Temptation (From the Ashes Part 1)

I want to remind you today that there is no life that Jesus cannot redeem. There is no place His blood cannot reach, no sin too great, no such thing as too broken that He cannot put back together.

In Christ, you can rise from the ashes and have an abundant life!!

This series is not just for those who are broken but for everyone who wants to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

There are many examples of great leaders in the world today who we can benefit from their example but no example is as good as that of our Lord, Jesus. He is the best example to follow.

So over the next 6 weeks we will look at different aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry and attempt to learn from Him.

Today we are talking about TEMPTATION.

Did you know that before Jesus started His earthly ministry, he was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit and was tempted for 40 days?

Remember that we are giving up sugar during our fast, and possibly other things and in doing so, we embrace the sacrifice Jesus made.

You each have had to deal with the temptation to eat that little piece of chocolate. It may have been difficult but can you imagine with me how difficult it would be to go for an extended season without food all together? Can you further imagine that the source of that temptation is the Devil himself? This is exactly what Jesus had to overcome. I also want to remind you that He did not use His divinity to overcome this temptation. Jesus being all man, endured every temptation, so He could experience what we experience. (Hebrews 2:14-18)

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Hebrews 2:14–18 NLT

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

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He overcame and by His power living in us, we can too! (SLIDE)

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Temptation Should Be Expected

All of us need to recognize that we are not immune to being tempted. We are all tempted in some way or another. It may even happen in several different ways.

tempted to have that piece of chocolate even though you were asked not to eat it

tempted to fudge the numbers on taxes

tempted to take supplies from work

tempted to talk about someone

tempted to lash out at someone who wronged you (or so you thought)

tempted to eat too much

tempted to sneak a snack during a fast

tempted to look at certain images

tempted to drink, smoke, take a pill, etc.

Giving into temptations may seem like just small things but they can be very destructive.

they can ruin your reputation/witness

they can ruin relationships, destroy marriages, lead you further than you ever intended

they can cause spiritual dryness and even cause you to walk away from spiritual things like church

We should not pretend like we have the power in ourselves to overcome temptation. It would be foolish to think that we are above being tempted.

Let’s just be honest with each other and with God and admit that we get tempted and there have been times that we have given into those temptations.

Well then, what must I do with this issue of TEMPTATION?

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Remember Who You Are in Christ

Before reading about how Jesus was tempted in the desert, lets look at something that took place right before that.

Matthew 3:13–17 NLT

Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 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?” But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. 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. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Did you happen to catch what Matthew recorded his account?

The baptism of Jesus is such a great story but there is an awesome thing that happens here and it was heard by all who were present.

A voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

If you and I were there and saw the condition of the world at that time we might think that the Father might say something more like:

“go kick the devil’s butt, Son” — “Go rule over the earth, it’s yours, Son.”

But that isn't what was said. What was said was the reminder that Jesus needed to hear. What beautiful words, “You are my Son, and I am pleased with you.”

It is this kind of affirmation that carried Jesus through all of the tough times, not just the temptation in the wilderness.

Jesus knew who He was. He knew He was the Son of God and He was loved.

It is very interesting that Jesus’ identity would be the first thing that Satan attacked:

Matthew 4:3 “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.””

For Jesus, Satan tried to tempt Him by saying, “If you are the Son of God”

Eve was tempted too. For her, Satan asked, “Did God really say…”

What does the enemy’s voice sound like in your life?

If you really were saved, you wouldn’t ______

If you really loved God, you wouldn’t _____

If you were more like, so in so, _______

Surely, you can have some of this or that during the church’s fast. Who is the pastor to call a fast anyway? You can do what you want to do!

or how about:

You are suffering because God doesn’t love you.

You are suffering because you messed up really bad

The voice may be different for each of us but the reason is the same—Satan wants you to doubt your identity and your position.

Satan wants us to doubt who we are and wants us to doubt God.

The way to deal with TEMPTATION is to remember who God says you are — You are a child of the Most High God. He paid a costly price to say that about you!

PAUSE

After Jesus was baptized and the voice from heaven declared His identity, He was led into the wilderness where He was tempted for 40 days.

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Let’s look at 3 ways he was tempted:

Provision

Matthew 4:3–4 “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.” 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.’””

Have you ever been really hungry?

Reflect on Boy Scout/ Order of the Arrow camping trip

I remember being so hungry and we had one boiled egg and a slice of white bread and it went by way too quickly.

I cannot even begin to imagine how Jesus felt after wondering the wilderness for 40 days without food.

