Today we will look at when Jesus was tempted. It is His temptations that we learn valuable lessons about facing our own tempations. Matthew 4:1-2 (NIV) “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.”
WHEN HE WAS TEMPTED
1. His first test was of a PERSONAL nature.
Matthew 4:3 (NIV) “The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus certainly had the power to accept the dare and he WAS hungry...what would the harm be? What would it hurt? No one was watching. What would be wrong with a biscuit? EVERYTHING.
Hidden beneath Satan’s dare is a snare. The devil is testing to see if Jesus can be lured into using His power for selfish purposes. Instead of waiting on the Father to supply His needs, will Jesus take matters into His own hands? Satan wanted Jesus to use His divine powers to meet His own needs outside of the will of God. It was a question of putting immediate needs ahead of eternal purposes.
Matthew 4:4 (NIV) “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Just becasue you can doesn’t mean you should!
2. His second test was of a PUBLIC nature.
In the second temptation, Satan dared Jesus to test the Father’s Word by jumping off the temple; and he backed up his dare with an “edited” quotation from Psalm 91:11–12.
Matthew 4:5-6 (NIV) “Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “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.’”
From perch 45 stories high Satan tries to get Jesus to show off—display who He is. He deserved a big entrance...right? The jump would be spectacular—all the news networks would cover it. The jump would substantiate His Messiahship—after all this is what the people have been expecting!
Matthew 4:7 (NIV) “Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
3. His third test was of a POWER nature.
Matthew 4:8-9 (NIV) “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Remember, Jesus is just coming off His baptism. He doesn’t even have disciples yet. He knows that the walk in front of Him will be very difficult. This is where Satan starts sounding like a car salesman to me. Why walk when you can ride? Boy do I have a deal for you. If you will simply accept my terms, just look at all the perks I’ll give you. You will immediately go from anonymous to famous. Sign on the dotted line and I will give you the ride of your dreams—no suffering, no struggling, no sacrifice. No cross.
That’s what this third temptation does—it bypasses the cross. God promises that His son will eventually rule the world (one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord!)—YES God wants His Son to wear a crown—not the temporary crown of an earthy king—the eternal crown of the King of Kings. –BUT THAT WILL requite a crown of thorns first! So...
Matthew 4:10 (NIV) “Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
WHEN WE ARE TEMPTED
Hebrews 2:18 (NIV) “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”
1. Don’t be SURPRISED; EXPECT him. (Satan)
James 1:13 (NIV) “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone;”
Luke 4:13 (NIV) “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.”
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
2. Don’t be BLIND; DETECT him.
Ecc 1:9 (NIV) “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
Satan is a regifter—he repackages the same old temptations!
1 Cor 10:13 (NIV) “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
Matthew 26:41 (NIV) “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
3. Don’t be ARROGANT; REJECT him.
Hebrews 4:15-16 (NIV) “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
James 4:7 (NIV) “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
1 Peter 5:9 (NIV) “Resist him, standing firm in the faith...”
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Submit yourself to God. God is the One with the strength to win not you.
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