The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus: A Journey of Obedience and Victory
Notes
Transcript
Opening Passage
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.
14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Introduction
Introduction
Good evening, Bikers Church. Today, we are going to explore one of the most pivotal passages in the Gospel of Matthew—Matthew 3:13 to 4:11. This passage reveals two key moments in Jesus’ life: His baptism and His temptation in the wilderness. Both events offer deep lessons about obedience, identity, and spiritual victory.
The Baptism of Jesus
The Baptism of Jesus
We begin with the baptism of Jesus. Matthew 3:13-17 says:
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.
14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
In this passage, we see a striking moment. John the Baptist, who had been calling people to repentance and baptizing them for the forgiveness of sins, now encounters Jesus, the sinless Son of God. John is shocked—why would Jesus, the sinless one, need baptism? John understands that baptism is for sinners, for those who need to repent. But Jesus responds, "It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires."
Here, we see Jesus’ deep obedience to God the Father. Jesus was not baptized because He had sinned but to identify fully with humanity. He was willing to humble Himself, entering into the waters of baptism as a sign of solidarity with the people He came to save. He didn’t need baptism to be made right with God—He already was. But He did it to fulfill the Father’s will, to show His total submission to God's plan of salvation.
In this act, Jesus teaches us an important lesson about obedience. Sometimes, God's will in our lives might not make sense to us at first. But as we see with Jesus, it’s through obedience, even when we don’t fully understand, that we fulfill God’s purpose for us. Jesus’ obedience in this moment set the stage for everything that was to come—His ministry, His death, and His resurrection.
Let me ask you, brothers and sisters: is there an area in your life where you need to step out in obedience, even when it doesn’t make sense? Are you willing to trust God's plan, even when the path ahead is unclear?
As Jesus was obedient to His Father, we too are called to follow His example.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Voice of the Father
The Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Voice of the Father
As Jesus is baptized, something incredible happens. In Matthew 3:16-17, we read:
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
The Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father speaks audibly, affirming Jesus’ identity. This moment is a public declaration of who Jesus is: He is the Son of God, the beloved One, and the one in whom the Father is well-pleased.
The message is clear: Jesus' identity as the Son of God is established publicly. This is not only a personal affirmation for Jesus but a divine declaration for all who were watching.
This is one of the many times we see OT prophecy fulfilled by Jesus. The spirit descending on Jesus is the fulfillment of Isa 11:1-2
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
and Isa 42:1
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
For us today, this moment reminds us of the importance of knowing who we are in Christ. Jesus’ baptism is a public declaration of His identity, and in the same way, our identity in Christ is vital to our spiritual journey. It is in knowing who we are in Christ that we find the strength to stand firm against trials and temptations. Which leads us right into the next section of our main passage.
The Temptation of Jesus
The Temptation of Jesus
After Jesus’ baptism the scene shifts to the wilderness, where Jesus is led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. In Matthew 4:1-3, we read:
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Here, Jesus faces the first of three temptations. Satan comes to Him at His weakest moment—after a 40-day fast. The first temptation is aimed at His physical hunger. Satan challenges Jesus, saying, "If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread."
The first temptation is about provision. Satan tries to get Jesus to doubt God’s care for Him and to take matters into His own hands. Jesus responds in Matthew 4:4
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus shows us that our deepest need is not physical sustenance but spiritual nourishment. God’s Word is what truly satisfies us. In moments of temptation, it’s crucial to cling to God's promises and rely on His Word to sustain us.
This is why I am always imploring us all to be in The Word on a regular basis. Daily if possible. Not in a check-the-box, legalistic way but in a way that it is a joy to read God’s Word. We should come to the Word every day with an open heart and mind to hear what God is trying to tell us each time we read.
Having the Word in our hearts is the most important thing we can do to combat temptation. Make no mistake, there will be temptation. Even Jesus was tempted. What makes any of us think we would be exempt? This is why when Jesus teaches us how to pray in Mt 6 and Lk 11 he mentions we should ask God to not let us yield to temptation. Personally, I prefer the Mt 6 version which I prayed out loud every morning for the last several weeks as part of the SoulCon Challenge.
In fact, these verses here in Matthew 4:1-4 alludes to two points in the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s read that prayer together.
9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
Check out verse 11. In most translations it says, “give us this day our daily bread.” I like the daily bread wording because I believe it has a double meaning. First, there is the obvious meaning we get in the New Living Translation, “Give us today, the food we need.” This speaks directly to the daily needs that God provides. Secondly, I like the daily bread wording because I believe we can see it as the bread being God’s Word which we need to take in daily. If we get into God’s Word daily, he will reveal to us knowledge, truth, and wisdom. All of which increase our faith to help us not yield to temptation.
Resisting temptation is not easy, however. A lot of times we think of temptation as coming when we are at our weakest which is why we have a tendency to give in so often. This is not the case. Temptation can always come at any point in our lives no matter how good or bad of a spot we are in at the time. Take a look at the circumstances when Jesus was tempted:
• He was in an especially devout frame of mind before His temptation (he had just spent 40 days praying and fasting).
• He was engaged in an act of public obedience to His Father’s will before His temptation (the baptism).
• He was in an exceedingly humble frame of mind before His temptation.
• He was blessed by a heavenly assurance of His Sonship before His temptation (God’s voice telling everyone at the baptism that Jesus is his son).
• He was filled with the Holy Spirit before His temptation.
