NOTE: The strategies for resisting temptation at the end of this sermon were taken from a sermon entitled "Claiming the Victory – Strategies for Resisting Temptation" by Keith Manry -Foun here on sermoncentral.com
Introduction: What tempts you? I’m not talking about the ice cream and chocolate chip cookie kind of temptations. I mean, what REALLY tempts you? What do you struggle with? Do you even know what tempts you? Do most of us even know what temptation really is?
Today, as we continue to see a compelling portrait of Christ revealed to us we are going to look at how he dealt with the issue of temptation. This may be a tough sermon for some of you because most of us struggle with the idea that Jesus could be tempted. We struggle with the idea that it could be possible for the Son of God to truly have to struggle with temptation like you and I do.
But, A big piece of the picture…a major component of this compelling portrait, is the fact that Jesus…the very Son of God…did indeed face temptation. God’s Son…the Messiah…the creator and savior of the universe faced temptation just like we do (and the only reason we know this is because he was authentic and vulnerable enough to share this with his followers…otherwise it wouldn’t be recorded.)
In the book of Hebrews we read,
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
Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)
So we can see that Jesus was tempted…he was tempted in all of the same ways that we are tempted…and yet he did so without sinning. Again, some of you may think that this was no big deal since he was/is God, after all. But we need to remember that in becoming man he set aside certain aspects of his divinity in order to relate to us. (We talked about that last week)
Now, there is some debate among religious scholars as to whether or not, as a man, Jesus could have actually sinned. Without going into the debate and the reasons that each side would offer up, let me simply say that I DO believe he could have made the choice to sin…otherwise his temptations would not have been real. But I believe he was truly tempted and withstood that temptation so that he could provide for us an acceptable sacrifice for sin upon the cross.
So Jesus came fact to face with temptation. Let me read to you the account of Christ’s temptation that is found in the book of Matthew. Open your bibles to Matthew chapter 4 with me.
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. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"
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.’"
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
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."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ’Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’"
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)
Immediately after his baptism, which we explored last week, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where, for forty days, he was tempted by the devil.
What is Temptation?
To fully grasp this episode in the life of Jesus, and in order to deal with it in our own lives, we need to understand what temptation IS and what temptation is NOT.
The word that is translated “tempted” is a Greek word that has two distinct meanings.
• Temptation = Trial/testing to check the strength or value of something
• Temptation = attempting to draw or entice someone into sin
Jesus faced both types of temptation in his wilderness encounter and that is often going to be the case in our lives as well. Let me explain. Matthew, Mark and Luke all begin their recounting of this event in the life of Jesus by saying that he was led into the desert by the Spirit. He was exactly where God wanted him to be (I’ll get into this more later). And while he was in the desert he was tempted by the devil.
The devil (or Satan) had in mind to entice Jesus into sin. He had in mind to draw him away from the God given destiny he was sent to fulfill. He was there to stop Jesus from going to the cross. He tested Christ by offering to him some very attractive alternatives to his divine purpose. He sought to entice him into sin. THIS IS TEMPTATION
God, knowing what was going to happen and able to observe as it did happen allowed Christ to be tempted in order to test his strength and value. It was a time of refining and testing, making certain he was ready for the ministry that lay ahead of him, a ministry that would culminate at the cross.
Though Satan intended to trap Jesus and disarm his ministry before it got started by enticing him into sin. God used this episode to test his mettle and to ensure that he was prepared for the ministry he was about to face.
Two kinds of temptation faced in the same episode of life. And often that happens in our lives as well…but I don’t to get into that just yet either.
Let me make one more point about what temptation is…or more to the point what temptation ISN’T.
TEMPTATION IS NOT SIN! Somewhere along the line, many of us have picked up the false idea that to be tempted is sin or that to be tempted is a sign of weakness…but that is not true. Jesus was not weak and he was tempted but he NEVER sinned.
When you are tempted it is an enticement…an offer…to succumb to sin but being tempted is not sin. Giving into that temptation IS sin. And temptation is not a sign of weakness…it’s a sign of humanity and a sign of life. If you are never tempted then you are probably dead…either spiritually or literally.
