Loudonville Community Church Volume 3 - Number 18 The week of March 18, 2018 Sermon Series: W.U.W.T.?: A Series for Skeptics, the Undecided and the Already Convinced What s Up With the Devil? Matthew 4:1-11 THIS WEEK S CORE BELIEF The Ministry of the Holy Spirit: We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling disciples of Jesus Christ are enabled to live godly lives. Dr. Michael Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States and fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia and Fuller Theological Seminary in California, with a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Emory University. He founded The Church of The Apostles in 1987 with fewer than 40 adults with the mission to Equip the Saints and Seek the Lost. The church has since grown to a congregation of over 3000. Dr. Youssef has written the following devotional: The Spirit s Power Over Temptation Some believers wonder how they can receive more of God's Spirit. But God has already given us all of Himself. We must learn how to tap into His power and His strength. There are several ways to strengthen your relationship with the Lord, and in so doing, tap into God s wondrous power through the presence of His Spirit. Begin by asking God to make you sensitive to the Holy Spirit's presence in your life. He will give you the strength - through His Spirit - to say no to temptation and yes to God's will. If you are struggling with temptation, you can overcome it, but not in your own power. In fact, your life has been infused with God's power. Simply ask Him to give you the strength to resist the devil and flee from temptation. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through God's Word. One of the best ways to grow in your relationship with the Lord is through the study of His Word. Perhaps the best way to apply God's Word is through memorizing passages of Scripture. When the enemy approaches you with thoughts of defeat, failure, or some other temptation, the Holy Spirit will bring the Scripture to your mind and help you to use it as a tool for victory. Prayer: God, help me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's presence in my life so that I might be empowered to resist the devil and flee from temptation. Help me to study and memorize Your Word so that I will be prepared for the attacks of the enemy. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
STEP ONE... READING what the passage says (Read it at least three times) Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV) 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. 4 But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, and On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said to him, Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said to him, Be gone, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. STEP TWO... OBSERVING how the passage moves Return to the passage and mark key words, phrases and movements: Circle all of the words in these passages that speak of the Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit, etc.). Underline the significant verbs/action words in these passages. Underline the words devil, tempter and Satan each time each they occur in this passage. Underline the phrase it is written, each time it occurs in this passage. Highlight Matthew 4:1. In Matthew 4:4, underline the phrase: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. In Matthew 4:7, underline the phrase: You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. In Matthew 4:10, underline the phrase: You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. Highlight Matthew 4:11. THIS WEEK S COMPLEMENTARY PASSAGE I Peter 5:6-11 (ESV) 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be soberminded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 2
STEP THREE... Ask the five W questions and the one H question: 1. WHO is speaking? Who is this about? Who are the main characters? And, to whom is it speaking? 2. WHAT is the subject of the passage? What does the passage say about the subject? 3. WHEN do or will the events occur? When did something happen to a particular person, people, or nation? 4. WHERE did or will this happen? 5. WHY is something said or mentioned? Why would or will this happen? Why at this time? Why this person? 6. HOW will it happen? How is it to be done? How is it illustrated? STEP FOUR... UNDERSTANDING what the passage means This commentary is intended to enhance your own study of the text. Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV) Matthew 4:1- This is an extremely significant verse in that it shows that God s will for Jesus life was to face temptation (Hebrews 5:8). This temptation experience related to how Jesus would use His Messianic powers to redeem mankind. 