Prayer & Temptation Part I Series

PRAYER AND TEMPTATION

PART I

INTRO:

“The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything”

· Prayer is the direction of tonight’s service.

· (Illustration) – “Wrong Direction”

· Jesus said in MATTHEW 26:41

41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

(NIV)

· When Jesus told his disciples this, he knew what He was talking about when it came to the field of temptation.

“Before a King can rule others, he must prove that he can rule himself”

1. This is why King Saul lost his kingship – he was unable to control himself and obey God.

TEXT: MATTHEW 4

· This chapter shows the King (Jesus) meeting his enemy. “The Prince of this World” and defeating him!

o MATTHEW 4:1-11 (Read)

I. THE FIRST TEMPATION

Matthew 4:3-4

1st TEMPTATION – “Satan appealed to the body, the desires of the flesh”.

A. There was no SIN in being hungry, yet Satan suggested that, if Christ were the son of God, then God should not let him hunger?

B. Satan always wants us to think that GOD is “holding out on us”.

· Satan tried this move in the beginning of God’s creation.

GENESIS 3: 2-5

2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

3 but God did say, ’You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’"

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.

5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

· Satan by tempting Jesus with this, his suggestion is “God must not love you, if he did He would take better care of you!”

C. Satan appealed to the desires of the flesh on his first temptation with Jesus.

· That’s why Jesus told his disciples..

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

· In dealing with this subject “PRAYER AND TEMPTAION” we must believe that the number one reason why people don’t pray is NOT because the don’t want to, but because we fall into the first temptation of “fulfilling the desires of the flesh!”

D) (ILLUSTRATION) – “Praying for God’s guidance”

E) If Jesus WOULD have used His divine powers out of the will of GOD then HE would have been defeated.

· It’s similar to our situations, when we try to use our own power throughout the day then we become defeated.

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

· Jesus did not only use his divine power because he would be defeated, but he didn’t use it because he always pleased his Father.

JOHN 8:29

29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."

(NIV)

F. Jesus met this temptation with Deuteronomy 8:3.

DEUTERONOMY 8:1-3

1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers.

2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers 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.

· Jesus knew that feeding the inner spiritual person is far more important than feeding the physical.

· After all, when you and I die, (“and we will”) it is this spiritual person that will live for eternity, not this temporal tent that will live on! – So, how is your spiritual person looking like?

NOTE: Jesus had the word “Hidden in his heart” that he might not sin against his father.

II. THE SECOND TEMPTATION

Matthew 4: 5-7

2ND TEMPTATION – “Satan dares Jesus to prove the faithfulness of God”.

A. In a sense, what Satan is telling Jesus is “Since you believe the word of God, then why not prove one of God’s promises?

B. Satan quoted to Jesus Psalms 91:11-12.

CLOSE:

· Next week we will end with part II of this message with the third and “Last temptation of Christ”.

· (ILLUSTRATION) – “NEVER FOUND THE TIME”