Picture Jesus, freshly baptized, water still drying on his shoulders, the voice of the Father ringing in his soul. “You are my beloved Son.” The dove has barely taken flight. That is exactly when the devil comes calling.
Nobody gets a free victory lap after baptism. The real fight often starts right after the celebration.
We preach infrequently about this moment, but this is not just history. Luke 4 is a blueprint for spiritual warfare. It reveals the devil’s favorite lies and Jesus’ unstoppable freedom plan. It shows us how Jesus wins his church. Not with PR. Not with smoke machines. Not with religious theater. He wins by truth, Spirit, Scripture, and unwavering loyalty to his Father.
A church that follows that Jesus becomes a nightmare for hell.
A church that forgets that Jesus becomes a comfortable place for the snake to take a nap.
Our prayer tonight is simple: “Lord, make us a church hell cannot stand.”
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>>Temptation 1
The Church of Comfort
Satan points to the stones and whispers, “Turn these into bread.”
Translation: “Be useful. Be practical. Meet needs. Focus on comfort.”
We should care about hunger. Jesus fed the five thousand. Christians ought to be the hands and feet of compassion in every neighborhood. Yet physical comfort without spiritual renewal is a cruel trick. People can walk out with a bag of groceries and still feel lost when they get home. A full pantry does not heal an empty heart.
Hell does not mind a church that is busy running programs that do not lead anyone to Jesus.
It does not fear a church that becomes a community center with a cross out front.
“Man shall not live by bread alone,” Jesus says.
There is always a hunger deeper than the stomach.
Here is what the Spirit is saying to the church tonight:
Meet needs with love. Heal hurts with compassion. Then keep going until souls find hope, forgiveness, belonging, and a Savior who will never leave.
A church that meets people in their mess and introduces them to Jesus? Hell hates that kind of church.
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>>Temptation 2
The Church of Silence
The devil flashes kingdoms before Jesus’ eyes. Every city. Every crowd. Every throne. “Worship me and you can have influence, status, numbers. The world will love you.”
Satan never minds a church that is popular as long as it is silent about the cross.
There is a modern pressure to soften the message.
To be careful. To be agreeable. To avoid offending anyone.
To preach a Jesus who is a life coach, but not a Savior.
To talk about hope without talking about repentance.
To preach heaven while skipping the way there.
The enemy whispers:
“Just lower the volume on truth. Talk about God’s love, but leave out his call to surrender. Preach kindness, but avoid holiness. Keep Jesus safe and respectable.”
If the devil can get the church to say nothing, he does not need to fight us. He simply applauds from the back row.
Jesus responds: “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only.”
He refuses a crown without a cross. He refuses applause without allegiance.
The Advent message never apologizes for the truth that sets people free.
We preach Christ crucified. We preach resurrection power.
We preach the Sabbath as God’s gift of rest rooted in creation and redemption.
We preach that Jesus is coming again because he intends to gather every son and daughter who will trust him.
We are not afraid of that story. We are not ashamed of that news.
The church that clearly lifts up Jesus becomes a church hell cannot endure.
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>> Temptation 3
The Church of Spectacle
Satan takes Jesus to the temple height.
“Jump. Make them gasp. Be impressive.”
Modern translation:
Give them goosebumps instead of grace.
Wow them instead of winning them.
Trade discipleship for entertainment.
There is room for excitement in worship. We can clap. We can weep. We can praise with our whole hearts. Pentecost had fire. Sinai had thunder. Revelation has trumpets. Emotion belongs in the house of God.
The danger is when feelings take the throne and Christ gets pushed to the edges.
A church obsessed with reaction often forgets transformation.
A church that craves applause eventually replaces truth with theatrics.
Satan smiles at a show.
Jesus says, “Do not put God to the test.”
He chooses the quiet path of faithfulness over fireworks.
He knows revival is not what happens on a stage. Revival is what happens in a heart surrendered to him.
Authenticity scares hell a lot more than a spotlight.
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>>A Turning Point
Right here is where most sermons would stop.
“Three bad roads. Try to avoid them.”
Luke 4 is far better than that.
It does not just diagnose the disease.
It reveals the cure.
Jesus shows us what drives the enemy away.
He shows us what makes him run.
Here is the secret:
Satan cannot remain where Jesus is trusted, obeyed, and adored.
Hell flees wherever:
• The Son is present
• The Spirit is moving
• The Word is believed
• The people are surrendered
• The mission is unstoppable
This is the kind of church hell cannot breathe in.
Light chokes out darkness.
We do not drive out evil with volume or cleverness or production value.
We drive out evil by loving Jesus more than our own comfort, our own reputation, and our own way of doing church.
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>>The Revival Appeal Begins
Some of us are tempted to prefer comfort.
Some of us are tempted to let silence keep the peace.
Some of us are tempted to chase emotion without depth.
Jesus stands tonight, victorious over temptation, inviting his church to join him in that victory.
You do not have to live tempted and defeated.
You do not have to build a Christianity hell can sleep through.
