Overcoming Temptation to Deliver Grace

Good morning!

Thanks to the team for leading us in worship this morning.

Today we are going to take our time to pause and reflect on what we have learned so far.

Our stated goal in this study is to look at the Person and Mission of Jesus so that we can know Him and make Him known.

What are some things you have learned about God during our study of Luke?

How have you shared some of those things?

Before we move into this next major section of Luke’s gospel, I want us to think about what we just learned about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

How has this gospel shaped our understanding of who God is and who we are in relation to God?

If we were going to melt it down into just a few phrases, it would start with something like:

God created man to live in this world God created and to live with God.

Man failed at being what God created him to be.

So God put a plan in motion to show the world who He is by making covenants with Israel.

Israel failed in the same way that Adam and Eve failed.

But God was sending someone into the world that would not fail.

We spent a lot of time talking about the birth narrative of this Jesus and all that God did to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

This portion of Luke ends in chapter three when we see Jesus baptized, and the Holy Spirit descends on Him like a dove as God announces that Jesus is His son and he is well pleased with Him.

Jesus is led immediately into the wilderness to engage in battle with the enemy, that caused all this, to begin with, way back with Adam and Eve.

When Matt Whitman was covering this section in his podcast, he kept pointing back to Hebrews 4:12.

Hebrews 4:12 CSB

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

God has given us His word, this story of who we are, so that we can know Him.

He wants us to see the struggles made by past generations so that we can learn from them.

Deuteronomy 6:1–3 CSB

1 “This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. 2 Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all his statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life. 3 Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey.

Our battle plan for fighting temptation is oneness with God.

How do we achieve oneness with God, or how do we abide in Him?

We abide by obeying His commands.

Disobedience is what led the mess of sin, and it is through Jesus’ obedience that we experience salvation.

In each of the three temptations that Jesus faced how did he deal with them?

He pointed back to scripture.

Specifically to Deuteronomy to the following passages in order to remind all people of God’s character.

Jesus reminded himself and the devil who God is, what He has done, and what He has said.

Temptation #1: Luke 4:3

Luke 4:3 CSB

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

Jesus responds by quoting from Deut 8.3.

Deuteronomy 8:3 CSB

3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Temptation #2: Luke 4:7

Luke 4:7 CSB

7 If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours.”

Jesus responds with Deut 6.5.

Deuteronomy 6:5 CSB

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Temptation #3: Luke 4.9

Luke 4:9 CSB

9 So he took him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.

Jesus responds with Deut 6.16.

Deuteronomy 6:16 CSB

16 Do not test the Lord your God as you tested him at Massah.

Every time Jesus is tempted, He defaults to God’s word.

Now, there are several ways we can respond to this information.

With arrogance, we can think, “These aren’t that hard; Jesus did it, and so can I.”

We can respond with total depravity and think, “There is no way I could even hope to go through life and not fall into temptation.”

Or we could respond with honesty and think, “I don’t want to fall into temptation, but my track record so far isn’t great.”

I believe that Luke, but more importantly, Jesus wants us to choose option three.

The point of Jesus’ temptation isn’t to give us a road map so that we can try to win this fight on our own.

Nor is it for us to walk away feeling defeated.

The point of this temptation is to show us that Jesus is the promised one.

He passed the test that every other human before Him had failed.

This brings us to what God wants this body to understand about Him and to be able to share about Him.

The grace of God covers all our sins.

Let’s jump back to our examination of what God did for Israel in Egypt; specifically, let’s look at the last miracle that God performed to convince Pharoah to let Israel go.

Exodus 12:5–6 CSB

5 You must have an unblemished animal, a year-old male; you may take it from either the sheep or the goats. 6 You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.

Exodus 12:12–13 CSB

12 “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I am the Lord; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. 13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

When you hear people talk about the blood of Jesus covering, this is what they are referring to.

This moment was a foreshadowing of what God would eventually do through Jesus to cover the sins of all people.

Jesus would be that unblemished lamb whose blood would protect all people from God’s Holy and just wrath.

What is one of your favorite songs about grace, and how does it communicate the beauty of what God has done through Jesus?

As we think and talk about this temptation moment in the life of Jesus, we are witnessing the proving grounds of the Messiah.

Through this testing, Jesus is showing that He is the unblemished, spotless lamb.

It is because of his sinlessness that we are able to be saved from God’s just wrath.

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul spends a lot of time unfolding this truth to the church.

Paul begins by identifying the problem, which is sin. Romans 5:12

Romans 5:12 CSB

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.

The result of Adam’s sin was all people being born into sin and living under the consequences of those sins.

All of the suffering and hardship that we read about in the Old Testament, New Testament, and historical documents leading up to today are the results of sin in a fallen world.

But just like sin entered the world through one man, sin was defeated by one man.

Paul goes on to say a few verses later in Romans 5:15-21.

Romans 5:15–21 CSB

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. 16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. 17 If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In your own words, what is grace?

What impact has God’s grace had on your life?

How comfortable are you with talking to others about grace?

