Matthew 4:1-11 "Victory Over Temptation"

Marc Transparenti
Calvary Chapel Lake City
Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago • Presented 4 years ago • 51:32
Matthew 4:1–11
Temptation of Jesus
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﻿Good Morning CCLC! Turn in your Bibles to Matt Chapter 4 as we continue Chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse through the Gospel of Matthew. 

Thus far in Matthew, we have seen Matthew in various ways establishing, to his Jewish audience, the theme of his Gospel that "Jesus is the King of the Jews and the Messiah."
* Chapter 1: Earthly and Heavenly Heritage of the King
* Chapter 2: Birth, Prophecies, and Gifts to the King
* Chapter 3: Proclamation, Anointing and Baptism of the King

Today, we will examine the Temptation of the King. A key theme for today is "Victory over Temptation."

Let's Pray and then we will look at Matt 4:1-11 

Matt 4:1 "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."

Matthew begins with "Then..." after the events at the end of Chapter 3...
In Chap. 3, Jesus identified with sinners in His baptism, the Holy Spirit rested UPON Him (Baptism of the Holy Spirit); the heavens opened and a voice from heaven (the Father) stated "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." These all all major spiritual highs...quite the contrast from the temptations in Chapter 4.
It is no surprise that following these amazing spiritual experiences...these "mountaintop experiences," Satan tempts Him. Some say "after the dove then comes the devil" or "after the blessing comes the battle." 
Temptation or trial after or in close proximity to a spiritual high is a common experience for mankind...
When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came off the Mount of Transfiguration, they were greeted by a father who's son was severely demon possessed. The disciples were disputing with the scribes and could not cast the demon out. 
I personally remember being on a men's retreat and our Pastor warned the men about spiritual warfare while on the retreat...and there were distractions. I remember some men were bitten by bed bugs in their cabins while on the retreat, and other men got difficult phone calls from their spouses with things that came up with their families...
Satan loves to distract us and to tempt us to fall into the flesh. 
And, Satan likes to strike at the most opportune time...
He strikes when we are weak...1 Pet 5:8-9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
I read male lions prefer ambush opportunities when hunting prey. And, Satan loves to ambush the weak and easy target...the person who does not resist him... the person who is not steadfast in the faith...
Satan also strikes when we think we are strong...1 Cor 10:12 "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
None of us are so strong that we can forever stand around temptation. Avoid people, places, and things that tempt us. Don't think you can stand...lest you fall. "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall." 
Matthew continues... "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."
Mark 1:13 tells us, Jesus "was with the wild beasts." He was in a hostile geography...sun/desert, lack of food and water, wild beasts, and the devil was there to tempt Him...which by definition means "put to the test, make trail of or to tempt."
Mk 1:12 tells us "...the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness." 
Sometimes God "...leads me beside the still waters." Ps 23:2, but sometimes, God also leads us into trial and temptation. 
A couple notes about temptation in general. 
It is important to note that God will not tempt you to sin.
James 1:13, "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." 
God does not lead us into temptation to entice us to sin...though God will allow us to experience this sort of temptation. When Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, the one who tempted Jesus to sin was the devil, not God.
Jesus prayed, "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matt 6:13 
The idea of "permitting" is in light here. God permits Satan, but has control over the tempter...God limits him...as we see in the case of Job...God allowed Satan initially to destroy Jobs possessions only, then permitted him to hurt Job's body, but restrained him from killing Job. But, God had purpose in the trial and the temptation....To put Job to the test. 
1 Cor 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
God will allow temptation, but not beyond what we are able to bear. 
If you have been in a trial for several years, and it has not lifted, you must be able to bear a lot. Even if you think you can't bear anymore...if the trial continues...God understands you have more strength than even you realize. 
James tells us "Blessed in the man who endures temptation; for when he as been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12 
Sometimes temptations are quite treacherous. They seem good or pleasing at first, but will lead to destruction...like Eve being tempted to sin when she saw the tree; or Lot seeing the land in the plain of Jordan; or Samson seeing the Philistine woman; or David when he saw Bathsheba...
Sometimes not fleeing temptation will result in major fallout as it did for all the OT characters just mentioned.
2 Tim 2:22 instructs, "Flee...youthful lusts..." as Joseph, in Gen 39 fled from Potiphar's wife...a great victory!
Sometimes temptation comes to us more subtle-like...like the temptation to take your life in your own hands versus trusting God to lead you. 
Or, being anxious about your life instead of trusting God's word when He says "Be anxious for nothing..." Php 4:6 or "...do not worrry about your life..." Matt 6:25, or "...do not worry about tomorrow..." Matt 6:34
Sometimes we just need to slow down, wait on God, and get ourselves away from bad situations that are going to lead us astray. 
