Introduction:

We are going to focus on the topic “Triumph over Temptation.”

We live in a sophisticated society that seldom speaks concerning Satan. For many Satan is just a cartoon character, which some portrayed Satan in red leotards, horns and a pitchfork, however the Scriptures teaches us Satan is a very real personality.

The Bible called Satan:

1. Devil – 57 times

2. Satan – 49 times

3. Belial, the worthless one – Deuteronomy 13

4. Lucifer, the son of the morning – Isaiah 14

5. Beelzebub, the lord of the flies – Matthew 12

6. Apollyon, the accuser – Revelation 9

Illustration: The great reformer, Martin Luther, with his frustrations toward the reality and personality of Satan, he picked up his inkwell from his desk and threw it into a place where he thought Satan was standing, that marked the wall of the Castle at Wartburg.

During the first half of 20^th century, in the early 1900s, Satan wants his efforts covert and clandestine. The Bible tells us, Satan is an angel of light who is able to transform himself into an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14 “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”). Did you notice that in this century that we are now living, Satan increasingly become more overt or plainly seen. Satan is far more open, with his presence obvious in our culture.

Example: People can see Satan in the books they read, in the music they listened to (Alice Cooper, Ozzie Osbourne), in the movies that people have watched (Rosemary’s Baby and the exorcist)

Satan wants to dethrone God (Isaiah 14:14 “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

Satan wants to destroy your soul (I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

Satan wants to defame Christians. Satan is the accuser of the brethren who accuses us night and day (Revelation 12:10 “for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”).

Let us all read and claim and embed in our minds, James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

In Matthew 4 of our text, we see the King of kings is in a battle with the enemy of every man’ soul, Satan. The Lord faces off against Lucifer. In our passage Matthew 4 the King of kings, the Lord Jesus reveals to us Satan’s battle plan so that we can be able to stand and resist him during the times of temptation.

Matthew 4 gives us some valuable truths we discovered about Satan:

1. When Satan attacks – seasons of temptation

2. How Satan attacks – snares of the tempter

3. What to do when Satan attacks – strategy for triumph (through God’s Word).

I – SEASONS OF TEMPTATIONS (WHEN SATAN ATTACKS) – v.1

Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness.”

Ask ourselves When do we find ourselves most susceptible to the snares that Satan sets along our pathway. It is beneficial to know when we are vulnerable to Satan’s temptation so that we could set things in order.

II Corinthians 2:11 “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

Paul said, we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices.

We need to know and be equip when the seasons of temptation most abominable occur.

When the Seasons of Temptations come?

A. When you are spiritual Victorious – v.1

Matthew 3:16-17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: ¹⁷And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”

In our text we discovered the seasons of temptation. We are often vulnerable when we are spiritually victorious.

Moment of spiritual victory in the life of Christ (Matthew 3:16-17):

1. Jesus had just been baptized (v.16)

2. The Spirit of God come upon Jesus as a dove descending (v.16)

3. The Trinity has been revealed: Father speaking in heaven, The Spirit descending like a dove, The Son standing in the water, as the Father commissioned Jesus in the ministry by saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (v.17), Or “This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Luke 9:35).

We see the moment of spiritual victory in the life of Christ in Matthew 3:16-17

Now, we see Christ in the will of God, led by the Spirit moves forward from a place of victory to a place of vulnerability. That is real life of a Christian, that when you are spiritual victorious, you will meet great challenges.

Matthew 4 contains many challenges. There are debates whether the temptation on Matthew 4 is real. Jesus is the theanthropic person, He is God and man together. Jesus is God-man, He is one united whole. The question is it possible for Jesus to sin? Of course, the answer is “NO”. Although it is really true that Jesus was pressed by temptation from without but there was no temptation from within for Jesus, the holy One, He is God. But the question, is it real temptation? Yes, it is! Jesus can aid, helps anyone who are facing and experiencing, battling through temptation.

Illustration: If you had experienced facing a much more howling hurricane in your life and still not falling, congratulations, you had done well. If someone comes to you and said he fell at lesser and lower level of hurricane of life, you can say to that person, “I have been where you have been.” Listen, Jesus has been where you have been, but Jesus never fallen. Jesus understands all of the temptations that are allowed us to experience and all that desire to sin and yet Jesus never fallen.

Jesus tells us He will never leaves us nor forsakes us.

Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

The Bible tells us we have a High Priest who was tempted in all points, even as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

The word “tempted” in Matthew 4:1 causes many people to fall to temptation and wonder, but in our passage Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” it is the will of God that the Spirit allowed and led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.

