Scripture Helps Us Stand

Introduction

Every single person faces hard times. Suffering. Pain. Feeling alone. These are things that we can all relate with. Over the last few weeks, many in our nation, and many more around the world, have shared these feelings. Confusion. Anger. Outrage. Indifference. When tragedy strikes, where do you turn to? We all have a worldview that gives us the answer. Where does a non-Christian look for truth? By looking within. To their heart. To how they feel. What about the Christian? Where do we go looking for truth? John 17:17 reminds us that God’s Word is truth. See, we don’t first look in, we first look up. In a world where people are searching for answers, though we might know every answer, we know the One who does!

Did you know that in our community, and around the country, churches had tens of thousands of guests? Friends, people are searching for hope. Answers. Meaning. Purpose. We have the best news of all to share - and it all starts with God’s Word. See, in a fallen and broken world, Scripture helps us to stand tall and to stand firm. Here are some benefits today of reading Scripture - for those who read the Bible 4x a week or more (that’s just over 50%), you are

60% less likely to get drunk

70% less likely to engage in premarital sex

60% less likely to view pornography

75% less likely to gamble

You are also

200% more likely to share your faith

200% more likely to help disciple someone else

407% more likely to memorize Scripture

God’s Word truly helps us as God’s people! This morning, we pick up in Luke’s Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus and the temptation of Jesus by none other than Satan himself. How does Jesus stand against this temptation? By speaking the truths of Scripture. Let’s read from God’s Word this morning

Luke 3:23–4:15 CSB

23 As he began his ministry, Jesus was about thirty years old and was thought to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli, 24 son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, 25 son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, 26 son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, 27 son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, 28 son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, 29 son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, 30 son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, 31 son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, 32 son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, son of Nahshon, 33 son of Amminadab, son of Ram, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, 34 son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, 35 son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 36 son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, 37 son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalalel, son of Cainan, 38 son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. 1 Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone.” 5 So he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The devil said to him, “I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. 7 If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” 9 So he took him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you, 11 and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said: Do not test the Lord your God.” 13 After the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time. 14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, being praised by everyone.

Jesus spoke the truths of Scripture and obeyed

The Son Saves (3:23-38)

Just over 40 years ago, Ancestry.com was founded. Chances are you’ve seen a commercial for Ancestry.com while watching TV or scrolling social media. Essentially their business model works by them mailing you a saliva kit, and you basically spitting into the kit and mailing it back. After a few weeks, you receive your background. Millions have used this over the last few decades to learn more about where they came from, about missing links from their family tree, to see what nationality their ancestors were. I’ve heard that this is really really cool for individuals to learn all this information, but to an outsider? Not really that big of a deal because we think: How does this impact me?

There is a temptation to think the same when it comes to genealogies in Scripture. We see lots of names that are nearly impossible to pronounce correctly, and we wonder “What is the big deal with these people?” To this we have to remember what 2 Timothy 3:16 says

2 Timothy 3:16 CSB

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

What does this mean? Simply that names have meaning and that nothing in the Bible is there without a purpose! We find two major genealogies of Jesus in the Gospels as both Matthew and Luke. But there are some differences between the two. Matthew starts with Abraham, Luke starts with Jesus and goes back to Adam. Matthew’s genealogy focuses on Jesus being the Jewish Messiah, Luke shows how Jesus is the worldwide Savior. Matthew follows Joseph’s line, Luke records Mary’s.

Significant Details in Jesus’ Family Tree:

The number of names we don’t know!

History never looks like History when you’re living through it - our lives don’t always make sense. Many of these people didn’t know what God was doing in and through them! Application: You don’t know what God will do in and through your life. I promise you, “Addi” in verse 28 didn’t have a clue that 24 generations after him would be Jesus Christ. You don’t know how God will move after you and I are gone. May we be like these men and women who were faithful… because though we one day will be forgotten, the sum of our lives and the work that God does through us will endure for eternity

Jesus was adopted

In the Roman world, adoption was a big deal and a normal part of life. If a family didn’t have an heir, they would often adopt a child in order to pass along not only their possessions, but their last name. Whenever adoption took place, that new son was treated no differently than a biological child. When they were adopted, the new son received the name and reputation and titles that the father had. Here Jesus is placed in this genealogy, meaning that he was adopted by Joseph.

