Have you ever been tempted by Satan. No, I’m not talking about what you see on TV where you have a little guy dressed in white sitting on one shoulder and a little guy dressed in red with a pitchfork on the other shoulder. No I am talking about there is a serious dilemma in you path and it is really messing up your day.
There was a story just like that in the OT dealing with King David. It says that David was standing on his balcony. And it says, “It was the time when Kings went off to war.” David shouldn’t have been there bt he was and now he was tempted.
There is a story after the baptism of the Lord that I would like to share with you today. It explains the three ways that Satan really tempts all of us. But we can all have victory if we submit to what the Lord instructs us to do in those situations.
1. Turn stones to bread (Appealing to the fact of the Father’s care for believers)
2. Throw yourself off and call the angels (Appealing to the Fathers protection over believers)
3. Worship him instead (Appealing to the Fathers worth in worship – idolatry)
Why did Jesus have to do this?
1. To identify with humanity HEB 4:15
2. To set the example in dealing with temptation so we can depend upon Him instead of ourselves.
ILL: Old lady, pastor and bird cage- There was a preacher who had finished preaching one Sunday and noticed one older woman in the congregation. He was shaking hands after the service and the older woman asked for a copy of his sermon. Filled with great pride of a sermon well done he said, “I am so glad that you really get something out of my messages on Sunday. You ask me for them after every service.” She replied, “The paper you use is the perfect size for my bird cage at home.”
Conclusion: Temptation is something everyone goes through. Our Savior gave us a blueprint as to how to come through without becoming a victim. When we submit ourselves to the Lord we are victorious. Jesus didn’t do it on His own. He submitted Himself to the direction of the Father leaning upon His word for comfort and guidance. When we acknowledge that it isn’t about us it is about who we serve we are victorious through temptations.
