STANDING STRONG
IN THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH
“Truth is relative.
There are no absolutes.
Truth is what you make it.”
VBS: Day 5
Lesson Focus
Take the sword of the
Spirit, which is the
word of God.
A little Bit About
the Middle Ages
(400-1400)
The Kingdom Chronicles:
Saints, Relics, & Teachings
of the Church
Saints
• St. Nicholas: The Patron
Saint of Children, was
originally from Turkey.
• The Virgin Mary: The mother
of Jesus was the most
popular and most highly
regarded of the saints.
Relics
• Relics were objects such as bones of
saints or objects connected with saints
which were considered worthy of worship
because they provided a link between
the earthly world and God.
• It was believed they could produce
miracles.
• Many people would make pilgrimages to
visit relics because it was believed they
could heal or grant forgiveness from sin.
Religious Teachings
• The church had many ways to teach
its followers
• Miracle and Passion plays would act
out stories from the Bible. Frequently
these plays would involve an entire
community. Each guild or
organization would perform one story
from the Bible.
Stained Glass
The stained glass windows of churches
were also used to teach stories from
the Bible to a mostly illiterate
population.
Speak Truth:
The Sword of the Spirit
Ephesians 6:10-11; 17-18
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in
his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor
of God so that you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes... 17 And
take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God; 18 praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit”
-At the age of 7, they
were considered
Pages
-At the age of 14,
they became
Squires
-At the age of 21,
they were
Knights
Medieval knights
always took their
swords into battle.
A knight’s sword was
so heavy that he
needed to use it with
both hands.
To effectively use the sword,
we must regard it as the word
of God.
If we are not confident in the
inspiration of Scripture, that
the sword really came from
the Spirit, then we will not use
it effectively at all.
Not only did the Spirit give us
the Scriptures, but also He
makes them alive to us, and
equips us with the right thrust
of the sword at the right time.
The Main Idea:
If we are ignorant of God’s
truth, we are poorly armed in
the fight against temptation.
The great example of
this was Jesus
combating the
temptation of Satan in
the wilderness.
The King
of Kings Jesus
1 John 2:16
“For all that is in the world--the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life--is not
of the Father but is of the world.”
1. The first temptation:
an appeal to the lust of the flesh
and the lost of identity
Matthew 4:3-4
“3 Now when the tempter came
to Him, he said, "If You are the
Son of God, command that
these stones become bread."
4 But He answered and said, "It is
written, 'Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth
of God.'”
The tempter came
In our lives, it is not a question of
if the tempter will come, but
when he will come. We will face
temptation until we go to glory.
Since you are the Son of God
Satan was not questioning
Jesus’ identity and deity.
Command that these stones
become bread
This was a temptation to use
God’s gifts for selfish purposes.
Satan suggested that Jesus use
His miraculous powers to
provide food for Himself.
But He answered
Jesus didn’t silently disagree with
Satan, and He answered him
from the Word of God.
It is written
Jesus used Scripture to battle
Satan’s temptation, not some
elaborate spiritual power
inaccessible to us.
2. The second temptation: an
appeal to the pride of life.
Matthew 4:5-7
“5 Then the devil took Him up into the
holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the
temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the
Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is
written: 'He shall give His angels charge
over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall
bear you up, Lest you dash your foot
against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "It is
written again, 'You shall not tempt the
Lord your God.‘”
Matthew 4:5-7
“5 Then the devil took Him up into the
holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the
temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the
Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is
written: 'He shall give His angels charge
over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall
bear you up, Lest you dash your foot
against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "It is
written again, 'You shall not tempt the
Lord your God.‘”
Throw Yourself down
Satan is tempting Jesus to
“force” the Father into a
supernatural event. Satan
appeals to the desire within
every man to sense approval
from God and to have that
approval publicly
demonstrated.
For it is written
The devil quotes Scripture, and
we can trust that the devil has
memorized the Bible himself,
and is an expert at quoting it out
of its context to confuse and
defeat those he tempts.
The Devil is the Father of Lies:
-He denied the truth that Jesus is
God (3)
-He wrongly quotes scripture to
serve his own purposes (6)
-He lies about his power and
authority (9)
It is written
“You shall not tempt the Lord
your God.”
Jesus replied with Scripture, but
applied correctly.
3. The third temptation: an
appeal to the lust of the eyes.
Matthew 4:8-10
“8 Again, the devil took Him up on
an exceedingly high mountain, and
showed Him all the kingdoms of the
world and their glory. 9 And he said
to Him, "All these things I will give
You if You will fall down and worship
me." 10 Then Jesus said to him,
"Away with you, Satan! For it is
written, 'You shall worship the Lord
your God, and Him only you shall
serve.‘”
All these things I will give You
Essentially, this vision invited Jesus to
take a shortcut around the cross.
Jesus came to win all the kingdoms
of the world and their glory back
from Satan’s domain, and Satan
offers them to Jesus, if He will only
fall down and worship him.
Away with you, Satan!
For it is written
Jesus replied with Scripture again,
and commanded the devil to
leave. In the same way we can
resist the devil and he will flee from
you (James 4:7).
It worked for Jesus and it will work
for us.
Conclusion:
Matthew 22:29
“Jesus answered and said to them,
“You are mistaken, not knowing the
Scriptures nor the power of God.”
• “But about the resurrection of the dead--have you not read what God
said to you” Matthew 22:31
• “"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes,"
replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise' ?"” Matthew 21:16
• “Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in
the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?” Mark 12:26
• “Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: " 'The stone the
builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is
marvelous in our eyes' ? Matthew 21:42
• “"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning...” Matthew 19:4
• “He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when...” Matthew 12:3
• “Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the
temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent?” Matthew 12:5
• “Haven't you read this passage of Scripture: "'The stone...” Mark 12:10
• “And he answered and said to them, Have you not read...” Matthew 19:4
• “Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he
and his companions were hungry?” Luke 6:3