07.19.2026. Sunday Sermon by Pastor Jeungbok Lee
Scripture: Luke 4:1-13
Title: The Victory of Jesus

### Luke 4:1-13
> Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'" The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
> 
The Bible presents two men who represent all of humanity. The first man is Adam, and the second man is Jesus Christ.
The first man, Adam, was tested in the Garden of Eden amidst abundant food and a beautiful environment. However, Adam failed the test by listening to the words of the serpent (the devil) rather than the Word of God, and by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
On the other hand, Jesus, who represented humanity as the second man, was tested in the wilderness after fasting for 40 days, in His hungriest and weakest state. Yet, Jesus triumphed by trusting in the Word of God.
The failure of one man brought sin and death, while the victory of the other brought salvation and life.
Through today's scripture passage, we will share the Word regarding how Jesus won His victory over the devil's temptations and what His victory means for us.

## 1. Jesus Won the Victory Over Temptation by Being Led by the Holy Spirit.

The scripture records the beginning of Jesus' temptation as follows: *"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil."*

### 1.1) Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit when He was tempted by the devil.
* **First, a common misconception among believers** is that a Christian who is led by the Holy Spirit will not face the devil's temptations. However, Jesus was led by the Spirit precisely into the place of fasting and testing.
* **Second, another misconception** is that being filled with the Holy Spirit is characterized only by gifts like speaking in tongues, prophesying, and healing.
However, what happened to Jesus is truly different from our human expectations. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into a barren wilderness where there was no one else, causing Him to fast for 40 days and to be tested. Therefore, being filled with the Holy Spirit is a life of obeying God's will, just as Jesus did.

### 1.2) Jesus won the victory over temptation by being led by the Holy Spirit.
As the representative of humanity, the first man Adam failed the devil's temptation, causing all of mankind to live under sin.
The Israelites, who were redeemed from Egypt, also failed in the wilderness. Consequently, those who were 20 years of age or older at the time of the Exodus died in the wilderness and could not enter Canaan, the Promised Land.
However, Jesus, the Son of God, was led by the fullness of the Holy Spirit and triumphed over the devil's temptations in the wilderness.
Therefore, I pray that you, our beloved believers, will also win the victory in every battle of faith and temptation in your daily lives through the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

## 2. Jesus’ Victory Was Achieved Through the Word of God.

The core of the devil's temptation was to make Jesus doubt His identity as the Son of God. The devil began his temptations with the words, *"If you are the Son of God—"* trying to sow seeds of doubt or entice Him to abandon His identity as God's Son.
Yet, in the face of these temptations, Jesus never once reacted out of His own emotions, nor did He use His power to fight the devil through miracles. He stood against the temptations and won the victory solely through the Word of God.

### 2.1) The first temptation.
This was a test Jesus faced when He was extremely hungry and weak after fasting for 40 days.
During my college years, the missionary group I belonged to held a fasting prayer retreat for 5 days and 4 nights, from December 28th to January 1st of the following year. Because I had a weak stomach, fasting was incredibly painful; it went beyond mere hunger to the point where my stomach ached and bitter bile kept rising up. Strangely enough, during the fast, I did not see a single person raise their voice or walk quickly. And time passed so slowly. By the final day, there were so many people just lying down.
Since Jesus fasted for 40 days, it is painfully clear how hungry and physically weak He must have been. The devil came to Jesus and said, *"If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."* The devil was tempting Jesus to use His authority as the Son of God to satisfy His own physical needs.
Jesus' reply was absolute: *"Man shall not live on bread alone."* In other words, His answer was that living by the Word of God is far more important than any physical need.
Now, if the devil had told me to turn a stone into bread and eat it while I was fasting, it would not have been a temptation at all. Why? Because I do not have the power to turn stones into bread. But for Jesus, because He indeed had the power as the Son of God to turn stones into bread, it was a genuine, enticing temptation.
How does the devil apply this temptation to us today?
Consider what it is like when we are tempted to satisfy our physical desires, and we actually possess the power or means to satisfy them. This is an incredibly difficult temptation to overcome.
May you, our believers, be led by the Holy Spirit to boldly declare the confession of faith, *"Man shall not live on bread alone,"* and win the victory.

