SATAN’S FISHING TRIP
ALLAN H. KIRCHER
www.planttheseedministries.org
I have Satan’s name up here, by no means to glorify him, but we do need to recognize as Christians that he is our Lord and Savior’s arch enemy.
Satan is prevalent in our lives in a daily basis. We need to know how to claim victory in Jesus in order to win the battle against Satan.
Sin and Satan have been around since the beginning.
Cain and Abel, Abel face….God said “why is your face downcast”
Gen 4:7 says
Satan is crouching, waiting.
Jesus gave us a menu in order to take care of temptations and Satan.
Thousands of years later Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers; Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen “come, follow me” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men:”at once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers James son of Zebedee and his brother John they were in a boat with their father Zebedee preparing their nets. Jesus called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. From there Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching and preaching the good news.
Inaugural address speech Matthew 5:1-12
As Christians we are called to be fishers of men, but there is something that I think we don’t realize sometimes and that is the fact that Satan is a fisher of men also.
He would love nothing more than to lure you in and hook you. We have all been bombarded with temptation and even Jesus was tempted. The difference is, Jesus was not hooked.
As a fisherman, I have learned several things concerning fishing.
a. First, always fish where you know there are fish and know the conditions of the place were you will be fishing.
b. Second, find out what the fish are biting.
c. Third, be persistent
Satan is a good fisherman and he also uses these tactics when he his out fishing.
a. Satan is not omnipresent meaning that he is not everywhere at the same time, so he has to decide where and when he is going to go fishing.
b. once he gets to his location, he figures out what lure will work and he goes to work.
c. Satan is always persistent.
Let’s look this morning how to have victory over temptation and not become one of Satan’s catches.
Turn with me to Luke 4:1-3.
What are these CONDITIONS Satan tempts us?
When does Satan tempt us?
High Spiritual Experiences
1. Matthew 4 records that this temptation of Jesus happened directly after He was baptized. (Jesus was lead by the spirit into the desert)
2. Jesus had received the approval of His Father in Matthew 4 it says. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. “This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
3. Temptation often happens after a high spiritual experience.
Christian concerts, Justification.
b. Physical weakness 2 Cor 12:9-10
1. Jesus did not eat during those 40 days. Imagine the physical strain upon Jesus’ body.
2. Your greatest weakness is often an unguarded strength.
Let him who stands, take heed lest he fall
If you say I’ll never get addicted to coffee…watch out.
My marriage will not fall apart…watch out.
The area you think is your strongest in your most unguarded.
3. Temptations often happen during a time of physical sickness or when the body is in a weak state or when hungry or tired.
c. Alone
1. Jesus was alone during this time. His disciples were not there.
2. Temptation often happens when we are alone.
Nicotine, alcohol.
We need accountability
LURES
What is the design of these lures?
My lures in specific with nicotine, idleness etc,.
a. To Sin against God ( so we can feel disqualified from God).
1. Satan was trying to get Jesus to sin against God so that He would be disqualified from being the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
2. All through these temptations Satan attempts to get Jesus to bypass the cross, by which He would save all believing mankind.
3. Satan knew that if he could get Jesus to short-circuit the cross that all mankind would be lost, and must suffer in eternal hell to pay the price for their sins.
b. To doubt our relationship with God
you go back into sin….(progressive) smoke one cigarettes eventually leads to more.
Illnesses….why does that have to happen to my wife…God doesn’t love me…or there isn’t a God…..etc.
1. Satan wants us to doubt our relationship with God, and to become independent of Him in meeting our own needs.
2. Notice the first temptation in verse 3-4.
A. The devil said, “If you are the Son of God.”
B. See how he attempts to cast doubt upon Jesus’ identity and relationship with his Father?
Cast doubts on Christians by using Christians. He is doing that, so can I. ….
3. Notice again, that the devil said, “Tell these stones to become bread.”
A. He did not say, “Pray to your Father in heaven and ask for bread,” but rather “take matters into your own hands and provide for your own needs.”
B. The devil hates anything requiring humility and dependence upon God, and loves to tell us of our own self-sufficiency.
The man who is too big for his bridges eventually gets exposed in the end.
C. The great thing that Satan aims at in tempting a Christian is to overthrow their relation to God as a Father, so as to cut off their dependence on Him.
UNHOOKED
We need to notice how the temptation was resisted and overcome.
a. Christ refused to comply with it.
1. In this one aspect, the teaching of the world to “just say no” is correct, but it falls short because it does not teach the next point, which is:
2. He was ready to reply to it.
3. Jesus quoted from Scripture, saying, “It is written.”
A. Isn’t it amazing that Christ answered and baffled all the temptations of Satan with “It is written”.
B. Not only was He the Living Word of God, but also God’s word lived in Him and He was strong and overcame the evil one by the word of God.
1 John 2:14
“I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the work of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one”.
b. Jesus Warded off the second temptation.
1. Notice the second temptation in verse 5-7.
2. Here, the devil showed Jesus all the splendor of the world.
Temptation with lottery. If I win I promise God 10% of my winnings. Better Job Better tithing.
Fancy vacations, big houses.
A. All the beauty, the glory, the power, the magnificence, the grandeur and the luxury of the world was shown to Him.
3. Notice how Jesus warded off this assault and conquered the enemy:
A. With abhorrence and detestation. If we are ever going to win the battle against sin, we must ask God to give us a holy detestation of it, as if we cannot bear the thought of it.
Cuts you off in traffic, Texaco dip seeing a man with dip, I claimed victory.
B. With scripture.
c. Jesus beats the third temptation.
1. Notice the third temptation in verses 9-12. 15 stories Herod’s temple
2. Here, the devil tempts Jesus to presume upon the promises of God.
3. If Jesus had purposely sinned by throwing himself down from the temple,
He would have been testing God to try to rely on God’s promise to not let Him fall.
We can all, as fishers of men…………
Remember Jesus’ inaugural address. Let us be….
Blessed as fishers of men that are poor in spirit and self sufficiency and we will inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed as fishers of men that are mourning over personal and corporate sins. And we will inherit the earth.
Blessed as fishers of men that we hunger and thirst for righteousness and we will inherit longing for both personal righteousness and justice for the oppressed.
Blessed as fishers of men that as peacemakers we will inherit and promote peace as far as it depends on us and in doing so we reflect the character of our heavenly father.
Blessed as fishers of men that as we are persecuted that persecution provides an opportunity for believers to prove their fitness for the kingdom of God.
And let us be blessed with all these characteristics of fishers of men that we will combat Satan’s temptations with the word of God.
CONCLUSION
1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it”.
1) Christians, how are you doing with temptations?
2) Have you been hooked?
3) Jesus has given us the blue print to total victory over temptation. Let’s use it!!
