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!

Matthew 4:5-6, Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

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!” (W. W. Wiersbe) 

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.” (W. W. Wiersbe)

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!

 Matthew 4:7,  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy 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.

We can triumph over pride and Satan’s temptations when we know God’s Word for ourselves, understand His will for us, cling to His approaches, and timing. The wiser we are the more his manipulations lose their power over us. Refuse to take suggestions from Satan, the world system, and the carnal fleshly nature we all still possess. Never trust the Devil’s usage of the Scriptures, it is okay to go back and study the Word more carefully for yourself. It is also okay to give yourself some time to reflect, and to gain thinking equilibrium. Place a little time, perhaps 24 hours, between your initial impressions or impulses and any follow-through actions. If there is a need to be hasty, rushed, quick, or hurried it may NOT be the best course of action no matter what they ‘promised’. Any offers that make you feel ‘time pressure’ or ‘a limited time offer’ is probably not from God! If it seems too good to be true…it probably is! 

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.

The Great White Throne Judgment I

The Great White Throne Judgment I

Believe it or not, fear is a legitimate motive to which we may appeal to persuade people to understand the consequences of rejecting Christ as Savior.  While it may be classified among the lower motives, it is nevertheless true that it is the only motive that will effectively move some people to action. Paul feared God. “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; …” (2 Cor. 5:11).

He lived in reverential awe of a just and holy God. He had a proper respect for his perfect nature and great power. Preachers tend to skip over fear as a motivation for fleeing to God’s grace and mercy. But many forget that fear is not necessarily bad—at least not always bad. The Bible says that those who do not fear God will inevitably be judged (Ps. 36; 55:19-23). For those who have persisted in sinful rebellious ways, remembering God should inspire dread. This is because their ways have been condemned by God, and their path leads to death (2 Cor. 2:14-16). One occasion of extraordinary dread is the grand final judgment of all humanity from all ages.

I.                  What Is the Great White Throne Judgment? (Rev. 20:11-13)

The Great White Throne judgment is the place of examination for those who have rejected God and Jesus Christ while on earth. In sharp contrast to the joyful judgment seat of Christ, an event to reward those who have accepted God, the Great White Throne Judgment is an event of dread and punishment for those who have refused God and failed to believe on Christ. Note what Hebrews 9:27, states, “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment….” Death is a certain appointment on the calendar of all people. Believers caught up in the Rapture will escape death, but all others will experience it. What makes death more horrifying is the reality that judgment awaits everyone who dies without trusting Christ as Savior and Lord. This judgment is the same as the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned in Revelation twenty.

Psalm 9:7–8, reads, “He hath prepared His throne for judgment. And He shall judge the world in righteousness.… ” This prophetic passage demonstrates that the Lord habitually judges in righteousness and pure justice. While it is not referring directly to the Great White Throne judgment occasion, it does portray the just character of God's throne and judgment. The same keen sense of justice will dominate His session as the Judge of the unsaved dead. Now, the central Biblical passage on the Great White Throne is Revelation 20:11–12. From this and other passages we learn several key things about this terrifying event.

A.   An Occasion When Jesus Presides as The Supreme Judge (Rev. 20:11)

1.From the Revelation passage we learn that there is a judge, but it does not say explicitly who the judge is. We do know from Revelation chapters five and six, that the Lamb and Lion, The Lord Jesus, will break each of the seals and unleash three distinct series of judgments upon rebellious humanity in the earth. These horrific punishments continue until He returns to the earth to prove Himself supremely victorious over the armies of the nations at the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19. Since Christ will spearhead all of these punishments, it stands to reason that He will preside over this sentencing of guilty unrepentant sinners also. 

2.Furthermore, the other biblical writings of the Apostle John reveal that the judge is The Lord Jesus:

                                 i.            John 5:22, For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

                               ii.            John 5:26-27, For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; [27] And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

As the unique Son of Man, the Lord Jesus has been appointed and duly authorized by The Father to execute judgment upon the masses of unbelieving humanity. Christ's unique nature as the God-Man postures Him perfectly for this role. As God His judgment will be according to pure justice, and as a perfect Man He is entirely fit to judge human beings with complete understanding. There is no bribing this justice and their is no corruption in His verdicts. The presence of the One who sacrificed Himself as the solution for man's sin problem is not likely to be lenient with those who blatantly or casually refused His payment for all sin. 

3.The Apostles Peter, Matthew, and Paul support this idea of The Lord Jesus as this Judge:

                                 i.            Acts 10:42, And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he [Jesus Christ] which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick [saved] and dead [unsaved].

                               ii.            Acts 17:31, Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus Christ] whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. God has chosen the Lord Jesus to handle the 'department of justice' on behalf of the triune Godhead. 

                              iii.            2 Tim. 4:1, I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (While this passage is not a direct reference to the Great White Throne, it is another clear statement pointing to Jesus Christ as the supreme Judge over the saved and unsaved.)

                             iv.            In Matthew seven, the Lord Jesus makes mention of The Great White Throne Judgment where unbelievers are expelled from Him because they did not do God's will and they believed false teachers (Matt. 7:21-23). Clearly, Jesus is the judge at the Great White Throne judgment; it is Christ on the Throne. His presence at the Great White Throne judgment as righteous Judge is a source of terror.

                             a. As Judge He has personal authority because He is the Creator and Owner of all men.
                             b. As Judge He is completely identified with what is good and right, therefore He loves    justice, fair play, and insures that right triumphs over all wrongs.
                            c. As Judge He is a Person of wisdom and able to discern the whole truth. He can            thoroughly examine the heart and soul and pierce through the evasions of mere men.
                            d. As Judge He is the Person of Power Who will pronounce and execute the sentence. He will ensure that judgment is carried out!

B.   An Occasion When All Unbelievers are Placed on Trial (Rev. 20:12-13)

1.These people have rejected God throughout history, from Adam’s son Cain, who killed his brother, to every Christ rejecter today, to those who are killed at the Second Coming of Christ and to those who will rebell with Satan at the end of the Millennium.

2.In Revelation 20:12–13, we read, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.… The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and Death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them.”

                                 i.            From this and the previous passages, we see that all who reject God, from the first unbeliever to the last, will stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne.

                               ii.     “A test no one will pass. John saw the Judge of the universe seated behind his great white throne, sentencing all the unsaved to the lake of fire forever. Faith in Christ would have placed their names in the "Book of Life," and they would have been saved.”— Harold Willmington 

3.After the millennial age, the unsaved are ushered into a gigantic courtroom. Millions of people are there—waiting to see the judgment sessions. All wait in fantastic trepidation of soul.

                                 i.     Suddenly, off to the right, a huge movie screen lights up and begins to show the entire life works of the wicked. One by one they file through and all without a single exception will be condemned for all eternity. 

                               ii.     All of the thoughts, motives, and actions of which they are most ashamed will shine forth before the assembled crowd.... and a thrice-holy God!

4.This is generally the idea of the final Great White Throne Judgment. But the main question will not be, “What did you do in life?”

                                 i.     Rather they will answer for what they did with Jesus. Remember, Believers in Jesus share joyous hope that Christ will return to earth as King, but He will also sit as Judge on the eve of eternity future.

                               ii.     This judgment is the climax of all judgments, because all sinners of all the ages will finally be condemned forever. The scene presented by the Bible is monumentally disturbing and extremely certain!

                              iii.     Will you be judged and condemned on this occasion?