Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
The word “Satanic” means relating to Satan or the worship of Satan, extremely evil or cruel
According to Webster, the definition of “if” is: in the event that, whether, used as a function word to introduce an exclamation expressing a wish.
Often times, Satan comes to God’s people and tempts them with the word “if.”
He often says:
1. If you do this, then I will give you that.
2. If you’re really a child of God, then do this.
3. If you eat this, then you will become like God.
He has tempted and tried to get God’s people down to where he can use their weaknesses to get them to:
1. Backslide
2. Speak badly about one another
3. Tear families apart
1 Peter 5:8
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
He tries to tempt people into thinking he’s right and God is wrong.
John 8:45
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
He has only but a short time before God comes back, and he knows it. He’s trying to drag as many people down to hell with him as he possibly can. So he uses the two letter word to do it, IF!!!
In the story of the temptation of Jesus, the Bible says that Jesus was in the wilderness for forty day and forty nights and He was hungry. The Bible says the tempter (Satan) came to him and said “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” But Jesus came back with a smart answer. He knew the Word would defeat the enemy so He said “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Then Satan took Jesus to the holy city and he sat on a highest of the temple. Satan then said “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” But once again, Jesus knew the Word. He said “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
Satan tried the third time to tempt Jesus by taking Him to the highest mountain and showing Him all the kingdoms of the world and said “if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Jesus knew the Word once again and said “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” And Satan left, and the angels came and ministered to Him.
Satan at one time or another has come and tried to tempt us using the two letter word “IF!” No one is exempt from his temptations. Even the Holiest man in the Bible (Jesus) was tempted by him, MORE THAN ONCE!!!
In Matthew 27:38-45, it talks about the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Bible says that there were two thieve on both sides of Him. People passed by the cross and despised him saying “Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. (Vs.40)”
Even the chief priest, the scribes, and the elders passed by and said “He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. (Vs. 42-43)” The Bible says that “The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. (Vs. 44)”
In Luke 23:33-39, it also talks about the Crucifixion of Jesus. In verse 33, it says that they came to the place called Calvary. They crucified Jesus and two malefactors (wrongdoers). The Bible says in verse 34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
Luke 23:35-39
35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
I can picture Satan standing somewhere in the corner laughing, thinking he had won the battle. But what he didn’t know was God had another plan.
Revelation 1:10-18
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Jesus never gave into Satan’s conniving schemes. He SPOKE THE WORD and left it alone. Our problem is instead of giving it to God and letting Him work it out, we try to solve it ourselves which ends up us losing in the end.
Satan can have us exactly where he wants us, if we allow him to.
Genesis 2:15-17
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 3:1-13 talks about Satan tempting the first people God created. The Bible says that “the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Eve told Satan, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Vs. 2-3)”
Satan told Eve “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” It’s just like Satan to tempt people into thinking he is right and God is wrong. It’s just like if he came to you and said “You don’t have to be filled with the Holy Ghost and be baptized to go to Heaven,” when you know that it does.
The Bible says “the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Vs. 6-7)”
Genesis 3:8-13
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Satan knew from the very beginning that man could be tested. So he tried on the very first people God had created. Adam and Eve gave into his Satanic “IF.” Adam and Eve, who knew no sin, sinned because they listened to Satan and fell in his little trap.
It’s time we give Satan the boot!! Tell him that our God is greater and bigger than he ever thought about being. When temptations come our way, it’s time for us to stand up and tell him what God says!!
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Revelation 2:12-13
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Why would we fight the battles that come our way when God said that they are already won through the blood that He shed on Calvary?
If we happen to fall into one of Satan’s schemes, just get back up and start again. Use your failures as stepping stones to get back to where you need to be with God.
Micah 7:7-8
7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
