Jesus Temptation in the Wilderness

Recap

We have started in our series through Matthew called “The King and His Kingdom”. Currently we are seeing the kingdom inauguration, the beginning of Jesus ministry as Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist and the Father and the Spirit come down and the Father tells Jesus “this is my Son in whom I am well pleased”. And so with that event we see that Jesus has been “inaugurated” by His Father into His calling.

After any inauguration, after any start of something new there is the phase of excitement, of enjoying the newness and the thoughts of what great thinks are to come. Any of you who have started a new job know this feeling. When you start out it is “I like the people”, “I think I can catch on”, “my manager seems flexible with my schedule”. But how quick does it change to “I hate this job”, “my manager is the worst”, “everyone else does things the wrong way and I do things the right way”.

Doesn’t this reflect often what it is like to be a Christian? We have these mountain top moments that eventually run down into the valley where we lose that initial passion. In C.S. Lewis book “the Screwtape Letters” he writes a fictional account about a demon whose goal it is to turn away this Christian away from Christianity, and his uncle gives him these “letters” of advice. And in one section of the book the uncle says this in regards to temptations and pleasures. “In a week or two you will be making him doubt whether the first days of his Christianity were not, perhaps, a little excessive. Talk to him about ‘moderation in all things’. If you can get him to the point of thinking that ‘religion is all very well up to a point’, you can feel quite happy about his soul. A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all - and more amusing. Another possibility is that of direct attack on his faith. When you have caused him to assume that the trough is permanent, can you not persuade him that ‘his religious phase’ is just going to die away like all his previous phases?…You see the idea? Keep his mind off the plain antithesis between True and False.”

You see the temptation here? Get the believer to have a “moderated religion” and to confuse what is true and false.” The temptations are as just as much about getting us to nullify our faith as it is about the actual sin that we act upon. To bring confusion to our purpose as a believer and to lull us into a moderated religion which is no religion at all. To make us think “this is too hard” or “I don’t think I need to do that part”.

We see that right after Jesus baptism the Father brings Jesus to be tempted. He had this incredible moment with His Father where His calling is confirmed. At this moment, just like us, it could be easy to be complacent and to believe you have “made it” and to fall into a moderated religion. But the Father was purposing for Jesus to prove his Sonship here while the devil would seek to lead just to his own purpose. Today we are going to look at Jesus temptation in the wilderness and as we look at these temptations we are going to see three ways Jesus is tempted and how that relates to the ways we are tempted as well. how in our walking with God we are tempted to:

1. To ignore God’s sufficiency - “I can do it on my own”

2. To believe in God’s omnipotence but reject His sovereignty - “I know better than God what is good for me”‌

3. To reject God as the only true God - “God is meant to serve me”

And behind these we see that Jesus is being tempted to ignore God’s mission, as God’s Son, for His own desires. We as well are tempted to ignore God’s mission for our lives, as God’s sons and daughters, for our own desires.

But there are a few things I want to say about temptation before we get into this passage.

If Jesus is tempted than it cannot be a sin for us to be tempted.

Something we may believe is that to struggle with temptation means that we have already sinned. But what Jesus reveals to us is that the temptation by itself is not a sin, but the action or thought that comes when we are tempted that can be a sin.

God allows for us to be tempted, God does not tempt us himself.

God is never directly responsible for evil, but He does allow for us to be tempted and tested. But this is always in the context of us overcoming.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.”

But God disciplines those He loves and brings us through trials of various kinds for our own spiritual growth.

And so as we read what we must keep in mind is that God is bringing Jesus to be tempted for a purpose, to see what type of son Jesus will be.

To ignore God’s sufficiency - “I can do it on my own”

It says that the devil “approached” Jesus, he came swiftly upon him. Like that little thought that pops in your head and you don’t know where it comes from. But now you are thinking about something you weren’t thinking about before. We will see that in these temptations, because the devil takes the temptation stemming from Jesus hunger and leads him all the way to rejecting the call that God had given him by bowing down to the devil and receiving an earthly kingdom. That is how these temptations often get in our head.

And what the devil tempts Jesus with is to satisfy His hunger by His own power. To believe that what God is not sufficient to sustain Him. It is the forbidden fruit all over again, it is the Israelites in the wilderness wining for food. They are tempted to believe they can do it on their own.

