Mark 1:12-13

Scripture

Mark 1:12–13 ESV

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

Introduction

The Christian life is built on the truth; our purpose in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The enemy wants nothing but to destroy this purpose within the life of a Christian.

The Christian depending on where they are with the Lord maybe not aware of the enemy's attack until it is much too late.

The three areas to which we will examine today within our passage is this:

A. The purpose of Jesus being tempted and why the temptation

B. Where the enemy will attack

C. The Christians defence of temptation

The Purpose of Jesus temptation

When we examine this passage we see the following; the Spirit of God drove Jesus into the wilderness.

Let’s dig into this; what do we know about the Spirit of God?

A. The spirit is God (the third person of the trinity) meaning he is sovereign, knows all things, and is fully aware that Jesus would face temptation in the wilderness

B..We know the Spirit of God convicts of the soul to avoid sin and for us who sin to repent of sin.

C. We know the spirit of God comforts.

How does knowing this point us to what is occuring to Jesus in this very passage?

It is not outside of the will of God for the Son of God to experience the temptations you and I will battle. In order for Jesus to fulfill the atonement for man’s sin, he needs to be perfect sacrifice one without sin. This aspect of Jesus ministry is proof that not only is Jesus without sin having faced the devil himself avoiding sin, but shows the power of God over sin and the enemy.

If Jesus did not experience the very temptations we face, we would fall. But because Jesus experienced the very temptations we will face we can look towards Christ to know we who are in Christ, who have His spirit can overcome temptations.

2. The temptation of Jesus was also the moment that Jesus first taught us to pray and be in the word. Notice how Jesus steps into this conflict with Satan. Through praying to His Father and through the word of God. Jesus enters the ministry of Priest being one who intercedes and gives the word.

3. The Spirit of God will comfort the Son of God through the wilderness. Just as much as the Spirit of God will comfort you in your battles.

Where the enemy will attack

Luke 4:3–4 ESV

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ”

First Temptation Inward Vs Christ focused

The first temptation looking to other things that will fulfill rather than looking to God.

This temptation is to be inward, self-seeking. Does XYZ serve me and what I want? How does it fulfill the hunger pains instead of placing my focus on the Lord.

This could be your career, your marriage, your church membership, your politics, etc.. it can become self-serving to fill a need that when death calls not only will you be forgotten in less than a generations time, your estate will be gone, or wasted within a generation, your church (unless built for the next generation with Jesus) will close and be a forgotten thing in history, and even our beloved nation will not be here in the next 200 years.

It never satisfies the soul, but only for a brief moment and the hunger pains will come again.

So why is this temptation dangerous? Because to fall victim to self-inward satisfactions is to make oneself great rather than glorifying God. it is to be in modern tongue a narcissist.

When true life only comes from a relationship with God whom we are to worship. Look inward or look towards Christ?

Luke 4:5–8 ESV

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”

The temptation to worship another

Satan wants nothing more than the glory of God, and He knows Christ is God. What is asking Christ is just give me your glory.

You are not god and the temptation to worship another. This temptation is often to worship self, to have a Kingdom of our own.

Christians are not immune to worship other “gods” or promote their own Kingdoms.

Growing up I can’t say I was ever part of a healthy church, I saw the backdoor meetings where Christians will fight over their will of the church and end of the day the church remains unhealthy or dies.

As a Pastor I have been the one fighting members of the call to live for Christ Kingdom. Yet at the same time battling my own flesh not build my own little Kingdom.

Christians are not immune to Kingdom battles, the result of man-centered, self worship kingdom battles is always death even if it is not a physical one.

When don’t seek Christ and His Kingdom, we have fallen for the temptation of Satan and His Kingdom.

Luke 1:9–12 ESV

according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

Temptation to test God or flirting with sin

The temptation to flirt with sin; God will forgive me just one more shot, one more overdose, one more dollar, one more argument, it’s just a little of this. God will forgive me.

A life of salvation produces a life of righteousness. God does not a redeem a soul to keep a soul in a state of sin. Tempting God is to flirt with sin. To fall to sin’s trap is to fall death in the physical and the spiritual.

Defense against temptation

If these are the temptations that will fall to man, how does a Christian fight these temptations?

A. You must worship the Lord. This sounds obvious but I tell you there are many who profess Church membership and on the day of judgement Christ will tell them I never knew you. How do you worship the Lord? You must know the Lord.

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Yes, I can spend the next countless hours speaking to you on how to know the Lord, but end of the day you must know the Lord and this is between you and God.

The enemy and your flesh is against God, you must turn to the Lord.

B. You must be in the word

This should go without saying, but there are many Christians who do feed on everything else the world has to offer accept the word of God. They lack a discipline to be in the word and so when hard things come or temptations and they will the Christian is quick to turn to self-worship and feed the idols within.

C. You must pray

J.C. Ryle in a Call to prayer ask this question

Christian do you pray?

J.C. Ryle links the evidence of a Christians prayer life to that of their salvation. Not stating that praying is for salvation but because prayer is that a relationship with God. A Christian who can’t pray or won’t pray ought to truly examine their soul if they are indeed saved.

Christian to overcome the flesh and the temptations that arise, you must pray in the good times, hard times, and war times. You must as Paul teaches Never cease praying.

Conclusion

Jesus stepped into the wilderness to be the one who identifies with man, overcoming temptation but showing us how it’s down, by pointing us to Himself, and leading us into the life that He offers.

Christian in Christ you can war against the flesh and the temptations of your flesh will be drawn out by the enemy. Let Christ be the one who atoned for your sin also be your righteousness who delivers you from the dominion of sin.

Jesus to to call His disciples *Headline next week* Mark 1:16-20

Next week we will be four weeks into Mark’s gospel and believe or not have not left chapter 1. Next week will we examine the call of the disciples.

Why Jesus called the disciples

What a disciple is

How this carries over to our life as Christians.