The Gospel of Mark: Have I Got a Deal for You!

Text: Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13

Theme: Adam, when tempted, failed. So Christ, “the last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45) must now be tempted, in order that by his victory over the tempter he may, for all who believe in him, undo the results of the first Adam’s failure.

In the 4th chapters of both Matthew and Luke, we have much longer accounts of the temptation of Jesus, and I’ll be depending on them to some degree. Mark, known for his brevity, summaries it in just two verses. But in his brevity he gives us three phrases that suffice to give us a good 3-point outline for tonight’s message: Jesus was led by the Spirit, Jesus was tempted by the Devil, and Jesus was strengthened by the Angels.

The temptation of Jesus has always been something of an enigma to me. As the Son of God, he was incapable of sin. Being the 2nd Person of the Trinity Jesus does not have the sin nature that all other men are born with. Like men, Jesus hears the tempter’s voice whispering in his ear. But unlike men he could not be “drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire” (James 1:14). But as the Son of Man, the temptations were, nevertheless, real. With every temptation that Satan confronts him with Christ discerned immediately that the proposals coming to him from Satan were evil. But the struggle to which these temptations gave rise — was real even for Christ.

That said, lets look at what the text says.

I. JESUS WAS LED BY THE SPIRIT

"At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert," (Mark 1:12 , NIV)

1. Jesus had just experienced — quiet literally — heaven at His baptism

a. vv. 10-11 tell us that as he came up out of the waters of the Jordan, that He saw heaven opened, the Spirit of God descended upon Him, and He heard the voice of God proclaim His acceptance of the son

1) now, my baptism was pretty meaningful to me, but I never experienced anything like that

2. immediately after His baptism, Mark writes that the Spirit drove him out into the desert

a. immediately is one of Mark’s favorite words ... using it a dozen times in his gospel

b. it implies that Jesus felt a strong inner compulsion to go into the wilderness

1) if you’re like me, you might wonder, “Why would the Spirit compel Jesus to go into the wilderness in order to be tempted?”

2) the New Testament helps provide the answer ... let me offer three reasons

A. JESUS WAS LED INTO THE WILDERNESS TO BE ALONE WITH GOD

1. there are a number of instances in the Gospels where Jesus separates Himself from the crowds, and even His disciples, to go off alone to pray and seek the Father’s will

a. we see Him spending entire nights in prayer – often on mountain tops

“7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” (Hebrews 5:7, ESV)

b. even though He was the Son of God, as the Son of Man he needed periods of refreshment and intimacy with the Father

2. time spent with the Father gave Him the words to say to the people

a. how could Jesus say the things He did?

1) the Gospels tell us that the people marveled at his teachings and exclaimed that no man had ever said the things that Jesus said or taught the things that Jesus taught

b. Jesus said the things He did because of the time He spent with the Father

"Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19, NASB95)

“ ... the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me." (John 14:24, NASB95)

3. one of the reasons He felt compelled to go into the desert was to spend time with the Father

B. JESUS WAS LED INTO THE WILDERNESS TO LEARN OBEDIENCE

"Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." (Hebrews 5:8, NASB95)

1. one of the places where Jesus learned obedience was in the wilderness during His 40 days with God

a. the reason that Jesus could humble himself and become obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross was because He had learned obedience to the Father long before He made that great sacrifice

2. Jesus suffered long before He dies on a cross and in that suffering He became obedient to the Father in all things

C. JESUS WAS LED INTO THE WILDERNESS TO GIVE US HOPE

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15, NASB95)

"For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted." (Hebrews 2:18, NASB95)

ILLUS. Erwin Lutzer says that “Temptation is not a sin; it is a call to battle.”

1. Jesus sympathizes with us when we are tempted — He knows how it feels

2. Jesus comes to the aid of those who are tempted — He know how to give us victory

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

II. JESUS WAS TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL

“And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. ... .” (Mark 1:13, ESV)

1. this is where we will turn to Matthew to help fill in the gaps

A. SATAN TEMPTED JESUS TO TREAT HIS PHYSICAL NEEDS AS IF THEY WERE HIS ULTIMATE NEEDS

"And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” (Matthew 4:3, NASB95)

1. Jesus was hungry after a long fast

a. everything I’ve read about prolonged fasts tells me that a normally-fed, healthy individual can go approximately thirty days without food before serious health complications begin to appear

b. Jesus had gone forty days

c. his need for sustenance was critical

2. Satan knew this and chose a vulnerable time to tempt our Lord

a. the temptation obviously had a powerful appeal

3. Satan tempted Jesus to act as if food were the most important thing in life

a. Jesus knew better

"But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:4, NASB95)

4. Satan frequently tempts us to place our priority in physical things rather than God

a. in case you haven’t figured it out by now, we live in a hedonistic culture

1) hedonism is that philosophy which maintains, pleasure and the pursuit of pleasure is man’s chief aim in life

ILLUS. The motto of the hedonist is, “If it feels good: Do it!” The author and playwright, Oscar Wilde echoed this sentiment over 100 years ago when he wrote, “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it!”

