{"id":981,"date":"2018-02-18T16:07:20","date_gmt":"2018-02-19T00:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=981"},"modified":"2018-02-18T16:08:03","modified_gmt":"2018-02-19T00:08:03","slug":"jesus-confrontation-with-satan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/18\/jesus-confrontation-with-satan\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus&#8217; Confrontation with Satan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><font color='black' size='2' face='arial'><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <o:OfficeDocumentSettings>   <o:RelyOnVML\/>   <o:AllowPNG\/>  <\/o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <w:WordDocument>   <w:View>Normal<\/w:View>   <w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>   <w:TrackMoves\/>   <w:TrackFormatting\/>   <w:PunctuationKerning\/>   <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas\/>   <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>   <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>   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style=\"font-size:12.0pt\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">The First Sunday in Lent<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">February 18, 2018<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Mark 1:12-15<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Jesus\u2019 Confrontation with Satan<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;tab-stops:13.5pt .5in 2.5in 238.5pt 337.5pt\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt\">At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. <span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp;<\/span><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cThe time has come,\u201d<\/i> he said.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cThe kingdom of God is near.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Repent and believe the good news!\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>(NIV1984)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Way back when I was young and na\u00efve I used to watch professional wrestling.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Men such as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Jesse Ventura were both imposing and impressive!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Little did I know that professional wrestling is\u2014 staged!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>All the body slams, all the take downs, all the phenomenal come backs\u2014 they\u2019re not real!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It\u2019s all an act!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>And yet, people tune in time after time, people purchase tickets again and again to watch as professional wrestlers confront each other in the ring and battle each other for a belt.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Our sermon text for today focuses our attention on a confrontation that took place almost 2,000 years ago.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>This confrontation, however, was not staged.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>This confrontation was not an act.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>This confrontation was indeed real\u2014 as real as it gets!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>This confrontation was an epic battle\u2014 not for a belt but for souls, your soul and mine!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>With that reality in mind let\u2019s study our text under the theme:<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">Jesus\u2019 Confrontation with Satan.<\/i><\/b><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Our text automatically divides itself into two parts thereby giving us two truths to consider.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>First, let\u2019s see that Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan reveals His willingness to fight for us.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Then let\u2019s see that Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan reveals His eagerness to save us.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Mark\u2019s account of Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan is significantly different from both Matthew and Luke\u2019s account.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Holy Spirit led Matthew and Luke to give us far more details concerning three of the temptations that Satan brought against Jesus and how our Lord conquered those temptations by using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Mark\u2019s divinely inspired account is much more succinct.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>As I was mulling over in my mind why the Holy Spirit may have led Mark to record Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan in just two short verses, something suddenly dawned on me.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In the verses immediately preceding our text for today we find Mark\u2019s account of Jesus\u2019 baptism in the Jordan River.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In Mark 1:11 Mark states, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cAnd a voice came from heaven:<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>\u2018You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.\u2019\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Then in all but the very same breath Mark continues in verse 12 by saying, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cAt once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Jesus\u2019 hair was still dripping with the water of baptism as the <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cSpirit sent him out into the desert\u201d<\/i> to be tempted by Satan.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Think about what that means, my friends.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It means that when it came to Jesus\u2019 public ministry here on this earth, when it came to the mission that Jesus came into this world to accomplish there was no \u201choneymoon period.\u201d<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">As soon as <\/i><\/b>Jesus had been publicly anointed as <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cthe Christ,\u201d<\/i> He willingly stepped into the ring (or to be more accurate, into the desert) to confront our greatest enemy\u2014 Satan.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What does this reveal?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It reveals Jesus\u2019 willingness to fight\u2014 to fight for you and for me!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">When we tie together the Father\u2019s proclamation concerning Jesus in verse eleven with the opening words of verse twelve we cannot escape the fact that the One who went out into the desert to confront Satan, the One who went out into the desert to fight for us, is none other than the beloved Son of God Himself! And when we look at the details the Holy Spirit did have Mark include in our text it is beyond humbling to see the depth of Jesus\u2019 willingness to fight for us.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Try to picture that confrontation in your minds, my friends.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The majestic Son of God willingly went into the barren desert to fight for us.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In His fight for us the holy and perfect Son of the Living God was ruthlessly <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ctempted\u201d<\/i> or <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ctested\u201d<\/i> by Satan\u2014 for forty days!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>As He was fighting for us, the Son of God, the One through whom <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201call things were made\u201d<\/i> (John 1:3), was <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cwith wild animals\u201d<\/i> such as lions and snakes.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>I can\u2019t speak for you, but when I look at even this brief account of Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan I am truly humbled by the depth of our Lord\u2019s willingness to fight for us!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Why, my friends?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Why was the Son of God so willing to fight for poor, wretched, rebellious sinners like us?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>While there are a number of different ways to answer that question, I would like to focus on just two.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>First, let\u2019s go back once again to Jesus\u2019 baptism.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Even though Jesus is holy and perfect, even though Jesus never had any sin that needed to be washed away by the waters of baptism, there in the Jordan River Jesus openly and willingly identified Himself with us.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>He <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">is<\/b> our true flesh and blood Brother!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Now take that truth and combine it with Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Here in the desert the Son of God confronts our greatest enemy\u2014 as our Substitute!