1. SPIRITUAL WARS Jesus Confronts Satan’s Temptations
luke 4:1-15

2. [1] And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness [2] for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

3. [3] The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” [4] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” [5] And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,

4. [6] and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. [7] If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” [8] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

5. [9] And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, [10] for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ [11] and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

6. [12] And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” [13] And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

7. [14] And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. [15] And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all (Luke 4:1-15)

8. “Spiritual Wars”
Preparation for Battle (vv. 1-2) And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness . . .

9. “Spiritual Wars”
Preparation for Battle (vv. 1-2) Humanly Hungry but Spiritually Full

10. “Spiritual Wars” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
The Temptation of Appetite & Satisfaction (vv. 3-4) “And he humbled you, let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
(Deuteronomy 8:3)

11. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Appetite & Satisfaction (vv. 3-4) “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, . . .

12. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Appetite & Satisfaction (vv. 3-4) “. . . like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” ~ C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

13. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Appetite & Satisfaction (vv. 3-4) Feast on God’s Word
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily portion of food.
(Job 23:12b)

14. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Power & Control (vv. 5-8) And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

15. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Power & Control (vv. 5-8) “God did not make this person as I would have made him. He did not give him to me as a brother for me to dominate and control, but in order that I might find above him the Creator. Now the other person, in the freedom with which he was created, becomes the occasion of joy, whereas before he was only a nuisance and an affliction

16. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Power & Control (vv. 5-8) “God does not will that I should fashion the other person according to the image that seems good to me that is, in my own image; rather in his very freedom from me God made this person in His image. I can never know beforehand how God's image should appear in others

17. “Spiritual Wars” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
The Temptation of Power & Control (vv. 5-8) “That image always manifests a completely new and unique form that comes solely from God's free and sovereign creation. To me the sight may seem strange, even ungodly. But God creates every man in the likeness of His Son, the Crucified. After all, even that image certainly looked strange and ungodly to me before I grasped it.”
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

18. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Power & Control (vv. 5-8) Yield to God’s Will
And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
(Luke 22:41-42)

19. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Security & Pain-free Living (vv. 9-12) And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

20. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Security & Pain-free Living (vv. 9-12) “God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weakness deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away. . .

21. “Spiritual Wars” ~ J.I. Packer
The Temptation of Security & Pain-free Living (vv. 9-12) “To live with your ‘thorn’ uncomplainingly — that is, sweet, patient, and free in heart to love and help others, even though every day you feel weak — is true sanctification. It is true healing for the spirit. It is a supreme victory of grace.”
~ J.I. Packer

22. “Spiritual Wars”
The Temptation of Security & Pain-free Living (vv. 9-12) Pursue God’s Way
But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go, for Saul is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
(Acts 9:15-16)

23. “Spiritual Wars”
The Struggle Continues (vv ) Satan departed from Jesus until an opportune time.
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee

24. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16)