Greg Laurie - How to Resist Temptation (08/10/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie teaches from Luke 4 how Jesus effectively resisted temptation by quoting Scripture—"It is written"—facing the devil as a man empowered by God's Word. Temptation comes from our own desires, the world, flesh, and devil, often after blessings or when vulnerable, but God provides a way out. The key is staying in God's will, using the Bible as our sword, and having Christ living in us to stand against Satan.
Opening Prayer and Quick Poll on Temptation
Well, our message this evening has the title, How to Effectively Resist Temptation. Grab your Bible and turn to Luke chapter 4. Luke chapter 4. How to Effectively Resist Temptation. Why don't we pray together. Father, we pray that you will speak to us now as we think about the life you've called us to live and the challenges that we face and, yes, the temptations that are out there each and every day, help us as we look at Scripture to get a handle, an understanding on how to effectively resist it. You've told us in Scripture, if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Show us how that works. Speak to us from your word we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Okay, quick poll before we start. How many of you have ever been tempted to sin? Raise your hand. Raise your hand. How many of you have effectively resisted temptation? Raise a pure hand. Wow. I'd like to see a few more hands. I didn't say you resisted every time. I'm saying at least one time in your life you resisted it. Can we try it out again? Okay, that's much, much better. That was a little alarming for just a moment. Never.
Well, look. Everyone gets tempted. Even ministers heard a story of a pastor who parked his car in a no parking zone downtown. So he was making a hospital call. And he couldn't find a place to park. So he circled around multiple times. And finally he had to get in to see the person that requested him. So he parked his car in a no parking zone. And he put a note in his windshield wiper in case a police officer came along and he wrote down, I've circled the block ten times. I have an appointment to keep. Then he quotes a scripture. Forgive us our trespasses. And signed his name, pastor, whatever his name was. Right?
So he comes back after meeting with a person in the hospital and he finds that there is a ticket under his windshield wiper. I was pretty surprised by that. He looks at it for a moment and the officer wrote down these words. I have circled this block for ten years. If I don't give you a ticket, I lose my job. And then the officer quoted a passage too. Lead us not into temptation. So that is what I want to talk about. How to resist temptation.
Jesus' Temptation in Luke 4 – The Model for Us
This is a part of our series. As I said, the greatest stories ever told. We are looking at the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus at this little section. And at this point in his ministry, Christ is starting his public ministry. The Holy Spirit has come upon him in the form of a dove in the Jordan River as he is baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. And God says from heaven, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Wow. What a moment.
So what happened next? Interestingly, Jesus is immediately sent into the wilderness to be tempted. So you might say, after the dove came the devil. After the blessing came the temptation. But why was Jesus tempted? I mean, to get real technical here for a moment, did Jesus Christ have the capacity to sin? The answer is no he did not. But Greg, he was fully man. I know. But he was fully God too. That is hard to wrap your mind around, but it is what the Bible teaches. And the Bible specifically says that God cannot be tempted by evil. So God is untemptable, if you will.
So you might ask, well if that was true, if Jesus didn't have the capacity to give in to the sin, why does it even matter that he was tempted? Well, listen, he stood in our shoes, so to speak. He felt the presence and the pressure of temptation. Therefore, we can know that when we are tempted and we call out to him, he knows what we are going through. And we know that when we are tempted, he sympathizes with us.
Hebrews 4:15 says, This high priest of ours understands our weaknesses. He was facing all the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let's come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So why should I go boldly to the throne of grace? Because Christ knows what you are going through. He understands that temptation that you are facing.
Now here in Luke chapter 4, Jesus gives us a model to follow when we are tempted. He could have used his supernatural power to deliver himself out of this, but he faced it as a man. In other words, he occupied ground that we too can occupy.
Now listen, none of us enjoy being tempted. In fact, we would probably rather there was no temptation. But there is actually a blessing in getting through it. James 1:12 says, Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those that love him.
You know, it is hard to be tempted, but when you get through it, and you resist it, you say, Yes! You know, that is a great victory. And there is a blessedness in that when you have come through those times of temptation.
Blessings in Enduring Temptation
And those verses have a lot to say about temptation. Number one, it can be endured. Blessed is the man that endures temptation. Don't tell me your temptation was too hard to resist. There is no such thing. God will only allow what you can handle. He will not, according to 1 Corinthians 10:13, allow you to be tempted above your capacity to resist. So it can be endured.
Number two, if you do endure it, there is a reward waiting for you. Again, James 1:12, Blessed is the man that endures temptation. When he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life. And finally, there is happiness in it. Because you have gotten through that.
Martin Luther said, quote, One Christian who has been tempted is worth a thousand who haven't been. End quote.
So we are going to look at the following aspects of temptation. Number one, where does temptation come from? Number two, when does temptation usually come? Number three, how does temptation come? Number four, who does temptation come to? Number five, where is the best place to be when temptation comes? And number six, and finally, what is the primary weapon we should use when we are tempted? Does that sound interesting to you? Well, it better, because that is what we are going to do.
