Spiritual Self-Defense [Part 2] -Roy J. Wagonner

Spiritual Self-Defense –Roy J. Waggoner

Part Two: Guard the Avenues of Temptation

4: Pleasure Lane (The Love of Pleasure)

5: Opportunity Avenue (The Problem of Pride)

6. Easy Street (The Danger of Materialism)

4: PLEASURE LANE (The Love of Pleasure)

A virus is a microscopic organism that lives in a cell of another living thing. The virus that causes cold symptoms is carried into the human respiratory tract by air currents and attaches itself to a cell. In time, it begins to reproduce and spread to other cells. If we could see a virus, we would avoid inhaling it, but we cannot. We cannot see a virus with the naked eye because it is too small. It can only be seen with the aid of an electron microscope. When a virus enters our body, we have no warning. We are not aware of an intruder’s presence until we are confronted with the symptoms it produces, but our body soon reacts. We experience a runny nose, sneezing, headache, and other symptoms¾all the result of this intruder. Likewise, when we are tempted by the Devil a similar process unfolds. We cannot see the devil because he is a spirit being. Furthermore, he doesn’t want us to be aware of his presence. This is why he uses intermediaries in the process of temptation. He used a serpent to tempt Eve, and then Eve to tempt Adam (Gen. 3:1-6). So his presence is not easily detected, and we are often caught unaware by his temptations. How can we recognize the devil’s approach? The answer is not in looking for him because we will never see him. On the other hand, we can pinpoint temptation when it occurs by how we react to it.

Temptation always involves an enticement, something that arouses desire or lust. James says, “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (Jam. 1:14). When something arouses our desire, we need to take note of it. If that desire conflicts with what we know is right from God’s word, we are being tempted. It may be something we encounter in our environment that arouses an ungodly desire or it could be an old habit that crops up. Satan has often played some part in the temptation, either in the past or at present. He is a master at orchestrating events and situations that produce enticement. Although he is often the cause, we cannot always identify his direct involvement. We cannot see him, but we can become aware of how it is that he approaches us. It is through some desire. In the end, all that is important is to know that we are being tempted, and the arousal of ungodly desire is the symptom that reveals it.

Imagine standing at an intersection where three roads meet and imagine that temptation always approaches by means of one of these roads. These roads represent three types of ungodly desires. All must be monitored. The first one that we will consider is the desire to satisfy physical lusts. John calls this desire “the cravings of sinful man” (1 John 2:16). We can easily remember this avenue of temptation by referring to it as “Pleasure Lane.” Satan utilized every available avenue of temptation on Jesus during his temptation beginning with the appeal of “Pleasure Lane.”

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:1-4)

The point of application for us is that we need to keep a careful watch over our fleshly desires as Jesus did, and master them rather than allowing them to master us. Satan will surely visit us by means of “Pleasure Lane.” He will target our flesh. It is not a question of whether he will tempt us in this way; it is only a matter of when he will entice us. This reality carries with it two very important alternatives for our daily life, both are apparent in the temptation of Christ.

INDESCRIMINATE GRATIFICATION

When Satan appeals to the desires of our flesh, he always entices us to gratify our physical desires indiscriminately, without regard to God’s will. In other words, he doesn’t want us to make careful distinctions about how and when to gratify our fleshly desires. He relies on two factors to keep us from making such distinctions.

An Unguarded Moment

We are most vulnerable at certain unguarded moments in life. This holds true for any avenue of temptation, but especially for the lust of the flesh. The scriptures tell us that Jesus was led of the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil (v. 1). The verb translated “led” actually means to cast out. The translation in Mark 1:12 captures the idea by translating, “At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert.” We need to understand that God allowed the temptation of Christ to prove his sinless nature. And so, the Spirit placed him into an exceedingly difficult set of circumstances. He was alone, and on the human plane there was nobody to hold him accountable. He would have been physically exhausted and hungry due to forty days of fasting. Although he could not sin, in human terms this placed him in an exceedingly vulnerable physical condition. Perhaps Satan thought he could take advantage of the situation, but Jesus was unyielding. For us, however, pre-occupation with physical deprivation easily results in a greater level of vulnerability. We need to be on guard during times when we are alone, physically tired, sick, or mentally exhausted. Satan will be eager to take advantage of us during these vulnerable moments. There are also certain times of life when we are more vulnerable, for example, when we are young and spiritually inexperienced, or when we reach mid-life¾a time when many succumb to temptations they previously overcame. In a survey of its readers in 1992, Discipleship Journal noted that 57% of respondents felt that temptations were more potent when they were physically tired. Also, when these respondents ranked the areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them, at least three of the top ten concerned the “cravings of sinful men”—laziness, sexual lust, and gluttony.[i]

