← The Church of Eleven22
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Amen and amen and amen. All right, church, grab your Bibles. We got a lot of work to do. Matthew, chapter four is where we're gonna be. We're studying the book of Matthew all year. You need to get a Bible out on your phone is fine. A paper copy's may be finer. This sermon is from the Bible. It's about the Bible. That's what we do here, we teach the Bible. So don't just look at me, get a Bible. All right, good. If you look at it, we're in chapter four. We're only gonna do 11 verses, but we're gonna be in about 11 different scriptures. So you have to bounce around quite a bit. You'll see that the title of it here is called the Temptation of Jesus. And so some of this is gonna be review. If you pay attention, which no, dozens of you do, then you'll be like, haven't heard some of this before. Yes, but you're still sinning. Yeah. So we gotta keep covering this. And here's why. Jesus is tempted in every way that we are. And when I first started going to church, I didn't grow up in church. Maybe you heard me say that before I got saved as a high schooler, I started going and I mostly went to Southern Baptist churches, all right? And boy, they love the Bible. They love the Bible. And they talked about not sinning a lot. A lot. Mostly it's the only message I really heard. God bless them. I heard every week, man, God is good. You're bad. Try harder. See you next week. But nobody told me how. They just said don't. And sometimes I remember one preacher telling me, listen, when you really, when you become a real Christian, you're not even gonna wanna sin. And I thought, well, crap. Oh, was that a sin? Did I just sin? Was that one? I don't know. Okay, So I still struggle with temptation even today. And I'm a professional Christian. Anybody else in the house struggle with temptation? Oh, good. Just us and Jesus. If you don't. I don't even know what to tell you. You're so disillusioned I can't even help you. Okay, so this sermon is not only how Jesus overcame temptation, alright? Because the Bible says he was tempted in every way that we are. This is the book of Hebrews. We're going to see Jesus be tempted by the devil himself, not just his college roommate, but the devil himself is going to try to go after Jesus. And then what I really want you to see, though, is lenses so that we can with the help of the word of God and the spirit of God in us, overcome temptation and walk in the freedom that Christ has purchased for us. So in the book of Philippians and Colossians, when Paul tells us, walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus, he's basically just saying, listen, you have been set free, so let us walk in that kind of freedom. So here we go. Matthew, chapter four, beginning in verse one, starts out this way. Then. Now you can't just. Here's all last week's sermon. I wish I could have mashed these together, but they don't let me preach for two hours straight. But that's what this was then. This is just after Jesus has his high holy moment, he has this baptism. Remember, he's standing in the water, the heavens open up. God the Father speaks out loud. Behold my Son, in whom I am well pleased. Here's the thing you got to pay attention to often after the high holy moments you have with the Lord, pay very close attention, because get ready, you might walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He's gonna go from the water to the dry place in the desert. He's gonna go from his dad speaking to him, God the Father, to the devil speaking to him. That's usually how it works. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Verse 2. And after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. Do you. You think he's very hungry now? It could be preparation. But pay attention. When you were hungry, tired, and isolated, oftentimes you were a sitting duck for the enemy. This is why you need people. You need community. Verse 3. And the tempter, that's what the Bible calls the devil. Here. And the tempter came. And here's what he says to Jesus. If you are the Son of God. Now what did God just say? Behold my son. And the first thing the tempter is going to do is he is going to lie to Jesus. Cause that's what the devil does. He's a liar. And every time he speaks, lies come out of his mouth. He is a tempter. And nobody ever amens. This temptation is tempting. If it's not tempting, it's not temptation to you. And just because one group of people are tempted by one thing and you're tempted by some other thing does not mean you're more holy than the other group that we are tempted by temptation. And the devil's been at this a minute, and so he's a tempter. And he came. And he says to Jesus, if you are the Son of God, you see, he's a liar. And the only thing he wants to do, according to John 10:10, is to steal, kill and destroy you and everything good and godly that you've ever had in your life. And the way he's gonna start, just like he does with Jesus, after God, the Father just spoke out loud, behold my son, in whom I'm well pleased. And then right on the heels of that, the enemy comes along. He's like, are you sure? Are you sure that you're the Son of God? If you are the Son of God. You see, a part of the reason the enemy always goes after our identity is because if we actually knew who we were, then we would know what to do. That's right, that the devil doesn't get to tell us what to do. The world doesn't get to tell us what to do. Only Jesus tells us who I am. And I know what some of you are like. You're like, yeah, but sometimes I have doubts. Okay, neat. Do you know what God wants you to do with your doubts? Pick up your doubts, Follow after Jesus. What the enemy wants you to do is what he wants you to do is believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. And what God wants you to do is to doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs. And if you knew who you are in him, then we would be able to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't know if you ever thought about this, but when we talk about temptation, I've been a Christian a minute, I mean, a long time. I got saved in high school in 52. Do the math. It's a lot. And I'm still tempted. A lot, a lot. Have you ever gotten to the place where you look at your own walk with Jesus and I'm really into it. This is not a casual endeavor for me, okay? I mean, I'm all the way in. I believe in Jesus. I love his word, I love him. I can preach the gospel. I get it all. I understand. And yet I thought I'd be a little further along in my faith journey than I am right now. Like, how in the world are some of the same things that tempted me as a 15 year old still tempt me as a 52 year old? Seems like. Wouldn't you grow out of that? Well, apparently not. I heard this incredible quote by