Tempted by the Devil

In last Sunday's sermon . . .

We saw that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to face temptation. As we looked closely at chapter 4:1 and related Scriptures we affirmed that

advance slide point 1

God controls the timing of our testing.

advance slide point 2

God walks with us into the place of our testing.

advance slide point 3

God is with us through our testing (and that . . .)

advance slide point 4

God’s good purpose in our testing is to make us like Jesus.[1]

advance title slide

This morning we will examine the last phrase of verse 1. The Holy Spirit led Jesus to experience temptation in the wilderness. Specifically, the Holy Spirit led Jesus to experience temptations by the devil in the wilderness. Who is the devil? What is the character of the devil? What are the purposes of the devil? Responses to these questions form the heart of today’s message. Nevertheless, there are two more questions we must tackle today as well. The first is “Was God cruel in deliberately sending Jesus into the wilderness where he knew Jesus would be tempted by the devil?” This question is critical, because unless we can answer it satisfactorily, we cannot have confidence that God is not being cruel to us when he leads us into situations that test us. The final question is how does knowing this help us be victorious over the devil in our temptations?

It is not possible to give a comprehensive accounting of the devil this morning. We will focus primarily on the devil as Matthew depicts him in these 11 verses. Let’s get started by answering the question . . .

Who is the devil?

The devil is a supernatural being who is the enemy of God. He opposes God’s sovereignty, God’s purposes, and God’s people. Our passage reveals to us three things about the identity of the devil. First, the devil is a real being. Second, the devil has a kingdom, and third, Jesus defeats the devil.

The devil is a real being

In this passage, the devil shows the behaviors of a real being. For example, the devil observes, plans, and takes initiative. The devil watches Jesus. He plans to confront Jesus at his weakest moment, and then the devil takes the initiative to act. The devil comes to Jesus after 40 days of fasting when Jesus was hungry.[2] The Greek word translated “hungry” suggests that Jesus wanted and needed food. Jesus engages the devil as a real being. The devil reasons with Jesus. Jesus takes the devil’s arguments seriously - otherwise, there would have been no temptation in the encounter. Jesus disputes the devil’s reasoning.

The Westminster Bible Dictionary says this about the reality of the devil:

advance slide to quote

It is manifest, from the whole tenor of Scripture, that the Devil is a real being, and not a mere personification of an evil principle; that since his apostasy from God he is malignant in his hatred to God and man; that his ceaseless object is to frustrate the designs of God and to seduce mankind into sin and ruin.

The devil in his encounter with Jesus takes on both God and man to stop the plans of God and keep all people enslaved to sin and ruin. That’s because . . .

The devil has a kingdom

In the gospel of John, Jesus three times calls the devil “the prince of this world.” The first reference is John 12:31. Jesus speaking to his disciples concerning his coming death on the cross says,

John 12:31 NIV

Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

The apostle Paul makes it clear that the devil is the ruler of this world. In fact, everyone who does not belong to the Kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ is a citizen of the Kingdom of the devil. Paul wrote:

Ephesians 2:1–2 NIV

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

In our passage, the devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world which are under his dark dominion. The devil offered Jesus the opportunity to rule all these kingdoms on the devil’s behalf if Jesus would only bow down and worship the devil. In three weeks, I will spend a whole sermon on this temptation. For now, it sufficient to note that in his response Jesus did not dispute the legitimacy of the offer. If Jesus did not receive the devil’s proposal as a serious offer there would have been no temptation in the offer. This statement requires clarification. Affirming that Jesus temptations were real temptations does not mean that Jesus experienced sinful lust for the object of the temptation which, is common in our experience of temptation. John Calvin captures this well when he wrote,

Calvin: Commentaries 2. The Person of Christ

Even though Christ’s senses were affected and moved by the glory of the kingdoms presented to him, no inward lustful desire pierced his soul

This statement is true for all the temptations that Jesus faced. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews could assert that Jesus was “tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin.”[6]

Jesus did not side with the devil because . . .

Jesus defeats the devil

In John 14:30, Jesus told his disciples,

John 14:30 NIV

I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,

For now, it is sufficient to note that when Jesus said to the devil, “Away from me Satan!” The devil, Jesus’ defeated opponent, left Jesus at once.

Who is the devil? The devil is a real spiritual being who opposes God and God’s people. The devil rules a kingdom to which belong all who are not children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. However, Jesus defeats the devil.

The devil’s enticement of Jesus to worship him was aligns with the devil’s character.

What is the Devil’s character?

The first thing to note is that the Devil is full of pride. The devil’s proposal to Jesus, that Jesus worship him – one of Jesus’ created beings – proves the devil’s pride. Jews and Christians have interpreted Isaiah 14:12-15 as the casting out of the devil from heaven. Let’s read Isaiah 14:13:

Isaiah 14:13 NIV

You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

This passage makes clear the devil’s pride led to his fall. In addition, our passage states three titles for this supernatural enemy of God, which illustrate the devil’s character.

The first is :

devil - which means slanderer. to slander is the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation.[7]

In other words, the devil is a liar. The devil wants to damage God’s reputation in the eyes of humanity and the devil wants to damage our reputation before God and other people.

