Many of you spoke with me last week about how important it is to know more about our enemy, the devil. There is a need to know our enemy, as Heath Smith reminded me, and it is clear from scripture as Jesus tells us, "We need to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves." (Matt. 10:16) Paul also says, "We are not ignorant of the devil's schemes." (2 Cor. 2:11)
When I think of studying about Satan, I'm reminded of the comment made by an elderly lady in church one time: She said, "I wish they wouldn't talk about the ten commandments, it puts too many ideas in young people's minds."
I don't want to put too many ideas of Satan into your minds, but I do want to put what God's word would tell us. Let me explain: There is no stand alone study of Satan in the Bible as there is of God and Jesus. There are only brief mentions of him here and there in context with what God is doing. That is the way the Bible presents the information about the devil and that is the way I will attempt to preach about him. I am loath to go beyond what is written or even present it differently than in the context in which it is written. The purpose of the Bible is not to help us get to know Satan, but to help us know God and His will for our lives. This much is clear: 1. God is always the hero of the Bible who ultimately gives victory to all who are faithful to Him. 2. Satan is the villain who, though he causes great pain and suffering, even to God and God's people, he ultimately loses, as does everyone who follows in his wickedness and lies.
Furthermore, in the Bible we see that there is nothing in God that is unholy or evil, but there is nothing in Satan that is holy or good. It appears that at his creation, Lucifer was beautiful and good, but his pride destroyed him, and he became the adversary and accuser or Satan. (Isaiah 14:12-15, 1 Tim. 3:6-7) The Bible's clear message is that the good and holy God has full authority over the unholy and evil Satan. Yet, just as God has given us free will and allows us to choose life with Christ or condemnation in hell, God has granted Satan enough rope to hang himself. The great accuser of God and adversary of God's people stands under God's authority and God even turns Satan's devises against himself to accomplish God's purposes.
Last week we began to look at the works of the devil and how God sent Jesus to destroy them. Our study started with the fall of man into sin as recorded in Genesis 3 and then we looked at Job 1-2 where Satan's name is mentioned 15 times out of the 19 times it occurs in the Old Testament. In Job we see that Jesus words are true. Satan is a liar and a murderer. His desire is to bring down whomever he can and disrupt the glory of God.
Today, let's turn to the New Testament where we have a much clearer view of this enemy and his devices.
When we leave the Old Testament and turn to the New Testament, it is like the lights of the spirit world are suddenly turned up. We leave the somewhat shadowy spiritual view of the Old and enter the world where Jesus was born. The Gospels! Spirits are common in them. As the story of Jesus begins, an angel appears in the temple and in dreams and to shepherds. Also a multitude of the heavenly host praise God in the night that Jesus is born to the shepherd witnesses. The spirit world is visibly present to these people. The Holy Spirit calls John and commissions him to baptize. He is promised that the one on whom he sees the Spirit come down and remain on as a dove is the Light of the world, the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world.
And Jesus comes. He is baptized and John witnesses the Spirit’s decent upon Jesus and God the Father even speaks audibly from heaven to affirm Jesus as His beloved Son! It is an amazing series of clear spiritual encounters and interruptions into our physical world. The first appearances are all spiritual beings from God. But then, soon after Jesus is baptized, the enemy arises and appears. The villain, Satan, comes to tempt Jesus.
Matthew, Mark and Luke all mention this event. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he spent 40 days fasting and praying. Matthew specifically tells us: Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by the devil. So Jesus faced the enemy up front and personal. Many have wondered how this could be, that the Son of God could be tempted by evil. But when he came here to earth, Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant, he took the very nature of a man, and that includes the ability to be tempted. Hebrews states firmly, that Jesus was tempted in all ways like we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 2:14-18. Jesus understands what it is to be tempted. He is a merciful High Priest who has suffered temptation, but Jesus remained faithful. He did not sin.
So as we enter the New Testament and read the gospels, the very first mention of the name Satan that we come to is in Matthew 4:10. Jesus says his name as he tells Satan to get away from him after the third temptation.
Incidentally: another time Jesus speaks the enemy, Satan’s name, is to Peter. Matthew 16:23 Jesus confronts Peter and says, “Get behind me Satan, you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.” Jesus says this when Peter takes Jesus aside to tell him that Jesus will not be crucified. Peter speaks the words of Satan instead of the words of God. Just before this, just a few verses earlier, Peter had made the good confession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and, in that case Jesus blessed him and told Peter that this was not revealed to him by flesh and blood but by the Father. So… Peter speaks for God one moment, and a little later he speaks for Satan. What made the difference? In one case Peter is answering Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” That answer receives a blessing. It is an answer of faith. Then as Jesus instructs the disciples about his coming death Peter stops listening to Jesus and starts listening to the liar’s voice. Instead of believing Jesus’ words, Peter rebukes Jesus! “No, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” What was Peter’s motivation? Was it love for Jesus? Was it faith in God? Satan twisted Peter’s good motives into an evil opportunity to tempt Jesus to disobey God!