• He was completely separated from the world before His temptation.
If Jesus can be tempted under these circumstances, we should take that as a clue to always be on guard against temptation. The better we know the Bible, the better we can stand against temptation.
The second temptation comes in Matthew 4:5-7
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Satan takes Jesus to the highest point of the temple and tells Him to throw Himself down, quoting Scripture to suggest that God would protect Him. Jesus responds in Matthew 4:7
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Here, the temptation is about testing God. Satan wants Jesus to act presumptuously, to challenge God’s faithfulness. But Jesus resists. He knows that God is trustworthy and does not need to test God to prove it.
But isn’t Satan just a devious, wily, piece of crap? Just like we often say here at Bikers Church: Satan has one job. What is it? To screw with you. That’s exactly what he is doing here. He is screwing with Jesus. He does to Jesus here what he did to Eve in the Garden of Eden. In fact this is one of Satan’s favorite moves. He takes what is said, twists it, and throws it right back at you. Remember how Jesus responded in the first temptation? He quoted scripture to Satan. So, Satan quotes scripture right back at him. He quotes Psalm 91:11-12
11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
Just like in the Garden when he said to Eve, “did God really say?” he says to Jesus, “God said...” And again, this is why we need to know the Word. Not only because the enemy knows it better than us but because, like Jesus, we can use it against Satan just like he tries to use it against us. Even though Satan tried to fool Jesus by twisting scripture, Jesus was able to turn it around with, “yeah, but scripture also says this.” We can’t do that if we don’t know the Bible for ourselves. It is too easy for us to fall prey to twisted scriptures if we don’t know what it really says.
The third temptation occurs in Matthew 4:8-10
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. Jesus answers, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
The subtlety that characterized the first two temptations was now abandoned by the devil in the third. He came directly to the point: all of what he had just showed Jesus could be his—if you will bow down and worship me.
As Jesus considered the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, perhaps he also considered the lonely road to Jerusalem that he must one day travel to die for the sins of the world. And even after he offered such a sacrifice, a large part of the world would still reject him as King. Satan proposed an easier way: Jesus could have the world, and he could bypass the horrible suffering of the cross.
Jesus recognized Satan’s lie for what it was. Jesus would not have gained the kingdoms of the world by bowing to Satan; rather, the devil would have seized both the kingdoms of the world and power over Jesus. In this response, Jesus was as direct with his enemy as the enemy had been with him. Drawing a third time from Deuteronomy, Jesus refused to give to the devil what belonged only to the Lord. For Jesus, there was no room for compromise with the plan laid out for him by his Father.
I just want to point out a side note here. In each of these three temptations, Jesus’ response was quoting Deuteronomy. Kinda gives you a new perspective, doesn’t it. A book that tends to get shied away from a lot because it seems to just be a long, boring book about all the laws the Jews were supposed to follow was the one that Jesus used to combat the Devil in all three temptations. Just goes to show that we shouldn’t look at any part of the Bible as less than any other part.
It is poetic justice that this passage ends the way it does with verse 11 which says,
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
After his third defeat, the devil retreated—but only to watch for another opportune moment to tempt Jesus (Luke 4:13). Now that Jesus had proven himself entirely faithful, God was pleased to fulfill the promise of Psalm 91:11, 12 and to send angels to assist Jesus—probably both physically and spiritually—in the recovery of his strength.
You see, the very passage Satan tried to use against Jesus as a temptation was the very passage God used to strengthen Jesus.
This final temptation is about idolatry. Satan offers Jesus worldly power in exchange for His loyalty, but Jesus knows that His ultimate allegiance must be to God alone. Is our ultimate allegiance to God alone? Just as Satan offered worldly power to Jesus, what is he offering us? What is our idolatry? Is it money? work? our spouse or significant other? What about food? or shopping? Dare I say, our motorcycles? Remember, anything we put on a pedestal next to, or even over God, is our idol. We need to burn those idols.
Applying the Lessons to Our Lives
Applying the Lessons to Our Lives
Know Your Identity in Christ – Just as the Father declared Jesus' identity at His baptism, we too must remember who we are in Christ. We are children of God, beloved and chosen. When we know who we are, we are able to resist the enemy’s lies and live with confidence and assurance.
2. Obey God’s Will, Even When It’s Hard – Jesus’ baptism was a model of obedience. Even when He didn’t need baptism for Himself, He submitted to the Father’s will. Similarly, we are called to trust and obey God, even when the path seems difficult or unclear.
3. Cling to God’s Word in Times of Temptation – Jesus’ victory over temptation came through His reliance on Scripture. When we face trials or temptation, we must turn to the Word of God for strength and guidance. His Word is our weapon against the lies of the enemy.
4. Worship God Alone – The final temptation is about idolatry, and it serves as a reminder that we are to worship and serve God alone. In a world filled with distractions and temptations, we must remain steadfast in our devotion to God.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
In Matthew 3:13-4:11, we see Jesus standing firm in His obedience to the Father and His victory over temptation. As His followers, we are called to live out these same truths—knowing our identity in Christ, walking in obedience, relying on God’s Word, and worshiping Him alone.
As we reflect on Jesus' baptism and temptation, may we be inspired to live in the same strength and victory that He demonstrated. And may we always remember that in every trial and temptation, we are not alone—Jesus, our Savior, has already walked this path, and He offers us His strength to do the same.
