SERIES: ANGELS and DEMONS
(freely adapted from a series of the same name by James Merritt)
“THE PRETENDER TO THE THRONE”
MATTHEW 4:1-11
OPEN
I see and read and hear about men, women, teenagers and children from all walks of life that run blindly into this spiritual being we know as the devil. They don’t see him. They don’t hear hm. Some of them don’t even believe he is real. And they run right into his jaws and their lives are destroyed.
I believe. Jesus believed. And the Bible teaches that we live in two worlds. We live in a world that we can see and we live that we can’t. We live in a world that’s visible to the eye and we live in a world that is invisible world. We live in a world that we can touch and sense and sense and smell and feel. But there’s another world out there that you cannot touch and sense and smell and feel. And the Bible says that invisible world is populated by spiritual beings known as angels and demons.
Today, we’re going to talk about the spiritual being who wants to be the #1 person in that spiritual world. He leads the bad guys. But he is only a pretender to the throne.
I know this is the 21st century. Many people have trouble accepting the supernatural. They’re smart people and nice people who believe that the devil is a figment of somebody’s theological imagination. And I realize that there are people who believe that the devil is nothing more than a fun figure – something some cartoonist dreamed up – a fellow in a red suit with horns, a pointy tail, wearing a goatee and carrying a pitchfork just waiting for someone to bend over. That’s exactly what the devil would want you to think – that he is not real; that he is a fantasy figure like Mickey Mouse.
If you’re struggling with accepting the reality of the devil, if you doubt the existence of evil and a sinister being who wants to do you harm, please just do one thing. Pick up your newspaper. The evidence is there for every body to see.
For those who do believe in the devil, the big question is: why did God create the devil? The simple answer is that God did not create the devil. God created angels. And when God created angels, he created one that was uniquely beautiful. And to this angel he gave the position of leadership and authority.
But God also gave to every angel, just like he’s given to every human being, the right of choice. For whatever reason, this special angel, originally named Lucifer, decided that he could do a better job at being God than God could. So there was what the Bible calls a war in heaven. And the devil and his angels (1/3 of all the angels) fought against God and his angels and they lost and were cast out of heaven.
Ever since, the devil has been public enemy #1. Ever since that moment, the devil has been at war against God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and against all of his followers.
So, how does the devil relate to us today? When the devil does attack us – when he comes against us or our families or our businesses or our finances, or even our health – how do respond to the devil? How do we actually stand up and face up against the devil? He seems so intimidating, because next to God himself, the devil is the most powerful being in the universe. How do we accomplish this seemingly impossible task?
We’re going to focus in on one passage this morning. And the passage we’re going to look at is interesting for a couple ofl reasons. First, it describes a battle that is one of the top battles of all time. It’s a one-on-one fight that occurs somewhere in the Judean wilderness between Jesus and the devil. There has never been a heavyweight boxing championship or wrestling match or mixed-martial arts bout that can ever compare to this match-up. Secondly, it teaches us three important lessons about who the devil is and how we can defeat him. There is victory over God’s number one enemy and our number one enemy.
RECOGNIZE SATAN’S WICKEDNESS
The first time we’re introduced to the devil in the NT is in this encounter. Mt. 4:1 – “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”
Notice something: Even though Jesus was being led by the Holy Spirit, even though he was in complete obedience to God’s will, even directly in the center of God’s will, He comes face-to-face with this sinister minister of evil called the devil.
Just to remind you, the first time we meet this person called the devil is all the way back in the Garden of Eden. But he’s not called the devil until this passage. Now, hold onto that name. It’s very important.
Sometimes, parents aren’t careful about what they name their kids. They don’t take it seriously. They just pick names out of a hat. But in Bible days, names were very important. Your name was generally a reflection of their character; of who you were.
Here’s an example. Take the name of Jesus. That’s the Greek version of the Hebrew name Joshua. It means “the Lord is salvation.” That name tells us who Jesus is. It reflects His person. It tells us what His life and ministry were all about.
Just like you learn a lot about Jesus through His name, you can learn a lot about the devil by the names he’s referred to in the Bible. And he’s referred to by a lot of names. There is a reason for that. The nature and character of the devil is revealed in these names.
