The Battle of Pride

Jesus Defeats the Devil: The Battle of Pride

 MATTHEW 4:1-11

 

THEME: Jesus definitively triumphs over Satan to show us how to live for spiritual priorities instead of succumbing to the temptations to live for our pride, prestige, and glory.

RELEVANCE: Jesus is tempted so that every creature in heaven, on earth, or under the earth might know that Jesus Christ is the great Conqueror. This temptation is necessary to demonstrate His moral fitness to do the work for which He had come into the world. The devil will encourage us to adopt a value system that places an unhealthy emphasis on physical and material things, but Jesus un-mistakenly points out our real priorities. In addition, He exposes Satan and his schemes, while crushing him most convincingly. Because of Christ’s victory, we can win against the temptations of pride.

INTRODUCTION:

It is important to note that Jesus faced the enemy as a man, not as the Son of God. We must not think that Jesus used His divine powers to overcome the enemy, because that is just what the enemy wanted Him to do! Jesus used the spiritual resources that are available to us today: the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 4:1), and the power of the Word of God (“It is written”).

LESSON:

Jesus Defeats The Devil (Matt. 4:1-11):

I. The Attacks of the Adversary (Matt. 4:2-11)

This period was a necessary time under God’s direction—another occasion where the Son obeyed and endured until the tests were completed. Hebrews 5:8, says, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;”.

The Son of God never sinned, so He did not learn “obedience” in the sense of overcoming personal rebellion. Rather, He experienced “obedience” in a tangible, flesh-and-blood way. By living as a man, He chose to submit to the Father’s will in real-time and real-world situations.

Now Jesus, our great High Priest, can truly sympathize with our struggles. By experiencing suffering and choosing obedience through it, Jesus became the qualified and perfect source of salvation for us all. 

THE SECOND ATTACK OF SATAN—LIVE FOR PERSONAL PRIDE, PRESTIGE, AND YOUR OWN IMMEDIATE GLORY (Matt. 4:5-7). 

A The Temptation of Pride (Matt. 4:5-6): Prove you are the Son of God; jump off the highest point of the Temple!

 

1.     The Second Temptation Took Place In Jerusalem On The Pinnacle Of The Temple.

a.      The devil challenged Jesus to throw Himself down as a spectacular display of His divine Sonship to gain popularity and acceptance. The Lord Jesus was taken to a pinnacle of the temple, probably about 500 feet above the Kidron Valley.

b.     Satan knew of the protection promised to the Messiah by God in Psalms. Psalm 91:11-12, For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. [12] They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

c.      Satan made a subtle suggestion to Jesus as the Messiah. He may have been reminding Jesus of Malachi’s prophecy (Mal. 3:1). The people expected Messiah to suddenly appear in the sky, coming down to His temple. Satan was saying, in essence, “Why don’t You do what the people are expecting and make some marvelous display? After all, the Scripture says His angels will protect You as You come down!”

d.     Beloved, be alert to any power, strength, ability, gift, talent, beauty, or prominence you may possess! This could become a source of pride and independence of God!   

2.     The Temptation Was For Jesus To Demonstrate That He Was Messiah By Performing A Sensational Stunt.

a.      Jesus could achieve glory without suffering; He could bypass the cross and still reach the throne. But this action would be outside the will of God.

b.     John describes this appeal as “the pride of life” (1 Jn. 2:16). It resembles the “tree desirable to make one wise” (Gen. 3:6) in the Garden of Eden, as both were a means of achieving personal glory while ignoring God’s will.

c.      This is a desire to attain religious prominence apart from the fellowship of His suffering. We seek great things for ourselves, then run and hide when difficulties come our way. When we ignore God’s will to exalt ourselves, we tempt God.

d.     Satan challenges Jesus to prove His divine identity. He is tempting Jesus to take matters into His own hands rather than submitting to God's intended path of suffering and obedience.

e.      Ignoring God's will to exalt ourselves leads to spiritual separation, misplaced priorities, and an inevitable downfall. Pride fosters arrogance and self-reliance, while true purpose and honor come from surrendering to God's plan and serving others.

f.      Aligning your will with God's shifts your focus from earthly recognition to serving others, ultimately allowing Him to guide, honor, and elevate you in His perfect timing.

g.     God repeatedly warns us against pride, describing it as a spiritual barrier that invites destruction, brings shame, and causes individuals to exalt themselves above God. These passages caution that self-reliance without God ultimately leads to a fall. 

