YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES IF YOU EAT WHAT HAS BEEN GIVEN. (DEUTERONOMY

January 8, 2016

YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES IF YOU EAT WHAT HAS BEEN GIVEN. (DEUTERONOMY 8:3)

Matthew 4:1–11

Todd Wagner

Central Truth

The poison of lies is only defeated with the antidote of Truth.

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 Temptation of Jesus

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.

Most of us have played the game "2 truths and a lie." While I am not sure where that game started, I am certain it was not in the scene we find in Matthew 4.

Here, you will only find the oldest and deadliest of "games." The one I simply call "Three Lies" (see Genesis 3:1, 3:4, 3:5). Three lies is not a game most men often win, but even a simple reading of this chapter can point you to a proven plan for victory. First, let's set a few things straight by using the party game "2 truths and a lie."

1. You are the first person to be tormented by temptation.

2. Even though Todd is a pastor, he has significant battles with sin and temptation like everyone else.

3. Jesus has been tempted in every way you have been, yet is without sin.

If you are not sure which one of the above statements is a lie, you probably are not doing well with temptation.

Fortunately for all of us, we see in Matthew 4 how to win whenever we are forced to play games with liars. The poison of lies is defeated only with the antidote of Truth. So to help you with the three statements above, stop and look up 1) 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2) Romans 7:21-25; and 3) Hebrews 4:15-16. Lots of good news there . . . especially in Corinthians and Hebrews. You are not alone in your temptation, and you are not alone in having to deal with temptation's presence and effect. Almost as good as having our sins paid for is having the ability to follow our Savior's example in resisting sin's source.

Notice how every time Jesus was confronted with lies (temptation) from the enemy, He responded with meditating on and living in the midst of TRUTH. Jesus didn't see confrontation with the enemy as a power encounter, but rather as a Truth encounter. Jesus is our example in all things, including how to meet the lies of the enemy. You shall know and APPLY TRUTH, and the TRUTH will set you free.

1. If you want to find out more about how to deal with temptation and truth, commit to listening to and talking about this series with your community:
http://www.watermark.org/series/127.

2. Share with a friend the area the enemy today, or most often, lies to you about. Ask that friend the same question. Pray for your friend right away and ask your friend to pray for you.

3. Stay on the phone with your friend until you both agree on a good set of verses to memorize for each of you. Commit to memorize those verses. Quote them often to each other and believe those verses to win when the enemy invites you to play with lies.

4. Mediate on Hebrews 4:15 and this quote: "It is a silly idea . . . that good people do not know what temptation means. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is." Thank Jesus that He has not only been tempted in every way you have . . . but in even GREATER ways than you have. Purpose to resist more so you can know more of the temptation that He came to know. Thank Him that, through Him, you can overcome the enemy's lies (1 Corinthians 10:13).