Continuing on...I like Greek and Hebrew word studies...and when you do a Greek word study of the English words "trial" and "temptation" you find they are the same Greek word...peirasmos (noun) or peirazō (verb). The Greek word in an of itself has a neutral connotation...not good or evil. Trial and temptation are actually somewhat interchangeable. But, depending on the context, either trial or a temptation is assigned in our English Bibles. 
We see this In James 1...
For ex, James 1:2 "...count it all joy when you fall into various trials..." 
James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who endures temptation..." 
Trial and temptation are the same Greek word...periasmos.
Typically, when speaking about a trial... the origin is from God...for good purposes; and temptation...the origin is from Satan or the Flesh...for evil purposes. 
In the case of Jesus' temptation...one scholar said, "Temptation...is used either in a good sense (God's testing...) or in a bad sense of enticement to sin by Satan and his cohorts. Both senses are involved here [in Jesus' temptation]. God put Jesus to the test (the Spirit led Him to it) to show He was qualified for His messianic mission. But also Satan tried to draw Jesus away from His divinely appointed mission."
God uses trials or temptations to strengthen us spiritually, to prove our faith, to produce Godly character and to draw us closer to Him. 
Satan, demons, and the flesh use trials or temptations to weaken us, to disqualify us, to destroy us, and to drive us away from God.
Ask yourself the next time you are in a trial or temptation, will I grow closer to God -or- drift from God if I give in to this trial or temptation? Do I find myself in God's word, fasting and praying for the Lord to help me endure, or am I surrendering to the lusts of my flesh? This will help you to understand the origin of the temptation (good or evil) and the potential outcome (strengthening or destroying). 
So, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to prove Him, but there is also an old score to settle...both for the devil and for God. 
Satan is obsessed with destroying the Messiah. Numerous times in scripture Satan has attempted to come against the of Messiah... 
There are certain people in Biblical and Secular history described as a "type" or "typology" of Satan. 
Athaliah in 2 Kings 11 destroyed all the royal heirs, except for Joash who was hidden away...she almost wiped out the kingly line that Messiah would be born from. 
Herod, killed all the male children under the age of 2 in Bethlehem. 
When you think about why Satan is so set against Messiah, your mind should go back to the Garden, when God pronounced judgment against Satan and said in Gen 3:15, "...I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
This verse is known as the protevangelium, meaning "The First Gospel." 
It speaks about the perpetual hostility between Satan and his seed (demons and evil human agents) and the Seed of the woman (mankind in general, Christ and his people). 
Satan would bruise the heel...he would attack mankind, even bringing suffering and physical death to the Messiah at Calvary. But, ultimate triumph, bruising the head, would belong to the Lord as He defeated death, sin, hell, and Satan. 
No doubt, Satan is here is the wilderness to settle an old score. If he can defeat Jesus by tempting Him now, He will have defeated God. 
But, for God, there is also an old score to settle. 
1 Cor 15 and Rom 5 speak about the First Adam (Adam in Genesis) and the Last Adam (Jesus). "The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven." 1 Cor 15:47 
In the Garden, Satan deceived the first Adam. Rom 5:12 tells us, "...through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men..."
Satan defeated the first man...Adam, but he will not defeat the God-man...Jesus. 
Adam had all the advantages...He was in the Garden...he had a companion...and he was nourished/strong, yet he transgressed. 
Jesus was at a disadvantage...He was in the desert...He was alone...and was near death from fasting, yet He was victorious. 
1 Cor 15:21-22 "For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive."
Rom 5:18 "...through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life."
The final thing we want to note in this verse is Jesus was "...tempted by the devil."
Notice the source of Jesus' temptation...it was the devil. 
This does not mean that Satan is the source for every time you give in to temptation and sin. 
"The devil made me do it!" "No he didn't...at least probably not directly." There are 7.8 billion people on this earth, and Satan is not omnipresent...he can only be at one place at a time...
In Job 1 God asked Satan "From where do you come?" Satan answered, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
Satan is not concerned with us directly. He is out there messing with world leaders and billionaires...influencing the world in an anti-God agenda...an anti-Israel agenda...an anti-Church agenda...
Most likely if you sin, it's because your flesh was tempted by something it desired in the world, and you gave in to lust. 
Another possibility is some underling of Satan, a low level demon could be messing with you, but it's highly unlikely Satan himself has his eye on you to sift you. 
In Scripture, we see 3 sources of temptation: Satan, Demons, and the Flesh.
The flesh: 
James 1:14-15 "...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..."
Rom 13:14 "...make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."
Gal 5:13 "...do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh..."
Demons: 
Eph 6:12 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
And, Satan...who mostly indirectly effects us because of his influence on the world...
Eph 6:11 "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may stand against the wiles (schemings) of the devil."
The military strategist, Sun Tzu, who is credited with writing "The Art of War" said, "Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster." 
And, I would add "...know the Scripture..." because we will see Jesus defeats His enemy with the Sword of the Spirit. 

