The Enemy we must fight: Crafty and Convincing.

The Enemy we must fight: Crafty and Convincing.
Matt. 4:1-11 – Luke 4:1-13
The Temptation of Jesus
Introduction:
Satan is so crafty and a practical thinker. He knows he cannot win in a one-on-one fight with a believer so instead of a direct confrontation, he uses basically two approaches: He comes to you with 1) a problem or a proposal. In 2 thes. 2:18, he gave a problem by preventing Paul from visiting the Thessalonians.

The Bible tells us in Eph. 6 that all the Christians are facing a spiritual warfare where we have to be properly armored in order to stand our ground. Eph. 6 speaks about the various types of demons and different ranks in the spirit world both on earth and in the space above the earth. But, although this sounds scary for most people, which is not our greatest personal spiritual fight. Eph. 6 describes a fight for the entire church and not for a people only. The Greatest spiritual fight that we have is when we have a ONE-ON-ONE ENCOUNTER WITH SATAN and he desires to defeat us in order to control us. That is our greatest encounter.

Do I mean then that Satan is interested not only in the people of the world in general but also specifically in certain individuals? Yes. Listen to this verse:

Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.

Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.

Acts 5:3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

2 Corinthians 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

All these verses are reminding that Satan takes personal interest in our individual downfall and he has a complete computerized record of every weakness there is in life because that is part of his job as the accuser. I believe that although he is a very busy being, Satan, the god of the world, time the prince of power of the air, the king of the demonic kingdom, finds the time to have a personal encounter with you and I that rare, terrible and dark encounter with him is what we call our GREATEST SPIRITUAL FIGHT. THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE OF OUR LIVES.

Today, it is possible that some of us may be going through the greatest fight of our lives, the WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE OF OUR LIFE, without actually realizing it if you are going through something far too difficult to contemplate, think carefully and listen carefully. If you still have not gone through the greatest spiritual fight of your life, listen carefully. You want to be prepared when the time comes for your turn to fight. It will come just as surely as the darkness comes everyday.

Jesus Himself, as a man, went through this wilderness experience. It was the not the only great fight in his life for there were two greatest fights in his life. One at the wilderness and one at the cross. He won both. What is this GREATEST SPIRITUAL FIGHT OF OUR LIFE? How does Satan accomplish this?

1. HE POINTS OUT A PROBLEM…

We all have needs. But there are times when our needs seem to be so large that it is larger than life. There are times when our needs become so powerful that we feel so helpless. There are times when our needs are so pronounced that our minds cannot think of anything else but our needs. Whenever you have an unusual preoccupation with your needs, whenever you feel that your needs seem to be the controlling force in your life, whenever you feel that the needs have become the biggest issue in you life, think again, you be unaware that the king of the demonic world has arrived and is now waging a personal war against you. ONE-ON-ONE, you against Satan. His primary instrument: Your need.

What were the needs of Jesus that Satan somehow identified? Note:

• Jesus had a need of food. He has fasted for 40 days and night. For us, even the matter of food supply can become Satan’s instrument for torturing our minds. How many times have you heard of true stories where a parent killed his children because of extreme poverty and inability to provide for the food supply of the family. Food of course represents the many other physical and material needs we have in life. Yes, whenever you feel that the physical needs have become to powerful and you are about to give up, remember, you may be, without realizing it, engaged in a ONE-ON-ONE fight with Satan.

• Needs for Companionship. Jesus was alone. For forty days and forty nights, he was alone in his struggles. Although Jesus was a very strong person, he also needed the companionship of others. Later, we find him having 12 disciples and having a core group of 3 persons, James, John and Peter. His need for companionship was clearly revealed when he shouted at the cross-My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

My friend, you may be here today as someone already deep in debts because of a wrong decision in the past or because you were cheated, or because business is really bad. You may be here today as a single parent finding it difficult or cope up with the needs of your family and your own personal needs. You may be here today and is need of deliverance form some kind of a power oppressing you and you want to be freed from it but you feel that you are so alone. The nights are cold and lonely. The prospect for income is so insignificant if not completely zero. Companionship and friendship from others seem to be unexpected. Your mind is slowly becoming too focused on one thing: Your needs.

