“A Template for Spiritual Battle” – Luke 4 – Pastor Scotty Brown

All righty. Well, we're, we're shifting gears. We're going from chapter three to chapter 4.

That'd Be the Gospel of Luke. And, uh, there's Warren right there, this guy right there.

So, um, so, um, so anyway, we, uh. So, uh, we, uh, we, uh, there's Warren right there. This guy right there.

We're looking at some serious spiritual battle here, and Jesus gives us a template how to fight this battle.

That it's real, it's physical, it's spiritual, it's mental, it's intense.

Have you noticed that?

Those of you who have been walking with the Lord any time at all, you realize that, you realize that.

this spiritual battle is really, really real. And so Jesus enters right into he's been baptized. He is,

he's ready to go into his ministry 30 years old. And we pick it up in verse 1 of chapter 4.

Shall we read? Then Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan,

and was led by the spirit into the...

This snare's rattling.

Can we...

Is there a thing we can push over one way or another?

I'm going to have this little thing going on in my ear the whole time.

They got a handle on them, don't they?

Hey!

Hey! Hey!

Okay.

We're good.

I'm going to start over.

Then Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit,

returned from the Jordan, and was led by the spirit into the wilderness,

being tempted for 40 days by the devil,

and in those days he ate nothing.

And afterward, when he had ended, he was hungry.

And the devil said to him, if you are the son of God,

command this stone to become very.

bread. But Jesus answered him, saying, it is written. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Then the devil, taking him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a

moment of time. And the devil said to him, all this authority I will give you and their glory, for this

has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom ever.

I wish. Therefore, if you will worship before me, all will be yours. And Jesus answered and said,

to him, get behind me, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only you shall serve. Then he brought him to Jerusalem, set him on the pinnacle of the temple,

and said to him, if you are the son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written,

He shall give his angels charge over you and keep you.

And in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against the stone.

And Jesus answered and said to him, it has been said,

You shall not tempt the Lord your God.

Now, when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for your word that is, it's alive.

it's sharp and it's ready to do battle. Lord, I just pray that it's in our heart in a place of

readiness, Lord, that we would put it there. And that as we look at this today and as you are truly

the living word, Lord, that's why we need you to invade our lives more and more each and every

day. And so pray that you would do that now. Lord, give us understanding. Lord, we're so limited.

And we need just supernatural help. So thank you, Holy Spirit, that you are.

that supernatural help that will teach us and lead us in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So here, Jesus is filled

with the spirit. And this is interesting, right? We saw the power of the Trinity there in

chapter 3, where at the baptism, where the son was praying, the spirit was descending,

the father was speaking, pretty powerful stuff. And the Lord is here filled.

with the spirit, ready to go and do what his father has called him to do.

And it's in an unusual and public way that the Lord is filled with the spirit.

David Guzick says, we can say certainly for the most part and perhaps entirely that Jesus

lived his life and performed his ministry as a spirit-filled man.

choosing not to rely on the resources of his divine nature, but willingly limiting himself to what could be done by the

guidance of God and of God the Father and the empowering of God, the Holy Spirit.

And so it is with you and I. God's called us to live this life, right?

Jesus calls us to himself. Then he makes available to you and I the Holy Spirit to

empower us to be successful in the Christian life.

Because without the Holy Spirit, you can't be successful.

You can't do it.

We do not have the ability, the moxie, the wherewithal, the intestinal fortitude.

I don't care what you want to call it to be successful in the Christian life without the hope of

the Holy Spirit.

And you and I are encouraged to walk in the Spirit.

as you read through the New Testament, and it talks about it over and over again, Galatians 516, right?

He says, I say then, the Apostle Paul, walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Walk in the spirit.

Because they're at odds.

If you notice that, you ever get at odds with yourself.

They're at odds, right?

My flesh and what I want, and the spirit and what is right, and what is right,

They're in conflict. It talks about that there in Galatians.

And so in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18, and do not get drunk with wine for that is

Ephesians 5:18

dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Isn't that amazing that those two things

are kind of in contrast here? Because why do people get drunk?

They just want a good feeling?

They want to try to shut.

or forget things or it's basically self-medicating, right?

