Christ's Temptation

CHRIST'S TEMPTATION

SCRIPTURE: *Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Mark 1:9-13

INTRODUCTION:

Retirement gives opportunity for meditation and communion with God; even they who are called to the most active life must yet have their contemplative hours, and must find time to be alone with God.

But, Woe to him that is alone. Those who under pretense of sanctity and devotion, retire into dens and deserts, find that they are not out of the reach of their spiritual enemies, and that there they are without the benefit of the communion of saints.

2048 eremos {er'-ay-mos} of uncertain affinity; TDNT - 2:657,255; adjective

AV - wilderness 32, desert 13, desolate 4, solitary 1; 50

1) solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited

1a) used of places

1a1) a desert, wilderness

1a2) deserted places, lonely regions

1a3) an uncultivated region fit for pasturage

1b) used of persons

1b1) deserted by others

1b2) deprived of the aid and protection of others, especially of friends, acquaintances, kindred

1b3) bereft

1b3a) of a flock deserted by the shepherd

1b3b) of a woman neglected by her husband, from whom the husband withholds himself

I Corinthians 7:5 “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”

I. HE WAS LEAD OF THE SPIRIT

A. If we presume upon our own strength, and tempt the Devil to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to ourselves.

Eph. 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.”

5117 topos {top'-os} apparently a primary word; TDNT - 8:187,1184; n m

AV - place 80, room 5, quarter 2, licence 1, coast 1, where 1, plain + 3977 1, rock + 5138 1; 92

1) place, any portion or space marked off, as it were from surrounding space

1a) an inhabited place, as a city, village, district

1b) a place (passage) in a book

2) metaph.

2a) the condition or station held by one in any company or assembly

2b) opportunity, power, occasion for acting

For Synonyms see entry 5875

Eph 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

3833 panoplia {pan-op-lee'-ah} from a compound of 3956 and 3696; TDNT - 5:295,702; n f

AV - whole armour 2, all ... armour 1; 3

1) full armour, complete armour

1a) includes shield, sword, lance, helmet, greaves, and breastplate

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

B. The great thing Satan aims at, in tempting good people, is to overthrow their relation to God as Father, and so to cut off their dependence on Him, their duty to Him, and their communion with Him.

C. Outward afflictions, wants and burdens, are the great arguments Satan uses to make the people of God question their sonship. [Satanic head games.]

D. How comfortable it is, that Christ, who let loose this power of Satan against Himself, does

not in like manner let it loose against us, but restrains it, for He knows our frame.

II. TO BE TEMPTED

A. Is there a Contradiction?

1. Genesis 22:1 "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt

Abraham."

2. James 1:13 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:"

B. Defining Tempt

1. Genesis 22:1 -->Hebrew

05254 nacah {naw-saw'} a primitive root; TWOT - 1373; v

AV - prove 20, tempt 12, assay 2, adventure 1, try 1; 36

1) to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test

1a) (Piel)

1a1) to test, try

1a2) to attempt, assay, try

1a3) to test, try, prove, tempt

2. James 1:13 --> Greek

3985 peirazo {pi-rad'-zo} from TDNT - 6:23,822; v

AV - tempt 29, try 4, tempter 2, prove 1, assay 1, examine 1, go about 1; 39

1) to try whether a thing can be done

1a) to attempt, endeavour

2) to try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining his quantity, or what he

thinks, or how he will behave himself

2a) in a good sense

2b) in a bad sense, to test one maliciously, craftily to put to the proof his feelings or judgments

2c) to try or test one's faith, virtue, character, by enticement to sin

2c1) to solicit to sin, to tempt

1c1a) of the temptations of the devil

2d) after the OT usage

2d1) of God: to inflict evils upon one in order to prove his character and the steadfastness of his faith

2d2) men are said to tempt God by exhibitions of distrust, as though they wished to try whether he is not justly distrusted