Introduction

An old slave constantly repeated the words, “Get thee behind me Satan.” His master chided him with, “Why is Satan always after you and he never bothers me?” The slave could not answer the question at the time. But one day as they were hunting ducks, he made a very interesting observation. In all sincerity he told his master that he had the answer to his question. He said: “You see how we are chasing after the ducks that are trying to get away and not after the dead ducks we have already killed? Well, it must be that way with Satan. No need for him to bother with the ones already dead, he is after the ones trying to get away.”

The devil tried to capture our Lord by tempting Him in every point in which we are tempted, but He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). A study of how Christ won His victory over Satan can be of much value to us as we contend with that ole deceiver. If Satan is not after us it may well be that we are already dead ducks. For this study we are interested in the three temptations in the order given  by Matthew, and also the one repeated by Peter in Matthew 16:23.

The words “then” (Matthew 4:1) and “immediately” (Mark 1:12) give us the time. It was after His baptism, after the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove and after the voice from heaven declared: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17). According to Luke (Luke 4:2) the three temptations of our study came after He had been in the wilderness, tempted of the devil for forty days.  He had fasted during this time and He hungered.  Therefore, the devil found Him when he was physically weak.  This helps us understand why He was tempted to turn stone to bread.

“If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread” (Matthew 4:21). On the surface, to one who had fasted forty days, it could have seemed a harmless way to satisfy hunger.  However, one who came to do the Father’s will and to be guided by “it is written,” would not be manipulated by Satan.

It is interesting to note the major role the word if played in this temptation.  If  is a small word with a big impact.  It is powerful.  It is a conjunction that joins thoughts and ideas together.  We must be careful of the word if.  It can be deceptive.  It has no ability to distinguish truth from error or right from wrong.  It is anybody’s dog who will hunt with it.  It proclaims the good (Romans 8:17) as well as the bad.  It can begin with a true premise and end with a false conclusion.  This is the part if played in this temptation.

That Christ is the Son of God is an unconditional truth verified with undeniable Divine evidence.  The fact that Satan tempted Him in this way shows he knew Christ to be the Son of God.  He will not tempt you or me to turn stone to bread, he knows we can’t.  He will however tempt us with the “lust of the flesh” in other ways.  That is, if we are not already dead ducks.

We may never understand the total impact and implication of this seemingly harmless temptation, yet there are some things we can know.  We can know:
 1.  It was a temptation appealing to the “lust of the flesh.”
 2.  Satan set the condition that Christ prove His son-ship by turning stone to bread. God set no such condition.
 3.  Christ could have rationalized that there was nothing wrong with eating bread to appease His hunger, and therefore nothing wrong with turning stone to bread, but He knew there was much more involved..
 4.  Temptation is not sin.  Christ was tempted but did not sin.
 5.  Even in His weakened condition, Christ would not be manipulated by Satan’s devices and yield to the “lust of the flesh.”
 6.  During these temptations, Christ was quite comfortable with “it is written.”
 7.  “It is written” was too much for Satan.
 8.  The written word of God is too much for Satan today and we should keep it in our hearts and learn to use it skillfully.
 9.  Christ would not compromise with Satan.  Truth cannot afford to compromise with error.
10.  No one, guided by “it is written,” will willfully compromise with error.

God said, “This is my beloved Son..” Satan put the if there to cast doubt.  He knows we must live by the written word of God to have fellowship  (1 John 1:1-4).  Therefore, he will enter our hearts in any way he can to cast doubt on that which is written in God’s word.

For instance, God specified vocal music in New Testament worship (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).  Satan will say, “David played on a harp,” implying that if David did, it is scriptural for us to do so in New Testament worship.  Many fall for this line of thinking but the devil knows better.  He knows this does not authorize mechanical instruments of music in New Testament worship.  He knows that David lived under a different law which is not binding on us today (See Colossians 2:14). He knows all of this, but he will cast doubts in our hearts if we allow him; he will use anything he can to turn us from that which is written.

“If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down...” (Matthew 4:6). We can glean more of Satan’s devices from this temptation.