Another opportune moment for Satan to tempt us is when we involve ourselves in some important ministry. Obviously, he would be interested in derailing us any time we seek to further the cause of Christ in some way. It is no coincidence that Jesus had just been baptized and openly declared the “Son of God” (Matt. 3:13-17) when he was tempted. This was a key juncture in his earthly life. Now, at the beginning of his public ministry, but before his ministry began in earnest, he was tempted. We too can expect temptation at certain key junctures of our life. Therefore, we need to be especially watchful when we enter into, or are about to enter into some significant phase of our life or some particular ministry that benefits the cause of Christ.

An Absence of Discernment

If Satan can catch us at a vulnerable moment, his hope is that we will act to gratify our flesh without exercising careful discernment. Satan proposed to Jesus a seemingly legitimate rational for satisfying his physical hunger. English translations imply that Satan was questioning Jesus’ divinity when he said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (v. 3). However, the Greek grammatical construction, a first class condition, indicates that Satan was assuming his divinity. A better translation of the word “if” would be the word “since.” Satan was implying that there was no reason for him to be hungry since he had the power to turn stone into bread. Implied also was the fact that he didn’t deserve to suffer in this way. What Satan failed to address was the fact that God intended for Jesus to fast during his time of temptation. Remember that he was, “led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” After making this statement in verse one, Matthew immediately adds the fact that he had fasted for 40 days (v. 2) prior to being approached by the Devil (v. 3). So, he was obviously led by the Spirit to fast as well. It is important for us to note that nowhere in Scripture is fasting commanded of believers. However, fasting is presented in a positive light in Scripture and individual believers may well be led by the Spirit to fast at certain times, just as Jesus was here. Given God’s intention for Jesus to fast, all of Satan’s seemingly legitimate rational was negated. Satan was hoping that Jesus would fail to discern the subtle error involved in his proposal or that he would be unwilling to submit to God’s will. The will of God may be unique to the individual, based on the Spirit’s leading, or it may be a general and a clearly stated scriptural injunction. Jesus countered Satan’s temptation by noting man’s obligation to God’s will above physical needs by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Regardless of how the will of God may be violated, Satan’s objective is always for us to satisfy our fleshly desires without regard to right and wrong. Sins of the flesh fall into two primary categories, sexual sins and substance abuse. Substance abuse would include such things as alcohol abuse, prescription drug abuse, and the use of illegal drugs.

NECESSARY ABSTINENCE

When Satan tempts us to gratify our physical desires indiscriminately, there is only one proper response—abstinence. We must abstain from indulging our physical desires without regard to God’s moral guidelines. This is our second alternative and it is demonstrated by Jesus’ response when he was tempted.

Without Regard to Desire

Everyone has legitimate needs as Jesus did in this case. He was hungry (verse 2), probably hungrier than we could imagine. In general, there is nothing wrong with satisfying our hunger, but how and when we satisfy our hunger may make it wrong. We certainly can overindulge when we are hungry. Eating can even become an emotional crutch that we use to make us feel better when confronted with problems. The point is that every physical need must be regulated. They need to be satisfied in the right way and at the right time within the boundaries of God’s prescribed will. When Jesus said that man should not live by bread alone (verse 4), he was saying that we should not conduct our lives on the basis of our physical desires alone. Human sexual needs are another case in point. Sexual gratification is part of God’s plan for human beings, but sexual desires must be regulated. God has set certain boundaries for the satisfaction of sexual needs. Premarital sex, extramarital sex, and homosexuality are outside of those boundaries according to Scripture. Whatever the perceived need is, the existence of that need does not make inappropriate gratification legitimate. There is a higher priority. Peter acknowledged it when he said, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul (1 Pet. 2:11).”