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>God knew that if we were left to fight Satan on our own, we would most certainly lose!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>So in His amazing grace God sent His own Son to fight Satan for us!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan now guarantees to us that Jesus knows what we go through as His brothers and sisters living in the spiritual desert of this sinful world.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jesus knows how easily we can find ourselves surrounded by scores of Satan\u2019s <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cwild beasts\u201d<\/i>\u2014 the <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cbeasts\u201d<\/i> of sex and drugs, greed and discontent, false teachings and false teachers, the lie that it doesn\u2019t make any difference what you believe as long as you believe in something, the deception that everyone is worshiping the same \u201cgod\u201d they just call him by different names.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jesus knows that every single day we too are being <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ctempted by Satan.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>In fact, there is <u>nothing<\/u> that you and I could possibly encounter in our lives today that our Brother Jesus has not only confronted but also conquered!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Hebrews 4:15 states, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cFor we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are\u2014 yet was without sin.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Whatever temptation Satan brings against you, my friends, Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan assures you that you can turn to Jesus, trust that He understands what you are going through, ask Him to help you and be confident that just as Jesus was willing to fight for you in the desert so also He is willing to fight for you now.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>At the same time, if you come to realize that you have given into one of Satan\u2019s temptations, if you feel like you are out in the desert alone and vulnerable, tired and weak, if you find yourself in a situation where one of Satan\u2019s <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cwild beasts\u201d<\/i> has gotten a hold of you and won\u2019t let go, Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan assures you that you can reach out to your Brother, humbly ask Him for both forgiveness and for help and He trust that He will graciously grant you both!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Yes, my friends, Jesus was willing to fight for you in the desert so that He could now be your constant Source of both strength and forgiveness.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">The second answer to the question of why\u2014 why was Jesus willing to fight for you\u2014 leads us to the second part of our sermon.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan reveals His eagerness to save us!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Look at the second half of our text for today.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Mark writes, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cAfter John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>\u2018The time has come,\u2019 he said.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>\u2018The kingdom of God is near.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Repent and believe the good news.\u2019\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What is the <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cgood news\u201d<\/i> that Jesus was proclaiming?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What is the <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cgood news\u201d<\/i> that Jesus wants us to believe in?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Good News is that the Son of God Himself was willing to fight for you!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Good News is that the Son of God Himself willingly confronted your greatest enemy Satan\u2014 and won!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Good News is that you now have Someone who can strengthen you when you are <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ctempted by Satan.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Good News is that you now have Someone who can protect you and rescue you when you are surrounded by the <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cwild beasts\u201d<\/i> that Satan sends into your life.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Good News is that your Brother Jesus not only understands exactly what you are going through in your life, but He also has the compassion to forgive you when you stumble and fall.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Good News is that your Brother Jesus is so eager to save <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">you<\/b> that He not only confronted Satan in the desert, but He also confronted Satan on the cross\u2014 and won!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Good News is that your God loves you so very much that He has eagerly done everything that was necessary for your salvation so that through faith in Him (Pointing to the cross) you can spend a glorious eternity living in the <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ckingdom of God\u201d<\/i>!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Now that\u2019s Good news!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">I would like to share with you a quotation that I ran across as I was researching our sermon for today.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The quote is from C.S. Lewis\u2019 <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">Mere Christianity.<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>He writes, \u201cOnly those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is\u2026A man who gives into temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it; and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means\u2014 the only complete realist.\u201d (Pages 124-125)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">I think this quotation reminds us of two important points.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>First, if we simply \u201cgive in\u201d to the temptations that Satan brings against us we will miss out on what it is like to live a victorious life as a child of God here on this earth.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>One temptation will lead to another and before we even know what happened, we will be burdened by an awful heavy load of guilt.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The second point ties back into our text quite nicely. Jesus knows the \u201cstrength\u201d of the temptations that Satan brings against us because He personally experienced those temptations as He confronted Satan as our Substitute!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>The simple fact that Jesus was willing to fight for us, the undeniable fact that Jesus won all His battles with Satan, the glorious fact that Jesus is eager to save us not only motivates us to fight against the temptations that Satan brings against us, but it also empowers us to overcome those temptations so that by God\u2019s grace and with God\u2019s help we can live the kind of sanctified Christian life that our God wants us to live.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">To be honest with you, I\u2019ve known for a long time that professional wrestling was indeed \u201cstaged.\u201d<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It is just too contrived to be real.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>My prayer this morning, is that when we read the Scriptural accounts of Jesus\u2019 confrontation with Satan we will indeed take to heart just how real this battle was.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>While Satan has been defeated\u2014 the cross is the ultimate proof of Satan\u2019s defeat\u2014 that does not mean that Satan has given up.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Since Satan could not defeat Jesus, his goal now is to try to defeat us\u2014 one by one by one.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>So stay close to your victorious Brother, my friends.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Stay close to Jesus so that when you are tempted you can take refuge in His willingness to fight for you.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Stay close to Jesus so that if you stumble and fall you can lift up your eyes to His cross and humbly rejoice in His eagerness to save you.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">To God be the glory!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Amen<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<p> <\/font><\/p>\n<div class=\"postie-attachments\">Download sermon audio ::  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Lent-1-02-18-18.mp3\">Lent-1-02-18-18.MP3<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The First Sunday in Lent February 18, 2018 Mark 1:12-15 Jesus\u2019 Confrontation with Satan &nbsp; At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan.&nbsp; He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.&nbsp; After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}