The Devil Went Down to Jordan

Introduction

Hardest thing about being a pastor? The candy! The food!

Candy jars, potlucks, lunches...

Always something wonderful to eat

I am so tempted everyday - you have no idea how tempted I am!

Some of you are like, “No, we believe you want to eat...”

These bodies we have are filled with so many desires, it’s hard to control

You know who knows that? Satan...

Continue in our series - Deep State - how Satan infiltrates us

Today we learn about temptation

One of the best places to learn is in the temptation of Christ in the wilderness

Learn 2 important things

How does the Devil tempt us?

How does Jesus help us face temptation?

YouVersion: The Devil Went Down to Jordan

We’re in Matthew 4:1-30

Temptation is a part of life

Look at society

But - Adam and Eve struggled with it BEFORE society existed

Big temptation issue: How do you deal with it

Some have no method, they just respond

Man, I can’t stop Is there a defense?

Many say, “No, we’re all different. There is no universal answer.”

If that’s true, Satan can get anyone, any time, anywhere - and there’s nothing we can do

But there IS something we can do! We’ll learn today

Can we eliminate temptation forever? Not while we’re here!

We can eliminate some kinds of temptation, but there’s always others

We can learn how to handle all kinds, but it will always be there someway, somehow

I’ll say this: If you’ve never trusted Jesus, you’re on your own! Good luck!

Everyone is subject to Satan’s attacks

Without Jesus, you’re on your own against someone who knows exactly how, when and how hard to hit you!

But if you DO know Jesus,

Opportunity to know what temptation is like, what it’s for, who is behind it...

AND you can live (not with out it) but in a way to find continual victory against it

You may look at your struggles and say, “Well, guess that’s just me. That’s the way it is.”

I have to live and die with it

No you don’t…

You may have to live with temptation, but not with giving in to it

This comes with recognizing the temptation, understanding it, and building a defense

If you want to do that, I recommend learning from the only man to master temptation - Jesus

Matthew 4:1–2 (ESV)

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.

Begins with “AND,” continuing a story

To understand how we got here - go back

Matthew 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 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; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Beautiful baptism scene- Jesus gets baptized too

Something descends on Him - the Holy Spirit

Come back to 4:1-2 - Jesus is full of the Spirit and He goes to the wilderness to fast for 40 days

God has a purpose in this

Jesus didn’t just wander, He was led by the HS

Last week: trials/suffering can be used as a punishment

But also for teaching, warning, character development...

In this case, it seems Jesus was facing a trial to prepare for an even bigger trial

Jesus was about to begin His 3 year ministry

He would face the political and religious elite

He would face demons and persecution

Estimated He walked more in 3 years than an American in their entire lifetime!

He had to do all this, only to be crucified while not committing a single sin

This desert trial is no joke

No food, wild animals, barren land… almost 6 weeks!

This would weaken anyone significantly!

Not impossible - World record without food is 74 days - but he died

But more than most of us could handle

This made Jesus the more liable to sin, maybe than any other time until crucifixion

Before we look at how Satan tempted, let’s define terms

Temptation: An enticement to get a person to act contrary to God’s will.

It can be simple, like gossip - you’ve been gossiping since you heard Johnny loves Mary Lou in 2nd grade

You’ve been gossiping since Billy stole Frankie’s wallet at graduation

You just leaned over to your friend to gossip at the start of this message!

You know you shouldn’t, but it’s so… tempting

Temptation may be simple like that, or it may be far more serious

The worst crimes in the history of the world began with a little temptation

Serial killer Arthur Gary Bishop said his murder spree began as an interest in pornography

The Holocaust began with Hitler’s temptation to blame Jews for Germany’s WWI loss

Sometimes a little temptation is the first step on a very long and dark path

Satan: Intelligent being that is completely evil and is directly involved in perpetrating evil in the lives of individuals and the world.

It’s important that we understand our sin is our decision

But we’re foolish to forget there is someone trying to get us to cave in

Mae West: “I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.”

Let’s see what Satan tried with Jesus while He was weakened in the desert

Matthew 4:3 (ESV)

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

Let’s make a list of Satan’s tactics here

1. Satan manipulates our carnal desires

There are certain things our body does as an act of preservation

When we’re hungry, we desire food

When we’re tired, we desire sleep

We desire intimate connections, we desire oxygen, we desire safety

carnal: relating to or given to crude bodily pleasures and appetites

When those things are lacking, we are especially vulnerable to giving in

Think about it:

Drowning in a pool, you will pull someone under to get air

When you’re tired, you start making bad decisions - decision fatigue

When you don’t have food, you become “hangry”

Snickers says you can even become Betty White!