Why do people get drunk?

God has so much more to offer than the bottle than Jim or Jack or all those guys.

Right?

Or like my cowboy friend says, those left-handed cigarettes.

But we're to walk in the spirit, right?

So to the spirit.

You reap life.

So to the flesh.

You reap death and corruption.

Now, some say at first glance here, right,

that the spirit was led by the spirit.

I thought that the Lord's prayer,

lead us not into temptation.

But deliver us from evil.

It seems like he's leading Jesus into temptation.

Well, no.

It doesn't say that the spirit tempted him.

It says being tempted 40 days by the devil.

The devil tempted him.

It's kind of like a trainer leading a fighter to the ring.

Right?

The fighter doesn't fight his trainer.

He fights his opponent.

And so too.

the spirit will get us ready for a fight.

And it's a guarantee that there's going to be a spiritual battle.

And Paul reminding us at the end of his life,

I have fought the good fight.

He's letting us know or reminding us that the battle is real.

and it's constant.

And our enemy doesn't

relent, but he keeps coming at us.

But thanks be to God for his indescribable gift

for he enables us to withstand

and to be aware of the wiles of the devil.

And the Holy Spirit teaches us when to duck.

That was funny.

But we just have to know and remember, right, we got an opponent, right?

And he's taking shots at us continually.

And the ones that hurt the most are the ones that you don't see coming.

You've seen those guys get lit up, right, on the football field.

When they got their head turned, and I mean,

somebody lowers the thunder, right?

And just, boom.

And it's violent and it's painful and it's hurtful.

So Peter tells us in 1st Peter chapter 5 verse 8, says,

be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring line,

seeking whom he may devour.

Right?

That word for be sober.

it means, literally means self-controlled, be self-control, have self-control.

You know that somebody is walking in the spirit when they practice self-control.

Because I don't know what about you, but so much of my life, I was out of control.

And I think I've shared this story before, but, but, you know, I was taking some kids to a youth event.

and we were in a pool playing, and this kid that was a senior in high school, he jumped up.

My boy was, I think, in seventh or eighth grade, and he jumped up, and he just swung his four on

across his face, busted him in the face, bloodied his nose.

And I saw this happen.

And I knew this kid, I'd kind of been in relationship with him, and knew some of he's passed,

and I, uh, I about.

lost my cool. But I didn't. I, you know, the Lord let me practice some self-control. And so I went up to him

and, of course, my boy's looking at me like, Dad, are you going to do anything about this?

And I said, what did you do that for? Well, he didn't know Buster was my boy. He didn't know that. He didn't

know that. And I said, why'd you do that? He said, oh, that Buster kid. He's such a

and, you know. Oh, really?

And I'm telling you, everything within me, I wanted to grab the kid, put him under the

water until he quit kicking.

I'm just being honest, right? I really did. And, of course, then I was trouble because I didn't

do anything. But the youth pastor, it kind of shocked me, he said. He watched this whole thing.

And he goes, I don't think I've ever seen that kind of restraint.

And I just knew that it was a spirit of the Lord.

And I tried to explain to everybody, well, if I would have done what I did, obviously, I would be on death row.

And but also, you forfeit your right, you know, to minister.

And I've been able to minister to the family over the years.

years and that would have made all that go away if I would have went with my initial reaction.

And so it's a good thing to have self-control and in practice, restraint.

And I think it's always many times misunderstood, but to be sober, to be self-controlled,

says to be watchful, have your head on a swivel.

know that you're in a fight spiritually speaking. Whether it's in your mind, whether it's with your

mouth, whether it's physically, you're in, you're in a fight in this Christian life. And so to

bear the fruit of the spirit is very important. And ultimately, right, that is love. The fruit of

this spirit is love. So the enemy comes to Jesus. It's very important. And ultimately, right, that is love. The fruit of the spirit is love.

The enemy comes to Jesus, and he knows where we're weak.

And here, Jesus' weakness would be he hasn't eaten in 40 days.

Now, I don't know if anyone here has ever done that.

I've never done that.

But I've had some friends that have done it.

And I think you are, you're bordering because for the first couple,

weeks, you feel hungry.

