The Word of God Defeats Satan’s Lies
Invocavit (Lent 1)| Matthew 4:1-11| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| February 22, 2026
In John chapter 8, Jesus addresses some Jews who were hostile to His teaching, “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” (vss. 43-45) Satan is a liar and the father of lies. That means that he attacks the truth. Jesus says to His Father in His High Priestly Prayer in John 17, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” God’s Word is truth. Satan’s word is a lie. Satan murders by lying. When he tempts people into sin, he does so by attacking the truth of God’s Word. “Did God really say?” he hissed at our first mom so many years ago. And he has been hissing the same snot-faced sneer ever since. He questions God’s Word. Every word that comes from the mouth of Satan is an attack on the truth of God’s Word.
And so, it is when our Lord was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Every temptation Satan levied against Christ was an attack on the Word of God. “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” With these words, Satan attacked the Third Commandment. “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.” What does this mean? “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. This means that Jesus was meditating on God’s Word, because the Holy Spirit only comes through the Word of God. As bread is food for the body, so God’s Word is food for the soul. Satan tempted Christ to consider the needs of his flesh more than the needs of His soul.
And so, Satan does the same today. And in much less desperate situations, the tempter tricks us into considering God’s Word of secondary importance and the acquisition of a dollar as primary importance. It seems so logical! “Hearing God’s Word doesn’t feed the stomach. It can wait. But your body needs to be clothed and fed. So, put off going to church and hearing God’s Word until you’ve secured the things for the body.” Yet Jesus retorts, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” With this quotation from Deuteronomy 8, Jesus declares that hearing and learning God’s Word is everyone’s most important need, greater than the need even to eat. And in fact, had God not spoken, there would be no food to eat. Yet, Jesus promises, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
With Christ’s first quotation of Scripture, He not only establishes God’s Word as more important than any physical need, but He teaches us the first principle of biblical interpretation. The first principle of biblical interpretation is that Scripture alone is the source of all truth concerning saving faith and good works. You may know this principle condensed to Scripture Alone, or if you want to sound smart, Sola Scriptura. Man does not live by bread alone. Man lives by every Word that comes from the mouth of God alone. Every word that comes from the mouth of God is Holy Scripture, because, as St. Paul tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) When God’s Word is attacked, our first response must be, “Man lives by God’s Word alone.”
Over the past couple centuries, liberal Bible critics would mock those who held the Bible to be without error by calling them “Bible worshipers.” They claimed to not worship the Bible, but to worship Jesus. Of course, this was a strawman. Those who hold to the Bible as the inerrant, infallible Word of God do not worship the Bible. Yet they guard it so closely, because only the Bible reveals the truth of our Savior Jesus. We cannot know anything about Christ if God did not reveal it in His Word. And no surprise, it is the same critics of the Bible who called us “Bible worshippers,” who now say that Jesus is not the only way to heaven. If you lose the Bible, then you lose Jesus.
“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, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” With this second temptation, Satan attacks the Second Commandment: “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” What does this mean? “We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.” God’s name is misused in the worst way when His Word is misused. Satan tries to show that he can quote Scripture too. Of course, he twists it. He takes out the important verse, “to guard you in all your ways,” (Psalm 91:11) to suggest that God will send His angels to protect us, even if we flee from Him. No, God sends His angels to protect us as we follow Him.
This temptation of Satan is the most damaging, because it is done in the Church itself. As St. Paul warns, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan raises up false preachers, who twist and manipulate God’s Word, even quoting Scripture out of context, to lead astray the vulnerable. Many have been led into damnable sins, away from true repentance, and into false belief and hell by Satan’s lies from the mouth of preachers who misapply Holy Scripture. Few things are so terrifying to Jesus’ sheep, because it is simple to go to church, but to mark and avoid false prophets can be intimidating and seem complicated.