When France saw food prices rise by 65%, they beheaded their king!

Apologetix does Christian cover songs

Did one on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” called “The Devil Went Down to Jordan”

All about this story - Satan speaking:

“I guess you wouldn’t show it, but I can tell you’re craving food

And kid, I’m scared this desert air might get the best of you

Now you ain’t been eating your viddles boy, but now your dinner is due

So if you’re really God’s Son, You’ll turn these stones to bread and I’ll butter it for you.”

Satan goes right after Jesus’ carnal desires

But that’s not all he’s doing - it’s a double whammy

He says, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

He’s saying, “Come on, prove it! You ain’t the Son of God.”

What’s he doing?

2. Satan appeals to our pride

It’s how he got Adam and Eve, it’s how he tries to get Jesus, it’s how he tries to get us!

Ultimately though, we understand Jesus has the ability to perform miracles for sustenance

He turned water into wine

He took 7 loaves and 2 fishes and fed thousands

The difference here, is He did that for the sake of God - to please God

In this case, He would be doing it at the behest of Satan

Matthew 4:4 (ESV)

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.’ ”

Jesus could have backhanded Satan out of the solar system!

Instead, He chose a simple weapon - one that we may also use against Satan - the Word of God

C.H. Spurgeon: “Out flashed the sword of the Spirit: our Lord will fight with no other weapon. He could have spoken new revelations, but chose to say, ‘It is written.'”

We’ll talk about this more at the end, but notice that this is how Jesus resists every single one of Satan’s attacks

Jesus is saying that God’s instructions and purpose are more important than food

Eating is not a sin, but when you’re fasting it just might be!

If you’re fasting to seek the will of God, and you break it, you’re missing that goal

Setting God’s purpose aside for your own

Temptation is something always getting in the way of God’s purpose

Will Rogers: “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.”

There’s always some reason to stop moving forward toward progress, toward holiness

However, Jesus doesn’t have time to stop for that

He needs to be hungry right now, so He stays that way

Let’s see what Satan does:

Matthew 4:5–6 (ESV)

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.’ ”

Whoa, Satan comes back with the word of God too!

This is when things get a little tougher

He takes Jesus to temple top - about 150 feet tall (450 feet to bottom of temple mount)

I used to check the starch silo - 150 foot climb

It’s intimidating! It was bad enough going up, WAY worse going down

Jesus is looking down, and Satan says, “Take a leap of faith there Jesus...”

You know, this “Word of God” You’re quoting says you’ll be okay

3. Satan twists the Word of God

There’s something VERY important here

Notice Satan is quoting 2 different Scriptures

Actually, he’s not...

He’s quoting 1 Scripture, and leaving out a portion in the middle

Psalm 91:11-12 is a promise to the Messiah from the Father

Look at what it says

Psalm 91:11–12 (ESV)

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

12 On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

This is a promise to protect the Messiah as He serves His purpose

It is not a promise to protect Him in sinful ways, or in Satan’s ways!

Is it sinful though?

Yes! Look at Jesus response:

Matthew 4:7 (ESV)

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

The only reason to do what Satan said, is to test God!

This was Satanic manipulation, through and through!

We also see another thing in this portion of the story:

4. Satan is a liar

First of all, the Scripture Satan quoted is not what God was saying - it was lying by omission!

Secondly, Satan was creating a false narrative

Jesus is on top of the Temple, in danger, and being told he needs to prove God’s power!

However, this crisis is NOT REAL!

Satan made it up!

Jesus can simply say “no,” and it’s all over - Satan doesn’t have any real power here over Jesus

Lies are one of Satan’s favorite tools

We’ve been hearing of them throughout this series

Scripture calls him “The Father of Lies”

You know what his favorite lie is?

Roger “Verbal” Kint: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”

I’d say that’s true!

If you don’t believe in the devil, you have fallen victim to his greatest trick

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)

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.

Notice the lowercase “g”

Satan can’t use that one on Jesus - and as His followers, we know better (or should)

So he’s on to one more trick...

Matthew 4:8–9 (ESV)

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.”

This is a really tough one!

There are actually 3 things Satan is trying to with this

5. Satan wants you to think he has what you want

Evidently Satan has the authority to offer up every kingdom in the world

Maybe he’s lying - certainly wouldn’t put it past him!

OR maybe he does have that authority

What did we learn last week? Satan only has as much power as God allows him

You think there might have been a scene in heaven like in Job?

