The Temptation of Jesus

• Led by the Spirit – into the wilderness… vs. 1
  • Jesus returned from His baptism in the Jordan – Full of the Holy Spirit…
    • And was constantly being led by the Spirit (Imperfect/Passive/Indicative)…
    • Jesus lived His life – being guided and directed by the Holy Spirit!
    • We are also called to walk in the Spirit  – Romans 8:1, Galatians 5:16…
    • When we are in a place where we don’t know what to do – where to go…
    • If we are wondering where to work – who to marry – where to go to school…
    • God gives us His Holy Spirit to show us the way – He is there to direct our steps…
    • What does He sound like – II Kings 19:12 – a still small voice – gentile guidance…
    • God will never contradict His Word – I Corinthians 14:32 – guiding our lives!
    • But we have to learn to sit – wait – and listen – or we will miss the voice of the Lord…
  • Led by the Spirit into the wilderness…
    • The Holy Spirit led Jesus – to be tempted by satan!
    • If that were not bad enough – He was to be tempted in the wilderness…
    • Wilderness – solitary, lonely, desolate, deprived of the aid and the protection of others…

• Walking in the Spirit – does not mean everything in life will be easy – no troubles…
• God does not promise we will have an easy life if we choose to follow Him…
• In fact just the opposite – God promises us we WILL HAVE trials!
• Often we will face those trials alone – there will be no one who can help us…
• * John 16:3 – “I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
• If times are easy – no problems – we tend to forget about God – depend on ourselves…
• But when we have no money / food / are being attacked for our faith – LOTS of prayer!
• God will allow us – bring us into trials – so that we learn the most important lesson…
• We must learn not to trust in ourselves – or other people – instead learn to trust in God!
  

• 40 days and 40 nights… vs. 2
  • There he was tempted by satan for 40 days and 40 nights…
    • Forty is the number of trials or temptation in the Bible…
    • Noah, Moses in Midian, Children of Israel’s wandering… 
    • Jesus was lead by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days – a trial…
  • Jesus had to go through the wilderness temptation before He began His ministry…
    • We want God to use us – we want to draw closer to the Lord – but…
    • Often we will find that before God a work through us – He first does one in us!
    • Do not be surprised if you ask God to use you – only to find you are in a trial…
    • * I Peter 4:12 – “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.”
    • God preparing us – molding us – shaping us – into Godly men and women!
      
• The 3 temptations of satan… vs. 3-12
  • If you are the Son of God…
    • It would appear that satan questions who Jesus really is – ‘if you are…’
    • In fact in the Greek he affirms who Jesus is – better translated – ‘since you are…’
    • Satan is not questioning who Jesus is – he is declaring it!  Jesus is the Son of God!
  • 1^st – Turn this stone into bread… vs. 3-4
    • During those 40 days Jesus had nothing to eat…
      • There are 3 stages a person goes through in a fast that lasts 40 days…
      • 1^st – in the first 2 to 3 days you are very hungry – because you are used to eating…
      • 2^nd – but from day 4-30+ – you loose the desire to eat – body lives off stored energy…
      • 3^rd – approaching day 40 – the body has burned up all excess energy – fat/muscle…
      • It begins to have to digest its own organs to survive – starvation sets in…
      • Hunger returns with a vengeance – if you do not start eating again – you will die…
      • So at the end of the 40 days – Jesus was VERY hungry!
    • Satan came and commanded him to make a stone into bread – a very real temptation…
      • Ever been hungry and you mind play tricks on you – everything looks like food…
      • I am sure satan pointed to a rock that looked just like a loaf of bread…
      • Satan will not try and temp you with something you do not want…
      • He seems to know just how to get to us – he knows right where we are weak…
    • Jesus could have given in – turned the stone to bread…
      • No doubt He had the ability – He took 5 loaves and 2 fish and fed 5000 – John 6…
      • But if He had then he would have trusted in His strength and not in the Father’s…
      • Satan would love to get us to rely on ourselves rather than on God…
• The moment we rely on our ability – get our eyes off God- we loose…
• Instead Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3
  • We do not just live for the physical (just for rice) we live for God!
  • Satan loves to distract us from Jesus – by getting us focused on our daily needs…
  • When we worry about what we will eat / drink / wear…
  • When we focus on the ‘physical needs’ of this life – we are not focused on Jesus…
  • Matthew 6:21 – “Don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.”
  • Our Father in heaven knows what we need – and promises to provide – only…
  • Luke 12:31 – “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”
  • If we are only living for the ‘rice’ of this life – we miss the riches God intends for us…
  • It is in God’s Word – the ‘Bread of Life’ – we find true life!
  • Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of God’s mouth!

