Are You Prepared For Victory?

Introduction:

As a Christian, are you prepared for victory? Are you prepared to live victoriously to reign supremely over sin in your life? Did you know you can do that? You can be victorious from sin.

As a born-again Christian, what gift have you been given? The Holy Spirit.

If you are born-again, you have been given the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who, theoretically, makes it possible for you as a Christian not to sin. The Holy Spirit can prepare you for victory. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

“Jimmy, the lack of oxygen has finally done it to you.” Can I share with you what the Bible says about being able not to sin?

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Do you realize what this verse is saying?

Any temptation you face is common to all mankind.

God is faithful, and He knows the temptations you face.

God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to overcome that temptation.

God will provide a way for you to escape the temptation.

Theoretically, once you are saved and being controlled by the Holy Spirit , you can live without sin. It is a tall, tall task however especially considering our Adamic natures to sin. If God makes it possible for us to overcome sin, for us to have victory from sin, how do we overcome sin? How do we have victory from sin? We have victory from sin by preparing for victory, and Jesus is our example!

Jesus Christ is our example to follow if we want victory, if we want to overcome sin, and if we want to endure temptation. (Hebrews 4:15)

Hebrews 4:15 “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.”

Jesus faced the same temptations that you and I face, and the Father made it possible for Him to overcome those temptations.

***Critical to understanding how Christ was victorious over the temptations He faced is understanding this fact. Jesus faced the same temptations that we face in the flesh. He did not face temptations as God. He laid aside that glory to come to earth to be veiled in flesh. While He walked the earth, Jesus was completely submitted to the Father’s will. Everything He did on earth He did under the Father’s will and by the power of the Holy Spirit.***

I believe that many look at the temptations of Jesus and think He overcame those temptations because He was God, but God cannot be tempted with evil. Jesus overcame those temptations in the flesh because He was completely wrapped by the will of the Father.

Jesus is our example to follow in overcoming temptation. I am telling you that you and I will overcome temptation by following the example of Jesus. We are going to do so by looking the temptations of Jesus and how He was victorious and how we can be victorious.

1. The Temptations of Christ

A. Jesus faced 40 days of temptation. (Mark 1:13)

Mark 1:13 “And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.”

Jesus was literally tempted for 40 days. I believe some think that all he faced for 40 days were the three temptations offered Him by Satan. I do not believe that. I believe Jesus was tempted for 40 days.

In biblical numerology, 40 is the number of complete trials and testing.

During the Flood, it rained 40 days and 40 nights. It was a period of complete judgment. For 39 days, if you will, I believe demons, the fallen angels, tempted Christ. I believe that is what Mark means when he says wild animals or as the KJV says wild beasts. For 39 days, these wild beasts threw all they had at Jesus preparing the way for the coming of Satan on the 40th day to complete the temptation.

All of creation met Jesus in the wilderness. For 40 days, scorpions bowed to Jesus while the demons tempted Him as the angels were ministering to Him. The One who created was confronted and comforted by what He created.

Jesus faced 40 days worth of the same temptations we face. I believe, literally, that He suffered in those 40 days every temptation Satan throws at man. Study Hebrews 4:15 carefully alongside Matthew 4 and let the Holy Spirit lead you to the conclusion.

B. Satan tempted Jesus with instant food.

Satan is our adversary. He is our enemy. If we are to have victory, we must plan to be victorious.

We must have a battle plan because he has a battle plan to defeat you. After 40 days without food, can you imagine how hungry Jesus was?

Seizing upon the opportunity, Satan immediately tempted Jesus to satisfy the flesh. (Matthew 4:3)

Matthew 4:3 “And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.””

Satan says, “If you are the Son of God........”

Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God, but he was not going to admit it. He will not admit it now.

1 John 4:2–3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”

Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God. He was there when God proclaimed the fact at Jesus’s baptism.

Matthew 3:16–17 “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.””

How do I know Satan was there? Because the Bible says where 2 or 3 are gathered that Christ will be there, and where Christ is the tempter will be too. Satan knew who Jesus was, but he had a purpose behind his temptation.

Notice what he says to Jesus: “Command these stones to be made bread.”

Satan was tempting Jesus with ___________ food, and he knew Jesus could do it. (Colossians 1:15-17)

Colossians 1:15–17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Instant food, however, was not the main temptation that Satan was hurling at Jesus.