We ought to pause and clarify that the words “to be tempted” [“peirasthēnai” (G3985)}. The Greek word {peirazein (G3985)] means simply to try or make proof of; It is a Greek word that does not always mean to be tempted to do wrong. And when ascribed to God in His dealings with men, it means, and can mean no more than this. From God’s viewpoint, this was a test that God knew the second Adam would wonderfully win. From Satan’s viewpoint, this was an opportunity to tempt the one in hopes that He would fall. God is not tempted to sin. James 1:13 “God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:” From the perspective of Satan, it is an opportunity. From the perspective of God, an opportunity to show the victorious one in battle.

Example: In Genesis 22:1 “it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham,” It came to pass that God did tempt Abraham or put his faith to a severe proof. But for the most part in Scripture the word is used in a bad sense, and means to entice, solicit, or provoke to sin. Hence, the name here given to the wicked one - "the tempter" (Matthew 4:3 “And when the tempter came to him”). Accordingly, "to be tempted" here is to be understood both ways. The Spirit conducted Him into the wilderness simply to have His faith tried; but as the agent in this trial was to be the wicked one, whose whole object would be to seduce Him from His allegiance to God, it was a temptation in the bad sense of the term.

Again, I repeat, it was in a place of victory that vulnerability came. We see that in Jesus Christ, as He had been baptized, commissioned to ministry, and vulnerability came suddenly in that place of victory.

Often when we are flying the highest, we get hit the hardest.

Some Character who was in a place of victory when challenges came:

1. Job was in a prayer meeting when troubles in his life began.

2. Elijah had just confidently prevailed against the Baal prophets when took a run from Jezebel.

3. Moses just moved from prayer and meeting with God when the Shekinah glory fell upon him, then he went out from that tent, and he struck the rock.

Predators’ animals do not attack those which are not moving. Satan like a predator roaring lion sees Jesus on the move, Satan sees Jesus was in a place of victory and Satan seeks to devour Jesus.

Examples: When a Christian you start your daily bible reading guide for the whole year, something is going to happen that is not good. When you surrendered to enter a new ministry, and excited on the Word of God, expect some frustrations are going to happen. When you left the church service feeling ever so good after you learned that the Lord is working in your heart then suddenly you walked out from the gate and found yourself engaging in an attack.

The seasons of temptations came when you are spiritually victorious.

B. When you are physically vulnerable – v.2

Matthew 4:2 “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.”

Notice, it says "forty days” then the verse says “afterward he was hungry.”

Illustration: Mahatma Gandhi known as the father of peace was 74 years old when he fasted for 24 days, eating nothing. Most doctors discovered that the human body can survive with waster without food for about eight weeks. However, in this verse 2, Jesus was supernaturally enabled to face the physical challenge. Moses and Elijah who had also fasted for 40 days before Jesus. The point we want to stress is that there are times of physical vulnerability that Satan wants to attack. Satan is looking for our deprivation, physical neediness, distresses, physical infirmities, and also when we find ourselves in the wilderness.

The word “wilderness” mentioned in verse 1 described a desperate place that the Old Testament called “Jeshimon, the place of desolation”. The place portrayed as a place with many cracked rocks all over the place, and out of the rocks are the peeping weeds, it is fierce hot in the day and severe cold in the night. It seems an uninhabited place that no one could go around. That is the point, Christ is in the place of deprivation and was isolated. Did you get the picture? It shows in the book of Mark that Jesus was there with the beasts of the wilderness. How blessed thought it was to know that God has made us with a need for companionship. (Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."). On the other hand, there are some believers who live the Christian life on their own way. Their motto “I can do this my way.” They enjoy isolating themselves and the places of isolation, that is why we can say these Christians were hugely vulnerable.

Not only Satan comes in times of deprivation and isolation, but Satan also comes during times of exhaustion.

All human being could not easily survive in the wilderness even the Savior Jesus Christ. Satan saw Jesus physically exhausted in times of vulnerability continuously pounding and pounding and pounding the Savior. We see that Jesus is Spiritually victorious, seeking to obey the will of God, as He heard the commendation of the heavenly Father, “This is my beloved Son,”, but He is physically exhausted, that give Satan perfect time to hungrily attack.

Satan may have you where he wants you. Satan suddenly attacks. When you have received spiritual blessing bestowed upon you, when you have been on the mountaintop, I mean spiritually victorious, also you are physically vulnerable.

