And as you are, I invite you to turn with me in your copies of God's word, really to three places this evening. We are concluding our time in the wilderness with Christ and his temptation. And so we will be looking at the accounts that are given in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But I would ask as we turn, if you just keep a ribbon or a finger in Matthew four, and we'll be returning to that most frequently. So turn, if you would, first of all, to Matthew chapter four, Matthew four, and we'll begin reading there at verse eight. And beloved, once more hear the holy word of our holy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and saith unto him, all these things will I give thee, If thou wilt fall down and worship me, then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him. And if you would turn with me to Mark chapter one, Mark one. And we'll read here just verses 12 and 13. And immediately the spirit drive with him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness 40 days tempted of Satan. and was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered unto him. And lastly, to Luke four, Luke four. And just there, the 13th verse. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, He departed from him for a season. Amen, and may the Lord add to us this evening the blessing of these readings of his word. This morning when we took up Christ's third and final reply, devil, I said to you that you and I should be thinking about union with Christ. Not really, we ought to have been thinking about union with Christ from the very beginning when Christ was first driven into the wilderness and was first brought to this place of temptation. But when we come this evening to the themes that we'll be taking up, union with Christ is paramount. We really need to contemplate what it is for Christ to be our head, to be the one who enters, as it were, as the day's man into this field of combat. And beloved, as we look at this text, then what we really ought to see most of all is the glory of our Redeemer. and the great benefits that he's purchased for us. If we leave the temptation, if we leave the wilderness without a thought to those themes, beloved, I'd submit to you that we've misread the text. This text communicates to us so much the glory of Christ and so much the benefits that we have through him. And so we begin this evening looking here at a text that shows us really the conclusion of the battle Here we're told, as we read from Matthew 4, that after Christ had issued the command, get thee hence, Satan. By the way, that is a command. This is a demonstration of the sovereignty of the Son of God, that though he has taken upon himself the form of a servant, he remains what he always was. He remains the eternal, the eternal Son of God. And so possessed of all lawful authority, he can command the devil because of who he is by nature. This is a command. But then you find that this is a command to which the devil complies. The devil, we're told here, leaveth him. And beloved, as you look at this text, again, you and I are supposed to see here that though Christ, of course, is in his state of humiliation, though he has taken upon himself the form of a servant, he is sovereign. He is potentate overall. We see this, of course, throughout his ministry. All the devils besought Christ saying, send us into the swine that we may enter into them. They must ask permission of him. Even in his weakened state, even now as we find Christ hungered and his frame emaciated, they must still go to him and plead for permission to do anything. Here you have a wonderful picture, a picture that you get really from the book of Job of the Lord God holding the Leviathan as it were by the mouth with a hook. Here, beloved, you and I are supposed to be reminded that though Christ was driven, he was led into the wilderness, he remained sovereign. Though he suffered even in those 40 days to be tempted, he remained King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And beloved, you're supposed to see also here a picture of something that we can't miss either. Here you have a tangible expression of the fact that the one with whom Satan was engaged in combat for these 40 days is the very one who had been promised in the garden to bruise his head. You see here at the command of Christ, Satan must depart. This is he and he alone who would prevail. He and he alone who could command the powers of darkness to dissipate. And so we have this wonderful picture as you come to the end of this account in Matthew's gospel, but also as you look at what you have in Mark's chapter one in verse 13, you have a wonderful and a striking picture of Christ accomplishing redemption. But friend, before we look at those images, allow me to take your minds back just so we understand why this is such a thrilling picture. You see, in Mark, especially, you have these characters before us. You have, according to Matthew, Satan driven out, but then you have the angels ministering to Christ and the wild beasts. That's the image that the Spirit of God has given to us, this wonderful picture of harmony. But what does that remind you of? Friend, I think it ought to take your minds back to Genesis 3 just for a moment. In fact, I think if it doesn't do