But what the devil is temping Jesus to do is to confirm something that is already true of Jesus. That is why the devil says “IF you are the Son of God”. This is not to cause Jesus to question His identity as Son but to push Jesus to exploit his position as Son, to use that position as Son to satisfy His own needs and to perform from His authority the way any of us might use that authority. To make Him say “well, I am hungry aren’t I? And don’t I have the power to satisfy my own hunger? Isn’t this why I have been given this power?

-Jesus would have the ability to use this power later when He multiplies the bread and the loaves. So what is the difference? One was to satisfy His own need, the other was for others to see the Father through how He satisfied theirs.

-We often see anything that would benefit us as a “miracle”. If it makes our lives easier, if it “feels” right, if we have the capability, then it must be good. We interpret capability for plausibility that God has told us to do it. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve thought. “We will be like God!” But unlike the first Adam, we see that the second Adam refuses the forbidden food.

-Or we try and change God’s plan to fit our own. we think “God doesn’t really want things to be difficult for me”, so we compromise because just this one time you think God will be okay with your compromise.

But Jesus see’s through the lies of the devil and He uses scripture to defend against this attack. He uses a scripture reminding us of the Israelites failure to trust God to sustain them to recognize what He must put first. To not jeopardize His mission for personal satisfaction. It means He must trust His father even in the midst of his hunger. To not change the plan.

What Jesus brings is back to that man must live by “every word that comes from the mouth of God.” To listen to God’s Word and to trust Him is to trust that God can sustain you, that true life comes from His Word. To put the spiritual need over the physical need. God is the one we put our trust in, not ourselves.

To believe in God’s omnipotence but reject His sovereignty - “God is meant to serve me”

Then the devil brings Jesus to the top of the temple and uses Scripture to try and prove that Jesus can throw himself off from this large height and be saved.

-In the first temptation we see that Jesus needed to believe that what His Father had given Him is sufficient, but now the devil tempts him through this very idea. Because God is sufficient for His needs, won’t He save you from danger? He wants Jesus to believe that it is his Father’s job to serve Him rather than for Him to serve His Father’s. To put what He wants over what His Father wants.

-It is also a desire to “test” God, to create a dangerous situation in which you can see if God really cares for you or not. To dictate the in which the Father acts on His behalf.

This is the temptation of the prosperity Gospel. To use our wealth and prosperity as a barometer for our salvation. To prove our salvation by how many times God intercedes on our behalf. to hide our risky and rash decisions under the guise of trust in God. Calling it a leap of faith but the question is, who and what are we leaping for?

-We should not use God’s grace as a crutch when we choose to make the wrong choice.

-We should not also believe that just because God doesn’t save us that it means He doesn’t care for us! Otherwise no one would suffer for the cause of Christ, no one would face disciple and trials. But as we see in Jesus that isn’t what God calls us to.

So after this temptation Jesus uses Scripture, again from Deuteronomy, where Moses tells the Israelites not to test the Lord their.

Notice Jesus mastery of Scripture, He doesn’t just know Scripture but He knows it within its context and its interpretation. He doesn’t pick and choose what Scripture He will use, He doesn’t use the Bible to justify His own desires. Rather, He hides God’s Word in His heart.

To reject God as the only true God - “God is not worthy of my worship”

The devil shows Jesu all the kingdoms of the world and tells Jesus that He can have it all if He just bows down to him.

-What the devil shows Jesus is what one day Jesus will rule and reign over.

-But notice how the devil frames it, he shows him the “splendor” of all these kingdoms. He ignores the corruption, the violence, the suffering that goes in people’s lives.

-But what the devil is offering to Jesus is to have His own kingdom while rejecting the way His Father has told Him that it will occur. All Jesus needs to do is serve the devil.

Aren’t we tempted in the same way? To say “the ends justify the means”, to believe that as long as we have good intentions then it doesn’t matter how we get there. To take a godly purpose and to compromise and use wordly ways in order to achieve that purpose.

But this is exactly what Jesus will warn us about later.

Matthew 16:26 “For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?”

When we give allegiance to anything or anyone other than God than we are seeking to attain the kingdom in a way that is separate from God and in doing so we build on our kingdom in our own image.

When we give allegiance to anything or anyone other than God than we are seeking to attain the kingdom in a way that is separate from God and in doing so we build on our kingdom in our own image. W

-The devil can offer us quick success

-I just need to win the lottery and I will be set!

