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.”
---
>> 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.
---
>> 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.
---
>> 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.
---
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.
---
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.
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.”
---
>> 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.
---
>> 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.
---
>> 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.
---
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.
---
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 people satisfied with “enough,” or a people convinced they were made for more?
Would He see us resting in comfort, chasing popularity, or standing quietly for truth?
Luke 4 isn’t ancient news—it’s today’s mirror. The same Spirit that filled Jesus in the wilderness still fills His church, and the same enemy still trembles when that happens.
---
How Churches Live “Made for More”
1) The Presence of Jesus Is Real Here
In Mark 2 it was “noised abroad that Jesus was in the house.” Crowds didn’t come because the service was short or the music was new. They came because He was there.
When a congregation centers everything on Jesus—the cross, the resurrection, the promise of His return—the atmosphere shifts. Worship stops being a program and becomes an encounter. People sense forgiveness, healing, belonging.
A church where Jesus is not just mentioned but experienced is already a miracle. That’s what we’re made for.
---
2) The Spirit of God Is Free to Move
Luke 4 opens: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit…” and later, “He returned in the power of the Spirit.”
We sometimes forget: the Spirit isn’t decoration for a service; He’s the life in it. Without Him, Sabbath becomes schedule. With Him, Sabbath becomes celebration—of a Creator who still re-creates hearts.
We are Seventh-day Adventists because we believe the living God is preparing a living people for a living Savior. The Spirit breathes conviction, courage, compassion, holiness, and joy. Where He moves freely, fear loses its voice.
---
3) The Word of God Remains the Final Authority
Every temptation ended the same way: “It is written.”
Jesus didn’t debate darkness; He declared what God had already spoken. The power was not in clever argument but in settled truth.
When Scripture is our compass, we cannot be lost for long. From Genesis—“In the beginning God created”—to Revelation—“Behold, I come quickly”—the Word tells us who we are, why we’re here, and where history ends: with Christ victorious.
The Sabbath itself preaches that sermon every week:
God made us. God redeemed us. God will finish what He started.
Hell can’t stand a church with Scripture in its bones.
---
A Personal Turn
Maybe some of us have been fighting the wrong battles—worrying about preferences, numbers, or comfort—while neglecting the deeper fight for our own hearts.
The devil doesn’t need to destroy a church he can distract.
But tonight the Spirit is calling us back. Jesus didn’t overcome temptation so His followers could live cautious lives; He did it so we could live free ones.
Freedom from fear.
Freedom from shame.
Freedom from pretending.
We were made for more than maintenance; we were made for mission.
---
Invitation
So take a breath right where you are.
Ask quietly, “Lord, where have I settled for less?”
Maybe you’ve let comfort dull your hunger.
Maybe you’ve gone silent when truth was needed.
Maybe you’ve chased moments that impressed but didn’t transform.
He’s not here to condemn; He’s here to renew.
Talk to Him in your heart:
> “Jesus, make me available. Make me courageous. Make me more like You.”
No spotlight. No pressure. Just the honesty that opens heaven’s windows.
Jesus is still building a church that heals, that hopes, that holds out truth with grace.
He invites us to join Him—day by day, person by person.
