Un nuevo nivel, el antiguo diablo — Nuevos dias, los mismos demonios — Rich Wilkerson Jr

We're going to start this collection of words that I haven't preached in five weeks and that means that I have a lot to share with you today. New days, the same demons. I don't care what's happening in this culture, the technology that has changed, there are new challenges and new cultures and it's starting to change. But we have that old enemy that hasn't changed. Ephesians chapter 6, it says that our struggle is not against flesh, but against authorities, against powers that dominate this world of darkness, against evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. But your enemy is not your spouse. Your greatest problem is not your spouse. Your greatest problem is not your boss. You don't want to have that attack with those children of your own, okay? Your fight is not against flesh and blood. It's a battle we are in invisibly. We are in a spiritual battle. Let's start talking about the spiritual battle which we are going to be discussing. You tend to fall into these three camps. The first camp is where they tend to blame the devil more than they praise the devil. The devil. Oh, the Wi-Fi. Oh, the devil. That's why I have Wi-Fi. There's a team around. You better not order at Starbucks. The devil is a liar. But in which stream, there's another route that can be blocked off in a cycle. Locked into a cycle. Addicted and depressed. Addicted and depressed. Addicted and depressed. Not free. Oh, wow, I'm going through just a bad season.

What I've learned from people is that there's a devil under every door. There's a devil under every door. There's a devil under every door. There's a devil under every door. And what we're going to do over the next few weeks is, I'm not trying to talk or I'm not trying to define your life. On the contrary, I'm going to give you a collection of words that are going to bring you clarity about the word of God. Listen to me clearly. If you entertain the devil, you're going to get involved with the enemy. But if you entertain the devil, you're going to get involved with the enemy. I believe we're going to stand up for the authority of God. And we're going to discover, and we're going to walk in new levels of freedom. If God has made you free, you're free. Clearly. If you believe it today, clap your hands. Make some noise. Hold your hands. Be joyful. Be joyful. Because your life will surely show it. Come on. And so I want to start this week off by simply looking at how Jesus handled the devil. We're going to look at Matthew chapter four. We're going to look at this text and we're going to read this text. It's a collection. Trust me. We're going to progress and grow as we continue in this journey. Matthew chapter four. Then the spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and then Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness.

After fasting 40 days and 40 days, he was hungry. And the Lord came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, order these stones to become bread. And Jesus said, It is written. Not only of bread does man live, but of every word that comes out of the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand up on the highest part of the temple. And he said, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, throw yourself down before the angels who protect you. And they will keep you in their hands, so that you will not stumble with any stone. So that he will not try to put you to the test. Jesus said, It is also written, Do not put the Lord your God to the test. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain. There he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the splendor. And he said, All this I will give you, if you prostrate yourself and worship me. Jesus said, Go away, Satan! Because it is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him. Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. and I want to bring you back to the old devil. How many of you want to make a new level? How many of you want to make a new level in the last few months, the last two months of this year? How many of you want to make a new level? Go ahead and make a little bit of noise out there. I don't know about you, but I still think God has more for me. And I still think God has more for me. And if you think God has more for me, He has more for you. You are in a process of fullness. You are walking in the totality and the fullness of your purpose.

You are taking a journey. And God is going to take you to the destination, to the plan, the future that He established and designed for you. But also what I know is, the more that you walk in your mission, is that the more that you increase your mission, the greater the opposition will be. I love what it says in chapter four. I love the text that we're reading here. I love the text that we're reading here because we're talking about Jesus' first trial. But in order to understand, Matthew chapter four, we have to understand what happened in Matthew chapter three because in Matthew chapter three, it was the baptism of Christ Jesus. The baptism of Christ Jesus is important because, because that was the moment that he launched or commenced or initiated his full-time ministry. He was 30 years old, he was in the Jordan River and his cousin, John, who was baptizing the people there, they had a conversation and John, they had an agreement that he was going to baptize Christ Jesus. As he baptizes him, the heavens opened up and the voice of God, the Father, opens up and the voice of God says, He is my son whom I love and I am well thankful to him. Listen to him, the Spirit of God descended upon him as a bird, I don't know about you,