In Accord With God’s Will

Jesus countered Satan’s proposal by quoting the Word of God (Dt. 8:3). We must not assume that quoting Scripture is some sort of magical formula for putting Satan to flight. He is not afraid of Scripture as if it were some kind of “silver bullet.” The point that Jesus made by quoting Scripture was that men are required to live in accordance with God’s Word, “on every word that comes from the mouth of God (v. 4),” and that he intended to do so. Recalling God’s word is important when we are tempted, in that it reminds us of God’s will for us. What is important is that we know the Word of God so that we may obey it. As David said, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psa. 119:11).

In addition to what we can learn from our current text, many practical admonitions and examples concerning how we can be victorious over the flesh are contained in God’s word. Several are pertinent here. First, we need to guard our thought life by keeping our thoughts focused on what is pure (Phil. 4:8). Second, we need to be careful concerning at what we look. Jesus said that if we look at a woman lustfully, we have—in effect—committed adultery (Matt. 5:28). David’s sin with Bathsheba took it a step farther (2 Sam. 11:2-4). First, he saw her washing herself (vs. 2). Then he gathered information about her (vs. 3). Finally, he sent for her and slept with her (vs. 4). All may have been avoided, if he had averted his vision upon noticing her. Finally, Paul told Timothy to flee from youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22). Fleeing from a tempting situation eliminates the possibility of yielding to that temptation. Consider how Joseph fled from the presence of his master’s wife when he was tempted (Gen. 39:12).

CONCLUSION

In view of the solemn fact that we will be tempted to satisfy our physical desires apart from God’s plan, we must guard this entry point to temptation. To do so, we have to know what the Word of God sanctions and what it forbids. Furthermore, we must be committed to the Holy Spirit’s leadership in our lives. In short, we should never take a thoughtless stroll down “Pleasure Lane.”

5: OPPORTUNITY AVENUE (The Problem of Pride)

Playground bullies, gang members, and violent criminals have a higher self-esteem than do other members of society. So, concluded social scientist Dr. Roy F. Baumeister after a ten-year study of the relationship between aggression and self-esteem. The results of his research published in the April, 2001 issue of Scientific American, run counter to the long accepted theory that violent criminals are afflicted with low self-esteem. His article, appropriately entitled Violent Pride, suggests that people with a high self-esteem are more likely to respond aggressively when they are criticized, insulted, or frustrated in some way. John Rosemond in a syndicated article on parenting from April 24, 2001 comments on Baumeister’s findings.

In short: the higher one’s self-esteem, the lower one’s self-control. Doesn’t it make perfect sense that the higher one thinks of oneself, the less regard one has for others?

What distinguishes Dr. Baumeister’s conclusion is its 180 degree departure from the prevailing humanistic assumption. Society, as a whole, doesn’t view high self-esteem as a problem at all. Instead, it is promoted, especially in educational circles where teachers reward students without regard to merit in order to enhance self-esteem. Biblical teaching stands in stark contrast to all of this. What Dr. Baumeister has identified is the age-old problem of pride that God’s Word often warns us about. See, for example, Luke 18:14.[ii]

What is apparent from all of this is how effectively Satan twists the truth. Certainly, he has confused the world about pride, making what is actually bad, seem to be good. In reality, pride is sinful and it is a weakness that Satan exploits. When Satan approached Eve in the Garden, he appealed to her pride, telling her that she could be like God (Gen. 3:5-6). John the apostle warns us to beware of pride, what he calls, “the boasting of what he has and does” (1 John 2:16). Pride is another avenue of temptation. Once again, imagine standing at an intersection where three roads meet. Temptation always approaches us on one or more of these roads. These three avenues in our mental imagery represent three types of ungodly desires. The first is the desire to satisfy physical desires. John calls this desire “the cravings of sinful man” (1 John 2:16). We called this avenue of temptation, “Pleasure Lane.” The desire to be something more than we are is the second avenue of temptation. We can easily remember it by referring to it as “Opportunity Avenue.”