But then pretty soon you don't feel hungry anymore.

Your stomach shrinks down so much.

And then you're not hungry anymore.

But then you're not very far away from starvation.

That you're actually in starvation mode.

And so no doubt it says,

and he was hungry.

And so Satan comes to us.

Well, he says, if you are the son of God,

some believe that this should be translated since,

Since you are the son of God, command these stones to become bread.

Since you are.

Since you are the son of God.

Satan recognizes.

Satan recognizes Jesus for who and what he is.

And so he's telling him, take the easy way out, man.

Just satisfy your hunger.

Make bread.

And so Jesus gives us the first, um,

the first line of defense when we're in a spiritual battle.

What's he do? He quotes scripture, right? It's written. And so Jesus answered him,

verse four, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

That's what man will live by every word of God. So what does that mean? That means you should read it.

Right? That means you should read the word of God.

I'm shocked at the amount of people that don't read God's word.

I'm shocked at the amount of people who claim to be Christians that don't read God's word.

And, well, I just go to church and I let the pastor read some passages to me.

No, I'm going to tell you, you're just an anemic sitting duck for the enemy, if that's your mode.

Right?

You're an enemic sitting duck for the enemy if that's your mode.

And so he quotes actually Deuteronomy chapter 8, verse 3 is what he quotes.

Deuteronomy 8:3

And so if you have a Bible, I want you to turn there real quick.

And we're going to look at this.

But it's Deuteronomy chapter 8.

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention

And I'm going to jump over there real quick.

And I'm just going to read.

I'm going to read.

I'll include verse 3.

but we're going to read verses 1 through 5.

And it says, in Deuteronomy chapter 8, it says,

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention

every commandment which I command you today,

you must be careful to observe that you may live and multiply

and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers.

And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way

these 40 years in the wilderness to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart,

whether you would keep his commandments or not. And so he humbled you, allowed you to hunger,

and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you

know that man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the

mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these 40 years.

You should know in your heart that as a man chasens his son, so the Lord, your God chastens you.

And so it's a serious thing that man shall not live by bread alone. But so many of us do. Because

the word of God isn't included in our life. You know, Proverbs suggest that the

the word of God is actually health to your physical body.

It's health to your flesh and your bones.

And I don't know if that's literal or if it's just because the word of God

affects the way you live your life so much, you're just healthier.

I don't, I don't know.

But I would suggest that it's possibly both for,

listen to what Job said in Job, Job, 23, 12.

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips.

I have treasured the words of his mouth.

Listen, more than my necessary food.

That Job is saying, this is a, this is serious stuff.

I think I shared with you.

And an old cowboy guy that made a commitment to himself to read God's word.

And so his motto was no Bible, no breakfast.

No Bible, no breakfast.

That man, that's a pretty good policy.

I wonder how many people would lose weight.

But think about it.

When Moses was on the mount, the word of God sustained him.

Right?

He didn't get emaciated and, and, uh,

skinny and gaunt.

But he came down. He was glowing.

But you remember, Moses did not eat or drink for 40 days and 40 nights.

He didn't eat anything.

But he was sitting there.

He was in conversation with the God who invented life.

And that the Bible says his words are life.

Who remembers the old hymn, wonderful words of life?

I can hear my granny singing it, right?

Wonderful words of life.

man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

That should motivate us to get, get plugged in, to get tuned in to God's word, to read it,

read it on a daily basis, commit yourself to that, make that commitment.

You know, once it becomes a habit, it's pretty cool.

It's kind of like eating.

Once you go without a couple meals, something,

Sometimes you realize it, right?

If you go without a meal, you go, oh, I'm hungry.

That's kind of what the way it is, spiritually speaking.

You get into a habit of reading the word every day.

And then you go a couple days and, man, I didn't read the word.

I think I'm losing my mind.

Right?

I'm convinced you get away from the word for very long.

Psychosis begins to set in.

Right?

Because it's renewing us by the word is renewing.

us in our mind as we look at it. The second temptation comes in verse five and it says,

then the devil taking him up on a high mountain showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment

of time. And the devil said to him, all this authority I will give to you and their glory,

for this has been delivered to me and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if you will

worship before me, all will be yours.

