Conquering Fleshly Temptations

Introduction

MacArthur, Carey Hardy

Last night Pastor Jack kicked things off with John 6:63, setting the stage for our conference on the Christian, the flesh, and the Spirit. Tonight we will be looking at Matthew 4:1-11, where we will see Jesus overcome temptations in the flesh by the power of the Spirit. My hope is that this narrative can serve as an example for us to imitate.

Most of you have probably read the accounts of Jesus’ temptation. It is a familiar story in the Synoptics. Jesus was fasting in the wilderness. Satan tempted him three times, and each time Jesus responded with Scripture. You may have heard this is a key text for emphasizing the importance of memorizing Scripture to resist temptation.

This is all good, yet there is more going on here than meets the eye. Maybe some things here seem a little odd. Lord-willing, we’ll get into those details tonight. But as we get warmed up, let’s be clear about the main point. Satan wanted to take Jesus down. He wanted Christ to capitulate, polluting His perfection. If only he could defile the Son so that there would be no sacrifice, no atonement. Sin and death would rule forever, and Satan would too.

The stakes were high. There was no Plan B. The Father’s sovereign will for the world hung in the balance as this conversation unfolded. And Jesus passed the test. He proved that He truly was the well-pleasing Son of God. This is recorded for us in Matthew 4, following Jesus’ baptism at the end of chapter 3. No sooner had God declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased,” than Jesus is subjected to this wilderness test, before public ministry.

So, this whole trial came at a pivotal moment in Jesus’ life, right as He was getting going. And if the risks were high, there was also tremendous value in this time of testing. Jesus proved His qualifications for office as prophet, priest, and king. He obediently proclaimed God’s Word, united human and divine natures, and broke Satanic dominion.

And not only this, but Christ also fulfilled the major types of redemptive history. He was the faithful Son where Israel and Adam had failed. Unlike Israel’s disobedience in the wilderness, Jesus chose the path of faithful submission. And unlike Adam’s silent sin in the garden, Jesus spoke up to rebuke Satan by proclaiming God’s Word accurately.

Those are just some big picture ideas, so look with me at Matthew 4 to consider the details of this exchange. I’ll just read the first verse for us before we pray to begin, and then we’ll just work our way through the text.

Matthew 4:1 LSB

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

PRAY

Our outline for tonight is pretty simple with the three temptations. But I also want you to notice the theme of the Spirit’s power working through the Word. Jesus’ flesh was not the source of victory. Matthew starts off with the surprising statement that the Spirit intentionally led Jesus into this trial. I would add that the Spirit is also the One who strengthened Jesus to endure this trial, and He inspired the Scriptures that Jesus used to rebuke Satan.

The Holy Spirit’s role highlights Jesus’ limits. In Philippians 2, Paul teaches that Jesus “existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men.” Theologians call this the Kenosis, and they explain it by saying that Jesus “laid aside the independent exercise of His divine attributes.” In other words, Jesus was not seeking to be a strong, independent man. He embraced dependence on both the Father and the Spirit. Christ exemplified submission. I’ve heard it said that the best leaders are always the best followers. People with authority need to know how to submit to authority. So whether you are a pastor, an executive, a manager, a husband, a parent, or a older sibling—this is for you.

Satan wanted Jesus to do something that was outside the will of the Father. Something that bypassed Christ’s dependence on the Spirit’s enabling power. He was tempting Jesus to think more highly of Himself and to go full “God-mode,” even if just for a second. But Jesus refused. Jesus humbly retained His human limitations, setting a very relatable example for us to follow. We too are limited by the flesh but empowered by the Spirit. And you even got to eat dinner tonight instead of having to fast for 40 days. Praise God for that! Let’s look at His example.

The First Temptation: Self-Sufficiency

The first temptation is in verses 2-4, the temptation of Self-Sufficiency—acting as if your own power is enough, independent of the Father's guiding will. Let me read that for you now,

Matthew 4:2–4 LSB

2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

We’re going to go a little slower through this first temptation to get oriented to the debate here.

Setting

One thing you’ll notice as we work through these is that Satan chooses a different setting for each temptation. Here Jesus has been in the wilderness fasting for 40 days and nights. By this point, Jesus has probably lost something like 40-60 pounds. He’s gaunt, tired, and hungry. His flesh is weak. And almost out of nowhere, the tempter comes to him. It is interesting how little introduction we receive. There is no build up like in Genesis 3, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman…” Here we are not even sure what form Satan may have taken. It simply says the tempter showed up and started talking. And there is no reaction from Jesus, surprise or otherwise. Maybe this was not the first time the tempter had come to Jesus.