that, we've really missed the significance of the conclusion here. You see, you remember that doleful occasion whenever Adam and Eve, our first parents, are driven from the Garden. What's the image that you get there? Well, the image that you have there is just this, that Adam and Eve leave. They leave the Garden of God ringing in their ears the promise that the lesser creatures will no longer be so obedient. That the creation now, as the apostle says, will be groaning, awaiting their redemption, because they have now been subjected to futility. But then behind them, glistening in the background, is that awful picture of the angels of God with their swords drawn, barring the entrance to the garden. A picture of justice and a picture of wrath. And all because, all because Adam the first, he was foiled in his temptation. But what's the picture that you and I have as we come to these accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke? It's striking how the gospel writers communicate this to us, isn't it? You have instead of a fiery and a flaming sword, you have angels now ministering to Adam the second. The wild beasts are there, not ravenous, not disruptive, but simply looking on. And you have Satan cast out, departed. Beloved, what you and I have here is a picture of what should have been. What you and I have at the conclusion of this wilderness episode is a picture of what Adam ought to have done. He ought to have sent Satan away and he ought to have known that all harmony would ensue as he continued to cleave to the Lord, his God. But Adam failed. And the precise point where Adam the first had failed, Adam the second prevailed and demonstrated beloved that he had secured redemption. for all who would be united to him. It's striking, beloved, as you look at this text, in light of that, that here you have a picture of Satan defeated, but also you have, in a striking way, temptations, the very temptations that were raised before, also singularly defeated. What do I mean by that? Well, I said to you this morning, you remember that whenever Christ turns to Satan and issues the command, get thee hence, Satan, it's very personal. He's not dealing with a temptation, he's not dealing with his content, he's dealing with a tempter. Well, in this moment, as you watch Christ come out of that wilderness episode, what you have is an answer, a striking answer to those temptations as well. What I mean by that is this, you have Christ fed. He's ministered to in precisely the way the first temptation would have had Christ do to himself. Not only is he ministered to, but according to the second temptation, Christ is ministered to by the angels, as was specifically promised in Psalm 91. And then moreover, as Christ exercises his dominion over Satan, you have a clear picture that Christ already possessed by right and by inheritance, the nations of the earth, the very content of the third temptation. What do we have then in this text? Well, beloved, what we have here is something that's striking. We have here a picture of Adam II accomplishing redemption, and here the approbation of his work clearly manifest. But you also have, on the other hand, a clear answer to Satan's wiles. Satan may promise all of these things. He may promise provision. He may instigate. He may instigate a moment where he would lead men to presume upon God's goodness. He may even promise them the glory of the nations. But what this text reminds us is though Satan promises all of those things, it's only God who provides them. Only God who provides them. So Christian, while we fix our gaze upon Christ, it's important for us to remember that this text is also speaking something to those who are united to him. And even for their encouragement in this life. Here you have a picture that through Christ, through Christ, beloved, none are disappointed. that cleave to God. None are disappointed that cleave to God. That's our theme for this evening. And I want us to consider that under two headings. I want us to see first of all, how they are truly the prevailing party through this Christ, and also how they are truly made prosperous through him as well. And so beloved, take the fact that they are a prevailing people. when you look at this moment where Satan is simply commanded and so he must leave. You and I are to be reminded here that the one to whom we are united is the one who really possesses such authority. And to show you, beloved, that that's not really an extension beyond the scriptures, allow me to remind you that that's precisely the use that the Apostle Paul himself makes of such a moment. What do I mean? When you see here Christ exercising dominion, such that he can simply tell Satan to depart, what is he really saying? In that moment, you're seeing Christ, as we've already said, as the promised seed, as the one who will, in fact, crush the head of the serpent. But for the people of God, that carries with it a certain connotation that you can't miss, and the apostle himself explicates that for us. In Romans 16.20, he writes to the Christians there, he says, the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. And so what would the apostle say? He would say, well, every moment that you see that Christ is in fact that seed, you're to remember that being united