The Tempting of Christ
Notes
Transcript
Background
Background
Read (Matthew 4:1-2)
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit.
This is a recall of Israel wandering in the Desert for 40 years being tested by God (Deut. 8:2) you are supposed to see the connection of Christ succeeding where Israel failed.
2 “You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
Jesus was the better Moses. Deut. 18:18
18 ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
Important note. Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted but was not tempted by the Spirit. (James 1:13)
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
Common Error #1: Blaming God for temptation.
Common Error #2: Crediting the devil with power to act independently of God.
*Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83.
Jesus fasted for 40 days.
Another tie into the wandering in the wilderness by the nation of Israel.
Matthew 3. Jesus Alone: The Messiah’s Temptation (4:1–11)
Jews commonly practiced fasting in order to spend more time in prayer and to develop greater spiritual receptivity
Then Jesus was tempted by the devil for 40 days culminating with these three temptation.
Read (Luke 4:2)
2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.
Application:
When you are in periods of temptation you need to increase your prayers and increase your focus on God through fasting.
Read (Matthew 4:3-11)
3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “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 on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand 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 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.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very 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 fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ”
11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.
What kind of Messiah was Jesus going to be?
What kind of Messiah was Jesus going to be?
Illustration: The back-up rookie Quarterback’s first game.
The starting QB has failed miserably (we’ll call him Adam) and the announcer (We’ll call him John the Baptist) has been hyping up this newcomer (We’ll call Him Jesus) and now He gets His first chance to show what kind of QB (Messiah) He is going to be, is he going to live up to the hype.
Let’s look at the culmination of Jesus’ temptation, remember He was tempted for 40 days and the culmination of His being tempted were these three temptations.
Read (Matthew 4:3-4)
3 Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 But He answered, “It is written:
Man must not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.”
Was Jesus going to depend on God?
Was Jesus going to depend on God?
“If you are the Son of God” - Satan was not doubting that Jesus was the “Son of God” (James 2:19)
19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
He was doubting what kind of Messiah Jesus was going to be.
This first temptation was to put His physical needs before his spiritual needs.
We see not only that but we also see Jesus being tempted to rely on Himself rather than to rely on God.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 here in order to resist the devils temptation.
3 “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Jesus responds to each of the devils temptations using scripture, all of which are from Deuteronomy. This again further draws the connection between Christ and Israel. Israel constantly doubted God’s provision for them, they constantly desired to return to Egypt and Slavery because they had their physical needs (food) “met”.
Jesus is to be seen as succeeding where Israel failed. (Psalm 78:17-20)
17 Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And in their heart they put God to the test
By asking food according to their desire.
19 Then they spoke against God;
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 “Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out,
And streams were overflowing;
Can He give bread also?
Will He provide meat for His people?”
Interpretation
Interpretation
We too are tempted to seek good things the wrong way.
We are tempted when we are vulnerable.
Transition to next point.
Read (Matthew 4:5-7)
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand 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 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.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
Was Jesus going to doubt God’s faithfulness?
Was Jesus going to doubt God’s faithfulness?
The devil attempts a new tactic. He uses scripture in his attempt to cause Jesus to sin.
He quotes Psalm 91:11-12
Jesus responds in kind be quoting Deuteronomy 6:16.
16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.
The devil was trying to get Jesus to force God’s hand (Testing God).
He uses scripture to try and accomplish this. However as he does he either uses the scripture incorrectly or twists it.
Psalm 91 is talking about someone stumbling into danger not someone putting themselves in harms way to try and force God’s hand.
The verse Jesus quotes cautions against testing God and again reminds us of how Jesus succeeds where Israel failed.
Interpretation
Interpretation
Contentment in what God has provided
Trust that God will protect and care for you, there is no need to test His faithfulness.
Transition to Final Point.
Read (Matthew 4:8-11)
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very 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 fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ”
11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.
Was Jesus going to follow God’s plan?
Was Jesus going to follow God’s plan?
Was Jesus going to avoid the cross? The devil offered Jesus a short cut, a way to receive all the glory of this world and avoid the pain and suffering of the cross.
However the cost was disobedience to God’s plan, and a rejection of God Himself.
See Jesus was going to gain all of those things eventually, however the road God had planned lead through the cross.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13
13 “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
Here and else where in scripture it is clear that there is only one God, and He alone is worthy of our worship.
Interpretation:
Temptation offers you the world then snatches it away once you give in.
The christian life is not one in which we avoid suffering. In fact as Paul says it, we seek to join in with His (Jesus) sufferings. Philippians 3:10-11
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Application:
Application:
Knowing that we have a savior who:
Hebrews 2:18
18 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 4:15 -16
15 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.
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Times of temptation usually come in one of two times in our lives. First in times when we are vulnerable (tired, hungry, sad…etc.) second in times when we are in a place exercising our strengths. Pride.
Increase your prayer and try fasting to sharpen your focus on God.
Don’t put your physical needs or desires before your spiritual needs.
God has placed in us desires for different things. Don’t get them the wrong way. Depend on God to meet all of your needs.
Know scripture!
It is how we are reminded of God’s faithfulness, allowing us to trust in Him.
It is how we know when someone is twisting or using scripture out of context.
It is also how we resist temptation.
The cross was the only way for you and i to receive salvation. self-preservation is not a thing for the christian pursuing hard after Christ.
Respond
Respond
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Lord’s Supper
Lord’s Supper
Read (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
Read (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Read (1 Corinthians 11:25-26)
25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
Doxology
Doxology
Closing prayer