Failing in his appeal to get Jesus to satisfy his physical desires apart from the will of God, Satan next enticed him to glorify himself apart from his Father’s will.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Mt. 4:5-7)

Although Satan is often the cause of temptation, we cannot always identify his direct involvement as easily as Jesus did. Remember, he is a spirit being and we cannot see him. However, we can become aware of how it is that he approaches us. It is always through some desire. In the end, all that is important is to know that we are being tempted, and it is the arousal of some ungodly desire that reveals it. So, the point of application for us is that we need to keep a careful watch over our pride, as Jesus did, and refuse to indulge it. Satan will target our pride. It is not a question of whether he will tempt us in this way—it is only a matter of when. He will certainly tempt us by appealing to our pride. This reality carries with it two alternatives for us to consider. Both are apparent in the temptation of Christ.

SELF-GLORIFICATION

When Satan appeals to our pride, he tempts us to assert ourselves solely for the sake of our own prestige. The Christian’s duty is to honor God (1 Cor. 6:20), but Satan would have us honor ourselves by asserting our superiority over others. This is exactly the opposite of what God requires of us, which is to consider others better than ourselves—literally higher in rank (Phil. 2:3). Sinful self-glorification involves three components that are apparent in verses five and six.

A Public Display

The highest point of the temple was a very visible place. It was probably a point on the roof that covered Herod’s portico. The portico, which was part of Herod the Great’s reconstruction, was an open porch covered with a roof that encompassed the courtyard of the Temple. It was in this sheltered area that the Rabbis debated each other, and often instructed their students. The highest point was probably a point on the roof of the portico somewhere on the eastern side of the Temple overlooking the Kidron Valley. Josephus, an ancient Jewish historian, said that it was a four hundred and fifty foot drop from the highest point of the temple to the valley floor. In comparison, the Washington Monument is approximately five hundred and fifty-five feet tall. The spectacle of jumping from the highest point of the temple would be comparable to someone jumping off the Washington Monument. Something of this nature carried out in a very public way in the midst of a very busy city would create quite a stir. Self-glorification always involves a public display.

Selfish Motivation

Not only did Satan propose a public display, he also suggested that Jesus act out of his own selfish motivation, asserting his own will as a matter of pride. Again note carefully what Satan said: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” Once more, the first class condition indicates that there was an assumption of truth involved. Satan wasn’t questioning the divinity of Jesus. Instead, he was appealing to it. What he said is equivalent to saying, “Since you are the Son of God, cast yourself down.” The appeal was for him to take matters into his own hands, to assert himself. The problem with what Satan suggested was that it wasn’t God’s time for Christ to be glorified. It was premature. His incarnation and eventual crucifixion required that he humble himself, and be obedient to the will of the Father (Phil. 2:7-8). In God’s plan, only after his humiliation would he be exalted (Phil. 2:9-11). Satan would always have us ignore God’s will and assert our own self-will. J. Oswald Sanders has well described the insidious nature of such self-glorification.

Pride is a sin of whose presence its victim is least conscious. But nothing is more distasteful to God than self-conceit. This first and fundamental sin in essence aims at enthroning self at the expense of God.[iii]

Making An Impression

Finally, self-glorification seeks to impress others with our importance, appearance, or ability. In Jesus’ case, casting himself off the highest point of the temple would have had the effect of identifying him as the Messiah. Satan rightly reminded Jesus that Psalm 91:11-12 promised that the angels would protect him from harm. Such a display would openly prove that he was the Messiah. He would have impressed a lot of people and he would have had an instant following. Pride is always about impressing others and lording it over others rather than serving others. C. S. Lewis observes that the very nature of pride is competitive.

Pride is essentially competitive—is competitive by its very nature—while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.[iv]

We may not think that we are prideful. We may do a good job of covering up our desire to impress others with our importance, achievements, or authority, but we are vulnerable in this area. Pride is part of our fallen nature and often shows up when we are challenged or offended. When we are criticized for the way we do something, we are tempted to quit serving others altogether. When we are mistreated or ignored, we may become overly angry or irritable. Responses such as these demonstrate that pride is lurking below the surface of our otherwise polite demeanor waiting for an opportunity to come forth. Satan knows this and this is why he so very often targets our pride.