### 2.2) The second temptation.
This was the temptation offering all the authority of the world.
Jesus became the King of the whole world by redeeming sinners through the cross and rising from the dead. However, the devil tempted Him to become King through an easy and quick path, bypassing the agonizing cross.
Why, then, did Jesus reject this shortcut that seemed to make Him King of the world instantly? While Jesus is indeed the King of the world, He came first as a suffering servant to bear the cross. His primary mission was to take upon Himself the sins of the world through the cross. Only after His resurrection and ascension to heaven was He to be enthroned as King.
Thus, the devil's second temptation was an enticement to reject worshiping God as a serving servant. Jesus firmly rejected the devil's temptation by replying, *"Worship the Lord your God and serve him only."*

### 2.3) Believers must have a clear understanding of Satan, who slanders us and tries to make us fall.
Satan is a liar. His claim that he would give everything in the world in exchange for a single bow is a lie. Although the devil is wiser than human beings, his wisdom is extremely limited.
The reason you, as believers, can overcome the devil's temptations is because God's Holy Spirit leads you with divine wisdom.
Satan is a ruler who holds great influence in this world. He has a very clear grasp over sinners. Yet, his influence is by no means absolute. He can only exercise his influence within a restricted boundary and only in the present.
God, however, is the Creator of this world and the sovereign Ruler whose influence spans all of time, past, present, and future, even into eternity.
Psalm 24:1 confesses: *"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."*
When we say Satan has massive influence over sin, it is because sinners are under the power of sin. The wages of sin is death, which is the greatest power Satan holds.
However, Christians have been forgiven of their sins through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and have become children of God's righteousness. Therefore, a righteous Christian is no longer under the power of sin. Hallelujah!
Christians, who have been made righteous, are not those who chase after and worship the things of this world; we are those who worship and serve God alone.
Please keep in mind: if there is anything you prioritize and pursue above God, you have fallen into the temptation of bowing down to the devil.

### 2.4) The third temptation.
This was the temptation to test God in order to prove to the world that He is the Son of God (as shared in last week's sermon).
The devil's temptation is dangerous because he distorted the Word of God to deceive. If Jesus had misunderstood the devil's enticing words as God's true intent and followed them, He would have failed the test. But Jesus already fully trusted God's declaration in Luke chapter 3, *"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased,"* and boldly drove the devil away.
From this, we can clearly see that true faith is trusting in God's promises, not demanding that God act according to our own terms and methods.
Sometimes, we too may fall into the sin of demanding that God act in our own way by distorting the Scriptures under the devil's sway. However, we must trust the Word through faith, receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and obey God's will.

## 3. The Meaning of Jesus’ Victory for Us.

Jesus' victory is a victory for our salvation. When Jesus was tested, He stood in that place of testing as the representative of all mankind. And representing all of mankind, He triumphed. This completely reversed the failures of those who previously represented humanity.
Because the first man, Adam, fell to the devil's temptation as our representative, sin entered this world, and all people lived and died under the power of sin.
> **Romans 5:12**
> *Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.*
> 
However, because Jesus, as God's faithful Son, represented humanity and won the victory in this trial, many have received righteousness and life.
> **Romans 5:18**
> *Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.*
> 
Those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior are the sons and daughters of God. The devil's attacks (temptations) against the children of God are constant. However, we do not fight the devil's temptations with our strength alone. When the devil attacks us, we draw near to God in Christ, who has already won the victory. Through the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, we receive wisdom and strength. We are victorious in Jesus Christ.
Yet, there are times when we may stumble due to our own greed, or fall due to fear and anxiety. But that is not the end. Even if we fall, we still have hope. That hope is our Lord Jesus Christ, who has already won the victory.
My beloved believers, during times of testing, please remember this one thing: *"My only hope is Jesus Christ, who has already triumphed."*
If you keep this in mind, even if you stumble in temptation, you will be able to stand up again and walk toward victory.

## 4. Application.

 * **4.1) Temptation is not evidence of a lack of faith.** Even Jesus was tempted. Being tempted is not a sin. Sin is yielding to the temptation when you are tested.

 * **4.2) We must fill our hearts with the Word of God.** This is because when temptation comes, those who are prepared with the scriptures can overcome the test with the Word. Therefore, make it a habit to remain close to the Word—reading it, meditating on it, and being constantly graced by it.

 * **4.3) Do not doubt God's love.** Even if the devil constantly whispers doubts into the ears of believers, saying, *"Does God really love you?"* God's love is absolute and secure.
> **Romans 5:8**
> *But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, 
> Christ died for us.*
> 
Since God's love has already been proven, I pray that you will firmly reject the devil's whispers and win the victory by shouting: *"God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for me!"*

## 5. The Final Conclusion to Remember.

> **Luke 4:13**
> *When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.*
> 
Notice that the devil left Him *until an opportune time*. This means the devil's temptations can start again at any moment. What is certain is that a believer's battle does not end with winning just a single victory.
Peter offers this word of warning to all believers:
> *"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9)*
> 
Beloved saints,
Our battle of faith does not depend on our own ability. It depends on Jesus Christ, who has already won the victory.
Therefore, while temptations will continue as long as we live in this world, our hope remains absolutely secure. This is because we can boldly fight the battle of faith today, anchored in Christ who has already triumphed.
May all of you, our beloved believers, win the battle of faith challenged by the devil, standing firm within the victorious Jesus Christ.
Let us pray. (End)