II – SNARES OF THE TEMPTER (HOW SATAN ATTACKS) – v.5-8

The strategies of Satan are predictable to those who faithfully study the Word of God. Paul said in I Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Usually, the national army is forcefully obligated to provide the battle plans on three fronts: the land, the air and the sea. Satan attacks on three fronts that we need to be aware of. The Word of God is our battle manual that says in I John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

The three fronts that we as Christian we need to consider and be aware:

1. The lust of the flesh

2. The lust of the eyes

2. The pride of life

We need to always consider these three fronts because Satan is always considering them. Satan will engage you in these three fronts. As we studied Matthew 4 we see that Satan engages even the Son of God and let us see how our Great Savior won the battle against Satan.

A. The Snare of Pleasure (lust of the flesh) – v.3

To snare the Savior, Satan uses pleasure to tempt Jesus. Satan tempts Jesus with pleasure.

Matthew 4:3 “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”

Notice in our text in verse 3, “If thou be the Son of God”, how can it be for God the Father in heaven had just said, “This is my beloved Son,” We can see here that Satan always loves to implant doubt during conversation, to force us to make a debate and once we involve in debate, Satan will lead us into denial of the truth.

Listen how Satan here attacks using his snare, he said “If thou be the Son of God” this is called instant food temptation. Then the devil continues “command that these stones be made bread”. That is the time when the Lord have a legitimate physical need. That is a perfect timing for Satan’s attack. Was Jesus powerfully able to turn the stones into bread, of course He is much able. During those moments of temptation, Jesus did not have Philippians 4:19 “My God shall supply all your need” but Jesus had Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Jesus also had Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

Satan loves so much to tempt the flesh with the free that is never free.

B. The Snare of pride (pride of life)– v.5

As our Savior was tempted with fame, likewise Satan tempted pride with fame.

Notice our text in Matthew 4:5 “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,” Then the devil said to Jesus in Matthew 4:6 “And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down:” This is an alarming lesson for those who want instant fame.

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” God calls it “his temple.” Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple 400 feet above the ground below and said, Matthew 4:6 “cast thyself down” then Satan uses Psalm 91 in Matthew 4:6, “for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” It seems Satan is saying, “common jump for God will charge angels concerning you. Be excited you will have an invisible parachute and when you land in the courtyards, all the people will give an applause and shout that you are the one they are waiting and looking the Messiah.

Beware, do not compromise your principles in order for you to become popular. Do not compromise your convictions in order to be famous. Many people of God set aside their judgment because they love the praise, recognition, award of the people who judge them.

Snare of the pride of life. Oh, how we love to be loved. How we love to be accepted. Everybody is going to applaud you. You are going to be somebody.

C. The Snare of possession (lust of the eye) – v.8

Satan tempts Jesus for the third time. Take a look at verse 8.

Matthew 4:8 “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; ⁹And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”

Satan is telling Jesus here that he will give Jesus all these things in the world as long as the Lord Jesus do the work not properly, not precisely, not correctly and not exactly according to the will and plan of God.

Again, the three snares of Satan are:

1. The snare of pleasure – You will deny the Will of God.

2. The snare of pride – You will deny the Word of God.

3. The snare of possession – You will deny the Worship of God

These three snares of the devil happened every single day of our lives. We are bombarded of Satan’s attack. Don’t relax, be cautious, be concern!

Example: It really happened to some who professed their faith in Christ as their Savior, then shortly after that you see them go back in their old ways of lifestyle, go back in their sinful ways of practices, go back in their lustful and fleshly wicked ways. It is possible that they don’t sincerely repent from their sins so they are not saved or possibly they have been attacked and submit to Satan’s snares, The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Their inner heart often says, “I want, I want, I want.”

III – STRATEGY FOR TRIUMPH (WHAT TO DO WHEN SATAN ATTACKS)

Before we discuss the strategy displayed by the Savior, let us first read again James 4:7.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

The Bible says, “Resist the devil” and the devil “will flee from you.”

Oh, what a blessing to see that the Savior resisted the devil in Matthew 4, so let us follow Jesus' strategy of triumph. Don’t ever forget that this temptation we are studying is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Why is this temptation recorded in the book of Matthew, Mark and Luke? The Holy Spirit is never redundant or acting unnecessarily or moving without essential. Let us put in our mind, that when this temptation occurred, no one was with the Lord Jesus except the Spirit of God who led Jesus into the wilderness and the angels. Therefore, as we are reading this recorded temptation, this is the event happened and the Savior shared it with his disciples and listen this is what the Lord wants to share to us for us to know and learn now. Jesus shared to his disciples that He encountered the most powerful enemy, one on one, alone in the wilderness for the sake of me and you.

