That's Enough!

Adam and Eve were tempted to become like God and they ate the forbidden fruit. That’s enough! And God sent them out of paradise and cursed them.

Cain’s jealousy raged and he killed his own brother. That’s enough! And God cursed him and banished him.

In Noah’s day the entire world was bent on evil. That’s enough! And God purged the evil with a great flood.

Abraham asked God to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for ten righteous souls. God said, “That’s enough,” but He could not find ten. That’s enough! And God destroyed the wicked cities.

Isaac lay on the alter, his father’s arm drawn back, knife in hand, ready to offer his son as a sacrifice. That’s enough. And God provided a ram.

The Egyptians held the Israelites in cruel slavery. The people cried out for mercy. That’s enough! And God ravaged the evil Egyptians through plague after plague after plague, ten in all. And God’s people safely walked away from their captors with the bounty of Egypt.

The Israelites complained for water at Marah. In the desert they grumbled for food. At Mount Sinai they grew tired of waiting for Moses and built an idol. That’s enough! And God sent a plague on the people, killing thousands.

God gave Israel a law and instituted a system of sacrifices for sin. A sacrifice was offered on the Day of Atonement for the sins of the people…year after year after year after year…

Not enough…

And most of the people lost faith and chose evil…And God patiently waited…And waited...And waited…THAT’S ENOUGH!!!

Then Deity came to the earth in the form of the created. And he lived, and touched, and smelled, and tasted, and heard, and saw just like us…and He was tempted to sin…just like us.

He was perfect, but no one else was perfect.
He showed people how to please God, but no one else could please God.
So, God’s judgment stood against man and his evil, corrupt, unbelieving heart.

But Deity had a plan…

• Jesus, son of a carpenter, human, flesh and blood, just like you and me…
• Jesus, Son of God, equal with God, Deity…
• Jesus, God/man, perfect, righteous, blameless, unblemished...
• Jesus, willing sacrifice...

                    For all mankind...
                            For all time...
                                    For all sin.

And on the day Jesus was crucified, God said…
          ...as he tore the temple curtain …
                    …as he shook the earth and darkened the sky…
                              …as he opened tombs and raised the dead…
                                        …as he accepted that perfect sacrifice…

                                           That IS Enough.

Because that sacrifice pleased God and that sacrifice satisfied God.
___________________

Now, all who appeal to God’s mercy through the blood of that sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, will know joy in life, and peace with God, and confidence in salvation, and confidence in the hope of everlasting life. So, for you...
Is that enough!?

Mark Stinnett

April 13, 2025

How Do You Stop The Devil? (Part 5)

Temptation is not really temptation unless it is… tempting...that is, desirable. For example, if you tried to use Brussel sprouts to entice someone to break the law, it probably will not work, unless they really crave Brussel sprouts. If there is no desire, there is no real temptation.

In addition, temptation might not be tempting if there is no possibility of actually satisfying one’s desire. For example, if you tried to tempt someone with a million dollars to do something immoral, but they knew that you could not possibly produce a million dollars...no temptation. The potential for fulfillment, even if an illusion, must be perceived as possible or real.

With these thoughts in mind consider the third temptation of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4:8-9.

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”

Don’t think that Jesus just shrugged this off with no interest or that the enticing offer was a dud. The devil was making a very desirable offer that he could apparently fulfill to some degree. He asked Jesus to do something that was unmistakably wrong, but the enticement was to rule the world. What if Jesus had given in to the Devil's offer?

Sometimes the devil attacks Christians in the same. He offers something that is very desirable, but the cost is far greater than its value.

-----------------

Did you know that Jesus IS ruler of the world?

The Apostle Peter wrote about Jesus after He had been raised from the dead and had ascended into heaven saying that He is:

“...at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” —1 Peter 3:22

That sounds like Jesus received from God the very thing that the devil had offered.

Not only that, not long before Jesus ascended into heaven He told His apostles:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

—Matthew 28:18

That sounds like Jesus had received something from God that was even better than what the devil offered; not just rule on earth, but rule in heaven as well.

When tempted by the devil, Jesus realized that the amazing offer was inferior to the inheritance He would receive from God.

Modern America (and I think that includes you) is an easy prey for the devil’s deceptions of instant gratification. So many people wish to indulge in every aspect of life: food, leisure, sex, entertainment, travel, hobbies, and the list goes on. The devil offers immediate fulfillment. However, his fulfillment never fully fills. Only in the moment is there any sense of gratification. His fulfillment is only temporary. Then, the sensation wears off and desire returns, often increasing.

The devil offers shortcuts to promises. However, the devil’s ‘promises’ are:

• Always inferior to God’s promises;
• Always at an extremely high price; and
• Always opposed to the will of God.

So, what IF...for the rest of your life, your immediate desires are not satisfied...yet you inherit eternal life???

How do you stop the devil?

There is a battle for your mind! 
You must engage you mind; you must desire to do God's will. Then...
Reject his inferior offers, because the price tag is far too high.
And, wait on God for true fulfillment.