The Account of Jesus' Temptation – Luke 4:1-13
All right? So look at Luke chapter four, starting in verse one. Then, then, after the baptism, Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. It is interesting. It says he was led by the Spirit. Being tempted for forty days, raised by the devil. In those days he ate nothing. And afterwards, when they had ended, he was hungry.
And the devil said to him, If you were the Son of God, command the stone to become bread. But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written. Now if you've got a pen, I want you to take it out, and I want you to underline something in your Bible. Underline those words, It is written. There in verse four. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Then the devil, taking him up to a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world. In a moment of time, and the devil said, All this authority I will give you, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I can give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if you will worship before me, all will be yours. And Jesus answered and said, Get behind me, Satan, for it is written. Underline that again. You shall worship the Lord your God. Him only shall you serve.
Then he brought him to Jerusalem. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple. It said, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written. I want you to notice the devil is quoting the Bible. He will give his angels charge over you to keep you. And then their hands will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. And Jesus answered and said, It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.
Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Where Does Temptation Come From?
All right. Let's start with that first question. Where does temptation come from? Answer. We play a key role in our own temptation. You see, the devil needs our cooperation for us to give in. Where there is no desire on our part, then there is no temptation. It takes two to make a successful temptation, and you are one of the two.
James 1:14 says, Everyone is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. And when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.
Now in that particular passage, we have effectively the five steps of temptation. First there is the temptation itself. Each one is tempted. So temptation comes. It knocks on the door of your imagination. It has been said that opportunity knocks once, but temptation beats on the door every day. Isn't that true? Happens to the best of us. There is no exceptions. And there is no sin here either. It is not the bait that constitutes temptation. It is the bite. There is still a way out. So temptation comes. You have not done anything wrong. Don't feel bad about that. Just because you are tempted doesn't mean there is something wrong on your part. You can still get out of this.
So first it comes. Number two. It says, Then you are drawn away by your own desires. Now the problem is starting. So there is the bait. But I kind of want the bait. Maybe I even went out looking for the bait. And I actually went out looking for trouble. And I am drawn away. So this is sort of like taking it for a test drive. Okay. I have to time my shoe. This is going to drive me crazy. I have stepped on my own shoelace four times. This is going to be dealt with right now. Done. Okay. Sorry. While I was down there I wondered what else I could do while I was down there. Because there was nothing else to do. So we are done. Alright. Now you do not remember anything I said do you? You are running in your notes. Greg just tied his shoe. That made me really uncomfortable. No. Okay.
So you are taking it for a test drive. Now listen. Car dealers know this. They see you coming on the lot. They watch where you go. They pay attention to what you are looking at. And then they walk up next and say, So what do you think of this car? Oh I like it. It looks good. Yeah. So what would it take to get you to buy this car? Oh I don't know. I am just looking. I would like to take it for a test drive. Once they have you in that seat they know they have a good chance of getting you.
So the devil comes along and says, Hey check this out. Oh no. I don't want it. Oh just check it out. No I am not interested. Want to take it for a test drive? Say what is a test drive? How about this. An evil thought knocks on the door of your imagination. Instead of rejecting it outright you invite it in for a little cup of tea. Oh I will just turn it around a little bit. Kind of a fun little thought. What if this happened? What if I did that? You know just for fun. See you are in trouble already. You get it? Because you are drawn away by your own desires.
Now you are almost hooked. Verse 14 again of James 1. You are drawn away by your own desires and you are enticed. So the will is weakening. The temptation is getting stronger. You are thinking. Processing. Considering. There is still a way out. But it is getting harder now. Because you really kind of want this.
Now the hook is set. Verse 15 there of James 1. And when desire is conceived it gives birth to sin. So now the evil thought has been acted upon. The sin is conceived. The process is in full swing. And bam you have done it. Either you have done it in an act or you have done it in your mind.
Here is the thing. It is not just enough to say I did not commit this sin outwardly. Jesus said you have heard that it has been said you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you if you look on a woman with lust in your heart you have committed adultery. So it becomes a mental sin. You see. So then there is the guilt. And then there is the deadness. And then there is the regret. And then the effects of sin kick in. Verse 15. Sin when it is full grown brings forth death. The soul that sins shall surely die.
You know little temptations can seem innocent. Almost harmless. You know like little kittens are so cute. Right? Oh the little kitten. Then they turn into cats. Right? And then you become a cat person. Right? With a hundred cats in your house. Sorry to throw the cats under the bus but they deserve it.
So here is what we need to think about. We as Christians have three enemies we contend with. Three enemies. Here they are. The world, the flesh, and the devil. Let us say those out loud. The world, the flesh, and the devil. Those are the enemies we contend with every single day. The world, and I will define that in a moment, with its allure, is the external foe. The flesh, with its evil desires, is the internal foe. And then Satan, with its enticements, is the infernal foe.
There is a term that you hear sometimes. Frenemies. Ever heard that before? It is not a friend. It is not an enemy. It is a frenemy. So maybe you are at odds with each other. But periodically you get together because it serves both of your purposes. My concern is some Christians have become frenemies with the world.