Satan knows God’s word and he knows how to misuse it to capture men by his devices.  Here, he wanted Christ to play one Scripture against another and by doing so reject a part of the written word.  Christ knew the Scriptures and knew the purpose of Satan’s temptation.  To be faithful to God we must know the Scriptures.  I learned a long time ago that we don’t have to know every  false doctrine but, to answer every false way, we must know God’s word.

A Scripture perverted or taken out of context to prove authority from God is of the devil.  God’s word harmonizes but never contradicts itself, as Satan would have us believe.  For example, Satan misuses John 3:16 to contradict other Scriptures that demand man’s obedience.  Satan’s disciples will deny that baptism had anything to do with our salvation,  Satan’s message is: “If you believe John 3:16 you can’t believe Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:1-6; Galatians 3:26-27 or 1 Peter 3:21.” The truth of the matter is, if you believe in Him as John 3:16 teaches you will believe all He has said on baptism or any other subject.  How can one believe in him (John 3:16) and deny His word?  Truth demands that all these Scriptures harmonize one with the other.  Unless they do,. there is no such thing as truth.

The devil offered Christ the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them if He would fall down and worship him.  He offered him the crown without the cross.  Christ said, “Get thee behind Me Satan, for it is written..,”(Luke 4:8). “Then the devil leaveth Him” (Matthew 4:11) “for a season” (Luke 4:13).

Satan used Peter to tempt the Lord again to by-pass the cross (Matthew 16:21-24). Christ rebuked Peter with, “Get thee behind Me Satan..”(verse 23). In verse 17, the Lord blessed Peter.  What was the difference?  In verse 17 Peter was blessed for having revealed that which came from heaven.  The rebuke of (verse 23) came when Peter “savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”  The only way we can know that which comes from God today is by the written word. We should not depart from the written word.

Christ personified the temptation.  We don’t know what form the devil took in the wilderness when he tempted our Lord, but we do know that Peter was the devil’s mouthpiece for this temptation (Matthew 16:21-14).  When Christ said, “Get thee behind Me Satan..,” He was not speaking of Peter, but of the temptation.

We should personify every temptation as Satan himself.  This will help us see sin as it really is. It will take our eyes off of the one Satan uses to propagate the temptation.  If we can do this, we will steer our course by truth without being hindered by certain personalities we happen to like.  Our feelings toward men will not enter into our decision; we will be guided by God’s word.  Error can come from those we love as well as truth can come from those who count us as enemies.  If we love the Lord we will be guided by that which is written.

Christ told Satan to “get.”  Satan doesn’t slip up behind us.  He is so cunning with his devices, so sure of himself and confident of capturing us, he will attack us from the front.  All of the armour of God gives us to fight with is designed to face Satan (see Ephesians 6:10-18). We never turn our backs to Satan.  However, we can put temptation personified as Satan himself behind us.  We can do this by “It is written.”  Don’t let temptation linger, it can cause spiritual death.  “Get thee behind me Satan.”

In order to accomplish His mission and please the Father, Christ had to accept the cross before the crown.  It is written.  Hear His lonely and earnest prayer to have that cup (cross) removed, but remember His submissive and obedient will.  He said, “Nevertheless not My will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Just  as Christ had to go through  the  literal death, burial and resurrection (DBR) to receive the crown, we must go through  a form of the same to be freed from sin (Romans 6:17-18).  The form is identified in  verse 3-7.  It is in the likeness of His DBR. Satan offers salvation, through the doctrines of men that  by-pass  this “form of doctrine,” but it is Satan’s way and not the way to salvation..  We will be judged by the written word of God.  Christ said of the doctrine of men, “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). We can’t eliminate baptism and expect God to forgive our sins (Acts 2:38). The doctrine of faith only rejects baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) but it is of the devil and not of God.

Satan will persuade many that they will recieve a crown without bearing their cross in this life, therefore, many stop at baptism.  However, Chrsit said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

Let us make sure that we fight the good fight of faith, finish our course, keep the faith and receive the crown (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8). We can make our salvation sure by giving all diligence (2 Peter 1:5-10). My prayer for you and yours is that you will ever fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:12).