John MacArthur who's going to be with the Lord now. He was being interviewed and he's an incredible Bible teacher. Not the sweetest soul you've ever heard from. Okay, pretty direct. And when he was talking to somebody about sanctification, he said this. I love this so much. He says, as you grow in Christ, you will sin less and you will feel worse. Isn't that so true? When I first got saved, I just thought if I was sober and celibate for several days in a row, killing it, I might be a saint. And now I will get. The conviction of the Holy Spirit will overcome me like crazy. And if the tone of my voice isn't right, to my wife, I think, oh, I'm disqualified from ministry. You see, the sanctification process is a thing. And we do have an enemy. And he's trying to steal, kill, and destroy you. And temptation will never go away until you go be with the Lord. Hey, listen to this. This is crazy. We're only three weeks into this year. We've had 536 people surrender their life to the lordship of Christ this year. Okay, so you 5:36. Guess what? It's not getting easier. It's not gonna get. It's actually gonna get harder. That the enemy didn't even really mess with you that much before, but now you are his enemy. And so it's about to get real. And so why then? Why, if you love Jesus a long time, I know some of you, by the looks of it, you've loved him a long time. Okay, I can say that. Okay, here's why it doesn't get easier. If you wonder, well, why am I still tempted? Because the moment you got saved, well, the Bible says that your heart of stone was ripped out and that you were given a heart of flesh. Okay, you were given God's heart. The Bible talks about your soul was taken from death to life. Your eternity is changed forever and ever and ever. You were adopted into the family of God. All of those things happened in an instant. But. But what didn't happen is God did not give you a new mind. And you have the same mind that you have now. What is offered to us, according to Philippians chapter two, is the mind of Christ. But God doesn't reach in and take your brain out and give you a new brain. So you have the same family history, you have the same upbringing, you have the same past, you have the same birth order, all of those things. The way you were wired that you still have those things. So In Romans, chapter 12, Paul is going to say this. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers. And the reason that therefore is there is because in the first eight chapters of the book of Romans. Paul just lays out the gospel in a way. I don't even have time to go over it, okay? He just says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. That God demonstrated his love for us in this. That while we're yet still sinners, we, Christ died for us. That even though we have this internal struggle between sin, who is going to save a wretch like me? Thank Jesus that therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That's about the first eight chapters real quick, as fast as I can go. And so the chapters 9, 10 and 11 are about God's people and their role in the consummation of all things. And therefore based on the Gospel and, and then based on really Israel's role in the consummation of all things, then 12 to the end of the book of Romans is how the Gospel changes us and how we ought to live. So in 12:1 he says, therefore, since all that's real, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable. I can't say the word. You try it. Acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. In other words, when you rightly see God for who he is, the normative response is that you give your whole life as a living sacrifice to God. And you're like, okay, cool, Paul. How? He's like, I'm glad you asked. There's a two step process to live a life where you give yourself to God in worship. Number one, it says, do not be conformed to this world. Number two, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That's how you do it. Well, why would you have to transform your mind? Cause you still got the same old sinful mind. You still got the same patterns. And the reason he uses the word conform, do not be conformed to the pattern of this world is conform is a building term. And some of you, most of this crowd know it. Our Palatka crowd's gonna know this. Have you ever poured concrete? If you pour. I don't mean pay somebody to do it. If you do it, here's what you gotta do. The first thing you do is you build a form. Then you mix the concrete and you pour it into the form and it conforms to the pattern that you built. So if you want your pool to be in a kidney shape, you make a kidney. If you Wanted a heart, you make a heart, whatever it is. And what Paul is saying is sociologically true that that we live in a world that tells us how we ought to do life. In our entire life, pre Christ, we have been conformed into the pattern of this world. And so Paul's like, don't live like that anymore, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So the world's gonna tell you to do sex one way and money one way and status one way, right? And then Paul's gonna be like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't pour yourself into the conformity of the way this world does things, but transform your mind. How? Here's how you renew your mind, okay? But be transformed by the renewal of your mind. That by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. And so here's how you renew something. Everybody knows this, ladies. When you get new fingernail polish, what do they do? They don't. Just add more on. Your fingernails will be that thick. If that's what they did. It would just be a big glob of whatever's on there. Okay? No, no. How do you do it? If you're gonna renew something, you gotta take off the old and then put on the new, right? Fellas, if you're gonna paint your car, you can't just paint over it. It'll flake off. You gotta strip that puppy down if you're gonna renew the floors. You take off the old finish, you put on the new. This is what Paul is telling us to do. The way that we renew our mind is not to be conformed to the pattern of this world, but we identify the old lies that we have bought into mentally. And then we renew our mind by standing on the truth of the word of God. So this is very, very important. If you flip over to Ephesians chapter six, this is the preeminent text on temptation and spiritual warfare. We did an entire series on this last year. And the reason I want to point this out is because the primary Christian battle to walk with Jesus, it's mostly a battle in the mind. Ephesians chapter 6, beginning in verse 10, says this. Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Whose might, not your might. See, I was taught, not implicitly, not explicitly. I don't think people meant to tell me this, but the way it was taught to me is that the good Christian life was that of sin management. And what you had to do if you were a good Christian, is that you had to get ahold of your sin and be a good Christian. And we don't drink and smoke and chew and go with girls who do. And we held that sin down and we tried, some of us harder than others. But even the best among us, if it was left up to our own willpower, we left defeated every time. I call it beach ball theology. Try to hold a beach ball under the water. How long can you do it? Well, it depends on who you are. You know, some of you swallowed guys a little longer than others. All right? But eventually, eventually, if you were just relying on your own might, either a wave hits you in the face or the sunscreen gets slippery, or your arms get tired. And when you let go of the beach ball, what happens? It does not just casually return to the surface. No, it explodes in your face. And that's what you. With just begrudging white knuckle submission will lead to the reality of the gospel. Is. Is that in my beach ball analogy, Jesus walks by with a pocket knife and he stabs your beach ball and just sucks and drains all the power out of. So we have an enemy, but we've got to be strong in the Lord, in the strength of his might. And here's how we do this. Verse 11. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand. That means fight, stand against the schemes, the methodea, that the enemy's got a game plan against you. He has certain methods. And what we're going to see is he's been using these same methods since the beginning of human history. Verse 12. For we do not wrestle or fight against flesh and blood. You see, you think your problem is your boss, or you think your problem is the way you were raised, or you think your problem is your ex wife. Bro, she's not your enemy. And I know some of you are. Like, you ain't met my ex wife, okay? I mean, I didn't believe in the devil and I met her, I go, well, at least you know, he's got kids. No, see, here's the thing. What Paul wants us to understand is our battle is not against flesh and blood. When we think like spiritual warfare, oftentimes what we think, when we hear the word warfare, we think of like World War II, the good guys versus the bad guys. And everybody lines up and they attack each other, and may the best man win. Well, that is not how it works between God and the enemy. You see, the Bible tells us in the book of Revelation that the enemy, the devil, is like a dragon with a mortal head. Wound that the moment Jesus pushed up on his nail pierced feet and says it is finished, he, he curb stomped the devil right in the head. And he's got a mortal flesh wound and he's flailing around until the last day when he's gonna be sent into the lake of fire. That's just how it goes. So we're not fighting for victory, we're fighting from victory. And since the enemy already knows he's defeated, he's not necessarily gonna show up and put a full frontal attack on us. Why? Because he knows he will lose. I mean, like, if the devil of hell came at you and manifested himself like at your dorm room tonight, you know, you'd probably call Christians, you'd probably pray, you'd probably run to God and not from him. And then he really knows he's gonna lose so much. Like right now, our country has enemies all over the place. And one of the primary tactics that they try to attack us as a country with is not a direct frontal attack. I mean, I've said this before, but seriously, like, if Canada wanted to take over America, what they going to do? Kill us with kindness? Drown us in maple syrup? Like they don't have a chance. We would just in one second squish America. That's it. Right? And so there are groups of people all around the world that hate us. And so everybody knows this is just, this is just common knowledge. Now there is a misinformation campaign going on all the time from places all over the place. The people that hate us, there are bot farms that feed things into your algorithm that's different than mine algorithm. So we'll hate each other and they're doing a great job. It's a dirty war campaign of misinformation. This is what the enemy tries to do with us because he's already defeated. And if he can get us, if he lies to us and we think these things, then we'll believe these things. And if we think and believe these things, then we'll begin to do these things. And then he's got us. So our battle is not against flesh and blood, but our battle is against rulers, authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. You see, and what the enemy does is the enemy wants to trick you and he wants to bait you down a road that you don't want to go down. Now again, if you're new here and you're like, you mean to tell me in the year of our Lord 2026, you believe in the devil and the demonic? I do. I do. And if you don't, you should make a fist and punch yourself in the face. Cause you're too dumb to talk to, man. I mean, you just haven't thought about this very much. It's just true. Do you think the evil atrocities around the world are just chemical imbalances? Poor parenting mistakes? No, no, no, no. There's a thief, and the only thing he wants to do is kill, steal, and destroy you. And if you don't realize there's an enemy, if you don't wake up every day and you don't think the alarm clock is the bell to start the game, you're always going to lose. And so he says, we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. And so the primary way the enemy tempts us, tricks us, lures us, is he lies to us, just like he's doing to Jesus. If you are the son of God, I call these the whispers. Okay. Ever happened to you? Like, maybe rolling into church, I hadn't been here in a little while. And you're like, oh, thanks for bringing that up. Okay. And you feel a little bit guilty? You ever feel condemned? I'm up here preaching my brains out about something. And. And then you get this thought in your mind, well, he doesn't mean you. That doesn't count for you. That just counts for those good church people. Where do you think that comes from? You think that's your heavenly Father speaking that word over you? And listen, man, I'm preaching a sermon against it right now. And I'm telling you, especially on Thursdays and Sundays, the amount of times I think in my brain, you can't live up to what you preach. Or if they only knew. If they only knew, like, what's going on, like, how mad you get in the fast lane when those people aren't going fast enough. Okay, whatever. And that's, like, the only one I'm gonna say to you. I'll confess some stuff to my group. I ain't just telling y' all everything. All right, so here's what I found. Here's what I found. When the enemy accuses me, one of my best tactics is this is what I do. I just agree with him. I just agree with him when he goes, who do you think