Temptation of Jesus
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Temptation
Temptation
As we jump into today’s text Id like to answer a couple quick questions about temptation
1. Is temptation sin? No, not in and of itself
-Jesus was tempted just like us but never sinned-
2. Does God tempt us? No,
-God allows trials to come to great a greater dependency on Him
-Those intended blessings, can sadly quickly turn into temptations
3. Is everyone tempted the same way? Yes and No
- - Even though nothing is new, it maybe presented to me in a different way
-If alcohol isn’t a problem for you don’t expect Satan to tempt you with it
-He will tempt you with which you are capable and probable to fall into
-However the way of escape is universal
4. Is the best method to handle temptation to run?
-Joseph and Potiphars wife
-Sexual sins- it absolutely imperative to run- Men and Women it will consume you and kill your family- possibly you
-the best method is as John MacArthur says- just fix your eyes on Jesus and ask the Lord what you need to do
-Sometimes you cant always run from work but if you ask the Lord to truly help you with this temptation or remove it- I believe the Lord answers that in some way
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said 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.’ ”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’ ”
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Background
-Jesus has been pronounced God’s Son in a miraculous way
-God speaks from Heaven, Spirit descends from Heaven inaugurating Jesus into his earthly ministry
Big Day and then a time of prep was needed for his ministry
Vs1- Spirit led him- Satan tempted him
when we are at spiritual peaks and valleys Satan likes to attack
When we are flying high, who needs God
when we are at the bottom- who wants a God who left them here
Vs 2- 40 days and nights Jesus fast
-Jesus is portrayed as others in great postions have been
-Moses and Elijah both spend 40 days fasting in prep for ministry
-But Jesus symbolizes something bigger, the true Israel- Gods true child who will lives sinless unlike the Jews who wandered aimless for 40 years in the desert due to sin
-Physically tired, Emotionally tired, Spirtually tired
-I think we are privy to see these three temptations but it would hard to see Satan only bothering Jesus 3 times
-He hates all things about him and will stop for nothing to go against Gods plan
-the same thing for you- he desires to destroy Gods plan for you
Self Gratification
Vs 3- “If you are the Son of God”- carefully baited
-Satans always plays upon doubt
-I know God just spoke from heaven but if your Gods Son why are you out here hungry?
-God can make sons of Abraham from stones, cant you make some food?
-Dont you have some power you can use to fix your problem?
-Does God really care?
-the temptation is- We are tempted to fulfill our desires apart from Gods will
Vs 4- jesus answers perfectly
-Keeping in line with the “better Israel” idea Jesus quotes from
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. And he 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 point of manna was for them to realize that Gods plan is perfect but also to test and see if they will trust in God to fulfill their needs
-Is God enough is to fulfll your desires
-Before we give the Sunday School answer- honestly think about it
-We all need food so Satan will tempt with over eating, We all need sleep so Satan tempts with laziness, we all need relationship so Satan will tempt us with artificial means of meeting those desires
Which is why Jesus response is perfect
-Gods plan for me is perfect, I will trust in him
-He knows I need bread, Ill wait in his plan and at the end of this passage- his need is met
2. Self- Protection
Vs5- we pick up in Jerusalem on top of the temple
-
-The key behind this temptation is the setting
-The temple was a symbol of God’s presence and protection
Here begins his assault on who Jesus is again with doubt- “if”
-But quickly he misquotes scripture() and tries to draw Jesus in question Gods plan once again
-Jesus responds with Scripture once again in
“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.
Deuteronomy 6:12
-
Another reference back to the Exodus where the questioned God about the water from the rock-
-We do the samething- Let one thing go wrong in our life, “God why” “ dont you care”
-We will doubt his love, his faithfulness and his provision
-Dont give God ultimatiums- God if you do this then I will do this
-Or this the other method- We are putting out a fleece- Gideon example
-That happened once on the bible, I dont think we need to use that as practical guide to reveal his plan for us
Pray, Read his Word and seek his face
-Trust in his plan, He knows our needs, He knows our scenario- For his people he works all things for our good- Dont test him
3. Self Exaltation
I think this is the most devious of them all
-No more questions about his Sonship
Vs 8-9 involve a crossless glorification
-Jesus knows the road that the Father has before him leads straight to rejection and the cross
-I have always seen this as the baited hook
-If you dance a frog across the top of a lilly pad that bass cant help but pop but its that sudden shock that tells him, this isnt what I thought but by then it too late
-In this temptation- Satan offers instantaneous rule for eternal worship
-No one rules over all the world and bows to another
-He want Jesus to question Gods plan and make his own and have his reward now
-Thats the same tactic Satan wants for us: Gods plan isnt moving fast enough, you need it now
-All the while the deep rooted issue is that we dethrone God and place the crown on ourselves- Thats the epitome of the Garden of Eden
-God is holding you back, have it all now---
-
Vs 10- Jesus response- Get out of here with that junk Satan- I know what God wants for me and he quotes
It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.
Jesus spotted the hook in the bait
R.M- “Jesus refused to exchange the end time exaltation by the Father for a right now exaltation of a snake.”
-I believe is our greatest problem
-We want the right now exhilaration of gossip, anger, lust, adultery, pride, bitterness
-every single time we say to God- Forget you, this my life, my world and my life
-Dont let the door hit you on the way out
-Just as the Jews and us settle for sin, Jesus never does and model for us how to do war with Satan
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
The best way to guard your heart from sin is fix your eyes on Jesus
Psalm 119:19
Vs 11- Because God had a more fulfilling plan for Jesus and us in store
-It may not be easier- more than likely it will be far more costly than the immediate options but for those who persevere I can assure you this the end result is beyond imagination
In the end Jesus is crowned king and Satan will always b
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:
Heaven awaits for those in a love relationship with Jesus but Hell drags the rest to misery