THE JESUS CONFLICT
New Liberty Christian Church, Veedersburg, IN 8-22-10 with Rich McQuinn, Minister
TEXT: MATTHEW 4:1-11
INTRODUCTION: Many of us have played the game of life this week and lost. We made the wrong decision, we were tempted and gave in, we were knocked down and did not get up, we suffered physical conditions and it bothered our faith. Some of you got burnt this week, or you are feeling guilty, or you paid too high a price for your actions. In other words, like most of us, you got beaten up this week!
All of us have played a game of checkers. It all starts with the right first move. Then it becomes a mind game. You move, your opponent moves and so on until the end of the game.
Then there is a game of chess. Another mind game. Again it begins with the first move. The object is to capture the opponent’
s king. The game can last for just seconds or for a few hours depending on the two thinkers playing the game. It is a game of Check, where you give warning to the other person that your next move will be to capture his/her king and the game will be over. After hearing the words Check then you have a single move to get out of Check. If you know your game, even before you let your chess mate know that they are in Check, you have already seen the end of the game and you know you are going to win. Presto, you are the winner! Well, at least in this game.
Chess is a game of a move and a counter move. You make your move, your game partner makes a move against you and so on the game goes. So is life the same way.
God made the first move and ole satan moved in another direction. You may remember that satan took one third of the Angels with him when he made his counter move against God-----Almighty God. The battle for mans soul, your soul is not finished until you expire in this game of life.
Satan attacked Adam in the ripe Garden of Eden. He tempted him, he kept after him, and he lied to him. Satan then ran from him when Adam found out he had sinned against God. Adam was in a luscious garden full of good things, but was sent out to the wilderness. Satan gave the counter move here and it cost all of us dearly. We are still paying the price for the original sin of Adam.
In the Old Testament we see in the opening pages a war going on between God’s people and Satan’s armies. God made a move and then followed by satan making his own move. God bringing the Light and satan bringing in the darkness. God bringing in faith and obedience and satan bringing in separation and doubts. He is a crafty fellow that is bent on causing you a lot of headaches and heartaches unless you listen and follow what God has planned for your life.
Who is going to win? There are many stories out of the Old Testament where we see God blessing a nation and satan coming in the back door to damn the same nation. God to bless, satan to damn. Something for you to think about, don’t you think?
There are about 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament. We hear nothing about the work of God.
Matthew in the New Testament opens a new dawn. A Gospel writing to folks so that they would know the history of Jesus, God’s special gift to mankind. Matthew begins by telling us a who’s who account of who belongs to whom. In verse 16 we see the name of Jesus popping out of the pages of God’s Word. His name is Jesus, the Saviour of Mankind!
We see His birth, His discussion with the leaders in the temple, as well as His public introduction by John the Baptist—His cousin. We see His coronations, His baptism in the river Jordan, the pronouncement from God Himself on His Son. Do you remember these events? God Himself told us to LISTEN to His Son. He was pleased with His Son, pay attention to what He had to say. That is exactly what we are going to be doing today!
Before Jesus enters His ministry, He must first be tested. To see kind of what He is really made of and IF He is up for this task of saving the entire world of their sins. He wanders into the Wilderness of Judah. It measures approximately 35 by 15 miles. It is very hot and barren and very dry. You can not find a shade tree around. That is where Jesus went.
Jesus is out there for you and me. He is out there to buy back Adam from the wilderness. Remember I told you that Adam was cast out to the wilderness because of his disobedience. Now Jesus is out there to bring him back to the Garden of Forgiveness and to put a ring on his finger, a robe on his back and sandals for his feet and go give him a hug and kiss and welcome Adam back home!
You do know, don’t you that there is a difference between a TEST and a TEMPTATION? They are not the same thing. A test is just that. To see how you will react, what you are made of, if you know the answer. A temptation is placed before you to cause you to stumble and fall. Both the test and temptation can make you stronger if you are a wise enough to figure which is which.
When you get caught doing wrong then trouble is about to happen in your life. You can count on it. Before Jesus could begin His ministry, He had to go to the wilderness to fight this battle. Lets you and I examine these three temptations briefly.
I. GOD’S PROVISIONS
Our text tells us that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before He went into battle with satan. Fast means to give up food for a period of time to pray and meditate on God’s Word. When things are troubling you, spend time in prayer over the lunch or supper hour. Turn off the TV, find a private place to pray and listen to God. Pour your heart out to HIM.
You will notice in the text, depending upon your version of the Bible that satan uses the word Since or IF. In other words Since you are the Son of God, or If you are the Son of God. It makes a difference here. The word is wrongly translated if it appears to read If. You see satan already knows that Jesus IS the Son of God. He knows who He is. He does not have to question if. Satan knows because he was in heaven with God when God made the plans for Jesus to be born to take away our sins. Satan has been planning this war ever since he left heaven to capture as many souls as he could.
Please notice here that there is not friendly chatting. They are not trying to catch up on old history. How are you, how is the family, what is new, what are your plans for the future? Nope, there was none of this. Both knew it was serious timing and both knew this was a precise battle. Jesus wanted Adam/mankind back and satan wanted to keep the dirty little sinners.
Satan was watching Jesus in the wilderness. He watched and listened to Him pray and fast. He knew what Jesus was up to. He was then preparing himself to have this conversation with the Son of Almighty God. By the way----satan knows all of our weaknesses and will try to cut us all down every minute he can.
Satan studies all of us and if we are not concentrated on our personal spiritual game of life, then he will Check us if we are not careful.
Was Jesus hungry? Of course. This would not be a temptation if He were not hungry. Try being without food for 40 days and see if you are tempted by even a piece of bread.
