Spiritual Warfare: The Battle of Temptation
As we continue in our series on Dynamic Disciples or dynamic discipleship, our focus this month has been on Spiritual Warfare. This morning the focus of my message is The Battle of Temptation.
Have you ever said, “It’s not my fault”?
Maybe it wasn’t or maybe it was... Often we choose to do something and it all goes horribly wrong and rather than admit we have done something we try to blame someone else for our actions or inactions.
Many in the secular world we live in today would argue that there is no absolute truth. A wrong can be considered right if done for an appropriate reason. It’s OK to lie to protect someone from the truth. There is no black and white only shades of grey.
The secular world may ignore the truth of God’s Word, they may ignore His words recorded for us in the Bible.
Perhaps for some people, ignorance is bliss as the saying goes... But there is a very real battle taking place that has been going on since the beginning of creation.
A spiritual battle between the truth of God and the deceptions of the devil.
The Bible clearly reveals what is right and wrong according to God’s standards.
The Bible shows us what God calls good & what He says is evil.
Yet the Devil tries his hardest to lure us away from the truth, he tempts us and beckons us away from God’s will and purpose.
Satan even tried to tempt Jesus away from following the will and purposes of Father God.
In the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we are told that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil for forty days.
Jesus ate nothing during His time in the wilderness, He was there to pray and to fast.
Jesus was fully God yet also fully man and naturally, He became hungry.
The devil perceived an opportunity to tempt Jesus and says to Him “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
Forty days in the desert, hot, tired, hungry, what would you do?
Son of God, able to create something from nothing. Remember, later in His public ministry Jesus would feed thousands of people with a small packed lunch and still have baskets left over.
When the devil tempts Jesus, humanly speaking it would have required no more than a single word from His lips and the Stone would have become the best thing since sliced bread.
But Jesus resists the temptation and tells the devil, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”
Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3 People do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
The Word of God is powerful, it transforms lives, it encourages, it sustains.
Round 1 to Jesus, the devil comes back for round 2 and this time he tries a different form of temptation.
The Bible tells us that the devil took Jesus and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Then the devil says to Jesus, “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them, because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
Now perhaps to some people that would be enticing, the prospect of wealth, power, fame.
Leave God out of the picture, follow the ways of the world, follow the ways of Satan and everything you could possibly dream of is yours.
A lifetime of opulence, luxury, sinful living...
Ah but at what price? What’s the bottom line? What is the small print on the contract?
It can all be yours in exchange for the simple price of an eternity in Hell.
Ignore God, live unrepentant of your sin, worship that which was created instead of the Creator.
I can imagine the devil standing there contract in hand, pen at the ready, thinking to himself - this is gonna work.
And I can imagine Jesus turning to Him and looking Satan straight in the eye and saying “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”
Again Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy 6:13 some translations use the word fear rather than the word worship “You must fear the Lord your God and serve Him.”
The Greek and Hebrew words translated fear in the Bible can have several shades of meaning, in the context of the fear of the Lord, it means a positive reverence.
In Greek, the noun 'Phobos' means “reverential fear” of God, not a mere ‘fear’ of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him.
The Hebrew verb yare can mean “to fear, to respect, to reverence, to worship”.
The Hebrew noun 'yirah' usually refers to the fear of God as something that is positive, not negative.
For example, in Exodus 20 Moses tells the people that having a reverent fear of God will keep them from sinning.
A healthy fear of God includes the fear of the consequences of disobedience.
There may be times of temptation or trial when we choose to forget some of the better reasons for obeying God.
Maybe those are the times when we should let a reverent fear of the Lord cause us to think of the consequences of our actions or inactions.
Or King David in Psalm 119:33-40 where he writes Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, made to those who FEAR you. Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness.
So Satan’s 2nd attempt to tempt Jesus fails as Jesus once again rebukes him with scripture “You must fear the Lord your God and serve Him.”
Round 2 to Jesus.
King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge”
The devil should know better. He knows he is already defeated. He knows he has no hope of winning, yet still he tries a third time to tempt Jesus.
Third attempt and a change in tactics.
Twice the devil has tried to tempt Jesus.
Twice Jesus has responded with Scripture.
So the devil decides to quote Scripture as well.
Just as the old serpent twisted God’s words in the Garden of Eden when he asked Eve did God really say...
The devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and says, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
A quote from Psalm 91:11-12. A quote from the Word of God. The devil brings temptation from the Word of God.
A true word, God will guard, God will protect - yet the devil uses the quote out of context.
I wonder as Jesus heard those words of scripture if His thoughts immediately went to the opening two verses of the same Psalm. Psalm 91:1-2 “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.”
Did the devil even have time to blink before Jesus responded with words from Deuteronomy 6:16? “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Jesus withstood the temptations.
Jesus 3. Devil nil.
The devil tried to entice Jesus and he failed so the devil gives up and leaves.
So, here is the big question...
When temptation comes what do you do?
Do you embrace the temptation or do you turn to the Word of God?
Do you choose to do what you feel like doing or do you choose to do what God would want you to do?
James 4:7-10 says “humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour.”
And in again in chapter 4 verse 17, James is explicit when he writes “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”
Sin. James does not say it is ok to know what you should do and still choose to do something else.
When we go against the will of God, when we do what He says we should not do we sin.
Let me make it clear - being tempted is not the sin - acting on the temptation is sin.
When we make our desires more important than God’s will we sin.
When we give in to the temptation we sin.
So what are we to do?
What is the secret to resisting temptation?
How can we be victorious in this spiritual battle?
Jesus words to His disciples in Luke 22:40 are as relevant to us today as when Jesus first spoke them, Jesus told them as he tells us “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
When temptation comes pray that you will not give in.
Ask God to strengthen you.
Ask God to help you overcome.
Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you.
Trust God - resist the devil and he will flee.
Luke 4:2 says this spiritual battle between Jesus and Satan lasted forty days.
Friends, while we are in this world we will be in a constant spiritual battle.
The devil will try to tempt us in our weak moments.
Satan will target us when we are trying to be effective in serving our Lord.
Daily we need to put on the whole Armour of God.
God has not left us defenceless.
We do not need to succumb to temptation.
As believers, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are God’s children and we are also His soldiers.
As soldier’s our job is to fight the enemy.
The victory is God’s. Satan is already a defeated foe. He may try to make our lives difficult, he may try to tempt us away from God and God’s plan for us, but his fate is certain. The devil has no escape.
Friends, when temptation comes, when our determination to follow the path God wants us to follow waivers, when Satan tries to tempt us on to what seems to be the easy way, when things become difficult, pray and put on the Armour of God.
As I draw to a close let me read to you the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18 from The Message paraphrase:
“And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”
My final encouragement to you this morning is to put on the whole armour of God.
May God help each of us to resist the temptations of the world and the devil.
May God help us to daily put on the Armour of God.
Listen again to the words of Paul in Ephesians 6:13-18 from the New Living Translation of the Bible:
Put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Amen
