How to Quit Losing & Start Winning
By. A.L. Gill
Lesson Four: Then Came Jesus –God’s Plan
FIRST ADAM – LAST ADAM
God Sent His Son 
When Adam and Eve first sinned, God promised to send His Son, the seed of the woman, to crush Satan’s head. (Genesis 3:15) Paul tells of this event and relates it to the first promise of a Redeemer.
Galatians, 4:4, 5 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Man’s relationship to God and his authority was to be restored by the substitutionary sacrifice that Jesus would make as He died on the cross.
Redeemed from sin, its penalty, and the resulting curse from the law, man could be born again into the family of God. He could become a new creation. He could once again, receive God’s Spirit within himself.
Adam Brought Sin
Sin came into this world through the disobedience of Adam.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
Jesus Brought
- Righteousness
Through the total obedience of one man, Jesus, many could become righteous.
Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
- Good News
After Adam and Eve sinned, when they knew God was coming, they hid behind the bushes.
Now, when Jesus, the Son of God was coming, the angels said, “Don’t be afraid! This is good news for you.”
Luke 2:10,11 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
- Peace to Men
One angel began the message to the shepherds on the Bethlehem hillside that night, but the joy in heaven was so great, the spirit realm burst into the natural realm.
Luke 2:13,14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
What a wonderful promise was given, even as Christ was born. “On earth peace, good will toward men!”
There are no words to describe the joy
felt throughout the whole universe.
The angels were so excited
they burst into open view of the shepherds
to sing their praises.
Even the stars proclaimed His birth!
JESUS OPERATED ON THIS EARTH AS A MAN!
Did Jesus operate in authority and power while on this earth as God, or as a man – empowered by the Holy Spirit?
Jesus, the Last Adam
Paul referred to Jesus as the Last Adam.
1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Jesus, as the Last Adam, walked and ministered in authority on this earth even as He had created the first Adam to do.
It is very important to understand this because it was only by fulfilling the law as the Last Adam that He could bring us freedom from the law. Only by being human could He become our Saviour. It was necessary that He defeat Satan, as a man, to win back the authority that Satan had stolen from the first Adam.
Since Jesus was the first perfect man since Adam, He had the authority given to Adam. When the Holy Spirit came upon Him, He also had the power of God within Him.
Baptism of Jesus
- Spirit Came on Him
John the 
Baptist saw the Spirit of God descend on Jesus and this event was so important that it was recorded in all four Gospels (Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22, John 1:32).
Matthew 3:16 Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
- Miracles Performed
Jesus had performed no miracles through the first thirty years of His life, but when He was to begin His public ministry the Holy Spirit came upon Him. Then, in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ miracle ministry began.
The authority of God operating with the Spirit of God are the power twins of victory!
Jesus Gave up Rights as God
- He Emptied Himself
The apostle Paul gives us an insight into the mind of Christ as He came to this earth. Paul wrote that Jesus laid aside all His attributes as God.
Phillipians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Jesus willed to:
- Make Himself of no reputation
- Take the form of a servant
- Come in likeness of man
- To humble Himself
- Become obedient to death
Jesus had the nature of God, and was equal with God and yet, He emptied Himself of all His rights as God, to function on this earth as a man. He took on Himself the form of a servant and the likeness and appearance of a man. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death. He came to this earth as a man and His power on this earth would come through the Holy Spirit.
Why was this important?
Adam, the first man, had disobeyed God and surrendered his authority to Satan. Jesus, as the Last Adam, would do everything on this earth as a man empowered by the Spirit of God. He would be the perfect man operating on this earth as Adam had been created to do.
As Son of Man
While Jesus was on this earth, the authority He operated in was as the Son of Man. In the following passage, John used a very exact choice of words: “Son of God” – “Son of Man.”
John 5: 25-27 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
The dead would hear the voice of the Son of God. Outside of this earth, Jesus operated as part of the triune God-Head.
On this earth, Jesus walked in authority because He was the Son of Man. Man was created to walk with authority and dominion. It was the human Jesus who had authority. It was because He was the Son of Man, the Last Adam, not because He was the Son of God.
If Jesus Did It, We Can Do It Too!
Jesus did only what man was created originally to do on earth. He moved in the power of the Holy Spirit, and not in the power of the Son of God!
This is very important to us! If Jesus operated as a man on this earth, then we can do the same things He did. We have the same power, authority, and right to do everything that Jesus did when He was here on earth as a Man.
FACED TEMPTATION AS A MAN
Tempted as We
God had given Adam and Eve a free will, a choice, a volition. Jesus had this same volition. To be completely the Last Adam, Jesus had to suffer temptation also.
