chapter 4, Luke chapter 4. And we're going through Mark, but Mark had two verses on it. And it's interesting how this is narrated. In Matthew, the order is a little different. In Mark, it's only two verses, but Mark makes mention that he was with the wild beast. And when I read that, I thought, and this is my thought when I read that, our Lord was never afraid. He was never afraid. He was never afraid to be with the wild beasts or in front of Satan. He was never afraid. But that shows you how far out in the wilderness. He was in the wilderness when he was baptized. that shows you how much further out he was when this took place.

So I'm going to look at Luke chapter 4, the first 13 verses here, but it's really astounding to think of our Lord, think about this, our Lord allowing Satan to tempt Him, to try Our Lord said in Luke 10 18 when the disciples were coming back and they were rejoicing that the spirits, the evil spirits, the demons were SUBJECT TO THEM. And the Lord made this statement, I BEHELD SATAN AS LIGHTNING FALL FROM HEAVEN.

I was THERE when Satan was kicked out. I am the one who kicked him out. I am the one who made him. All things were made by him and for him. All angels, the fallen angels, the elect angels, were created by Jesus Christ. And here is the devil, Satan, who was kicked out of heaven by the Lord Himself.

And now HE is going to subject HIMSELF to Satan's attack. He's going to subject HIMSELF. And our Lord allows HIMSELF to be tempted by Satan and that has got to be one of the greatest acts of humility and of His humiliation. TO BE TEMPTED BY THE VERY ONE HE KICKED OUT, TO BE TRIED AND TEMPTED BY PURE EVIL. SATAN IS PURE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT EVIL. THERE IS NO GOOD IN HIM. AND THAT'S WHY THE LORD SAID THERE IS, AS FAR AS CONCERNING THOSE WHO ARE LOST, THERE IS NONE GOOD, NO NOT ONE.

Of course, EVERYONE is of the SPIRIT OF DARKNESS, UNDER THE SPIRIT OF DARKNESS, unless God saves them. Unless God saves them, they are UNDER THE SPIRIT OF DARKNESS. They are BORN UNDER THE SPIRIT OF DARKNESS, they LIVE UNDER THE SPIRIT OF DARKNESS, and if God doesn�t save them, they will DIE UNDER THE SPIRIT OF DARKNESS. And then they�ll see God, they�ll face God. But let�s remember this. OUR LORD SUBJECTED HIMSELF TO THIS FOR TWO REASONS. IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS FATHER'S WILL.

AND HE DID THIS FOR ME AND YOU. HE DID THIS FOR YOU AND I. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY MAN WHO DID NOTHING FOR HIMSELF. HE NEVER PERFORMED A MIRACLE TO RELIEVE HIMSELF. HE PERFORMED MANY MIRACLES TO RELIEVE SINNERS. HE HEALED THE BLIND. HE ENABLED THE LAME TO WALK. HE RAISED THE DEAD. HE DID NOTHING FOR HIMSELF. HE DID IT ALL FOR HIS CHILDREN. EVERYTHING HE DID, HE DID FOR US.

Now Mark says that the SPIRIT DRIVETH HIM INTO THE WILDERNESS. It's not like he was reluctant. Our Lord was not reluctant to do this. He's a WILLING SAVIOR, willing to do God's will. is to do the will of Him that sent me. And this is a part of His will. Every step our Lord took, every word He spoke, everything that happened to Him was according to His Father's will. And this is according to His Father's will. He was willing, ready to do it, ready. But Luke says here, He being full of the Holy Ghost was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Our Lord met Satan head-on.

I don't want to do that. I don't ever, ever, ever want to meet that scoundrel. I don't want to ever have to deal with him. I can't handle him. I can't handle him. He's so slick I never see him coming. But our Lord met Satan head-on and conquered him. at every turn, every temptation. Remember it said here that He left him for a season. He just left for a season. He'll be back. He'll be back. This is not the last temptation. This is not the last attack. He'll be back. You can count on that as God allows Him to. God allows him to.

You know scripture says that Satan, well Satan said this to God, he said where you been? He said I've been going to and fro up and down in the earth. He goes to and fro in the earth SEEKING whom he may devour it says. He's a roaring lion SEEKING whom he may devour. And the ones he's SEEKING whom he may devour are God's CHILDREN.

