Dear friends, seems like no matter what the topic, things turn negative.  No matter what the subject, there's always cause for fear.  Great weather?  Global warming!  Lovely nature?  Extinction of species!  Plentiful resources?  Plundering the planet!  Making a good living?  Americans are gluttons!  Feeling good?  You're too fat!  Nice church?  Too liberal!  Things going well?  It won't last!  No matter how good something is, there's always someone to tell us, "Beware of the evil that's coming!"

          Luke's Gospel had just finished three wonderful chapters about the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus.  Luke immediately takes Jesus into the wilderness to confront Satan.  The honeymoon of the early years is over and reality smacks Him in the face.  Jesus, son of man, goes on a forty day fast and ends it by facing Satan.  Like Israel faced forty years in the Sinai wilderness, the true Israel Jesus had forty days against the Judean wilderness.  There, amid the few plants or animals, much dust and rocks, a lot of sun and little shade, Christ confronted Satan, the deceiver.  And with the Word of the God, He defeated him.

          Who is this deceiver?  His Hebrew name is Satan, the "adversary."  His Greek name is "Diabolos," the "denouncer," the Devil.  Created a good angel, Satan rebelled against God sometime before the world was created, and he persuaded other angels to join his rebellion.  In Genesis 3 we first hear Satan coming as a serpent, tempting Adam and Eve to sin, and ultimately infecting the world.  Because of him, we have pain and toil, heartbreak and death.  In Zechariah 3, Satan stands in opposition to the Angel of the Lord, the Old Testament term for Jesus.

          In Job, Satan is out on his own, stirring the pot, making a wager with God about a good man who follows God.  Whatever Satan does, he can only act within the limits God gives him.  He is not all-powerful, and the world is not under his control.  He loves to tempt leaders and kings to pride and passion and idolatry.  If he can get to the head, he can affect the whole body.  Hence, Satan works hardest on leaders of God's people, including pastors and teachers in the church of today.  The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and the more waves their fall will make.

          Satan continually opposes God, but knows his limits, because he knows God is the all-powerful One not to be trifled with.  Satan well knows God's awesome power and how far he can push the envelope.  He is not, as some would claim, God's "dark side", but a true being.  He's a sinful spirit inferior to God, limited by God, and always opposing God.  His main targets are Christians, the people of God.

          Satan commands an army of fallen angels and tries even today to hinder God's plans.  Jesus called him "Beelzeboul" (lord of the dungheap), and "Beelzebub," (lord of the flies).  Satan is not content merely denouncing God, but he tries to draw people into sin and rebellion.  John calls him the "father of sinners" (1 John 3:8) and Jesus calls him the "father of lies" (John 8:44).  Satan tempts people by promising rewards he cannot deliver.  "You won't really die," he told Eve, "You'll become like God!"  "Worship me and I'll give you the world!"  His temptations come through shading the truth, casting a doubt, and through clever lies.  He's so good at what he does that no one is safe from his temptations.  We all must be on our guard.

          Besides lies Satan uses violence and deceit, especially with Christians.  Like a wild animal, he roams around, seeking people to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  He preys on our weaknesses, casts doubts in our minds, and incites us to anger and rebellion.  It's Satan who's behind our school killings and our family breakups.  It's Satan who promises us the world but gives us a mouthful of dust and ashes.

          But no matter how he deceives us, we can't claim to be victims.  Saying, "The devil made me do it!" is no defense with God.  Each of us is responsible for what we do and we must take the rap when we're wrong.  Thanks be to God that He sent His Son to deliver us, because you and I couldn't pay the price alone.  Like the man thrown into prison because he owed millions, there's no possible way we can repay God when we're imprisoned by sin.  But God has set us free and has laid the penalty on His Son.

          Satan is also called the "Evil One."  When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He said, "But deliver us from evil."  His words really meant, "Deliver us from the Evil One."  You and I need deliverance, and in Christ we have it!

          In this text Jesus is tempted three times, just like we're tempted.  He's urged to do three things:  (1) Use your blessings selfishly,  (2) Take the easy road,  (3) Give in to the world's promises.  If those sound familiar, it's because we're tempted the same way.

          (1) "If you're the Son of God, make these stones into bread..."  Satan was saying, "Use your power for yourself - you have the right!  Use your blessings for yourself - you earned them!  God gave you blessings, but you should keep them for yourself.  Don't share so much, let someone else do it!  Buy it - you deserve it!

          (2) "If you're the Son of God, throw yourself down from here..."  "Hey guy, why're you working so hard?  Take the easy road, skip your responsibilities.  Why work so hard and try to please a God you can't see?  My road's easy, and it's loaded with fun.  Don't worry that it leads you away from God.  You can always come back..."

          (3) "Worship me, and I'll give you the world..."  "Come on, live a little!  Give in to your desires, don't worry about God;  follow your heart.  People do it every day, so why not you?  Look what happens to all the "good" people - they work too hard and get nowhere.  If God really loved you, would He let you struggle so much?"

          What wilderness are you in right now?  A poor relationship, bad job, aimlessness, or doubts?  How is Satan tempting you?  We can't avoid temptations, but we can avoid giving in to them.  Martin Luther said we can't keep birds from flying over our heads, but we can keep them from making a nest in our hair.  Our nation gives in to temptation left and right, with people doing stupid things.  People are following fickle paths, the latest foolish fads.  We're wasteful, and don't use common sense.

          They sound so great:  (1) Use your blessings for yourself,  (2) Take the easy road,  (3) Heed the world's promises.  Sin is saying "yes" to the world and Satan, and doing that can be fatal.  Sin separates us.  It separates us from God, from the world and from each other.  Separation can be fatal, because the wilderness is unyielding.  It will consume us if we seek a path apart from God.

          Did you notice how Jesus fended off Satan's attacks?  Not with cleverness or wisdom, but with the Word - God's Word.  God's Word in the Bible helps us find our way;  it's a road map in the wilderness, showing us the right path.  "God's Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path." (Psalm 119:105)

          God's Word gives hope and we all need hope.  God gives us hope in His Son.  Jesus never sinned, but He took away the sting of our sin.  He died to pay our penalty and rose again to show His power over death.  He died to make us free, He died to bring us life, and in Him we can say "Yes" to God.

          Christ confronted the Evil One and overcame his temptations.  So can we - with His Word.  God's Word is power.  God speaks and things happen.  When we trust His Word, it's power.  There's nothing we have that's more powerful than God's Word.

          But let's all avoid two things about Satan:  being obsessed with him, or ignoring him.  Either way he can control us.  If we're scared of him, he will plague us.  If we ignore him, he will play with us.  Because of Christ, Satan is powerless, like a snake with his head cut off; he's rattling around but already dead.  When it was all over, the angels ministered to Jesus.  Let them minister to you as well.  Amen!

Copyright © 2001 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.