my baptism was cool, I don't know about you, my baptism was cool, but it wasn't like what happened here with Jesus. But it wasn't like this, this epic, what happened, my baptism, this is a new level in the life of Jesus. This is an experience, it's one of a kind that I never had before. It is a divine coronation. Just the Father is my son, this is my love, I'm proud of him, I'm pleased with whatever he says, I'll obey him. You open up enough and you use product from it and catch this. The Father, the mind, the reification, the Lord had to teach this in his course the jurisprudence and the working of the act of ministry. He hasn't done any miracle on his life today, he hasn't delivered, he hasn't preached any sermon and he hasn't done anything in this sermon yet. He has done this in his name today. There, the Father still speaks pride over. Why is that? It's because you're a good parent. If you're a good parent, please don't wait for your child to say it before you affirm them and celebrate them. Good parents are proud of their children all the time. When my little son was born, he was born on Instagram,

we got that. I don't know where. I don't know if he actually did it, I don't know if it was the gravity that led it to him. But if you're a good parent, you're going to start celebrating your kid, like they won the Olympics. He's strong, he knows how to breathe. Because you're proud of your kids because they're yours. And a lot of us are stopping that affirmation from our kids and we're waiting for them to do something first, before they affirm them. But if you only celebrate your kids when they do something good, what you're teaching them is that their value is not just one of their activity. I feel like preaching this morning, in this house, I feel like preaching, because it's not just the way God treats his children. How many of you are grateful that God, that you have so much value, that I'm going to die for you, even though you're a sinner? Someone is grateful for the gospel. God doesn't wait for you to be able to work before he declares that he's proud of you. It's important because Jesus steps in the way of God the Father, not for love, but for love. Not for love, but for the purpose of the mission

that you are on. I'm not stepping in the way of God the Father to win the mission, I'm operating in the way of God the Love, but I'm operating from his love. I'm proud of him, I'm grateful for him. Before Jesus does an activity, he's mine, he belongs to me. That activity also works in your life. You are the Son of God, or the Daughter of God, and he loves you, he loves you, he loves you. What's incredible about this passage, this incredible moment, this awesome, epic moment, but it's also a big test. Look at what chapter 4 says here in Matthew, maybe it's new here in the scriptures So Jesus Was not led by the enemy Not by his emotions Not by his church. He was led by the bird that was on his shoulder He was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil He was led by God So he was not tempted by God. God was not tempted by people so that God would allow people to be tempted in order to be tested Which tells me, guys, wilderness isn't punishment, it's preparation This was not a way out, it was a divine instruction from God But this was divine. Now, before there can be a call for following, there also has to be a testimony You have to walk through some tests, someone knows Someone wants to get to that next level The last half of this year, it's a little rough if you're ready to walk to a new level The mission, the purpose is, is to be tested The word of God says he went into the wilderness and he was fasting for 40 days and 40 nights

His testimony, his test didn't come from the people or the people or the platform But his test was in the desert when the devil went to tempt him to Jesus I want to take a step, but I want to take this time to teach what the devil is It's not my habit to teach about the devil or the enemy I always focus on the solution, but if you don't know that you have an enemy Or there's an enemy that wants to rob you and take away and destroy you It's very difficult to fight in the dark You have to know who the enemy is, you have to understand who your enemy is The devil is not a caricature person, he's not a story, he's not a legend He's not bad energy, he's not the devil The devil was a person that was created, that you're going to discover, that you're going to see during the Bible From the Old Testament to the New Testament The devil, in Greek, devils A person that punishes, that lies, a liar A person that accuses the saints It's the way that the devil speaks, it's what he does He accuses you, he lies to you John chapter 8 says, Jesus that the devil is the father of lies Every lie that we have told and we have said, it's because of him He is a person that is going to deceive you, he divides, he distorts the word of God, the truth of God He teaches himself in the scene in chapter 3 in Genesis Like a snake, he was deceiving God really said this How many of us know that we are deceived in the same way? In reality, God said this It's what the word of God says today The devil, the story of his origin, his Genesis Or you can also find it in Ezekiel 28 He was an angel before, a similar celestial He was created to do the work of God

But in that day, the pride, as C.S. Lewis said, the great sin It stopped him, the pride caught him So he exchanged the presence of God, because he wanted the throne of God And with that, that's why he fell from heaven Even Jesus said, Luke 10 I saw the devil fall like lightning from heaven Not only that it was Satan that fell from heaven, but also the third part of heaven These fallen angels are the demons They are on this earth They come to devour, they come to lie and bring trouble and chaos in your life The devil had a task, but a third part of heaven fell They fell through his pride There were angels that worked for God, that now work for the enemy There is a network that exists There is an organization, a strategy There are patterns that happen They have power, but they don't have all the power They have power, but they don't have all the power I didn't come to declare fear, but I came to remember what the apostle Peter said Be alert, you have that ready, prepared mentality Because the enemy is coming, roaring like a lion You caught him, he is not a lion He is like a lion He is nothing authentic from the devil He is nothing authentic from the devil He is a person that is a liar, he is not a lion He is like a lion He is a title, that title is reserved to Jesus Because he is the lion of the tribe of Judah Only Jesus is the real lion

But knowing that he is like a lion He teaches me his tactics of the devil He teaches me his schemes, the way he moves He teaches me his schemes, the way he moves The lions never attack, they search As soon as I sue I'll be nada por decirlo de esa manera. Espera que el venado se canse Mientras se salga de la comunidad para que se pierdan y se cansen y tengan esa hambre Ya dejan de ir a la oración Ya no van al servicio de handier al servicio Ya me de ese cansancio de ir al grupo de amistad esta semana Y cuando está solo y cuando está solo Cuando está solo es cuando él viene y él comienza a suceder sus mentiras en tu oído Y comienzas a escucharte a ti mismo Y comienzas a creer esos pensamientos radicales y locos Jesús al contrario estaba en el desierto 40 días y 40 noches Él tenía hambre estaba cansado y estaba solo Y es cuando entra la tentación usualmente llega cuando estás cansado Estaba solo y con hambre Vamos a hablar esto sucesivamente las siguientes semanas pero A veces si spiritualizamos todo lo que es natural Y a veces queremos convertir lo que es natural en espiritual y lo opuesto pero Jesús estaba en un Una posición vulnerable porque estaba cansado de solo y con hambre Y ese es el espacio cuando el enemigo entró y entra y comienza a mentir Si le quieres derrotar al enemigo o las mentiras del diablo tienes que reconocer las tácticas del enemigo Porque no hay ninguna duda cuando si vas a llegar a un nuevo nivel Y Dios quiere usar tu vida y quiere obrar y descubrir tu propósito hay un destino sobre tu vida pero también tienes que a la misma Vez reconocer que cuando vas a llegar a un nuevo nivel en esta jornada de fe Es el mismo antiguo diablo las mismas esquema la misma estrategia las mismas tácticas del enemigo

Ahora vamos a aprender cómo pelear y cómo derrotar porque tu futuro tu libertad vale la pena tu familia vale la pena alguien sientan que pelear pelear darle una oración a dios si vas a pelear y estás listo para esa batalla La táctica más grande del enemigo es la tentación dios no te tenta pero el diablo si tenta Es Jesús tuvo una promoción grande esa coronación grande divina en Mateo 3 y de repente inmediatamente fue dirigido hacia el desierto Onde fue tentado por el enemigo Es lo que creo que entiendan cuando se trata de la tentación la guerra espiritual a veces comienza Comienza o inicia con la última palabra que dios declaró sobre tu vida lo tienes que ver Porque muchos de nosotros fueron a Vukon hace dos semanas o dos meses atrás altos en Cristo Jesús Pero entraron al mes de julio y dices wow el infierno está sobre mi vida Muchos estudiantes fueron al campamento juvenil hace unas semanas atrás altos en Cristo Jesús pero ahora ya estás porque me siento Estoy afrentando tanta oposición sobre mi vida es porque muchas veces en la guerra espiritual Comienza con la última palabra que dios declaró sobre tu vida Cuando entras al ministerio de Fulton inmediatamente tienen los problemas financieros entre la confusión El momento que dios te llama a un nuevo nivel con intimidad hacia él inmediatamente tus que yo se cambia se llena Quieren que trabaja los domingos inmediatamente cuando responda a la palabra de tu familia llegas y tienes el argumento más grande con tu esposa o tu esposo Amigos se llama una guerra espiritual El diablo cuando viene a atentar a Jesús enoto Mira la manera que él tenta en la misma manera que él te tenta a nosotros él siempre ataca a tu identidad dos diferentes veces en esta secuencia de eventos Si en verdad eres el hijo de dios Chistosamente graciosamente en mateo 3 el padre celestial le dijo este es mi hijo Pero la última cosa que escuchó dios de parte de su padre es ahora es lo que está atacando el diablo Si en verdad eres el hijo de dios Todos nosotros vamos a tener nuestra identidad atacada y es donde vivimos Constantemente escucha la palabra en verdad eres un cristiano Si eres verdaderamente amado por dios No te vas a caer en eso y no vas a ser ese mismo rol lo que pasa muchos creyentes en esta jornada