1.     Warnings about the Destructive Nature of Pride

a.      Proverbs 16:18, Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

b.     Proverbs 11:2, When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

c.      Proverbs 29:23, A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

2.     Warnings revealing God's Opposition to Pride

a.      James 4:6, ...God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

b.     Proverbs 16:5, Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

c.      Psalm 10:4, The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

3.     Mandates that Call us to Humility before Him

a.      1 Peter 5:5, Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

b.     Philippians 2:3, Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

3. This Temptation Was Even More Subtle Because Satan Also Used the Word of God.

a.      “So You intend to live by the Scriptures,” Satan implied. “Then let me quote You a verse of Scripture and see if You will obey it!” Satan then quoted from Psalm 91:11–12 where God promised to care for His own. “If You really believe the Scriptures, then jump! Let’s see if the Father cares for You!”

b.     Satan May Have Thought If Jesus Could Quote Scripture To Him, He Could Quote It Too. However, he purposely did not quote Psalm 91:11-12 accurately. He left out an important phrase, “in all thy ways.” According to the psalmist, a person is protected only when he is following the Lord’s will. For Jesus to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple in some dramatic display to accommodate Himself to the people’s thinking would not have been God’s will. Jesus’ response indicated that it would not be proper to test God and expect Him to do something when one is out of His will.

c.      Note Carefully Our Lord’s Reply: “It Is Written AGAIN” (Matt. 4:7). We must never divorce one part of Scripture from another, but we must always “compare spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13). We can prove almost anything by the Bible if we isolate texts from the contexts and turn them into pretexts. Satan had cleverly omitted the phrase “in all Thy ways” when he quoted from Psalm 91. When the child of God is in the will of God, the Father will protect him. He watches over those who are “in His ways.”

d.     Satan tempts Jesus to prove He is the Son of God by jumping from the high pinnacle of the temple. The devil weaponizes scripture by quoting Psalm 91:11-12, trying to trick Jesus into foolishly testing God’s promise of protection for a cheap, spectacular show. 

 

B.   The Triumph Over Pride (Matt. 4:7): Do not presume to test the Lord or force Him to accommodate your will; respect the fact that He is God!

 

1.     Jesus Replied with Deuteronomy 6:16: “Thou Shalt Not Tempt The Lord Thy God.”

a.      We tempt God when we put ourselves into circumstances that force Him to work miracles on our behalf. The diabetic who refuses to take insulin and argues, “Jesus will take care of me,” may be tempting the Lord.

b.     We tempt God when we try to force Him to contradict His own Word. It is important for us as believers to read all Scripture, and study all God has to say, for all of it is profitable for daily life (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

c.      Jesus reveals that demanding God perform a miracle to prove His love or power is not faith; it is a lack of trust and an act of manipulation.

d.     God had promised to preserve the Messiah, but that guarantee presupposed living in God’s will. To claim the promise in an act of disobedience would be tempting God.

 

2.     Again, Jesus Resisted the Temptation for Immediate Glory, Prestige and Pride! 

a.      The time would come when Jesus would be revealed as Messiah, but the cross must come first. It is wise to wait on God’s timing.

b.     The altar of sacrifice must precede the throne. The crown of thorns must precede the crown of glory. Refuse to be afraid of sacrifices for the Lord’s sake. We are correct when we anticipate suffering, pain, investment, obligation and payment before any returns, privileges, or advantages.

c.      Jesus would await God’s time and would accomplish God’s will. Making a point of walking daily in the will of God is one way to demonstrate faith in it.

d.     A life of humility honors to the Lord and the Lord will honor a life of humility. Proverbs 22:4 says: “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.” True reverence for God and a spirit of humility yields great spiritual rewards. The Lord exalts and honors the humble!

1.     Proverbs 15:33, The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

2.     Proverbs 18:12, Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.

3.     1 Peter 5:6, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

 

CONCLUSION:

Jesus triumphs over Satan’s temptations of pride and independence! He was tempted so that every creature might know that Jesus Christ is the matchless Conqueror. This temptation was necessary to demonstrate His moral fitness to do the work for which He had come into the world.

Additionally, Jesus exposed Satan and his tactics, and He defeated Satan without a doubt. Because of Christ’s success, we can have many conquests over pride and the tempter.

By our experiencing various sufferings, inconveniences, hardnesses and choosing obedience to God through them, we become qualified comforters and perfect aids in the salvation and growth of others. Yes, we too can definitively triumph over Satan and live for God’s priorities instead of yielding to Satan’s temptations to live for pride, prestige, and glory.