NECESSARY HUMILITY

Satan will certainly tempt us by appealing to our pride. When he tempts us in the area of pride, he will tempt us to glorify ourselves in some way. This calls for a specific response on our part. The second alternative available to us is humility. Instead of asserting ourselves for the sake of our own prestige, we need to humble ourselves so that God may be glorified. Humility focuses on God, not self; and it does so in two specific ways.

Submission To God’s Will

It is pride that leads to selfishly making our own plans and expecting God to bless them. Humility involves recognizing God’s authority over us and seeking to fulfill his will. If Jesus had thrown himself down from the highest point of the temple, the angels would have spared him from harm. However, in making such a choice, he would have acted contrary to the will of God the Father. Such a display would have certainly impressed those who watched. Knowing the scriptures they would have been convinced that he was the King they were expecting. However, ruling over Israel was not God’s purpose for him at that time. If Jesus had yielded to this temptation, it would have meant stepping out of God’s will and reigning over men without redeeming mankind. It is important to note that Jesus didn’t refuse to act on Satan’s suggestion because he feared that he might not survive, but because it would force God to act in his behalf. The promise of Psalm 91:11-12 could be depended upon, but it was not right for him to purposefully put God to the test of fulfilling it. Such an act was prohibited in Deuteronomy 6:16. So he responded, “It is written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Concern With God’s Glory

Our purpose in life is to glorify God¾not ourselves (1 Cor. 6:20, 10:31). To engage in self-glory is prideful and contrary to our purpose in life. Only when we humble ourselves, can we glorify God. Jesus, although he was the divine Son, voluntarily submitted himself to the Father’s will at his incarnation (Phil. 2:6-8). To have blatantly sought his own exaltation prematurely by casting himself off the highest point of the Temple would have been an act that ran counter to the Father’s plan. It would have been a misguided attempt at self-glory. However, His concern was with the Father’s will rather than his own benefit. Furthermore, it was this voluntary humiliation that eventually would result in the exaltation of his human nature (Phil. 2:9). The same holds true for us. If we exalt ourselves, God will humble us. On the other hand, if we humble ourselves, God will exalt us. This truth is repeatedly emphasized in the scriptures (Lk. 18:14, Jam. 4:10, 1 Pet. 5:6). Pride will not be our downfall, if humility is our practice. Perhaps the best practical admonition in regard to exercising humility is found in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” To consider others better than ourselves means that we are to treat every other person as if they were of higher rank than ourselves. It means submitting ourselves to their needs and desires.

An antidote from the life of George Washington provides us with such a picture of humility. The General once rode up on a group of soldiers struggling to move a heavy piece of timber as a corporal stood by shouting, “Heave!” “Why don’t you help them?’ asked the General. “Me? Why, I’m a corporal sir!” said the soldier. Dismounting, Washington took a place along side of the soldiers and helped them move the timber into place. As he re-mounted his horse, he addressed the corporal, “The next time you have a piece of timber for your men to handle, corporal, send for the commander-in-chief.”[v]

CONCLUSION

In view of the solemn fact that we will be tempted in regard to our pride, we must guard this entry point of temptation. We must humble ourselves and seek only God’s glory. We must throw up a roadblock on “Opportunity Avenue” that will stop Satan’s approach.

6: EASY STREET (The Danger of Materialism)

When Gregory Thomas, a man with a long criminal record, was arrested for stealing two Polo jackets from Dayton’s department store in Roseville, Minnesota in November of 1996, he quickly identified his longtime clients in an effort to help his own cause. Agreeing to assist the police, Thomas was allowed to make his next appointment with his clients at their $400,000 home accompanied by a Dayton’s theft investigator posing as a department store cleaning woman. Soon after, Police arrested a prominent Roseville dentist, his wife, a son employed by a promotions firm, and a daughter¾a Chicago insurance attorney. All four we charged with receiving stolen property. Thomas, police said, was the family’s designated shoplifter. Inside the residence authorities found nine rolling racks of designer clothing worth thousands of dollars. Some individual items carried a retail value of over two thousand dollars.[vi] It matters not whether we have little or much, no one is exempt from the appeal of material possessions. Someone once asked millionaire John D. Rockefeller, “How much does it take to satisfy a man completely?” He replied, “It takes a little bit more than he has.”[vii] Contentment is elusive because Satan is very effective in his temptations. Not only does the world pursue pleasure and display pride, it is also focused on possessing things. No one is immune. The “god” of this age has made his mark.