We’re not going to look at all of these names today. I want us to focus in on two names. The best name we know him as is the devil. The Greek word for devil is diabolos from which we get our word “diabolic”. It means an accuser or slanderer. The primary name used in the New Testament for this person is the devil. In the Old Testament, the name most used for the devil is Satan. It means an opponent or adversary.
Put those two names together and it tells us just about everything we need to know about the devil He is our opponent. He’s our adversary. He’s our foe. He is our enemy. He is against us. That’s who he is.
So what does he want to do? He’s an accuser. He is a slanderer. He will lie to you and he will lie about you.Jesus said, “He is a liar and the father of all lies.”
When I put those two names together, it tells me about him. It tells me that he is out to hurt me. He does not have my best interest at heart. Anything he can do to harm me, he will do so. He will harm me physically. He will harm me emotionally. He will harm me financially. He will harm me relationally. He will harm me spiritually. And ultimately, he will harm me eternally. His number one enemy is Jesus Christ and his number two enemy is anyone who follows Jesus Christ.
Peter describes him this way in 1 Pet. 5:8 – “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
There is nothing more dangerous in the brush than a lion that’s hungry. They’re so dangerous because they will attack anything. It doesn’t matter how big it is. They will attack a water buffalo. They will attack a bull elephant. They will attack a giraffe. It doesn’t matter the size of the animal. When they’re hungry, they will try to devour anything in their path.
That’s the picture that Peter paints of the devil. He says that’s the way the devil is. All he wants to do is devour. He wants to devour your marriage. He wants to devour you children and grandchildren. He wants to devour your business. He wants to devour your purity. He wants to devour your walk with God.
And he likes to attack when you’re most vulnerable. Notice when he came after Jesus. It was when Jesus had been without food for 40 days. Jesus has been on this extended fast. That’s when Satan decides to bring his attack full-force. And he’ll do the same to you. He be waiting and watching for a time when you will be vulnerable and maybe even weak.
Mike, you make the devil sound very intimidating. How can a puny human being like me stand up against someone like him? That brings us to the second lesson. Not only do we have to recognize his wickedness, we have to …
REMEMBER SATAN’S WEAKNESS
We can’t deny that he is a powerful being. We can’t deny that he has an army of demons. But the good news is that the devil has a weak spot.
Please understand this: Jesus Christ is the only person ever to live that had no weak spots. Every human being has a weak spot. We have our points of vulnerability. Goliath the giant had a weak spot – right here in the middle of his forehead. You probably remember the story of the Greek warrior named Achilles. He was seemingly invincible in battle because his armor protected every area of his body. But we know from the story that he was vulnerable in one place. One place where his armor would not cover. His heel.
So, how do we learn about Satan’s weak spot? We look at how he attacked Jesus and how Jesus responded to the attack. The reason this story in the Bible is very simple. The same way Satan attacked Jesus is the same way he attacks us. And the way Jesus responded to the attack is the same way we should respond to Satan’s attack.
How did Satan attack Jesus? First, he attacked him physically. Mt. 4:2-3 – “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.’”
I’m so glad they told us that Jesus was hungry. We might not have figured it out on our own. Jesus fasted 40 days and nights. Why mention both day and night? Because some folks who fast only abstain from food during the day time. Right now, the Muslims are in their month of fasting called Ramadan. But they only fast during the day. At night, they can eat.
Why did he do it? Why did Jesus go without food for 40 days and night? God told him to do it. He didn’t question God’s leading. He just did it. But Satan comes to Him and says, “I know you’re hungry. You’ve got the power. Why don’t you just take these stones and turn them into bread?”
What’s wrong with that? Jesus is hungry. Why not eat? Because God had told him not to eat and God had not yet lifted that order. It wasn’t God who told him to eat. It was the devil who told him to eat. It was a physical attack. And the same way he attacked Jesus then, he comes after us now.
By the way, the greatest temptations our young people face are physical. Those of you who remember what it’s like to be a teenager. That was our greatest temptation. It was physical. Don’t you think for a moment that the devil is not behind all the pornography and sex and drugs and alcohol in the lives of our teenagers. One of the devil’s mottoes is, “If it feels good, do it.” That’s the way he attacked Jesus and that’s the way he attacks us. I know, even at my age, that he will attack me with physical temptations.
The second way he attacked Jesus was emotionally. Mt. 4:4-7 – “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.’