you are? How are you gonna do a whole series on act like men? You don't love your wife like Christ loves the church. I just go, I know, right? Yeah. It's actually worse than you think. Cause you've only got tape on Me. And I know the crazy going on in here. And even though I can't live up to God's ideal, He still chose me. He still died for me. He still called me, he still anointed me. And he uses a fool like me to proclaim that the cross has outed us all. And so Paul for the rest of his time is going to tell us how to fight, how to go to war. And what I want you to see here is that it's all rooted right here. It's all rooted in His Word. The way that you put on the full armor of God is that you are invested into his word. Verse 13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand firm. Stand. Therefore, the reason he says stand four times, that means like take a stand or stand to your ground. It means fight, fight, fight, fight. And here's how you do it. Having fastened on the belt of truth, that means you're connected to Jesus and His Word. Having put on the breastplates of righteousness. That's about identity. You learn it through His Word and as shoes for your feet. Having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. The Gospel is His Word and in all circumstances take up the shield of faith. And the Bible says that faith comes by hearing His Word with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. This is the primary offensive weapon against the enemy. It's not the only offensive weapon because he's also going to say, like, pray like a crazy person. But the primary offensive weapon against the enemy is His Word. Now how does this work? John chapter 8. Jesus is having an argument with religious people. You ever have arguments with religious people? If you want it, you can just have my emails if you would like to take over some. All right. It's unbelievable. All right. So in John 8. 31, Jesus has this whole discussion, oh, man. Some of you, it makes you so mad based on your comments I've read in your emails lately. Because Jesus is talking to religious leaders and he's simply saying this. He's saying, you don't know God. And the religious leaders, the Jewish leaders are going, what? You mean we don't know God? We're the children of Abraham. And Jesus is like, time out, one second. If you knew the Father, you would know me, because I and the Father are one. And they're like, what you talking about? And then he goes, if you had the faith of Abraham, you would know me. Because Abraham was pumped when he met me. And they're like, how you met Abraham? He's been dead for a long time. And Jesus says, because before there was Abraham, I am. And they were like, we gonna kill him now. That's the context of the talk that they're having here. And so here's what Jesus says in John 8:31. He says, so Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Have you ever heard a politician say, you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free? If they don't directly, if they're tying it to their campaign and not the word of God, run for us. Run. Jesus says, if you abide in my word. Abide is a relational term. We don't use the word abide very much. You know what I mean? But abide means like stay close. And Jesus is saying, you want to know me, you want to stay close to me, you stay close to my word. Listen, if you're going to be a part of this church, and I hope you are, we are a movement for all people to discover, deepen a relationship with Jesus. So if today, even when I said, turn to Matthew and you're like, are you Matthew? And you don't know one thing yet, no problem, man, you're in the right place. We're going to teach it to you, all right? Or if you were in Sunday school with Noah Sweet, all right, you wouldn't be here. Everybody else died, but you don't know the Bible yet. You don't even know that. So listen, we're gonna teach the word. And I don't know how to make you love something that I love, but I love this word of God. I love it, okay? Because it's not just a book. It's actually 66 books written over a couple of thousand years on different continents from 40 plus authors. And it all has one unified message. And it's all about Jesus. And it's not just a history book. This is the revealed one word of God. And of course you're gonna read some parts in there that are gonna sting a little. But it's cause he's a good dad and he's the author of life and he knows better how to live life than you do. And there is freedom that he has for us. And so as he's arguing with these guys, Jesus says to the. He says to these religious leaders, he's like, listen, you know the words of God, but you don't know the word of God. You've read your Bible, but you don't know the author of the Bible. And I just want you not to be slaves of sin, but I want you to live in freedom. And they're like, what you mean slaves? We are sons of Abraham. We have never been enslaved. That's what they said. And I bet Jesus was like, you didn't do good in Sunday school, did you? Remember the Egypt part? For like 400 years, but don't worry about that. Then he says this in verse 44, he says that if you think Jesus was a like, meek and mild teacher, you've never heard one of his sermons. He says, you are of your father the devil. You imagine if Jesus called you the son of a devil. You are of your father the devil. And your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. You see the devil, the world and your flesh, they lie to us. Pay very close attention. Over the next several weeks, as we celebrate baptisms over and over and over, there are two questions that we ask. The second one is, who is Jesus? Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. And it's upon that public profession that we baptize you. But there's a question that precedes that, and it is this. Do you reject the ways of this world, the sin of your past, and anything dark or demonic that you have ever been connected to? And we've all been connected to it. And everything the enemy does, one is a lie, and two, it is to steal, kill and destroy. And so if the devil is a liar, then I got some really good news. He uses the same three lies over and over and over. He just repackages them. Honestly, it's like a restaurant. There's really not much more than dead fish, dead cows and dead chickens. I mean, you can throw pork in there, it's all just repackaged re cooked, right? That's just what it is. Some nicer than others. And the enemy has been using the same three weapons, the same three lures, the same three tactics over and over and over. This is all he's got. Now. He's really good at it. First John, chapter two, verses 15 and 16. John says this. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world. Now, again, if you're new to Bible study, maybe you know John 3:16, and it starts with, for God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son. Then you're like, well, wait a minute. John says here, don't love the world. Well, which one is it? Well, it's the same John that writes it. It's two different things. In John 3:16, the Bible means that God loves the people of this world. In First John 2, it means that we should not love the systems of this world. And most often, what Christians will do shamefully is that we reject the people of this world and we adopt the values and systems of this world. And what we're supposed to do is reject the values and systems of this world and love all the people of this world. He says, don't love the world or the things in it. And if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world dash this next little thing between the dashes, he's going to tell us everything that's in the world. This is it. These are the tactics of the enemy. Now, the esv, which I use says, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. We're going to go back to the King James on this one, because I just like it better. It just sounds better, just preaches better. Ready? Instead of desires, the King James says, lust. Say lust. It was a little aggressive over here, but you're into it. Okay, one more time. Lust just sounds dirty, doesn't it? Cause it is. Ready? Here's all that the world has to offer. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And it's not from the Father, but it's from the world. You're like, what does that mean? I'm glad you asked. These are the three categories that virtually every sin falls into. One, the lust of the flesh. Now, when you hear of lust of the flesh, you think, sex. And it is. But that's not all it is. The lust of the flesh is a desire to feel. It's a desire to feel. It's when you begin to convince yourself, I deserve to feel this way. Now, it could be sex, or it could be a drink, or it could be six drinks. Honestly, it could be drugs, or it could be ice cream late at night. Anything where you say, I deserve or I desire to feel this way. And what I feel like is the loudest voice in my life. And Then I'm going to do whatever I want to do to feel the way I want to feel. That's what lust in the flesh is. The second one, lust in the eyes. This is this desire to have. This is about stuff. This is about possessions. This is when we put the hope of satisfaction or security in our finances or in our stuff. This is when you begin to really tell yourself, if I just had that car or if I could just live in that neighborhood, or if I just had those pants, oh, I'd be fully and finally satisfied. And it's, you know, and we all think this about something. And then the last one's the pride of life. This is a desire to be. This is about status. This is about power. This is about position. This is why you get depressed when you look at everybody else's Instagram, because you compare yourself to them and you think you deserve a better life than they do. That's what this is. These are the tactics of the enemy. And I've told you this before, but the devil is like a good bass fisherman. He doesn't care how he catches you. He just wants to catch you. And so he throws out the lust of the eyes and puts that rattle trap in front of you. And you're like, nah, that doesn't do it for me. He's like, no problem. He clips that one off, and then he ties on a hula popper and he throws that one out there, and he gives you a little pride of life, and you're like, no, I'm still all set. And then he clips that one off and he ties on the granddaddy of all baits in Florida, that big, dark purple worm, and he throws it out there and just jiggle, jiggle, jiggle. And that's the lust of the flesh. You're like, yes. Ha. No. And he's gotcha. Don't believe me? Okay, James, the brother of Jesus says it this way. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Now, being lured is not sin, it's temptation. But each person is being tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it is conceived, gives birth to sin. And when sin is fully grown, it brings forth death. And so this is what the devil does. Lust of the flesh. Lust. Lust of the eyes. Pride of life. Don't say this out loud. You'll embarrass yourself. But if you were the devil, how would you try to catch you? You should war against that. You should war against that. If you were the devil, how would you try to catch you? And he knows. Cause he's been tracking you. He's seen your Instagram. He knows which one it is, all right? And the Bible says that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. If there was an actual lion trying to kill you, you would live your life differently. And there actually is. But, like, if the zoo called and said, hey, guy, three rows over, right there, let him know there's a lion that got out. And he just wants to kill you, not everybody else. He doesn't like y'. All. He just likes you. Think about how you would walk to your car differently at the end of the service. You wouldn't just be like, I don't know if that's how you walk. But you wouldn't just go to your car. When you got to the doors, you talk to the other, hey, anybody, have y' all seen a lion? Is there a lion here? If you got kids, you'd send the one you like the least first. Hey, go under the car, See if there's a lion. You would change. You would change. There actually is an enemy who was trying to kill you. And if you knew how the enemy was going to attack you, then don't. You have the clear advantage if you're in a disciple group, if you have mat carriers. The conversation I have with my mat carriers is this. If I was the devil, here's how I'd try to kill me. Y' all check on me in these areas. And so the devil has been doing this from the beginning. This is one of my favorite things about the scriptures. It's just got one author. If you go all the way back to Genesis 3, like, when this whole thing got going, it says this. Now, the serpent, same enemy was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, did God actually say, you see what he does here? He comes with a lie, the twist. See, the enemy always wants us to doubt at least three things about God. He wants us to doubt the word of God, the work of God and the worth of God. He wants us to say, did God. Is that what God actually said in the Bible? And then if you're like, well, he said it. And then be like, yeah, but he. I mean, that's just an old book. And what does he know? God doesn't know anything about dating. He didn't have a dating app. He doesn't know anything about money. There was no stock market the enemy wants us to try to stand in authority over the word of God instead of standing under the authority of the Word of God. And I'm just telling you, if you ever find yourself at a church, because I know everybody's not going to live here forever. If you ever find yourself