As previously noted, Satan’s strategy hasn’t changed since it became evident in the beginning. He approached Eve with a temptation that not only appealed to her physical desires and to her pride, but also to her desire for material gain. Before she partook of the fruit, she concluded that it was pleasing to the eyes—that it was desirable and worth possessing. The Apostle John warned us against the indiscriminate pursuit of that which pleases our eyes. He calls it “the lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16). This is the third avenue of temptation. During the Lord’s time of testing in the wilderness Satan also approached him on this basis.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Mt. 4:8-11)

Before we examine the above passage of scripture, once again imagine yourself standing at an intersection where three avenues converge. To approach us, Satan must come down one of these three avenues. The first, we called Pleasure Lane. John calls this avenue “the cravings of sinful man” (1 John 2:16). It involves the pursuit of physical pleasure for pleasure’s sake alone. We designated the second avenue of temptation, Opportunity Avenue. John calls it “boasting” (1 John 2:16). It involves the desire for personal status at any cost. We have examined the first two avenues of temptation already. Now, we will consider the third, the “lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16). It is what we commonly call, “materialism.” If a person possesses great material wealth, he is said to be living on Easy Street. So, Easy Street is a good name for our third avenue of temptation. Once more, it is important to remember that we cannot see Satan approaching via Easy Street or any other avenue of temptation. However, we can feel the effects of his presence, be it lustful physical desires, prideful thoughts and actions, or the desire to possess something we do not have. When we become aware of inappropriate desires, an intrusion alert should go off in our minds.

Satan will certainly tempt us from time to time by appealing to our desire for material things, and particularly for those things that are not God’s will for us to own. This reality carries with it two alternatives for us to consider, and both may be discerned from the account of Satan’s temptation of Christ.

EXPENSIVE ACQUISITIONS

When Satan tempts us to seek material possessions, he does so at the expense of our obeying God. It is not necessarily wrong to have material possessions, or to seek them. What Satan does is entice us to go beyond what God has determined that we need. God sets the boundaries of our material wealth by the means with which he supplies us. Satan entices us to go beyond what we can afford. In some cases this means the accumulation of burdensome debts that prevent us from utilizing our financial resources in ways that would glorify God. In other cases, some people, overcome by this sort of temptation, resort to dishonesty in business or even stealing from others. Always, Satan tempts us to acquire things at the expense of obeying God. This is the very thing he proposed to Jesus in Matthew 4:8-9. Two considerations are always involved: what we want, and what it costs.

What We Want

In order to tempt Jesus Satan took him to a place where he could show him all the kingdoms of the world (vs. 8). In Luke’s description of this event he adds that this was done instantaneously (Luke 4:5). How Satan did this is not revealed. Did Jesus actually see all of the world’s glory or was it something that happened in his mind’s eye. We cannot say, but at the very least, all the kingdoms of the world were included in a mental snapshot. We are enticed to possess what we see. As mentioned earlier, Eve found the forbidden fruit pleasing to the eye (Gen. 3:6), and John calls this avenue of temptation, “the lust of his eyes” (1 John 2:16). Spiros Zodhiates describes well the connection between our eyes and materialism.

When you fix your eyes on things, invariably it leads to materialism. You fix your eyes on things and you will continually be attracted to gadgets, money, an abundance of plastic, chrome, metal, wood, all the elements about us.[viii]

What we see, we desire to possess. When we find our eyes lingering upon some material object, we should take notice. Satan may well be swaggering down Easy Street, headed in our direction.

What It Costs

Satan offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor (vs. 9). How could he offer this world to its very creator? After God created Adam, he gave the first man dominion over all that he had created. Adam, however, yielded his dominion to Satan when he disobeyed God. Consequently, Satan became the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4). Although God has retained ultimate authority over all, he has temporarily allowed Satan to exercise authority in this world. One day, Jesus will resume his direct authority over the earth, when he returns and establishes his kingdom. Until then, this world is¾in a limited sense¾Satan’s world. The subtlety of Satan’s temptation was in offering to Jesus prematurely what will ultimately be his. It was not God’s plan or his will for Jesus to reign over the earth at that point in time. For anything to be a legitimate possession, it must be obtained through legitimate means, and be within the scope of God’s will for us. If Jesus had accepted Satan’s offer, he would have taken possession of what someday will be his, but he would have been taking it in the wrong way and at the wrong time. Taking possession of what we desire is sinful when God’s will is violated in the process. Herein is the evil of materialism.