Defining "The World" in Scripture
But what is the world? I think sometimes Christians get really confused about this. Because they think anything that is happy or enjoyable is the world. Man, that was a great meal, wasn't it? That is worldly. Don't say that. No, shut up. You can enjoy a great meal. Oh, what a beautiful sunset. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Oh, please. You do not know what you are talking about. The Bible says God has given us all things to richly enjoy. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a good health and a fine meal and something beautiful. Of course, that is not to enjoy sinful things, but things that are wholesome and uplifting. It is great to enjoy them. A great song, something. You enjoy it. That is a good thing. See? But that is not what the Bible is speaking of when it speaks of the world. That is the earth. And guess what? God created the earth. And even in its fallen state, it still reflects His glory.
No. When the Bible speaks of the world, it is speaking of something different. It is not the globe. It is not the planet. It is a mentality. It is a system. It is a way of thinking. 1 John 2:15 defines it. Don't love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world.
That is the world. Here is a modern translation that might help. Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world, wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important, has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him. The world in all of its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out. But whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
So that's the world, you see, with its allure. And then there's our own nature. Jesus told us from within, out of the heart of man, that's what defiles a man. We are drawn to those things.
I think I have told you the story before of the scorpion and the tortoise. As you probably know, scorpions can't really swim. So a scorpion wanted to cross a pond. He found a rather unsuspecting tortoise laying out in the sun and asked him if he would give him a lift. Now this is a true story. So the scorpion asked the tortoise for a lift. And the tortoise responded, are you joking? That just seems to me to be a tortoise voice. The tortoise continues on, you would sting me and I would drown. And then the scorpion responds, my dear tortoise. Seems he would have a British accent. I don't know why. If I were to sting you, you would drown and I would go down with you. Now tell me, where is the logic in that? Well you got a point there, said the tortoise. Hop on.
So they are making their way across the pond. And the scorpion takes out his stinger, aims it, puts it in the tortoise and gives him everything he has. Now the tortoise realizes he is going to drown. Now, turning back to the scorpion, he says, I have a question to ask you. Yes. Can I... There was no logic in stinging me. Why did you do it? And then the scorpion says, my dear tortoise, it has nothing to do with logic. It is just my nature.
That is not a joke. So, you weren't supposed to laugh. It is making a point. It is his nature. It is the nature of a scorpion to sting, you see. And that is our nature. That is the problem. The old nature. That is drawn to these things.
James 1:13 says, Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted by God. God can't be tempted with evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. Sometimes we blame God. It is God's fault. God gave me more than I can handle. No, no, no. It was you. You have that inward vulnerability.
When Does Temptation Usually Come?
Alright. So, when does temptation generally come? When does it come? Well, let us just say it comes at inopportune times, doesn't it? Often after times of great blessing. Now, what just happened to Jesus here? Well, He was baptized in the Jordan River. And God's Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove. It was a glorious moment. And now comes the attack, if you will. So don't be surprised if you have spent an evening in church studying the Bible and worshiping. And as you are walking out, just rejoicing in the Lord, that bam, you get hit with a heavy duty temptation. You say, What is that all about? That is the way it works. Because sometimes you lower your guard. You say, Well, you know, I don't think I have given any temptation now after getting into God's Word. No, you can be very vulnerable.
Often temptations and attacks come after mountaintop experiences. We all remember that story of when Jesus was transfigured on the mountaintop with Moses and Elijah. And again, God the Father spoke and said, This is my beloved Son. Hear Him. It's interesting. In both of those attacks, God the Father spoke. And as they descended, What is waiting for the Lord at the bottom of the mountain? But a demon possessed child. See, whenever God speaks, the devil will be there to oppose.
So maybe our guard is down. Going back to history, we are told that when Hitler invaded the European nations during the early years of World War II, in almost every situation, he attacked on a weekend. Because Hitler knew that the various parliaments would not be in session, making it more difficult to react swiftly to an invasion. The same thing happened to Israel in 1973 on Yom Kippur, their Day of Atonement, their highest holy holiday. They were attacked. Egypt and Syria attacked Israel, backed by the Soviet Union. But the Israelis, because God had grace on them, were able to turn back their enemies. And not only that, but to even gain some ground.
So that is the devil. He waits for a vulnerability. He waits for when your guard is down. When you think it is not going to happen. And he is going to hit you with everything he has got. So even if you have reached great heights in your spiritual life, know this. You are never going to outgrow being tempted. So be careful.
Because we might be feeling pretty proud. He am done pretty well. I can't remember the last time I sinned. You probably just sinned when you said that. It is just a different kind of sin. Oh I pride myself. I didn't do anything bad. I didn't say anything bad. I have been very good. I have been so awesomely good. I may be the best person anywhere. In fact I am God's gift. Now you are full of pride you idiot. And that is a sin too. And the Bible says pride goes before a fall.
