Proven Sonship

Introduction

Good morning I want to invite you to turn in your Bible’s to Luke 4:1-15 that is Luke 4:1-15. That is page 807 if you are using one of the Bible’s scattered throughout the chairs. That is page 807. No one who has ever seen me and my Dad together has ever wondered about the nature of our relationship. When my Dad visits our church no one wonders if he is a first guest. They know he is my dad even if we are not standing next to each other. I have been told I am his carbon copy. We don’t just look like one another, but we also have the same mannerisms, we have the same laugh, the same sense of humor…. I even sometime feel myself gritting my teeth when sons do things that agitate me, and I am reminded this is also a trait I inherited from my Dad. You see it is often the case, that even if sons don’t look like their Dads, they still inherit traits from their Father’s. You know that I am Jerry Rosentreter’s son because in many ways I act like him.

In today’s text, Jesus is tempted by the devil and in these temptations the devil will say twice, “If you are the Son of God… then you will do this… ” The devil is appealing to the truth of Jesus’ identity in an attempt to get him to betray that identity. Yet, Jesus will deny these temptations, and ironically he will deny these temptations precisely because He is the Son of God. He proves his sonship by responding in a way that correlates with his true identity. The Son of God does not prove his sonship by doing spectacular things, rather he shows us that he is the Son through his obedience. He is the Son of God and therefore He is like his Father. The Father is morally perfect, the Son is morally perfect. The Son does not live to please man or the devil, but instead He lives to do the will of the Father. Jesus’ Sonship has been declared by the Voice of the Father at His baptism, it has be documented in Luke’s genealogy, and now it is put on display in His denial of the devil’s temptations. Luke 4:1-15

The Son Denies the Flesh v. 1-4

After his baptism, Jesus is led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. He is full of the Spirit, which means will endure these temptations led by God and empowered by God. It is a good reminder that God does not lead us to places of ease. Before begining his earthly ministry Jesus is led into the wilderness and into a time of fasting for 40 days, only then to be directly tempted by the devil. The Holy Spirit leads him to a hostile environment.

Now there is a purpose to all of this. You in the Old Testament Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness before entering the promised land. While there they grumbled about food, water, and even worshipped false idols. Jesus will deny turning a stone into bread, he will refuse to worship the devil, and he will not put God to the test, rather he will entrust himself to the Lord. And Adam in the garden is directly tempted by the devil and he succumbs to that temptation with his wife Eve as they take of the forbidden fruit. Yet, Jesus will do what Adam and Israel could not do, he will deny the devil and obey the will of the Father. He is the fulfillment of Israel, who God says in Exodus 4:22 “… Israel is my firstborn son.” Jesus is the Son who obeys where the other sons, Adam (the son of God from Luke’s genealogy) and Israel failed.

We see this in the first temptation as we read in verses 3-4, “Luke 4:3–4 “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.’ ”” Jesus has not eaten for 40 days and the text tells that he is hungry! Of course he is! And the devil uses the present reality of his situation to tempt him. Satisfy your stomach and turn this stone into bread. You have the ability to do this, after all you are the Son of God aren’t you? Jesus responds by quoting from a portion of Deuteronomy 8. And what is amazing is that Jesus does not just quote a text that kind of applies to the situation, but rather he quotes a text in which the context is a perfect fit. In Deuteronomy 8:2–3 we read, “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. (sound familiar? Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he is tempted by the devil, tested to see if he will obey. These temptations put on display the very heart of Christ and His relentless commitment to His Father, the text continues) And he [God] humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” The people of Israel escaped Egypt were they were slaves, and were led by God into the wilderness rather then going straight to the promised land. Because God knew they were not ready for war against the Philistines. God needed to prepare them for the conquest of the promised land, and so he led them the long way through the wilderness. And on the way, the people become hungry and they begin to grumble against God and say they it would have been better to die in Egypt where they had food. So, God hears their cry and he sends them manna, a bread from heaven. This manna would fall from the sky each day and the people would collect it and eat it. God would give them only enough to eat each day, except on the 6th day of the week. On the 6th day he would send a double portion so the people could collect the manna for the 6th and 7th day. The people of Israel were to rest on the 7th of each week according to the 10 commandments. God used the manna from heaven to train the people to trust him. He would always provide what they needed, and always provide in such a way that they could obey his word.

