The Preparation of Temptation

THE PREPARATION OF TEMPTATION

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Title- The Resurrected: How to live a Resurrected life

(NKJV)

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Text- Main Point- We can overcome temptation through the power of God's Word.

Introduction:

A few years ago, I had a friend call me. Telling me about his new job and how he was making so much money selling coffee, diet pills, and other health products. He said I needed to get in on this. That I don’t even need to apply. All I have to do is go to their website and sign up to receive merchandise and sell it. It’s called “It Works”. I humored him and said “Awesome man, i’ll check it out”. Next thing I know, like a week later he is at my house, knocking on my door. He has a “It Works t-shirt on and has some free samples of the stuff he is selling”. I eventually order a starter kit from their website. I found out later that “It Works” doesn’t really “Work”!

Now imagine a salesman knocking at your door. You open the door, and he tells you what he is selling. At that point, if you’re not interested, it’s not hard to say, “Sorry, I’m not interested. Try the nice folks next door.” But suppose you invite this person into your home…

B. Illustration -Imagine a salesman knocking at your door. You open the door, and he tells you what he is selling. At that point, if you’re not interested, it’s not hard to say, “Sorry, I’m not interested. Try the nice folks next door.” But suppose you invite this person into your home…

Now he sits down in your living room and makes his presentation. He shows you the product. He talks to you about how much you need this and how much better your life will be if you have it. A bond begins to be form and you become engaged with the idea. Now it’s harder to say “No.”

This is what it means to “enter into” temptation. You’re engaged with it, connected to it. You let it inside and its sitting in your living room. The temptation that landed in your flesh has found a place in your affections.

TRANSITION**

All of us know what it is to enter the wilderness of temptation. Temptation is part of the human condition. To not give into temptation we need to be prepared for when it does come. A way to do that is to know when it comes....

I. WHEN TEMPTATION COMES

A. Temptation Comes after blessing

Temptation comes after blessing. I think of the story of Job, and how he had all a man could ask for. He had a wife, children, friends, and wealth.

Also, It was after a great time of blessing in the life of Jesus that He was tempted by Satan. It came right after his baptism. The Holy Spirit had descended on Him in the form of a dove, and the Heavenly Father proudly said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Have you ever had temptation hit you out of nowhere? I think the most dangerous time a temptation can come is when we least expect, when everything is going great. Times of temptation that we are more inclined to give in is when we are at our mountaintop experience. Satan has a way of making bad things look good. Things that we know we shouldn't do have a certain enticement for them. It's like were tied to a rope and somebody is slowly pulling us in. We have the power to resist, but, we won't because we like what we see at the other end.

Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy us. He is a robber; and a robber will not attack someone going into the bank but, will wait for the opportune time when someone comes out of the bank and has a wallet or purse full of money.

300 Quotations for Preachers Be on Your Guard after Great Successes

There are critical times of danger. After great services, honours, and consolations, we should stand upon our guard. Noah, Lot, David, Solomon, fell in these circumstances. Satan is a robber: A robber will not attack a man in going to the bank, but in returning with his pocket full of money.

B. Temptation comes at our weakness

Temptation also, comes at our weakness. Satan is very strategic in his attacks. He also has a kingdom of followers who does his work. Satan will attack our weaknesses. He will scout you out. If he see's that your marriage is struggling, we will attack your family, if he see's that you struggle with depression, we will attack your identity. If he see’s you struggle finding rest,he will attack your peace.

Life Application Bible Commentary, Matthew Satan Tempts Jesus in the Wilderness / 4:1–11 / 18

Jesus wasn’t tempted inside the temple or at his baptism but in the desert, where he was tired, alone, and hungry, and thus most vulnerable. The devil often tempts us when we are at our weakest point—under physical or emotional stress (for example, lonely, tired, weighing big decisions, or faced with uncertainty

Jesus was tempted in the desert, when he was tired, alone, hungry. Satan often attacks us when we are feeling weak spiritually, emotional or physically.

The apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment him. This could of been a physical injury, sickness, or just simply the persecution he was suffering because of his faith in Christ.

Jesus wasn’t tempted inside the temple or at his baptism but in the desert, where he was tired, alone, and hungry, and thus most vulnerable. The devil often tempts us when we are at our weakest point—under physical or emotional stress (for example, lonely, tired, weighing big decisions, or faced with uncertainty

The apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment him. This could of been a physical injury, sickness, or just simply the persecution he was suffering because of his faith in Christ. Paul pleaded with him to take it away but, God's response was "My grace is enough, for my power is perfected in weakness. We might be tempted to give up when things aren't going well. When we are facing opposition, obstacles, and oppressors, but, God tells us greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world.

Paul pleaded with him to take it away but, God's response was "My grace is enough, for my power is perfected in weakness. We might be tempted to give up when things aren't going well. When we are facing opposition, obstacles, and oppressors, but, God tells us greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world.

C. Temptation Comes when we are alone

Temptation comes when we are most vulnerable. For many of us that is when we are alone. We were made to in community with each other. To meet together as much as possible to encourage and pray with one another. One of Satan's best kept secrets is his divide and conquer methods. For A house divided against itself cannot stand, so we need to have our foundation built on Christ!

D. Temptation Comes before the blessing

Temptation also usually comes not just after a blessing but, before God is going to do something great in your life! I remember a time about eight years not too long after I was saved that I met this girl who was blinded claimed she could see Angels and Demons. She told me that there were demons who were trying to prevent the predestined ministry I was called to do. I didn't think much of it at the time but, in the next 3 years I got in a total of 3 car accidents. None of them were my fault. A lot of times before God in going to do a great work through us, he has to do a great work in us.