Where was this first sin committed? In the Garden of Eden? No. The first sin was committed, not on earth, but in heaven. By Lucifer, the son of the morning. Who said, I want to be like God. I will rule in heaven. And of course he lost his once exalted position. So the first sin ever committed was committed by Lucifer later to become Satan. Lucifer meant the son of the morning, which he once was. And then he became Satan, which means the accuser of the brothers, which he now is. So pride goes before a fall.
Who Does Temptation Come To?
Number three. Who does temptation come to? Well in a broad sense, everyone is tempted. But let me make this distinction. The devil often focuses his attacks on those who are young in the faith and those who are making a difference in the kingdom.
Think about when you first became a Christian. Maybe some of you are young believers still. But when you first became a follower of Jesus, the devil hit you. He tried to talk you out of it. He tried to tempt you out of it. He tried to get you away from your Christian friends and get you away from the Word of God. You remember that.
Well now maybe a number of years have passed and you have known the Lord for many, many years. But if you are serving God, if you are out there trying to make a difference for a time and eternity, you better know that the devil is going to hit you because he wants to stop you.
Van Sabner, the old country preacher said, if you have not been to the devil sifter, you are probably not worth sifting. End quote. Or as I said earlier, if you can't remember the last time you have been tempted, you are either dead or you are worthless. The devil saves his venom. He saves his ammo for those who are a threat. If you are not a threat, he won't bother with you. And that doesn't say much about you as a Christian.
But if you would tell me, Greg, I get tempted all the time, well that is not necessarily a bad thing.
How Does Temptation Come?
How does temptation come? Number four. How does it come? In most cases it comes to the doorway of the mind. To the mind. 2 Corinthians 11:3. Paul says, I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent s cunning, your mind should be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
When those flaming arrows of ungodly thoughts come and our guard is down, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:4, we use God s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning. We capture those rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
I have storage in my computer, like you probably have, and I have been known to fill my storage. Because I take lots of pictures and I keep them all on my computer. And I am told, put them on a separate hard drive. Well I like them on my computer. Because I like to look at the pictures. Because a lot of them, if not almost all of them, are of my family. So I just look at these pictures and friends and enjoy them. But my hard drive is full. Just the other day I was trying to save a document. Your hard drive is full. So I have a problem. I have to dump some stuff.
In the same way, wouldn't it be a great thing if the devil is coming with this illicit thought and he comes knocking at the door and he gets a little message. The hard drive is full with the Word of God. No room for your stuff. Don't even bother. But far too often we have a lot of storage available. And we are willing to entertain those thoughts.
So it comes in the mind. And that is why you rule thoughts out. No, I am not going to think about that. No, that is not an acceptable thought. Paul says in Philippians, Whatsoever things are true and lovely and are virtuous and are of good rapport, think on these things. Think about things that will build you up. Not on things that will tear you down.
Now the problem is we do a little window shopping. I heard a story of a woman who. had a problem with, well, spending too much money at the mall. And so she said to her husband, I am going down to the South Coast Plaza. She says, Why are you going there? She goes, I am just going to, you know, look at things. No, no, no, no. You can't go. Because every time you do that, you come home with three or four bags full of stuff. Don't go. She goes, No, I will just look. I will just browse. No, no browsing. She goes, I won't buy anything. Okay. So we let her go. So she goes down to the mall and she is walking around. She returns a little bit later that evening with a very expensive dress. He says, You told me you wouldn't buy anything. She says, I know, I know. But I have to tell you what happened. I am walking down the mall. And I see a cute dress in the window. And so I walk in and yes, I did try it on. Just wanted to see how it looked with no intention of buying it. And the devil appeared to me. The husband said, Wait, did Satan himself appear to me? And he looked at me and he said, That dress looks good on you. The husband said, You should have said, Get behind me, Satan. She said, I did. And then he said, It looks good from the back too, you know. That is not a true story. Okay.
How many of you have heard that joke before? Raise your hand. How many of you have not heard that joke before? How many of you who have heard it liked hearing it again? Raise your hand. Not as many. How many of you thought it was funny? How many of you are tired of raising your hand? Okay.
Where Is the Best Place to Be When Temptation Comes?
Number five. Where is the best place to. Listen to this now. You might say, in church? Well listen. In the will of God. That is the place to be. Scripture tells us Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Then he was tempted by the devil. Now Jesus was always in the will of God. But to make a point, he was going where God led him to go. And in this case it was in the wilderness. He was in God's will.
Far too often we are out of the will of God, bringing temptation upon ourselves unnecessarily. If it is not bad enough just in life in general, with the temptations that come our way, we go out of our way to go to the wrong places and hang out with the wrong people at the wrong time. And then we are shocked when we do the wrong thing. Why is that? Come on, think about it. Be in the will of God.
Remember old Peter who denied the Lord. Where did it happen? It happened when he was isolated from the other believers and he was warming himself outside of the high priest's home. There by a fire. Caiaphas' home. Hanging around with a bunch of mockers and unbelievers. And there in the glow of the fire he denied three times that he knew Jesus Christ. Why? Because Peter was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people and he did the wrong thing.