Son rescatados por gracia pero que quieren vivir por obras Fuiste sea rescatado y salvado por a gracias pero la quiere ser una persona de justicia Dios ya te libera en jesús ya te libertó pero ahora te encuentras otro otro peso sobre tu espalda Eres una persona que eres amado pero ella Intercambiantes por un peso nuevo no es más que suficiente el te ama El tiene un plan para ti el mismo recurso que te transformó y te sanó Es la persona que te va a descipular y te va a ayudar caminando en ese en esa ruta de libertad si eres The son of God, he began to tempt Christ. I want to show you the following While we walk in this text I have to understand the lies and look at the way he lies To understand the tactics of the devil and look at the patterns because when the enemy attempts attempts three different categories the first we can talk about other categories but For the fact of this sermon we are going to consider the three points Let's just consider these three because I think the first way the devil tempts you and the first way the devil tempts us He tempts us with exterior things He tempts us with exterior things The temptation of the appetite When the devil approaches Jesus And he says to him If you are the son of God Tell these stones to become bread Where is Jesus in this place? He is in the desert Now where Jesus is He is in the desert These stones sometimes appear as bread When you are very hungry You eat what is in the fridge But here comes the devil

In a weak time for Christ And he says to him If you are the son of God Tell these stones to become bread Look at what the devil is doing The devil is taking a legitimate need And he gives you something illegitimate To solve it This is the temptation of the exterior The temptation of the exterior We look for the pleasure That plenitude That satisfaction In things that are outside of us Food Drinking These are good gifts that God has given us These are good things that God has promised us That will attract us Sex, relationship, influence, work, status But what the enemy does Is what For you to say it in a wrong way Or you reach it in a wrong way The gift that God has given you He wants you to use it In an illegitimate way In a distorted and broken way He went to the desert To fast

And he is going to turn the stones into bread He is going to operate Outside of the time and the will of God And he was not trusting God He was trusting himself So what the devil did He makes the gift that God gave you To build the kingdom of God He wants to use that same gift For you to build your kingdom How many know How many know that God has the ability To turn the stones into bread If he can turn water into wine He can turn the stones into bread And that is what the devil is going to do in your life If you have the gift of communication He can use that same gift To manipulate people If you have the gift of charisma He is going to distort that gift So that you can manipulate I can go on and on It is the temptation of the outside I want to satisfy And immediately fulfill A need And not trust the time and the will of God But I love what Jesus does Because he answers

Get away from me Satan Because it is written It is written That man will not live from bread Only from bread But from the word of God I am going to live alone The last thing that God told me Not the first thing that you are telling me It moves from the outside To the inside This is the temptation of pride Because outside of me It moves inside Gradually The appetite It has discipline in that category But they have not solved what is happening inside I want you to notice the following They started in the desert They started on the ground They started in the middle He takes him up midway And he says to him If you are the son of God Throw yourself down Because it is written He will command his angels To concern you He says to him