4:1- Was led. In Mark 1:12, we find the phrase, The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. This experience was necessary for Jesus. The wilderness. This referred to the uninhabited pasture land near Jericho. This would have been the kind of territory in which Moses (cf. Exodus 34:28), Elijah (cf. 1 Kings 19:8), and John the Baptist lived (cf. Matthew 3:1). Tempted. Two terms in the Greek language describe a temptation or test. One has the connotation of to test with a view toward strengthening (dokimazo) and the other to test with a view toward destruction (peirasmo). The term used here is the one for destruction (cf. Matthew 6:13; James 1:13-14). God will never tempt us to destruction, but He often tests us, with a view toward strengthening us (cf. Genesis 22:1; Exodus 16:4; 20:20; Deuteronomy 8:2, 16; 13:3; Judges 2:22; 2 Chronicles 32:31; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Peter 1:7). The devil. In the Old Testament the title of the angelic being who gives mankind a choice is Satan, the accuser (cf. Mark 1:13). In the New Testament he becomes the devil (diabolos), which meant slanderer, adversary, or tempter. In the Old Testament he was a servant of God (cf. Job 1; 2 Kings 22:13 20; 1 Chronicles 21:1; Zechariah 3:1, 2). However, by the time of the New Testament there was an intensification of evil and he has become the arch-enemy of God. 4:2- After fasting forty days and forty nights. Here again Matthew chose a motif from the Old Testament of (1) Moses forty days and forty nights on Mt. Sinai (cf. Exodus 24:18; 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9; 10:10), and (2) Israel wandering in the wilderness for forty years (cf. Numbers 14:26-35). Matthew saw Jesus as the New Lawgiver and deliverer. 4:3- The tempter came and said to him. These temptations could have been either visions or physical phenomena. Based on the fact that Satan will take Him to a high mountain to view all of the kingdoms of the earth in a single instant, this was probably a vision but still a personal confrontation. 3
If you are the Son of God. This is a conditional sentence which is assumed to be true, at least from the point of view of the author; therefore, it might be better translated as since (instead of if ) for English readers. Satan does not doubt Jesus Messiahship but was tempting Him to misuse or abuse His Messianic powers. This grammatical form colors the interpretation of this entire temptation experience. Command these stones to become loaves of bread. Apparently these rocks in the Judean desert were shaped like loaves of baked bread. Satan was tempting Jesus to use His Messianic powers both to meet His personal needs and to win men by feeding them. In the Old Testament, the Messiah was described as feeding the poor (cf. Isaiah 58:6-7, 10). These temptation experiences, to some extent, continued to occur during Jesus ministry. The feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21) and of the four thousand (Matthew 15:29-33) showed how men would, and did, abuse God s provision of physical food. This again was similar to the problems of Israel s wilderness experience. Matthew saw a parallel between Moses and Jesus. The Jews were expecting the Messiah to perform many of the functions of Moses. 4:4- It is written. This was the standard way of introducing an inspired quotation from the Old Testament (cf. vv. 4, 7, 10), in this case, from Deuteronomy 8:3. This particular quote relates to God providing manna to the children of Israel during the wilderness period. All of Jesus responses to Satan s temptations were quotes from Deuteronomy. This must have been one of His favorite books: (1) He quoted repeatedly from it during His temptation by Satan in the wilderness, Matthew 4:1-16; Luke 4:1-13. (2) It is possibly the outline behind the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7. (3) Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 as the greatest commandment, Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28. (4) Jesus quoted this section of the Old Testament (Genesis - Deuteronomy) most often because the Jews of His day considered it the most authoritative section of the canon. 4:5- The devil took him to the holy city. This phrase the holy city was unique to Matthew and was a special designation for Jerusalem. Matthew knew the Jews would understand this immediately as an allusion from the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 48:2; 52:10; 64:10). Set him on the pinnacle of the temple. Pinnacle may be literally translated wing. This term could have meant (1) the outermost part of the Temple s wall which overlooked the Kidron Valley; or (2) the part of Herod s Temple which overlooked the inner court. Because of the Jewish tradition that the Messiah was to appear suddenly in the Temple (cf. Malachi 3:1), it was a temptation to win people by performing a miracle by jumping off and floating into the Temple area, possibly during a feast day. 4:6- If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. This sentence is assumed to be true from the author s perspective or for his purposes (cf. verse 3). Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12. Some have asserted that Satan misquoted this verse. Although he left out in all your ways, this quotation is in line with the Apostles use of the Old Testament Scripture. The problem was not that Satan was misquoting the verse but was misapplying it. 4:7- Jesus said to him. Verse 7 is a quotation from Deuteronomy 6:16 which referred to Israel s testing God at Massah (cf. Exodus 17:1-7). Israel, at this point, did not trust God to provide her basic needs, but demanded a miracle. 