The Temptations of Jesus Christ

Introduction: Temptations are very real! Have you faced any temptations recently? We all have, right? According to George Barna men and women admit to being tempted by the same things at about the same levels. There are, however, a few temptations that seem to affect men and women differently. It’s also notable that – with only a few exceptions – women are more likely to admit to feeling tempted. Here are some of the differences:

· 28% of men and only 8% of women are viewing pornography or sexually inappropriate content online.

· 22% of men and 29% of women are gossiping or saying mean things about others.

· 50% of men and 68% of women are worrying or being anxious.

· 52% of men and 58% of women are eating too much.

· 42% of men and 40% of women ate being lazy or not working as hard as they should be.

· 60% of men and 61% of women are procrastinating or putting things off.

· 11% of men and 12% of women are lying or cheating.

· 43% of men and 44% of women are spending too much time on media.

· 10% of men and 8% of women are doing something sexually inappropriate with someone else. (Todd Hunter, Our Favorite Sins).

Temptations are very real, and no one is exempt from them. As we approach our text, we discover that Jesus also faced temptations, and I want us to look at them together. We need to understand that Jesus was tempted in every way that you and I are tempted, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Being tempted is not sinful, but sin happens when we yield in disobedience to a temptation. When we give into temptation it becomes sin.

In his book Exalting Jesus in Matthew, David Platt points out six realities found here in Matthew 4:1-11. What are they? He states:

1. There is a spiritual world.

2. We are involved in a spiritual war.

3. Our enemy in this spiritual war is formidable – 1 Peter 5:8

4. The stakes in this spiritual war are eternal – heaven and hell hang in balance with this war.

5. The scope of this spiritual war is universal – it’s global in its scope.

6. Our involvement in this spiritual war is personal – you and I face temptation right where we are. We may not even know it.

I would like to add a seventh to David Platt’s list.

7. Knowing and using Scripture at the right time secures victory over temptations.

Now, let’s look at the temptations that Jesus faced.

I. First Temptation – Turn stones into Bread – Matthew 4:1-4

1 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.” 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.’ ”

Who led Jesus into the wilderness?The Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit that alighted upon Him at His baptism back in Matthew 3:13-17.

In 1994 when Debbie and I were in Israel we saw the area where Jesus was tempted. It was a dry barren wasteland. It was a rocky mountainous area west of the ruins of Jericho. It was plain ugly!

What happened in the wilderness? The devil tempted Jesus.

The Greek word for “tempted” carries with it two ideas:

1. To try, to make proof.

2. To entice, solicit, and provoke to sin.

How long was Jesus in the wilderness?40 days and 40 nights.

We read that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. What a feat! I’ve fasted but never for 40 days. We read back in Exodus 34:28 that Moses fasted 40 days on Mount Sinai while receiving the Ten Commandments.

Where do we see Jesus’ humanity in these verses? In verse 2 we read,

Afterward, He was hungry

It was when Jesus was hungry that the devil showed up. Oftentimes, it is in our moment of perceived need that we face our greatest temptations.

· Hungry – tempted to overeat.

· Lonely – tempted to use people.

· Depressed – tempted to numb the present with drugs.

· Envious – tempted to use credit cards.

· Insecure – tempted to put on a mask.

The Tempter Shows Up

I want us to notice that there are three names given in this passage of Scripture for our enemy. In verse 1, he is called, the devil. In verse 2, he is called the tempter. In verse 10, Jesus called him, Satan. Look at what our enemy said to Jesus in verse 3,

“If you are the son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

The tempter sought to get Jesus to doubt His sonship with the Father. He is saying to Jesus, where is your Father? Why hasn’t He shown up? You’re hungry! The tempter was seeking to get Jesus to gratify His flesh. Turn these stones into bread. Feed yourself immediately! What the tempter was saying to Jesus was the same thing he said to Eve in Genesis 3. God is holding out on you. If God loved you, He would meet your fleshly need for food. He wouldn’t leave you hungry.

How does Jesus handle this temptation? Jesus quoted Scripture. He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3,

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.”

Get this - Bread is NOT more important than OBEDIENCE to the will of God. Jesus knew this! And it is something that you and I must learn and put into practice if we are going to overcome the barrage of temptations that the enemy will bring into our lives.

Many times, we seek to gratify ourselves outside of the will of God. David Platt says, “Jesus trusted the all-satisfying, all-sufficient goodness of His Father.”

