Recognizing the Strategy of the Tempter

Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

If Jesus was tempted by the devil then we can expect no less in our walk as well. This story in Matthew however provides enough detail to better understand temptation and recognize how we should deal with it in order to resist the enemy in our lives.

Verse one reveals that it was the Spirit of God that led Jesus into the wilderness to specifically be tempted by the devil. We should expect no less as God wants us to develop maturity in our Christian walk. Not every trial we face is a direct work of the enemy. Trials have a purpose in our lives.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1: 2-4

We cannot be mature unless perseverance finishes its work in us and perseverance is only developed in the trial. It is in the trial that we learn to trust God more. It is in the trial that we are refined into the image of God. If everything in our lives were mountaintop experiences then we would eventually think we had something do with it and we would learn to not rely upon God because everything would come so easily.

Verse two reveals the importance of fasting during the wilderness. Fasting also fosters a dependence on God, which is critical for defeating the enemy and his temptations. Fasting starves the flesh in favor of the Spirit.

Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1Corinthians 7:5 (NKJV)

We lack self control by nature. Fasting disciplines the body and mind. A more disciplined body and mind will be more resistant to the schemes and temptations of the enemy.

Verse three highlights the first type of attack or temptation the devil will throw at us. He will hit is where we are weak. The enemy knew Jesus was hungry (after 40 days, who could blame Him!). Likewise the devil knows which buttons to push on us as well. He knows where we are weak and vulnerable. But in verse four Jesus reminds us that He is the bread of life. That the words of almighty God are more important to our survival then what we might eat. The same goes for any of the basic needs we face in this life. God knows our needs. Faith is trusting that God will meet those needs as we strive to grow in Him:

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6: 31-33

As Jesus sought God in the wilderness through fasting and prayer, His needs were met. He was strengthened and was able to resist the wiles of the devil. The same will go for us in our desert. Focus on God, and He will provide all you need to grow in maturity and survive the wilderness.

Verses five and six display another attack the enemy tries to use against us to try and get us to doubt what God said. The enemy quotes Psalm 91 in these verses in Matthew. Remember, the devil knows the Word of God; unfortunately sometimes better than the children of God. You have to be able to discern his lies from the truth of the Word. Because the devil actually misquotes the Psalmist by subtracting and adding to the Word of God. He is trying to distort the passage into a carte-blanche for absurd behavior. This is the same trick he has always used even as far back as the Garden of Eden:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" Genesis 3: 1

The devil knew God did not say this but he needed to engage Eve in a conversation. So he mixed some truth with some lie; some deception with the Word of God. He eventually calls God a liar and tempts Eve to be just like God. She bites (literally) and mankind falls. Do not even engage in the conversation with the enemy on his terms.

Verse seven is the second answer Jesus has for the enemy and now we see the pattern emerge. Each time Satan tries to tempt Him, Jesus answers with the Word of God. Why? Because He knows that the enemy is a liar:

... He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44b

As much as English might be the only language you know, lying is that language for the devil. He is not bilingual! There is NO truth in him. So it would only make sense that if you are combating lies that you do so with the truth:

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17

This verse is from a prayer Jesus made on behalf of His disciples. The word "sanctify" means to set apart from the world from the lies of the enemy. The only way to do that is to know the truth. Look, every time the devil whispers something in our ears he is merely offering us something to consider believing. And for every lies he whispers, there is a verse in the Bible that assures us he is lying. It is always up to us to decide who to believe. Paul taught this as well:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2Corinthians 10:4

What is a pretension? It's a fancy word for lie. Every lie from Satan has set itself up against the Word of God. We are to demolish these lies! Specifically, these verses teach us that we need to take every thought and make it obedient to Christ. We need to make sure every thought is obedient to the Word of God. Why? Because it is the truth! That is how the truth "sets you free." It sets you free from the lies the enemy has sold you. Jesus knew these truths and when He faced the lies from the enemy, distorting Psalm 91, he swiftly rebuked him with the correct Word of God!

Verse eight shows the devil attacking Jesus with greed. He shows him all kingdoms of the world and their splendor. Likewise, the enemy will show you the material wealth of this world in order to tempt you. He too will show you short cuts to it. Because the devil knows that the more you focus on what you don't have, the less you appreciate what God has given you. Modern western Christianity gets it backwards sometimes. We should not consider blessings the things we do not have, but rather what God has already given us. Greed corrupts the heart as Jesus taught:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6: 19-21

When you treasure the eternal, nothing can steal it from you. When you treasure the temporal, the enemy will use it against you. He will show you everything to do not have and the splendor you feel is missing...but there is always a catch.

Because verse nine shows us that the enemy is not done yet. This is the infamous "IF" verse. You see there is always a price to pay for the temptation the devil is offering you. There is always an "IF." The "if" is always more than you are willing to pay. The truth is that usually he does not make it this obvious. We have to read into the temptation and see where it leads to find the "if." When the devil tempted David with Bathsheba he was offering her IF David was willing to become an adulterer and murderer but of course that was not spelled out for him. We need to be wary of the "if" hidden in the temptation. There is always a cost:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6: 7-9

The harvest is waiting for all believers. The choice is always there for us. We can reap destruction or we can reap eternal life. Jesus ends the battle He faced in the wilderness by quoting God's Word one more time and resisting the devil for a third time. We will face similar attacks and similar temptations in our lives. God does not expect the perfection He found in His only Son.

He does expect perseverance however. He expects that when we fall we repent. King David fell but repented. Peter denied Christ three times and was restored. God is a loving and forgiving God. He understands that we will face all kinds of trials and temptations in this life. He has given us the weapon we need to fight through these times. But we must know it. We must do as the Psalmist teaches:

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

Because ultimately all temptation is a temptation to sin. It is a temptation to deny what we should already know the Word of God. When we hide the Word in our heart then we can readily draw upon it when the lies of the enemy come. We can respond with "It is written" instead of engaging in the conversation like Eve did in the Garden.

If we are to defeat the strategies of the Tempter, we must recognize them. We must be prepared to fight against them. We must always remember that the enemy is merely offering us something to consider believing. We must take those rogue thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ and the Word of Truth, which we have hidden in our hearts.

Reverend Anthony Wade October 19, 2010