The second is:

the tempter which means the devil incites humans to behave in ways contrary to God’s will.[8]

Acting contrary to God’s will always leads to our ruin and destruction, which is the devil’s desire for us. The devil never wills our wellbeing, only our destruction.

The third title is . . .

Satan: which means Adversary [9]

Satan is at war with God and his people. In explaining the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13, Jesus calls the devil his enemy. This enemy, the devil, plants within the Kingdom of the Son of Man everything that causes sin and the people who do evil.

In summary, the devil’s adversarial pride against God leads him to incite us to behave contrary to God’s good will for us for the purpose of ensuring our destruction.

The devil’s evil character motivates his purposes.

What are the Devil’s purposes?

Opposition grounds the devil’s three primary purposes. The first is . . .

advance slide to “opposition God’s . . .”

opposition to God’s righteousness and redemptive purposes. The Apostle John captured this opposition when he wrote,

“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as [Christ] is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:7–8, NIV)

The devil’s opposition to the redemptive purpose of God motivates his second purpose to . .

advance slide to opposition of humankind

oppose humankind as the crowning glory of God’s earthly creation by leading all of humanity astray. Again, the Apostle John in exile wrote,

Revelation 12:9 NIV

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Finally, the devil’s opposition to God naturally feeds his disdain for and . . .

advance slide to opposition to God’s people

opposition to the people of God. That is why the apostle Peter wrote,

1 Peter 5:8 NIV

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Therefore, Matthew 4:1-11 and related passages teach us that the devil is a real being. The devil’s adversarial pride against God leads him to incite the entire world to behave contrary to God’s good will for the purpose of ensuring humankind’s destruction. The devil rules a kingdom to which belong all who are not children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Consequently, the devil has a disdain for the children of God. However, Jesus defeated the devil.

Considering all this . . .

Was God cruel in leading Jesus into the place of temptation?

The short answer is “no!” Why? Because God supplied everything Jesus needed as a human rightly related to him to be victorious over the devil. God was in complete control of the testing situation. Through the Holy Spirit, God was with Jesus in his testing. Likewise, because Christ, through the Holy Spirit, lives in us; we have everything we need to be victorious in our moments of temptation.

How does this knowledge help us be victorious over the devil?

The first major step in conquering the devil is to believe he is real. Abraham Kyper pressed this point home when he wrote,

Pro Rege: Living under Christ’s Kingship, Volume 1: The Exalted Nature of Christ’s Kingship II.11: Christ and Satan

To refuse to believe that Satan and his works exist is such a great danger because this very conviction presents him with the best opportunity to conquer your heart.

Jesus in his temptation experience engages the devil as a real being.

When we know the nature of the devil’s character, we understand that the devil never has our wellbeing in mind. The devil wants us to believe our life will be better if we pursue what he offers us, but it will not. In every case, something will be damaged or destroyed in the pursuit. You know it to be true. When have you ever given into temptation and something precious to you not be damaged or destroyed in the act?

The devil’s evil character and his evil purposes go hand in hand. Knowing that the devil never seeks our wellbeing and his purpose is to see us ruined makes turning away from him both intellectually and emotionally easier.

Finally, knowing that Jesus defeated the devil gives us great confidence and hope in our times of temptation and trial. We can have confidence that the life of Jesus in us will defeat the devil through us.

Paul wrote in Colossians 2:9-10,

Colossians 2:9–10 NIV

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Let us end our worship this morning giving thanks for this marvelous truth. In Christ we have been brought into all the fullness of God who is head over every power and authority. Therefore, when the devil comes to us, the devil must bow as our defeated adversary. The devil must bow, not before us, but before the life of Jesus Christ in us who defeated him in the wilderness, who defeated him in his ministry, who defeated him in his redemptive death and who utterly humiliated the devil in his Resurrection. This is our inheritance as children of God.

advance to title slide

Prayer

[1] Hale, J. (2020). Led by the Spirit. Unpublished manuscript.

[2] Faithlife Corporation. (2020). to be hungry (Version 8.12) [Computer software]. Logos Bible Software Bible Sense Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation. Retrieved from https://ref.ly/logos4/Senses?KeyId=ws.be+become+hungry.v.01

[3] Shepherd, T. J. (1880). In The Westminster Bible Dictionary (p. 162). Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication.

[4] John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11

[5] Haroutunian, J., & Smith, L. P. (1958). Calvin: Commentaries (p. 167). Philadelphia: Westminster Press.

[6] Hebrews 4:15

[7] Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.

[8] Emanuel, D. M. (2014). Satan. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

[9] Cathey, J. (2003). Devil, Satan, Evil, Demonic. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 419). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

[10] Kuyper, A. (2016). Pro Rege: Living under Christ’s Kingship: The Exalted Nature of Christ’s Kingship. (J. J. Ballor, M. Flikkema, J. Kok, & N. D. Kloosterman, Eds., A. Gootjes, Trans.) (Vol. 1, p. 191). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press; Acton Institute.

Image credit: Image credit:Briton Rivière - The Temptation in the Wilderness

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1925.

Retrieved from:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Briton_Rivi%C3%A8re_-_The_Temptation_in_the_Wilderness.jpg