If you are it, prove it How many of you know When you know who you are You don't have to prove who you are Someone is going to receive that liberation I want to take away that limit I have not seen a day in my life I had to prove that I was the son Of Pastor Rich Wilkerson He woke me up this morning He put me in bed this morning He always put food on the table I don't care what you tell me I know who my father is I don't have to prove it to you Because I know who my father is But the devil says If you are the son of God And it says if you are the pride of our heart And it's pride in our heart We need to be flashy We need to impress the people We need to show the people We need to take this pride in our heart And so pride always comes before the fall Pride always comes before the fall I love this because Jesus says I love it because, Jesus, I don't know, No, no, no, no, no it's also written, it's also written,

you don't have to prove the word of God to the text. I know you said it was written over and over, but also this is written over, it requires some discernment, it requires a little bit of nudistics. It requires a little bit of a hesitation. It's funny enough, the only verse in the Bible that does that and that's God's word is in Malachi chapter three. If I don't open the fountains of heaven, the only way we can prove to God is the place where we sometimes have a debate, the same place where we can prove to God. In any other area, we're trying to use our gift and hoping God will bail us out. You know God didn't open that door, you opened that door. You wouldn't have started that relationship, you entered that relationship. Now we're relying on the deliverance instead of walking in that disciple. Some of y'all missed that. Some of y'all missed that. Some of y'all missed that. So we're relying on angels to capture us, on angels to catch us, instead of learning to help and to regulate my pride and my pride and trust in the word of God. The devil does not operate, he says, again, he has a strategy.

He knows he's strategic. He takes him from the ground floor to the top floor. He takes him from the ground floor to the top floor. The Bible says, it's the temptation of the temptation of the temptation. He says, all this I will give you if you bow down to the temptation of the temptation. The first temptation is the exterior, the temptation of the appetite is the interior, but the third temptation is the bigger temptation. But the third temptation is the biggest one. It's the temptation of who will sit on the throne of your heart. Who will sit on the throne of your heart? Who is your resource? If you bow down, it's the bow down to all of these realms, all of these things. But what do you see how Jesus is managing this temptation? We're not just learning the tactics of the devil, we're seeing how Jesus is learning how Jesus is fighting. And Jesus does not fight back with vibes. He fights back with verses. He doesn't use Pinterest cliches, he doesn't use Pinterest cliches, he uses the very word of God. The word of God, listen to me, the word of God is a weapon. Hebrews chapter 12, you've got to get this scripture in your heart. The Bible says it this way,

the word of God is alive, and it has a sharper than any low edged sword. Someone say it's sharp. The word of God is sharp. It's so sharp it's a scalpel that will cut the flesh out of you. It's so sharp it's a sword over the devil's eyes that are all over our lives right now. We got to learn how to use the word of God because it is written. It is written. Do you know how to swing your sword? The devil also knows the word of God too. The devil knows the word of God too. Every time he comes to Jesus, he misuses God's word. He encroaches the word of God. He puts suspicion inside of suspicion. He tells you just enough that it sounds true, but it's also just enough that it's absolutely true. He packages lies through the middle of Bible verses. You just have to hit just read the word of God. You've got to learn the word of God. It's very, very different. Because Bible verses are not a definition, they're a defense mechanism. It's not just about sentimental value, it's about being used as a tool and how many clients live a life in such a haphazard way. You're in a difficult time. You're a little tired.

You're a little low on time. Do you know how to open the word and flip and read? Do you know how to open the word and flip and read? Do you know how to open the word and flip and read? Flip and read, the scripture pops up, it says Judas hanged himself. It's the first time I've seen that. It's like a joke, it's funny. I need a different word. I need a different word. Do what I say. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No! Listen to me, listen to me. It's not enough to read the word of God. You have to learn the word of God. Because if you don't train, you're never going to be able to win in the wilderness. It's a tool. It's a sword. How many of you know, if you put a gun in my hand, I'm a person who, I don't know how to put a safety in a gun, maybe I'll make a mistake. But if you take that same gun and you put it in the hands of a Navy SEAL, you've got a problem. You've got a problem. You put some nunchucks in my hand, I'm going to break my teeth.

You put those same nunchucks in the hands of Michaelangelo's Ninja Turtles, you've got a problem. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, baby. It's used as a weapon. Listen to me, the same weapon in the hands of someone who is untrained, it's just a spiritual dead weight. I'm believing in this hour, in this season, we're going to get a new army out at Loo Church out at Loo Church, not just the quarter that we're in the church already, but you're going to read the Bible in your own room. But you're going to read it in your own church. Say, I can't keep up, I'm going to have to beat the devil. I'm going to have to learn how to use the word of God. I'm going to have to learn how to use the word of the devil. And I'm going to have to learn how to preach back and I'm going to have to learn how to use the word of God. The Bible says that Jesus, the Bible says that Jesus, it's been written, it's been written many, many times, but I want you to take all of this, all of this takes place after 40 days of fast and prayer. Fasting is denying your body to the food. I'm starting with the physical man, feeding the spiritual man. It's when sometimes the physical body is tired, the spiritual body is tired, weary,