Be warned. Satan may already have started his ONE-ON-ONE WAR AGAINST YOU. Satan against the failing businessman. Satan against the oppressed husband or wife. Satan against the unloved son or daughter. Satan against the unrecognized father or mother. Satan against the lonely, helpless single parent. Is Satan already fighting with you? Listen as we go on.

So Satan begins this personal ONE-ON-ONE WAR AGAINST US by pointing out and emphasizing our needs until we become desperate. Next. This is what he does.

2. He PROPOSES ANSWERS TO YOUR NEEDS THE WRONG WAY

Jesus’ case: Test God by jumping. Anyway God will rescue you even if killing yourself-which is self-inflicted murder is wrong. Second. Call people’s attention by jumping. God will surely rescue you and more people will gather around you as a result.

In our case, after Pointing out and emphasizing our needs, Satan then proposes that:

• We look for answers even if these happen to be against God’s law. As if he is saying to us. Do it. God will stop you anyway if this is really dangerous and wrong. Jumping is wrong but test it anyway. It’s like a ma who says going to the Casino is wrong but I have a great need and if it is really that wrong, God will do something to stop me anyway.
• We give attention to people’s praise and adoration. Satan showed Jesus the people of the world, their splendor, their glory. All these can be yours. I’ll give it to you. It was invitation to be a person of prestige and fame in the world. A person praised and adored by others. May be some can say, I am not concerned about that. I don’t really go for people’s praise and adoration. May be. To be concerned about people’s praise and adoration does not only come by wanting people to actually praise us, but it can also come by not wanting people to see our poverty. To be embarrassed when we are in need. To be embarrassed when we are economically down at certain times.

Sometimes, Satan aggravates this whole fight by forcing us to:
• Doubt your spiritual identity
• Offer to do short-cuts in life
• Misinterpret the Word (Ps. 90:11-12)
• Recognize Satan as worthy of worship

3. He Presents the ultimate answer to our concerns: Change your identity

• Satan then proposes an ultimate answer to the needs Jesus. Worship me and I’ll give you everything. You have a need. I have the answer. Even that is wrong by your standard but I can provide. Change your identity and worship me.

Therefore anyone who, by reason of poverty and extreme need, acquires an answer to his needs through means involving the compromise of his faith and the honor of God, has in fact, without intending to do so, given his body to the control of the enemy.

Better to be poor and be assured by God than to be rich and be insured by Satan. Better to be alone but have Jesus and than to be never alone and have Satan as companion.

CONCLUSION:

We now come to the concluding question: What do we do when we realized that on account of our needs, difficulties and crisis in life, Satan has actually started a ONE-ON-ONE- fight with us, what do we do?

• Re-assess your physical and material needs and look for answers only in the context o obedience
• Re-assess your needs for companionship and social recognition in the context of obedience. Don’t be fooled into thinking that because you are alone and lonely, you are an abnormal person and hopeless. A certain Mr. Edward Hale has said; I AM ONLY ONE. BUT STILL, I AM ONE. I CANNOT DO EVERYTHING, BUT STILL I CAN DO SOMETHING. AND BECAUSE I CANNOT EVERYTHING, I WILL NOT REFUSE TO DO SOMETHING I CAN DO. There is something you can do. When you have a setback in life, don’t rush things. Sit back, think, meditate and pray for specific direction.
• Acquire proper grounding in the Word. This was the secret of Jesus. He was not controlled by his circumstances for he dealt with his circumstances by is set of attitudes taken from a good grounding from the word of God. Mr. Hugh Downs has said: A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstance, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
• Face your Difficulties with a sense of victory although nothing is clear. James 1.
• Use your authority over the enemy to rebuke him.
• Decide to turn temptation into a trial and decide to win.
• Be willing to be prayed for deliverance even now if you think you have already given up your life or a part of your life to Satan without intending to do so.

Conclusion:

No excuse for falling into temptation… 1 Cor. 10:13. But if you have fallen, get up and move forward. There really is no excuse for not getting up and moving forward.