Yet Jesus’ response not only refutes Satan in the wilderness but gives us an important second principle of biblical interpretation by which we can defend ourselves against false prophets. “It is written,” Jesus says, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” With this quote from Deuteronomy 6, Jesus teaches us that Scripture interprets Scripture. Satan twisted Scripture, so that it appeared that Jesus could test God. Yet there is a clear passage of Scripture which forbids testing God. Scripture cannot contradict itself. So, Jesus didn’t even need to unpack Satan’s deception. God cannot lie. He says, “Do not test me.” And so, we should not test Him, even if Satan misquotes a Bible passage to say we should.
And you will find many other examples in life, of Scripture being taken out of context, chopped up and twisted, to lead you to do or believe things that are against the Christian faith. Yet, when you look at Scripture in context, and when you compare it with other clear passages of Scripture, the truth becomes clear. The principle that Scripture interprets Scripture means that Scripture is clear. God’s Law is clear about what we should do and that we need to repent. God’s Gospel is clear that Christ Jesus is our Savior, who won forgiveness for all sinners. Any book, whether of science, mathematics, history, or literature can seem unclear or to contradict itself if it is taken out of context, and so it is with the Bible. Yet, when Scripture is applied to Scripture, the Bible always proves to be trustworthy and sure. This is also why you should pray your Catechism and read your Bible every day.
Finally, Satan tempts Jesus to fall down and worship him in exchange for the kingdoms of the world and their glory. With this temptation Satan attacks the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods.” What does this mean? “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” This temptation seems too brazen to work on anyone, but its simplicity is genius yet evil. Many souls have worshipped Satan for much less than the kingdoms of the world! They may not recognize that they are worshipping the devil, but the worship of any false god is Satan worship. And a false god is simply whatever you fear, love, or trust in more than the true God. So, for a few bucks, for a few moments of fleeting pleasure, for the love of this world, for the deceitfulness of riches, many souls bend the knee to Satan instead of worshipping God alone.
Jesus responds with His third, “It is written,” “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” (Deut. 6:13) And with this rebuke, Jesus teaches us a third principle of biblical interpretation. The primary purpose of Holy Scripture is so that we may have saving faith in God and worship Him. The Evangelist John writes in chapter 20, “These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (vs 31)
If you do not read or listen to Scripture so that you may learn to worship God and His Son Jesus Christ, who alone has won for us eternal salvation, then Scripture remains a closed book to you. You can memorize entire books of the Bible, learn the original languages, and get a doctorate in biblical studies, but if you do not recognize Christ Jesus as the only way to the Father, as your Redeemer, then you have entirely missed the point of Scripture. If Scripture does not lead you to worship God through faith in Christ, then having ears, you do not hear and having eyes you do not perceive.
Three times Jesus used the phrase, “It is written,” to refute Satan. And so, you learn from Jesus that God’s Word is a constant aid against temptation. St. Paul gives us this encouragement in 1 Corinthians 10, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” That way of escape comes from meditating and praying on Holy Scripture.
Yet, even with this powerful weapon, Satan still deceives us. We still sin and Satan still gloats over us. Though we try to do better next time, the devil still taunts us for how we have already failed. Yet the words, “It is written” still give you power to defeat Satan, even after you have fallen into sin. Because the Gospel of Christ stands written in every page of Scripture. In Genesis 3:15, God declared the Gospel for the first time to Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heal.” That offspring of the woman is Christ Jesus the Virgin Born. He crushed the head of Satan by withstanding his temptations and then by suffering and dying in our stead for our sins. In six hours on the cross, Jesus endured the hell Satan hoped we would bear with him for eternity. Being true God and true man, Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for our sins, the perfect champion for us over Satan.
And so, even after you have fallen, when you’re on your knees bloody and humiliated because Satan led you to do what your sinful flesh desired to do, and when Satan gloats that you are no child of God, but a son of hell, you still can say to Satan, “It is written.” It is written, “Christ Jesus has crushed your head.” (Gen. 3:15) It is written, “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2) It is written, “With You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared.” (Psalm 130:4) “It is written, “They have conquered Satan with the blood of the Lamb and their testimony.” (Rev. 12:11) My dear friends of Jesus, in Scripture is written innumerable blows against Satan’s lies and accusations, so that Scripture promises, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 10:20) In Jesus’ name. Amen.