Can our good motives be twisted by Satan to do the same? How can you fight such a beast? You can’t. You and I can only crush Satan under our feet when we arm ourselves with the word of God and refuse to listen to even our own deepest hungers and passions. We need God’s Spirit to empower us, His truth to protect us, faith in Christ to shield us.
But back to Matthew 4. Jesus faces the devil himself and is tempted by him. Matthew uses three words to describe this enemy: the devil, the tempter, and Satan. Each of these describes the enemy’s work. He is evil adversary, tempter, and accuser.
Jesus went into the wilderness, or was led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God. There Jesus spent 40 days fasting. Which Old Testament character fasted 40 days in the wilderness? It appears that Jesus is identifying with Moses here. After 40 days, Jesus is hungry. That’s an understatement. Jesus is starving! I have read that after a few days of fasting the hunger goes away, but then at starvation, the hunger returns with a vengeance. Jesus, in his humanity, is feeling the pain of starvation just like anyone of us would feel. At that point, the body demands to be fed. Our bodies don’t wait that long, do they? How long have you gone without any nourishment? Ryan Johnson used to say, “Most of us are just a few meals away from becoming monsters.” How true! Jesus is in the wilderness, all alone with God, right? Well, not quite all alone. Enter: the enemy.
How did Matthew, Mark and Luke know about this event? Did Jesus tell the disciples about this? Did the Holy Spirit simply reveal it to them? Who was there to witness it? As far as we can tell, there is only Jesus, the Father, and Satan present. And in the story, it looks a lot more like it is only Jesus and Satan.
What do you do with your hunger when you are all alone and Satan comes knocking? An old song goes: “Somebody’s knocking, should I let ‘em in? Lord, it’s the devil, would you look at him! I heard about him, but I never dreamed he’d have blue eyes and blue jeans. He must have tapped my telephone line. He must have known I was spending my time alone. My fever’s rising so he ought to feel right at home with me.”
Does your flesh hunger for forbidden things? Does it ever feel starved? What about when no one else is around? What do you do with your fleshly hunger when the devil shows up and offers a simple solution? Who will know? Go ahead! You deserve it! You’re strong enough to handle it, aren’t you? Are you a chicken? Everybody else does it. Don’t be holier than thou! Who cares anyway?
If that doesn’t work, Satan pulls out the anger and resentment weapon. It’s not fair! Think about all those hypocrites who do worse things than this and get away with it and then judge you as if they are better than you!
If that doesn’t work, Satan will use evil companions to pull you into sin. They will make you feel weird if you don’t go along. They will press you from the outside while Satan works on you from between your ears. How can you stand with the Lord? Don’t try to figure out Satan. Focus on Jesus! That’s what the Bible tells us to do from one end to the other! We don’t need to know Satan better! We already know him all too well! We need to know the Lord, Jesus Christ! That’s what all faithful followers who resisted and ran from evil have done. Seek the kingdom first and His righteousness!
Jesus faced real temptation. He stood before the real arch enemy of heaven as a man. Satan hit him with everything he had all along the way to the cross. Jesus withstood by the same power that you and I can withstand. Jesus used the word of God. In each temptation, Jesus did not argue with reason. He didn’t pull out scientific studies or quote great philosophers. Jesus simply spoke the word of God. How? Because Jesus learned the word of God and lived the word of God. Jesus is the Word of God.
The Psalmist wrote years ago: “Your word I have stored in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Paul wrote after this: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly!” James says, “Humbly receive the word planted in you which can save you.” Peter says, “Like newborn babies, crave the spiritual milk of the word.”
The Word of God is your sword in this war. It is your ONLY weapon! Jesus is your defender, redeemer, shepherd and king. He is your high priest, your prophet, your hope of eternal life.
Jesus is able to defeat the enemy. Jesus has already defeated the enemy. We serve a victorious Lord and fight a defeated foe. He just wants you to join his losing team!
Which side will you choose? The side of eternal victory in Jesus Christ, or the side of eternal damnation in hell with Satan?
Answer that question.
Let me close with this little video which depicts Jesus against the enemy’s arsenal of demons.
(Gaderene demoniac. I found a clip from youtube that looks like a story board for the Jesus movie about this. Google youtube and search for the Gerasene Demoniac of Mark 5)
Who’s side are you on?