You ain't worried about the drunk on the street. No, he's after God's children. He's after the body of Christ. He's still out to destroy Christ, the Son of God. He's still out to destroy. Six thousand years. This shows you how much sin dumbs us down. Six thousand years and he's still trying to destroy the body of Christ. He's still trying to destroy the glory of Christ. All these years. And listen, every time a sinner is saved, WE SEE ANOTHER DEMONSTRATION OF OUR LORD'S POWER AND VICTORY OVER SATAN.

Listen to Colossians 1.13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, that's Satan, the power of darkness, like blind in the mind of them which believe not. WHO HATH DELIVERED US FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS, AND HATH TRANSLATED US INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS DEAR SON." God took us, arrested us, and pulled us away from the power of Satan and put us in the Kingdom of His dear Son, the Kingdom of Righteousness, the Kingdom of Peace. Christ's victory over Satan, over sin and is a great comfort to you and I. This is one of the reasons we get to see this.

This is one of the reasons this happened. Because it is a great source of comfort to know that our Lord, our Savior, has already conquered our greatest enemy. He's already conquered. He's already whipped. Let me ask you this question. SATAN GOES ABOUT SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVIRE, HE GOES TO AND FRO IN THE EARTH. WHERE DOES SATAN DO HIS GREATEST WORK? RIGHT WHERE I'M STANDING. RIGHT WHERE I'M STANDING.

HE DOES IT IN THE PULPIT. HE TURNS HIS MINISTERS INTO MINISTERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS. They don't preach the righteousness of Christ, they preach self-righteousness. They wouldn't dare preach HIS righteousness, but HE DOES HIS GREATEST WORK!

I saw this on something yesterday, I just caught it as I was going through the house, and it's talking about this GREAT REVIVAL that's going on in America right now. I don't know about it. But I was watching what they were showing. That's not a revival. It's not a revival of the gospel.

It's a religious revival. But our Lord said this, He said, You hypocrites, talk to the Pharisees, you'll come to sea and land to make one proselyte. And when you've made that one proselyte, you've made that person two-fold the child of hell. I tell you what, when Jesus Christ is being preached in His glory, the glory of His person, the glory of His work, where He is now, then you might think there's a revival. But just using his name is not a revival. Everybody holding up their hands in their phone with the light on is not a revival. That's not a revival. You can get flesh excited.

Satan here what I'm talking about the subtlety of Satan. He'll use the name Jesus. He'll use the name gospel He'll take the Word of God because we'll see here. He quotes the Word of God to the Lord Jesus Christ. He quotes from the Psalms. I tell you I've only been around 70 years. He's been around since the beginning. NOW I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THE TIME OF OUR LORD'S TEMPTATION. THIS IS INTERESTING.

IT WAS AFTER HE WAS BAPTIZED THE HOLY GHOST DESCENDED ON HIM. and john said this is the son of god this is the lamb of god the old lamb of god which takes away the sin of the world god the father speaks from heaven the heavens he rends the heaven and he speaks and said this is my beloved son in whom i well pleased and immediately after that he's driven in the wilderness to be tempted and we see this all through the word of god blessings followed by TEMPTATION or TRIALS, that's what this TEMPTATION is, TRIALS. Christ's BAPTISM, immediately tempted by the devil.

David, David anointed king and then he had to run for his life. He had to hide in a cave. Saul was after him, tried to kill him. Israel, delivered from Egypt, then pursued by Pharaoh. Hezekiah, he keeps the Passover. Then he's attacked by Shennacherib. Paul receives an abundance of revelations. Then he's given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him.

This is the way it is. This is it. This is it. We're blessed of God, then trials. Blessed of God, then trials. That's how it goes. That's how it goes. After forgiveness and spiritual progress, we must expect trials and temptations. They're coming our way. They're coming our way.

Now Satan, as I said, he's not interested in unconverted people. They are already under his power. They're already under his power. He's not interested in them. Ephesians 2 wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience he's already got him he's already got him he's after God's people and if our master is going to be tried tempted by him so are we is the servant greater than his master Our Lord asked that question one time. Well, the answer to that is no. The servant is not greater than his master.

