Matthew 2, Luke 4, 1 John 3
Jesus faced opposition…
1. In the beginning
Matthew 2
Matthew 2:16 (NLT) Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under.
2. Throughout his life.
Luke 4
Luke 4:29-30(NLT) 29…They mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
3. Near the end
Luke 22:42-44 (NLT) 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
We will face opposition. We cant get out of it.
Jesus came to destroy the devils work!
1 John 3:5-10 (NLT) 5 You know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. 7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
The works of the devil…
The only power the devil over us has is the power we give him.
Ephesians 4:27 (NIV) Do not give the devil a foothold.(place)
1. Sin
“Our choices reveals what kingdom is superior in our life.”
2. Distractions
2 Corinthians 11:2-4 (NLT) 2 For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. 3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
Distraction can lead to deception.
3. Deception & Manipulation
2 Corinthians 11:14 (NLT) Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
4.Fear/Anxiety/Worry
Fear is a way the enemy tries to undermine our trust in God.
5. Destruction: Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, Mental, Relational
6. Shame
Shame is believing a lie that God is good but his goodness is not as powerful as our sin.
Shame is believing the lie that we are not forgiven or that we are not enough.
Living in Triumph
Romans 5:17 (NLT) For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus partners with us to advance the destruction…
Romans 16:20 (NIV) The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
1. Stand up under temptation
Temptation proves the quality of our character.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Jesus tempted in the desert(Luke 4)
Satan will attack us when we hungry, tired, alone, physically weak.
Matthew 26:41 (NIV) "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
-Stand in your identity: Know who you are.
Your power is rooted in position.
-Stand on the word: Know what God says.
“There is a quiet confidence when we rest in the authority of what God says.”
John 16:33 (NIV) "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
2. Submit and Resist
James 4:7 (NIV) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Submitting our behaviors, thoughts, composure, attitude to Jesus. Then resisting anything contrary to Jesus.
3. Embrace mercy moments
When it comes:
Angels ministered to him. Matthew 4:11 Luke 22:43
When we go to it.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT) 14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need i most.
4. Walk it out.
How do we walk in freedom? One victory at a time.
Because of one victory for all time.
Hebrews 2:14(NLT) Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
Ministry:
John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
If the devils mission is to steal, kill, and destroy then life is found when Jesus Restores, Resurrects, and Rebuilds.