So that's quite the dangling carry, right?

Right before Jesus?

And I'm wondering how he did this,

because it says,

then the devil, take him up on a high mountain,

showed him all the kingdoms of the moment of time.

Wow, so he toured Europe and Asia.

All the kingdoms of the world,

he showed him in a moment of time.

Did they do it?

Step out of time?

Was there some kind of interdimensional

activity?

So he's fascinated me. This verse is fascinating to me.

In a moment of time, he showed in the kingdoms of the world.

Now, we know that Satan is an interdimensional being, right?

He sees in our dimension.

He's in heaven.

he can go back and forth.

Kind of wild.

I wonder if we get to do that someday.

I'm really excited about that.

It'll be cool.

But he presents this to Jesus there in the second temptation.

All these I will give you now.

It's interesting that Jesus didn't refute that, right?

because Satan is called the God of this age.

He says he gives him to whom he ever ever he will.

So maybe that was him moving and shaking in 2020.

Pretty interesting stuff here.

And he says,

and all this authority, I will give you and their glory.

For this has been delivered to me.

When did that happen?

In the garden.

When Adam gave it up, he knew he was naked.

And he surrendered the dominion of the world to the enemy.

And it's been downhill ever since.

So Satan thought he would offer this to Jesus, but it was a shortcut.

He was offering Jesus a shortcut.

Because Psalm 2, verse 7 and 8 says, I will declare the decree.

Psalms 2:7

The Lord has said to me, you are my son today.

I have begotten you.

Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possessions.

But he had to go and suffer at the cross.

first. Right? Revelation says the kingdom of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

And he shall reign forever and ever. But Satan was going to give him these way. Hey, just come this way.

You don't have to suffer and die on the cross. I'll just give it to you. But you got to worship me.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you didn't bow the knee to Satan.

Have you heard of people that have done that?

I've heard like horror stories of people actually bowing the need to Satan.

They actually openly and blatantly worship Satan.

They just give their heart, soul, all that they are.

They give it to him.

They give them an invitation into their life.

I don't know about you.

That's creepy.

That's just creepy.

Why would be?

you do that? Why would you play with these things? It's as though they have these tentacles and they just

invade your life and they take you down this path that ends in nothing but misery and death.

And yet I've heard of people. I've heard of people in the entertainment world, right, offering themselves

to Satan. And here, Satan tries to convince Jesus. And here, Satan tries to convince Jesus.

to bow the knee to him.

And I love how he responds.

And Jesus answered and said to him,

get behind me, Satan.

It's like he's taking his authority right here

as the son of God.

Get behind me, Satan.

For it is written.

You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.

Him only.

Now some people are convinced, right,

that they can love God and still pursue riches and fame and power and glory.

No, you can't.

You can't pursue those.

If God wants to give those to you, that's one thing.

But it's quite another to pursue them.

he's the one that you put your focus on.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

All these things will be added unto you.

If God wants to give you a platform, he will.

And if not, I promise you, you don't want that platform.

Him only shall you serve.

Jesus here fulfills what James encourages us to do.

It's actually the Lord's half-brother when he writes his epistle.

It says, therefore, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Jesus resists that.

No, I'm not going to worship.

I'm not going to worship you.

And so the Lord uses scripture again.

This is Deuteronomy 6, where he says, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.

I'm wondering how often could you refute lies with Scripture?

I mean, sometimes we have a check, right?

People call it a check.

You have a check.

Something's not right here.

And that's probably because you know the truth.

You know Christ.

You've been born again.

But if you haven't been putting the word in on a case,

consistent basis. I think it's really important to try to read through the Bible once every year.

Year and a half, maybe. I usually have to do a year and a half because I'm a slow reader.

And maybe more. And the older I get, the more it seems I need of the word of God.

But over the years, I've gotten quicker when I hear lies.

I've gotten quicker to speak truth toward that lie and to dissolve it, which truth does, right?

And so, him only shall you worship and shall you serve.

Then the third temptation comes.

It says, then he brought him to Jerusalem, set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him,

if or since you are the son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written.