Do you remember what Jesus said to Simon Peter in Luke 22:31 “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:”

As we studied our text in Matthew 4, it gives us encouragement to know that our Savior’s strategy will also work for us. However, I admitted that most of the time, I feel I am terribly vulnerable. Our spiritual joys are compounded with our physical difficulties we are vulnerable. Satan always active, alert, awake to set his snares at us at all times.

A. Power of the Spirit – Matthew 3:16

Matthew 3:16 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:”

Undoubtedly according to this verse, the power of the Spirit is in the life of the Savior. Then let us read again to Matthew 4:1. Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” As Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness, what happened next? Read Matthew 4:11. Matthew 4:11 “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

We see in this temptation the power of the Spirit upon the Savior. So, we must be filled with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

However, no one can defeat Satan alone, no one can be victorious against Satan alone. But read I John 4:4

I John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Now, if you are not saved and never repented from sins and trusted Christ as your Savior then you have no power against Satan. On the other hand, if you are a child of God, you repented from your sins and trust Christ as your Savior, and now that you are saved, the Bible says your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which in you (I Corinthians 6:19 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”). We say it again, be filled with the Spirit. Be living a Spirit-centered life. Satan cannot be defeated with the absence of the Spirit. Satan can only be conquered by the power of the Spirit. That is why we do not wonder why some Christians in this congregation are not successful as conquerors in their lives. Some Christians in fact never pray for the empowering of the Spirit of God, they never long for the filling of the Spirit of God. Every Christians, all of us needs to live a Spirit-filled life.

I say it again, if you are not saved and never yet repented from all your sins and have put your faith in the finished redemptive work of Christ, then you have no power against Satan. Without the Spirit of God, there is no power in the day of battle. And for some who always fail need to listen to what the Apostle Paul had said in Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

Then Paul said in Romans 7:25 “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Paul thanking God who delivers him from the sinful flesh.

Paul explains it why in Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. ¹⁹For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

The question is how can this problem be solved? When I look to the cross of Calvary, I see Jesus bore up under every temptation given to Him and died upon the cross for my sins (I Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Our old sin then (Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him”),

is buried with him (Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him”),

and by faith he died in my place (Romans 6:10 “For in that he died, he died unto sin”; Romans 5:8 “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”),

and by faith I believe Jesus rose gain (Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

And now by trusting in Him (Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:”),

then God sealed me with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:13 “also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”).

God placed the Spirit of God in my life (I Corinthians 6:19 “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,”; I Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”,

therefore, I am no longer the same man I used to be (II Corinthians 5:15- 17 “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. ¹⁶Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. ¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

We therefore conclude that as a believer dwelled by the Spirit, we must be living a Spirit-filled life. That is the Savior’s strategy, our strategy for triumph against Satan.

B. Proper use of Scripture

We should know how to properly use the Holy Scriptures in facing Satan.

During time of Temptation, Jesus reciting the Scriptures: (A model we need to follow)

1. Matthew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 “that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.”

2. Matthew 4:7 “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Deuteronomy 6:16 “Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.”

3. Matthew 4:10 “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Deuteronomy 6:13 “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.”

For every attack of Satan, the Savior Jesus Christ had an answer from the Scriptures. Not in a way that He just memorize verses in that moment, not that He just meditated bible verses in that moment, not that He just read and caught bible verses in that moment before the encounter or just when it is needed.

The Lord Jesus Christ was Bible-centered (Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”)

Jesus Christ was Scripture-empowered (Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword”)

Jesus Christ hide God’s Word in His heart (Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”)

and now Jesus Christ is able to pick-up the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:10 “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”).

There are lot of people even Christian in this generation that are moving away from being Bible-centered and do not know how to properly apply the Word of God in their lives. May God help us to be Bible loving people, constant daily Bible reader who can say, God has written, God says.

We can say like what Jesus said to Satan in verse 10, Matthew 4:10 “Get thee hence, Satan:” Because it says about Jesus in Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Let us say it again in James 4:7 “Resist Satan and he will flee from you.” That is a command. Resist the devil.

Do you understand when Satan attacks, the seasons of Temptation? Can you see how Satan seeks to snare us? Do you have a strategy for victory? The strategy is simple strategy: Be filled with the Spirit and be filled with the Scripture. Again, be filled with the Spirit and be filled with the Scripture.

May we have the victory over temptation like our Savior. Amen!