Christ's temptation in the wilderness was on purpose. It was on purpose. Here's why. So that we could find confidence in Christ to save us from Satan's power. I don't think we realize how real Satan is. He's as real as you and me. He's as real as we are. And we need to be saved from his power. And we see this, that our Lord conquered him. But it's also for these reasons. It's also for these reasons. The reason why he was tempted in the wilderness. HEBREWS 2.18 FOR IN THAT HE HIMSELF HAS SUFFERED BEING TEMPTED.

You know when you've gone through something and somebody tries to console you and you're like, you don't know what I'm, you don't, have you ever been through it? No, you don't know what I'm, you don't know what I'm going through and I have learned at least by now that I cannot identify with everything Some of you have gone through things I've never gone through. I can have some sympathy with you, but the Lord Jesus Christ, it says here in Hebrews 4, 15 and 16, listen, For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. I can't be touched with all your infirmities, I've never experienced some of them. But now listen, BUT WAS IN ALL POINTS TEMPTED LIKE AS WE ARE.

This is why He's got to go to the wilderness. This is why He's got to be tempted and tried. It's for this reason. BUT WAS IN ALL POINTS TEMPTED LIKE AS WE ARE, YET WITHOUT SIN. I've never been tempted in all points as you, but He has. LET US THEREFORE COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF GRACE, THAT WE MAY OBTAIN MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP in time of need. Oh, we have a merciful and faithful high priest who can identify with us in every. Now, brethren, this is, as Bruce would say, brothers and sisters, this is over my head. I can't enter the depth of our Lord's being tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin, but he was, he was.

His temptation was very real. But let me make this clear. There was no sin in the Lord Jesus Christ for Satan to sink his teeth into. The Lord said in one place, Satan hath come and found nothing in me. There's a lot he'd find in me. I have a whole lot of chinks in my armor. He can find plenty to get a hold of, but there was nothing in Christ for him to get a hold of. Nothing.

Our Lord was never tempted inwardly to sin. The first Adam, he knew no sin, he was innocent. When God created him, he didn't create sin in him. He was totally innocent. He was righteous. He was holy. But here's the difference. He was of the earth, earthly. The second Adam is the Lord from heaven.

That's why there was nothing for Satan to get a hold of. The first Adam was not God the second Adam is God he's not half God and half man he is the God-man the God and unlike the first Adam who met with one temptation one it's all one temptation and failed and I would have you would have too but our Lord was tried."

You know what it says here in Luke? It says in verse 2, "...being forty days tempted of the devil." I don't know what all went on in those forty days. I know what happened at the end when he was hungry after forty days and forty nights of not eating, then Satan came and tempted him, but that forty days, it says in Luke, the way Luke puts it, "...being forty days tempted."

I don't know what all went on there, that's just THE LORD DIDN'T TELL US, SO I'M GONNA LEAVE IT ALONE. BUT I DO KNOW THIS, HE WAS TEMPTED IN ALL POINTS, AS WE ARE, YET WITHOUT SIN. WHAT A SAVIOR WE HAVE. WHAT A SAVIOR. HE HAD THE GREATEST TEMPTATIONS COMING AT THE END OF 40 DAYS, WHEN HE WAS HUNGRY. IT SAYS HE WAS HUNGRY. 40 DAYS, 40 NIGHTS, NOT EATING A THING. Not a thing.

Now let's look at the first temptation. It says in verse 3, And the devil said unto him, My, my, my, let the Lord subject himself to this. But this is for us. This is for us. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God. Satan knew who he was. What did the demon say when he cast him out? We know who you are, the Holy One of Israel. Did you come to torment us before our time? You see, Satan is a liar. He's a father of every lie. And here he is, he's lying. If you be the Son of God, like he didn't know it, he knew it. Command this stone that it be made bread, One of the greatest attacks that Satan has is on our self-preservation. Our self-preservation.

Remember what Esau said when he sold his birthright? Well, I'm going to read it to you. It just came to my mind when I was studying this and I thought, that fits this. But he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup, didn't he? A BOWL OF SOUP! And He said this, BEHOLD, I AM AT THE POINT TO DIE, AND WHAT PROPHET SHALL THIS BIRTHRIGHT DO ME? I am about to die, this birthright means nothing.