Temptation

Satan begins this temptation with the clause, “If you are the Son of God.” The Greek grammar here implies that Satan really meant something like, “Since you are the Son of God.” He was not directly testing Jesus’ divinity. In fact, he wanted Jesus to do a supernatural miracle. Instead, Satan was taunting Jesus’ humiliation. “Doesn’t the Son of God deserve a little better than fasting?” This would have been a tender moment for Christ, a test of His humility.

Also when Jesus was baptized, the Father had declared the Son to be “beloved” and “well-pleasing.” Yet Satan left those parts out. He wanted Jesus to act with divine power, but contrary to the Father’s will in this trial. That was the heart of this temptation. Turning stones into bread was not a sin issue. Some of us are pretty good at baking bread into stones by mistake, but Jesus knew how to reverse the process too! He would go on to turn water into wine and a few loaves into many to feed the 5,000+. The miracle was fine; the temptation was to doubting self-sufficiency.

Response

But in verse 4, Jesus simply rejects Satan’s appeal by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. You can turn to Deuteronomy 8 if you’d like to see what Jesus meant. Moses was explaining to Israel why Yahweh had led them in the wilderness for 40 years. He said it was to humble and test them through hunger and miraculous manna. In the background, God had also preserved their clothing and health. These bonuses were taken for granted but proved the kind intentions in His fatherly discipline. God was cultivating Israel’s obedience so that He could bless them in the Promised Land.

Further down in verse 16, Moses gives more context for the testing by adding “so that He [God] might do good for them in the end.” He warns in verses 17-18 that the Israelites would not boast in their own ability to obtain wealth. God reminded Israel that He had given them strength to obtain wealth in the first place. But Satan twisted that. He wanted Jesus to rely on Himself. He suggested Jesus exercise divine power so He could have it His way.

Now let’s unpack Jesus’ response in Matthew 4:4. First, He didn’t mean it’s wrong to eat bread. I know this is a key verse for all of you on a diet—“Man shall not live by bread alone”! But it’s important to see how Jesus always used Scripture in context. He quoted the Bible as God meant it to be understood. Let’s look at what He’s doing here.

Jesus’ response demonstrated His faith. In effect, He told Satan:

That He believed God could rain down manna like He did for the Israelites

That He was going to pass on the tempting bread and wait to hear God’s will, and

That He had faith God’s purposes in this trial were to do Him good in the end.

Jesus saw through Satan’s false dichotomy. He did not have to choose between sonship and suffering, as if Jesus as the Son of God could not endure suffering. Instead, Jesus could be the suffering Son, destined for greatness.

Application

This is a great reminder we should not doubt our Father’s care—even when we go through trials. We know provision will come. Rather than grasping at every opportunity for relief, patiently wait to learn His will for your life. And when you are tempted to take shortcuts in your own strength or connections, deny yourself and look to the Lord. In all these things, study Scripture carefully, so that you don’t fall prey to false hope and misinterpreted promises.

The Second Temptation: Presumption

But Satan wasn’t done. Now he ramps things up in the second temptation. Verses 5-7 is the danger of Presumption—arrogantly taking God’s favor for granted, and often without obedience in the first place. It says,

Matthew 4:5–7 LSB

5 Then the devil takes Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and says 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.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Setting

This is the urban trial. Moving from the wilderness to the temple in Jerusalem, Satan sets Jesus up for the next test. There is a little bit of debate about the “pinnacle of the temple.” Was it the temple building, or the Temple Mount? If the Temple Mount, which corner? The details are a little bit beside the point—just know that it was tall. Something like the height of the Humana tower downtown, one of the taller skyscrapers in Louisville. Given His fast, Jesus may have been experiencing muscle atrophy, lower coordination, strained mental capacity, and lightheadedness. Add to this the dizzying heights, and part of me wonders how Jesus felt humanly. Imagine what it would have been like to be teleported to the brink of a cliff—“Satan, are you kidding me? What do you mean jump off of this?!”

Temptation

You kind of wonder what Satan was trying to do here. Did he just want Jesus to commit suicide? That doesn’t really seem to be implied anywhere. Instead, Satan claims that God promised to catch Jesus in an angelic safety net.