Satan tells Jesus, “Right now you’re going through a time when your body is weak from not eating and you’ve been by yourself for 40 days and nights. Do this and it will make you feel good about yourself. It will show everybody who you are.”
What the devil was doing with Jesus is the same thing he does with out emotions. Why don’t you do something that makes you feel good? You can’t afford that house but you deserve it so why don’t you go ahead and buy it? I know you already have clothes in your closet you don’t wear now. But why don’t you buy that dress, why don’t you buy those jeans, or why don’t you buy those shoes? Even though you don’t need them, it would make you feel good just to put them on?
Why is it that like a bolt right out of the blue, we get the idea: I deserve somebody younger. I deserve somebody better looking. I deserve someone who is more in tune with my needs. I deserve to be happy. It doesn’t matter how many people I hurt. It doesn’t matter how many people I make miserable. I deserve to be happy. It was all emotional.
The third way he attacked Jesus was spiritually. Mt. 4:8-11 – “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.” You’ve got to give the devil his due. Nobody can tempt people like the devil.
Here’s what he was tempting Jesus to do. Satan was saying, “Look, Jesus, you know that you’re going to ascend to the throne of heaven. It’s a done deal. After all, you’re God. You know all of this is going to belong to you anyway. But your Father is telling you that you have to go through the cross. You’re going to be spat on, beaten, and condemned as a criminal. You’ll have you die the most horrible death and shed your blood. Forget about all that! Bypass it! Just bow down and worship me. I’ll give it all to you. Just be a “short-cut savior”. You wont’ have to suffer any pain. You won’t have to shed any blood. Just worship me.”
He was trying to get Jesus to do what he wants to get us to do: worship anything or anybody in this world but the one, true, God. He doesn’t care what that god is like. He doesn’t care if you’re a Buddhist, a Hindu, or a Muslim. He doesn‘t care whether you follow Confucius or if you worship the god of possessions, position, prestige, popularity or power. He doesn’t care what god you worship as long as that god is anyone but God.
That’s why more than one person has sold their soul to the devil for Wall Street’s dollar, Hollywood’s fame, or Washington’s power.
Jesus was attacked just like we’re attacked and he was tempted the same way we’re tempted. So how did he defeat the devil? Before I tell you what he did, I need to tell you what he didn’t do.
He didn’t do two things that we do. Two things that I’ve done. When the devil tempts you, if you do either one of these two things, you’ve lost before you start.
The first thing he didn’t do: he didn’t deliberate. He didn’t say, “Well, let me think about it. I wonder, what would just one time hurt? If I did it just this time, nobody would know.” He didn’t mull it over. He didn’t deliberate.
The second thing he didn’t do: he didn’t negotiate. He didn’t say, “You know, I’ve never taken drugs in my life what if I just did it this time? I’ll never do it again – just this one time.” Or, “I’ve never had an affair but just one night. Just to see if the fruit tastes different. Just to see if the grass is greener.”
Jesus didn’t deliberate or negotiate. Here’s what he did. He responded in the same way all three times.
How many of you are Andy Griffith show fans? Remember his deputy, Barney Fife? Here’s your test for today. How many bullets did Barney have? Just one.
Jesus carried only one bullet against the devil. It was a silver bullet. The only bullet he used took care of the devil every time. And the bullet that he had in his chamber is the same bullet we have in our chamber. And that bullet is found three times and three words in our passage. Mt. 4:4, 7, 10 – “It is written…” The only weapon you need in your arsenal to defeat the devil in your life is the word of God and your willingness to obey that word.
Jesus didn’t deliberate or negotiate. Jesus didn’t need use magic formulas or holy water or anointed handkerchiefs. He just simply said, “I know that is what you say but here is what the word of God says.”
That’s why it’s so important for you to be in the word of God every day. You have to spend time reading and contemplating and meditating on the word every single day. If you don’t get in the word of God every day, you’ve emptied your chamber.
If you’ll make three determination about the word of God, you won’t believe the difference it will make in your life. You won’t believe how it will keep you from running off into so many ditches in your life.
First determination: I will settle for nothing less than the word of God. Second determination: I will accept nothing more than the word of God. I’m not going to condemn nothing the Bible doesn’t condemn. I’m not going to condone anything the Bible doesn’t condone. Third determination: I will follow nothing else than the word of God.