Adam and Eve were tempted in three areas:
- Body – Eve saw the fruit, that it was good for food.
- Soul – Satan promised her wisdom, knowing good from evil.
- Spirit – Finally Satan promised her she would be like God.
Jesus was tempted in these three areas also.
First Temptation – Body
Jesus had been in the wilderness for forty days. Satan tried, in this time of physical weakness, to tempt Jesus into using His powers as the Son of God to satisfy the needs of His human body. But Jesus had laid aside the attributes of God when He came to this earth to operate as the Son of Man.
- Satisfy Human Needs
Matthew 4:1-3 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
When the tempter came to Him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, prove yourself, take back your rights as God. If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
If Jesus had turned the stones to bread, He would not have been operating as a man. He would have been using His attributes as God. If He had done that, Satan would have defeated both the first Adam and the Last Adam.
- Jesus Answered
Jesus answered Satan by quoting the Word of God.
Matthew 4:4 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.’”
Second Temptation – Soul
The second temptation was in the area of the soul. Satan tempted Jesus to reason contrary to God’s will for His life and to act on His emotions.
Prove Yourself
Matthew 4:6 …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.’”
This was a continuation of the same basic temptation. “If you are the Son of God …” Satan knew He was the Son of God. Jesus’ life on this earth was to be lived as the Son of Man, the Last Adam.
- Jesus Answered
Jesus defeated Satan by correctly speaking the Word of God. Jesus knew He was Lord and Satan knew it.
Matthew 4:7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
Third Temptation – Spirit
In the third temptation, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of this world. Wasn’t that the reason Jesus had come to this earth? Wasn’t He here to win back the earth from Satan?
- Be God of this World
Matthew 4:8,9 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.”
Satan did have the right to offer these kingdoms to Jesus. Satan, having deceived and robbed Adam of his authority, was then the ruler of this earth.
But Jesus was not interested in taking the earth back from Satan in any manner that would be in disobedience to the Father.
- Jesus Answered
Jesus did not enter into a debate with Satan. He did not argue with him over who ruled this world. Jesus told him to leave. He spoke the Word of God again.
Matthew 3:10 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.’”
Review
If Jesus had acted as the Son of God as Satan tempted Him to do, He would have given up His rights as the Son of Man. He would no longer have been qualified to be the perfect Substitute to provide for mankind’s redemption.
Satan offered to Jesus the very thing He had come to win back – the right to rule this earth. It would have been so “easy” to do it Satan’s way – no death on the cross. Jesus knew that without the shedding of His blood there would be no remission of sin.
Even as Jesus was dying on the cross, Satan, through people, mocked Jesus with the same words.
Matthew 27:40…You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Often, Satan will offer us the very things God has promised us. All we must do is compromise in some area. Our method of winning over his strategies is to know and speak the Word of God.
JESUS, OUR EXAMPLE IN RESISTING TEMPTATION
Jesus Understands Temptation
As the story of Jesus’ temptation is related in Matthew we are given the opportunity to learn how Satan is to be defeated in this area. We also have free choice. We also will be tempted, but as Jesus walked away in victory – so can we!
Paul states that since Jesus has suffered by being tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Jesus Tempted As We
We can experience a bold confidence by knowing that Jesus was tempted in every area just as we may be. As He did not yield to that temptation, we too can go to God and obtain His supernatural help to withstand the temptation.
Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
All Temptations Common
One of Satan’s strategies is to make us feel that we are different, that our temptation is unique, or harder than what others suffer. But all temptations are common and God has given us a way of escape so that we can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Follow Jesus’ Example
Jesus is our example. Just as Jesus answered Satan by using the Word of God, we can do the same.
When Satan came to Jesus, Jesus did not
- argue with Satan
- reason with Satan
- consider doing it Satan’s way
Jesus quoted the written Word of God.
Matthew 4:4 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.’”
This is how Satan is defeated. The Word of God must flow out of our mouths.
When disease tries to come on our bodies, we can say, “It is written, `By His stripes I am healed.’”
When poverty tries to come against our finances, we can say, “It is written, `My God shall supply all my needs …’”
When Satan tries to lead our children astray, we can say, “It is written, `All my children shall be taught of the Lord…’”
Speak the solution – not the problem.
Speak the answer – not the need,
Speak and believe the Word of God,
and Satan will be:
totally,
completely,
utterly,
defeated!
And you will be victorious!
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW
- Why is it important for you to know that Jesus gave up His rights as God and lived and operated as a man while He was on the earth?
- What example can you give of Jesus operating in the authority of a man while on earth?
- Following Jesus’ example, how can you best defeat Satan or his demons when they try to tempt you to disobey God?
See also Authority Lesson Five: Jesus Ministered with Authority