#3 From Spark To Flames
From Spark to Flame • Sermon • Submitted
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1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do 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 splendor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Jesus was lead into the wilderness for testing. Jesus was not tempted so that the father could learn anything about his son, for the father had already given Jesus his Divine approval.
Jesus was tempted so that every creature in heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth might know that Jesus Christ is the Conqueror.
He exposed Satan and his tactics, and He defeated Satan.
because of his victory, we can have victory over the temptation.
and here is how
just as the first Adam met Satan so the last Adam met the enemy.
Adam met Satan in a beautiful garden, but Jesus met the enemy in a terrible wilderness.
Adam had everything he needed, but Jesus was hungry after 40 days of fasting.
Adam lost the battle and plunged Humanity into sin and death.
But Jesus wins the battle and went on to defeat Satan in more battles, culminating in his final Victory on the cross.
Our Lord's experience of Temptation prepared Him to be our sympathetic high priest.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
It is important to note that Jesus faced the enemy as men, not as the son of God.
his first word was, man shall not live by bread alone. we must not think that Jesus use his Divine powers to overcome the enemy, because that is just what the enemy wanted him to do!
Jesus used the spiritual resources that are available to us today: the power of the holy spirit of God
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
and the power of the word of God.
Jesus had nothing in his nature that would give Satan a foothold, but his Temptations were reeled just the same.
30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,
Temptation involves the the will, and Jesus came to the father's will.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’ ”
The first temptation
The first temptation
This involves the love of God and the will of God.
“since you are God's beloved Son, why doesn't your father feed you?
Why does he put you into this terrible wilderness?”
This temptation sounds like Satan's word to Eve in Genesis 3.
It is a subtle suggestion that our father does not love us.
But there was another suggestion: “use your Divine powers to meet your own needs”
When we put our physical needs ahead of our spiritual needs, we sin.
When we allow circumstances to dictate our actions, instead of following God's will, we sin.
Jesus could have turned the stone into bread, but he would have been exercising his powers independently of the father, and he came to obey the father.
John 5:30 ; John 6:38
30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
The Lord quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 to defeat Satan.
3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Feeding on and obeying God's word is more important than consuming physical food. in fact it is our food.
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
How will you know the will of the father if you do not know the scriptures?
The second temptation
The second temptation
The second Temptation was even more subtle.
This time Satan also used the word of God. “so you intend to live by the scripture”, he implied. “then let me quote you a verse of Scriptures and see if you will obey it”
Satan took the Lord Jesus to the Pinnacle of the Temple, probably 500 feet from the Kidron Valley. Satan then quoted from Psalm 91 11-12 , where God promised to care for his own.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
“ if you really believe the scriptures then jump! let's see if the father cares for you!”
note carefully our Lord's reply: “ it is written again” we must never divorce 1 part of scriptures from another, but we must always “compare spiritual things with spiritual” 1st Corinthians 2:13
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
We can prove almost anything by the Bible if we isolate texts from the context and turn them into pretexts.
Satan had cleverly animated the phrase “in all thy ways” when he quoted from Psalm 91
When the child of God is in the will of God, the Father will protect him. he watches over those who are “in his ways”
Jesus replied with Deuteronomy 6:16
16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.
We tempt God when we put ourselves into circumstances that forced him to work miracles on our behalf.
the diabetic who refuses to take insulin and argues, “ Jesus will take care of me” may be tempting the Lord.
we tempt God when we try to force him to contradict his own word. it is important for us as Believers to read all scripture, and study all God has to say, for all of it is profitable for daily life.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The third temptation
The third temptation
The devil offered Jesus a shortcut to his kingdom. Jesus knew that he would suffer and die before he entered into his glory.
if he bow down and worship Satan just once, ( this is the force of the Greek verb), he could enjoy all the glory without enduring the suffering.
Satan has always wanted worship, because Satan has always wanted to be God.
12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
Worshipping the creature instead of the Creator is the lie that rules over our world today
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
There are no shortcuts to the will of God. If we want to share the glory, we must also share in the suffering.
As the prince of this world, Satan could offer these kingdoms to Christ. but Jesus did not need Satan's offer.
The father had already promised Jesus the kingdom!
8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
you find the same promise in Psalm 22:22-31 and this is the psalm of the cross.
Our Lord replied with Deuteronomy 6:13
13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.
Satan had said nothing about service, but Jesus new that whatever we worship, we will serve.
Worship and Service must go together.
After Jesus had defeated Satan, he was ready to begin his ministry.
No man has the right to call other to obey who has not obeyed himself.
Our Lord has proved himself to be the perfect King whose sovereignty is worthy of our respect and obedience.
Conclusion
Conclusion
29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
We do wrong things for not knowing the word of God