Blessing: Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.Text: Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up to the wilderness by the Spirit, to be tempted by the Devil, and having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he did hunger. And the Tempter having come to him said, `If Son thou art of God--speak that these stones may become loaves.' But he answering said, `It hath been written, Not upon bread alone doth man live, but upon every word coming forth from the mouth of God.' Then doth the Devil take him to the holy city, and doth set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and saith to him, `If Son thou art of God--cast thyself down, for it hath been written, that, His messengers He shall charge concerning thee, and on hands they shall bear thee up, that thou mayest not dash on a stone thy foot.' Jesus said to him again, `It hath been written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.' Again doth the Devil take him to a very high mount, and doth shew to him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and saith to him, `All these to thee I will give, if falling down thou mayest bow to me.' Then saith Jesus to him, `Go--Adversary, for it hath been written, The Lord thy God thou shalt bow to, and Him only thou shalt serve.' Then doth the Devil leave him, and lo, messengers came and were ministering to him.
Illustration: Don’t Fear or Ignore Satan
Christians must not fear or ignore the devil. Both positions are dangerous. The hog-nosed snake is an evil looking reptile, which responds to the threat of danger with two ruses. First, it impersonates a pit viper, coiling and striking and hissing viciously. If this fails to intimidate the attacker the snake turns belly up, opens its mouth and lolls its tongue out, playing dead. If it is picked up and placed right side up it simply turns over and resumes the death ruse again. It seems to realize that if it cannot bluff, it has to mimic death.
Richard Lovelace, Demon Possession, ed. J. Montgomery
THE CRAFTY SNAKE
We find Jesus led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted after fasting for forty days and for forty nights. When Jesus is physically weak and distraught here comes the enemy, the adversary the accuser, the one who can appear according the 2 cor. 11:14 as an angel of light. As once he tempted Adam and all creation plunged into disaster, now he attempts to destroy the only hope for salvation. The devil tempts Jesus with a small, but significant word “if.” A small word with great power, because it casts doubt on the personage of Jesus, it casts doubt in the salvation found in God, and it casts doubt as to whom we must worship alone. The crafty snake comes to our Lord in the wilderness of His life for forty days and nights Jesus had been praying and fasting, fasting and praying and all of sudden satan appears at what he believes to be an opportune time. He never attacks when we are strong and prepared. Jesus has been lonely and hungry for a long time we would feel the same in His situation and worse we definitely would be unable to stand against the crafty snake. The craftiness of the tempter is subtle and ceaseless. The one who tempts has no remorse nor does he have any guilt. As Jesus stomach aches in pains of hunger satan uses doubt to knock Jesus off balance and goes in with why don’t you turn these stones into bread. That does not deter the crafty snake again he comes to our Lord, with Scripture so as to justify Christ in receiving His glory now showing His importance in heavenly places that if He were to fall to the ground the angels would bear Him up. Christ is well prepared, because He is the word of God and you can try this crafty twist of the word against the Word Himself, Jesus stands as the word not taking advantage of Himself God to be equal with God, but uses the Word to refute the mis-use of the word. Then satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him all the glories of all the kingdoms of the world in all times and offered them to Jesus. And if to say just give me a little bow, give me a little worship and this will be all yours come on Jesus what’s the big deal everyone is doing it. A toehold is all satan needs to bring us down. Jesus knows and understands, although satan is crafty Jesus is wiser still.
We all have been in the wilderness at times and have failed. We all have been lost and in beaten down condition. Where we trust in people who smile in our face all the while trying to take our place, the back stabbers. The Rastafarians call them snakes ion the grass. We face enemies and seducing spirits everyday. And if it were not for the Lord on your side, if it had not been for the Lord the crafty snake would made short work of me. Those so called friends who set you up for failure, lie, and sow seeds of discord among the brethren. Lord lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, also translated as the evil one.
But what do say if you have failed, if you slipped up. You have an advocate that stands between God and man, the God-man Jesus who defeated that crafty snake in the desert and on the Cross. He’s been in your shoes and He’s walked the trail of tears for you. Toe to toe what the devil you would surely fall, but thanks be to God for Jesus that in our weakness faith is made strong according to Hebrews 11. By the gift of faith we can rest assured that Jesus will cure the disease of sin completely. But until then we will have go through the wilderness at times, but you are never alone, Jesus is the bread of Life He feeds us in Holy Communion. If we do fall Jesus is waiting with forgiveness for the repentant heart. If we fail to give God all the praise do His name, if we have bowed to false altars of the world God calls us to return to Himself, and call on mercy in Jesus and we can return home not as a stranger or slave, but as beloved child in Jesus. That crafty snake may accuse, but we can plead the blood of Jesus that washes away all our sins.
We can walk in the Spirit and tell others of the goodness of Jesus that even in the wilderness, even when satan that crafty snakes uses every trick in the book, we can pray, we call on the name above all names, we fight the fight of faith and pull down strong holds in heavenly places, because the crafty snake may have a thousand arts, but Jesus destroyed everyone of them. His grace is like the wave of the sea on the seashores healing and changing us into priests and priestess and kings and queens by the power of Jesus name. He gives us an everlasting love when we confess ands repent of our sins. He keeps no records of wrongs for those who place their faith and trust in Him. So make that crafty snake angry tell somebody about Jesus today. Amen.
Closing: Philipians 4: 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