Let's continue to verse 2


Matt 4:2 "And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry."

In this verse we see Jesus was fasting...he was denying the needs of flesh for the purpose of focusing on the spirit and relying on God to be His sustenance. 
Biblically, we see many verses (OT and NT) connecting fasting with prayer...and no doubt Jesus was praying as He was fasting in the desert. 
Fasting is not a biblical requirement, but it is a good spiritual discipline. Isaiah Chapter 58 is a great chapter to examine... about what a fast is and is not. 
Fasting is not a means to manipulate God or to get God to yield to your desires. Fasting changes us, not God. 
Fasting is not a new fad Christian diet, nor is is a means to appear more spiritual.
On the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "...when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Mt 6:16-18.
Besides this fast, we see no other documented fast in scripture by Jesus. He was criticized for "eating and drinking" (Matt 11:19). 
Matt 9:14-15 records "Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."
So, why is Jesus fasting now?
One scholar wrote, "Fasting was a way to declare mastery over His human nature so that He would live every moment directed by the "power of the Spirit." He set the example for us... If the Son of God did not rely on His flesh to live in obedience to God, then we can't either."
Right after this fast Jesus will begin His ministry. This testing of repeated temptation by the devil over a 40 day period (Mark and Luke tell us Jesus was tempted for forty days)... a temptation while Jesus was under severe environmental and physical circumstances, would prepare Jesus for His upcoming 3 year ministry that would redeem mankind. 
For us, a fast just prior to beginning a ministry calling is a very wise thing. 
I remember when I felt the Lord stirring me to go to Bible college, I went into the woods, fasted, prayed, and read God's word. I came out of the woods with peace, and the Lord opened the door for me to go to Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, CA and then on to the Philippines to be a missionary.
For further study, you can compare Jesus' forty day fast with with both Moses (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), who also fasted 40 days and you can look at the surrounding miraculous events.
You could also do a study on the repetition of "forty" in the Bible, which some call the number for "probation, trials, or judgment." 
But, the main point of this passage is how the Lord deals with temptation in the light of His humanity, so I don't want to deviate too much.
The last thing to note in this verse is "...afterward He was hungry."
I am not an expert on fasting, but scholars describe what Jesus is experiencing as a fatal state. Jesus is about to die from the fast. They say after 2 days, the desire for food/ hunger pangs are suppressed, but when the body is at a state close to starvation, hunger returns as a final outcry for nourishment lest it perish.
Medical News Today states "...people who have voluntarily stopped eating to participate in hunger strikes have died after 45-61 days. The body needs the nutrients in food to survive. It uses protein, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals, to renew cells and fuel vital bodily processes. Without food, the body starts to use its own tissue as fuel, but it can only do this for so long."
There have been several documented fasts that have lasted 40 day or less and the person under observation needed to end the fast because of grave health concerns... 
I believe Jesus was in a physical crisis, and this is when we see Satan's voice recorded for the third and final time in the Bible...

Let's continue in verses 3-4...looking at the Temptations of Jesus... 

