Myths: Part 6 - Satanism and the Occult

Paul warns that people with itching ears will turn away from truth and turn aside to myths. Deuteronomy names fortune telling, sorcery, witchcraft, mediums, psychics, and calling up the dead as detestable works of the occult. These things are not harmless fun and games, but gateways that open the door to demonic activity.

Acts 19 shows what repentance looked like for people who had practiced sorcery. Believers brought their incantation books, even though they were worth millions of dollars, and burned them publicly. That fire showed that Jesus had become Lord over what once held power in their lives.

Modern Satanism takes different forms. Theistic Satanism treats Satan as a real being and worships him through occult rituals. Atheistic Satanism does not believe Satan is real, but uses him as a symbol of pride, self indulgence, rebellion, and personal sovereignty. Satan’s deception in Eden reveals the heart behind both forms: “You can become like God.”

The serpent’s lie was never merely, “Bow down and worship me.” The serpent’s lie was, “Remove God from the throne and put yourself there.” Self worship becomes a form of Satanism because self worship rejects God’s rightful lordship. Satan does not need someone to worship him if he can simply keep them from worshiping the true Jesus.

Satanism says, “Exalt yourself,” “Follow your own will,” and “You are your own god.” Jesus says that anyone who wants to follow Him must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. Paul declares that believers are not their own, because they were bought at a price. Christianity begins with surrender, because Jesus is not an accessory hung around the neck or from a rearview mirror. Jesus is Lord.

Humanism puts humanity in the place of God by claiming that people can determine good and evil for themselves. God’s Word stands against that lie by declaring that a way can seem right and still lead to death. God’s character, not human preference, culture, feelings, or society, determines what is true, righteous, and sinful. Psalm 119 declares that God’s righteous laws are eternal.

Satan’s rebellion did not lead to freedom, but to judgment. Sin promises freedom while making people slaves to the flesh and to sin. Christ alone brings real freedom because He defeated Satan, sin, and death at the cross. James calls God’s people to submit to God, resist the devil, and walk the narrow way that leads to life.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Self worship repeats Eden’s oldest lie Satan’s temptation offered humanity a throne that never belonged to humanity. Self worship does not need robes, rituals, or a satanic label to become rebellion against God. Christ calls His followers away from self-rule and into surrender under His lordship. [14:51]
• 2. Jesus is Lord, not an accessory Christianity cannot be reduced to a Sunday identity, a necklace, or a religious decoration. Jesus claims authority over the whole life because His people were bought at a price. Surrender becomes the beginning of real discipleship, not an optional extra. [20:16]
• 3. God’s Word remains the standard Culture changes, feelings change, and human opinions change, but God’s truth does not change. Human preference cannot define righteousness because humanity is not the Creator. Scripture keeps exposing the ways that seem right but lead to death. [25:42]
• 4. Sin enslaves while Christ frees Rebellion promises freedom by removing God from the throne. Sin then turns that promise into slavery to the flesh, desires, and death. Christ brings freedom through reconciliation to God, not through independence from Him. [29:59]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:07] - The Occult and God’s Warning
• [02:17] - Occult Practices Are Not Harmless
• [06:15] - Burning the Books in Acts 19
• [08:24] - The Origins of Modern Satanism
• [12:42] - Satanism as Self Worship
• [17:01] - Satanism Versus Christianity
• [19:46] - Christianity Begins With Surrender
• [22:10] - Who Defines Right and Wrong?
• [24:48] - God’s Eternal Standard
• [27:30] - Rebellion Does Not Bring Freedom
• [30:46] - True Freedom in Christ

Bible Reading

2 Timothy 4:3-4
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” [00:11]

Deuteronomy 18:10-12
“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD.” [01:21]

Acts 19:18-20
“Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” [06:27]

Observation questions

1. In 2 Timothy 4:3–4, what do people reject, what do they seek out, and what do they turn toward instead? [00:18]
2. What specific practices does Deuteronomy 18:10–12 forbid, and how are those practices described in relation to the Lord? [01:29]
3. In Acts 19:18–20, what did the new believers do with their sorcery books, and what does the passage emphasize about the value of those items? [06:27]
4. What two forms of modern Satanism were described, and what do both forms have in common regarding rebellion against God’s authority? [16:07]

Interpretation questions

1. Why would the believers in Acts 19 choose to burn their books publicly rather than keep them, sell them, or quietly throw them away? What did that action communicate about their repentance and their new allegiance to Jesus? [08:08]
2. How does the promise in Eden that people can “be like God” help explain why self-rule and personal sovereignty are spiritually dangerous, even when they do not involve occult rituals? [13:57]
3. Why is it important that God, rather than feelings, culture, or personal preference, defines good and evil? How does the warning about a way that seems right but leads to death apply to common moral decisions today? [23:17]
4. In what sense does sin promise freedom but produce slavery? What makes freedom in Christ different from simply doing whatever a person desires? [29:59]

Application questions

1. Are there any objects, media, practices, or “just for fun” activities in a person’s life that may involve occult ideas or invite unhealthy spiritual curiosity? What would it look like to respond with clear repentance and wisdom? [02:51]
2. The believers in Acts 19 let go of things that were valuable because Jesus had become more valuable. Is there anything that competes with wholehearted obedience to Christ because it is profitable, familiar, entertaining, or hard to surrender? [07:55]
3. Self-worship can show up without using a satanic label. In what areas is the temptation strongest to say, “My will be done,” rather than, “Lord, what do You want?” [21:23]
4. Jesus is Lord, not an accessory. What would change in a person’s weekly choices, relationships, spending, speech, or private life if Jesus’ lordship were taken more seriously? [20:29]
5. When personal feelings or cultural messages disagree with Scripture, what practical habits can help a believer let God’s Word shape his or her thinking and choices? [26:24]
6. Where has sin falsely promised freedom but brought guilt, bondage, fear, or emptiness instead? How can submitting to God and resisting the devil become a practical response this week? [31:39]