The Sermon In Simba - September 18, 2008

One of my favorite movies of all time is … (drum roll please) … The 
LION King. Yeah, I know I'm a grown adult, yeah I know I got facial 
hair, and offspring … but nonetheless I love that movie `til this 
day. Remember: the King was Mufasa, who was revered in the Pride 
lands because of his deep voice and fearlessness. The movie opens 
with the birth of his son, Simba. As Simba grows older Mufasa gives 
him wisdom about the territory he will one day rule. Simba asks 
about the shaded area that is outta their kingdom. Mufasa calls that 
the Elephant Graveyard and sternly warns him never to go there. It 
happens later that curiosity leads Simba into the Elephant 
Graveyard; and when he gets there he runs into 3 hyenas that are 
anxious to rip his feeble lion body to shreds. Shenzi, Banzai, and 
Ed (3 hyenas) look at little Simba with contempt and disrespect, 
because they know he's in over his head. Simba, unaware of the 
reality that he's overpowered and out numbered, begins to roar with 
all his little strength. His roar was as weak as the meow of a house 
cat, lol. The 3 hyenas laugh, and close in for the kill. Simba keeps 
roaring, until the sound of a full grown lion erupts from his belly. 
The sound scares him more than it does the hyenas. What Simba didn't 
know was that his daddy (Mufasa) was behind him and it was Mufasa's 
roar that shook the ground. Mufasa then delivered Simba from the 
Hyenas.

1 John 4:3-4 says … every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not 
from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have 
heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4You … 
have overcome … because greater is He who is in you than he who is 
in the world. 

As Christians, we find ourselves in the very same predicament as 
Simba was in the Elephant Graveyard. The book of Revelation 
introduces the diabolical trio of Satan, the Beast, and the 
Antichrist. These 3 evil persons will wreak havoc on the world 
during the unfolding of the Last Days. Although we'll never face the 
beast, per se', we already face Satan and the Antichrist. These 3 
evil persons can be equal to the 3 hyenas that look at our feeble 
humanity and laugh with scorn. They know that they're stronger, 
faster, and deadlier than we are on our own. Imagine yourself 
surrounded by them, but because of the fight in you, you begin to 
roar with all your strength. Don't fret if they don't yield at 
first, whatever you do don't stop roaring. Because eventually you'll 
feel the power of One greater than you burst from within you and it 
will even scare you as well. You see the authority we operate in 
even scares us at times because of the mightiness of its power. Your 
roar is always backed up by the roar of your Father, the Lord Jesus, 
who is standing behind you the whole time. When the enemy lines up 
for battle, you line up against him. Why? Because you alone can send 
demons in a flight of fear.

RevDH 

P.S. At W.O.T.S. tomorrow night, we'll continue our HT and talk 
about the 3 hyenas: Satan, the Antichrist, and the Beast.