Back to Two

INTRO:

Let me remind you that what we have been looking at over the last couple of weeks, which was two events that took place in history (recorded in scripture).

Once they took place we were to never go back to the way it was before they happened.

The first one was “The Fall of Man.”

The second we have recently have been looking at was the Baptism of Christ and the Temptations.

Last week we looked at the 3 temptations Jesus faced out in the wilderness.

The Physical Nature

The Law of Nature

The Divine Nature

We read how Christ dealt with these temptations …..

He quoted scripture.

Jesus’ defense to the temptations of the enemy was “with the word of God.”

For all of us here this morning this should be good news.

There is not one person here, this morning, that will not face temptations in your life.

There might be someone here this morning who is facing a temptation in your life as I preach.

The good news is that we have been given an antidote for temptation: GOD’S WORD

For all you Marvel fans out there: It’s the Enemies Kryptonite.

Its the Antidote for temptation!

Definition of the word ANTIDOTE: something that relieves, prevents, or counteracts

God’s word can relieve us from temptation.

God’s word can prevent the temptation from coming to fruition.

God’s word can counteract the temptation.

Let’s re-read this pericope and be reminded of this antidote.

BODY:

Matthew 4:1–11 (ESV)

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Let’s take a look at these three temptations again.

First temptations: Matthew 4:3 “And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”” (Physical Nature)

Jesus’ antidote: Matthew 4:4 “But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””

This comes from the writings of Moses found in Deuteronomy 8:3 “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

Second Temptation: Matthew 4:5–6 “Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”” (Law of Nature)

Jesus’ antidote: Matthew 4:7 “Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ””

Deuteronomy 6:16–17 ““You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you.”

Third Temptation: Matthew 4:8–9 “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”” (Divine Nature)

Jesus’ antidote: Matthew 4:10–11 “Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

Deuteronomy 6:13–15 “It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.”

So what we read is Christ using The Word of God to relieve, prevent, and counteract the temptations of the enemy.

My question for us today is, “What would we call these antidotes?”

I know the obvious answer is “We call them the word of God”

Yes but what type? ……… They are commandments ……. from God himself.

Let me show you what I mean ……

Matthew 4:4 “But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””

Matthew 4:7 “Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ””

Matthew 4:10 “Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ””

Let’s look a little deeper into the understanding of “Commandments”

I think for most of us we understand the idea behind commandments: something that is commanded.

So what does “commanded” mean: to direct authoritatively : ORDER

Let me show you something I think will help us understand this more clearly:

Lets go back to Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””

THIS IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT FOR ADAM AND EVE.

Now jump to Genesis 2:16–17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.””

THIS IS THE SECOND COMMANDMENT FOR ADAM AND EVE.

Here is the first two commandments, let’s take a look at the THIRD commandment ……..

Oh wait, there is no more!

For Adam and Eve, there was only two commandments:

…… Have sex

…… and don’t eat of the ONE tree that is in the middle of the garden. (Genesis 2:9 “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

God says to not eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17)

Now stay with me ……

Fast forward to after sin entered into the world.

Commandments go from 2 to 10

When God gave commandments to Israel through Moses, these commandments were known as the Law. 

Over the next couple of thousands of years we see an accumulation of over 660 laws (Commandments)

This blew my mind when I started looking at this. (I know: small explosion)

Now, let’s go to the period of time when Jesus enters the scene (His Baptism and start of His ministry).

Let’s look at Matthew 22:35–40 “And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

Basically what Jesus said was,”You can take all 660+ commandments and wrap them up in to Two.”

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

John 14:15 ““If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

You cannot say, “I love the Lord” while not keeping His commandments.

The biblical truth is that sin is found in the flesh, forbidden in the law and overcome in the Savior.

The fact that flesh loves sin doesn’t make sin lovable.

As a believer you cannot have a secret love of sin and authentic love of Christ.

The Puritan Thomas Watson said, “Christ is never loved until sin is loathed.”