Power Willingly Tried

Takes place right after Jesus had been baptized

Jesus had been recognized and God’s Son and he pleased God

Though the Holy Spirit was present in Jesus even before his birth, at his baptism, the Spirit descended upon him & filled him.

Now the same Spirit led him to the wilderness (desert) to be tempted.

Jesus was led into the wilderness for 40 days to prepare for his Galilean ministry.

Here he examples full reliance upon God (mentally, physically, and spiritually)

Why would God allow temptation as soon as he was filled with the Spirit?

How was Jesus tempted?

“If you are the Son of God…”

A challenge of the identity that God claimed for him.

“Tell this stone to become bread.”

A challenge for Jesus to fulfill his own needs by exploiting his privileged position and power.

“I will give you all their authority and splendor… it will all by yours”

A challenge for expediency and easy over self-sacrifice.

“Throw yourself down from here.”

A challenge to trust in the providence of God; attempting to force God’s hand.

“For it is written…” – A challenge as to how Jesus interpreted the will of God.

Each time, Satan tempts Jesus to exploit his privileged position as the Son of God and the power given to him, to glorify himself.

Psalm 91 said, Trust God, Love God, and God will be with you, hear you, and rescue you.

The truth is,

Life comes with trouble and trauma, whether we love and trust God or not.

We are often born into many privileges that we don’t even recognize having, until someone points them out to us.

There are many ways we can be privileged: race, gender, income, nationality, religion…

Literally, anything that given anyone an advantage over another.

When we exploit those advantages to get what we want, and most cannot, it becomes an injustice.

But, if we use of privilege to raise others up, to give them advantages they could not get on their own, it becomes grace and mercy.

Before Satan showed up in this scene, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit.

Jesus responded to each temptation with, “It is written:” or “it is said:”

Jesus trusted in the Scriptures and the plain reading of each text.

Jesus responded to “if you are the Son of God…” with a statement of trust in God’s leading and intention.

Jesus clearly points not just to the words of the text but also the intention behind those words.

Jesus trusted God, knowing the past record of God’s faithfulness and the in-filling of God’s Spirit.

This is denial of exploitation for self

Not for instant self-gratification.

Not for selfish exploitation of power.

Not for attempted short-circuiting of God’s plans.

Jesus knows trusting God’s goodness, direction, and in-filling Spirit, makes resistance to sin and evil effective.

True trouble will come; the difference is understanding:

We are seen.

We are not alone.

We are heard.

We have a way to overcome sin, selfishness, and evil.

What Paul taught the Roman Christians

They must believe in their hearts that God was effective in raising Christ from the dead, confirming what Christ had said and done.

They must declare with their mouths that Jesus is their Lord.

Then, they would be saved.

Proclaiming Christ’s identity and authority as the Son of God and the ruler of their hearts.

This removes any possibility of self-righteousness and effective exploitation.

Therefore, we must renounce any exploitation of privilege if Jesus Christ truly is, our Lord.

Christ used his privilege to save us, so, God’s people use their privilege to help others.

When we help others, we do the will of God.

God takes what little we give and makes it effective to help others.

Our help is never little, when we give out of a heart of love.

Share with all others the one who makes them victorious in resisting sin and evil.