put him to rout, quoting the scriptures to him, he tried another ruse.  Satan then tried using the scriptures on Jesus, probing for a weakness that just might be there, tempting him to prove the promises that the Father had made.  I fear that many of God's children fall for this trick of Satan's.  It is definitely stated in Malachi that we are to try and prove the Lord of glory, but not in the area of creating a danger or risk to ourselves just to prove that his providence will take care of us.  It is so easy for God's children to believe that God will deliver then from all situations, particularly after a Jericho experience in their lives, that they do not take the necessary precautions or make essential preparations.  This was what happened at Ai.  They were so sure God would fight for them that they tempted him to do so.  In the field of discipleship, we must learn that God does not do for us whatever we can do for ourselves.  In the Jericho experience, Israel followed God's instructions to the letter, except for Achan's misdeed, but the victory was theirs through God's providence.  IF they had done the same for the battle at Ai, and if Achan had not broken the commandment at Jericho, God would have delivered Ai to them at the first attempt.  Satan used on them there, the very same stratagem that he tried on Jesus in the temptation.  We, as Jesus did, need to know the scriptures, but we must know enough about supporting scriptures to recognize when a passage is taken out of context in order to get us to believe a lie.  As we begin the journey of discipleship, feasting on the new corn, the milk and the honey of Canaan, we are subjected much to the attempts of Satan to sabotage our journey and prevent us from possessing our possession.

     Covetousness is a particularly difficult trait to overcome.   There is some in the fleshly nature of everyone of God's children.

Satan thought that he might just entice the Son of God away if he promised him enough worldly possessions.  Of course, Satan did not own all the things he promised Jesus, but he had such illusions of grandeur for himself, and was so certain of success that he was doing what is often done today in the business world -- he was promising to deliver that which he expected to have when he dethroned the King of heaven, and if his scheme had succeeded, he could have delivered the kingdoms of the earth to Jesus because God the Father would have completely rejected him as his Son; would have disinherited him.  Of course, Satan did not consider this as an impossibility, which it was, and acted as if he had authority to do this.  When Jesus quoted to him the very first of the ten commandments, Satan gave up and left him alone.

     Here is a profound account of the methods that Satan uses on those who have started on the journey of discipleship.  Just as soon as one of those who are pilgrims and strangers takes up his cross, Satan (almost without fail) throws temptations in his path.

The new convert must fortify himself with the word of God if he is to be successful against the wiles of Satan.  I fear that many today take up the cross of discipleship without being aware that they must continue to learn of him as instructed in Matthew 11:28. most have an experimental knowledge of God's work in their lives; they have a desire to walk worthy of the vocation to which they have been called, but apparently, many today depend more on feeling than on God's word.  Being filled with the Spirit is wonderful, but Satan has spirits at large in the world and we have to try them to see whether they are of God or not. (See 1st John 4:1.) There is only one way to do this and that is to measure it by the word of God with earnest, fervent prayer for understanding.  When Satan is able to get one of God's children to believe a lie, the door is wide open to lead such a one into the "Slough of Despond," or whatever Satan judges can give the pilgrim the most misery.

     Just as Satan did with the Son of God, he starts working on the physical desires. There is still in the flesh a not completely eradicated longing for  the "leeks and the garlics" of Egypt.  We can be sure that Satan  is completely aware of this and will continually "dangle it  before our eyes." Paul said we would have to go out of the world  to escape it.  Discipleship has no place in the world to come, so we need to obtain the best it has to offer in this world.  Here is where the nature acquired in the new birth makes it possible for us to overcome the temptations of Satan.  We are bondslaves to sin no longer, we can still be drawn away and enticed, but we have the formula to overcome this tempting.  We must draw near to God; must hide his law in our hearts and meditate in it day and night; we must follow the instructions given to Joshua as previously cited:

          "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law . . . turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever tho goest." (Joshua 1:7.)

     The way of discipleship is the way of truth and obedience. Unbelief or disobedience, either one, can prevent one from enjoying the blessings of discipleship.