Maybe God said, “Have you considered my Son Jesus?”

He’ll never sin, He won’t abuse authority, He’ll humbly sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world?

Satan says, “If I offered Him what I wanted originally, He’d take it! He’d worship me!”

God says, “Tempt Him however you want”

Remember, Jesus was led here by the HS, for the express purpose of being tempted!

I’m not saying this is actually how it played out...

But you can see what Satan may be trying to accomplish by what we already know

What we know for sure, God puts a lid on Satan’s power and authority

And Satan pushes as high as he can, right up against the ceiling to create destruction

He’s trying to entice Jesus with power and authority, exactly what Satan wanted...

In order to get the Son of God to worship him, also what Satan wanted...

He wants us to worship him too, and the world does!

We treat sin like it’s so glamorous, and luxurious - even as righteous!

Poking fun, ridiculing and even shaming doing right things...

The other thing Satan is doing here is creating a short cut

We know Jesus is King anyway...

Daniel 7:14 (ESV)

14 And to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus has a supernatural, all-encompassing, eternal kingdom

But Satan is offering up a little shortcut

You can get all the kingdoms of the world - and you can have it now!

You don’t even have to go to the cross...

6. Satan encourages us to take shortcuts

I can skip the lectures if I cheat on the test

I can afford that TV if I take your wallet

I can get that promotion if I lie about the competition

Shortcuts often require sin to get what we want quicker

The last thing Satan does is this - if all else fails:

7. Satan will try to make a deal

Seems a little desperate...

Okay, I’ll give you everything! Just worship me...

Sometimes he tries to make deals with us too

Ever find yourself in negotiations with sinful desires?

Okay, I’m only going to hook up with that guy one more time, then I’m done

It’s not really cheating if I didn’t know her name

I’m only going to party on nights that end in the letter “y”

But we do that - letting sin keep it’s foothold, but we tell ourselves we’re doing better

And Satan just laughs and laughs

But it doesn’t work on Jesus:

Matthew 4:10–11 (ESV)

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.

How did Jesus do it?!

He was offered the world! And He didn’t take it...

We might be tempted to say, “Yeah, He was Jesus. I’m not. Guess I’ll sin forever.”

No, Jesus teaches us very clearly how to get through times of weakness and temptation

You might be thinking, “You don’t know my struggle! I’m way worse than you could ever know!”

Jesus’ tactic match 1 Corinthians 10:13 perfectly

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

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.

You think your sin is worse than everyone else’s?

I hate to break it to you, you’re not that special!

No temptation not common to man!

Ecclesiastes 1:9 (ESV)

9 What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done,

and there is nothing new under the sun.

What sin do you have? Anger? Lust? Greed? Drunkenness?

Not new! Don’t let Satan trick you into believing you’re helpless...

Do what Jesus did!

1. Jesus wasn’t unprepared, he had a plan

Jesus didn’t have Satan come to Him and He starts scrolling on His phone to find some verse real quick

He was hungry, He knew why He was hungry, He knew what God said about being hungry

Boom, He had an answer

2. God’s will was Jesus’ goal

The Spirit of God works to build our defense

God is faithful, and He provides the escape

Jesus knew what God wanted - He was very clear

Satan gave Him something, but Jesus was familiar with the heart of the Father

He spent considerable time in prayer, in the Word to know

When He had to make a decision, He defaulted to god’s will

Want some bread? No, I want the bread of life!

Prove to me You’re God’s Son! No, I will not test God for you!

Want all these kingdoms? No, I want God’s kingdom!

3. Jesus went to the Word

Don’t waste your time arguing with Satan, go right to the Word of God!

Satan has all sorts of vessels he uses

TV shows, your friends, social media, the news...

Don’t try to rationalize against what your seeing, trust God and His word

The word of God should infiltrate everything about is!

it should be present in our thinking, lifestyle, and decisions

You might be thinking, “Great! Tell me Pastor Dan, what verse do I need to know to resist temptation?”

I got an answer, you ready? I don’t have a clue!

We each have our own sins, seasons and struggles

The only way foe you to now what Scripture you need is to read Scripture yourself!

Facing temptation is each of our own personal battles

We come alongside each other, but you have to fight your battle with the help of Almighty God

That’s why Scripture has to be familiar to you

Conclusion

Temptation will always be something you face

But you can have victory over it

If you haven’t trusted Jesus, you’re in trouble

Now is that time:

Surrender yourself, accept His gift of salvation, then pick up His word and consume it with prayer and with fellowship

Jesus is the answer church - open the word of God, and let it change you - let it fight for you