Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
And “‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus is getting ready to step into his role in public ministry. He had already been baptized by John the Baptist in chapter 3 and was on His way to fulfill what He was sent to earth to accomplish. However, before that, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. Now side note, the Lord God Himself never tempts any of His children to do evil (James 1:13), the temptation was from the devil and Jesus was to endure it. Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness, seeking the Lord and on that final day the devil came to tempt Him to fall. Listen, its usually in those moments of vulnerability that the enemy comes in with the temptation to get us to fall. In the midst of temptation though, though the devil has been talkin’, Jesus stood and endured the temptation.
Here is the reality today: There is a real enemy out there who is looking to destroy the Church. The Bible in 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls him the god of this world. In 1 Peter 5, he is described as one who is looking to seek to devour those of us in Christ. The enemy is real! He wants to destroy your family. He wants to shipwreck your faith. He wants to get you distracted and discouraged so that you are unable to do any kind of ministry for Him.
Maybe you know and understand this reality first hand because like Jesus, the devil’s been talkin’ to you too. He has been whispering that your marriage isn’t worth all the trouble so just quit; you don’t have enough money in your budget to tithe so just don’t do it; Are you really a Christian? Yes Jesus saved you from your sins, but did He save you from all of them? Does He really love you? The enemy talks to you and I. The question is are we going to choose to listen. Our Lord and Savior heard the cries of the enemy, yet He chose not to listen to them. He instead stood for the Lord!
We too are called to take a stand for Jesus. Though the enemy is spewing lies to you, you can resist Him and he will flee. You can ignore his lies and continue to walk in the freedom the Lord has given you. Look at how Jesus responds to the enemy speaking to Him: He spoke scripture back to Him. That is why it is important to know the Word of God. John 8:32 tells us that the truth can set us free. When the enemy comes whispering those lies to you in your heart, SHOUT the truths of God to combat the lies. God is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13), your family is important since it is an institution of God (Ephesians 5 & 6), your life is valuable because God has you here for a purpose and that because you were made in His image (Genesis 1:27; Jeremiah 29:11); you walking out your faith is important because we are ALL called to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Combat the lies with the truth!
Maybe this morning the devil has been talkin’ to you! Choose to combat the lies with the truth of Scripture. 1 Peter tells us that the devil is LIKE a roaring lion looking to devour you. Good news is that he is an imitator. We have the Lion of Judah on our side! We can stand!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Lord, help me today to fight off the lies and temptations from the enemy! Bring the truth of Your word to my heart to help me stand in those times! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
1 Corinthians 2:9
What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him