-We can have a life without sacrifice and filled only with enjoyment…but not take up the cross and follow God

-This is the draw to adultery and to pornography. Pleasure without commitment or sacrifice.

-We can busy and have activity after activity going on in our life…but never have a relationship with God.

-We say we are “too busy” for church or for prayer and reading of Scripture because we are unwilling to sacrifice something else in our lives.

We see that Jesus emphatically argues against the devil on this one. Jesus says He serves His Father alone.

-Jesus knows what the devil offers is a false kingdom, a hollow glory. Something that looks great on the outside but on the inside is rotting away.

-What His Father offers is eternal, it does not pass away, its glory will never fade.

-Jesus also knows that only His Father is sovereign over all things, the devil only has the authority given to Him by His Father.

And so after Jesus is able to defend against all these temptations the devil leaves him. And we see that the angels come and serve all His needs. The things that Jesus was longing for were soon given to Him! The devil wanted Him to call on the angels illegitimately but now they are given to Him without asking.

-If we are willing to struggle through temptation the Lord will give us what we need.

Now these doesn’t mean that after these Jesus was never tempted again, in fact we know that HE will be, but the devil will look for the right opportunity.

-This is why we must be prepared time and time again, to trust on the Lord at all times.

-I love that song, “Every hour I need you. My one defense, my righteousness. Oh God, how I need you...So teach my song to rise to You When temptation comes my way And when I cannot stand, I'll fall on You Jesus, You're my hope and stay”

Jesus is our example of faithfulness in temptation.

But why did Jesus have to be tempted? What was the purpose of His temptation?

Well as we read the beginning of this story we already get a glimpse of what Matthew is trying to reveal to us.

We see that Jesus is “led up” by the Spirit to be tempted for 40 days and 40 nights.

To be “led up” to temptation is a theme we see throughout the Bible.

Abraham was “led up” to be tested by God by offering up His Son on the altar. Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed God could raise his son from the dead. But it also included Isaac trusting his Father who was leading him to be sacrificed. And here we see that the Father is offering His Son to be tested by the devil, reminding us that one day the Father will send Jesus up the mountain to be sacrificed and then raised from the dead.

Moses was also led up the mountain to fast for 40 days and 40 nights when God gave Him the 10 commandments, and what we will see is that after this experience Jesus will give the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus will give His form of commands to His disciples.

Noah was on the ark for 40 days and 40 nights, where afterwards his families was brought into a new life after he trusted God.

And of course it reminds us of the Israelites who, after their baptism through the Red Sea (like Jesus baptism) were in the wilderness for 40 years. In fact, Jesus points to the temptations they faced in quoting from Deuteronomy in each of the temptations. The Israelites complained about being hungry and complained to God to give them food, God would miraculously give them manna and water from the rock.

The Israelites frequently put themselves in dangerous positions where they expected that God would save them from their stupidity.

The Israelites were given the kingdoms of the world by God and they chose to promote their own king rather than to enjoy God as their king. They wanted to be like everyone else.

Paul even points us to this!

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 “Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did. Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party. Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died. Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. These things happened to them as examples and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages, have come.  So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.

What Paul tells us that the experience of Jesus came to that He could be our “rock”. As our example of faithfulness and obedience in temptation where others have fallen short or to complete that which others have started.

Hebrews 2:17-18 tell us. “Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.”

Also what Hebrews 4:15 tells us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.”

The temptation that Jesus experienced was even more than what we experience. I mean, all of us know the temptation of the unknown. We have never done it before so we want to know what it is like, we want to experience it. Now consider going 30 years without sinning a single time. That temptation only grows stronger. And then go 40 days without eating and then be tempted to make fresh, delicious bread with the snap of your fingers. I’ve always said I know Jesus was tempted in every way because He was Jewish so he couldn’t have bacon! That is a real temptation.

Also, Jesus was not tempted by any old demon like we are. Jesus was tempted by the father of lies.

So as we look at these temptations we can be confident that Jesus sympathizes with our temptation but also helps us in our temptation.

Takeaways

Use Scripture like medicine

-I have seen what some of you mom’s have in your purses. You are ready for any situation!

Don’t take temptation on alone

Use prayer, worship, and Christian community to set your heart on God