Understanding what temptation is and isn’t is very crucial to understanding this event in the life of Christ and it’s essential if we are going to take any lessons from Jesus’ encounter with temptation.
So what were the temptations that Jesus faced?
The Specific Temptations of Jesus
Before we go any further, in an effort to help us understand the temptation we face, I want to explore the specific temptations that Jesus faced.
• Turning stones into bread: After fasting (going without food) for 40 days, the Bible tells us that Jesus was hungry…duh! This is perhaps one of the most obvious statements ever made…but it does bring to light the state of mind and body that Jesus was in when this first temptation was dangled in front of him. He was in the wilderness, alone, exhausted, drained and hungry and he finds himself tempted to use his miraculous power to meet a legitimate need. The temptation must have been strong, but Jesus resisted. He had the resources needed to meet his own needs but resisted the temptation to use his resources for purely selfish reasons. He knew that he was not his own. He knew he belonged to the father and that his purpose was to serve others, not himself.
He knew that to use his power to prove who he was or to meet his own personal need would have been a violation of God’s plan for his ministry. It would have been a move towards self-sufficiency rather than being dependent upon God. It would have been a lack of love to use his power on himself rather than for the good of others.
Tempted to think of himself first and to depend upon himself…taking the needs of others and the will of his father out of the equation…Jesus resisted this temptation.
He didn’t use his resources (miraculous power in this case) just for himself. (SIN OF SELFISHNESS)
• Leaping from the temple heights. The next temptation he faced was the temptation to convince the world that he was the messiah through sensationalism while at the same time presuming upon the grace and mercy of God. The Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting the Messiah to appear suddenly…even miraculously…in the temple. (Malachi???? Or Micah???). What could be more sudden and miraculous than for the Messiah to leap from the top of the temple and land unharmed in the midst of the people? That would surely draw a crowd of followers.
He would not presume upon the grace and protection of God – He would not force God’s hand. (SIN OF PRESUMPTION/REBELLION)
• Bowing to worship Satan. Finally, Satan offered Jesus a means of escaping the cross. If he would but give worship and honor to Satan, Jesus could have command of all the kingdoms of the world. Surely then he could compel people to follow his reforms, to care for the poor, the feed the hungry, to love one another. It may have been tempting, but Jesus would not compromise with evil to attempt the good.
He would not compromise with evil to attempt good. (SIN OF COMPROMISE/IDOLATRY)
In all of the temptations that Jesus faced, Satan was attempting to entice him to follow some path other than the cross. He was tempting him to take his place as the messiah through purely human (and purely imperfect) means. He was tempting Jesus to avoid the cross in his attempt to bring salvation to humanity…but Jesus knew that the cross was the only way.
SO WHAT?
So Jesus had to deal with temptation…that is certainly a compelling image of the Messiah, but what does that have to do with you and with me.
First of all…We can know that temptation will be a part of this life as long as we are alive…Jesus had to deal with temptation…who are we to assume that we won’t? You will deal with temptation.
• Temptation hits us when we feel invulnerable
Jesus has just come away from the amazing events surrounding his baptism. He has been baptized and then he sees the Holy Sprit descend upon him and he hears his Father in Heaven say…”This is my son, whom I love…With him I am greatly pleased.” That’s a pretty heady experience and coming off of that the natural human emotion would be one of invulnerability…”I’m doing this right! God’s on my side.” But Paul warns us,
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
I Corinthians 10:12 (NLT)
When we think we have something conquered, we need to be cautious because that is when the devil will attack. We feel strong and we let our defenses down and suddenly we find ourselves vulnerable.
• Temptation hits us when we are weak
Jesus has just fasted for 40 days. He is weak physically and emotionally and mentally. And when he is weak and tired, the devil begins to tempt him.
After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Matthew 4:2-3 (NIV)
When we are weary, stressed, burned out or under pressure temptation can be at its strongest.
• Temptation hits EVERYONE
The fact is that none of us are immune. No matter how long you have been a follower of Christ you are susceptible to temptation. Paul tells us that,
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
I Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)
We are all tempted BUT…there is always a way out.
• Temptation is not a sin! Being tempted is a part of being human. Being tempted is not wrong…it’s normal
• Temptation does not necessarily mean we are outside of God’s will.
Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.
• Temptation can come as a call to do the right thing for the wrong reason or with the wrong power…forsaking the greater good.
When Jesus was tempted to turn the stones to bread he was tempted to meet a legitimate need, for himself and for the poor and oppressed, but what would the motive have been. Getting people to follow him because he fed them is something he refused to do throughout his ministry. Using his power/gift for his own good rather than in love for others would have violated his very purpose…to sacrifice himself FOR others…out of love.
I want to wrap up our time by taking just a few minutes to explore how Jesus dealt with temptation…We can use his example to deal with the temptation we face.
Jesus’ primary defense against temptation was to know the Word.
Every time Satan offered up a temptation to him, Jesus countered it with Scripture.
The devil said, “turn the stones to bread.” Jesus said, “Man doesn’t live on bread alone…but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
In other words, “Yes, we do need to eat physical food to feed our physical bodies…but life is more than the physical, it’s more than the here and now…it’s about eternity and it’s about dependence upon God, our Father.”
The Devil took him to the top of the temple and said “"If you are the Son of God, 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.’"
(Don’t think that the devil doesn’t know the Bible)
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
In others words, “Yes my Father has promised his protection, but it’s wrong to force his hand. Acting foolishly or in a rebellious manner violates his law and his love.”
Satan says, “Bow and worship me and people everywhere will give you their allegiance, you will have all the kingdoms of the world.”
Jesus says “Get away from me, for it is written ’Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”
Every time Satan came at him with a temptation, Jesus responded with truth from the Scriptures. Jesus’ number one method of dealing with temptation was to know the Word of God and to use the Word of God.
I am convinced that more Christ followers fall into sin when faced with temptation because they don’t know the Word more than any other reason. WE MUST KNOW THE WORD OF GOD. WE MUST READ IT. WE MUST MEDITATE ON IT. WE MUST STUDY IT. WE MUST LOVE IT. WE MUST MAKE IT A PART OF WHO WE ARE.
Let me finish off by giving you just a few more strategies for fighting temptation. These are simple (though not necessarily easy) steps you can take to fight temptation when it comes your way. I picked these up from another sermon on the temptation of Jesus.
• Strategy #1 Draw Your Line in the Sand.
In other words know your boundaries before you are faced with temptation. Staring at the tax forming, desiring to “fudge” the numbers is not the place to fight the battle. In order to be successful at fighting off temptation you must determine ahead of time where your boundaries will be. The problem the most of us encounter with temptation is we try to fight the battle when we’re in the heat of it. The outcome of the battle must be determined before we enter the battlefield. We must draw our lines in the sand, determine where our boundaries will be, set our standards ahead of time, and not allow ourselves to get near that line.
• Strategy #2 Comprehend the Consequences.
When we are tempted the Evil One has a way of disguising what is evil as good. You know what I’m talking about. What you want to do, what your flesh is telling you to do looks so good. It feels so right. How could it be wrong? For every action there will be a consequence. If you are thinking about those consequences ahead of time you may be much less likely to follow through on the temptation.
• Strategy # 3 Run Like the Wind!
Do you remember the stories of David and Joseph? Did you know that both were faced with the same temptation but one succumbed and the other did not? Joseph ran from the temptation and left his coat in the hands of Potiphar’s wife. David watched Bathsheba take a bath and then had her brought to the palace. When faced with temptation…RUN.
• Strategy #4 Watch and Pray
On the night of Jesus’ arrest he took Peter, James and John with him to the garden of Gethsemane. He instructed them to stay put while he went and prayed. When he returned he found them asleep and awoke them and said to them, “Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” Jesus knew that Peter and the other disciples had good intentions but he recognized something that they did not: they were weak and unless they were to stay alert and pray that God would deliver them from the coming trial they would succumb. And you probably know the story. They failed. Where were they when Jesus was crucified? Where were these twelve disciples who had called him Master and Lord? They were hiding! Peter even denied him. When push came to shove they gave in to the enemy. Why? Because they weren’t ready.
There are countless other suggestions I could make. Get an accountability partner, join a small group, etc. But the point is that there are ways to fight and win when temptation comes your way…AND IT WILL COME YOUR WAY