Our Lord forty days and nights, hungry, I mean Just emaciated. I imagine he didn't. I was telling Vicky, I said, I never really thought about how skinny he probably was, but he had to be pretty thin. Because he ate fish and bread. And then here he's fasted for 40 days and now he doesn't eat. And he doesn't give in for self-preservation. He doesn't, and this is important, he doesn't give in to his appetite.

That's exactly what gets us every time. It's the appetites of the flesh. And the appetites of the flesh are many. They're many. What doesn't get you will get me. Because we have many appetites. Many. And then here's Satan's subtlety. There's nothing wrong with eating. There's nothing wrong with a person. If he can turn that stone into bread, there's nothing wrong with turning that into bread and eating. You're hungry.

God wouldn't hold you to that. Oh my, everyone needs to eat. You know, the first Adam was brought down by eating the fruit, but not the second Adam. The second Adam said this in Matthew 6 25 is not the life more than meat and the body more than raiment is not our is not life the life he says is not the life is it not more than what we're going to eat what we're going to drink what we want to wear life is to know God It's to do our Father's will.

And as our substitute, He must suffer what I suffer. I suffer hunger, then He must suffer hunger. I can't make the stone bread, so neither will He. He won't do it either. And now our Lord answered Satan. I kind of like to look at it this way when I read it. Now the second Adam answered this way. See he went at the first Adam and he won. Well at least he thinks he won. That really is downfall because it brings us to this point for the second Adam who's his destruction. In verse 4, And Jesus answered him, saying, And this is exactly how you and I ought to answer everything.

Before Madison asked to be baptized, she believed the gospel. Probably a year before that, she was asking her daddy something and he was quoting the scriptures. She said, can't you answer me anything without quoting scriptures? No, that's a good way to answer. Answer with the word of God. It's written. It's written. She wouldn't say that now, but she did. Oh, every time he answered, he said, it's written. He answered with the word of God. He answered with his own word. He is the word of God.

It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone. but by every word of God. We do not live by bread alone. I do know this, if God does not bless the bread we eat, we will not live. He has to bless the bread we eat. We live by the word of God or the command of God, the decrees of God, the purpose of God, that's what we live by. God commanded LIFE and we lived. And brethren, He commands everything in our life every day. And then when we come to that last time, He's going to command us to leave this world and come home.

That's how important the Word of God is. I cannot express to you how important the Word of God is. Because He says here that man will live by EVERY WORD OF GOD. Now does that make it important or not? Every Word of God, there are His DECREES and His PURPOSES.

Listen here to Deuteronomy 8.3 because here is where He is quoting from. AND HE HUMBLED THEE, GOD HUMBLED THEE, AND SUFFERED THEE TO HUNGER, AND FED THEE WITH MANNA, WHICH THOU KNEWEST NOT, NEITHER DID THY FATHERS KNOW, THAT HE MIGHT MAKE THEE KNOW THAT MAN DOTH NOT LIVE BY BREAD ONLY, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE LORD DOTH MAN LIVE. How important is the Word of God? And our Lord never answers Satan, except by thus saith the Lord. It is written, it is said. According to God's Word was his actions. According to God's Word. As I hear, I speak.

Second temptation. Lust of the flesh, same thing that happened with Adam, lust of the eyes, the flesh, and lust of this world. But here's the second one, lust of the flesh. In verse 5 and 7, And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them, FOR THAT IS DELIVERED UNTO ME. NOW I WANT YOU TO LISTEN HOW HE TAKES THE PLACE OF GOD. AND TO WHOMSOEVER I WILL, I GIVE IT. IF THOU THEREFORE WILT WORSHIP ME OR FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME, ALL SHALL BE THINE. SATAN HAS BEEN GIVEN GREAT POWER but limited. It's in check. He's a liar and a father of lies. He's lying here. When he opens his mouth, he's lying. He's lying.

Almighty God did not turn the world over to Satan. Psalm 24, THE EARTH IS THE LORD, THE FULLNESS THEREOF, AND THEY WHO DWELL THEREIN. Let's listen and see what God had to say to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 4.32, Daniel's telling him this, his dream, he's interpreting the dream to Nebuchadnezzar.