Oh, Satan now uses the phrase, for it is written.

Oh.

And this is probably one of the saddest things about looking through this right now is Satan

knows the Bible better than 90% probably of the people sitting in this room.

Satan knows the Bible better.

And that's scary

because then you've got that wild crazy group

called twisted scripture.

Big hair.

But he can twist.

He can take it out of context.

He can browbeat people with it.

It's crazy.

It's interesting.

How often people quote scripture and they do it out of context.

Right.

And so what Satan does here, he does quote scripture, right?

And it just shows what a conniving, wicked, backstabbing, sneak.

he really is. He quotes Psalm 91, 11, and 12. And so notice what he says there. For it is written,

he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you. And, oh, he skipped some. If you're looking at that in

Psalm 91, right, he shall keep you what, in all your ways. God will keep you in all your ways.

and in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against the stone.

And Jesus answered and said to him, it has been said,

you shall not tempt the Lord your God.

Right? Satan just conveniently left that little part out to keep you in all your ways.

God desires to keep us in all our ways.

It's Satan that wants to come in and get us off of the right way.

So the pinnacle was probably a high point at the southeast corner of the temple, far above the Kidran Valley.

Satan contempt us even in the holy city at the highest part of the holy temple.

Following the example of Jesus, Satan decided to quote scripture and selected Psalm 91.

And...

But he didn't fool the Lord.

And I hope that he doesn't fool the Lord.

when scripture comes your way that's out of context and it's been twisted or manipulated by the enemy.

He would love nothing more than to keep us all in a place of compromise.

Right?

We just can justify it.

We can listen to the masses because they do it.

We can be convinced by friends and family.

maybe not very good friends or very good family members.

But compromise.

If he can keep you in a place of compromise,

he can keep you off balance spiritually.

And so,

Jesus throws it right back at him.

It is said,

you shall not tempt the Lord your God.

And that's found.

in Deuteronomy chapter 6.

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

Just a few verses from the previous one, and I want to read those to you.

Deuteronomy has been called the second law, right?

And so you'll read things in Deuteronomy that you won't see in the book of Leviticus.

But it's almost like it sheds a little more light on some stuff than the book of

Leviticus does.

But Deuteronomy 6, verses 13 through 16, it says,

Deuteronomy 6:13–16

You shall fear the Lord your God and serve him.

and shall take oaths in his name.

You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you.

For the Lord, your God is a jealous God among you.

Lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.

You shall not tempt the Lord your God.

And then he says, as you tempted him in Masa.

And so the children of Israel had tempted the Lord.

And every time this children of Israel got off course, people died.

Right?

When the Cora and Datham and Abiram came against Moses and Aaron, what happened?

Right?

They were questioning their authority.

And so Moses goes, okay, guys, question our authority.

Tell you what?

If you live to be an old man, if you live to be an old man, if you live to,

to be an old man and old women in these three families and die naturally, then God hasn't called me.

But if God does something strange and he opens the ground and swallows you up, you and your

family, wives, kids, all your stuff, God's going to just swallow you up, then God's called me and

Aaron to do what we're doing. And what happened? You know the story. They're in numbers.

all gone.

Just like that.

It's good not to tempt the Lord.

Because anything you tempt him out,

many times the repercussions are a whole lot more than you bargain for.

Right?

And so we come to this place where there's three things,

basically that Satan's questions in these temptations.

And Satan always brings a question mark to God's word.

He started that clear back in the garden.

Remember?

Right, when him and Eve are bantering there at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And he said, oh, no, we can't touch the tree or we're going to, oh, world, die.

Well, God didn't say that.

So that must have been.

some kind of a misinterpretation between Adam and Eve. I don't know. He says, no, the day you eat

of the tree, you shall surely die. Didn't say if you touched it. The only thing is, if you're touching it,

it's kind of like that wet paint or it's that line you draw on the sand, right, for your child,

and they run their little four-year-old toe over there and throw it across the line.

What's you going to do? You ever have that happen, right?

Dr. Dobson used to say, when they do that, they're looking for a fight and it's a good idea to not disappoint them.