2) hedonism is not unique to our modern culture

b. the result of this philosophy as a life-style is that it puts our physical needs above all else

1) Jesus addressed this very issue in his Sermon on the Mount

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ... 32 "“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:25, 32-33, NASB95)

2) Jesus could preach that because he had done it himself

B. JESUS WAS TEMPTED TO SENSATIONALIZE HIMSELF INSTEAD OF GLORIFYING GOD

"Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand 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, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” (Matthew 4:5-6, NASB95)

ILLUS. For Jesus to have followed Satan’s suggestion would have been, in the eyes of many Jews, sure proof of His messiahship. That is exactly the sort of proof other would-be messiahs of that day were trying to give. A Jewish rebel named Theudas, who lived about the same time that Jesus did, led his followers from the Temple to the Jordan River, promising to split the waters. After he failed, no one listened to him anymore. Tradition holds that Simon the magician (see Acts 8:9 ) tried the very feat with which Satan tempted Jesus: jumping off the top of the Temple — for which he lost his life as well as his following

1. Satan tempted Jesus to glorify Himself

a. he encouraged Jesus to take an action that shouted, Look at me!

1) sensationalism has always appealed to the flesh, and many people are willing to believe almost anyone or anything as long as the claims are accompanied by fantastic happenings

2) this is why — during the end times — that so many people will be fooled by the Anti-Christ

b. Jesus had an answer for Satan for this temptation as well . . .

"Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” (Matthew 4:7, NASB95)

2. one commentator I read this week, wrote that the second enticement that Satan presented to Jesus was the temptation to yield to slick religion

a. slick religion is a religion that pretends to honor God, but focuses on self

1) it’s a religion that is deceptive in its outward appearance

2) it’s the religion of the Pharisees, and Jesus describes it in Matthew 6 ...

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full." (Matthew 6:2, NASB95)

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full." (Matthew 6:5, NASB95)

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full." (Matthew 6:16, NASB95)

3. Satan still temps by encouraging us to sensationalize ourselves rather than glorifying God

C. JESUS WAS TEMPTED BY WORLDLINESS RATHER THAN GODLINESS

1. as God’s own proclaimed King of kings, Jesus had a divine right to all kingdoms

a. it was to that right that Satan appealed in this last temptation

b. Satan essentially tells Jesus, “Why should you have to wait for what is already rightfully yours? You deserve to have it now. Why do you submit as a Servant when you could reign as a King? I am only offering you what the Father has already promised.”

c. after all didn’t God promise in Psalms 2:8, “Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.”

2. but Satan was offering the world to Jesus on his own corrupt terms, not God’s

a. the Father promised the Son the kingdoms of the world because of His righteous obedience

1) Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world in exchange for His unrighteous disobedience

b. God’s plan in testing the Son was to prove the Son’s worthiness to inherit and rule the world

1) Satan’s plan was to draw the Son away from that worthiness by enticing Him to grab the kingdom the Father promised to give Him

c. instead of enduring the long, bitter, humiliating, and painful road to the cross, Satan tells Jesus that He could rule the world now!

3. Satan always comes at us in that way

a. he suggests that the world of business, the world of politics, the world of fame, or the world of whatever our heart desires can be ours — if only … !

b. we can get what we want; we can fulfill our lusts and our fantasies; we can be somebody

c. all we must do to get those things of the world is to go after them in the way of the world

III. JESUS WAS STRENGTHENED BY THE ANGELS

“ ... And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.” (Mark 1:13, ESV)

1. at the end of forty days, God sends angels to attend to Jesus ... they are, after all, ministering spirits

“And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:13–14, ESV)

a. just how they ministered to him we are not told, but after his experience with the devil it had to be a sweet experience to see faces he knew!

IV. LESSONS FROM MARK 1:12-13

A. WE EACH NEED TO ‘GO OFF ALONE’ TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD

ILLUS. In Southern Europe and the Near East there is a caterpillar known as the Pine Processional Caterpillar. They travel long distances in a single-file, head-to-tail line. They have a strong, almost overwhelming desire to follow the caterpillar ahead of them. In an experiment, French naturalist, Jean Henri Fabre, demonstrated just how strong that urge is. He placed a number of these creatures on the edge of a flower pot. In the center of the flower pot, he placed their natural food – pine needles. Off the caterpillars marched. For seven days they followed each other around and around and around. Not once did any one of them break away to go over to the pine needles and eat. Eventually, all caterpillars died.