So don't be shocked when you go to that party with a bunch of people, you know, drinking and using drugs that you are getting tempted. Duh! Don't be shocked that when you go out with your girlfriend and you rent a hotel room and lay down on the bed together, you are getting tempted. Duh! Don't be shocked when you go out on the Internet and you look at a porn site and you are getting tempted. Please! Be in the will of God.
If you stay away from those things, I am not saying temptation will go away. But I am saying you won't live under that unnecessary pressure that you bring upon yourself. See? So Jesus was in the will of God.
The Three Temptations Examined
Now here is an interesting thing. Look at verse 3. The devil says if you are the son of God, command the stone to become bread. So Satan is saying, hey, you know, it is just kind of eavesdropping on this whole thing where you are baptized there in the Jordan River. And the father said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Okay. Since you are the son of God. And by the way the word if could be translated since. So the devil wasn't really challenging if Jesus was the son of God. He was saying, hey, since you are the son of God, why don't you command these stones to become bread?
Jesus responded and said, it is written. And I want you to notice this. Jesus is facing him as a man. Now Jesus is God, right? So he could have banished Satan. He is the one person who could say to the devil, go to hell. The devil would have to obey. That is the kind of authority Jesus has. Or he could have airlifted himself out of that situation. He could have thought, I don't want to be here with him. I am going to go somewhere else. Maui. There he is. No. He stood there as a man. He did not use his supernatural power. He gave us the model to follow when we get tempted. And what does he do? He uses the word of God. I will come to that in a moment.
But what is he being tempted to do? He is being tempted to turn a rock into a piece of bread. Why would that be tempting? Because he was hungry. He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He wasn't just hungry. He was starving to death. Listen. Don't let a man get hungry. It gets ugly. You know, we guys... We are not real complex, okay? Just feed us when we are hungry. Everything will go a whole lot better for you. And here is Jesus way beyond that. In fact, he is starving to death.
And really the temptation, in effect, is to place the physical drive before a spiritual need. In other words, let your physical drive overrule what is right spiritually. The devil comes to us and says, Hey, you know, don't worry about the long term repercussions of sin. Come on. You are young. Have fun. Enjoy the moment. Satisfy yourself. Play now. Pay later.
How does Jesus respond? Men shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. Jesus is saying, in effect, listen. You need to have your life in a proper balance. There is nothing wrong with eating food. Right? It is okay to eat food. Well, we should eat to live. We should not live to eat. It is okay to have stuff, but stuff should not have you. So the temptation is to take spiritual things and give them a second position to physical things. Where it is all about your drives. It is all about your appetites. No, no. Put the spiritual over the physical.
Now the bait in the second temptation is really interesting. Because the devil was effectively offering Christ a shortcut around the cross. The devil makes an amazing statement. He says in verse 5, He takes him to a high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. You wonder what that was all about. Hey, this is all my stuff, Jesus. Maybe the kingdoms of the day. Here is Rome. Here is Egypt. Maybe it was in the future. Here is New York City. Here is Paris. Here is Las Vegas. All this is mine. I own everything. I can give it to whoever I want to give it to.
This is what U2 is singing about in the song Vertigo. When Bono sings, All of this. All of this can be yours. All of this. All of this can be yours. Just give me what I want. And no one gets hurt. Right? Hello. Hello. That part. Okay. That is what that song is about. He is quoting the devil. And that is what the devil is doing to Jesus. I will give it all to you right now.
Now, was Satan accurate in making this statement? Actually, he was. Though he is the father of lies, sometimes he tells the truth. This is one of those times. All the kingdoms of the world are effectively under his control. The Bible says he is the God of this world. He is the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. So, he is sort of in control of this world system I mentioned earlier.
Why did Jesus come? He came to die on the cross and purchase back that which was lost in the garden of Eden. So, here is what the devil is saying. I know why you are here, Jesus. You want to give back that which was lost. You effectively want the title deed of the earth. And I will tell you what, buddy. I will give it to you on a silver platter. You can have it. No cross. No blood. No bearing the sin of the world. You can have it. All you have to do is just worship me. Give me the satisfaction of being worshipped. If you will bow down and worship me, I will give it to you.
Now this is interesting. Verse 8. Jesus says, Get behind me, Satan. For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God. In him only shall you serve. Wait a second. And the devil did not say, serve me. The devil said, worship me. Bow down and worship me and I will give it to you. But Jesus said, only serve the Lord. Worship and serve the Lord. Why did he say that? Because Jesus recognized a moment of worship can lead to a lifetime of service.
You know, you try that thing just one time. That is the devil's line. Just try it one time. You don't ever have to do it again. Just once. Look at it once. Taste it once. Try it once. Because he knows once you taste it, then you are going for it. You know, it was not that long ago at Krispy Kreme Donuts. Not a good place to go. Do you know they give you the first donut free? Why do you think that is? Because they just love us at Krispy Kreme Donuts? No, because they know once you have a hot glazed donut, that has come down that little conveyor belt. And you can eat it effectively in one gulp. You are going to want twelve more. They know that. Just give them one.