in a church that stands in authority over the word of God and be like, well, I know this is what it says, but that's not what it means. And if you kind of look through it with one eye and don't read that one part, here's what it means. Get up, get your stuff, get your kids, leave, don't ever go back. That's not a church. It's a cult, okay? Because the church stands on the word of God. And to move away from the word of God is to move away from Jesus. This is where life is found. And this is what the enemy's tactic has been from the beginning. He says, is that what God really said? Did God actually say, you shall not eat of any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the servant, we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden. But God said, you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that's in the midst of the garden. Neither shall you touch it, lest you die. She added that last part. That's classic legalism. And in this time, the reality is, God's for you. He's not against you. There was only one thou shalt not. There was a bunch of thou shalts. He's a good God. And the serpent said to the woman, you won't die. Well, that's a lie. For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good from evil. Here's what he's saying. You don't need God. You got this. That's a lie. And so when the woman, check this out. If you got hair, this will blow it back. Ready? And so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that's lust of the flesh. That's what it is. I deserve this. And it was a delight to the eyes. That one's not hard to figure out. It's right there. That's the lust of the eyes. That's satisfaction. I want this and that. The tree was to be desired, to make one wise. That's the pride of life. I tell me what to do. She took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave some to her husband, who was. What does it say there, fellows? Just as quiet as Adam. That's what got us into this problem. That's all right. Don't worry about it. Sorry to wake you up. We just did a whole year on it. But we'll come back. Okay? Sorry. Was with her and he ate. Okay, so all of that was just set up so that we can understand what's happening in Matthew, Chapter four. Why is temptation so tempting? How in the world does the enemy keep coming back to us? What is going on here? Because it's a dirty war campaign of the mind. He lies to us to try to question our identity and question the word of God. And question the word of God and question the work of God. And if he can get us to think a thing, we can feel a thing. And if we think and feel a thing, we'll do a thing. And he leads us on a path to destruction. You see, right and wrong will never sustain you when it comes to temptation in your life. But when we begin to understand that he's a good shepherd, and every single time we obey his voice, every, especially when we don't completely understand it, it leads to abundant life because it leads to him. And every single time we say, forget you, God. I got this. It leads to death and destruction. Matthew 4. So then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, if you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. So I wish I had time to show you exactly how like Jesus is Greater Israel. Because when Jesus, when the people of God were let go out of Egypt, and they were brought into the promised land, and God gave them bread, gave them manna, every day they complained about it. And so Jesus is going to fulfill all the things. Remember, that was the whole point of Matthew. But I don't have time to get into it. But that's what's going on. And he says, all right, if you are the Son of God, then command these stones to become loaves of bread. This is lust of the flesh. Does he have the ability to turn rocks into bread? If he can do water into wine, he can do stones into sandwiches, no problem. And so here's the lie. Here's the lust of the flesh. You deserve to feel this way. Don't trust God to be your prince of peace. You handle it yourself. Now, here's what's crazy. Here's what's crazy. The vastness of this temptation is all over the place. It could be everything from sexual immorality to you binge eat because it makes you feel good in that moment. And ultimately now the, the consequences aren't always the same. There's a difference between crack and ice cream, all right? But the core of it's not the core of, it's like I don't like the way I feel and I deserve to feel a different way. And I'm not looking to you, God, I'm not looking to you. I'm looking to comfort myself. I'm gonna self medicate me. That's what it is. So here's how Jesus responds. But Jesus answered, this is so important. It is written. Here's the giveaway. In all three temptations, Jesus is going to say it is written. I think I heard Pastor Britt say this about 10 years ago. He says the three most important words in all of eternity are, it is finished. The three most important words in living your life today is, it is written every single time. What Jesus himself is going to do is he is going to root his life in the word of God. He's not going to be ruled by his feelings and he's not gonna believe the lies of the enemy. And so Jesus answered, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. You see, what Jesus is saying is, my faith in God is greater than the feelings of my flesh. If we, if American Christians could get ahold of that one, the whole world changes. Don't believe all your feelings. Feelings make a decent guide, but they make a terrible God. And we live in a world that says you do you obey your thirst, feel whatever you feel and let that drive you. This is what this world tells us and it is a lie. The Bible says, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. You see this word, it's. Well, here's what the Bible says, Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is a living and active. It is sharper than any two edged sword piercing to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. So what Jesus is saying here is regardless of your feelings, God's word is true. Your, your feelings are gonna be all over the place and God's word is going to remain true. And if your feelings don't line up with it yet, you proclaim the word of God and over time, not overnight, with the help of the spirit of God in you, then maybe your life can be aligned with the word of God. And so now the devil's gonna change tactics. Verse 5. The devil took Jesus to a holy city, set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and he said, if you are the son of God, notice what he's doing, just noodling at his identity. He says, throw yourself down, for it is written the devil's going to quote the Bible totally out of context. I mean, how are you going to out Jesus? Juke Jesus, that's incredible that he even tries. He quotes