There is a war going on in the wilderness.
• Satan is out to tempt Jesus and stop him from doing God’s will.
• Jesus defends himself with the only weapon He has – God’s Word.
• Three times He responded, “It is written.”
Satan is out to deceive, to lure man into doing things contrary to God’s ways.
• He did that to Adam and Eve right at the beginning of creation, in Genesis 3.
• And now he is doing it to Jesus. His agenda has not changed.
• He is doing that today, so that man does not know God’s way and God’s truth.
Jesus stands by the Word of God.
• Each time Satan fires suggestions at Him, Jesus responded with a greater force.
• He said, “It is written.” And that was enough. Satan was silenced.
• There is authority and power in the Word of God. Satan has nothing to counter the truth of God’s Word.
• All he can do is to deceive you. But the choice is ours. You can choose to believe what God says, or the lies you hear from Satan.
Jesus won this encounter solely by his trust in the Word of God.
• We have to do the same today. Our enemy Satan has not changed.
• He wants to distract us from God’s plan for us and tempt us to sin.
• Our only weapon is God’s Word. The Bible is our only defence.
The first thing we noticed is that Jesus was able to say “It is written.”
• To be able to say “It is written” is very important. We need to learn this.
I. Jesus Knows the Word of God
It is obvious that Jesus had been reading the Scriptures.
• Enough times for Him to recall them in a crisis moment like this.
• He remembers what He has read. And He was able to quote them.
• He was able to apply God’s Word for each temptation.
He must have been reading and studying the Scriptures, way before He steps into this wilderness, long before He encounters Satan’s attacks and temptations.
• He did not enter the wilderness with a bible scroll in hand.
• He was prepared. He remembers what God has said in the Scriptures.
• The Word of God has become a shield and strength for Him.
• We need to be prepared. Now is the time, not when the temptations come.
When we have the chance, we want to read, hear and study the Scriptures.
• God has chosen to reveal His ways and His plan for us through the Bible.
• We want to know what is true, what is right, what is God’s will for our lives.
• Otherwise we would be guessing. And we can easily be deceived.
We need to do that now, not later.
• It just like going for a First Aid course. We learn it before a need arises, not when an accident happens.
• We practice Fire Drill before a real fire takes place, not when it happens.
• When a crisis comes, you need to know what God says.
Build your life on the foundation of God’s Word.
• When the shaking comes, you will be able to stand firm.
• You will know what is good, what is right, what is true, what is God’s purpose for your life.
• It is time then to apply the Word of God, not a time to learn. We learn now.
The second thing we notice is this…
II. Jesus Believes the Word of God
Jesus did nothing but quoted the Scriptures. He believes it is absolutely true.
• Matt 4:4 Jesus said, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.�"
• He believes the Scriptures as a revelation of God, not mere words of men. It is the truth and not some good suggestions.
• Paul said, “All Scripture is inspired by God…” (2 Tim 3:16) NIV: God-breathed.
• What the Bible says is what God says.
Jesus says man live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
• Not part of the Bible, but the whole Scriptures being the very Word of God.
• In order words, to fully understand God’s will, we need the whole Scriptures – not just the OT alone or the NT alone, or certain pet topics or books.
• The whole Bible is the whole counsel of God.
Jesus quotes it because He believes in it.
• It is one thing to know the Word, it is quite another to believe it.
• We may know it and not believe in it.
• Paul describes it this way in Eph 6 (the armour of God): the Word of God is our sword, and faith in that Word is our shield.
Jesus was confronted with a choice – to believe what God says in the Scriptures, or what the devil suggests.
• He made the right choice and trusted God.
• Adam and Eve made the wrong choice in the Garden of Eden – they chose to believe the devil and rejected God’s Word.
• Let us learn from Jesus and be wise. The choice is ours. The choice is always ours. Can you trust what God says?
Jesus abides by what God says and obeys Him, without compromise.
• In the world we live today, most people do not believe there is an absolute standard for anything. They say, “Do whatever you feel is right.”
• This is very dangerous. Evil can be said as good, wrong can be treated as right.
• Man has been deceived. God has revealed the truth to us.
In science there are absolutes. Our entire universe is built on fixed laws.
• Where in biology or in engineering, there are unchangeable laws.
• Gravity is a fixed law. You may choose not to believe in gravity, but regardless of what you choose to believe, if you jump off a building you�ll fall to the ground.
• You don�t have an option. It�s not a question of what you believe; it�s a question of law. The law will go into effect when you put it to the test.
When we obey God’s Word, we will be blessed, because it is the truth.
• If you choose to go against His law, you are going to hurt yourself.
• Being sincere is not enough. You can be sincerely wrong or sincerely doing the wrong things.
• We need to get back to the truth of God’s Word and believe it.
Doubt is not something God puts in us.
• The Bible says in Rom 12:3 that God has given each of us a “measure of faith”.
• God has placed faith in our heart, but the devil tries to rob that faith by attacking us with doubt. He plants thoughts that are in opposition to the Word.
• This is why it is so important for us to know the Word of God.
• If we know the Word, then we can recognize his lies and will not be deceived.
Dear friends, God has already revealed to us in the Bible the true state of man.
• We are sinners in need of God’s help. Jesus came and rescued us from our sin.
• He died on the cross and rose again on the 3rd day, conquering death.
• But man needs to put their trust in Jesus Christ. He is the only Saviour God has prepared for us. No one else.
And lastly, we see…
III. Jesus Applies the Word of God
Jesus used God’s Word to counter Satan’s temptations.
• He did not defend with his own words or debate with the devil.
• Jesus did not say a magical formula. He did not try to speak words to condemn the devil. He just said what God said.
• We need to proclaim what God says. Each time we memorise and say out the Word of God, we are affirming what God says.
Jesus believes in the power of God’s Word.
• Each time He was challenged by the devil, His response was: “It is written.”
• Satan stands powerless in hearing God’s Word.
o When he says, “You are a failure and no one loves you,” you need to refute it with what God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer 31:3)
o If he says, “You are condemned and you are not saved,” you need to remember what the Lord says, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)
o If you are lonely and feel unwanted, hear what the Lord says, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:20)
We need to continually align ourselves with God�s truth, minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day.
• Truth is NOT how I perceive myself or my situation, but how God perceives me and the situation.
• We do not live on emotions; we live by the Word of God. Jesus says, “It is written, man live by the Word of God.”
• In order words, how we feel is not really that important, but what God’s Word says is.
The Bible is more than enough for us today. You do not need to add to it.
• The book of Revelation tells us (last few verses) we are not to add to it or remove any from it.
• We are to put your faith in God’s Word. Read it, believe it and apply it to our life.
Charles Spurgeon (great preacher in 18th Century England): “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
• The devil cannot fool someone who knows the Word of God.
• We cannot be easily deceived or defeated. The Psalmist says the one who meditates on God’s Word day and night “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)
• Satan is no match even for the weakest of saints who place his faith in the Word of God.
When you faced a difficulty or a situation, recall what God has said in the Bible.
• Find at least one passage in the Bible concerning your situation.
• Read it and meditate on it. Pray and seek God for the faith to trust Him.
A 91 year old lady reads the Scriptures regularly, but now her memory is failing her. Friends commented, “So what’s the use of all this reading when you cannot remember what you’ve read.” Her answer is always the same. “God has blessed me richly. I eat well and sleep well; I have a roof over my head. I am not concerned about my memory. I just do my reading and God does the remembering.”
She relies on God and not her natural ability to bring the Word back. The Lord says to His disciples in John 14:26 that “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
God will help us. But we need to know it, believe it and obey it.
