The Wilderness Temptation

If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you take?

Take a few answers.

Looking at a story tonight where Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and nights.

Elaborate some on it.

Before we get into it, I need to make sure we all understand a few things about the Bible and the books know as The Gospels.

Explain them.

So this story is in Matthew, Mark gives two verses to it, and then Luke tells it almost just like Matthew. We’re going to look at his version. We’re going to see how it leads us as we deal with temptation. And we need this, because we face temptation on a daily basis.

I got this follow request on Instagram. It’s clearly a porn account, but no one I know follows it, who would ever know?

I could make fun of this person and everyone would laugh and I’d look really good.

The person sitting across from me isn’t covering the answers on their test.

My parents would never find out about this lie.

I should share the Gospel with this person who needs it, but it seems scary.

I’m supposed to spend time in God’s Word, but it’s hard to find that time.

Everyday we’re tempted to sin, and if we have truly put our faith in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit, we know we shouldn’t do it, but that doesn’t make it easy to say no. There’s good news for us in this story tonight.

Temptation will come and we have to look to Jesus, who overcame it in our place, when it does!

Read Luke 4:1-13

There is an enemy.

We have to acknowledge that Satan is real and he is after God’s people. He wants us to think he isn’t there. He doesn’t want us to know that he’s trying to get us to sin. He is as subtle as possible. But he is incredibly and eternally dangerous.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I heard about something that I think is really cool a few years ago. It’s a way that people say eskimos hunt wolves. Wolves find food by their sense of smell, and one thing that really tips that off is the smell of blood. So eskimos use that against them. They take a knife and dip it in some blood and let it freeze. Then they dip it again and again and again, until the blade of the knife is turned into a blood-cicle. Sounds yummy, right!? Then they take that knife and bury it in the snow by the handle so just the blood-cicle end is showing. A wolf catches that scent and comes looking for it, finds it, and starts licking. What does ice do to skin? It makes it numb. But the wolf still smells the blood so it keeps licking. Eventually the blade shows, but by that time the wolf’s tongue is numb and it can’t feel that the knife is cutting its tongue to shreds. The wolf eventually bleeds to death.

This is how Satan wants to attack us. He wants us to think we are doing something good for us until it’s too late. He wants us to fall into sin without realizing it. We have to pay attention.

Satan hates God and hates God’s people and he and his demons are on the attack. It talks pretty plainly about it in Ephesians chapter 6.

And here’s a side note we need to talk about. The Bible says at the end of this war Satan and his demons will be thrown into hell for everlasting punishment.

There’s an idea that popular culture created a while ago that we need to know is not biblical, that Satan is in charge in Hell. Like he’s the king of Hell. That’s not true, he will be in punishment just like everyone else there, like he deserves!

But until he’s there, he’s going to be trying to get as many people there with him as he can, so we have to be on guard and aware. We cannot be naive about what he is doing in the world. He’s tempting us.

He will tempt us.

If he tempted Jesus, he’s surely going to tempt us!

So most of you have probably noticed that I am an awkward human. I just have trouble being relaxed sometimes because I’m always overthinking interactions with people. When we talk, I’m running everything I say through the filter of everything I know about you in my head to make sure I don’t upset you or let you find out I’m weird. So interactions with strangers make this difficult. Interactions with strangers trying to sell me stuff are real icky to me. I try to avoid them, but there is a situation that is basically impossible to avoid, girl scouts. Look, I’m not upset that they’re selling cookies, but I don’t want any. And please recognize that if I refuse to look at you, I’d prefer you didn’t speak to me! But if they’re out there selling cookies, somehow they will ask every single person to buy cookies. It doesn’t matter if there are already people at there table and you walk by on the other side, they are going to get you! “Excuse me sir, would you like to buy some cookies? Excuse me, Brian Wirges! Husband to Kristen, father to Parker, Hudson, and Dawson, will you buy some cookies?” No little girl, why do you know so much about me!?

Ok maybe they don’t know all that, but that’s how I feel!

As sure as it is that those girl scouts are hitting you up for some thin mints, you are going to be tempted to give in to sin by our enemy.

If we recognize his tricks, it will help us out. He wants to make us ask questions.

He wants us to question God.

verses 3 & 9

He will take what God has said and twist it and try to create doubt.

Genesis 3:1b

Genesis 3:1b ESV

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 3:1 ESV

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis

He wants us to question who God says we are.

God has told us that when we put our faith in Jesus, we are his children. But Satan wants to confuse that.

Adam and Even were made in God’s image, just like each of us, but look what Satan does in the Garden.

Genesis 3:5 ESV

For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan tells them they are not like God, but God made us in his image.

He wants you to question if you are really forgiven. If you are really one of God’s children.

Satan wants us to question God’s provision.

verses 1-3

Would God really let his Son be hungry? Shouldn’t He have done better for you? Just do it your way, provide for yourself!

Again, it’s not a new trick!

Genesis 3:1 ESV

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

He wants you thinking, “why hasn’t God given me this thing I want yet?” Then he’ll give you an opportunity to take it.

He wants you to worship anything but God, so he’ll put whatever he can before you to draw your worship.

verses 5-6

Satan got Adam and Eve to worship themselves by trying to elevate themselves to his level.

The same thing that got Satan kicked out of Heaven.

He wants you to question God’s love and care for you.

verse 9

Genesis 3:4 ESV

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

He’ll put the questions in your head, “why would God allow you go have pain, suffering, discomfort?”

And he knows how to use God’s Word to confuse us.

verses 10-11

He’s really good at this tempting thing!

So it’s so important for us to know God’s Word and to be able to see it being wrongly used!

And it’s also important for us to know it so we can stand against the enemies attacks. This is what Jesus did!

God’s Word helps us.

All three times Jesus answers Satan with Scripture.

If your teacher tells you you can use a study guide for the exam, you use it right?

God’s Word equips us with what we need to know, with truth to combat the lies Satan is telling us, we have to know it!

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

And I thought that was the point of this story until this week. It’s not.

Jesus stands in for us.

That’s the point of this story! I missed it until I was studying for this message. The point is that Jesus won for us! Jesus resisted the temptation every time it came because we can’t!

It’s possible for us to get away from every temptation that comes at us.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

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.

But we won’t always take the out. As we follow Jesus and spend time with him, we get stronger and stronger. We follow the Spirit more and more. But we’ll still fail. Still give in to temptation.

But Jesus never did. And He stands in our place. When you put your faith in Him you receive his perfect record against Satan’s temptation and He takes on your losing record and the penalty that comes with it!

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

He loves us and He endured it because of that love!

Our Lord didn’t endure this so we would have a model to follow. He did this so we would have mercy when falling. –Thabiti Anyabwile

He stood in our place because we fell. The Gospel in four words: Jesus in my place.

Explain the Gospel, including the penalty for our sins, and how Jesus takes care of us.

Christian, fight against sin. But don’t be overcome by your failures, because Jesus didn’t fail! Run to Him, fall on his strength. Let his Word be your aid.