The Temptation of Jesus

Introduction

Today we are going to look at the change that happened to Jesus after His baptism and before the start of His earthly ministry.

The major different was that the was with Him from the time of His Baptism until He ascends into Heaven. Matt 3:16

Matthew 3:16 ESV

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

It is important to understand that we do not become a concern of Satan until we become a believer and follower of Christ.

As we will see in this passage satan waited to even tempt Jesus after He was full of the Spirit.

This passage contains vivid details about a number of theological themes:

The divine sonship and messiahship of Jesus

The warfare between Christ and Satan

OT Theology

Principles of obedience to the divine word

This passage is also a parallel to the Israelites being lead into the wilderness after their escape from Egypt.

Israel was Gods son or people and when tested they failed the test and gave into temptation.

Jesus as Gods unique Son conquered the temptation when tested.

The Temptation of Food vv 3-4

The Temptation

Satan often comes to us when we are the weakest.

Jesus had been tempted before during this time in the dessert but these three were satan’s last attempt before Jesus left the wilderness to start His earthly ministry.

This temptation was instantly tied to Jesus’ divine affirmation at His baptism.

Satan is a master at planting doubt in the minds of believers.

Satan does not have to get a person to turn their backs on God all he has to do is put just enough doubt in their minds that they don’t grow and become stronger

This temptation was not truly about bread, and food or hunger. It was about Satan putting doubt in the mind of Christ when His physical body is weak but His spiritual mind is strong.

Jesus’ Responce

Through all three of these temptations we will see Jesus use scripture to combat the power and words of Satan.

During this first temptation Jesus is putting His well being in the Hands of the Father.

He tells satan Deut 8:3

Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Jesus is our true example we must live on every word that comes from the Fathers mouth.

The Temptation of Power vv5-8

The Temptation

The lure of power is very strong to some people.

He Satan is offering all the known kingdoms of the world to Jesus.

Here in this passage the word for “world” is oikoumenēs which refers to the known world at that time rather than kosmos which refers to the whole world in all of the known time by God.

Satan was offering Jesus a temporary form of power where as the power of the Spirit last for ever.

While yes satan may have power now it is only for a short time but the Kingdom of God and the power of the Spirit is forever and eternal.

Jesus’ Responce

Once again we see Jesus respond to the challenge of Satan by quoting scripture this one is Deut 6:13

Deuteronomy 6:13 ESV

It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

This temptation shows that even Jesus had to make a choice, even He had to count the cost pick up His cross and follow the will of the father.

Nothing that Jesus says or tells His followers to do isn’t anything He has not done or will not do.

He leads by example.

The Temptation of Faith vv9-13

The Temptation

For this temptation Satan takes Jesus to the highest point of the roof of the temple that most likely faced the southeast and overlooked the Kidron Valley.

Like the first temptation this one uses the phrase “If you are the son of God”

After Jesus uses scripture to end the challenges of Satan in the first two temptations Satan changes tactics and uses scripture himself!

This should not surprise us because Satan was once one of the highest Angles, he has seen the wonders of God first hand.

However it is not enough to just know scripture it must be interpreted right. Here he is not using it correctly.

This passage Ps 91:11-12

Psalm 91:11–12 ESV

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

If this is true for any believer how much more would it be true for Gods Son.

Satan will use just enough truth to make it seem right.

If you tell a lie long enough eventually it will become truth.

The temptation appears to have been to tempt God by putting him to the test by forcing him to fulfill his promise of protection

True worship does not seek to dictate to God how he must fulfill his covenantal promises.

Jesus’ Responce

Luke understood the OT quotation from Deut 6:16 as a command for Jesus to obey rather than as a command for the devil to refrain from tempting Jesus, who is the “Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 6:16 ESV

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.

Some people say that this was the last time that Jesus was tempted until He goes to the cross this is not the case

8:12, 10:17-18, 11:14-22, 13:11-17, 22:28

all of these are times when Satan was there to try and make Jesus fail and give in.

Also leading up to and the whole time He was on the cross I have no doubt that Satan was screaming in His ear that He was not strong enough, not good enough, and anything else that he could think of to try and get Jesus off the cross.

If he did these things to Christ himself how much more do you think he does it to us.

If we lose one generation to satan we will lose every generation after that.

Benedictions 013 Benediction

013 BENEDICTION

May the Lord grant you to see where you are lacking, that you might have everything; May He grant you a vision of your poverty, that you might be rich beyond measure, May He show you that you are destitute so that you may be filled with fullness of His supply.