The devil says just try it one time. Just a little bite. And then you can stop if you want. But then you don't want to stop. So that is why even starting down these roads can be so dangerous.
Now we come to the final temptation of Jesus. The last temptation of Christ, if you will. Look at verse 9. He brought him to Jerusalem. Sent him on the pinnacle of the temple. And he said, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written. Now the devil is quoting the Bible. He will give his angels charge over you to keep you. And in their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
So yes, the devil reads the Bible. I think you might be surprised to know how well the devil knows the Bible. And if I were to interview Satan, I would never want to do that. But if I were. And I were to ask him some questions, you might be surprised at how orthodox he is.
You say, what do you mean by that? Well, if I asked the devil, Okay, Satan, I have a question for you. Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? What do you think he would say? Yes. I hate every word of it. But I know it is the Word of God. Hey Satan, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? God in human form? Again, he would say yes. He effectively says it right here in this temptation. Since you are the Son of God. Remember the demons that Jesus cast out of the demon possessed person and sent him to the pigs. The demons said, hey, don't send us to the pit before our time. Jesus, Son of God. They knew that.
So, if I were to say to Satan, hey devil, do you believe Jesus Christ is coming back again soon? He would say, yes I do. And that is why I am wrecking as much havoc as I can until that day. See, he would be orthodox in that sense. Not a believer, but he would know what is true. In fact, the Bible even says that demons believe and tremble. They know what is true.
So, my point is simply that the devil reads the Bible, but he reads it to misquote it. And if you don't know the Bible well, you can be misled. If you look at any religious cult today, they will come. They have memorized their little group of Bible verses to prove their false doctrine. And if you don't know the context of those verses and what the Bible teaches, you can be sucked in to these false teachings.
Understand, the devil doesn't always just come in depravity and darkness. Sometimes he comes as an angel of light. And he comes through false teaching. And the Bible tells us in the last days there will come false teachers drawing people after themselves who have an itch for novelty. And they will tell them what they want to hear. And the way to counteract that, Scripture says, to those of us who are called to preach, preach the Word. Be instant in season and out of season. And the best way I know of to prepare you for that and to equip you for that is to have you conversant with the teaching of the Bible. So when something false comes along, you will know the difference between what is true and what is not true.
But here is an interesting twist on this little temptation. Satan quotes the Scripture, but he left out something. Satan is quoting Psalm 91. Psalm 91 says, He will give his angels charge over you to keep you in all of your ways. And in their hands they will bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone. That is the part the devil left out. To keep you in all of your ways. So he says, hey, the Bible says that the angels will take care of you. They will keep you. But he left out the part in all of your ways.
Why did he leave it out? Because if you look at it contextually, here is what it is saying. It is saying, when you are in the will of God, you do not have to be afraid. You see, you can trust the Lord. So you don't have to get up every morning. I might die today. Yeah, you might. But not if God does not want you to. Because your days are numbered. You see. And the Lord knows the date of your birth and the date of your death. And you can be confident in Him. And so you do not have to live in fear and trepidation and anxiety and apprehension. Because your times, the Bible says, are in His hands. And I believe that the Christian is indestructible until God is done with them.
And by the way, in Mark 16 when it says they will take up deadly serpents and it will not harm them, that doesn't mean you should go to church services and handle rattlesnakes. And I think there is a program on TV now about that. And I am just telling you that is so insane. Because that is testing the Lord. And some of these people have died being bitten by a venomous snake.
So say, well, what does that verse mean? Well, let us go back to the story of Paul when he was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. He was warming himself by the fire and a venomous viper fastened himself to Paul's arm. Paul looked at it, shook it off into the fire. Everyone is waiting for him to die. He didn't die. And they all said, He is a God! Well, He wasn't a God. He was a man of God. And God wasn't done with him yet. So that is what that verse meant. Or drink of a deadly poison. That doesn't mean I go out and drink strychnine or play with venomous snakes. It means even if I were bitten by a snake or drank poison or there was a threat in my life or whatever it might be, if it is not my time, I am not going anywhere.
But there is a difference between trusting the Lord and testing the Lord. Taking unnecessary risks. And really that is what Satan is saying to Jesus. Hey, just jump off of the angels and catch you. And Jesus puts it in context saying, You shall not test the Lord your God.
The Primary Weapon Against Temptation
Now finally, what is the primary weapon we should use to resist temptation? Now this is important. Answer. The Word of God. As I said earlier, Jesus occupied ground that we too can occupy. Go back to verse 12 again. He said, It is written. He said that over and over again. It is written.
So let's think for a moment about the armor of God. Remember in Ephesians 6, Paul said, Put on the armor of God. And as he wrote that, he was probably looking at a Roman soldier. Because he would be chained to soldiers. So what does that do? He had a lot of time to talk. You know, they had their helmets and they had their breastplate. And they had their belt. Kind of a utility belt. And they had their boots with the little cleats in them to give them firm-footedness. And they had their short sword for up-close combat. They had their longer sword. Sometimes they would have a spear depending what they did. They would have a small shield for close fighting. They would have a bigger shield like the size of a door when they were marching into battle.