4:8-9- This temptation implies a vision instead of an actual event. Compare to Luke 4:5 which says in a moment of time. In either case, it was a real and personal temptation confronting Jesus. There has been much discussion as to what Satan meant by this: (1) Does it imply that he owned all of the kingdoms of the earth? Or (2) does it imply that he was simply trivializing the world s sin by showing Jesus its splendor? It is difficult to be certain, but when one compares Luke 4:6 and 1 John 5:19, a paradox emerges - Satan is the god of this world (cf. John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4) and yet this world is owned by God. The exact extent of Satan s influence, ownership, and free will (Job 1-2) is uncertain, but his power and evil are pervasive (cf. 1 Peter 5:8). 4:10- Then Jesus said to him. This loosely quotes Deuteronomy 6:13. This verse and Deuteronomy 6:5 affirm the needed commitment to God in heart, mind, and life. Be gone, Satan! This is similar but not identical to Matthew 16:23. 4:11- Then the devil left him. Luke 4:13 adds the phrase until an opportune time. Temptation is not once-and-for-all, but ongoing. Jesus would experience temptation again. Peter s words at Caesarea Philippi were as tempting and cutting as Satan s words in the wilderness (cf. Matthew 16:21-23). Angels came and were ministering to him. The Greek word minister was often associated with physical food (cf. Matthew 8:15; 25:44; 27:55; Acts 2:6). This recalls 1 Kings 19:6-7 where God miraculously provided food for Elijah. God s angels ministered to His unique Son. God provided all that Satan said he could provide. Why the incarnate Son of God would need the ministry of angels is a mystery. Angels are ministering spirits to the redeemed (cf. Hebrews 2:14). Twice in Jesus life angels helped Him in times of His physical weakness, here and in Gethsemane (cf. Luke 22:43). Resource for Commentary: Robert James Utley s Study Guide Commentary Series from Logos Software. 4
STEP FIVE SUMMARIZING the Message The Devil. Whatever image may come to your mind when you think about the devil, the Bible teaches that the being identified as Satan is the great tempter, deceiver and slanderer. He is the archenemy of God and His people. Scripture says a lot about the devil s character and action, about who he is and what he does. Jesus also knew that Satan was a real and powerful personality. He referred to him no less than twenty-five times. Following His baptism, Jesus had a protracted and personal encounter with Satan in the wilderness where He was tempted in a series of three successive attacks (cf. Matthew 4:1-11). The Origin of Satan? Where did the devil come from? The story of the Bible opens with God speaking the universe into existence. The first two chapters of Genesis are a breathtaking scene of order and wholeness. At the end of the creative week, God surveyed everything He made and pronounced it very good (cf. Genesis 1:31). Quite suddenly, a serpent appeared in Eden. This wasn t your average, garden-variety snake. This serpent probably stood upright and spoke. He struck up a conversation with Eve, luring her and her AWOL husband into a revolt against God. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear this ancient serpent was a manifestation of Satan himself (cf. Revelation 12:9). The Bible never explicitly tells us where the devil originated. Presumably, he came into existence sometime after the creative week and prior to his appearance in Eden. While there is much about the devil that is shrouded in mystery, there are at least five things we can say with certainty about him: 1. God created him. Scripture proclaims all things were created by God and for God. This includes the devil. 2. God created him good. Satan was created as an angel to serve and honor God, but obviously, something went wrong. 3. Some created angels rebelled against God. In two important passages the New Testament speaks of a time when some of the angels rebelled against God. Peter wrote, For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment (2 Peter 2:4). Also, Jude added, And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day (Jude 6). Michael Horton states, According to Scripture, there was once an angelic insurrection against God in heaven. Fallen angels are not treated as evil by creation but as followers of Satan in his mutiny. At one time the most glorious and powerful angelic agent, Satan was filled with pride and plotted the attempted heavenly coup. In Luke 10:18 Jesus stated that He saw Satan fall from heaven, like lightning. There is a possible description of Satan s fall from heaven in the Book of Isaiah. As the prophet is describing God s judgment on the king of Babylon, he uses language that seems to go beyond a mere human event: How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Isaiah 14:12-15 While it isn t certain that this passage alludes to Satan s pride and subsequent fall from heaven, it definitely could. The KJV translates morning star as Lucifer, a name meaning bearer of light. Though the use of Lucifer persists today, it doesn t appear in most modern translations of the Bible. 5
