FACING DOWN YOUR ENEMY

Matthew 4:  4, 7, 10

4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

  THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO LEARN IS WHO, INDEED IS OUR ENEMY.   OUR ENEMY IS NOT A PERSON, OR A GROUP OF PEOPLE, OUR ENEMY IS NOT APPLE PIE, OR MONEY.  A PERSON MAY BE A WILLING AND AVAILABLE TOOL FOR HIM TO USE BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT OUR REAL ENEMY IS NONE OTHER THAN SATAN HIMSELF.   COUPLED WITH OUR WEAKNESS AND LACK OF KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE WORD OF GOD HE CAN MAKE OUR LIFE, AND THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND US, VERY DIFFICULT.

I. JESUS WAS HUNGRY, HE HAD A NEED

A.   THE TEMPTATION WAS TO SUPPLY FOR HIMSELF

1.     OLD MYTH -  DO NOT ASK GOD TO DO FOR YOU WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR SELF.

a.     JESUS COULD HAVE DONE IT FOR HIMSELF

b.     OFTEN TIMES WE TRY BUT THIS USUSALLY LEADS TO BONDAGE.

2.     GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO LEARN TO DEPEND UPON OURSELVES, BUT UPON HIM

B.   “MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE……”

1.     LIVING IS NOT COMPLETE IN SIMPLY SUPPLYING THE NEEDS OF THE FLESH.

2.     LIVING IS NOT IN SATIATING THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS.

3.      LIVING IS NOT LIVING IT WITH “GUSTO”

4.      WE LEARN TO REALLY LIVE AND ENJOY LIFE THRU THE WORD OF GOD.

5.      THRU THE WORD WE LEARN WHAT WE REALLY NEED FOR LIFE.

6.     THRU THE WORD WE LEARN NOT INDEPENDENCE, BUT GREAT DEPENDENCY UPON OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.

II.                THROW YOURSELF DOWN, GOD WILL CATCH YOU.

A.   SATAN’S TEMPTATION: GO AHEAD AND SIN, YOU’LL BE FORGIVEN.

     1. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FALLING INTO SIN               AND PLANNED WILLFUL SIN.

a.     FALLING INTO SIN IS FAILURE TO SEE AND IDENTIFY THE

DEVICES OF SATAN COUPLED WITH A FAILURE TO EFFECTIVELY USE THE WORD AGAINST HIM.

b.     WILLFULL SIN APPROACHES THE DISOBEDIENCE WITH THE THOUGHT AND ATTITUDE OF “I CAN AND WILL DO THIS BECAUSE I KNOW GOD CAN AND WILL FORGIVE ME.”

3.     THE REAL SIN IS THE SIN OF PRESUMPTION

a.     THE AMPLIFIED SAYS” TESTING THOUROUGHLY, OR TRYING EXCEEDINGLY.”

b.     THINKING THAT GOD HAS TO DO SOMETHING SIMPLY

BECAUSE WE TELL HIM TO.

B.   “THOU SHALT NOT TEMPT THE LORD THY GOD.”

1.     WE DO NOT PRESUME UPON THE LOVE AND FORGIVENESS OF GOD

2.     EVEN FORGIVEN WE SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR SIN.

A GUILTY CONSCIENCE

c.      BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS

d.     FAILED BUSINESSES

e.       RUINED HEALTH

f.        MINISTRIES DESTROYED

III.             SET YOUR HEART ON THINGS BELOW

A.   FOOLS GOLD

1.     CHASING AFTER THE WRONG  DREAMS WILL ONLY LEAVE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF A NIGHTMARE

2.     WORSHIPPING AMBITION, PRIDE AND AFFLUENCE WILL ONLY LEAD TO HELL.

B.   REAL GOLD

1.     IS WORTH SOMEHTING WHEN TAKEN TO THE EXCHANGE

2.      WHAT IS OF REAL FALUE IS FOUND IN REVERENCING GOD AND KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS.  PSALM 19:9, 10;  119:127, 128

3.     LOVING THE LORD OUR GOD WITH ALL OF OUR HEART, MIND SOUL AND STRENGHT; THIS IS REAL TREASURE.

4.     WORSHIPPING OUR CREATOR WILL REAP FOR US ETERNITY SPENT WITH HIM.

SATAN WILL ATTACK AND TEMPT US THRU A VARIETY OF AVENUES.  HE WILL USE A VARIETY OF PEOPLE AND CIRCUMSTANCES TO PULL THE FOCUS OF OUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM GOD, KNOWING THAT WHEN THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED WE ARE EASY PREY. IF WE KEEP OUR HEARTS FULL OF HIS WORD, AND JESUS THE CENTER OF OUR WORLD, WE WILL LIVE LIVES VICTORIOUS OVER OUR ENEMY. REMEMBER that SATAN IS OUR ENEMY, NOT PEOPLE OR CIRCUMSTANCES.  CONFRONT HIM WITH THE WORD AND THE PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST.