Temptation
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1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and 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 will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again 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 I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Leading up to Easter weekend, I wanted to take a brief walk through the life of Christ leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection. Today, we look at the time just prior tot he start of Jesus’ ministry. Christ has been baptised and is now been directed into the Wilderness. There, He will face a scene similar to what Eve experienced in Eden - temptation by Satan. Temptation gives Satan a direct way to challenge the worldliness of our mind. It challenges the fleshly desires. It challenges our reliance on God.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
What does the world offer us? Temptation of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life. Satan tried the same tricks on Christ. He challenges His physical hunger, he offered personal gain over God’s will, and he tempted him with power and authority. Today we will look at Christ’s responses to temptation, giving us a glimpse into how we, too, should avoid temptation.
Physical Hunger
Physical Hunger
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Holy Spirit is the one who led Jesus into Wilderness, knowing temptation would take place.
Why would the Holy Spirit intentionally lead Him into a place where temptation would occur?
Interestingly enough, if Christ was intentionally led into the Wilderness to be tempted, then it was God who was in control of this situation, not Satan (the tempter). In all that we do, also, God is in control. He allows us to be tempted, not to intentionally fail Him, but to show His dominion over Satan through our obedience to God.
He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The Baker encyclopedia of the Bible describes “Spiritual fasting entails setting aside activities as well as reducing the intake of food and replacing these activities with the exercise of prayer and preoccupation with spiritual concerns. The NT word which is translated “fasting” literally means one who has not eaten, one who is empty.
Three types of fast are generally recognized: normal, in which there is no intake of food for a prescribed period of time, though there may be an intake of liquids; partial, in which the diet is limited, though some food is allowed; and absolute, in which there is a total abstinence from food and liquids in all forms.” Normal fasts would last a day - morning and evening, with food that night. There are indications of longer fasts, from a few days to a week, and special fasts that lasted longer. The only other 40 day fast we see in scripture is Moses’ 40 days on Mt. Sinai.
Don’t you find it interesting that Moses, the man who obtained the law from God directly, Moses was a man anointed by God to fulfill God’s heart for his children to be free from captivity and safe under his lordship. Christ also was sent as a man anointed by God
16 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;
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
to fulfil God’s heart for his children to be free from captivity and safe under his lordship.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
No doubt, Christ was physically hungry and had spent time focusing on the spiritual hunger he had also. He fed his spirit through prayer and fellowship with God. As a result, he was ready for battle with Satan.
The first temptation Satan would use was physical hunger. Notice the way he approaches Jesus “IF you are the Son of God”. Does this not sound familiar to another account we find in scripture? “Did God actually say”???
Satan knew Jesus had been without food, just the same as He knows what is going on with us and he will tempt us in the same way he tempted Eve and the way he attempted to tempt Christ. Your own daddy wouldn’t feed you when He knew how hungry you were. IF you are really His Son, turn these rocks into bread. Eve caved. Christ fought back with scripture.
3 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 knew what Satan’s plan was, to try to appeal to His physical hunger. Christ knew hunger would come back again, but that true life comes by believing and obeying God. Was Jesus hungry? Absolutely. But, He knew the will of His Father was greater than his physical hunger.
Personal Gain
Personal Gain
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and 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 will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
Satan wasn’t deterred. If he couldn’t get Him with bread, he would get Him with pride. From the top of the temple, he again uses the phrase “IF you are the Son of God”. IF…then jump off here, your daddy will save you! Satan was arrogant enough to use scripture against Christ’s previous use of scripture.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Know that Satan knows scripture as well as anyone. He will use it against believers to try to justify unGodly behaviors. Did Satan ever say anything that was not accurate? No. But the problem with asking Jesus to jump and rely on the protection of the angels is, it wasn’t in God’s plan. Satan was wanting Jesus to do something that would have ignored God’s plan, therefore sinning.
Satan will use scripture against us too. If he cannot get us to blatantly sin, he will use religion and scripture to get us to second guess God’s will and direction. Tony Evans made this comment “God doesn’t need Satan’s help to get you where He wants you to go”.
Christ counters with scripture again.
16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.
Don’t test the Lord. Being disobedient to God is sin, even if we use scripture to back our argument IF it is not in the will of God.
Too often, we try to justify our actions with religion or scripture. We may ignore the other 31,101 verses to use the one that supports our cause. But if we do not use things in context or with the full counsel of scripture, we run the risk of convincing ourselves we are in God’s will…when we may be falling for Satan’s plan to test the Lord.
Power and Authority
Power and Authority
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 I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
When Satan couldn’t tempt Christ with physical hunger or with misuse of scripture, he turned to pride. How is the quickest way to get pride in the way? Give someone the promise of authority. Satan took Jesus to a high mountain, allowed him to look out over all the kingdoms, and said “All these “I” will give you IF you fall down and worship me”. First of all, it was not Satan’s to give! But he will offer you anything, just to get you to worship him, and it’s never worth the price. Even though Satan is the “ruler of this world” he is not the creator.
John 12:31 “31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” John 14:30 “30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,” John 16:11 “11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”
Even though he is the “god of this age” his time is limited for a season.
2 Cor 4:4 “4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Christ had enough. He cites Deuteronomy 6:13-14
13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.
14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—
Christ would not bow to someone who had no position or power. He would not accept a gift from someone who did not possess what he offered. He would not allow someone to give authority that had no authority. Christ would not be fooled. He withstood every test placed before Him. As a result, angels came and ministered to Him. I find it ironic, that the verse Satan used, urging Him to call upon the angels - in God’s timing and will - were provided by God. Everything God does is perfect in His will and in His time. It doesn’t mean there will not be temptations, hard times, even false hope and/or false promises. We have to be able to discern what is the will of God, and what is a trick from Satan. How do we do that?
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
There is a conclusion that we, too, should fast.
Matthew 9:14–15 (ESV)
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Fast, pray, seek Him. In all reality, isn’t this what Jesus was doing?
And notice what happens when Christ rebuked Satan, he left. You see, Satan cannot ignore the command from authority.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Satan holds no authority over a child of God. You see, he lost any authority he had when he rebelled against God.
18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
He holds no authority now, and will be shown that in the end.
10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Even though Satan has no authority, he still is the master of deception. But God has given us a free will to reject Satan’s deception that leads us to sin. However…we should remember we have the power to resist Satan, and Jesus has shown us how.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
We are not worshipping someone who has no idea what temptation feels like. He lived a human life, and endured temptations just like we do. Yet, he gives us a way of escape and endurance through our temptation.
17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
The Holy Spirit, through the experience of the Son can help guide us when tempted.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Because Jesus was sinless, He was able to offer Himself as a substitute for the penalties of our sins so we can be seen as righteous in the eyes of God.