from Psalm 91. You know, all of Psalm 91 is. Psalm 91 is how God takes care of his children when they trust him. And so he quotes this out of Psalm 91 says, he will command his angels concerning you and and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against the stone. This is the pride of life. He's like, all right Jesus, if you are who you say you are, then why don't you make much of yourself? Did Jesus come to make much of himself? No, he said, I didn't come to be served, but to serve and give my life a ransom for many. Cause when we make the world all about us, at the end of the day all we'll have is us. And it leads to a narcissistic idolatry where we worship at the throne of our own self esteem. It's not good. What the enemy is doing is saying, make God prove to you how much he loves you. And Jesus said, I don't have to, neither do you by the way. Because Romans 5, 8 says that God demonstrates his love for us in this that while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us. Verse 7. Jesus says to him, again it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test. He rejects a lie, he stands on the truth. Verse 8. And again the devil took him to a very high mountain and he showed him there's a clue as to which temptation this is. And you only got one left to pick from. And he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to them, all these I will give to you. This is the lust of the eyes, if you will fall down and worship me. And then Jesus said, begone Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. And the devil left him. And behold, angels came and were ministering to him. And here's what Jesus is saying, this stuff is never going to fully and finally satisfy me. I don't worship stuff, I worship God Almighty and this is why we say worship is war. But what I want you to see here, over and over and over, is that Jesus rejected the lie of this world. He did what Paul said to do in Romans 12, that he was not conformed to the pattern of this world. When the enemy came along with lies, he said, no, no, no, I reject that. I reject the lie. And I'm standing on the truth of God's word. And this is the reality God has given us his word, the Bible. Not to defeat the devil, but to remind us that he's already been defeated. And this is a constant supernatural reminder that if you're a believer in Christ, then you and I should walk in that freedom. And my hope for you and my prayer for you is that you would walk in that freedom. Freedom. The battle has already been won. Colossians 2:13 puts it this way. And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive. Together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame. But by triumphing over them in him, this book reminds us of that in every area of your life. Here's the whole point of the sermon. Our enemy, the devil, is the father of lies. Do not believe the whisper, but stand on the truth of the word of God. Not so that you will be victorious, because the Bible is a reminder of that. So how do you do this? I'm going to give you some homework. And if you don't do it, then. Okay, see you next week. It should be the same spot you're in right now. But, you know, I don't know, maybe you'll meet a friend or something. But if you're serious about this, what is the lie that you're believing? It's going to be one of the three general categories. Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, the pride of life. Identify that lie. Okay. Identify that lie. And the more defensive you are about it, that's probably the one you need to go after. Yeah, but you don't. Okay. And then find the truth of the word of God that speaks directly to it. There's a couple of ways you can do this. One is you can just Google it. What does the Bible say about lust? But get ready, it's gonna sting a little. Okay. What does the Bible say about greed? What does the Bible say? Whatever the thing is, also, there's a guy at our church heard this sermon years ago and created an app called Word of God Speak. And it's got categories. You can just go to there, click the thing, and it's going to say, here's all the verses about anxiety, you know, whatever. And then identify the lie and say, I'm not going to believe this anymore, and you need to have some. It is written that you don't have to look up. And honestly, you don't even have to try to memorize it. You read this thing every day, and eventually the word of God is going to be lodged into your heart, and right when you need it, the spirit of God is going to bring this out and you speak the word of God so that over time, you can renew your mind and align yourself with what Christ has done for you. I'm gonna give you the three biggies. Many people are believing the lie about money. And here's the lie that money tells you. Money says, if you love me, I'll love you back. You never thought about it that way, but that's what it's saying. I'll either. I promise you, money says this. If money could talk, this is what money would say. Come here, come here, come here. He'd say it like, it wouldn't sound like me. Sound real sexy, whatever that sounds like to you. Okay, I don't sound like that. I sound like Larry the cable guy, so whatever. But money's like, if you love me, I'll love you back. And here's the two things I'll promise you. I'll promise you satisfaction. Yeah, that boat, it'll do it for you. Or I'll promise you security. I'll let you log on to this bank account and you'll make you feel all secure. And it's just a lie. Now, the good thing is that's the easiest one to find verses about, because Jesus talked about money more than anything else. Shocking, isn't it? And so in Matthew chapter six, he says, don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Maybe you could just memorize Matthew 6. 21, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And you just begin to ask yourself, do I want Jesus to have my heart? Do I want the enemy to have my heart? Because where my treasure is, my heart is going to follow. You could memorize another One from the same sermon, same chapter. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. So maybe that's you. That one's gonna be a hard one to identify. You know why? Cause nobody knows you're greedy. So I dare you to ask somebody that'll love you enough to tell you the truth. Here's another lie. Here's a big one. In our culture, sex is only physical. Like, it's not a big deal. This could be fornication. That means having sex with somebody you're not married to. And again, according to the Bible, marriage is one man, one woman, one lifetime. And the Supreme Court is not supreme. God is supreme. He made up marriage, and he gets to define it. And I ain't hating on you, man. I love you, okay? I love you. I want you to have freedom. And listen, even there, I know the people clapping are married Christians. You know what I mean? I know some of you having sex outside of marriage, like, you get them. Oh, wait, no. So hear me there. I just know this is one. So many people in church have tried to stand in authority over the word of God. And you know, you know it's the temptation that the enemy's just wearing you out on. First Corinthians, chapter 6 says, Flee sexual immorality every other sin a person commits outside the body. But the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, you are not your own. You were bought with a price. So glorify with your. Glorify God with your body if you struggle with lust. Job 31:1. I have made a covenant with my eyes that I will not look lustfully after a woman. Hopefully this isn't too much. Did you see me look that one up? You know what? You have to make covenants about stuff you struggle with. The Bible said Job was the most righteous man on the earth, and he's making covenant with his eyes that he will not look lustfully after a woman. Why? Cause his brother had a problem. So you memorize this. One of the biggest lies that are crippling believers right now, and it's actually a pride of life issue because ego and insecurity are really just rooted in the same thing. You don't know who you are. And one of the biggest lies that the enemy tricks us with all the time is this. You are your sin. You can't be loved by God because of something that you did. And see he knows you. He's seen you, so he's got the tape on you. So he digs in deeper, and he goes to that place that hurts you the most. No. You are your divorce, and you are your abortion or the one you paid for. And you are your addiction, and you are your failed career, and you're your bankruptcy or your eating disorder or your affair or your. Whatever that thing is. That's what the enemy wants you to believe. And the Bible would say, no, no, no, no, no. Only Jesus gets to tell you who you are. And if you could believe the truth of the word of God, it would change everything about the way you live. 2nd Corinthians 5:17. This is a famous verse. It says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, and, behold, the new has come. And so when the enemy starts spitting his lies about you, you're like, whoa, whoa, you. You talking about the old dead? Me, I don't have to do the things I used to do because I'm not the person I used to be. I'm alive in Christ. I'm a new creation. And when Paul gets to the end of his Gospel presentation in the Book of Romans, it's a bunch of verses, but he says this. What then shall we say to these things? These things are the things that the enemy is trying to use to keep you separated from God. He said, what should we say to these things, these lies? If God is for us, who could be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against the elect? You're like, well, the devil's bringing a charge. Well, great. The Bible answers, it is God who justifies who is to condemn Christ. Jesus is the one who died more than that who was raised. Who is at the right hand of God? Who indeed is interceding for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Or might I say your past sin or that thing you're embarrassed about, or your shame or your guilt or that junk the enemy keeps trying to bring up. And then Paul answers the question, no. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels or rulers, nor. Nor things present or things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to Separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That's who the Bible says you are. Then if you really want to go advanced, the reality is that desire, that lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life is actually only going to be found in Jesus. The lust of the flesh is the desire to feel. Jesus says, I'm the prince of peace. Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your soul. That's better than a pill. Lust of the eyes. Oh, you want to live in a nice neighborhood? Guess what? Put your faith in Christ. He says, I'm going to go prepare a place for you and, and when Jesus is your real estate agent, it's sweet man. No hoa in the whole place. Praise God. And maybe yours is a pride of light. You want a blue check? You want to be somebody? How about a son or daughter of God in co heir with Christ Jesus. What we're actually looking for can only be found and fulfilled in him. When we get our eyes fixed on that fixed on him, the things of his world grows strangely, strangely dim. So I'm gonna invite you to stand up and I'm gonna pray for you. And we're gonna respond after I pray. And the only people that need to sing and the only people that need to bring and the only people who need to pray are people who need Jesus to walk this world out. If you think you got this, then you do whatever you want to do. But for those of us that say, oh Lord, I need you, I mean I need you. I need your help. I need to believe your word. I need to quit believing the lie. I need to quit going down the same roads over and over and over and expect different results. Lord, I need you. I need you. Then we're going to sing and we're going to bring and we're going to pray. Let me pray for you, good and gracious. Heavenly Father Jesus, I thank you that God, you have given us your word, God, not just as like a guide, but it's a supernatural revelation of you and your will for us. And it ultimately tells the story that we can't do it on our own, that we need you. And so God, that's what we do. We fall on our face before you and say, lord, when the enemy comes, we need you. And Jesus, I thank you that you didn't just leave us advice, but you left us with the helper, the paraclete, the spirit of God in us. The same spirit that resurrected you from the grave now lives in us. So may we be able to say, like you said, devil be gone. And then have angels minister to us. Lord, I pray that even today, standing on the truth of your word, that we would say, devil be gone. And then we would be those messengers that would minister to one another. God, I pray for victory. Lord, I pray that chains will be broken. I pray that men and women would walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus because we would no longer believe the lies. But we stand on your truth. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen. So folks, we're going to sing worship is war against the devil himself. He wants to rule over you. And when we worship, what we're saying is, you don't rule me, God does. And I'm singing to him. We're going to bring our tithes and our offerings. We're going to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Say, I'm not putting my love in this stuff. God, I love you. And where my treasure is, my heart will follow. And I treasure you above all things. Have all of my heart, God. And we are going to pray. Let's respond.