Matt 4:3-4 "Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 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.' "

Matthew records "when the tempter came..." Speaking of Satan...he is also given this title in 1 Thes 3:5.
It's not an if, but a when. If not Satan directly, you will face temptation by his indirect influence of the world, 1/3 of the angels who fell...demonic spirits, or directly from within...your flesh (which I think is our greatest daily struggle). 
There are only 3x Satan directly speaks in all of scripture... 
Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 where Satan slanders God to man. "Did God indeed say..." 
Job... where Satan slanders man to God... "...touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
And, the 3rd time we see Satan speak in scripture in here in Matt 4, but this time he faces the God-Man, and he doesn't know what to do...he walks away defeated. 
It's important to note that all are tempted. Jesus was tempted. Paul was tempted (Rom 7:23). But, Temptation is not sin. 
Heb 4:15 states, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."
Sin only happens when we succumb to temptation. When David first saw Bathsheba, he was not in sin, but as he continued to look at her, and inquired of her, and called for her...now he was in sin. 
As we observe Jesus' temptations, we can learn how he...in very natural and very humanly ways...defeated the devil. He serves as a model for us. 
There are some common themes we see in this temptation that will help us to understand the enemy's tricks, and how to combat them. 
First, the common temptations of Satan are summarized by 1 Jn 2:16 "...the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." These are Satan's tools, and they are very effective. He has been stumbling mankind by this temptations since the beginning of time. 
Look at Eve's temptation...Gen 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and a tree desirable to make one wise, (pride of life) she took of its fruit and ate." 
We will see the same pattern with Jesus's temptation... Satan says "...command that these stones become bread..." (lust of the flesh); then, according to Luke, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (lust of the eyes); then Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem and said "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here." (pride of life). 
So, be aware, if lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life are what Satan put before Eve, and more importantly, before Jesus (and we can assume Satan brought his big guns to tempt Jesus)...if this is his best... know an attack on you or I will likely come in one or all of these forms. 
Now, observe how Jesus responds in all of these temptations. 
Jesus responds each time with "It is written..." Jesus more than quotes the word of God, He is present tense obeying that word and living it out. He wields the sword of the Spirit...the word of God...and fights back with it in faith. 
I wonder if Jesus had been reading Deuteronomy because all three scriptures Jesus quotes are from Deut...the reiteration of God's law. 
We can also observe what Jesus does not do...
He does not "bind the strong man"; You don't hear Him say, "I bind you Satan!" 
He does not speak in tongues or bust out in a song of praise. There is a place for that, but Jesus doesn't use those here. He doesn't sprinkle him with holy water, or use some superstitious methodology. 
And, Jesus, who is God, does not vaporize Satan. Jesus is divine and could have just zapped Satan, but instead He models something that all of us can replicate. Jesus responds "It is written..." The Living Word (Jesus) uses the written word (the Logos) to defeat Satan, and we can do the same. 
Ps 119:11 "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You." 
Well, let's observe this First Temptation: Satan says "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 
In 2 of these temptations Satan will say "If You are the Son of God," but based on the grammar, this could be rendered "Since." It's a statement of fact. "Since You are the Son of God..." ...to turn stones to bread...(which would be simple for Jesus to do).
Jesus is hungry. He has been without food for 40 days, and He is in a bad physical state. 
So, Satan tempts Him with the "lust of flesh"...turn these stones to bread. 
The first temptation is a physical temptation, but it's also a subtle and sneaky temptation about submitting to Satan's suggestion.
God had Jesus in the wilderness fasting...this was God's will. 
Satan suggests use your power to make bread and eat. "Break the fast that God has you in. Take care of your flesh, don't feed the Spirit...feed the flesh. Trust in Yourself...don't trust God!"
Jesus would be in the flesh and submitting to Satan's response if He yielded to this temptation. 
Rom 8: 5-6 "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Jesus did not have his mind set on the flesh. He didn't need bread.
Jesus said to his disciples, "I have food to eat of which you do not know....My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." Jn 4: 32 & 34 
Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." Jn 6:35
Jesus was hungry physically, but He was full spiritually. 
Let's look at Jesus' response to Satan... "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.' "
Jesus responds quoting Deut 8:3 emphasizing that He does NOT need to exercise His divine power to defeat Satan. 
MAN shall not live by bread alone...Jesus is saying, "I can defeat you just by being a man of God who does not submit to the flesh; but a man who lives by the word (the rhēma) of God." 
"Word" in this verse...is not logos- the written word; rhēma is used in this verse which is when the written word is applied to specific situations or circumstances. 
Jesus is actively applying the word of God in this battle with Satan. Jesus is not simply quoting scripture, but applying it in a real situation. 
If you are in the midst of a trial or temptation, grab the written word, the Bible, and you keep reading it until it speaks to you...until the logos becomes rhēma.