But he says, has God said, you won't surely die?

Listen, he's been lying a long time.

He's good at it.

And if you're not up on your games,

and the word of God,

there's a good chance you're going to get duped.

The first thing, Satan questions, right?

He questions the father's love when he tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread.

Man, if God really loved you, you'd be fat, dumb and happy.

Here you are, having eaten in 40 days.

Go ahead and turn those stones into bread.

If God really cared,

how many people you talked out over the years?

I had a family I was with yesterday.

And I know in their hearts, just by the way, their body language is,

they're questioning the goodness of God.

How come there's so much death?

There's been so much death in their family.

Two of the boys have lost children.

One of the girls miscarried a baby.

The grandma just passed away.

The grandpa passed away.

Death just seems to be come at them like a freight train.

And if you don't know,

the word of God. If you don't know the hope of heaven and the power of the resurrection.

Yeah, just each up. Does God really care? When we go through those things?

So first he questions the father's love. Second, he questioned his hope when he offered Jesus the

world's kingdom on this side of the cross. Oh, come on, Jesus. You don't have to go to the drug.

just come on. God's given me the authority in these, these kingdoms, I can give them to whoever I want.

He's saying, you don't have to do that. But don't you realize that affects you and I.

Because if Jesus foregoes the cross, then you and I are hopeless. Because if he foregoes the cross,

like we just read Wednesday in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, if there's no resurrection, we are,

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

to be pitied.

We're pathetic.

People.

If there's no resurrection.

So he questioned

the hope that Jesus was going to be,

he was going to rule the kingdoms of the world

after he paid for man's sin on Calvary's Cross.

Thirdly, Satan questions the Father's Faith.

when he asked Jesus to jump from the temple to prove that the Father would keep his promise.

Thus, the enemy attacked the three basic virtues of the Christian life, faith, hope, and love.

He brings to question those things.

Is there faith? Is there hope? Is there love? Is there love from God the Father?

And in fact, there is. When Paul tells us that in 1st Corinthians 13, here about,

by these three, faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. Say the greatest thing

that God does towards us and what we do towards each other. It's a fulfillment of those two

great commandments that Jesus quoted there when they ask him, what is the greatest commandment?

He said, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your

mind, with all your strength. And the second is like it. Jesus just added that one.

Right? Because a lot of people say, oh, it's easy to love God. With all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. And the second is like it. Jesus just added that one. Right?

I love God, he's so good, right?

He's so benevolent.

He's blessed so much.

But my neighbor as myself, come on.

He's a jerk.

Right?

Her voice is so irritating.

I just can't stand her.

That's why Jesus added that, right?

It's because that's going to be you

and I's greatest challenge is loving one another.

And Satan wants to call that into question over and over and over again.

When we're filled with the Holy Spirit, like we see Jesus here,

he gives you and I the ability to counter every attack, every question the enemy would bring

our way.

And you guys, it never ends.

I was really hoping that I'd get a place of maturity, you know, 61, 62, I'll be 63 in July.

I was hoping it would come then, but I'm realizing, no, I don't ever arrive.

This side of heaven.

I still have this battle, this angst, this, this abrasiveness between the spirit and the flesh,

and then it's constant, and it's going to be constant until I'm with him.

And so you ready yourself.

you be prepared for that.

Don't throw in the towel now.

But ask for his help.

Jesus knew that we were going to need help, right?

In John chapter 16, verse 12 through 14, he says,

John 16:12–14

I still have many things to say to you,

but you cannot bear them now.

However, when he, the spirit of truth has come,

he will guide you into all truth.

And he will not speak on his own.

authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak. And he will tell you things to come. He will glorify me,

for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. That's why we should ask for the Holy

Spirit. I think I talked about that last week. Ask for the Holy Spirit. Because this is what he does.

He helps you. He's also called the Comforter. He'll comfort you. He'll comfort you. He'll comfort you.

He leads you into all truth.

He'll put that check in your spirit.

Even when you don't know the word of God like you should.

So get your nose in that book.

The more you put God's word in your heart,

the more the Holy Spirit has to work with.

Right?

The more you put God's word in your heart,

the more the Holy Spirit has to work with.

