WR 2023 Manuscript

“Refuge From Satan” (WR Talk #4)

Good afternoon, ladies! I hope free time was a time of merriment, laughter and refreshment. Or if you’re like Kate…I hope your sports team played well and you got to watch it in your cabin or on a screen somewhere. Or if you’re like me…you got to go read a book or journal somewhere in the chapel or in complete isolation from the outside world. If I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you, my name is Purshia Gambles, and in addition to serving alongside the incredible women on the central women’s team I serve our South Congregation as the Equipping and Women’s Ministry Director.

As you guys have been hearing for the last day or so, Jesus is our refuge. We have heard from Angela, Emay and Becca on what it looks like to have refuge from sin, shame and self. And this talk is no different, because I want to talk to you about how Jesus is our refuge from the attacks and accusations of Satan. But before we get into that, let me pray for us...

Alright, we will be in Matthew 4:1-11. Let me know when you find it!

The Temptation of Jesus is the story of Jesus’ preparation to begin his ministry following his baptism at the hand of John the Baptist. It’s a passage following that baptism and before He calls his first disciples and begins his ministry. Okay, let’s read here together, starting in verse 1,

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

‌but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God

and him only shall you serve.’ ”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

There are a couple things I want to point out from this passage that i feel may be pertinent in our understanding for application during our time today:

‌V. 13-17 - First, Jesus has just been baptized. It has just been revealed and shown to a multitude of people and proclaimed by John the Baptist that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

V. 2 - Next, the significance of the 40 days and 40 nights. If you’re versed in the Old Testament a little bit, this number and its significance should make your ears perk up. Deuteronomy 9:9. It’s reminiscent of the 40 days and 40 nights that Moses spent on Mount Sinai without any food or water. This is to show that Jesus is the truer and better Moses, sent to bring us to our ultimate Promised Land in heaven.

V. 2-3 - Jesus is being tempted by Satan when he is at his most vulnerable, exhausted, and isolated. This should tell us something about our own lives.

V. 4, 7, and 10 - Jesus’ answer to the attacks of Satan is the Word of God. Where Satan wanted to deceive Jesus and cause him to stumble, he failed because Jesus, being the incarnate word, refuted every accusation with truth.

V. 10-11 - Jesus tells Satan to be gone…and he leaves. Even the enemy must bow in the power and authority that Jesus has from above. What implications might this have on us who walk this earth in his name?

Jesus, as our refuge, will not only rescue us from the attacks of Satan, he also protects and restores while still in the battlefield with Satan on this side of Heaven.

You may be wondering…how could this be possible? How can anyone be refuge from something and find refuge in it?

The rescue in Satan’s attacks and accusations is accomplished by Jesus’ holiness and perfect submission to the will of his father while withstanding Satan’s attacks, knowing that it was the Holy Spirit that led him there in the first place. Jesus makes this possible by enduring temptation without giving into it. The Author of Hebrews puts it best, in saying, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

He did it perfectly, knowing that we couldn’t. This serves as a template for us also. Meaning...

When will Satan tempt us when we least expect it and can probably least defend ourselves in our own strength and power. Thankfully, Jesus is our true defender, fighting our battles, living the life we couldn’t, dying the death we deserve and raising to life to grant us forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

I assure you, sisters, that while I don’t want to in any way make light of any physical infirmities or afflictions your life may hold. I know there are women in this room who dread returning to whatever could await you back in Austin. Things in your life could leave you feeling tired, abused, tempted, and shaken. But, no matter how bleak things may feel in the tangible deserts of everyday life, there is none so dry as the wilderness of the soul who has not yet tasted the goodness of Jesus. By that same token, this means that no matter how dim our realities may feel, the reality that we’re loved by God can brighten up even the darkest of days. It’s in these very spaces that Jesus desires for you to find refuge in him. There are so many things knocking at the doors of our hearts, seeking to steal, kill, and destroy us. But Christ endured any and every temptation so that we would never walk this road apart from him and the safety of being found in him.

When you are in Christ, you can rest assured that Satan doesn't make a night dark enough that Christ can’t bring you new mercies every morning. In Christ, Sin can never dig you into a whole deep enough that Jesus can’t reach you. Jesus is where once thirsty souls find their truest nourishment. No attack can ever creep in and compromise what souls Jesus has captured. You are safe with him. Safe from sin’s penalties. Safe from Satan’s Schemes. Safe from the wreckage and damage that we often do to our very own souls. He’s got you.

AND...the statute of limitations on sin’s guilty verdict over us was up the moment he walked out of the Tomb. This does work in us here and now in our fight against sin. In him we find help for the time of need, and ultimate hope of eternal rescue from the attacks from Satan once and for all.

Then, this gives way to the fullness of rescuing us from the wilderness and attacks of Satan which is reserved for Heaven. This happens when we are restored to God at the end of this life, or when Christ returns..whichever comes first. Jesus saves from the very presence of Satan’s attacks by granting us access into the eternal refuge of heaven.

So what do you do with this? How do we take Jesus up on his offer to be our refuge from the attacks of Satan? I have 3 things in mind…

First, grow in your awareness of your prevalent temptations. The worst punch is always the one you don’t see coming. When Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted him to find food elsewhere. When it seemed that Jesus was losing authority, Satan tempted him to find it elsewhere. Through submitting to your local community and to inward inspection, learn your particular bent toward sin. What things do you seek refuge in that God knows will only leave you more empty than you were before? Do you lie? Cheat? Steal? Gossip? Ask the Lord to aid you in this, and be encouraged that you don’t arm yourself with man-made weapons, nor do you fight with man-made weapons. Rather, we fight with what Paul calls in 2 Corinthians, “the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left,” bringing me to my next application...

Second, arm yourself with the sword of the Spirit (The Word of God) (Bible Intake, Scripture memory as a means of intimacy with God and defense against the attacks of Satan.) This is the main way that you can refute the accusations and attacks from Satan, through a robust relationship with the Word of God. In doing this, you are becoming like Jesus in that your answer to the attacks of Satan are Scripture. Memorizing Scripture is the matrix by which we enjoy fellowship and communion with Christ. In my mind, this feels like a boxing match between my sin and The Spirit within me, fighting the battle for the championship of my faith in Christ. So each time Satan tempts you it’s like you’re in a fight. Each blow to you from him is painful, for sure, but you can maneuver and punch him back with a force that he can’t come back from. Allow me.

“No one loves you.” POW! “John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.”

“You’ll never get married.” POW! “Isaiah 54:5 “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.”

“You aren’t getting what you deserve in life.” POW! “1 Corinthians 4:7 What do you have that you did not receive? If then you did receive it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”

“You’re getting old! And Ugly!” POW! “Job 12:12 “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.” And ACTUALLY IT'S A ONE TWO COMBINATION, “2 Corinthians 4:16 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

“God will never forgive you for that sin.” POW! “Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

“You’re about to die!” POW “Philippians 1: 21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

2 little caveats with this: One, we can only fight because Jesus has already one and defeated death for us. Where we fell short in withstanding Satan’s schemes, he didn’t. Hence why we can fight, knowing we have already won. And Two, I have to ask you: by that rationale…how is your fight going, sisters? Are you gut-punching the attacks of Satan or are they hitting you? What do you find yourself hitting him back with? Please know sisters, having scripture close to your heart this way not only helps you fight, but it also helps you rest. Knowing the written word of God will always lead you to the Incarnate Word of God: Jesus. Our. True. Refuge.

I want to challenge us to have a robust, dynamic, faithful, intimate, committed relationship with the Scriptures. And not for it’s sake alone, but because of the beautiful reality that the written Word of God leads us to the incarnate Word of God: Jesus. Jesus, who, in this passage here, withstood the attacks of Satan knowing that we would need him to. Because of this, End on the note that the spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted by satan, knowing that Jesus would come out victorious (so that we don’t have to). He is our great intercession in every regard. He is our greatest defense and our greatest refuge from the schemes of Satan. Through what the author of Hebrews calls, “the power of an indestructible life.” And this we are able to have ANYWHERE if we have key scriptures etched onto the surface of our hearts through Scripture memory and meditation, which brings me to my last application...

Finally, gain a close communion with Christ. Abide in Him. Run to Him. Hide yourself in Him. Learn to listen for his voice and discern what is pleasing to him. He’s a person, get to know him. I challenge you this weekend, whether with some folks you came here with or by yourself somewhere in the campgrounds, pray honestly to the Lord that you want to be close to him. To truly know him, not just know things about him. This world will do everything it can to drown out the voice of God to you. DO. NOT. LET. IT. GO. FIND SHELTER. GET COVERING. JESUS HAS YOU.

In his book Communion with the Triune God, 17th Century Puritan Theologian, John Owen speaks of the gift and treasure of communing with God, “In spiritual things this is more eminent: those who enjoy this communion have the most excellent union for the foundation of it; and the issued of that union, which they mutually communicate, are the most precious and eminent.” Though union with God (Father, Son, and Spirit) happens apart from communion with God, union can only be experienced/felt/enjoyed rightly through communion.

Where communion is rare, union will feel infrequent.

Where communion is absent, union will feel imaginary.

Where communion is habitual, union will feel ever-present.

Where communion is lifelong, union will feel eternal.

It should be a prayer for us that the Holy Spirit would collaborate with our communion and our union with God in such a way that they inform and enrich one another.

Get well acquainted with your refuge. Settle in. Get comfy. And, through daily abiding with him, allow him to settle in and get comfy in you, saturating all of you.

Will you pray with me?

Dear Lord, I pray for each and every woman in this building and at this retreat this weekend. I pray that you would be the safest place for us to hide under. That you would be the strongest rock on which we can lean. Lord, would you protect us and preserve and strengthen our faith in you, that we may endure, grow, mature, and receive the prize at the end of this life, the beauty of eternal refuge in heaven with you. Let us always be found abiding in you, for apart from you we can do nothing. I love you, I love these women. But I’m held fast by just how much more you love all of us. These things I pray in your name, Jesus, Amen.