Jesus and Adam are Contrasted

We’re going to dive into this throughout this passage, but we see that this genealogy starts with Jesus and ends with Adam. That is significant. Not only to demonstrate that Adam is the first human and that Jesus is related to him, as we all are… but theologically, there is something to this. There was something started with Adam that was finished by the Second Adam, Jesus Christ. What could that be? The damaging effects of sin!

As some theologians have said, Jesus is the True and Better Adam

Romans 5:17 CSB

17 If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Jesus succeeded where Adam sinned. Jesus won where Adam whined. Jesus took our place where Adam passed the blame. Jesus lectured the devil where Adam listened to the devil. Jesus deliberately obeyed where Adam deliberately disobeyed.

The New Testament authors contrast Jesus and Adam because in the midst of Adam’s sin, God made a promise!

Genesis 3:15 CSB

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

This is the first Gospel seed, all the way back in Genesis. A promise that God would send a snake-crushing Savior who will strike the head of the serpent and reverse the thousands year curse. This is what Jesus does, He saves His people! People wonder why the Old Testament is so long. What it’s all about. These genealogies show us that behind the scenes in Leviticus, 2 Samuel, Isaiah, and Micah, God is accomplishing HIS purposes as the seed of the woman marches onward until Jesus is born in Bethlehem. at the right time. Paul says this in Galatians 4

Galatians 4:6 CSB

6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”

Because Jesus really came, really died, really rose, and really saves, we have the hope today that we are adopted sons and daughters of the King. God is our Father. We are His children. Not because we deserve to be there… but because of the finished work of Jesus!

The Spirit Satisfies (4:1-4)

What satisfies you? If you just got done working out, a drink sounds satisfying. If you just got done working outside on a hot summer day, AC sounds satisfying. If you’re barely making ends meet, money sounds satisfying. If you’re sick, health sounds satisfying. If you feel alone, having a friend sounds satisfying. What truly satisfies? It doesn’t matter what you drink, we’ll always get thirsty again. AC units sometimes break down. Money doesn’t always go as far as we’d like for it to. Health doesn’t last. Friends come and go. What satisfies our souls? The Holy Spirit of the Living God!

Jesus was just baptized, and we see that He was full of the Holy Spirit! That word full means to “be saturated with.” This is a description of God’s people that Luke uses often in both Luke and Acts. We’ve already seen this said regarding Elizabeth in chapter 1

Luke 1:41 CSB

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

We see this of Peter in Acts 4:8

Acts 4:8 CSB

8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders:

And Stephen

Acts 6:5 CSB

5 This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch.

It’s not as if these people had an extra dose of the Holy Spirit than other people, but it means that in these instances, they fully yielded and submitted to the Holy Spirit. Guess what Jesus always did? In His humanity, He always yielded to the Spirit. This is significant because whenever we yield to the Spirit, we accomplish God’s will. This is what Jesus did throughout His life. He always did what was right because He always submitted to the will and plan of the Father.

Have you discovered that sometimes, God’s will doesn’t make a whole lot of sense?

Think about Noah for a minute. What did God call Noah to do? Build an Ark. We’re not talking about a kayak. We’re not talking about a Pontoon. We’re talking about a 450 foot long boat that was nearly 50 feet high! This is a massive undertaking. But do you remember why Noah was to build the boat? God told him that he was going to flood the earth. We’ve seen floods in the Ozarks. It rains a lot, rivers swell, and it floods. That doesn’t seem that outrageous to us, although a worldwide flood is hard to imagine. But now think back to Noah’s day… they had never seen it rain! Yet, God calls him to build the Ark. This was God’s will. This was God’s command. That didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but that’s exactly what Noah did. There are times in our lives where God’s will for our lives doesn’t make much sense to us in the moment… but do you think Noah was glad that he obeyed once the rain started falling and kept falling for 40 days? You’d better believe so! Whenever we obey God’s will, we’ll never regret that obedience, church!

Here we see that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40 days. There is a temptation to read this passage and others in the Bible as if the devil surprises God and God’s people with something. But what follows is exactly what the text says. The Spirit led Jesus to be tempted by the devil and He was there for 40 days. In Exodus 16 we read that the Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years, wandering. They disobeyed God. They didn’t follow His commands. Yet, God provided for 40 years. Noah was on the Ark while it rained for 40 days. Here Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. 40 continually represents a time of completion in the Bible. So, here is Jesus, being tempted by the devil for 40 days, while being led by the Spirit.