II. Second Temptation – Cast Yourself down from the Pinnacle - 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.’ ”

This second temptation centers on the Father’s love for His Son. This temptation took place in the holy city of Jerusalem. It took place on the pinnacle of the temple. Some 500 feet above the Kidron Valley. At this height, Jesus was able to see the entire city.

Here was the temptation from the devil. He said to Jesus,

“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.”

The American Standard Bible reads,

Cast thyself down

The New Living Translation reads,

Jump off!

The tempter was encouraging Jesus to be a “jumper” to prove just how much He was loved by His Father.

Are you aware that the tempter quoted Scripture here? He quoted Psalm 91:11-12, which is a song about God’s protection, and he tempts Jesus to prove that God will be faithful to Him as His Son. Look at the rest of verse 6,

“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.’”

Satan wanted Jesus to cast Himself down to see if His Father would protect Him. Test God’s love for you.

By the way, you need to know that the devil not only took Psalm 91:11-12 out of context but that he intentionally left a portion of the verse out. Here is the part the devil left out. Listen carefully to these words,

Psalm 91:11-12 - For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

The portion that the devil left out was,

To keep you in all your ways.

Jesus didn’t have to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple because He fully rested in His Father’s unshakeable faithfulness.

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 where we read,

“Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.” (Massah means, more water – Exodus 17:7).

Jesus knew that He didn’t need to test (prove) His Father. He knew that His Father would in fact keep Him in all His ways. That’s how Jesus found victory over this temptation, and it will be how you and I will find victory as well. Don’t test God, but trust God.

I love these words in a favorite children’s song,

Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.

What is the third temptation that Jesus faced?

III. Third Temptation – Kingdoms of the World – Matthew 4:8-11

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 Lordyour God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

This final temptation is one of self-exaltation. You deserve better, bigger, and greater things! You should have everything now! Why wait?

The tempter took Jesus to an exceedingly high mountain. We are not told the name of the mountain. The devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of this world. He offered them all to Jesus in exchange for his worship. The devil wanted Jesus to bow down before him. Bowing down was a common posture of respect and submission. He knew what he was asking Jesus to do. The devil wanted what only belongs to God.

Important Note: The kingdoms of the world were not the devils to give. One author I was reading said, “The invalidity of the temptation is almost laughable. Satan, though the god of this world, is never depicted in Scripture as actually controlling or possessing any real power over kingdoms of the world. While he may influence a king or a group of kingdoms. God is always depicted as being on the throne, over the earth which is his footstool. That Satan, the usurper, would attempt to give the kingdoms of this world to Jesus, the Messiah, the rightful King is the height of absurdity!” (Liberty Commentary on the New Testament).

Jesus said,

“Away with you, Satan.” (Satan in Greek means, adversary).

I like what one author I was reading wrote, “Here we see that Jesus resisted the devil and asserted His lordship over the old serpent whose head He will soon crush. (Ephesians 6:11, 13, 14; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9).”

Next, Jesus quoted Scripture for a third time. We read,

“For it is written. “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

Bible teachers believe that Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6:13,

The CSB reads,

Fear the Lord your God, worship him, and take your oaths in his name.

The ESV reads,

It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

Dr. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Satan had said nothing about service, but Jesus knew that whatever we worship, we will serve. Worship and service must go together.”

Jesus understood who was to have first place in His life – His Father. Jesus also knew that Scripture taught that we are to worship God alone and nothing else (Deuteronomy 6:13,15).

In the book of Revelation, we have the Apostle John falling at the feet of an angel to worship him. The angel spoke to John, and said,

“See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” (Revelation 22:9).

Far too many times we yield to temptations going after THINGS (non-important THINGS) while neglecting the most important thing, our walk, and relationship with God. We must not do that!

Russell Moore wrote, “Jesus refused to exchange the end-time exaltation by the Father for a right now exaltation of a snake. (Moore, Tempted and Tried, 131).

Conclusion: Temptations (to sin) will come, it's only a matter of when. Will we succumb to the evils that the tempter brings across our path, or will we, like Jesus, quote Scripture and keep our eyes on our heavenly Father? We do not have to live defeated lives. The VICTORY belongs to us who are in Jesus Christ.

In closing let me remind us of a few things:

1. The devil, tempter, or Satan is real – he is a fallen angel.

2. We are in a spiritual war – the battleground is here.

3. Scripture is true and powerful – use it in your daily battle.

4. Jesus was victorious over His temptation for two reasons: He knew the Word and He looked to His Father.

5. Jesus provides a way for us to overcome our temptations. Follow His example.

6. Don’t give in to the temporary forsaking the eternal.