Satan was tempting Jesus to act independently from God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Satan was tempting Jesus to use the resources of His sonship in order to violate the responsibilities of His sonship. The responsibility of His sonship was to never to act independently from the Father.

Philippians 2:6–8 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

It is technically incorrect to say Jesus could do whatever He wanted to do on earth.

Jesus was free to do what was in the Father’s will. Christ had submitted to Father’s authority. Acting outside that authority would have been sin, but Jesus could never sin because He could never act outside the Father’s will.

Jesus basically answered Satan’s temptation with that fact.

Matthew 4:4 “But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””

Satan tempted Jesus. It was a strong temptation, and God provided Jesus with the ability to endure the temptation, to be victorious. Jesus was starving. He had no food for 40 days, but the Word of God provided Jesus with the means to escape the temptation.

Behind every temptation is Satan’s desire to destroy us. One of his many names in the Bible is Destroyer. I found this in a commentary on Matthew written by John Phillips.

“A prolonged fast has to be gradually broken, and initially with liquids; solid food can kill.”

There is something interesting I would like to point out. Jesus, while being tempted, could not turn the stones into bread, but after He was resurrected, I believe He did exactly that.

John 21:9 “When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.”

I believe, after His Resurrection, turned stone to bread for His disciples.

C. Satan tempted Jesus with instant fame. (Matthew 4:5-6)

Matthew 4:5–6 “Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 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.’ ””

This temptation is more subtle than the first temptation. Here is what Satan is saying.

“Look Jesus. You are 30-years-old and have a very small following. If you throw yourself off this temple, the angels will stop you before you hit the ground, and you will be famous. Everyone will want to follow you if you do this.”

Satan was trying to persuade Jesus just as he tries to persuade us, but we need to remember this fact.

Satan can persuade us, but he cannot push us. He creates the temptation, we create the transgression.

Satan, actually, tempted Jesus by quoting Scripture. He was quoting Psalm 91.

Psalm 91:11–13 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”

If you compare Matthew 4:5-6 and Psalm 91:11-13, do you know what you will discover? You will discover that Satan subtracted from God’s Word. Satan was using God’s Word for his own purpose. He was using his own translation picking a verse out of context and deliberately leaving something out, but Jesus was the Word, and He knew it much better than Satan did.

Matthew 4:7 “Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ””

D. Satan tempted Jesus with instant fortune. (Luke 4:5-7, Matthew 4:8-9)

Luke 4:5–7 “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.””

Satan had offered Jesus instant food and instant fame, but this temptation lays it all on the line.

Luke says in a moment of time. In other words, this was a culmination of all Satan had to offer, and this was the ultimate temptation. TO do it justice, you have to study Genesis, Daniel, and Revelation; we cannot do that, so I will give you the condensed version.

You must consider what the Bible says about Satan. (2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2-3)

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Ephesians 2:2–3 “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Satan is the prince of the power of the air and the god of this age. As I speak, the kingdoms of this world belong to Satan. Why? Because Adam legally handed the title to planet earth over to him when he sinned.

For earth to be redeemed, reclaimed, the price had to be paid. In a moment in time, Satan paraded the splendors of the kingdoms of this world before Jesus. I believe he showed Jesus the splendors of every kingdom from Egypt to Babylon to the Revived Roman Empire.

Satan has the legal deed to these kingdoms. In effect, with this temptation, Satan is offering Jesus a throne instead of a cross.

The price to redeem the earth was the blood of Jesus. (1 Peter 1:18-21)

1 Peter 1:18–21 “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

To redeem the earth, Jesus would have to bleed, suffer, and die, but Satan offered Him life instead of death. He offered Jesus the opportunity to bow down to him one time in order to avoid Calvary.

Satan would give Jesus the kingdoms of the world for one kneel down, but Jesus came into this world to redeem this world, and redemption required His blood.

Praise God! Jesus exchanged nails for kneeling so I could exchange death for life. AMEN!!!!!!

Satan hit Jesus with the kitchen sink, but Jesus withstood the temptation. As He withstood the temptation, Jesus gave us an example of how we can have victory from sin.

2. Jesus is our example to follow to be victorious over temptation

Jesus overcame the devil’s temptation, and He established steps for Christians to follow if they want to be victorious over temptation.

A. Submit to the Holy Spirit’s lead. (Matthew 4:1)

Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

The Bible says Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.

The treachery of the prosperity gospel blinds people to the reality that occasionally God will allow us to be tested or tempted so He can work in and through us.

Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

If you are born-again, God will allow you to go through the valley of the shadow of death so that you can grow in the faith. He does that because He is going to work all things out in your life for good according to His purpose as long you allow Him to lead you.

Jesus was led to the wilderness to be tempted so that He could overcome. It was the showdown of the ages, Satan in one corner, and the Son of Man in the other, and He overcame so you can overcome.

Jesus could not have overcome if He had not been tempted. I believe, after careful study, that after the final temptation, Satan never tempted Jesus again. He threw it all at Jesus, and Jesus overcame because He was being led by the Spirit.

If you want to be prepared for victory, you must make the willful choice to submit to the Holy Spirit.

B. Personally, worship God.

One of the main causes for defeated lives is the lack of personal worship. Church services can never substitute for personal worship. (Matthew 4:1-2)

Matthew 4:1–2 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

There is nothing wrong with worship with a community of believers in a local church. As a matter of fact, the New Testament commands Christians to be active in a local church body, but on occasion, we face such temptations that we need to worship God personally by ourselves in a place where we can be with the Lord as individuals.

God is worthy of worship.

Jesus, being led by the Holy Spirit, went into the wilderness where He fasted for 40 days. Fasting is putting everything else on hold in order to worship God Almighty. We would be more equipped to be victorious over sin if we did the same.

Baptists link fasting to some charismatic movement, but dear friend, Baptists, including me, need to do some fasting.

Through fasting and prayer, Jesus overcame the temptations of Satan. Jesus was being led by the Holy Spirit, and in personal worship, Jesus fasted and communicated with His Father through prayer, and Satan had no chance.

Many of us do not overcome temptation because we refuse to submit to the Holy Spirit, and we refuse to worship God.

Jesus overcame because He was led by the Spirit, and He was worshipping God, and I do not know how He did it because He did not even have a worship leader or a praise band.

C. Study God’s Word.

I addressed this last Sunday night, so I will be brief.

If you are going to overcome the Destroyer, you must be a student of God’s Word. You should have a goal of learning something new from God’s Word every single day.

In each temptation, with what did Jesus respond? God’s Word.

If Jesus is my example, that means when Satan tempts me, I can attack him with God’s Word, but I cannot attack if I do not know how to use the weapon God has given me. I cannot attack Satan with something he knows better than I do. I wished we would understand that. God’s Word will cause Satan to leave you alone temporarily anyway.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

How can you be victorious over temptation and sin?

Submit to the Holy Spirit’s lead

Personally, worship God

Study the Bible

Let me tell you how he attacks you, and I will just give you one example.

How many of you have made this statement? “I know I need to study the Bible more.”

DO you know who is leading you to study the Bible more? The Holy Spirit.

How many of you have stated the need to study the Bible more in this manner? “I know I need to study the Bible more, but I do not have the time.”

“I do not have time” is Satan’s accusation to God’s conviction. The Holy Spirit convicts you that you need to study the Bible, and Satan answers that conviction with an accusation that you do not have time. As a result, most Christians live defeated lives when God makes it possible for us to overcome.

A person is given the opportunity to work overtime, but it he or she will have to miss church for two or three weeks. Many times we say God blessed me with overtime. Did He really? Maybe God is telling you that He will supply all your needs and wants you in church, but Satan tells you it is God who provided the overtime opportunity. Do you see how God’s Word works? If God says do not forsake church attendance, and if God says I will provide for your needs, He will not go against His Word in your life.

Conviction leads to forgiveness. Accusation by Satan leads to guilt.

Saying I do not have time is admission of guilt. If you say that you do not have time to study God’s Word, you are admitting that you know you need to do so, but you are admitting to not doing what you know you should do. Do you know what the Bible calls that? (James 4:17)

James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Sin keeps us from victory, but Jesus set the example as to how we can overcome sin. Can you imagine 50% of Beech Grove Baptist Church overcoming sin by following the example that Jesus established? If we did, we would have to buy up most of Bruceville just to have facilities for all those being saved.

Christian friend, will you follow the example of Christ? If you want to follow that example, repent of any sin in your life and go forward with Jesus as your example.

If you are sitting here or watching and do not feel the devil tempting you, that means you need to be saved. The devil does not tempt his own. He tempts God’s children. All you have to do is believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for your sins and was resurrected the third day. If you will do that, the Holy Spirit will come into you and lead you to confess Jesus as Lord before men and lead you to follow through in obedience to be baptized into a local church body.