     God has been so gracious in giving his beloved offspring who come to discipleship some very effective deterrents to turning from the proper way.  He requires a public confession of Christ as the redeemer, the priest, the King and the elder brother.  When one fails to keep the vow, he is immediately under condemnation, not only in his own mind, but in the mind of those who know him and rejoiced at his conversion.  To be made a laughing stock is unpleasant anywhere, but it is exceedingly shameful for a son of God to be made such.  This is extremely difficult for Satan to overcome, but the early days of one's commitment to being a follower of Christ are the days when Satan makes a determined effort to undermine the commitment.  It takes constant vigilance on the part of the new convert to guard against the things that will draw him away from his new-found joy.

     Also, the waters of baptism are brought to memory as a constant reminder that the old man of sin was buried there; that God was gracious enough to give us a place where we could leave our old sins and get a clean, new start in our lives.  It has been the personal experience of most Christians that when temptation became exceptionally strong, the mind went back to the liquid grave and the resolve to resist the devil was immediately strengthened.  We are instructed to "resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7), but we must also remember the first part of the text:

             "Submit yourselves therefore to God."

     Every time we are able to overcome a temptation, the next time it is a little easier, but is a continuing battle.  The Israelites had to continue to battle their enemies although there were seasons, particularly during the reign of Solomon, when they enjoyed peace and prosperity.  When Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of the city of Jerusalem, the workmen had their tools alongside their weapons. (See Nehemiah 4:16-18.) Although discipleship is a life of great satisfaction, truly a life of rest so far as trying to establish one's own righteousness is concerned, it is also a life of warfare, but since: "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (I John 4:4.), we must start out on the journey of discipleship, secure in the knowledge that he has overcome the world; that the rewards are much greater than in any other manner of life and the hope of eternal delight grows stronger; the delightful anticipation of that glad reunion day helps us to forget the trials, heartaches and tribulations of the journey and removes much of the fear of the crossing of that final river -- the river of death.  It has always given me concern that so many who came out of Egypt perished in the wilderness -- they never started on the journey.  It gives me greater concern that so few today are willing to endure the privations of discipleship that they may have blessings untold in this world, and hope that is so bright that we can say with the poet of old:

          0 had I wings I would fly away and be at rest,

          And I'd praise God in his bright abode.

     Of course, it is impossible for one who has been born again, one who has been given ETERNAL life to lose it.  If it came to an end, it was not eternal and such a person was never in possession of it.  Satan is not able to remove one name from the Lamb's book of life, but he can (and often does) cause God's children to fall from discipleship.  Many warnings are given in the scriptures concerning this, and the remedies are at hand in every instance.

     Many of God's children have had great concern that their names may be blotted out of the book of life after reading the text in Revelation 3:5: "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." We must remember these words were written to a church, the church in Sardis.  Every true church has a book of life kept in the heavenly records.  When one has been born again; has heard the gospel and believed, the Lord adds his name to the church record. (See Acts 2:47.) That local congregation that he loves, the place where he delights to meet with fellow pilgrims and where he enjoys the communion of God's Holy Spirit is the place where he has been added.  It has been given to him as his possession.  If he takes up his cross and obeys the gospel, it does not alter his standing with God or add his name to the book of life of the church.  When he began to love the local church, he had been added to it.

     The land of Canaan belonged to all those who came out of Egypt, but many of them died in the wilderness and never possessed it. Their names were blotted out of the book of life (natural life) and they never possessed their inheritance.  Also, Achan, previously under consideration, was blotted out of the book of life after he had entered into the land.  It is my personal belief that some of the Lord's people suffer corporal death because they are not willing to obey his commandments, although it would probably be very difficult to prove.  I know that God is a holy, just God and cut off the life of Aaron's sons for their disobedience (see Leviticus 10:1-2), and other instances can be cited in the Old Testament; then Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10) in the New Testament Church.  It is indeed a fearful thing to walk in rebellion against God.