Jesus says:
“Follow me. Trust me. Build what I am building.”
His voice breaks through the noise.
His presence breaks chains.
His Word breaks lies.
This is the church I believe God is birthing in this room.
Not next year. Not someday. Right now.
We decide tonight what kind of church we will be.
So here is the question that echoes across every church tonight:
If Jesus walked the halls of our building right now, would He find a church He recognizes…or a church He doesn’t need?
Would He see a people who want:
• Comfort more than calling?
• Popularity more than truth?
• Applause more than surrender?
The temptation stories are not just about demons in the desert.
They are about us.
This moment in Luke 4 is Jesus saying to the church:
“Follow me into victory.”
Because the only kind of church hell fears is the one that follows Jesus into the real battle.
He left that wilderness not wounded, but weaponized.
“Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14).
That is revival.
That is our inheritance.
That is the church we are called to be.
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How Hell-Resisting Churches Are Made
The presence of Jesus is real here
In Mark 2, it was “noised abroad” that Jesus was in the house.
That is what drew the crowd. Not programs. Not promotions.
Him.
When a church is built around Jesus—His cross, His healing, His authority—the very atmosphere changes. People walk in and feel their chains loosen.
You want a seeker-friendly church?
Let it be a place where seekers meet the Savior.
• Jesus preached here
• Jesus healed here
• Jesus forgave here
• Jesus restored here
A church hell can’t stand is a church where Jesus isn’t just mentioned—
He is active.
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The Spirit of God is free to move
Luke 4 opens: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit…”
We forget sometimes:
The Spirit is not optional.
The Spirit is not a theological footnote.
The Spirit is the fire in the furnace.
You can have Sabbath on the sign and nothing in the sanctuary if the Spirit isn’t welcome.
We are Adventists, not because of a date on a chart or a doctrine memorized, but because we believe a living God is preparing a living people to meet a living Jesus.
The Spirit does not merely fill a room. The Spirit fills believers:
• with conviction
• with courage
• with compassion
• with holiness
• with joy that looks suspicious to the world
Hell trembles where God’s Spirit moves freely.
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The Word of God is the final authority
Every single temptation was crushed with Scripture.
“It is written.” “It is said.” “It is written.”
Jesus didn’t debate the devil.
He defeated the devil with what God already said.
The church stands strong when we don’t merely quote Scripture…
we obey Scripture.
From Genesis: “In the beginning God created…”
To Revelation: “Behold, I come quickly…”
The Word teaches us:
• Our identity
• Our calling
• Our destiny
The Sabbath itself is a weekly sermon declaring:
God made you.
God redeemed you.
God will finish what He started.
Every time we gather on the seventh day, we preach a silent sermon to the universe:
“We worship the One who wins.”
Hell can’t stand a church with Scripture in its bones.
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Now the personal part
Some of us have been fighting the wrong battles:
• arguing about preference
• stressing about budgets
• worrying about opinions
• falling asleep spiritually
Meanwhile the devil just keeps whispering:
“Keep that cross quiet. Keep that Jesus tame.”
Tonight the Spirit is interrupting that lie.
Jesus didn’t conquer temptation so we could be comfortable.
He conquered temptation so we could be free.
He offers a new identity:
Not a church that avoids hell…
A church hell avoids.
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The Call
What if tonight is a line in the sand?
What if we stop saying:
“Lord, make my life easier, safer, happier.”
And we start praying:
“Lord, make me dangerous to the darkness.”
What if we say:
Jesus, don’t just be present…
Be first. Be trusted. Be adored. Be followed.
Some of you need to answer personally:
• Comfort has been your idol
• Silence has dimmed your witness
• Performance has replaced presence
• You’ve been coming to church, but you want to be the church
Jesus is here.
The Spirit is stirring.
The Word is speaking.
This is not a note-taking moment.
This is a decision moment.
Hell has been too comfortable in some lives.
Too welcome in some homes.
Too tolerated in some habits.
>>Tonight is eviction night.
The devil doesn’t get another seat.
Not in your thought life.
Not in your marriage.
Not in your calling.
Not in the church Jesus bled to build.
>>So here is the invitation:
Maybe God is stirring something personal in you right now.
Maybe you’re sensing:
• a renewed desire for Jesus to be first
• a longing for the Spirit to breathe fresh life into your faith
• a hunger for Scripture to become your anchor again
• a calling to be part of a church that reaches the hurting and the searching
If that’s resonating in your heart, take a quiet moment to talk to God about it.
Tell Him:
“Lord, make me available. Make me courageous. Make me more like You.”
No pressure. No spotlight. Just a sincere desire to walk closer with Jesus and to be part of His mission more fully.
Jesus is building a church that brings healing, hope, and truth to our community.
He invites us to join Him…day by day…person by person.
As we step into that calling, the world sees His light through us.
So here is the simple question every one of us can carry home tonight:
Jesus, what part do You want me to play in the church You are building?
And as you pray that, trust this promise from Jesus:
“I am with you always.”