If you aren’t comfortable, what makes it feel that way?

God sent Jesus to deal with the sin once and for all.

In the temptation narrative, we see Jesus facing it head-on.

Not only does Jesus pass the test, but He also shows us that through God, we, too, can overcome temptation.

When we face sin, we should not approach it with arrogance or with depravity but with hope.

Not in our ability to overcome, but that through Jesus, the sin has been defeated.

Paul asks the question that so many who discover God’s grace ask. Romans 6.1.

Romans 6:1 CSB

1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?

I don’t remember who said it, but it has been said that if we teach grace properly, our churches will be empty because people will realize that they are not required to be there.

The truth of grace is that it covers all our sins.

We are no longer bound by the law.

We are no longer bound by requirements, either spiritual or human.

Christ has met those requirements and fulfilled those laws on our behalf.

But, the result of a true understanding of that grace will draw people in, not because they are required, but because they want to be here.

Romans 6:2 CSB

2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

You have heard me say and Glen say, if God has not called you to our church, go somewhere else, and the sentiment behind that is that we want you to be where God wants you to be.

If someone is here at this church or any other church for any reason other than a desire to abide in Christ where He wants them, they are living under the law still.

This is what Paul is addressing in verse 2.

If we have truly died to sin, there will be no desire in us to continue in sin.

Does this mean that there will be no temptation or no failure when we are tempted?

No.

But what it does mean is that if we fail, it will matter to us.

There will be remorse and sorrow for our failure.

But there will also be forgiveness.

Paul elaborates on this more in Romans 8.1-4.

Romans 8:1–4 CSB

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Christ has done all that is required by the law on our behalf.

In what way does the knowledge that Jesus fulfilled the law on your behalf change your view of yourself?

How does it change your view of God?

Not only did he face the same temptations that we face and overcome them.

He ultimately died, taking the wrath of God on himself so that we did not have to endure it.

This is why Paul says that there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ.

“In Christ Jesus” means that we are in a relationship with him.

To use some evangelistic language, we have been saved.

Simply put, we have heard the truth that sin entered the world through one man and affected all people, including yourself.

You recognize your sin and your need for redemption.

You believe that Jesus is the son of God and that he lived a perfect life on your behalf, died in your place, was raised from the dead, and ascended back to heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God.

When we receive salvation, it changes our nature. Romans 8:31-35

Romans 8:31–35 CSB

31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

When we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, there is nothing that can separate us from Him.

Temptation will come, but a follower of Christ will no longer desire to succumb to that temptation.

But even if our flesh is weak, God will forgive us because of what Jesus has done for us.

There is a profound difference between knowing about God’s grace and living under that grace.

Many have sat in church and heard messages on God’s grace but never really experienced the freedom that comes when a person really understands it.

Bethany was telling me this week that she learned something new about the circle of fifths.

If you aren’t familiar with that, it is part of musical theory.

You may or may not know this, but when I met her in college, she was a vocal performance major.

She started playing the piano at the age of three and spent her whole life studying and practicing music.

When she was in college she took a theory class where she was taught the circle of fifths, but it was taught in a way that felt very “math-like”.

In other words, she was given the information and had to just memorize it.

Fast forward twenty years and she saw a video this week where someone explained the circle of fifths by playing it on a piano.

All of the sudden, this information that she learned so long ago finally clicked in with all the other things she knew about music theory.

The information had always been there, but the application of that information was never taught.

This is where so many people that attend church their whole lives find themselves.

The information about God’s grace is in their brains, but it has never made it out into real-life application.

Do you feel like your understanding of Grace has made it from knowledge to daily application? Explain.

Do you feel like there are any “roadblocks” preventing you from fully embracing grace?

If so, how can our life group help and pray for you?

When we read the temptation story of Jesus, it is so easy to look at that, see it as a road map, and think, okay, “I must do better.”

And yes, the goal is to not fall into temptation, but the problem with thinking that way is that we still believe we have any power over temptation.

We still live in the flesh, and the Bible is pretty clear that the flesh will fail every time.

Our bodies and minds are weak, but Jesus handled it for us.

The information about who Jesus is and what he came to do is in our heads, but we have to let that knowledge move beyond information and into daily application.

I wanted to take this extra time today to walk through this because I don’t want us to fall into the trap of thinking that we can do it if we try harder.

It’s the same trap that the enemy has been setting for humankind since creation.

He feeds us part of the truth, just enough to be convincing, but then twists God’s words to draw us away from Him.

God created us to know Him.

He gave us the ability to choose to follow Him or not.

Adam and Eve choose for us all, and they choose wrongly.

But Jesus came and defeated sin and death so that we could be redeemed.

Not when we die but while we live on earth and into eternity.

Don’t waste your life trying to achieve perfection in your own power.

Jesus has already fulfilled the law on your behalf.

Live in the freedom that Jesus has provided for you by living in an abiding relationship.

When that freedom is threatened by the lies of the enemy, go back to the word of God and be reminded of the whole truth.

Jesus loves you and died so that you could live in the relationship that God created you to have.

Let’s pray.

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