1. the story of the processional caterpillars is a kind of parable of human behavior

a. people are reluctant to break away from the rhythmic pattern of daily life

b. they don't want to be different

2. we must break away from the crowd, however, and "go off alone" to spend time with our Lord in prayer

B. LIVING A LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD DOES NOT EXEMPT US FROM TEMPTATION

1. when Satan came to Adam and Eve, he took the initiative to confront them

a. the result was that sin entered the human race

2. in this passage, Jesus deliberately, under the power of the Holy Spirit, went forth to confront Satan

a. the result was victory over temptation

b. no sooner had God said, You are my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased then we read, Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness

3. being led by the Spirit doesn’t exempt us from temptation, but being led by the Spirit does give us victory over temptation

a. as long as we are in this body of flesh, we will struggle with temptation

b. the good news is that if we allow God the Spirit to lead us, He will empower us to overcome temptation

Galatians 5:16 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." NASB95

C. TEMPTATION IS NOT SO MUCH THE APPEAL OF ‘WORLDLY STUFF’ BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST AND INWARD STRUGGLE

ILLUS. The celebrated 19th century preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, said, Oftentimes great and open temptations are the most harmless because they come with banners flying and bands playing and all the munitions of war in full view, so that we know we are in the midst of enemies that mean us damage, and we get ready to meet and resist them. Our peculiar dangers are those that surprise us and work treachery [with]in our fort.

ILLUS. Bobby Leach not a name most of you are familiar with. He has his place in historybecause he was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive. He accomplished this feat on July 25, 1911 in a specially constructed steel barrel. He miraculously came through the experience unscathed. In 1925, while on a tour of New Zealand he slipped on an orange peel while walking down a street. He was rushed to the hospital with a badly fractured leg. After developing complications, his leg had to be amputated. He developed gangrene poisoning and died.

1. my point? — believers are more frequently brought down by a minor skirmish than by a major battle

a. the ‘obvious’ temptations, the ‘big’ temptations, the ‘crystal-clear’ temptations are often the easiest ones for us to resist

ILLUS. Place a six-pack of Budweiser in front of me and that’s not a temptation to me — even though I like Budweiser. I can abstain with little effort.

b. it’s the ‘inconspicuous’ temptations, the ‘innocuous’ temptations, the ‘ambiguous’ temptations that often take us down

ILLUS. Place a bag of Cheetos in front of me and that’s a temptation to me. I can’t eat just one or only just a handful. I want to devour the entire bag.

2. our problem with temptation is not rooted in the worldly stuff around us

a. Satan just uses it as bait

b. our problem with temptation is rooted in a heart that is not fully God’s and our own evil desire

Mark 7:21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries," NASB95

James 1:14-15 "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." NASB95

3. when our heart’s desire is Jesus and the Kingdom, we will struggle less with temptation

D. GOD DOES NOT ABANDON US IN OUR STRUGGLES

1. Mark does not give us much detail in his gospel other than to inform us that the angels were ministering to Him

a. we cannot begin to imagine the struggles that Jesus must have had during this forty days in the wilderness

1) Mark’s gospel tells us that their were wild beasts in the wilderness at that time

2) Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus endured a constant barrage of Satan’s temptations and that they came to him daily

3) Matthew’s gospel seems to imply that Satan saved the very best of his temptations for the end of the 40 days when he believed that Jesus would be most vulnerable

b. in the end, the angels come and attend to him even as Satan himself knew they would

Palm 91:11-12 "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone." NASB95

2. God knows that we struggle with temptation and He does not abandon us to it

1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." NASB95

ILLUS. Martin Luther, the Catholic monk who sparked the Protestant Reformation, wrote: God delights in our temptations and yet hates them. He delights in them when they drive us to prayer; he hates them when they drive us to despair.

a. this passage teaches us several important truths about temptation

1) never assume that you’re the only one experiencing a certain temptation

2) always presume that God is faithful — he will never let you experience a temptation that you cannot endure

3. God has given us something so much better than the angels when it comes to being victorious over temptation

a. He has provided us a sympathetic High Priest — His name is Jesus

Hebrews 2:18 "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." NIV

b. He has provided us with His Word

1) Jesus counter-attacked every temptation with Scripture, saying It is written, It is written, It is written

c. He was provided us His Holy Spirit who empowers us to resist and overcome temptation

Galatians 5:16 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." NASB95

All of us deal with temptation.

In a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, you see the two of them sitting on top of a snow-covered hill on a toboggan. With this look of fear in his eyes, Calvin says, “Well, here we are, poised at the precipice of ‘Pallbearer Peak’ on a flimsy, unsteerable sled! The mind recoils in horror to imagine the awful descent! Yes, it’s a thousand foot vertical drop onto a boulder field lined with pricker bushes! It’s a journey calculated to exceed the human capacity for blinding fear!” He turns to Hobbes, his stuffed tiger, and says, “Are you ready to go?” Hobbes simply says, “Ready.” In the last panel of the cartoon you see Calvin and Hobbes walking away from the hill. Calvin is saying, “Sometimes, the best thing to do IS to walk away.” When we’re spending time with God, we’ll be able to walk away from temptation.