Now, that would be hard enough… but next we learn that for 40 days Jesus didn’t eat! This sounds impossible, and as a Baptist it sounds insane… but this is what Scripture says, and I love the anecdote Luke adds at the end of verse 2. Not only did Jesus not eat for these 40 days, but when they were over, He was hungry! I wonder why.

Listen to Satan’s first temptation

Luke 4:3 CSB

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

This is a strange temptation, at first. Satan first tempts with Provision. He knows that Jesus has the power to make this happen. Jesus is God in the flesh and if He can feed 5,000 with a few loaves and fish, surely He can make stones turn into bread and eat them too. Think about the hunger that Jesus would’ve felt. I can’t imagine 40 hours without food… here He is 40 days without food! That’s crazy. Yes, Jesus is fully-God. But He’s also fully-man. And as fully-man, He would’ve been very hungry. Weak. In need of food. Satan is reminding Jesus of His easy way out. Just eat.

Do you remember how Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden? Take and Eat - for you won’t die. What does Satan tell Jesus? Take and Eat - or else you’re going to die. Brothers and Sisters, we have to “get this” as God’s people. The enemy’s tactics haven’t changed. He tries to get us to trust in other things to provide satisfaction in our lives. “Take and Eat” are his words, but they lead to disappointment and malnourishment. Next week we’ll partake of the Lord’s Supper together, do you remember what Jesus says to His disciples? “Take and Eat, for this is my body.” It took thousands of years, and blood, sweat, and tears, but those devilish words are reversed by the Savior to become words of salvation instead of words of enslavement.

Jesus responds to the Devil’s words pointedly, “It is written…” For the crowd that says, “Don’t use the Bible when talking to other people!” Jesus strongly disagrees. He goes straight to Scripture to correct and rebuke Satan and quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 by saying that man must not live on bread alone. In that context, God had provided manna for the people of Israel to eat. The point is to not trust in the bread, but in the God who provided the bread. Adam and Eve were tempted and fell victim to eating and trusting in the food to provide. The Israelites in the wilderness were tempted and fell victim to eating and trusting in the food to provide. But then here comes Jesus. The One who doesn’t fall victim, because He see’s things as they are. Remember, He is full of the Holy Spirit. He is abiding in the Father’s plan. He trusts not in the bread, but in the Creator to provide what He needs, exactly when He needs it.

Jesus chose faithfulness to the Father because He was satisfied with the Spirit.

The Scriptures Secure (5-8)

We’re not told how much time transpires between the first temptation and the second. Likely, these are consecutive temptations and they immediately proceed one another. In verse 5 we see that Satan takes Jesus to a high point so that they can see multiple kingdoms. There is no mountain high enough for you to see every earthly kingdom, so this is either a metaphor employed by Dr. Luke to help us see the amount of power that Satan is saying that he has or it’s a supernatural . Last Sunday we were in Daniel 10 and we looked at the reality of spiritual warfare as we saw the battle between Michael and the Prince of Persia. Scripture shows us that darkness is both real and powerful. Look at the beginning of Ephesians 2, as we learn this about Satan

Ephesians 2:1–2 CSB

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.

One title he has is the prince of the power of the air. Satan has power - remember that it is limited power as God is the true Sovereign King of Kings… but that doesn’t mean that Satan is powerless, he does have power. We think of empires like Babylon in the book of Daniel that opposed God. We can think of the Romans in the days of Jesus who opposed God’s people. We might wonder why exactly Satan has power if God has all-power? That’s a fair question. It has led some to think that God and Satan are rivals of sorts. Competing for the future. Have you seen the cartoon of the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other? That mentality is common today! But it’s not Scriptural. We can say this - because of the brokenness caused by sin, Satan has power in the sense that he rules over a broken system. Satan causes division. Chaos. Brokenness. Confusion. BUT, look with me to Acts 17:26

Acts 17:26 CSB

26 From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.

Acts 17 is incredible as it shows us that God is the One who determines the size and duration of empires. It is God who is truly in control. It is God who possesses all power! The nations aren’t Satan’s to distribute. So, what is Satan doing during this second temptation? He’s promising something that he is powerless to provide! He’s making a nice sounding promise - he’s promising Jesus a crown without a cross. Do you see that? He’s promising power with no suffering. Do you see how Satan makes these same offers today? Prosperity without Problems. Happiness without Heartache. Joy without Jesus. Rewards without Repentance. But at what cost? Idolatry.