How Do You Stop The Devil? (Part 4)

I called her Fern for...actually I’m not sure for how long. But her real name was Lois. I know, I know, “How did you get Fern out of Lois?” you are thinking. I have no idea. It was embarrassing when I was finally corrected. Thankfully, Lois had a good sense of humor.

Being called by the wrong name is like having your identity confused. You know who you are, but how important is it for others to know who you are? Perhaps a better and more focused question is: How important is it for God to know who you are? Does God really know who you are???

That was the central focus of the devil’s second temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”  --Matthew 4:5-6

Did you notice the ‘if’ statement: ‘If’ you are the Son of God?

The ‘if’ is designed to create doubt. The first temptation also started with an ‘if.’ It was designed to create doubt in Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, as if to say, “Are you sure you are the Son of God?” The second temptation questioned the identity of Jesus from God’s perspective, as if to say, “Does God really know who you are; does He think you are the Son of God?”

In the first temptation the devil tempted Jesus to prove His identity by performing a miracle Himself. In the second temptation he tempted Jesus to force God to perform a miracle to validate that HE believed Jesus was the Son of God.

The devil quoted from Psalm 91 (That's impressive!), but consider the verse after the quotation:

You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.   —Psalm 91:13

The vivid imagery in Psalm 91 was used to convey a message of protection and assistance for those who trust in God. It was not meant to be taken literally. The devil misapplied scripture.

Jesus detected the devil’s deception and knew that he was trying to make Him question His relationship with God. Did God need to prove anything to Jesus, or was God’s word enough?

God had made an open verbal declaration stating that Jesus was His Son (Matthew 3:17). For Jesus to do what the devil suggested would have been asking God to prove what He had already said by doing a miracle. Jesus did not doubt God, but responded wisely:

On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’   —Matthew 4:7

One way the devil tempts Christians is to make them doubt their relationship with God. When difficult times come some people wonder if God really cares. Some people wonder if God hears their prayers. They doubt God when they do not receive the things for which they pray. Do you think an easy life, good health and constant blessings are necessary to prove God’s love for you? In reality, there is nothing for God to prove, not to you and not even to the devil.

Read Romans 5:1-11. 

Stop. Look it up. Read the verses; then finish.

Has God already demonstrated His love for you? 

Has He already declared His relationship with those who are in Christ? 

Do you believe what God has already said about you!? 

Or...

Will you put God to the test?

How Do You Stop the Devil? (Part 3)

How did Jesus stop the devil and overcome temptation?

Three specific temptations are recorded in the gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke. The first temptation:

And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

--Matthew 4:3

The bread idea generally receives a lot of attention because Jesus was really hungry. (Remember? Forty days of fasting.) So, the devil used the natural physical hunger of Jesus as a smoke screen to tempt Jesus.

Was the temptation all about food, or was there something more?

Look at the ‘if’ statement: “If you are the Son of God….” The ‘if’ statement draws into question the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. The ‘if’ statement suggests the possibility that Jesus was not the Son of God. The devil asked the question and tried to get Jesus to question his identity.

With one miracle Jesus would be able to satisfy his physical hunger AND he would be able to prove that he was indeed the Son of God.

Think again.... 

Turning stones into bread proves nothing. Other people did miracles, but that did not mean that they were the Son of God. There was no prophecy in the Old Testament that connected a stone-to-bread miracle with the Son of God. So, the only thing such a miracle would have proven was that the miracle-worker was able to turn a rock into nourishing bread.

Jesus saw the disconnect and did not fall for the devil’s deception. In fact, Jesus KNEW with absolute certainty His identity. After being baptized by John the Baptist the Holy Spirit descended and rested on Jesus. John had been assured by God that the Holy Spirit would come and rest on the one who was the Son of God. So, with the testimony of the Holy Spirit John testified that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:33-34). In addition, the voice of God declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17). So, Jesus had the testimony of the Father and the Holy Spirit that he was God’s Son.

The devil simply used the physical longing for food to plant the seed of doubt in the mind of Jesus. The food miracle was a temptation, but a deeper temptation was that of proving his identity.

So, how did Jesus overcome these temptations?

He addressed both levels of temptation saying:

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

--Matthew 4:4)

Jesus was basically saying, "I don't need eat now...and I am confident in my identity because of what came out of the mouth of God; I don't have to prove anything."

Jesus demonstrated contentment by refusing to personally satisfy his physical appetite. He was committed to wait on the Lord for strength. In addition, he did not allow the devil to create doubt about his identity. He KNEW that he was the Son of God because of the declarations of the Father and the Spirit, so there was nothing to prove.

The devil cleverly appeals to our appetites making us think that we are the only one who can satisfy our needs. In reality the human being can go without food for days; can survive without a big house, without the latest fashion in clothing, without cutting edge technology, without entertainment, without sex, etc. Jesus trusted God and chose contentment over indulgence.

The devil also challenges our identity by making us doubt that we are children of God. Yet we, like Jesus, have nothing to prove. After all, God has declared:

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

—Galatians 3:26

So, when temptation knocks at your door...

Remember, who you are in Christ: Sons of God.

Wait on the Lord; choose contentment.