In Deuteronomy 8, Moses recounts this story and interprets the events for the people. He tells them God let you hunger and fed you so that you would learn that man does not live on bread alone, the source of their grumbling. He was teaching them that the thing they thought they truly needed, food, what not their greatest need. Their greatest need was to trust the word of God. Now, Jesus had not eaten for 40 days and he is hungry. He could succumb to his hunger and believe that what he needs most is some bread. He could change a stone into bread and fulfill his desires. Yet, as God’s Son he knows that the fulfillment of desire, even the desire for food, is not his greatest need as a human. His greatest need is to know that he can trust the word of God.

This is an extreme trust in the Father. He trust God more than the hunger pains of his own stomach. This is an extreme example of allegiance, Jesus trust God over his own human body. Now, I don’t the application from this text is to starve yourself, or that bread is evil. Rather, Jesus refused to do anything that God did not command him to do. Jesus will perform many miracles throughout the book of Luke, and we can rest assured that each one is at the command of the Father. Even if we don’t read of that command ourselves. Jesus did nothing a part from the will of the Father. The devil’s temptation is for Jesus to take matters into his own hands, create bread, and exchange the will of the Father for the desire of His human flesh. Because the Son and the Father are one, this is something that Jesus could not and would not do. He would not live by bread alone, he would live according to the every word of His Father.

T/S- The temptation of bread does not work, and so the devil ups turns up the pressure and offers Jesus, the whole word. It is an extreme change to go from bread to all authority on earth but it is what happened. Yet, there is a catch. If Jesus to obtain this authority he will we have to worship the devil. And this is something Jesus cannot do.

The Son Will Bear the Cross v. 5-8

Luke 4:5–8 “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 devil offers Jesus authority over all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, as long as Jesus worships the devil. Jesus responds by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13 “It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” Moses speaks to the people before they enter into the promised land and reminds them that they must continue to serve and worship the Lord even after they have obtained the promised land. Moses references the temptation to abandon God once you have the desires of your heart. He cautions Israel to not forget God once they have take the land and great cities that they themselves did not build. When life is easy, when you have obtained your goals, you can become self-reliant and this can lead to idolatry. And Satan does something similar with Jesus. He offers Jesus, what will be the end result, of the earthly ministry of Jesus. He offers to give Jesus all authority on earth, if Jesus will just worship Him.

You see, after the resurrection Jesus will tell his disciples Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The devil does not offer Jesus anything that he will not eventually have. The temptation for Jesus is to get the end result without enduring the pain and suffering of the cross. If Jesus just had all authority over every kingdom, then couldn’t he just right the world that way. The world could be a perfect paradise, and he would not have to die for the sins of man. All he has to do, is worship Satan and deny his Father in heaven.

Now, there is debate as to if Satan could actually make this offer. He is a total liar after all. Revelation 5:9–10 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”” This text tells us that is in because Jesus died on that cross that he could ransom people from every kingdom on the earth for God. If He does not endure the cross then sin is still unforgiven, and the wrath of God is still to be reckoned with. You see Jesus, in order to obtain the glory that belonged to Him had to endure the cross. He knew this, and even in the garden as he expressed his rightful angst about going to cross he still prayed to the Father your will be done, not mine. There can be no glory without the cross. Yet, Satan makes the offer.