     However, there is another way that men's names can be blotted from the book of life.  One can continue to live naturally, and if he has been born again, can continue to live spiritually, but can become dead to the church and have his name blotted out of the book of life of the church -- the Lord does this.  His name may still be on the church roll, but he has become estranged from it. (Also, I think that sometimes churches remove a name from the church roll which the Lord has not removed and this is a deplorable situation.) This was under consideration in the Revelation 3:5 statement.  John told us that there is a sin unto death and did not command us to pray for it. (I John 5:16.) Therefore, it is entirely possible for a man to fall from discipleship, but even then "underneath are the everlasting arms." God had no reservations about properly chastising his children who were disobedient and there were many sins unto death in the old Testament patterns.  Just because he is a God of love in no way removes his justice.  We today have a more sure word of prophecy, but it requires instructions and following if we are not to fall from the way of discipleship.

     The Apostle Peter urged all that have obtained like precious faith with us to give diligence to ". . . make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." (II Peter 1:10.) Peter knew that men could fall from discipleship; knew that they needed to be warned.  When he denied his Lord after the arrest when he had vowed to go with him to death, he knew the bitterness that comes to a disciple who falls, even for a short time, and the anguish of a soul from a searching look from the Lord. (See Luke 22:61.) We do not have that divine presence, except in Spirit, but when we fall, we will know it before much time has elapsed.  How thankful we should be that such a fall is not unto eternal death!

     Peter had given specific instructions as to how to keep from falling.  He had just told them that grace and peace should be multiplied to them through knowledge.  Then he told them:

          "And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity . . . for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." (II Peter 1:5 & 10.)

     This proves beyond any doubt that the Christian can prevent a fall from discipleship, or that through negligence to follow the instructions, can fall and become a castaway. (See I Cor. 9:27.) We all need to be put in remembrance of how easy it is to fall from an obedient walk in the way that is narrow; how easy it is to fall in with the world and travel the broad way, then see our building destroyed as we come to the end of the journey. (See I Corinthians 3:10-15.)

     Until a man is born again, he is under the law of sin and death.  Every transgression under that law requires the same punishment; there are no degrees of punishment under that law. (See James 2:1.) Every transgression requires death to satisfy the demands of that law, either the death of the transgressor or the death of the surety as before observed.  When one is born again, he is set free from that law and has come under the law of the spirit of life, the law that governs God's children while they live in this world.  When one obeys the gospel and unites with the church, he comes under the laws of the church.  The moral requirements under the law of sin and death and the law of the spirit of life, as well as the law of the church, are the same.  The spiritual requirements are different.  There are no spiritual requirements under the law of sin and death since the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God (spiritual law) neither indeed can be. (See Romans 8:7; I Corinthians 2:14.) In the great white throne judgment, all who are judged out of the things written in the books will be tried under the law of sin and death, and everyone will be found guilty of the whole and will know that their condemnation is just.  This will be final -- there will be no appeal!

     Under the law of the spirit of life there are spiritual requirements because all under that law have been given a spiritual nature.  The failure to walk in discipleship can incur the correcting hand of the Father; in fact will bring it about, particularly for those who know to walk and do not do so.  They will be beaten with many stripes (see Luke 12:47), and if they continue to walk in disobedience, they may have their names blotted out of the book of life, cut off from all joys of the church.  They will be like the prodigal son who left home (see Luke 16:11-32) and wasted his substance in riotous living and found himself in extreme want.  His father declared that he was dead during the time of his wandering (verse 32).  It is entirely possible for God's children to lose the joy of their salvation, become dead to "the Father's house," the church.  David was a classic example of this.  When he had committed adultery, God cut him off from his presence and his blessings and David was made to cry, "Is his mercy clean gone forever?" as God was chastening him under the law of the spirit of life.  It can happen to us.

     Of course David was restored to God's favor before his death, just as the prodigal son was warmly received when he came to his senses.  No matter how far we may have strolled, when we truly prove that we have turned back to the right way, our righteous judge will forgive us.  There is forgiveness under the law of the spirit of life and the law of the church, but it takes complete justification to set one free from the penalty under the law of sin and death.