with this same Christ, Satan too will be put under your feet as well. Striking, isn't it, how the apostle makes that application and drives us to think about union with Christ. When you and I watch in this moment, Satan clearly defeated, the apostle would remind you that in being united to this Christ who's defeated him, your victory is there secure. He says this, of course, in 1 John as well. You young men are strong and the word of God abideth in you and ye have overcome the wicked one. That's the believer's experience. And it's their experience, beloved, remind you only because of their union with the Lord. Christ's people, their victory is secured in him. Just to give you an image briefly this evening of what that means. Because I think often at this point, we lose sight of what this means and how to appropriately apply this text to ourselves. Take you back to an image that you get from the prophets of Isaiah. Take you back to Isaiah 41. Where there, the Lord speaks to the church and he says thus, he says, fear not thou worm Jacob and ye men of Israel. Note what he says here, he says you're a worm. You're a worm, but then he goes on, he says, I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as shafts. What is the prophet doing there? Well, obviously there's a polarity that's in view, isn't there? That there is the infinitesimal power and utility of the worm compared with the might and the great strength of the mountain. And here's what the prophet says, that in his power, he will make worm Jacob so strong that the mountains before them, however great they may be, will be like wheat to the threshing instrument. Beloved, that's a picture of what we have in our text. When we see Christ triumphant over the wiles of the devil, when we think about our own union with Christ, you are to remember that you are a worm. This is not some kind of Pollyanna gospel that we're preaching here. Not some kind of pure self-esteem or self-motivated principle that we're operating on. We are worms. But beloved, When you see Satan foiled, you are to be reminded that in union with Christ, you indeed will be made to thresh mountains. Howsoever great, howsoever powerful Satan may be, he is foiled. And he is put under your feet because you are united to the Savior. Of course, Romans 8, beloved, shows us and really explicates for us what all of that means, doesn't it? Shows us that all of those devices, not just Satan himself, but all of his devices are now also put under the believer's feet. And they are made more than conquerors through him. They beloved truly are the prevailing people, prevailing in him. And so when you read as we do in these accounts that Satan is clearly foiled. when you see that he must depart because Christ the second Adam is victorious. Well then friend, you're to remember this, that there you have a picture of your own victory. There you have a glimpse as it were, a vignette of what is already secured to you and your Savior. But not only are they a prevailing people, they are a prosperous people. Well, as you look at this text, you'll notice that Matthew especially in verse 11 of chapter four, prefaces the blessing that Christ knows at the end of this episode with the word behold. And the sense there is that this is a striking moment. Of course, it's striking, isn't it? Because here you have the angelic host coming. They've not been present at all. And in fact, as you're reading through the gospels, the last time that we saw the angelic host was in Bethlehem. And now we find them here. And what are they doing? Well, they're not eating Christ through the work of redemption, are they? We didn't see them at all as Christ again was emaciated in these 40 days. Christ stood on his own. His own right arm brought salvation. He needed no help. But what you have in this text wonderfully is a picture of divine provision and approbation for Christ. I think in order for us really to grasp what this means, beloved, you have to go back just for a moment to think of the first temptation. First temptation really at its heart was challenging the goodness of God. You, the self-proclaimed and the declared son of God, you have been driven out into the wilderness now for these 40 days at your father's command and at the Spirit's leading. and you've been left without food. Surely after 40 days, it's apparent that you need to fend for yourself because the Lord won't. Your father won't. That's the idea behind the first temptation. It's a challenge to the goodness of God. You remember what Christ says. He's pleased to wait upon every word that comes from the mouth of God. Pleased to wait for God's goodness to manifest itself. Well, here you have a picture of that, don't you? Here you have not only a picture of this nourishment coming, but you have it coming through an extraordinary way, through the use of the higher creatures, the angelic host to accomplish it. What does all of this teach us? Again, beloved, as we look at this text, so as to apply it to ourselves, you and I are to remember that these things are written, that Christ accomplished all of this redemption in a state of humiliation, not for himself, He took upon himself the likeness of sinful flesh without sin, not for his own own gain or benefit, but for the glory of God and