Let's look at the 2nd Temptation in verses 5-7

Matt 4: 5-7 "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.' "

This second temptation is a temptation of pride. Since you are God, jump off the highest peak of the temple in Jerusalem...this was a high peak...it would kill a person to jump off. 
But the temptation is God won't let you fall...put Him to the test. 
In the first temptation, Satan says, "you can't trust God...turn these breads to stone...provide for yourself," and now he is saying just the opposite, "Trust completely in God even to peril...jump off a building." 
Satan, like any crafty deceiver or false prophet, quotes a scripture from Ps 91:11-12 to try to back what he is saying as authoritative. 
But, he misquotes Ps 91, omitting "To keep you in all of your ways" and takes the verse out of context.
Ps 91:11-12 is not permission to put yourself in harms way, it's a verse about protection from God, but this does not give us permission to rush foolishly into peril like jumping off a building or laying on a highway during rush hour. 
God will still keep you in this situations, but you may be absent from the body and present with the Lord, if you know what I mean? 
So, Jesus responds quoting Deut 6:16, "You shall no tempt the LORD your God."
It would be sinful for Jesus to abuse His power, or to do something foolish like jumping off a building. 
And, it would be foolish to submit to Satan's suggestion. In general, if Satan recommends something, do the opposite. 

Let's continue to verses 8-10 looking at the Third Temptation...

Matt 4: 8-10 "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.' "

This third temptation is a visual temptation...the lust of the eyes. Satan takes Jesus to a high mountain...it would be foolish to speculate which mountain...and shows Him all the Kingdoms of the world...offering them to Jesus IF Jesus worships Satan. 
This is a "MY kingdom come" versus "THY kingdom come" temptation. A lot of people fall into this trap of building their castle...and they build on sand, not on the rock. 
This must have been a difficult one for Jesus, because essentially Satan is offering a quick route, an easy way to His Kingdom. He is offering Jesus to bypass the sufferings before and during the crucifixion. Satan is saying, "You can have it all now...you don't need to go to the cross!"
But, without the cross, there would be no redemption for mankind. 
Jesus does not dispute Satan's claim to have all these kingdoms, which is seen more clearly in Luke 4:6, where the devil stated, " "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish."
Satan indeed, presently, has dominion over the earth.
2 Cor 4:4 calls him the "...god of this age..."
He is titled the "...ruler of this world..." John 12:31, 14:30; 16:11
Eph 2:2 calls him "...the prince of the power of the air..."
1 Jn 5:19 tells us "...the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one." 
Satan indeed has this power, and many have bended the knee to worship him in order to gain power. 
Jesus respond, "Away with you, Satan!" and Jesus quotes Deut 6:13 and Deut 10:20 "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve." 
Jesus commands Satan "Away with you"...an imperative...a command. 
And, I love that Satan submits...the following verse states "...the devil left Him..." 
Jesus was not willing to take the easy route, He was not will to forego the Cross and the suffering thereof, nor was He willing to bend the knee in worship to Satan. 
There comes a time in many people's lives when they must decide who they will serve...Satan/the flesh/and the world or God. 
I've faced this temptation in business before, where I was at the top of my game, and I was being encouraged to betray my manager for greater personal gain...which I didn't do. I suffered financially, but kept my integrity. 
Temptation will take many forms...just remember... WILL saying "Yes" to whatever choice...whatever decision...whatever temptation that stands before me...will this bring me closer to God? Or, will it drive me away?

Let's conclude in verse 11

Matt 4:11 "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him."

Luke 4 :13-14 concludes this account stating "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee..."
Jesus was indeed victorious over Satan...He conquered the serpent and his temptations...now He was proven as sinless and was strengthened by angels...The King stood victorious over Satan and temptation...He is now ready for ministry. 
Jesus did not need to get ahead of God and submit to Satan's temptations which appealed to physical appetite, personal gain, and power...lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life. 

We all face various temptations and trials, some easier and some more difficult, but they come almost daily. 
* Gal 5:16 tells us "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
* Jesus said, "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation..." Matt 26:41 
* Jas 4:7 states "Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
* Col 3:2 says, "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on the earth." 

As you go out this week, resist the lust of temptations that would cause you to drift from God. Walk in the Spirit. And don't forget...if you stumble...if you fall into temptation...remember "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 Jn 1:9.

God loves you. Amen?

Let's Pray! 
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