Why offer something he can’t deliver on? Because he does it all the time to you and me and it works. Satan appeals to our flesh and offers a different way apart from God to get the things we want. He offers a way that seems easy. You want to be married, you don’t have to marry a Christian. Just date her anyway, God wants you to be happy. It will all be ok. Tired of being lonely and unpopular… It’s just a little fun, you’re only a little drunk and your friends like you better this way. Laugh at their course jokes, make some yourself, don’t tell them that what they do or say is wrong… Don’t get in arguments about God or morality take this path is broad and easy. There is no cross to bear if you go the way of the world, the devil, and the flesh. But brothers and sisters be warned, Jesus tells us, Matthew 7:13–14 ““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Beware of the easy path. The father of lies, that is the devil, will make promises that he cannot keep. He will promise you life and ease and joy on the easy path. And in the end he will not keep his promise. It will not lead to glory, but to death. God is His Sovereignty leads us into the wilderness to be tested, that is prepared for His plans for our lives. When we opt for a different path we miss out on the sanctifying work that He wants to accomplish in us. He wants to us the heat of life to burn away the impurities of your flesh and mine. Often times your life is hard by design. God knows that there can be no glory without the cross and so he tells us, in Mark 8:34 “…, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Jesus will not abandon the plans of His Father, even plans that entail him dying on a cross and bearing the weight of our our sin. He will not trade your salvation and mine for his own glory and the authority over all the world. Rather, he will lay down his life for the joy set before Him and endure the shame of the cross. You see his joy is his obedience to his Father and the salvation of His people. This denial of the devil is an unimaginable act of love. He chooses the love of the Father, and will show his love for us, that while we were still sinners Christ would die for us.

The way of the cross is hard, but make no mistake. It will lead you to glory. T/S- and because this is true Jesus has no need to prove himself to the devil.

The Son Will Not Test God v.9-13

Luke 4:9–13 “And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”

The devil’s final tactic is to use the word of God against Jesus. He twist and perverts God’s word to make it seem as if Jesus can test God. The devil is trying to suggest that real faith is demanding a sign or trying to create a situation is which God will supernaturally act. That’s how Jesus can prove that He is the Son of God. If he cast himself down from the tower and God intervenes then it will prove His is the Son of God. After all, Psalm 91:11–12 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.” So prove it.

Jesus doesn’t take the bait. He nor the Father need to prove themselves to anyone. He is the Son of God, and God is God no matter what anyone says or believes. God is not some mythical figure that gets his power from the belief of others. He exists and rules this world apart from our acknowledgments. He is no way dependent on us, and He in no way owes it to us to prove himself. Jesus is the Son of God, because He was, is, and will forever be the Son of God. And so Jesus replies from Deuteronomy 6:16 ““You shall not put the Lord your God to the test… and the rest of the verse is as you tested him at Massah.”

Massah is the place where the people grumbled about being thirsty and so God had Moses strike a rock and water flowed out of the rock in Exodus 17. In that text we are told that the people tested the Lord through their grumbling and complaining. They questioned the goodness of God for bringing them out of the land of Egypt, and demanded that Moses give them water to drink. They questioned whether or not the Lord was with them. This was after the 10 plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the manna from heaven. All events in which God did something miraculous, but when times got hard again they doubted that God was actually with them. And so they demanded a sign… The devil is attempting to get Jesus to demand a sign from God. Jump off of the temple, and God will send angels to catch you. But Jesus will not do this. He will endure hardship in order to obey the will of the Father. He will not put God to the test. He knows He is the Son, and his knowledge of the truth is enough. He does not need to prove himself.

The text tells us that at this the devil departed from Jesus ended this round of every temptation until a more opportune time. Perhaps, there was not greater moment of temptation than when Jesus hung on the cross and the people shouted Luke 23:35–39 “…..“He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”” If ever the Father was going to send angels to rescue Jesus, surely this would be the moment. Shouldn’t Jesus just save himself! And get off of the cross! Yet he doesn’t.

He didn’t because he was there to obey the will of the Father. He hung on the cross and did not save himself, though he could have, because he was there to save you and me. He loves you and he gave himself up for you. Nothing would stop Jesus from obeying the will of the Father. And it is the Father’s will to send the Son to death, so that many more sons and daughters can have life through Him.

Conclusion

And this is great news for you and me. He willingness to deny the flesh, endure the cross, and refuse to save himself led to our salvation. Jesus, the Son of God, proves His Sonship through his perfect obedience to Father. And in that obedience he wins for us the right to become children of God. You see is the fulfillment of Israel the second Adam. On the cross he hung in our place and satisfied the wrath of God. He was tempted in every way yet without sin. His sinlessness makes him the pure and perfect sacrifice that was demanded as a substitute for sinners. His ability to deny the devil himself makes him worthy to die for us. You serve a perfect Savior. You serve the Son of God.