4. Satan has authority in the realm of demons. Identified as the prince of demons, it seems that Satan led this revolt. He was the first sinner, of whom John said, been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:8). The devil ( slanderer ) goes by a variety of titles or names: Satan- adversary. Beelzebub the prince of demons. Apollyon the angel of the bottomless pit. The Prince of the power of the air. The god of this world. The Accuser of the brothers. He is the ancient Serpent. The Great Dragon. He is like a lion on the prowl. He is the evil one. 5. Satan s evil came from within. No one was around to tempt and lure Satan into sin; his evil arose from within. That s why Jesus called him a murderer from the beginning and the the father of lies (cf. John 8:44). How should we respond? If you are a skeptic, There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils, C. S. Lewis noted in The Screwtape Letters. Lewis continued, One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. How could a pure creature rebel against God? Why did the other angels join the revolt? Even though we don t know all the answers, we know the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (cf. 1 John 3:8). If you re already convinced who Jesus is, do not fear God s enemy (and your enemy) for he was defeated at the cross (cf. Colossians 2:13-15), he is being defeated by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Ephesians 6:10-20) and he will be defeated by Christ in the final judgment (cf. Romans 16:20). He currently prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, (cf. 1 Peter 5:8) but at Jesus death he was defanged, and at Jesus return he will be destroyed. STEP SIX EXPLORING the passage through discussion Questions Icebreaker Question: Would you rather have a second helping of the main course or a second helping of dessert? Why? 1. The devil. What images does that word invoke for you? An evil creature with horns, a tail and a pitchfork? Something else? Why do some of these images persist? 2. In what ways do modern-day caricatures of the devil distort his true identity. 3. Review the 5 points (see sermon summary) about the devil. Why do you think the devil s origin is somewhat shrouded in mystery? What is most surprising to you about any of those points? 6
4. What s the difference between believing the devil is a real person and not just an impersonal force? 5. What would you say to the skeptic who thinks the devil was just an old-fashioned way of referring to bad things that happen? Why is that an inadequate explanation? 6. Read Matthew 4:1-11. Why was Jesus tempted so soon after His baptism? Why does God allow us to be tempted? What purpose does temptation serve in your own life? 7. Describe in your own words the reality of spiritual warfare. Who are the most likely targets of the devil s attacks today? How does this affect your daily life? 8. What is at the heart of all temptation? 9. Since the devil is a defeated foe, why do we still have trouble overcoming his attacks? 10. What steps do you need to take to arm yourself for battle? STEP SEVEN APPLYING the passage to my life Our desire is to not be merely hearers of the Word but doers ~ James 1:22 When you apply God s Word, you are thinking about what God might be saying to you through the Scriptures. Application involves action. Application makes your reading become a reality in your own life. Make your applications specific (state who, what & when). You are encouraged to use the S.P.E.C.K. method to apply God s Word to your life. Remember that each passage of Scripture may not lend itself to answering all five of these questions. S - SINS to confess and avoid (Are there sinful actions, attitudes, or thoughts that you need to confess to God based upon your study of these Scriptures?) P - PROMISES to claim (List God s promises for you from these Scriptures.) E - EXAMPLES to follow (What examples, for right thinking or right actions, can you take for your own life from these Scriptures?) C - COMMANDS to obey (List God s commands for you from these Scriptures and seek to be obedient to them.) K - KNOWLEDGE of God to apply (God s character is visible throughout the Scriptures as an example to us. What attributes and/or attitudes does God display that you can apply to your own life?) 7
Sermon Notes: 2018: BOOK-AT-A-TIME ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN (on LCC website) Sunday, March 18 thru Saturday, March 24, 2018 Galatians 1-3, Psalm 38; Galatians 4-6, Psalm 39; Deuteronomy 1-4, Psalm 40; Deuteronomy 5-7, Psalm 41; Deuteronomy 8-10, Psalm 42; Deuteronomy 11-13, Psalm 43 Memory Verse But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 The Abide in Me Bible study series is written by the pastoral staff of Loudonville Community Church, 374 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211 (www.lcchurch.org)