The Testing of Jesus

Introduction

Marketing as temptation – Avocados

Millenials Per capita consumption since 2000 up almost 3x Alligator Pear Fruit or vegetable High fat Marketing

Giving in to Temptation

Temptation is the use of desire as motivation for sin.

Temptation is a characteristic of the worldly system

1 John 2:15–16 NIV

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

A Strategy for Sinning

Three strategies of temptation

Appeal to the flesh

Replace God (Idolatry)

Doubt God

Garden

Appeal to the flesh

Genesis 3:6 NIV

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Replace God

Genesis 3:4 NIV

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.

Doubt God

Genesis 3:1 NIV

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Wilderness

Appeal the flesh

Psalm 106:14 NIV

14 In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test.

Replace God

Psalm 106:19–23 NIV

19 At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. 20 They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass. 21 They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, 22 miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

Doubt God

Psalm 106:32–33 NIV

32 By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord, and trouble came to Moses because of them; 33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.

Exodus 17:1–7 NIV

1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Today

How do you do at resisting temptation?

Appeal to the flesh

Replace God

Doubt God

Now let’s finally turn to our text for today.

Conquering Temptation

Luke 4:1–13 NIV

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Introductory Notes

Sometimes, this passage is used as a manual for fighting temptation – today we will focus on how this actually an example of our need for someone else to face temptation

Jesus temptation is superintended by the Spirit

Luke 4:1 NIV

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Matthew 4:1 NIV

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

This is a moment of preparation for mission – Satan wants to take the Spirit’s place and be the one guiding Jesus

Impeccability

Continuity with prior stories

Eden

This is the second time a human has dealt with Satan face to face

Similar pattern of temptation

Contrasting environment

The last time someone dealt with Satan face to face

Wilderness

Same order as Ps. 106

Wilderness

40 days/years

All of Jesus’ Scripture quotes come from Deuteronomy

Three Temptations

Appeal to the flesh – Bread

Luke 4:3–4 NIV

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

“If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread”

Satan tells Jesus that the Son of God shouldn’t be hungry

This demonstrates Satan’s fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be the Son of God – he cannot fathom the selfless, sacrificial giving that fulfilling Jesus role entails

He appeals to both Jesus’ divine and human natures

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8

Deuteronomy 8:1–5 NIV

1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

In the wilderness, God uses hunger to teach Israel that they are dependent on something bigger than their earthly body. Israel fails.

In the wilderness, Jesus must recognize that there is something bigger at play – he is about the will of his Father, and that will demands hunger. Jesus succeeds.

Replace God – The Kingdoms of the World

Luke 4:5–8 NIV

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

Satan offers Jesus a shortcut

It’s a real shortcut – Satan has this authority

It’s a shortcut with a cost – Satan demands worship

It’s a hollow shortcut – Satan’s authority is limited

He isn’t the real power

He will be overthrown

Jesus Reaffirms His Loyalty

Jesus responds by quoting Deut 6:13-15

Deuteronomy 6:13–15 NIV

13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.

In the wilderness, Israel saw the comfort and stability of nations that worshiped idols, they wanted the same thing

In the wilderness, Jesus acknowledged the superiority of patient worship and rejected the false god of this world

Doubt God – Protection by Angels

Luke 4:9–12 NIV

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Satan’s approach here is to again misrepresent God’s plan for Jesus

Jesus is not going to live a life free from suffering like Satan implies

Jesus is going to choose death while Satan tries to offer him life

Jesus responds by quoting Deut 6:16

Deuteronomy 6:16 NIV

16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.

Jesus recognizes that Satan’s offer of an easy way out doubts the Father’s plan which will bring Jesus through immense suffering and death

Application

Rather than training us to resist temptation, this passage gives us the hope of one who already has on our behalf

You have failed and will fail when face with temptation

If we approach this passage in a man centered way, the conclusion will be, “Memorize more Bible verses.”

Knowing your Bible is a very good thing

You will not memorize your way out of your sin nature

What this passage offers for us is not life hacks for fighting temptation that may help but will never destroy our sin nature – it offers the hope of one who was tempted fully yet did not sin.