     When the prodigal son came home in the right attitude -- "Let me be a servant" -- everything was back to where it should be.  The past was forgotten.  No doubt he had committed many sins against the church and the law of the spirit of life, even the sin of adultery while he was dead to the church, but when he came home the ring of eternal love once again was displayed on him; the best robe covered every blemish on his body and the food set before him filled his hungry soul with fat things from his Father's bounty.

     Yes, we can all fall from discipleship, but we are still sons if we have been given eternal life.  The prodigal son belonged to his father when he left home; he was still his father's son while wasting his substance and ending up in the hog pen; he was still a son when he came to his senses and started the meek walk home; then he was received as a royal son when he arrived at his father's house.  His standing had been the same all along.  His state was what changed.  Discipleship has nothing to do with the standing of God's children, but it has such great importance to them as pertains to their state.

     The scripture passage in Corinthians 3:2 points out another aspect of discipleship that we all need to learn well.  It seems that today so many are mixing hay, wood and stubble, things that men can propagate and grow, with the gold, silver and precious stones that came directly from God, that much of the philosophical buildings that are in use today are very prone to destruction by the fire of eternal truth and light.  So much theology in use today is man-made.  The ideas of men have been substituted for the truths of God.  Much of the gold, silver and precious stones in God's word are ignored and the home-grown theories of men are substituted in the patterns being prescribed for an abundant life, that when the day does declare it, much loss is suffered.

     How long has it been since you have heard the details of becoming a disciple spelled out in your church.  Does not most of the effort seem to be put on the making of sons -- getting men born again.  Even some of the Calvinistic churches are substituting the man-made ideas concerning men being born again for the pure God-created doctrines of grace which will withstand the fire of eternal judgment.  All of the theories are built upon the solid foundation of Christ, but a superstructure that is too loaded down with the way that seems right unto man is doomed for destruction. 

     In this area, there is a television program which features viewer questions mailed in to a panel of six or eight of the more prominent ministers of the area.  It is amazing to me to see how much hay, wood and stubble they use in answering the questions of viewers.  Much of their commentary is based strictly on humanistic thinking.  This kind of instruction cannot lead to completely satisfactory discipleship, although there is a measure of blessing in much of it.  To have a really rewarding discipleship experience, one must begin with God's concepts and doctrines and conform his thinking to that of his God.

     After the crossing of the Jordan, God had promised that he would go before the Israelites, fight with them and for them, deliver them from all their enemies provided they would keep his commandments.  Jesus stressed to his disciples that they keep his commandments.  Joshua had emphasized that if they were not going to serve the Lord, then they were at liberty to serve whatever god they desired, then they could choose.  Many today believe they have a choice, and if God gave them a choice whether to serve him or not, they are not under too great an obligation too serve him only. 

     This is another one of Satan's deceptions.  This is another area where men have strayed from truth and those who walk in untruth cannot be true disciples -- they build with hay, wood and stubble. 

     They have heard that all that matters is that they are in Christ.   Many believe that once in Christ, no power can separate them from him and the other aspects of the journey are of little consequence, so many sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind.

     The Apostle Paul had great concern about the welfare of God's children in this world and warned them that they must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. (Romans 14:10 and II Corinthians 5:10)

     Pre-millienialists generally put this judgment after the beginning of the personal reign, but A-millienialists believe that it occurs during this life discipleship.  Even some pre-millienialists give assent to the chastening hand of the Lord during the life of discipleship.  There is no question but what God corrects his children, chastises them for their disobedience during their natural lifetime; also, rewards them for their service in his kingdom.  Regardless of one's eschatological views, it is certain that a disciple can expect rewards, as well as punishment, according to what he has done.  These rewards will not be reserved for the final glorified state -- that much is certain.  Those who live there will have only one asset -- only the righteousness of Christ.  There will be no liability on any of them because every vestige of their sins will have been removed; they will be as holy as the Lamb of God.  There will be no differences in state or in standing in that land of eternal bliss: "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ          (Romans 8:17.)

