Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Introduction

Last week, we started a two part series called “Life is Better Together.”

We said that there are three things that are always true when it comes to temptation.

When it comes to temptation there is more at stake than you realize.

There is a direct correlation between every temptation and your confidence in God’s Word.

It matters who you surround yourself with.

We said last week that with every temptation what is really at stake is

Your Future

The Future of Someone You Love

Your Faith

We saw this vividly played out with Eve and Satan in the disguise of a Serpent in the Garden.

We saw that all Satan had to do was ask one Question to give Eve to show her hand.

To show that she

Loosely Knew God’s Word

Loosely Believed God’s Word

Loosely Thought Much was at stake.

Remember last week, I showed you the Marshmallow test with the aim of showing how the test results proved their was more at stake than just did they eat or not eat the marshmallow.

What was at stake was their future.

This week we are going to see how temptation is not just about your self-control, there is more to it than that.

The issue in every temptation is can God’s Word be trusted?

Can God’s Word really help me, can it be trusted?

Ha-Foke-Ba

Ha-Foke-Ba

De-Cola-Ba

Ha-Foke-Ba

Ha-Foke-Ba

Mashiach-Ba

Turn-it and turn-it everything you need is in it.

Turn-it and turn-it the Messiah is in it.

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon Introduction

Remember last week, I showed you the Marshmallow test with the aim of showing how the test results proved their was more at stake than just “did they eat” or “did they not eat” the marshmallow.

What was at stake was their future.

Now at the Vowell house, we have never done the Marshmallow test but we have another test.

It is the wait to be seated and eat until your Mom is seated and served her meal test.

I will tell you all three of my kids are very hungry when it is time for dinner.

And though it only takes a matter of minutes for Lauren to be seated and be served for the kids, it can feel like an eternity.

Now, two of my kids are very, very reliant on the example that I set for them.

In other words, there might be a time or twenty that in the waiting for my bride, I might just slide me a warm french fry out of the bowl while I am standing and waiting.

What is the harm, after all I am Abba (when my kids say, “hey Abba” I always tell them that is who I am and what I do), and I believe I have solid Scriptural rational (after all Abraham had Sarah cook while he sat with his visitors and ate and so) and after all this is just a momentary breach of my command to “stand and not eat” not meant to be a permanent injunction.

The problem is two of my three children will follow suite.

And, they will take this one time moment of compromise - failure to resist the temptation of yummy french fries covered in parmesan, rosemary and sea-salt - as a source to validate all their future infractions of my law.

My children’s ability, at least two of them, to withstand temptation, their confidence to stand firm in God’s Word to honor their mother - that is where this all comes from - gains traction and confidence because of my example.

It is not just about my self-control, there is more to it than that.

What is at issue is, “Should we really trust God’s Word to the point of obedience to it?”

Or,

Do I get special privileges because of some special status or title I have?

Do I get to manipulate God with His Word to get what I want?

Do I get to momentarily sidestep my allegiance to God’s Word to go further, faster?

Temptation is not just about your self-control, there is more to it than that.

The issue in every temptation is can God’s Word be trusted?

Can God’s Word reliably help me and be trusted.

This is not just about your self-control, there is more to it than that.

The issue in every temptation is can God’s Word be trusted to the point of obedience, even when it is difficult?

Can God’s Word reliably be trusted?

Today, we are going to examine the three tests Yeshua faced in the wilderness and as a result I hope we will gain more confidence to stand firm in God’s Word and to also align our lives with other people doing the same.

The Insecurity Test

The Manipulation Test

The Success Test

The Insecurity Test -

Do you really believe God’s Spoken Word?

The Background: In the background of this text, is the immersion of Yeshua where the Bat Kol “voice of God” came from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased” ()

The Temptation:

Satan comes to Yeshua at his weakest moment to tempt Him.

Here is the temptation, “Will you get a legitimate need met in an illegitimate way?” Do you really believe that “You are His Son, that is well loved, and He is pleased with” given that you are starving of hunger.

Shouldn’t you be able to side-step this whole thing?

Here is the temptation, “Will you get a legitimate need met in an illegitimate way?”

Hunger is a legitimate need, it is not wrong to hunger.

What Satan wants to do is to see if Yeshua doubts God’s word about being the Son that is loved and the Father is well pleased with.

Remember in the Garden, last week, we said Eve loosely knew, believed and thought much was at stake when it came to eating from the tree of knowledge.

That is why she said, “maybe you will die.”

She doubted God’s Word and Satan immediately seizes upon that doubt and says, “Surely you will not die.

God knows you will be like Him.”

In other words, “Eve you are right to doubt that whole dying thing because really God is not treating you like a daughter, He does not really love you, and is surely not pleased with you.”

The Response

What He does not Say: Satan I command you to leave now!

He has authority to do this but he does not do this.

What He does say:

The Scriptures are the Sword of the Spirit: It is Written.

The Scriptures are not a support for His authority they are the authority He surrenders himself over to.

(cf.

).

The Scriptures are Living and Active: The Scriptures wash us up into its story line.

Yeshua reaches back to to say that He is the Son of God but so was Israel God’s Son.

And if God’s Son Israel had to learn discipline (training) to trust God’s Word so the Son of Israel would also voluntarily be trained by suffering and sacrifice to trust God’s Word.

The Scriptures are Still Speaking: “But by every single Word that comes pouring out of God’s mouth.”

The compound present participle—“pouring out” (ekporeuomenō̧)—is exciting: it pictures a God in constant conversation with his children.

What does it mean: The Word of God is so sure to me that I am His son, it satisfies my hunger at a level human food just cannot satisfy.

I will not try to get a legitimate need met in an illegitimate way.

But by every single Word that comes pouring out of God’s mouth.”

The compound present participle—“pouring out” (ekporeuomenō̧)—is exciting: it pictures a God in constant conversation with his world.

(“God spoke to the fathers, prophets, and apostles; He still speaks (adhuc loquitur) to us through Holy Scripture,” The Second Helvetic Confession, chap.

1.)

Illustration: Anyone who has ever been through a hardship, a hard-time or a sacrificial moment knows this temptation all too well.

For some, this is the moment when right after they lay to rest that loved one that passed away to soon.

For others, this is is that moment when you come undone with life.

We have a tendency to overestimate our standing and think we are beyond the need for training, discipline that stretches our faith and imagination..

This phenomenon is most likely to occur on hard tasks, hard items, when failure is likely or when the individual making the estimate is not especially skilled.

Overestimation has been seen to occur across domains other than those pertaining to one's own performance.

This includes the illusion of control whereby a person overestimates how much control over objects they have because of their position.

Football Players who do not want to do Spring Training.

My Illustration from Canada.