So the temptation is to prove to Jesus that God is not taking care of HIM. Since He was the Son of God what was God doing to Him in not providing for Him food and water? Satan is trying to spring his first trap. Free Food. No such thing! There is always a catch. You are smart enough to think that through, right? Somebody has to pay the price.
Come to the government! The Government will take care of all of your needs. We will provide food, water, free housing, take care of you when you get older, just sign here. It is a trap! It is written----God told Adam to get out of the garden and earn his keep by the sweat of his brow. In other words work for what you get. Work to provide for your family. There is a time and place for free food, when it comes to disasters, but you are not born to stand in lines for free stuff and think that the government owes you and it is your right to not work and leach off the government. You know what I am saying here. There is a place and time for hardships but it is only for a place and time.
Satan wanted Jesus to turn the stones into fresh baked loafs of bread. It was a real temptation. Jesus stopped that right from the get go. It is like He said to satan, Don’t you know I am the Bread of Life, I am the Living Water, I am He who was sent to bring healing to the world…….Jesus punched him right in the nose in the very first round. Jesus quoted scripture. Satan hates that. Learn that lesson now. Know your Word. Quote it out loud against the wiles of the devil.
Satan knows the word of God, but he does not know The Word. He can twist the Word and give it back to you all twisted up so as to confuse you and trick you.
Jesus knew that God would supply His needs, no matter how long it took. So you get hungry. You get hungry for food, for drink, for sex, for promotions, for recognitions, to be married, or to be divorced, or to get pregnant, a new job, a new home, a new car, a new ---------Wait upon the Lord! He knows what is best for you. He knows your hungers. If you do not wait on Him and you take matters into your own hands, you will pay the rest of your life for your wrong decision making. Wait for the Lord! Got it?
II. GOD’S PLAN
The second temptation is about the plan that God has for you. It is His design. It is His purpose for YOUR life. When followed rightly it all turns out for the best. When you try to take matters into your own hands then you run into trouble and cause enormous pain for others.
A case in point is when God told Abraham to WAIT. He told him that he would father a child with his older wife. That God would bless the world through his babies. Rational thinking was that Abe was really old and his wife was barren and could not have children. You see how satan can cause you to doubt and to not listen fully to God. He said to WAIT. But ……………….Abe took his wife’s maid and had sex with her, thus causing her to become pregnant with Ishmael. All of us, all over the world, are suffering to this very day for that rational.
God did not know what He was talking about so I will help him. Big Mistake!
Jesus knows His calling. He knew how to get followers. Not by jumping from the tip top of the temple some 450 feet tall. Of course people would think that Jesus was a super man. He was! But not what satan wanted them to think. He was such a super man that He again quoted scripture back to satan. God was in control and it was God that Jesus was going to follow.
Get your Bibles off of the coffee table where it looks nice and is seldom read and put it in your hands. Study the Word of God for times when you are placed in the wilderness and you are all caught up in your egos, prestige, and glamour and taking short cuts with your life. Satan is trying to chop you to pieces.
When you get confused, or get mixed up with this crafty devil, then stop and pray. Beware that trouble is about to come upon your life to capture you or destroy your happiness and your witness.
III. GOD’S AUTHORITY
Who made you? Who knows you better than you know yourself? Why don’t you pay attention to what He says about you then?
Satan wants all of us to worship him. None of you would flat out worship satan would you? But……anything that you worship more than God Himself is worshipping satan. None of you would put a statue in your home of satan and his angels, but you might worship money and what it can buy you more than you love God. You would do anything for a raise, or recognition or love, etc. You would be worshipping satan and not God.
Satan wanted Jesus to simply fall down and give His obedience to satan. Ha, fat chance. Jesus does it again. He quotes scriptures. Do not tempt the Lord Thy God. He is a jealous God and we are to worship Him ONLY. Got that? Him Only. When you do that truthfully you will have a better life ahead of you.
Satan is breaking into many homes this very hour and the homes that he is breaking into haven’t got a chance. They have plenty of time to study their Bibles, or make a decision for Christ as their Saviour, or that they are never going to die early, or nothing will happen to their daughters or sons. We are all protected. By what? What safety rules are you following?
The WORD tells us that IF Jesus IS YOUR SAVIOUR then you have everything to gain and nothing to lose, but IF HE is NOT YOUR SAVIOUR then you have everything to lose and nothing to gain. Satan wins, you lose. Do not pass go, go directly to hell, do not collect $200.00 as the game of Monopoly is played.
Ok, you have been beaten up this week. You have bled, cried, fought, and you fell down or off the wagon again. Big deal! You are a member of the human race. Get up! Stay UP! Help others get to their feet because you now know that they too have been beaten up. You know what it is like. Pick someone up today, dust them off, pray with them, hug them, ask God to bless them and direct them. Do not judge them, let God do that.
It is a sin to fall, yes I agree, but it is a bigger sin to stay there and not get up. To tell me that you can’t do it is mocking God. Call on your resources when that happens. Don’t lie in your own mess and expect people to have pity on you and do your work for you. It does not happen that way in God’s plan for your life.
Are you going to be tested? YES! Are you going to be Tempted? YES! What are you going to do about it now? Quote scripture back to the tempter. Pray. Refuse to be defeated in the name of Jesus the Christ.
Who will you call on when you need help? The Lord Strong and Mighty never sleeps and His ears are always open. His heart is always open and His arms are always there, outstretched to receive us.
Jesus fought the good fight. He won the battle. He has brought man back from the wilderness to the Garden with Jesus. The Garden of Everlasting Life in Heaven.
Be careful of the next move you make in this game of life. It may be your very last!
AMEN and AMEN