     This will be an indescribably blessed state.  Not one trait of character in any saint to cause sin, in fact the very ability to sin taken away.  Each one completely in possession of the very life and character of God.  This is the end to which all that God loved were predestinated. (See Romans 8:29.) This is the country for which Abraham was looking.  You will have everything that I have; I will have everything that you have.  Perfect love will be in every heart and the whole economy will be beyond human  imagination.  No one will ever want anything that he does not have, neither will anyone have anything that he does not want.  Although many believe there will be a difference in the state of God's children in the eternal heaven, nowhere does the Bible support such a notion.  God so designed the whole system for his glory that there will be no reason for any complaint, in fact no room for any negative feelings.  If it would not be a perfect plan, God would be less than perfect; he would have to be branded as a failure.

     Yes, there are rewards and punishments for all of God's children in this world, but in the world to come all will be bliss without pain or sorrow.  As before observed, Jesus said: "In this world you shall have manifold more, and in the world to come, life everlasting." How much more life everlasting can one have than another who has it? We must be interested in the manifold more and I believe that I give an account each day according to the way I have obeyed the command to take up my cross, daily, and follow the Master.  I would venture a guess that if you are one of his children, you also receive daily, according as your work has been.

     Just as Israel suffered the misfortune (to them) of being led into Babylonian captivity, God's children in the church can be led away from the statutes of the Lord and be carried into a "strange land." This is because they are not sober and vigilant enough, but often they do not realize it, or simply do not care about what the Lord has instructed them to do until they are carried so far away from their inheritance that they sit down and weep. our heart goes out to these Israelites who,

          "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we

          wept, when we remembered Zion.  We hanged our harps upon

          the willows in the midst thereof.  For there they that

          carried us away captive required of us a song; and they

          that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one

          of the songs of Zion.  How shall we sing the Lord's son

          in a strange land?";

then we remember our own situations.  On the journey of discipleship, it is easy for us to be carried into a strange land, sometimes as individuals and sometimes as a group.  The discipleship battle is a continuing one until we "shall lay our armor by and rest in peace at home."

     There is another area of discipleship about which many show concern.  Tragedy, violent death, calamity, sometimes overtakes the most pious Christian.  The nearest of kin, or the one most grieved often asks: "What have I done? Why did the Lord let this happen to me?" While it is true that God sometimes chastises us in this way as he did, apparently, with the child of David from his adulterous affair, it is not always true.  In many instances, as in Job's case, there is nothing that has been done by the bereaved to bring the tragedy to pass.  Of course, if the bereaved has been walking in disobedience, I believe that God uses the aftermath of the tragedy to chastise the disobedient one, but I do not believe that the disobedience of a loved one often causes death and separation.  I know that Job was a man after God's own heart; yet God suffered Satan to cause him to lose his children, his property, except his land.  All he had left of his possessions was his land and his wife, and she almost proved a liability to him; yet in all of his trouble he did not sin by blaming God for something that Satan did.  Job finally lost his health and it was not caused by God.  God restrained Satan, not allowing him to take Job's life, and God was not at fault in any of this.  So, we dare not blame God for allowing tragedy to happen in our own families.

     Having preached many funerals of young people who have experienced untimely death (from a humanistic standpoint), it has been impressed upon my mind that God sometimes delivers his beloved from the influences of Satan, from the heartaches of life and tribulations of the world into the bliss of eternity; however, it also appears that God cuts off from life those that he loves when they stray too far from his appointed ways.  Death comes about because of our relationship to the earth and it is only by God's abundant grace that we, any of us, shall see the light of another day.  Discipleship will not deliver us from tragedy or heartache in our lives.  Jesus did not promise us that -- he promised tribulation -- but when we walk as we should, it gives us the strength that we need to press on.  It helps us through trials; does not shield us from them.  It does not make us rich in this world's goods, but as before observed, gives us enough -- all that we need.

          "All I have needed thy hand hath provided;

           Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."