• 2^nd – Satan offers all the nations of the world to Jesus… vs. 5-8
  • Satan claims to be the ruler of the world…
    • Jesus does not argue the validity of satan’s claim – satan owned the world…
      • All satan’s authority – glory – he had the power to give to whomever he choose…
      • It had been given to him to him (Perfect/Passive/Indicative)…
      • When you buy a property – your proof of ownership is your ‘Title Deed’…
      • God created the world – gave the ‘Title Deed’ to Adam & Eve – Genesis 1:28-30
      • When Adam & Eve choose to sin in the garden – rebel against God – Genesis 3
      • They handed over the ‘Title Deed’ of the world to satan…
      • II Corinthians 4:4 / John 14:30 – satan is called the god and ruler of this world…
    • Jesus came to ‘buy back’ the ‘Title Deed’ that had been lost…
      • The cost – was the cross – Jesus had to pay the price for sin!
      • * Revelation 5:2-5 – we are told the no one could open the scroll – ‘Title Deed’…
      • John wept – no one was able to ‘redeem’ the world that had been lost to satan…
      • But the Angel said do not weep – Behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah – Jesus!
      • Jesus did redeem the world – He purchased back what had been lost!
  • But satan was offering to give it to Jesus without having to die on the cross…
    • The only catch – Jesus had to bow down and worship satan (Aorist)…
      • Just once – one bow – a simple act – and satan would give it all to Jesus!
      • But though Satan could give Jesus the kingdoms of this world…
      • He could not redeem the hearts of men and give them eternal life!
    • The only way for Jesus to fully redeem man was to go to the cross…
      • If satan cannot get us completely caught up/distracted by the world…
      • Then he will try to get to divide our loyalties – compromise our walk with God…
      • Compromise is a very slow process – starts with one simple bend of the knee…
      • One drink / one lie / one Sunday / one kiss – how much could it hurt…
  • Instead Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13
    • Jesus saw through satan’s tempting ruse – He refused to compromise…
    • Get behind me satan!  You shall worship the Lord your God – only serve Him!
    • Notice it does not just say – ‘I’ will worship – Jesus says ‘You’ will worship…
    • One day satan will bow his knee to Jesus too – Philippians 2:10
    • You cannot go in two directions at the same time – you cannot worship two things…
    • * Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters…”
    • We choose who we worship – in the simple seemingly insignificant choices of life…
    • We are either going to be devoted to the world – to the pursuit of money/pleasure…
    • Or we are going to be devoted to the Lord – worshiping and following Him!
• 3^rd – The pinnacle of the Temple… vs. 9-12
  • Satan quotes from Psalms 91:11-12 tempting Jesus to temp the Father…
    • Satan knows God’s Word – and he is willing to misuse it – to confuse people…
    • Satan does not misquote the Psalm – what he does is take it out of context…
    • Sometimes we can take the Bible out of its context…
    • Nowhere in Psalms 91 does it suggest that we should tempt the Lord…
    • Most errant doctrines / many of the cults / and untold confusion about God’s Word…
    • Comes from a misuse of God’s Word – taking it out of context…
    • Context is critical when it comes to properly interpreting the Bible!
    • We need to be wise – get into God’s Word – see if what is said is true!
    • Acts 17:11 – “They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
  • Satan was challenging Jesus – is God faithful to His Word…
    • If God says He will catch you if you jump – do you trust He will do what He says!
    • If satan cannot get us distracted by our daily needs / or get us to compromise…
    • He will try to get us to doubt God – to question His Word!
    • The first question mark ‘?’ in the Bible – comes in Genesis 3:1
    • Satan asked Eve – ‘Has God indeed said?’ – he wanted Eve to question God’s Word…
    • Satan’s tactics have not changed – he still tries to get us to doubt the Word…
    • He wants us to question if God is faithful/able to help – look elsewhere for answers…
    • He tries to keep us from church from the Bible – from listening to/reading the Word!
  • Instead Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 – You shall not temp the Lord your God…
    • Jesus was not thrown off by satan’s misuse of God’s Word – out of context…
    • Jesus knew better – He knew God’s Word – He knew God is faithful to His Word…
    • There is no need for us to test the Lord – He has already proven Himself…
    • He has always taken care of us – never failed us – and He never will – Hebrews 13:8
• The devil departed from Jesus… vs. 13
  • When satan had ended every temptation…
    • Satan came at Jesus from every direction – daily food / compromise / testing God…
    • And each time Jesus had stood the test – without sin…
    • Hebrews 4:15 – “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.”
    • Every time Jesus response to satan was to quote from the Word of God
    • James 4:7 – “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
    • The key to standing against satan is the Word of God – Ephesians 6:13
    • He is powerless when we come against him with God’s Word
    • It is as we are in the Word (and the Word in us) that we stand in the trials…
  • Until a more opportune time…
    • Satan would be back – the next time he would come to betray and crucify Jesus…
    • We overcome satan through God’s Word – but victory does not mean no more trials…
    • Trials in life are like storms – they come and go – but in Jesus we will never be moved!