This odd temptation is actually a sophisticated attack. After Jesus’ responded with Scripture, Satan decided he might as well do the same. However, Satan actually skipped part of his verse on purpose. If you look at Matthew 4:6, I will read the original from Psalm 91 which says, “For He will command His angels concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, Lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Satan left out the context of God’s command! He tried to trick Jesus into thinking that God was fine with daredevil tests. But this is not the way God’s protection works. We don’t get be foolish and then demand, “God, come clean up my mess if you really love me.” Instead, we have to walk respectfully in His ways, doing good, and trusting that He will take care of us.

Response

And that is essence of Jesus’ response to Satan, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16, which is an allusion to Exodus 17:1-7—which Pastor Jack just preached on recently! This was the test at Massah and Meribah, where Moses struck and split the rock to provide water for the people.

In that incident, the Israelites grumbled that Yahweh had saved them only to kill them. The narrative ends with the heart of their complaint, “Is Yahweh among us or not?”—There aren’t any italics in Hebrew, but I am pretty sure the emphasis was on the “or not” in that question. They were a pretty grumpy bunch, very discontent.

Translated into Jesus’ context, this was another test of His incarnation. Was Jesus upset that God had sent Him down from heaven, only to let Him die of starvation? Nothing in the text tells us that Jesus knew how long He’d have to fast. For all we know, He just woke up every morning waiting for Satan’s exploitation. Day after day after day.

But none of this could stop Jesus. As our faithful priest, He endured suffering while submitting to the will of God. We should imitate everything about His behavior here. He simply responds with Scripture, “Again, it is written.” The way He belabors the point “again” exposes some escalation here. His patience is starting to wear a little thin.

Application

The debate was growing more heated. At the same time, Satan’s arguments are more bold and direct. First, he just wanted Jesus to ignore God’s will and do His own thing. Now he tempted Christ to mock God’s promises. Finally, we will see him provoke Jesus to reject God’s Word out of hand. There is a sense of satanic desperation here.

But consider how you seek the Lord’s provision. Beware of making decisions and then looking for affirmation in Scripture. Like Satan, you will be prone to taking promises out of context. Instead, you should begin with Scripture and then choose from the options it presents. Study its principles and think about ways you can apply those truths. The goal is to see how you can align your life with God’s Word—not where it happens to overlap with your plans. If you just take matters into your own hands, that is folly, not faith! Do not presume on God for stunts that advance your glory rather than His. If you want to know what kind of behavior God will sponsor, read 2 Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” That is the New Testament version of the Old Testament principle.

The Third Temptation: Idolatry

And now we turn finally to the third temptation, the temptation of Idolatry—taking the Creator’s worship and giving it to one of his creations instead. Look with me at verses 8-10,

Matthew 4:8–10 LSB

8 Again, the devil takes Him to a very high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus says to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Setting

This final showdown takes place on a very high mountain. Not sure which one, but a lot of key events in Jesus’ life happen on mountains. He would soon preach the Sermon on the Mount-ain. Later He would be transfigured before the disciples and also tested in Gethsemane. In the future, He will return in glory to the Mount of Olives. How Satan managed to show Jesus all the world from one place, we do not know—but I am sure it was on a real mountain.

Temptation

The spoken exchange in this temptation is unique. The verb tenses are the most tell-tale sign. Matthew uses the historical present tense at strategic points. He refers to things in the past as if they are happening right now. This is common in Greek narrative, like a movie scene where they zoom in to catch the details and your attention.

Most of the verbs in this passage are aorist, the normal past tense. In the first temptation, all of Satan and Jesus’ verbs are in the past tense. “It happened.” But in the second temptation, “the devil takes Jesus” “and says to him.” The movement to the temple is dramatic, and Matthew wants us to focus on how Satan quotes Scripture. Yet Jesus’ response is still normal. In this third temptation, “the devil takes Him” “and shows Him.” The “taking” dramatizes the movement, yet this Satan shows instead of says. First was the stomach, then the mind, and now the eyes. Satan lets the glory of kingdoms do the talking. This is why he doesn’t bother to quote Scripture again. The heart of this temptation was the visual display of glory, not the raw and somewhat shocking ultimatum of idolatry.

Yet the appeal did not lie in the kingdoms and glory alone. Satan was tempting Jesus to bypass the suffering of the cross, to take a shortcut to the Father’s promise. Psalm 2 says, “Ask of Me (the Father), and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance.” The plan was not to ask of Satan. Yet here, as if it were not enough to usurp God’s relationship with men and all of creation, Satan tempts the Son to repudiate His Father’s inheritance.