And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field. THEY SHALL MAKE THEE TO EAT GRASS AS OXEN, AND SEVEN TIMES SHALL PASS OVER THEE, UNTIL THOU KNOW THAT THE MOST HIGH RULETH IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN, AND GIVES IT TO WHOMSOEVER HE WILL. SATAN, YOU'RE LYING. YOU'RE TALKING TO THE ONE WHO OWNS IT. YOU'RE TALKING TO THE ONE WHO GIVES IT TO WHOMSOEVER HE WILL.

BUT OUR LORD IS SUBJECTING HIMSELF TO THIS FOR US. SATAN SHOWED CHRIST THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD BUT HE COULD NOT SHOW HIM THE KINGDOM OF GOD OR RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE. WHAT DOES A MAN GAIN IF HE GAINS THE WHOLE WORLD AND LOSES HIS OWN SOUL? Here is the true spirit of Satan. HERE IS WHAT HE IS AFTER, THIS IS WHAT HE'S BEEN AFTER, THIS IS WHAT HE'S STILL AFTER, IS THIS, FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME.

And this SPIRIT, now listen, this is true, this SAME SPIRIT IS IN EVERY UNREGENERATE PERSON BORN INTO THE WORLD. SELF-WORSHIP. self-worship why do you think athletes when they get old they can't quit I mean they got a bankroll they don't need it they've got plenty of money they can't let go of that fame which is a form of worship it's a form of worship and they can't let it go That spirit is in everybody until God saves them. And it still raises its ugly head. That old nature still raises its ugly head too much. We still have it. We still have it.

Here's the Lord's answer in verse 8. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." The Lord shut him up with Scripture. He said God only is to be worshipped and nobody else. And God said in Hebrews 1, let all the angels of God worship Him. Proving and showing that Jesus Christ is God. Here's a third temptation I'll close. 9 and 11, verses 9 and 11. Here's a pride of life.

And He brought him to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence, for it is written. He's going to quote scripture now. He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee, AND IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR THEE UP, LEST AT ANY TIME THOU DASH THY FOOT AGAINST A STONE. He's well-versed in the Scriptures. What did they say at the cross? Matthew 27, verse 40. What did they say?

If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. THE SPIRIT OF SATAN IS IN EVERY UNREGENERATE PERSON. It�s there. If thou be the Son of God, come down off the cross. He said, �Cast thyself down, prove God, test God, see if He�ll come to your rescue, see if God�ll be good for His Word.� You keep quoting it! You say, �It�s written, it�s written.� Well, He quoted the Word of God to him. He said, now let's see. Oh, he's subtle. He's so subtle. God is to be believed, not tempted. He's to be believed. And notice how Satan knows the Word of God and how he'll use it for evil purposes. He took the Word of God THE PRECIOUS WORD OF GOD, AND USED IT FOR EVIL INTENT. It's like so many of these televangelists do. They use it for evil intent.

But our Lord answered this in verse 12, And Jesus answering him said, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. You know where that's written at? You remember when they complained about not having water? They said, you brought us to this place, we don't have water. And then God told Moses, stand on the rock. And he took the, and struck that rock, took his staff, struck the rock, and the water gushed out. That's what He's talking about.

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. That's what God said then. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. You don't tempt God to prove Himself. That's not faith. Here's all we got, here's all we need. If you don't believe this, you wouldn't believe it. 10,000 miracles, you wouldn't believe. Because faith is a gift of God. Christ told Satan, not to tempt the Lord thy God. There's only one God. He's God over all, blessed forever. He's not the father of all, but he's God over all.

And he said, no, but you don't tempt him. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. You notice the word there is TEMPTATION. It doesn t say TEMPTATIONS in this one. It is singular because it is just one ongoing temptation, just one long temptation. Every time you turn around, you turn on the TV, you see a billboard, it's just one thing after another to take your mind away from Christ. He never stops. And Satan left Christ for a season, but our God is merciful. Listen now, He makes Satan back off for a season. He'll let him tempt you, try you, then He'll make him back off.

Like he did Joe. And Matthew said the angels, and Mark said this too, the angels ministered to him. Don't you know, they're watching this. They are watching their Lord, their God, their Creator, subject himself to this demon, this devil, this evil, evil, evil. And then whenever they had the go-ahead, when satan left him and they got to go ahead to go in and help him don't you know they were like to help their lord they ministered it said unto him i think they fed him they fed him no doubt no doubt we have a proven savior