Don’t you ever take my word for anything. You take His word for everything. That’s why I tie my word to His word. Well, are you saying that you hide behind his skirt? I sure do. Why? Because I know how the devil operates.
The word of God is Satan’s kryptonite. You’re no match for the devil but he’s no match for God’s word. So…
RESIST SATAN’S WITNESS
I just told you how the devil operates. He wants you to surrender to his will for your life not God’s will. He wants you to obey his word; not God’s word. He wants you to follow his way for your life; not God’s way.
A retired preacher was going through his financial statements and was flabbergasted to find that his wife had charged a dress that cost $300.00 to their credit card. He went fuming through the house looking for his wife. When he found her, he confronted her about the charge. He told her, “You know that we can’t afford things like this on our retirement income. How could you do something like this!”
Tears started down her cheeks. She said, “I don’t know. I was standing in the store looking at the dress. Then I found myself trying it on. It was like the devil was whispering to me, ‘Gee, you look great in that dress. You should buy it.”
The old preacher looked her in the eye and said, “You know how to deal with the devil. Just tell him, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan!”
And the wife replied, “Oh, but I did. But then he said, “It looks great from back here, too!”
Know this: Satan never gives up. And even though his #1 target is followers of Christ, his #2 target is unbelievers. I’ve already talked about how devil works on believers. What does he do to unbelievers? He blinds them. 2 Cor. 4:4 – “The god of this age [that’s the devil] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
If you’ve never received Christ into your life, I know your problem. Satan has pulled the blinders over your eyes. 2 Cor. 11:14 tells us that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” The angel can disguise himself as a good guy. And if he can do that, he make you think what is wrong is right. He can make you think what is bad is good. He make you think what is false is true.
The good news is that even the devil cannot keep an unbeliever from becoming a believer. The devil cannot keep anyone from coming to Christ who wants to come to Christ. That’s good news for both the believer and the unbeliever.
One of the reasons Christ came to earth was to take care of the devil. 1 Jn. 3:8b – “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.” That’s what Jesus did on the cross. When he came to this earth, died on the cross, and rose from the grave, the Bible says that he destroyed the devil’s work.
You probably have a question right now. If Jesus took care of the devil, why do I have so much trouble with him? Why is it that sometimes I feel that he beats me from pillar to post? Here’s the reason. Rev. 12:12b – “But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
Satan knows he’s whipped. He knows the game is up. He’s knows that basically the war is over. But he still has a bite. That’s why we have to stay on our toes. That’s why you have to remember James 4:7 – “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The devil is no match for a follower of Jesus Christ who is filled with the Spirit of God and armed with the word of God and a willingness to do what God wants him to do.
CLOSE
There was a tragedy in Florida not too long ago. I’m not sure if the baby Burmese python came with a warning. If not, it should have. The Oxford, Florida family that brought the serpent home as a pet would live to
regret allowing such a creature in the house.
Earlier this year the snake, now 12 feet long, broke out of the glass aquarium during the night. It silently slithered into the bedroom of a 2-year old girl, wrapped itself around her defenseless body, and strangled her to death; a horrible, yet entirely preventable tragedy.
I want to tell you that Satan that old serpent works tirelessly to get us to believe that allowing him in the house is no real danger. After all, we know how to restrain him behind the “aquarium glass.” We know how to control him. But can I tell you that a snake is a snake.
I want to close by sharing the Devil’s Beatitudes with you. 1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend even an hour once a week with their fellow Christians – they are my best workers. 2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked -- I can use them. 3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church –for they are my missionaries. 4. Blessed are the trouble makers – for they shall be called my children. 5. Blessed are the complainers –for their complaints are music to my ears. 6. Blessed are those who keep a list of the preachers mistakes -- for they get nothing out of his sermons. 7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church – for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution. 8. Blessed are those who gossip -- for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me. 9. Blessed are those who are easily offended -- for they will soon get angry and quit. 10. Blessed are those who do not give an offering to carry on God’s work – for in stealing from God you steal for me. 11. Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister -- for he shall be with me forever. 12. Blessed are you who, when you hear this, think the preacher is talking about someone other than you– for I’ve got you right where I want you.
