Sunday Sermon Matthew 4:1-11

If we could ask God to place all of our words, thoughts, and deeds up here on the screen, would he be well pleased with us corporately or individually?

Matthew 4:1 NKJV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

It is importnat for us to not neglect the first word of this text:

THEN, this is an adverb that mean immediately or soon afterward.

The question we would ask would be, “ Soon after what?”

Jesus was baptized and the Father affirmed his ministry or blessed the SON, then guess what?

Satan shows up immediately.

We see here heaven and hell collide.

One minute Jesus is being blessed by the Father, the next minute he is being tempted by the devil in battle.

It is often true that after the blessings come the battles. On the heels of His baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where He would encounter the enemy.

Sir Isaac Newtons 3rd Law of Motion, Every Action has an Equal & Opposite Reaction.

Action, end of ch.3 heaven was opened. Reaction, start of ch.4 hell opens.

It seems like every action of God, there’s a reaction from the devil. Fact of life...nothing promotes the reaction of the devil, more than the action of one’s proximity to God.

The closer you are to God, the more battle you will do with the devil church!

To qualify this happened immediately, let us look at:

Mark 1:12 NKJV

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

So Jesus, who is the Son of God is baptized and then led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

One of the great truths of life, from which even the Son of God was not exempt on earth, is that after every victory comes temptation.

God’s Word warns, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). When we have just succeeded in something important, we are invariably tempted to think that we made the accomplishment in our own power and that it is rightfully and permanently ours. When we are most exhilarated with success we are also most vulnerable to pride—and to failure.

Illustration

Matthew, vols. 1-4 (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) The Preparation

In one of my high school football games we were ahead by some fifty points in the fourth quarter, and the coach was letting everyone play. We were on about the five-yard line, and a touchdown was certain. The coach decided to let a fourth-string runningback carry the ball, so that he could have at least one touchdown to his credit before he graduated the next spring. He easily ran through the hole the line opened up for him, and he scored. As the crowd cheered he turned to wave, but kept running. He hit the goal post and was knocked cold. He was so carried away with his triumph that he completely lost his perspective and his sense of reality. Consequently his victory was short-lived.

At other times success causes us to feel invincible and to let down our guard, and when testings come we are not prepared for them.

In the contest between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, the Lord gave dramatic and miraculous evidence that He was the true God and that Elijah was His true prophet.

First He sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifices and wood that Elijah had soaked with water. Then, in answer to the prophet’s prayer, He sent rain to drought-stricken Judah (1 Kings 18:16–46).

But within less than a day Elijah was in despair and asked the Lord to take his life. After being courageous and immovable before the 450 false prophets, he shriveled before the threats of Jezebel (19:1–4). From the height of victory he quickly fell into deep despair.

No sooner had Israel been delivered from Egypt than Pharaoh came pursuing her with his army.

No sooner had Hezekiah left the Passover then Sennacherib came against him.

No sooner had Paul received an abundance of revelations than he was assaulted with temptations.

2 Corinthians 12:7–9 NKJV

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Matthew 4:1 NKJV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Jesus was led by the Spirit church, into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Tempted- peirazo (pi-rad'-zo) – to try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining his quality, to try or test one’s faith by enticement to sin; to solicit to sin.

The verb “to be tempted” describes continuous action because Jesus was tempted constantly during the forty days. The word “tempted” means “to put to the test to see what good or evil, strengths or weaknesses, exist in a person.”

The Spirit compelled Jesus into the wilderness where God put Jesus to the test—not to see if Jesus was ready, but to show that he was ready for his mission. Satan, however, had other plans; he hoped to thwart Jesus’ mission by tempting Jesus to do evil. Satan tried to get Jesus to declare his kingship prematurely.

One of Satan’s most common scriptural names is the devil, from diabolos, which means accuser or slanderer.

Among the many other names given him are: the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11),

the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2),

the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), t

he serpent of old and the deceiver of the whole world (Rev. 12:9),

Abaddon and Apollyon, both of which mean “destroyer” (Rev. 9:11),

and the tempter, as seen in the next verse of our text (Matt. 4:3; cf. 1 Thess. 3:5).

The wilderness of Judea was barren and desolate, so let us not think of being up in our mountains where there is lush forests and creek beds.

I believe that the Lord allowed Jesus to be led to the wilderness for two reasons church:

To reveal who Jesus was, that he was the Son of God!