Response

So far Matthew has reserved the fancy verb tenses for Satan’s behavior, never describing Jesus’ actions this way. Yet in verse 10, the tables turn. Verse 4, Jesus answered and said. Verse 7, Jesus said. But in verse 10, Jesus says. And then in verse 11, the devil leaves. This is the focal point of the narrative, the final showdown.

Jesus says, “Go, Satan!” The idolatry is rank, and it is almost more surprising that this was a viable temptation. Jesus confirms Yahweh alone deserves our worship. And the key here is the sequence. Satan stipulates that Jesus must worship to receive blessing. However, Deuteronomy 6, the chapter Jesus fires back, clarifies that the Israelites were commanded to worship out of gratitude for blessing. In other words, God acts first to bless, and then we give Him praise. This is what Lucas just preached at Anchor U! Our worship is merely a response, not a request.

And looking to the future, Satan failed miserably. In Matthew 28, Jesus declares after His resurrection, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” That was a better deal than Satan’s authority on earth alone. And in Revelation 21:24-26, we find that the nations of the earth will bring their glory into the Millennial Kingdom after all. Even if Satan’s offer had been genuine, it was still a bad deal. The Father rejoiced to anoint Jesus as King of Kings.

Application

Jesus’ example for us here presents a fine line. On the one hand, we need to see worship as a grateful response. On the other hand, we cannot make our gratitude conditional. Satan tried to get Job with this other version. Satan claimed that Job only worshipped God because of all the material prosperity he enjoyed. However, God proved through Job’s trials that God was worthy of worship at all times, independent of our circumstances. Yet here we find in Jesus’ reference to Deuteronomy the principle that worship stems from a heart that is grateful to God.

The key in resolving this tension is to look beyond ourselves. We should be careful of praising God for His goodness only when things are going our way. We worship Him as a response to His character and actions. As Job learned, there is much about God’s administration of the universe that commands our awe. We owe Him worshipful respect even when things on a more local level are not going our way, even when we are enduring trials in the wilderness. As Deuteronomy 8 says, Yahweh sustains His people through trials so that He might do good for them in the end.

Conclusion

Look with me at verse 11, where we see how the Father cared for His Son,

Matthew 4:11 LSB

11 Then the devil leaves Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

At this point the devil threw in the towel. He left Jesus, according to Luke and Mark, apparently planning to return another time. Whether he did or not, we do not know. In fact, we only know about this exchange because Jesus must have told His disciples what happened. No one else was there, and Jesus had not even called His disciples yet.

Once the devil left, Matthew includes a surprising plot twist. Angels came! And they ministered to Jesus. Here is a small confirmation of God’s desire to good for His people in the end. Just like Elijah in the wilderness, God provided refreshing nutrition for Christ. And rather than birds, it came via angelic messenger. This provides a stark contrast with the first Adam, where an angel was sent to serve the eviction notice. Here fellowship has been restored.

This account describes one of the most difficult periods of Jesus’ life. Short of His passion week, there was never a time He suffered so greatly in the flesh. We all know about His earthly death. However, there is also a sense in which Jesus’ first died a “heavenly death.” There was a moment He condescended to leave heaven. There was a time when God took on the limitations of life in the flesh. This trial we’ve observed tested the limits of the Incarnation. Would Jesus accept the limits of His new human nature? Yes He would, and yes He did. This was His humiliation.

And I think the implications are profound. Jesus laid aside the independent exercise of His divine attributes. He was fully God and could do whatever He wanted, but He chose to submit instead. He accepted our weaknesses. And yet, throughout His life and ministry, He did many supernatural things. These acts were not the result of His own power. He was operating in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also spoke with divine inspiration. The Spirit was the power behind His Word. By the Spirit, Jesus overcame the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

In this way, we are invited to follow in His footsteps. For those who know Christ, we have the same flesh, the same Spirit, and the same Word. Are you ready to wield the Word? If you do not know Christ, pray that His Spirit would open His Word to you! This trial qualified Christ to atone for your sin as a perfectly obedient substitute. You cannot make up for the weakness of your flesh, but He’s fulfilled all righteousness. This power of the Spirit can only be found in the Word. This is true for all of us whether we have experienced it yet or not. So, let’s pray for His holy power.

PRAY.