for the good of his people. And so what we have here, beloved, is a picture that again, in union with this Christ, God restores and secures to his people the greatest of blessings. And beloved, don't miss this either. The parallels between the blessings you see in this text and what was promised by Satan, the foregoing temptations, there is an unmistakable, a really intentional connection between the two. What here the text teaches us is that those who wait upon God actually receive prosperity and true prosperity. Satan is foiled. And here, beloved, you find Christ as the head of his people, receiving clearly the tokens of God's goodness. I want to close this evening with that thought. Beloved, here you have a picture, a picture for you and for me of what it is to follow Christ and to receive what is truly good, what is truly good from the hand of God. Of course, I'm not speaking here about temporal blessings. These things are pictures that should drive us to higher things. Those rich blessings that the apostle refers to as the unsearchable riches of Christ. How does one come to know them? Well, Christian, as you remember, we come to this text after 40 days of testing and temptation. Our Savior knew this wonderful provision and this token of God's goodness and favor only after excruciating pain and after extraordinary temptation. And it was at the end of that, as he cleaved still to the Lord, that he knew these good things. What I'd submit to you here, not only in this case, we can read it all throughout the Gospels, but here you have a pattern for the believer. This is the decreed method for you and I to know by experience and truly the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus. It will be through a cross. It will be through a wilderness experience. It will be as the writer of the Hebrews reminds us, through all manner of adversity. where we're living almost as vagabonds. But I'd also remind you, beloved, that here we also have a clear picture of what is required of those in that wilderness experience. You see, the Christian never merits any good from the hand of God. He never barters with his own good works, he can't. Everything that he has, he has only in the Lord Jesus Christ, but there is a decreed pattern. There's a method for you and for me to know these great and wonderful blessings that Christ has purchased. And that is through cleaving to the Lord through these adversities. You see that in Christ so clearly, don't you? Through incredible hunger, through great temptation, he held still to his God. And beloved, as we read in Hebrews 13, that's precisely the pattern that's made out for you and for me. And so when you and I talk about conformity to the image of Christ, really what we're talking about is following him through that wilderness, cleaving to God by his strength, that we might know those blessings that he's promised to all of those who remain steadfast to the end. And so Christians, we close just two words of application. In this text, we're reminded of the goodness of God in a potent way. Satan would have Christ believe, as we said already, that God was an austere master. He would not countenance his servants. He would leave them in the greatest of afflictions and would do them no good. That was Satan's idea. By the way, that was the same temptation he faced in the garden, or rather that he posed upon our first parents in the garden. But in this text, what do we find? We find that in fact, those who wait on the Lord as Christ here manifests, do know clearly the goodness and favor of the Lord. He is not an austere master in that sense. So the question for you and for me from a text like this is, do we believe the lie? Do we believe that Satan, we wouldn't say it, would we? Do we believe that the world is a better, more congenial master than Christ. You see, as we give over to sin and to the world, we are saying as much. The more we're dazzled by the world and the things of it, we are saying that we believe that God is not so good as is the world. Christ shows us very clearly that that's not the case. He gives us a picture of one who even through adversity, still rested in the goodness of God and certainly gives to us here a token, a historical marker of that goodness for us. But Christian, I would also remind you here that again in this text, you and I are to see our Redeemer actually accomplishing redemption. Here you have your head. Here you have the captain of your salvation going into battle and prevailing. And beloved, that means then in this moment, just as this is a historical moment, just as this in fact happened just 2,000 years ago, one day and just as a historical moment, you will see that his people have indeed, have indeed the victory in him. Well, that everybody in this room, every one of us will watch as Satan is finally cast out. Every one of us will be able to say from memory that all, all of the world, all of its temptations are now destroyed. And Christ's people are indeed conquerors overall. As we leave the wilderness, beloved, as we leave this period of temptation in the Gospels, our minds ought to be fixed on this victory and on its great implications for you and for me as we stand in Christ. May we be a different people as we meditate on these things together. Amen.