the spirit of the man opens up his ears to heaven and is reminded of his identity. It's what goes on. I've never seen it this way, but Jesus, maybe you've missed it, but Jesus was fasting before he fought. Jesus was fasting before he fought. We fast in order to fight. Fasting does not remove temptation. Fasting gives you the ability and the power to overcome temptation. You don't have to see it in your heart, but you've got to catch this. You're going to have to see it in your spirit. We are entering tomorrow, one day as a prayer group. We started this church 10 years ago this month. We didn't have a gathering yet. We didn't have a family yet. We didn't have a budget yet. We just had a dream that we had at the children. It was just a dream. It was just a vision. There was a meeting, and we only ever had a gathering this month in August. And at the 15th, we fasted 21 days, and we fasted in the name of the Lord. And we're working on that. We've got four churches, four services. There's been thousands of people who have given their lives to Christ.

God has built this church. God has used this work, and God is still using this church. But here we are, God can take us to a new level. I don't know about you. I don't know about the desert that's going to come in front of us, or the attack that's on its way. But I do know, as I fast, I'm getting ready to fight. As I fast, I'm prepared for the fight. I'm getting ready. I'm ready to battle. I'm ready to be defeated. I'm ready to win, because he's always going to be a dancer. And so we fast in order to fight. It's not just a spiritual cleansing. It's spiritual training. You're not just like, oh, we're going to get you to lose your weight. No, no, no. You're going to get crazy on summer break. I'm not just going to be trying to lose weight. I'm trying to gain a vision from the Lord. I'm trying to gain a vision. The fact that when he said the word and fasted, what did the Word mean to him in fast. And when the enemy came up anyways, he didn't start the conversation. He didn't start the conversation. He don't, he's fighting back. And look what happens here, in Matthew 4 verse 11.

Then the devil left him, and angels came to attend to him. Then the devil left him, and angels came to attend to him. Listen to me. You're going to get involved with the devil. You're going to get entangled with the devil, so to speak. But if you resist the devil, you'll be released from the devil. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. When we fight back and he resists, he flees. Now Luke's gospel tells us that what took place in the desert, he looked for an opportune moment to return. What we understand as believers is that every time we defeat the devil, he flees. But he has a plan to return. So I have to be my finest sword. So I continue to shun, and I continue to shun, and I continue to read the word of God. And I continue to shun because I know there's another storm on the way. Jesus isn't just fighting with the devil. He's teaching a bigger story. He's telling a bigger story. You see Matthew, the writer of Testament, writing to an old Jewish community, and that describes him to his audience. He's giving clues and he's giving us things that would have made a lot of sense to this people. You see, Jesus really had to flee to the people or to the nation of Egypt because Herod was going to kill him. He had to flee because Herod was going to kill him. And as he began to grow, he entered the river Jordan, and eventually he went into that desert for 40 days and 40 nights. And as Matthew writes the letter, the entire Jewish community would have heard another story because it sounds very similar.

It sounds like the story of Israel. Because when Israel was a young nation, they had to flee to Egypt. And then finally God brought them out of that slavery. They had to cross the Red Sea. They had to cross the Red Sea for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. But how many are thankful? Israel failed. Jesus passed. Israel doubted and wandered in the wilderness. Jesus survived. Adam failed in the wilderness. Adam stayed in the wilderness. This is good news for us. In good news for us because Israel is right there in the wilderness wandering and asking for food and bread. And every time that Jesus, every time that he uses the book of Deuteronomy, because the book of Deuteronomy is the story of Israel. The book of Deuteronomy is the story of Israel in the wilderness. The book of Deuteronomy is the story of Israel in the wilderness. And Jesus is letting them fall. And everywhere you failed, I did it. Because you failed in the wilderness. All of a sudden, that wilderness, you let it. And it just got worse and worse in the wilderness. And Jesus Christ, he stood in the wilderness and he turned it into an acrid place. Adam, he ate the wrong fruit in the garden.