So the Romans had a lot of tools and a lot of weaponry to deal with. And so Paul talked about that. He said, Okay, now you know the helmet. That is sort of like salvation. Put on the helmet of salvation. And put on the breastplate. That is like righteousness. Put on that breastplate of righteousness protecting your vital organs. And, hey, have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. You know, put your gospel boots on as you gain ground.
But then he says, And take the sword of the Spirit which is what? The Word of God. Now of all those items I have just mentioned, how many of those are offensive and how many are defensive? In other words, when you go into battle as a Roman soldier, do you attack your enemy with your helmet? Do you take your helmet off and beat your enemy? No. You leave your helmet on. Do you attack your enemy with your boot or your sandal? No, you do not. Do you attack him with a shield? No. You defend yourself with a shield. You have one offensive weapon. What is it? The sword.
Okay, now coming back to temptation. How do I defend myself? God has given me one primary weapon, which is the Word of God. You say, well, I don't understand what that means. What it means is there is power in God's Word.
Psalm 119 verse 9 says, How can a young man cleanse his way? Answer. By taking heed according to your Word. Interesting. It is addressed to a young man. If you are young, how can you live a pure life? Listen to what the Word of God says.
Psalm 119 verse 11. Your Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. What does that mean? It means to memorize the Bible. You say, I can't, Craig. I'm not good at memorizing things. Oh, stop. You are too. Without even knowing you, I know you have all kinds of stuff memorized right now. You have stupid songs memorized. You have commercial jingles memorized. You remember trivia about some celebrity or some sports figure. You have all kinds of stuff in the memory banks of your mind because that stuff interests you so you filled your mind with those things.
I'm telling you, open up some storage for the Word of God and put it in there. I have verses today floating around in my brain that I memorized at the age of seventeen. Verses that have stayed with me all those years.
You say, well, I still don't understand how this works. Okay. The devil comes to you. And he tempts you. And you give in to the temptation. And then he says, you are a hypocrite. You are not a Christian. You are condemned. God will not hear your prayers. How do you respond to that? Well, I guess I am done. No. You come back. You come back with the Word of God. You pull out the sword in effect. And you say, it is written. 1 John 1:9. If we will confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So you are a liar because I just confessed my sin and God has forgiven me.
The devil says, oh no. God condemns you. No. You are wrong again. It is written. Romans 8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
The devil whispers in your ear. You know, you are not going to make it. I am going to get you. I am taking you down. You will fall again. You say, it is written. John 10:28. Jesus speaking. I will give them eternal life and they will never perish. Neither will any man pluck them out of my hand.
It is written. 1 Philippians 1:6. Being confident of this very thing. That he which hath begun a good work in you will complete it under the day of Jesus Christ.
You quote that scripture. Listen. You quote it out loud if you need to. You say it so the devil hears it. And so you hear it. You verbalize it. It is written. People think I am crazy. I don't care.
How about this one. When tragedy hits. The devil says God has abandoned you. Your life is over. Wrong again. It is written. Romans 8:28. For we know that God causes all things to work together for good. To those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
The devil says to you after a loved one dies. They are gone. You will never see them again. You say you are wrong. It is written. Jesus said. I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me though he were dead. Yet shall he live. And whosoever lives in him shall never die.
And so you know these are verses that I have quoted. Because I have been hit with doubts. You see. I went to visit the grave of my son a while back. And I sat there on a little bench we put there. And you know to see the name of your son. With the date of his birth. And the date of his death. It is just heartbreaking. You never get used to it. And you just look at... And I just thought I will never see him again. I am never going to see him again. And then I just started preaching to myself. I said now Greg listen to me. Jesus said. And I said it out loud. I actually sometimes even tell myself to shut up. Greg shut up and listen. Now you might think I am crazy for doing that. But I am telling you there is power in the word of God. There is power in it. Not just when you preach to others. But sometimes when you preach to yourself. So you need to know the word of God. And this is what Christ was doing. He was showing us how to use the sword when attacks come.
This is the hope of the Christian. Now verse 13 of Luke 4 it says. And the devil ended every temptation and departed from him. Does it say forever? No. Until an opportune time. Oh he will be back. I will be back. Yes. He will wait for that moment. He will be back. But God will be with us. And we will have our swords sharp. And we will have our armor on. And we will seek to be in the will of God. And we will be ready. And God won't give us more than we can handle. Okay.
So listen. Let's wrap this up. The Christian. The Christian has the way to resist the devil. Listen. The devil. He is so powerful. Powerful. Powerful. Angelic being. I am no match for him. But Christ is more than a match for him. Because greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.
So when the devil comes knocking on my door, I will just say, Jesus, would you mind getting that? Because I can't. I can't face him. But Christ can. That is the hope of the Christian.