I have heard only of a few people who have done a total fast for 40 days and there are some of those stories that are quite honestly, questionable.

Satan is cruel! Not only did he attempt to question Jesus’ identity but he challenged Him to turn stones into bread.

Have you ever been so hungry that even mayonnaise begin to look good? No, me either. (LOL)

If we could change stones into Grandy’s Cinnamon Rolls, we might be tempted to do that after a few days of not eating anything.

Jesus wasn’t so moved.

At the core of what is going on here and in our lives as well is that Satan is a manipulator. He was trying to get Jesus to question whether or not God would provide for Him.

It is the same thing he does with us:

Will I have enough to feed my family?

Will I be able to pay my bills?

Will I have enough to make it?

Let me be clear on this. If you don’t use wisdom and be good stewards, you cannot expect God to pay your bills. You cannot give into every temptation to buy what everyone else has if you can’t make the payments. That is not what I am talking about.

I am talking about, when you are giving tithes and offerings and you are doing the best you can with what God has given you and you try to put some money aside and then out of no where the brakes go out, or you hit a deer/beaver. Then the question is real. “Am I gonna have enough?”

Instead of hearing the voice of the enemy, listen to what God says:

Philippians 4:19 “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”

Psalm 37:25 “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.”

A good shepherd would not let his flock starve.

A good father would not let his kids go without.

We have Good Shepherd and He will always provide for His own. We have a good Father and provides for His children. (Praise the Lord!)

Protection

Not only did Satan tempt Jesus by questioning God’s provision, but he also tried to tempt Jesus to question God’s protection.

Matthew 4:5–7 “Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 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.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’””

Jesus had no doubts that God cared for Him and provided for Him. He knew that the Father would also look out for Him.

Maybe you could be honest here today, and admit that there have been times when you did not know if you were going to make it. The devil got in your ear and begin to convince you that you were going to die and God just did not care about you.

All other world religions bow down to made up gods. There is no closeness with the deity and the worshipper.

Only our God, the only true God, is both above everything and close all at the same time.

He cares for you!

Psalm 8:4 “what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”

Position

Satan tried to tempt Jesus with His identity, with God’s Provision, with God’s Protection and finally with His Position.

Matthew 4:8–11 NLT

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. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

I know it sounds so foolish, but we are working with a desperate enemy. He actually tries to get Jesus to worship him. Jesus was weak and likely wanting this whole thing to be over. Satan tried to capitalize on Jesus’ condition and to get Jesus to throw in the towel. He thought that if Jesus would quit and kneel, then he would have control of the earth. He would have the power that he so desperately craved.

May I remind you that the temptation for power and position can be very overwhelming. It has been said that power corrupts.

We get tempted too!

We get tempted to worship things other than God to get ahead. We worship the schedule or our jobs for more money or better lifestyles.

Anything that we get as a result of worshipping anything other than God is only temporary.

I cannot help but to think of that old verse :

… Well, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now Gotta make it to Heaven somehow Though the devil tempt me and he tried to turn me around He's offered everything that's got a name All the wealth I want and worldly fame If I could, still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now (Happy Goodmans, 1965)

We have to make a choice to worship God alone! We trust that we will have meaning in this life only by trusting in our loving Father.

As a beloved son and daughter, we will inherit the kingdom of God, an eternal kingdom.

Don’t get distracted by the earthly things, the stuff this world offers, the things Satan tempts all of us with. But, remember what awaits us.

The best is yet to come!

Your eternal position is greater than any worldly promotion.

Your eternal reward is greater than any worldly acquisition or achievement.

When we are tempted to question our position and to get power or stuff, let’s remember what Jesus teaches us:

Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Conclusion

As we close this morning we can recognize that each and every time Satan tried to tempt Jesus, He responded to him with scripture.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

It is God’s Word that is powerful!

It has the power to drown out the voice of the enemy and the world.

I challenge you to get into the Word. Set yourself a time each day to read and study. Get in a Bible reading plan. It takes about 15 minutes a day to read the Bible through cover to cover in a year.

Thank the online community

As we move through this season of preparation for Easter, you can be certain that the enemy of your souls will not be taking any vacation time. He really really wants you to question your faith and not grow in your relationship with God.

But Satan has forgotten, that Jesus sealed his fate when He lived a sinless life, died on the cross, rose from grave and ascended to heaven. Death and the grave have been defeated and so has the threat of the enemy.

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Walk in the confidence of who God says you are— a dearly loved child of the King.

Let’s celebrate who we are in Jesus and what He has done for us by participating in Communion together this morning up here at the altars.

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