022507 Lent 1
Lent 1, February 25, 2007
Christ’s Temptation, Our Salvation
Text: Luke 4:1–13
Luke 4:1-13 (ESV)
The Temptation of Jesus
4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“ ‘ You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’ ”
9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
“ ‘ He will command his angels concerning you,
to guard you,’
11 and
“ ‘ On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Other Lessons: Deut 26:1–11; Psalm 91:1–13; Rom 10:8b–13
Sermon Theme: In the face of temptation, Christ kept God’s Law perfectly for our salvation.
Goal: That frustrated sinners will be comforted with the assurance Christ has kept the Law perfectly on our behalf.
Introduction: Every year, the temptation of Jesus texts is read from one of the Gospel accounts. Have you ever wondered why? Why do we keep hearing the same thing over and over again, we get it already! But how well we get it? That is an entirely different matter. What I mean is this: do we really understand what Jesus’ ability to deny the Devil his seductive plans has to do with us—you and me? You know as well as I do that we succumb to temptations sometimes without even realizing it. And then there are those times when—well, let’s not even go there! But, why, if we are Christ’s followers, do we not do what He did? I mean WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) seems to be pretty meaningless when we get caught up in sin, doesn’t it? Now, if you are still with me here, this brings me to the point:
In the Face of Temptation, Christ Kept God’s Law Perfectly for Our Salvation.
I. Now, what does that mean? Let me set the stage here. When our text says, “Jesus . . . was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil” (vv 1–2), we need to realize from other parts of Scripture that God is tempted by no one (James 1:13)—so, if Jesus is thrown out into the desert to be tempted it is very likely Scripture is talking about his human nature—not his divine nature.
A. So, when Jesus is tempted to use his divine power for his own comfort, it makes more sense. He puts aside his divine nature and powers to go through what we all go through, temptation wise. So what?
1. We can’t do that. No matter how hard we try, we all too often succumb to temptation. That is the sad result of our sinful human nature.
2. But, Jesus trampled the devil’s temptation with only a little word from the Scripture. He knows exactly what the temptation is. It is to get him sidetracked and lose focus on the work His Heavenly Father sent him into the world to do. I he did as the Devil suggested He would have had his bread for sure, but he would have also used His divine powers erroneously and not in accord with His Father’s will. Jesus has nothing to prove to anyone except that He is worthy of His Father’s appointed task. Having bread to eat does not serve that purpose—not now.
B. In another temptation, Jesus is offered the authority and position of world leader. But that was a bald-faced-lie on the Devil’s part. The Christ of God has all authority not only on earth, but also in Heaven. The Devil sure does seem to be pretty dumb, doesn’t he?
1. But what is dumber is what we do when tempted with lies of worldly power and pleasure—we give in!
2. But again, Jesus trampled the serpent’s lies with a simple word from Scripture regarding who alone is worthy of worship.
C. Jesus was also tempted to impose his will over-against his Father’s will by the Devil’s distortion of Scripture.
1. My gosh! I can’t tell you how sickening it is to hear so much today about secret bible codes being cracked by some supposed expert. How sad that we are such easy prey to the Devil’s scheming.
2. Even so, Jesus trampled the lion’s distortion of Scripture with the truth of Scripture. The fully human Jesus was no pushover as it seems the Devil thought he might be. If only you and I could hold steadfast to the word like Jesus did!
II. Though we fail in temptation, Jesus did not. And this is how that applies to us in our humanity. By keeping God’s Law in every way, Jesus has overcome every temptation on our behalf. Now what do we get out of that?
A. We still become frustrated because we cannot overcome temptation and sin.
1. Just like the apostle Paul, we do not do the good we want.
2. We do the evil instead. And that only points to our desperate need for help. And we have it!
B. Let me give you an insight into the Devil’s subtlety. WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) places the emphasis on the wrong syllable for God’s children! The matter for us is not at all what Jesus would do. That puts to onus of perfection upon us—a burden God sent Jesus to take from us. Instead, it is a matter of WDJD (What Did Jesus Do). That’s what helps us. Jesus has gone in our place under the Law, fought real temptation for us, and has emerged the victor—God be praised!
C. Now here is how it works. When attacked and accused, we trust in Christ, whose perfect obedience, suffering, and death, is credited to us by God. This is what justifying faith is all about. It’s not about us trying to stir up enough faith to do what Jesus has already accomplished FOR US!
1. That’s his Word of truth. Jesus can be trusted for it.
2. So, when the Law accuses us of sin—and it does and will—we who trust in Christ and his perfect obedience, are credited with what He has done—credited with what He did out there some 2 thousand years ago in that desert.
Conclusion: Here is what we can trust that works to our favor. Our Savior knows what it is to be tempted. He willingly faced temptation and won the battle, and his victory belongs to all who trust in him. God be praised! Amen.