But the non-Christian doesn't have that hope. They have no protection against the devil. Being a religious person won't help you. Having a crucifix hanging around your neck will not help you. Holy water won't keep him from coming. Hanging garlic around your neck. That will keep your friends away. But it won't keep the devil away.
The only defense against Satan is Christ living in you. Let me take this a step further. If you don't have Christ living in you, friend, you are a sitting duck. It is almost like you have a bullseye painted on your chest. You look like the Target store. Here I am. Hit me. Because what do you have to stop him? Your morality? Your religion? You have nothing. And it is scary really. Because when you think about people being demon possessed. And the Bible teaches people have been and people can be. And I believe there are people that are, you know, controlled by the devil. I think some are seduced by the devil. But I have met people that actually think demons are living inside of them. They are so evil. They are so deranged. They are so wicked. There is no other explanation, humanly speaking.
And you say, well, how do you stop that from happening? You have a full time resident. That is how. When Christ lives in you, there is no room for any demons coming in. Jesus is not into a... That is right. Jesus is not into a timeshare program. Okay? When he comes and takes residence in your heart, he is a sole occupant. So when he is living in you, you do not have to be afraid. But if he is not living in your heart, the devil can come and manipulate you. He can seduce you. He can deceive you. And yes, in some cases, he can even possess you.
And so, I would suggest to you strongly that you get right with God. Because temptation will come. And you know, honestly, before I was a Christian, I did not really deal much with temptation. I just saw temptation as opportunity. You know? Oh, this will be fun. Let us do this. I never thought of it as something to resist. But after I put my faith in Christ, I realized it was right and wrong. It was good and evil. And I wanted to do what God wanted me to do. But those temptations came. And you need Christ living inside of you right now.
You say, well, how does that happen? Well, you have to admit you are a sinner. Because we have all sinned. You need to understand that Jesus Christ died on that cross for you. You see, the reason he did not take Satan's bait and bow down to him and get the kingdoms of this world back is because he knew the only way he could purchase my salvation and your salvation was by going to a cross and dying for the sin of the world. The Bible says, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. Jesus said to atone for us. He knew there was no other way. That is why he said no to the devil and yes to the Father. And went through with the cross and died in our place. And Rose again from the dead.
And now he is here with us standing at the door of your life and knocking. And he is saying that if you will hear his voice and open the door, he will come in.
So have you asked Christ to come into your life yet? Do you have certainty that he is living in you? You say, well, Greg, I am a religious person. I didn't ask if you are religious. I asked if Christ is living inside of you. Well, Greg, I believe I am a Christian. I am an American. Sorry. I am glad you are an American. I am proud to be an American. Amen. As the song says. But that won't get you to heaven either.
There has to be a moment when you say, Lord, I am sorry for my sin. Jesus, come into my life. And if you will do that, he will forgive you. He will take residence in your heart. And you will no longer have to fear the devil taking over your life. Because Christ will be the Lord and Savior.
Invitation and Closing Prayer
So if you have not done that yet, why don't you do it right now as we close in prayer. Let's all bow our heads for a prayer, if you would please. Everybody praying. Father, I pray now for those that have joined us. And those that are watching and listening. Who may not yet know you. Lord, would you help them to see their need for Jesus Christ. And help them to come to you. We pray.
Now, while our heads are bowed. And our eyes are closed. And we are praying. How many of you would say tonight, Greg, I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want him to forgive me of my sin. I want to know that when I die, I will go to heaven. I don't want to be a prey to Satan. I want Christ to be my Lord and my Savior. Pray for me right now. If that's your desire, if you want your sin forgiven, if you want Jesus to come into your life, Would you lift your hand up right now? Lift your hand up and I'll pray for you. God bless you. Lift your hand up. You want Christ to come into your life. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand up now. I'll pray for you. God bless you. Maybe you've been under the power of some addiction, some vice, a lifestyle you can't break free from. You've tried and you've tried. I'm telling you, the devil's got a hold of you and Christ can break it. And he can change you and he can set you free. But you have to reach out and say, God help me. He won't force his way into your life. He stands at the door and knocks. You have to open the door, so to speak, and invite him in.
Anybody else want to invite Jesus in their life? Raise your hand up right now and I'll pray for you. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand now if you want Christ to come into your life. All right. All of you that have raised your hand, if you would, please, I want you to stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer of commitment to Jesus. Just stand up. That's right. Stand up. You heard me right. Wherever you are, stand up and I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Others are standing. You won't be alone. Just stand up. Other people are standing right now. And I'm going to lead you in this prayer that you will pray right where you are. Anybody else? Stand up and I'll lead you in this prayer. God bless you that are standing. Anybody else? Stand now. There might be a few more of you. If you need to stand, stand now. God bless you. One final A little moment. Stand up now. God bless you.
You that are standing, and you that are watching this, you can pray this same prayer. And God will hear you. So as I pray this prayer, pray it out loud after me. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Alright? Pray this with me now if you would. Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. But you died on the cross for my sin. I turn from that sin now. I choose to follow you, Lord. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my God. Be my friend. I invite you into my life now. Thank you for forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.