And then he came a wilderness. And Jesus Christ refused to eat food in the wilderness. And that wilderness became a place of redemption. And that's what I want to reach. That's something deeper that I want to reach. That God doesn't always write a new story, but he knows how to renew. That's good news for all of us. That God doesn't always make new things, but he knows how to renew all things. I don't know what happened in the last wilderness you went through, but it didn't happen to end the same way. Your future is not determined by your past. Jesus, he's the one who knows how to redeem everyone. He redeems all things. He's the God of redemption. So, in Matthew, he tells us, he wants to share with us that Jesus, he already redeemed us. He already restored all of us. He says, apart from me, Satan. So, the devil flees and the angels come to serve him. I love the fact that the angels come to serve Jesus. Because the devil always, always offers you what God has already promised you. The devil is not only a liar, but he's also a lawyer. And the terms are all the bad guys. He's a snake. You're going to kill or defeat the enemy by stepping on his head. The second temptation, if you leave this temple, the angels are going to come and catch you or serve you. He didn't take the first offer.

Don't take these shortcuts in life. Because the devil always wants to offer you something, what God has already promised you. Without the cross, without counting the cost. You don't need that character to be able to carry it. I love Jesus because he's a model. to take the first deal and in this way, he still has angels at the end of the story that came to serve Jesus. They came to serve him. He has something bigger for you. He's going to take you to a new level. But that devil wants to keep disturbing you. And the angels came to serve Jesus. The angels. That old Disney movie called the Angels, a baseball movie. And there was a kid that looked at the angels in the baseball team. And the sign that he showed when he looked at the angels in the baseball field, he started to fold his hands. And the people were filled with joy. Because they knew that the help was coming. The help. And in this way, God works. This past week, we had a staff meeting. More than 100 people. We took some time in August to pray. To pray for the church, for this work. We celebrated and celebrated there. And for many of us, it's when the new year begins for us. In this event, in this camp. And I was having dinner with my parents. And I told them what I was going to preach. But the message, what I was sharing, God looks for more than what we are. But my mom wanted to share a story about my aunt Marie, who is already with Jesus. She passed away. I visited her house after church on Wednesdays. It was a retreat plan where she was. And she gave us lunch. And she shared stories of her time when she was a missionary. When she was a young woman, she spent more than 50 years in the mission, working in Africa. She was translating the French Bible into the local language. And I had never heard that story from her, but I had shared it. And I have a photo of my mom. I think it was the year 1960, on a motorcycle in Africa, on a mission. She never got married. She was single all her life. She dedicated her life to Christ. But my aunt shared a story with my parents. When she was using the motorcycle in the jungle, driving on a motorcycle, she was driving in a torrential rain storm. She was crying and roaring when they were crossing through the jungle. They had to get home because it was raining so badly. And it was raining so badly that

there were people, there were thieves, there were animals that could attack. So they were racing through the jungle. And as they were racing through the jungle, all of a sudden, the front line of the motorcycle, with the steering panels and everything, they said, all white. And he's going to stop the motorcycle. And so they stopped. And as they stopped, they come to a recreational, to get out, motorbike driver, of what was happening. And they get out, and their shelter, and their aid, that they discovered had been washed away by the storm. So the motorbike stopped and stopped before they crossed the bridge. So they immediately wanted to go and thank the man. They couldn't find this man that helped them to stop. They couldn't find him. They couldn't find him. My aunt, then, 50 years in the mission, was convinced that this man was an angel sent by God to rescue and protect her life. Because they didn't cross the bridge. Amen. Rich, why do you share this story? Well, because the desert can be a war zone, but it can also be a place of preparation. You can be fighting temptation, but at the same time, God is at your side. He's going to send you provision and a way to escape. So many people spend their whole life afraid of the devil. But guess what? Demons are real. And guess what? Demons are real. And guess what? Demons are real. And guess what? Demons are real. And guess what? Demons are real. And you can't just walk around being afraid of the devil, but you also have to have that hope for the angels. Because if the devil attacks you, the angels can still serve you and attend to you. There are angels here. There are angels who are coming. God is sending angels. He's sending a rescue team. There's provision. He's going to help you. He's going to look for you and help you. You're not alone in the desert. Someone give glory to God. If you're happy and you know it, give God a prayer.