Return of the Tempter

Matthew 4:1-11

Message No. 0772 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

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If anyone thinks that the devil will ever stop tempting him or her, the person must be naïve. There is no such time when the enemy does not try to get you to disobey God. Each of us must be on our toes and remain armed with the weapon he understands well. This week, we look at how the tempter returned to tempt the second Adam. God bless you as you read.

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In the game of boxing, players work to hit punches that score points and create ways for dealing subsequent effective blows to their opponents. The weaker opponents may seem to be showing signs of surrender, but it’s often not quite easy to assume that they are defeated, so the punches continue until defeat is vivid. It’s the same thing with wrestling. The winner keeps trying to hold the loser down until the referee slaps his hand three times on the floor, signifying game over. In both games, if the stronger party shows any sign of tiredness, they could end up losing the match, so they work till their opponents are defeated.

In Genesis chapter 3, the devil struck a conversation with Eve, as he observed that she was the weaker party because she was not there when God gave the instruction to not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After dribbling her a bit, he succeeded in dealing a devastating blow to the authority that God gave to man. From that moment on, it was hardship, and toiling, and sweating, and death. Nothing ever remained the same, because man had disobeyed his Maker and sided with the enemy. It would take the intervention of the Lord God Almighty, to restore man to what He made.

When Jesus came, the tempter returned. He knew that he was about to be dispossessed of the authority he stole from man in the garden. He knew that if Jesus succeeded, he was finished. He must device effective temptations that would defeat the second Adam, whom he perceived was stronger than the first, so he came with three times the number of temptations that he used for the first Adam. “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” He used food to defeat the first Adam, so he threw the temptation of food first. When he lost that one, he threw the next bullet, pride. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down...” And when that failed too, he tried lust. “All these I will give you if you fall down and worship me.”

The devil never gives up, and neither should you. If you have just scored a heavy blow on him, be careful, because he will try again. The only way to keep him defeated is by abiding in Christ who has already won the battle and has given us victory. You can only live victorious if you follow the advice of Peter in 1 Peter 5:8-9, which states as follows:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

The devil will keep coming back to try, again, and again. See how many times he tried to get our Savior to fall. If Christ was tempted, you can be sure that temptation will not end, for a disciple cannot be greater than his Master. To remain in the victory that the Lord has given us, we must be on our toes, resisting the devil each time he shows up, and telling him “It is written...” How would you know what is written? It’s by studying God’s Words – the Bible. This is the sword against the tempter. Have you read yours today?

What to Do?

Study your Bible. There is no other weapon against the tempter than to tell him, it is written.