The Commission
Part 6 – The Temptation of Jesus
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org
WELCOME
INTRODUCTION TO SERMON
PRAYER FOR HOLY SPIRIT AND UNDERSTANDING
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 4:1 – 11
“1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
”‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ’Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’"
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT AND UNDERSTANDING
JESUS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
† AFTER THE BAPTISM JESUS WAS LEAD
o You cannot be led, if you do not have the Holy Spirit
o As soon as Jesus received, He was instructed by
o “Lead up” Greek Anago – means to sail away
o “into the wilderness” – perhaps somewhere close to Jericho
o “To be tempted of the devil” – Like Adam, He was to be tempted.
Hebrews 4:14
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
1 Corinthians 15:21 – 22
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
1 Corinthians 15:45
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
1 Corinthians 15:47
“The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”
† FASTING BEFORE SPIRITUAL BATTLE
o Three others fasted 40 days & nights in the Bible, Moses, Joshua & Elijah
o What is fasting? Weakens our flesh & strengthens the Holy Spirit in us
o Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to prepare for a spiritual battle by fasting
o The scriptures say “Afterward, He was hungry”, His flesh was FEELING the effects of the fast. He was not miraculously spared.
WHEN JESUS’ FLESH WAS WEAKEST, SATAN ATTACKED
o Just after the Bible tells us Jesus was hungry, the tempter (Satan) appears.
o Our temptations and battles in this world are not with flesh & blood
Ephesians 6:11 – 13
“Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
o Does not say “defeat” or “destroy” or “bind”
Matthew 16:19
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now, and believers hold the keys.
So what are we binding? It’s not Satan, or else he’d be bound by the countless Christians around the world and through the centuries binding him.
We are told what we have the power and authority to bind;
Luke 10:19
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
It’s not Satan we are binding, but his power…
His power and authority belong to his kingdom. We belong to the Kingdom of God, and Christ’s power and Authority rule us.
We bind the schemes, the plans, the attacks or effects of attacks which happen against us and others with the power and authority given to us by Christ Jesus.
We have “veto” power over Satan’s earthly rule.
And because we have the Holy Spirit, and the power and authority of the Kingdom of heaven, we can, as Ephesians says, we are able to “WITHSTAND” Satan’s attacks.
And when we continue to withstand his attacks, and bind those things he sets in motion, his attacks are defeated.
And when we continue to thwart all of his attacks, the Bible has another promise for believers.
James 4:7
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Jesus is our example, and He shows us what we just read in the Bible.
If you could bind Satan, Jesus would have just bound him and been done with it.
But that’s not what happened.
Jesus withstood Satan’s attacks, resisted Satan’s temptation, and Satan in the end did just as the scriptures say, he fled.
Satan will be bound though, by a mighty angel with a great chain.
Revelation 20:1 – 3
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
He will be bound by an Angel, for a thousand years, just after the Second Coming of Christ.
Jesus will come and rule, and we beside Him for a thousand years, then the devil will be loosed for judgment, and cast into Gehenna, the final eternal hell, with the false prophet and the antichrist, the fallen angels and all of those who believed not on the name of the Lord.
IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD…
1. MAKE STONES TO BREAD…
† SATAN TEMPTED JESUS’ FLESH
We know from the scriptures that Jesus was hungry.
The devil wanted to tempt Jesus’ flesh, as he does with all of us.
Nothing is more tempting to us carnally than food.
We feel the need for food from the time we are born. It is one of the most basic instincts God has placed within us.
† JESUS WITHSTANDS THE DEVIL
“We do not live by bread alone,”
Our physical bodies may, but we are more than that. And our spiritual bodies need food to live as well.
“…but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Jesus was letting the devil know, He was walking in the spirit, by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was in control. He was going to withstand the devils attacks because of the Holy Spirit.
But the devil doesn’t take a hint.
2. THROW YOURSELF DOWN…
† SATAN TEMPTED JESUS TO MISUSE WORD OF GOD
Oldest trick in the book, read a scripture out of context, then misapply it.
Cults do this all the time.
We sometimes do this to either clear our conscience about something we have done, or clear the way for something we want to do.
Sometimes we do it so the word looks like it lines up with what we believe instead of searching the word for the truth so we know what to believe.
EXAMPLE
“We can let poisonous snakes bite us, and drink strychnine because the scripture says in Luke 10:19 “…tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
First of all, the scriptures do not say to dance with snakes and drink poison!
Secondly, A handful of poisonous snakes and a bottle of liquid drain-o is NOT OUR ENEMY!!!!!
One of the devils favorite tools is taking scripture out of context and misapplying it!
In fact the scriptures warn us of this very thing!
Hosea 4:6
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
This is why it is so important to read the scriptures. How are you to know if someone is taking something out of context or misapplying the scripture if you do not know the scriptures?
And it is because of your lack of knowledge of the Word of God, you will be destroyed in this life.
† JESUS WITHSTANDS SATAN’S ATTACK
Jesus says, “It is written also, thou shalt not tempt the Lord your God.”
Tempting God is distrusting His word, or questioning His instruction. Not questioning it for better understanding, questioning it in the way to say, “Is this really what is best?”
This rebellious spirit comes from the heart, and no change in outward conditions will change what comes from the heart.
We see this in the children of Israel when they were in the desert for 40 years.
Because of their murmuring and constant questioning of God’s way, they were all to die in the wilderness, and were not allowed to see the promise land.
We should not tempt, or try to cause God to “prove” himself or His word.
Jesus says this to Satan, do not tempt the Lord your God.
3. I WILL GIVE YOU THE WORLD, IF YOU BOW DOWN TO ME…
† SATAN OFFERS THE DESIRE OF JESUS’ HEART
Satan tried to tempt Jesus flesh through His hunger.
He tried getting Jesus to tempt God to prove His Word.
Satan was running out of tricks.
So he tried to reason with Jesus.
He KNEW who Jesus was, even though he didn’t fully understand HOW God was going to accomplish getting humankind back.
So Satan tried to reason with our Lord.
Satan says, “You want the world back, and everything in it? Just bow to me and worship me as God and it will all be yours.”
The devil tempts us with “things” of the world daily.
He will promise whatever it takes, and sometimes even deliver, if you will just bow to him and worship him.
† JESUS ANSWERS
Jesus says, “Hit the road Satan! It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve!”
CLOSING / ALTAR CALL
† Have you received the Holy Spirit?
† Has He led you in a direction in your life?
† Are you obeying?
† Is the devil trying to stand in your way?
† Submit to the Lord, resist the devil and he will flee.
† Withstand the devils attacks because of the Armor of God from the Holy Spirit.
† Bind the attacks, and loose the blessings with your confessions.
If you need prayer, come forward.