Notice what he says there.

He will not speak of his own authority,

but whatever he hears, he will speak.

Listen, and he will tell you.

you things to come. The Holy Spirit will prepare you for the future. He'll reveal these things.

John 1426, but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you

all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. When you read through the

Gospel of John, you get a very clear picture of this, because John mentions over and over and

over and over again.

Oh, we didn't know what was going on then.

But now we do.

The Holy Spirit is revealing that to us.

It recalled the words of Jesus that they had heard him speak through that three-year

period of time.

And he brought it right back to him.

I remember when I got saved.

I started remembering scriptures that my grandma had spoken to me.

I had totally forgot them.

I could have never quoted some of those scriptures.

And all of a sudden, I started remembering these scriptures.

that my grandma had spoke to me when I was a little boy.

I'm going, wow, that's kind of strange.

But I was so thankful for it.

Because even though I had heard it from my grandma,

the Holy Spirit had something to work with.

Because she had put it in my heart.

Jesus resisted these temptations because he walked in the word and in the spirit.

You need those two things, right?

need the word of God.

And you need the Holy Spirit to teach you the word of God as you read it.

And he will line upon line.

Precept upon precept, it says in the Old Testament,

here a little, there a little.

Just keep doing it over and over and over and over and over again.

And you'll be spiritually healthy.

The combination of those two things, the word and the spirit.

So if you get too much word and you don't really have an outlet for the old saying is,

then you get puffed up.

Yeah, I know the word of God.

Just ask me.

Right, you get puffed up.

It's a sense of pride.

It's spiritual pride.

And it's just nasty.

Spiritually prideful people are just a stench.

It's just gross.

And that was Satan's issue.

you remember, right?

I will ascend above the throne of the most high.

Right?

I will be glorified.

And God says, not.

Right?

That was Satan's deal.

Too much of the spirit and not enough of the word and you blow up.

Right?

That's when you get all this crazy stuff going on.

I remember when the whole Toronto blessing thing, you know,

people are laughing in the spirit and cackling and doing all kinds of

weird things. And it was funny because they interviewed this one lady that was all caught up into the

whole roaring in the spirit and doing all the strange things. And they say, well, we can't help with

the Holy Spirit comes upon us. And I'm, and so the, an interviewer asked, so does the Holy Spirit

come upon you at work? Well, no. And I'm going, and I'm thinking, what person doesn't want the Holy Spirit

upon them at work? Right? To be a witness and to proclaim.

the word of the Lord to be to be salt and light.

What person doesn't want the Holy Spirit upon them at work?

That's so silly.

But that's what happens.

They just got caught up in this whole charismania, they call it.

Right?

And it was bearing no fruit.

It just destroyed some churches because people got so stinking weird.

I know we are a peculiar people, but we don't have to be blatant.

weirdos to walk with Jesus. Right? You don't have to be a weirdo. So too much word,

not enough spirit, you get puffed up. Too much spirit, not enough word, you blow up.

With the word in the spirit together, you grow up. Right? You grow up. And then you're just

ready. Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. That is such a great way to live your life, you guys.

And why is it that we forget that that simple instruction there in the book of James, right?

Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrap.

You don't have to say anything.

Let people watch your life.

Because it usually, usually our lives speak so loud.

People can't hear what you're saying.

And so there you have it.

Walking in this spirit.

The battle is real.

Please read Ephesians 6 this week.

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand all those wiles of the devil

that will come at you every single day that you live.

And so what a great example.

Our Lord is here where he says, it is written, it is written, it is written.

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you.

Thank you for your word that is so powerful.

Lord, it is written for us.

And I just pray that we would write up on the pages of our heart.

Lord, as your word says, that we might not sin against you.

Bless your people.

Lord, this week, I just pray that you would bring to mind those things that we've observed in your word.

Lord, that we could apply them to our lives.

And that our lives would truly be that salt and light.

That the world needs, that the world would know.

Lord, would know. Lord, what we know.

that we have eternal life because of the things that you've written for us.

And we pray it in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

Hey, God bless you guys. Have a great week in Jesus.

Shake somebody's hand, would you?