We know that obeying God’s plan is often costly… And Jesus pays this cost. Instead of short-term gratification, Jesus chooses long-term glorification. From this scene we are reminded that Idolatry always brings tragedy! What if Jesus has bent the knee… No suffering from the Romans soldiers. No betrayal by his Jewish friends. No crucifixion. No nails. No death! Have you ever been in a spot where you were presented with an option that would have led down a much easier pathway for you? Less stress. More money. More friends. Better opportunities. But at what cost? The devil makes grand promises, but they always come at a cost and they never provide.

It’s easy to think that “Of course, I wouldn’t bow down and worship the devil!” Go back to the Garden. What did Adam do? He didn’t bow, but he did bite. Do you see the problem? Worship isn’t just about bowing, it’s about trusting and obeying. Adam was left with a choice in the Garden - obey God’s command and be in paradise, or disobey and trust in the serpents lie that he would be like God. In hindsight, we say “Adam, what were you thinking!?” But how often do we do the same thing? God has our best interest at heart. God’s will is best for us. And how often do we respond like Adam, and not like Jesus, and place our trust in the lie rather than our Lord?

How can we succeed when we are tempted by power? Like Jesus, we go to Scripture because Scripture secures us and reminds us that we exist to worship and serve the Lord. Instead of picking and choosing, instead of being a partial follower, Jesus shows us that we are to worship and to serve God alone

Matthew 6:24 CSB

24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Take out money, and replace it with power, popularity, possessions, politics, or any other thing that desires your allegiance… Jesus says that you can’t serve both He and that thing. We all worship something, Scripture reminds us that we are all created to worship God alone! If you’re here today and you don’t have a peace in your life, examine what you spend your time and treasure on. You won’t have peace until that answer is God!

The Scriptures Strengthen (9-15)

Jesus quotes Scripture… but the Devil knows the Bible too. Have you come to realize that many in our world know about the Bible? In fact, for many years the number 1 verse that Americans knew was John 3:16. What a great verse that just about everyone, even people who never came to church, knew! Now, do you know what most studies tell us? The number one most popular verse in our country is Matthew 7:1. Judge Not. Everyone knows that verse and everyone loves to quote it whenever they feel opposed by someone - HEY, only God can judge me! Everyone knows this verse… the devil especially loves this verse.

Satan is smart, guys. He disguises himself as an angel of light. He doesn’t usually tempt people with trash, but with a devilish twist. And if you aren’t grounded, you can be gotten. Luke shares that they go to the top of the temple and Satan tempts Jesus with Scripture. He quotes Psalm 91:11-12. Satan tells Jesus to jump hundreds of feet and that if He does this, Psalm 91 promises that the angels will come to His protection. Let’s think about what would’ve happened if Jesus did this. This is the beginning of His ministry, before He had even called the 12 disciples! Imagine if Jesus jumps down from the top of the temple and lands unharmed and surrounded by a host of angels in the valley below and all the people in the temple witnessed it happen? He’d be more popular than toilet paper was during the COVID shutdown! But this isn’t what He was supposed to do. Jesus rebukes Satan, once again, with Scripture.

Mike McKinley shares this, “Jesus wasn’t sent to create a sensation by spectacular stunts. He was sent by His Father to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom and be rejected by people.” We’ll see this next week later in chapter 4, but this is what Jesus’ purpose was. To proclaim a message of good news that we call the Gospel. This message that reminds us that each one of us are separated from God because of our sin. That we could never earn or deserve God’s grace. We could never make it to heaven by ourselves. But that God loved us enough that He sent His Son to do for us what we could never do. But the Gospel, as good as that news sounds, we know required great sacrifice. It would require Jesus to be rejected, suffer, and die in our place. Because of this, Jesus endured temptation. Not just 3, but verse 13 says “Every temptation.” As a hungry and isolated person, Jesus stood strong.

Have you noticed that Satan often attacks us when we’re vulnerable? Because Satan is a coward and that is how he fights. One of the pastors I look up to the most is Costi Hinn, not Benny, his nephew Costi. Costi was radically changed by Jesus and saved out of the prosperity Gospel movement years ago and now pastors in Arizona. The last few weeks he has been preaching a short series on spiritual warfare and it has been fascinating to follow along!

