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In Matthew 4, we see the father of lies having a one-on-one conversation with the Son of God. Jesus had just been baptized by John, and had been led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He fasted for 40 days. Needless to say, Jesus Christ was hungry.
In Matthew 4, we see the father of lies having a one-on-one conversation with the Son of God. Jesus had just been baptized by John, and had been led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He fasted for 40 days. Needless to say, Jesus Christ was hungry.
And it is here, in his time of weakness, that Satan approaches Jesus. He uses different strategies, different temptations to try and cause Jesus to sin. 3 times he tempts Jesus. And 3 times Jesus resists him.
And it is here, in his time of weakness, that Satan approaches Jesus. He uses different strategies, different temptations to try and cause Jesus to sin. 3 times he tempts Jesus. And 3 times Jesus resists him.
This is a very well-known account, but I think that sometimes we overlook some practical application, both from Satan, as well as Jesus.
This is a very well-known account, but I think that sometimes we overlook some practical application, both from Satan, as well as Jesus.
#1: Satan knows WHEN to strike.
#1: Satan knows WHEN to strike.
Satan could've tried to tempt Jesus at any time. Before He was baptized, while He was calling his apostles, as He taught the multitudes. But Satan chose the--in his eyes--perfect moment. Christ was alone. He had no one to back Him up and support Him, no one to hold Him accountable. Not just this, but He was also physically weakened, having fasted for 40 days. He was alone and--again, in Satan's eyes--vulnerable. And it was then that he chose to strike.
Satan could've tried to tempt Jesus at any time. Before He was baptized, while He was calling his apostles, as He taught the multitudes. But Satan chose the--in his eyes--perfect moment. Christ was alone. He had no one to back Him up and support Him, no one to hold Him accountable. Not just this, but He was also physically weakened, having fasted for 40 days. He was alone and--again, in Satan's eyes--vulnerable. And it was then that he chose to strike.
So where's the application here? It should be pretty obvious: if Satan knows when Jesus Christ is weakest, and tries to tempt Him then, why should we think he doesn't know the same for us? What's keeping him from knowing the exact moment when we're weakest? Perhaps when we're alone like Christ was, or maybe surrounded by a group of bad social influences. When we're bored, when we're sad, when we're angry, when emotions are running high, we leave ourselves open to Satan's attack. And that's an opportunity that he will take.
So where's the application here? It should be pretty obvious: if Satan knows when Jesus Christ is weakest, and tries to tempt Him then, why should we think he doesn't know the same for us? What's keeping him from knowing the exact moment when we're weakest? Perhaps when we're alone like Christ was, or maybe surrounded by a group of bad social influences. When we're bored, when we're sad, when we're angry, when emotions are running high, we leave ourselves open to Satan's attack. And that's an opportunity that he will take.
#2: Satan knows HOW to strike.
#2: Satan knows HOW to strike.
Satan tempted Jesus 3 times, and each time he used a different strategy. And each strategy would've appealed to Jesus, making the temptation that much harder to resist.
Satan tempted Jesus 3 times, and each time he used a different strategy. And each strategy would've appealed to Jesus, making the temptation that much harder to resist.
The first temptation was a simple one: The lust of the flesh. Satan told Christ to use his power to turn stones into bread. This appealed to His physical needs: He was hungry. He had the power to create the food. He could've easily done so.
The first temptation was a simple one: The lust of the flesh. Satan told Christ to use his power to turn stones into bread. This appealed to His physical needs: He was hungry. He had the power to create the food. He could've easily done so.
The second temptation was more sinister. Satan showed Jesus all of the kingdoms of the earth in a moment of time, and offered all of them to Him, for the simple price of bowing before him. Power. The lust of the eyes. This would've been equally appealing: Jesus was the Messiah. The one the Jews had been waiting on for years. And yet, they rejected Him, expecting a mighty king to lead them against the Romans. With this power, Christ could've been that. He could've met those expectations.
The second temptation was more sinister. Satan showed Jesus all of the kingdoms of the earth in a moment of time, and offered all of them to Him, for the simple price of bowing before him. Power. The lust of the eyes. This would've been equally appealing: Jesus was the Messiah. The one the Jews had been waiting on for years. And yet, they rejected Him, expecting a mighty king to lead them against the Romans. With this power, Christ could've been that. He could've met those expectations.
The final temptation was, perhaps, the most cunning. Satan told Jesus to throw Himself from a high mountain to prove that He was the Son of God. The craftiness of this temptation was woven in when Satan actually used scripture to back up his challenge, taking it out of context to try and convince Jesus to sin. The pride of life.
The final temptation was, perhaps, the most cunning. Satan told Jesus to throw Himself from a high mountain to prove that He was the Son of God. The craftiness of this temptation was woven in when Satan actually used scripture to back up his challenge, taking it out of context to try and convince Jesus to sin. The pride of life.
Satan knew exactly how to tempt Jesus. With food, with majesty, with power. It's the same strategy he used on Eve in Genesis 3: She saw the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes) and a tree desirable to make one wise (the pride of life).
Satan knew exactly how to tempt Jesus. With food, with majesty, with power. It's the same strategy he used on Eve in Genesis 3: She saw the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes) and a tree desirable to make one wise (the pride of life).
The fact of the matter is, we deceive ourselves when we pretend we're immune to temptation. We can have a great group of friends and family to hold us accountable, we can discount many sins as undesirable, we can do everything we can to avoid temptation. But Satan knows when to tempt us. And he knows how to tempt us. And eventually, we will find ourselves being faced with his temptations.
The fact of the matter is, we deceive ourselves when we pretend we're immune to temptation. We can have a great group of friends and family to hold us accountable, we can discount many sins as undesirable, we can do everything we can to avoid temptation. But Satan knows when to tempt us. And he knows how to tempt us. And eventually, we will find ourselves being faced with his temptations.
So, what do we do? The answer is pretty simple.
So, what do we do? The answer is pretty simple.
#3: Jesus had the weapons to FIGHT BACK.
#3: Jesus had the weapons to FIGHT BACK.
Jesus took each temptation in stride, and fired back scripture as His retort. He knew the scripture for each situation, and in these He found strength. He defeated Satan alone, using the words of His Father.
Jesus took each temptation in stride, and fired back scripture as His retort. He knew the scripture for each situation, and in these He found strength. He defeated Satan alone, using the words of His Father.
This is the example we need to follow. We can't find our strength in others, and we shouldn't even find it in ourselves! We can resolve to not sin, we can try to hold ourselves accountable. But to sin is human nature, and has been since Cain and Abel. We need to put our faith, our strength, and our defense, into God's Word. It's our weapon, it's our sword of the Spirit. And with it, we can combat Satan and his temptations.
This is the example we need to follow. We can't find our strength in others, and we shouldn't even find it in ourselves! We can resolve to not sin, we can try to hold ourselves accountable. But to sin is human nature, and has been since Cain and Abel. We need to put our faith, our strength, and our defense, into God's Word. It's our weapon, it's our sword of the Spirit. And with it, we can combat Satan and his temptations.
Satan knows how to strike. He knows when to strike. But if we arm ourselves with the truths of God's Word, it won't matter; we'll be strong enough to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Satan knows how to strike. He knows when to strike. But if we arm ourselves with the truths of God's Word, it won't matter; we'll be strong enough to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
-Reese
-Reese
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