1 Corinthians 15:45 NKJV

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

To identify with us!

Hebrews 4:15 NKJV

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.

Church,No matter what sin you’re struggling with, no matter what temptation seems to attack you constantly, Jesus is a merciful High Priest who prays for you effectively because He feels with you sympathetically.

He is not shocked by your sin, for according to Hebrews 4:15, He has been tempted in all points as we are—and “all” in Greek means all.

As our compassionate High Priest, Jesus says, “I understand why you are so critical or negative, lustful or cynical, hateful or vengeful, lazy or slothful.” He understands because He was tempted in all points as we are—yet without sin. He became like us that He might relate to us, and be strength for us in time of temptation.

Matthew 4:2 NKJV

And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

After forty days in the wilderness seeking His Father and denying His flesh, Jesus was hungry.

Physiologists tell us that when one fasts for that length of time, he loses his appetite completely. His hunger returns only when he is on the verge of death.

Therefore, at this point, in His fortieth day, Jesus was literally starving to death. Physically, His body systems were crying out, and He was about to die if not nourished soon. It was at this point that Satan came to tempt Him.

Fasting - is a help in subjecting the body to the soul, the physical to the spiritual

Fasting is not a sanctified diet.

Fasting reduces physical strength but increases spiritual forces and is an aide toward spiritual insight and character.

Here Jesus is on a long fast where hunger goes away after the first few days...but comes back right before you starve to death...this was that time.

Note church, Jesus wasn’t tempted inside the temple or at his baptism but in the desert, where he was tired, alone, and hungry, and thus most vulnerable.

The devil often tempts us when we are at our weakest point—under physical or emotional stress (for example, lonely, tired, weighing big decisions, or faced with uncertainty). But he also likes to tempt us through our strengths, where we are most susceptible to pride.

We guard against his attacks when we start the day with prayer, build our attitudes around the Bible’s truth, and depend on God’s Holy Spirit to keep us from spiritual harm.

Matthew 4:3 NKJV

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

Notice that the tempter came to Jesus when he was hungry and tired, I am sure he was probably worn out and then the devil shows up.

Jesus was just blessed by the Father and now we see Him immediately in battle with the accuser of the brethren and the father of lies.

The the devil begins his attack and says,” Command that these stones turn into bread!”

Now why would he go there?

Scholars say the the floor of the wilderness or desert that Jesus was in had stones that resembled little loaves of bread because in the days of Jesus wheat was not bleached, so it was rather brown.

No doubt, as Jesus fasted, those rocks must have taken on the appearance of bread. And now Satan comes to Him and says, “If You’re the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.”

What is the Enemy doing here?

He’s questioning the Father’s provision.

During Jesus’ baptism, God identified Him as His beloved Son. Now Satan comes on the scene, challenging the very words God had spoken, saying;

“If You really are the Son of God, why are You hungry?

If You are the Son of God, why is this happening?”

Satan does the same thing in your life and mine when he comes to us and says,

“If you are a child of God, where’s the Father’s provision?

Why are those bills piling up? Why is there a lack in your life physically or materially?”

He comes to us and whispers in our ears, “Do something in your own power. Exercise your faith. Make it happen now.”

But God would have us be patient. We are His children. And He promises He will meet our needs as we pray for our daily bread.

Most of us want to reach the Promised Land without ever going through the wilderness.

We want to get there immediately, but the Father says, “No. There’s a time of preparation. Wait. Don’t panic. I will provide.”

Illustration

A little boy always went next door to play even though his mom had warned him against doing so. This worried the mom so badly that she asked him why he was so disobedient. He replied that Satan tempted him so bad and he did not know what to do. The mom then advised him to say ‘get thee behind me Satan’ whenever he was tempted. She then built a fence around the house. This worked for a week, then one sunny afternoon the mom looked over the window and there was her son playing on the neighbor’s lawn having cut a hole in the fence. “John”, she yelled, “Come here!” She then said “did I not tell you to say ‘get thee behind me Satan’ whenever he tempted you?” “Yes”, the boy replied, “I said, ‘get thee behind me Satan’, then he went behind me and pushed me through the hole in the fence.”

It seems that Satan is always there to push us through the hole in the fence…

1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

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.

