"The First Temptation of Christ"

Sunday Sermon: Aug 27th, 2017

Know your enemy:
1. The enemy hates God. He wanted Jesus to die a gruesome death. The enemy is enormously powerful, fearsome, and grotesque: he deceives, lies, confuses; he discourages, depresses and disappoints; he creates disunity, fighting and conflicts, Genesis 3:1-24; Matthew 4:3; 4:10; 12:26; 16:23; 26:25; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 4:4; 11:13-15.
2. The deceiver wants your earthly desires satisfied. Mine! I want it! You are not what you want, Matthew 4:3; Deuteronomy 8:2-3; 2 Corinthians 4:4-12.
3. The enemy wants you to put God in the dock. The enemy wants you to test God, to check Him out just to be sure, but God will never permit selfish verification, Matthew 4:7; Daniel 3, 6; Genesis 50:20.
4. Satan wants you great. He wants your country to be great. He wants your work to be great. He wants your family to be great. He despises all suffering servants, Matthew 4:9-10; 1 Peter 2:18-25.

Use Your Resources:
1. You were baptized. You have been changed. Everything is different. You are now a child of God; find your life’s purpose to further the kingdom of God. Join the battle: receive Christ, get baptized, connect strongly to the church, get your identity, fulfill your ministry, Matthew 1:1 – 3:17; Acts 20:24; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:7-14; Colossians 4:17.
2. We are weaponized by the Word and the Spirit, the Gospel, dying, fasting and prayer, 1 Peter 2:18-25; 5:5-11; Genesis 3:1-4; Ephesians 6:10-20; Romans 8:36; Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Corinthians 4:4-18.