Sermon Central
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Jesus Versus Satan Series
Contributed by Scott Maze on Jun 11, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: There was a great deal at stake in the desert. Had Jesus lost to Satan here, God’s whole plan to save humanity would have been destroyed.
Yet, many people want to know, why doesn’t God stop Satan now? Or 1,000 years ago? Why does God continue tolerate Satan? Is Jesus not stronger than the Devil? Yes, He is ten million times stronger than the devil. Luke leaves this detail out but Matthew tells us: “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’’” (Matthew 4:10).
Satan, like the dog outside on a leash in the yard, goes no further than his Master permits him. Notice Satan leaves when Jesus tells him to go. “the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
Again, telling you that all of life is war against Satan is depressing and morose. Yet, my honesty is a frank admission of what we’re up against but it’s also one of my most hopeful statements you’ll encounter.
3. The Power of the Bible
Satan confronts Jesus with three temptations in the story. In each of the three, Jesus fends off Satan’s blows by quoting Scripture. Jesus specifically quotes the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. This is significant. The Perfect Man is giving us a powerful strategy to fend off evil here.
The Perfect Man stayed perfect by virtue of His knowledge of the Bible. Sometimes you’ll watch Bible teachers say, “Quote a verse, tell him to go.” Satan will not go by simply quoting verses. Satan doesn’t just leave Jesus because He hears Scripture. As I said just a few minutes ago, even Satan quotes (and twists) Scripture for his purposes in our story. So it’s not like, “Oh, I heard Deuteronomy, now I HAVE to go.” I don’t have time to camp here but You must know, live, and love the Scripture if you’re going to gain traction in the fight against evil. Scripture is the first of two powerful tools God gives us to fight temptation.
4. The Pursuit of the Spirit
The second tool we’re given to fight temptation in addition to the Bible is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third of three characters in the desert. The Holy Spirit is a “He” and not an “It.” Throughout the pages of the Bible, the Holy Spirit hears, speaks, convinces, guides, teaches, commands, helps, and prays. So the Holy Spirit is a “He.”
Note that today’s passage is framed by the Spirit’s actions. You see the Holy Spirit’s action at the beginning: “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness…” (Luke 4:1). It’s important to say: Jesus’ exposure to temptation was not His fault; it was God’s design. It’s not a sin to be tempted by evil. Even Jesus was tempted.
What was the Jordan? It was the place of Jesus’ baptism and it was there that the Holy Spirit to anoint Him for ministry. So the Spirit was with Jesus before His encounter with Satan in the desert. “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country” (Luke 4:14).