James 1:13–15 NKJV

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. But 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; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

James 4:7 NKJV

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Matthew 4:4 NKJV

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.’ ”

It is important for us to see that the devil is using the exact same tactics that he used in the Garden with Adam and Eve>>>

Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

And he uses the exact same today.

Jesus is quoting Deut 8:3

Deuteronomy 8:3 NKJV

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

This wasn’t just any Scripture that Jesus quoted, it was an appropriate Scripture.

The passage is talking about the time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness, just as Jesus was in the wilderness.

Jesus had learned this principle from the Scriptures and was willing to trust God to provide bread when He was ready to.

Not our will, But yours be done oh God!

The issue is here is not that is wrong to hunger and eat, but rather who you go to to have your needs met

This wasn’t just any Scripture that Jesus quoted, it was an appropriate Scripture.

The issue,” Jesus said, “is not the material realm. More important than physical food is the spiritual food I find in God’s Word.” Jesus said that it’s not the material realm that is important. Man shall not live by bread alone. For you who are involved in the argument over inspiration of Scripture, please note that Jesus quoted Deuteronomy and said, “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (8:3). It’s not just the thoughts that are inspired. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy and declared that every word proceeds out of the mouth of God and is inspired by God. Every word is God-breathed.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Matthew 4:5–6 NKJV

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 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.’ ”

The holy city is Jerusalem here church and he set him on the Pinnacle of the Temple.

The pinnacle of the temple was about 450’ from the top of it down to the Kidron Valley church.

Obviously Jesus did not jump, but some scholars say that Jesus half brother James who wrote the book of James was thrown off here and lived and then stoned to death...

Satan is quoting scripture church here, but is missing a valuable part of Psalm 91:

Psalm 91:9–13 NASB95

For you have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

Satan had left out the second part of verse 11 that says to guard you, to protect you, to keep you in all your ways church.

Satan and his demons know scripture church, but like many false teachers of today they twist the text to show you only what they want you to know.

Jesus’ defense agin is the word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Satan now questions the Father’s protection.

“Do You believe Your Father will really protect You, Jesus?

Prove it. Prove it to Yourself, prove it to me, and prove it to all of Israel. Go to the pinnacle of the temple and jump down.

Doesn’t Psalm 91 declare that God will give His angels charge over You to keep You from even stubbing Your toe?”

Satan quotes Scripture, but always omits a phrase or two in the process.

Matthew 4:7 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

The Father will provide for Me,

and the Father will protect Me,

but I’m not going to test Him in order to satisfy you or anyone else. Scripture says, Satan, that I am not to test God.”

Don’t take Scripture out of context. Don’t test God church!

Jesus is quoting Deut. 6:16

(Deu 6:16 NKJV) "You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah.

This is a reference to a situation in Exodus 17, again a time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness. The people “tempted” or “tested” God’s patience. Their situation had to do with water, but Jesus saw a principle at work.

Jesus recognized this temptation by Satan as a “testing” of God’s patience. Jesus applied the principle of God’s Word to His temptation.

Matthew 4:8–11 NKJV

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 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.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

We see the devil taking Jesus up higher and higher and higher and now he is high upon a mountain top experience.

Three times here we see Jesus say it is written, it is written, it is written church!

Like Jesus, we must not only know the Word of God, but we must know how to apply it!

So far we have seen the devil tempt Jesus to deny or doubt the Lord’s provision.

We have seen the devil tempt Jesus to deny or doubt the Lord’ protection.

Here we see the devil tempt Jesus to deny or doubt the promises of God.

Satan questions the Father’s promise. The Father had promised all things to His Son. But Satan came to Jesus saying, “The world is mine to give You if You worship me.”

How did Satan gain control of the world? Originally, God gave man dominion over the earth, but when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he turned the title deed of planet earth over to Satan. Satan, therefore, had the right to say to Jesus, “I’ll give You the whole world right now. You don’t have to go the way of the Cross.

In our lives church the devil seeks to do the exact same thing he attempts to get us to deny or doubt Gods provision, his protection, and his promises.

His promises are Yes and Amen Church!

One scholar says there is over 8000 promises in the Word!

How are you be tempted church? What is your remedy church?

Let us remember church:

John 10:10 NKJV

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

Jesus used the Word, so how much more should we?

Prayer

Benediction

1 Corinthians 10:12–13 NKJV

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 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.

THE LORD BLESS YOU!

YOUR MISSION STARTS NOW!

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