Survey results from 1992 published in the book, The Day America Told the Truth, illustrate just how willing people are to violate moral standards in order to possess wealth. Respondents were asked what they would do for ten million dollars. Twenty-five percent said that they would be willing to abandon their entire family for ten million dollars. Twenty-three percent said they would become a prostitute for a week. Sixteen percent said they would leave their spouse, and three percent would put their children up for adoption.[ix]

A PRIORITIZED LIFE

Serving God should always be our number one priority. This means that we must often refrain from seeking material things¾lest they become our priority instead of serving God.

Avoid Idols

Seeking material possessions at the expense of doing God’s will makes the things we desire into idols. To make an idol out of something material means that we have chosen to serve Satan rather than God. Satan is the author of idol worship and he is always the real and ultimate idol behind every material one (cf. 1 Cor. 10:19-20). This reality may not occur to us when some desirable object has caught our eye. Satan is very subtle and we do not always connect the dots. In this case, however, Satan’s proposition was straightforward. Perhaps he knew Jesus could not be fooled. He simply offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he would fall down and worship him (vs. 9). He offered Jesus the world in exchange for worship. Our choices don’t seem so clear cut, but anytime we put material possessions ahead of God, we put Satan above God. This is the essence of materialism, and it is a temptation we must steadfastly resist. Allan Emery’s recollection of what his parents taught him about materialism is worth remembering.

My parents consistently taught us that all we had must be held with an open hand, that when we closed our fingers tightly over anything placed in our trust, we lost the joy and the blessing. Things acquired as an end in themselves became idols and possessed us.[x]

Serve God

God alone must be the object of our worship. Serving him and doing his will, must be our top priority. Jesus made this clear when he responded to Satan’s offer by quoting the will of God as revealed in the Old Testament Law (cf. Deut. 6:13, 10:20). Man’s obligation is to worship God alone, and serve him exclusively (vs. 10). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made equally clear the impossibility of a dual allegiance: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Jesus pointed to the Old Testament to clarify the will of God, but he prefaced his response with a simple command, “Away from me, Satan”¾and Satan obeyed immediately (vs. 11). Afterwards angels came and ministered to Jesus due to his weakened physical condition (Mt. 4:2). This command, and the angels ministering to him indicate that his testing was over. He had been tempted in every possible way and had passed the test, proving himself to be the Son of God. We must not draw from this that we have the same authority over Satan that Jesus had. We cannot expect to successfully order Satan to stop tempting us. Some have made the point that we must speak audibly to Satan since he cannot read our minds. But, this presupposes that we have authority over him. Jesus had that authority, but we do not. Not even Michael, the archangel, presumed to give Satan orders of his own, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 9). The matter of resisting Satan is wholly bound up in the choices we make as to whether we will listen to God or yield to the devil’s temptations.

CONCLUSION

Bruce Cook in his book, Faith Planning, tells about visiting a game park in Nairobi, Africa and learning how monkeys are captured for sale to zoos.

A shining metallic object is placed in a long-necked jar tied to a tree. As monkeys swing through the trees, their eyes catch the reflection of the sun on the shining object. Reaching into the jar poses no problem for them, but when they try to bring their closed fists through the narrow openings, they can’t make it. To gain freedom, all the monkeys need to do is to let go of the worthless object. Instead, the monkeys sit by the jar holding onto the object until their captors come to take them away.[xi]

Satan gains mastery over people in much the same way. He entices us with material possessions and when we seek to possess those things at the expense of obeying God, we are snared in a trap of our own making. We must learn not to reach into jars, and if we have already done so, to release from our grip those things that God has not permitted us to have.

< Contents Page

(Copyright Material: All use of this document is subject to the posted copyright notice at www.biblicalreader.com/books/ssd/ssd_copyright.htm)