Last week he shared this, “The devil doesn’t need to turn believers into heretics; he just needs to keep them distracted and divided. Gossip, busyness, and bitterness are subtle tools he uses to pull hearts away from faithfulness.” How does Satan attack believers and churches? Not often with appealing to power and worship and protection like he does to Jesus, but often by fighting dirty and trying to insert a wedge via gossip or slander and excusing the behavior under the guise of religious righteousness, or the modern term, “venting.” You know the lunch conversations or car ride phone calls that quickly turn and someone says, “I just need to vent” and it’s a whole bunch of things that you didn’t care to or need to know? That’s Satan’s strategy for destroying believers and churches. At best it’s gossip (JMac defined gossip as, “The devil’s radio. It sows discord, destroys reputations, and betrays confidence. It has no place in the life of the believer.”) which we’re called to not be a part of as believers… and if it’s not true, which the truth is rarely one sided, then it’s slander, and the Bible commands believers to put that to death. What are we tempted to do? To give it life… to think that it’s ok… no one will know… it won’t effect anyone… it’s not as big a sin as this one over here… Satan is no fool. He can’t steal your soul, but he will try to silence your witness and split your relationships.

You and I are not invincible, as much as we might think that we are. The Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for those he can devour. We face an enemy! And even if you are here today and you aren’t a Christian, hear this: You and I face a common enemy: death. Every single person here one day will die. That’s not encouraging, but it’s honesty. You know that Satan still lies today, don’t you? His two greatest lies in 2025:

You are God

You Won’t Die

What do we see all around our world? People taking the authority, the position, the status, of God. People playing God in the world of medicine and technology. Individuals who genuinely believe that they are the Master of their fate. Billions who believe that they are god. And the next one? What is our world obsessed with? Immortality. Living forever. There are labs today around the world that will freeze you after you die with the goal of one day, after we have made the medical advances and technological updates needed, they will bring you back. This service runs from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars - let me save you that right now, it will not work, and even if it did as a Christian, why on earth would you want that?

You are God and You Won’t Die… Why would these be the lies that our society believes? Because Satan is smart. He knows what sells. This is exactly what he said in the Garden. “Hey, eat this… you won’t die, you’ll be just like God!” Why would Satan continue this today? Because he doesn’t want a world in darkness to know that there is a light that changes everything. He doesn’t want those who are spiritually dead to know that they desperately need the life that Jesus alone provides. And he wants you to think that you can defeat death.

Friend, you can’t. You might be healthy today - but cancer and car accidents happen to healthy people. You might be successful - but tragedy and trials strike successful people too. We are one rogue cell, one bad phone call, one wrong turn away from meeting our Creator. That’s heavy - but the only reason it’s heavy is because we’ve been lied to our whole lives in this world. We aren’t God and we will die. This is the reality, and let me give you good news. Because of Jesus. Because Jesus was perfectly faithful to God’s Word. Because Jesus died in your place. Because Jesus took your sin. Because Jesus stood in the wilderness and defeated the darts of the Devil, you and I can be prepared for the day that we meet God face to face.

How Can We Stand when Temptation Comes?

Fill Your Mind with Scripture

Jesus quotes Scripture because He knew Scripture. Remember this spiritual battle from last week that we’re in as people in 2025. You would be a fool to go out to the battlefield without some weapons.

There is one offensive weapon in the Armor of God - the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Think of the times in the past that you fell into temptation just because you left your sword on the shelf. How can you stand the next time? Pick up the sword. Get Scripture into your mind!

Fix Our Eyes on Our Savior

This passage has often led me to a place of feeling like a spiritual failure. How did Jesus stand firm? He quoted Scripture. What is the takeaway? Quote Scripture and you’ll be fine! Well, yes… we should fill our mind with Scripture because it is a weapon and it helps us in so many ways! But there are times when you know the Word, you do what is right, and you get cut in the process… and you think, “What happened!?” Friend, look to Jesus. He faced temptation. He did what was right. And it got Him killed. 1 Peter 4:19 reminds us that when we suffer according to God’s will, trust our lives to a faithful Creator while doing what is good. In other words, fix your eyes to Jesus. Remember what He did. Understand that it’s not always easy… we won’t do this perfectly… but because of His work, because of His faithfulness, we are no longer slaves to sin! We fight against temptation by running to Jesus. Jesus knows all about our struggles. He can sympathize with us in our weakness. He is good. He has all-power.

Today, friend, look to Jesus!