There is often a spirit of oppression that is active by demonic forces. This is when Satan tries to prevent something that is God ordained. Many times in our lives where we feel the most resistance is when God is preparing to send the biggest blessing. This gives me the endurance and patience I need to continue on in spite of the intense difficulty I am experiencing.

We also need to know the different types of temptations....

II. THE THREE TEMPTATIONS

A. THE TEMPTATION OF DESIRE

Jesus had fasted 40 days and forty nights. It's obvious that he was hungry, so Satan tried to tempt Jesus using His desire for food. Satan does the same thing to us today.

He will look and wait for us at the moment of weakness and pounce on us.

He is a roaring lion who seeks to kill and destroy. He will wait until our relationship isn't going well to entice us into unfaithfulness.

He will wait until loneliness and depression before he entices us with something that looks attractive to the lust of the eyes.

says this: But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

We have this desire to take control of things. To take things in our own hands.

We get the desire to lie instead of telling the truth because we want to control the situation.

We have that desire to envy because we want to have control of what we have. So we steal to get it.

We are tempted to have sex before marriage because we want control. We want it in our timing not God's timing. If you wake up next to your girlfriend or boyfriend the next morning, that's not love, that's lust.

We have this temptation to ask will God provide for my needs? Satan will encourage this by saying worldly things such as "It's okay, no one has morals anymore", that doesn't apply to use c'mon were in the 21st century now.

Like the Adam and Eve story: "Did God really say that? Surely you will not die but, you will be like God." Satan temps Jesus by telling him to turn stones into bread but, see how Jesus responds: "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" He shut up Satan with that temptation from the Word of God.

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching The Subtlety of Satan

Among the great number of books authored by C. S. Lewis is the highly provocative The Screwtape Letters. In it the profound Englishman had the devil brief his nephew, Wormwood, on the subleties and techniques of tempting people. The goal, he counsels, is not wickedness but indifference. Satan cautions his nephew to keep the prospect, the patient, comfortable at all costs. If he should become concerned about anything of importance, encourage him to think about his luncheon plans; not to worry, it could induce indigestion. And then this definitive job description: “I, the devil, will always see to it that there are bad people. Your job, my dear Wormwood, is to provide me with people who do not care.”

Illustration:

I once read about a young blind girl from France who was given a New Testament in raised letters. She was so excited and read it so much that the tips of her fingers became very calloused so that she could no longer feel the characters. She started crying because now she couldn’t read the Bible at all. As she wept, she pressed the Scripture to her lips and was surprised that her lips were more sensitive than her fingers and she could actually read with her lips. She spent the night moving her lips along the raised letters of her Bible. Oh, that we would desire the Word as much as that. (Lou Nicholes Missionary/Author).

B. THE TEMPTATION THAT DECEIVES

He all have been mislead at one point. Like the used car salesman who gives you a pitch to buy a used car and tells you the car runs great but, fails to tell you that the brakes don't work. Even though it might sound like he was telling the truth, he was distorting the truth and that's exactly what deception is. It was successful for Satan in the garden with Adam and Eve but, Satan soon found out it wouldn't be successful with God's Son.

We see here the second temptation. Satan tells Jesus to throw himself down from the temple surely God will send his angels to catch you. Satan is using the temptation of deception here and is attempting to get Jesus to dare his father to rescue Him. Do we do this sometimes? Do we put ourselves in situations where we are daring God to rescue us?

Are we giving in to the temptation of deception and deceiving ourselves or others? That's why we must be careful who we choose as our friends and what stuff we allow ourselves to be around.

We do these foolish things like having sex before marriage and then ask "God, why did you allow this to happen to me" or we go out drinking and driving then complain and blame God for everything that happened.

God will rescue us from our failures and mistakes, but, don't allow that to be an excuse to test God!

In the first temptation we see Jesus fight back by quoting scripture and the devil flees, but, in the second temptation, Satan throws scripture at Jesus trying to deceive him into doing what he wants him to do. Jesus didn't only know the Word but he knew what the Word meant and he discerned it. If you only know the Word that will only help you so much, you need to know what it means and APPLY IT.!

C. THE TEMPTATION TO DOUBT

In the final temptation, Satan shows Jesus all the glory of the world , and tells him everything can be his but, only if he bows down and worships him. Satan tempts us the same way today with materialism and power. Tries to tell us that we need to look a certain way.

Satan was telling Jesus the king of kings that he didn't have to go to the cross, that he could take the easy way out. I think later in the ministry of Jesus, he looks back at this temptation when he says "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

Satan will try to tempt us with the glories of the world and the pride of life. He will try to cause doubt about who we are in Christ as he attempted to cause doubt about who Jesus was. Once again, Jesus responds with scripture and says "you must worship the Lord your God and serve him only" Worship is much more than singing a few songs every Sunday. We have an opportunity to worship with every breath we take. We need to take a stand on God's Word and refuse to bow down to the feet of Satan and the world.

APPLICATION

We all are tempted.

We are tempted before the blessing comes.

We are tempted after the blessing comes.

We are tempted when we feel weak.

We are tempted when we feel strong.

Are you trusting in God’s strength and not your own today? Can you say “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”? Or are you walking in defeat instead of claiming your victory in Jesus?

TEMPTATION IS TEMPORARY!

Waymaker song

Communion

Wonderful Merciful, Savior

Application- We can resist temptation through the power of God's Word. So pick up your sword and be prepared for battle. To live a resurrected life you have to be ready to fight the enemy, who seeks to kill and destroy

We can resist temptation through the power of God's Word. So pick up your sword and be prepared for battle. To live a resurrected life you have to be ready to fight the enemy, who seeks to kill and destroy