Matthew 4
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4 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.' "
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, 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 shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "
7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
10 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.' "
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
There are two things we are going to look at today. First, we are going to review some things we know for sure about temptation. Second, we are going to gain some insight from the temptation Jesus endured.
Some things we know for sure about temptation
God does not send temptation into our lives
We can be quick to pass judgment and many times we are completely wrong!
You will recall when the disciples were ready to pass judgment on a man who was born blind.
John 9:1-3 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”
In the same way that Jesus straightened out the wrong thinking of the disciples, James removes misconceptions we may have about temptation.
James 1:13 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.
God is not the source of temptation.
He is not enticing you to sin.
He is not secretly hoping that you will fall.
He is consistently bringing good things into your life!
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
God never brings evil into your life! Because evil is contrary to His character.
Some things we know for sure about temptation
Temptation comes to you because you are human
We never read about Jesus being tempted by satan while He was in heaven! He experienced this after he became flesh and blood. If you are human, you will be tempted, because every human being experiences temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man…
The temptation that all of us struggle with are the same.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
All temptation appeals to the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes, or our pride.
Some things we know for sure about temptation
The Lord helps us when we are tempted
Temptation has limits, it is not all powerful, and it is not irresistible.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 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.
God is faithful even in temptation! He will get you through it. He will help you endure it.
Jesus is present to help you during temptation.
Hebrews 2:17-18 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Some things we know for sure about temptation
There is no once and for all winning over temptation
We love the idea of compete and final victory. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that after Jesus made it through this temptation that He was never tempted again.
Luke 4:13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Jesus endured this season of temptation, but it was not the final time of temptation. The devil was continuing to look for an opportune time.
Jesus was tempted in every way.
Hebrews 4:15-16 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. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
To be tempted in all points let’s us know that Jesus was tempted more than once.
Some things we know for sure about temptation
Temptation attempts to get us to act on our own plans and our own agenda
Temptation tells you to scrap God’s plan and timetable and institute your own. Temptation has obtained victory when we say, “Not Your will, but MY will be done.”
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
The ways of man are not the ways of life. So when the devil was tempting Jesus, He was trying to get the Prince of Life to choose the ways of death.
Let’s look closely at the three temptations that Jesus endured.
What lessons can we learn from Jesus being tempted?
Lesson 1
Jesus was tempted to provide for Himself
Matthew 4
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4 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.' "
I want you to realize how strong this temptation was. Jesus had gone 40 days without eating. The area in which you are most vulnerable is usually the area you will be tempted in first.
It is especially important that you keep your guard up in areas where you have been vulnerable in the past.
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
So, we know that Jesus was especially vulnerable to this temptation because of the forty days of fasting. This is what I hear the devil saying to Jesus:
“God doesn’t really care for you otherwise He would not have left you in the wilderness for over a month. You need to watch out for number one, because God isn’t.”
Jesus’ response to this temptation was not to reason with it, because, you cannot reason with temptation.
Jesus answered with the word of God, and nothing else!
"It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "
When you face temptation, your weapon is the word of God. You may think, “Words aren’t strong enough to overcome temptation.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…
Remember that regardless of how you feel you are never alone and do not have to provide things for yourself. Listen to the promises that were made to us:
Hebrews 13:5 For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
God will always take care of you.
Psalms 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.
Lesson 2
Jesus was tempted to prove His trust in God
Matthew 4
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, 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 shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "
7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "
Let me paraphrase this one, the devil is implying, “Jesus, you really do trust in God, that is obvious, but not one knows about your trust, you need to publicly show people your faith in God.
The devil even used a scripture that promised God’s protection, which shows us that there will be times when temptation will use scripture that is taken out of context and twisted to say something it doesn’t.
Listen to the warning that Peter gives us.
2 Peter 3:14-16 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
The enemy is so good at twisting and changing God’s word to bring people to extremes. That is what happens with those who handle snakes and drink poison…they have been brought to extremes, to prove their trust in the Lord.
Listen again to Jesus’ response.
‘“You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
Listen to what the word says about testing the Lord.
Psalms 78:18 And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy.
· Testing God causes you to satisfy the flesh
No matter how you try to make your actions spiritual sounding, they are not spiritual actions, they are carnal actions.
Numbers 14:22-23 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.
· Testing God prevents you from experiencing the future He has for you
The actions of the Israelites prevented them from experiencing the land God had prepared for them.
Psalms 78:41 Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
· Testing God hinders Him
Psalms 78:56 Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, and did not keep His testimonies
· Testing God provokes Him to anger
Psalms 95
8 "Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 When your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they saw My work.
10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, 'It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.'
· Testing God causes you to stray from God
Lesson 3
Jesus was tempted to yield to someone other than the Father
Matthew 4
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
10 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.' "
Jesus came to bring us a direct relationship with the Father. No middle-men, no priesthood, no complicated rituals.
· John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
· 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
God places people in leadership positions in the church and makes them directly accountable to Him. That is a serious thing!
Hebrews 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.
That is why James warned those who serve in teaching positions about the higher standard of judgment they will experience.
James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
We respect and submit to the leadership God has given, but our service belongs to God alone! When the Jewish leaders told the Apostles that they could no longer teach in Jesus’ name, they were quick to respond.
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Jesus’ response to satan needs to be our response any time we are faced with temptation that encourages us to yield to any one other than God.
"Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "
Don’t miss that connection in God’s word between worship and service. Whom ever you worship, you are serving.
Let’s look at what we have covered.
Some things we know for sure about temptation
· God does not send temptation into our lives
· Temptation comes to you because you are human
· The Lord helps us when we are tempted
· There is no once and for all winning over temptation
· Temptation attempts to get us to act on our own plans and our own agenda.
The Lessons from Jesus’ temptation
· Lesson 1 Jesus was tempted to provide for Himself
· Lesson 2 Jesus was tempted to prove His trust in God
· Lesson 3 Jesus was tempted to yield to someone other than the Father