Jesus Deals with Satan

 

We have looked at how Jesus dealt with many different types of people. I want to look at how Jesus dealt with Satan.

 

In Matthew 4 we see Satan directly tempting Jesus to follow another path other than the Father’s will. Satan wants Jesus to reject the Father’s will for His earthly life and ministry.

 

Matthew 4:3

And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

 

Jesus had been fasting for 40 days. Satan is tempting Jesus to use His power for His own personal needs apart from trusting the Father. Satan tempts us with the same thing; he tries to get us to meet our needs apart from God’s will.

 

Matthew 4:4

But He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

 

Jesus answers Satan with the word of God. Jesus doesn’t try to reason with Satan or argue or debate with him. Jesus simply answers with an absolute truth, the word of God.

 

Matthew 4:5-6

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 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, least You strike Your foot against a stone.’”

 

Satan wants Jesus to test the Father’s love and concern for Him by putting Himself in a position where the Father would have to come through. Satan tempts us in the same way. He wants us to live the way we want to and when the consequences kick in, for God to deliver us, so we don’t have to experience the consequences.

 

Matthew 4:7

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

 

Jesus again does not reason or debate with Satan. He simply quotes God’s word to him.

 

Matthew 4:8-9

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.”

 

Satan tempts Jesus to take the easy road to get what He wants. Instead of doing it the Father’s way, Satan wanted Jesus to reject that way and do it another way. He wanted Jesus to listen to him and not the Father.

 

Matthew 4:10

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.’”

 

Again, Jesus answers Satan’s temptation with the word of God.

 

Matthew 4:11 says that Satan left Him. Satan left because he could not stand up against God’s word. Satan can manipulate our reasons and our arguments but not God’s word.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is dealing with Satan and his temptations with God’s word, not human reasoning.

 

In Mark 5 Jesus encounters a demon possessed man. The man is isolated, violent, very strong, and self-harming. Jesus commands the demons to leave the man and gives them permission to go into the pigs. The pigs rush over the cliff and drown.

 

Jesus deals with demons, who are agents of Satan, with His authority as the Son of God, God in the flesh.

 

In Matthew 28:18 Jesus says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Based on that truth, Jesus commands us as His disciples to go into all the world and make more disciples.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is depending on Jesus’ authority in our lives as we yield our lives to Him as Lord and facing Satan’s temptation in His authority.

 

With God’s Word and Jesus’ Authority

Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe