Reading: Matthew chapter 4 verse 1-11.
Quote:
• Oscar Wilde who once said that:
• “He could resist everything except temptation.”
Quote:
• An old cartoon had the two characters looking at each other;
• The caption below them said:
“How come opportunity knocks only once, but temptation beats the door down everyday?”
TO THINGS TO NOTE BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION:
(1). Being tempted is not sinning,
• No one sins when they are tempted to do wrong.
• The Bible makes it very clear, that we only sin IF we give into temptation,
• Ill: Being tempted to cheat on my tax returns is not a sin;
• But if I give into that temptation and write down false information – then I sin.
(2). Temptation or testing is not always a negative, a bad experience
• Temptation or testing is not always a negative, a bad experience,
• We tend to think of it in that way.
Quote William Barcley:
• "Temptation is not meant to make us sin; it is meant to enable us to conquer sin.
• It is not meant to make us bad, it is meant to make us good.
• It is not meant to weaken us,
• It is meant to make us emerge stronger and finer and purer from the ordeal.
• Temptation is not the penalty of being a man, temptation is the glory of being a man, Temptation is the test which comes to every man whom God wishes to use.
• So, then, we must think of this whole incident,
• Not so much the TEMPTING, as the TESTING of Jesus".
Ill:
• Often when we buy things e.g. My Computer,
• Has a little sticker on it that says "Hardware tested".
• That is not put on my computer for negative reasons, but positive.
• The product has been examined and proven to be the genuine article in working order!
• This temptation very much proves Jesus to be the genuine article;
• The real deal, the authentic article - the Son of the Living God.
Notice 3 things to note (by way of introduction):
• All found in Verse 1:
• "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil”.
(1). It was the Spirit of God who led Jesus into the desert:
• Life of course is full of highs & lows.
• Quote: “If you were never in the valley, you could never appreciate the mountain top.”
• Now having just experienced the high and holy experience of his baptism, (MT)
• Jesus will now face a tough, down to earth experience in the wilderness. (V)
Quote: Warren Wiersbe:
“Jesus was not tempted so that the Father could learn anything about his Son, for the Father had already given his divine approval (i.e. previous verses Baptism)
Jesus was tempted so that every creature in heaven, on earth, or under the earth might know that Jesus Christ is the conqueror. He exposed Satan and his tactics, and defeated Satan. Because of his victory, we can have victory over the tempter”.
(2). It was the devil who tempted him:
• The devil is of course a spiritual being,
• More powerful than human beings but no-where near as powerful as God.
• The devil is a real spiritual being.
• Ill: Not the caricature we often see portrayed with red horns and a pitch fork.
• (a). In contrast to God who is omnipresent (everywhere)
• But the devil can only be in one place at one time.
• (b). In contrast to God who is omnipotent (all-powerful)
• The devil has limited power - but he is still very powerful,
• e.g. Archangel Michael could not defeat him in his own strength (book of Jude verse 9)
• (c). In contrast to God who is omniscient (all-knowing)
• The devil has limited knowledge - and he is still very, very clever!
e.g.
• He knows that at certain times we are more vulnerable than at any other times,
• To fall prey to his scheming wiles.
• Now in our passage (Matthew chapter 4 verses 1-11):
• He picks what would seem to be the most perfect moment,
• To try to tempt Jesus into sinning, into disobeying his father.
The reason this would appear to be the perfect moment to trap Jesus is because:
• Jesus is just starting out on his public ministry,
• He is inexperienced as an itinerant preacher,
• He is fresh from his baptism,
• Where God the Father has just declared his pleasure with him,
• That probably put Jesus on a spiritual high,
• Now in verse 1-2 their is a contrast of emotions:
• He is alone in the wilderness,
• Extremely hungry after forty days of fasting, he is physically weak and tired.
• Then at that very moment the enemy comes,
• And he attacks Jesus not with one, but three different temptations.
Quote Dr W. Scroggie:
• “There are three levels on which each of us can be tempted,
• The body, the spirit, and the soul.
• Jesus was tempted on each of these levels:
• The body - feed yourself.
• The spirit - throw yourself down. And let God’s angels take care of you.
• The soul - worship me, and I will give you the kingdoms of the world.
• The first bait was selfishness,
• The second was presumption,
• The third was compromise”
Note: For the devil this was a tried and tested plan:
• Remember the first temptation in the garden of Eden,
• All three things, selfishness, presumption & compromise were all used by the tempter.
• But were as Adam & Eve fell into sin in the garden.
• Christ (2nd Adam) conquered all of them in the desert!
(3). Notice the place where the temptation happened:
• The setting for the temptations:
• Verse 1 tells us, it is in the "Desert":
• Between Jerusalem on the central plateau, which is the backbone of Palestine,
• And the Dead Sea, stretches the desert wilderness, an area of 15 to 35 miles.
• The Old Testament calls it ’Jeeshimmon’:
• Which means ’The devastation’, it is barren and empty.
Ill:
• If this was a game of football, we would say he was playing at home.
• That is home advantage – this was home territory of the evil one.
• Opposite to God’s territory: ("Milk & honey").
• Now In this vast, barren wilderness:
• Jesus could not have been more alone, anywhere else in the whole of Palestine.
• True to say the enemy often attacks us when we are on our own,
• When we are not accountable to anyone who knows us.
• This encounter between Jesus and Satan was going to be a tremendous battle:
• But not with fists or weapons, it was a battle of the minds.
• Ill: Game of chess rather than boxing.
• It was to be a three fold attack by the devil on Jesus:
• Each one ruthlessly designed to lure the saviour away from,
• His Father’s will and his earthly mission.
First test: The Body - Selfishness
• Verse 3: "IF, you are the Son of God".
• Or the way it reads in the Greek text, could be rendered, "Since you are the Son of God".
• I believe the devil is drawing upon what God the Father has just declared,
• In the previous incident, the baptism of Jesus (chapter 3 verse 17):
• "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased".
The devil says to Jesus:
"I heard that statement, now since you are the Son of God, prove it,
tell these stones to become bread".
Now don’t forget:
• Verse 2: "40 days Jesus had not eaten, he was hungry".
• Ill: Most of us would be in distress if we went 1 day without food.
• Ill: The desert was littered with little round pieces of limestone rock:
• Which would look exactly like little loaves. Especially to a hungry man.
So the Devil says:
"You are hungry, you’ve got the power to solve that problem,
after all, what’s wrong with having some food?"
Note:
• Jesus certainly has the power to accept the dare:
• He also has a physical hunger that needs to be satisfied.
• Question: What could be wrong with turning a few stones into bread?
• Answer: Everything!!!
• Hidden beneath Satan’s seemingly harmless challenge is a snare,
• There is a vicious hook behind the innocent bait:
• The object of the evil ones attack,
• Was to get Jesus to act independently from the Father.
• To use his power for selfish purposes.
• Instead of waiting on his Father to meet his needs.
• The Devil says to him: "Don’t wait for God to feed you, do it yourself,”
• In other words: “Do what you want."
Ill:
• Remember the first man Adam fell into sin because of food offered to him.
• Yet the temptation of Jesus would be far greater than Adams, 3 contrasts:
• (a).
• Adam was not hungry, he didn’t have to go without food,
• Yet Jesus has been on a forty day fast!
• (b).
• Adam could eat of any other tree in the garden,
• At this moment in time, no other provision had been made for Jesus.
• (c).
• When Adam was tempted he had everything in his favour, he was in paradise.
• Yet Jesus is surrounded by desert, total emptiness & barrenness!
Note:
• In response to the tempter, Jesus immediately passes up the temptation of bread:
• He passes up physical temporary satisfaction,
• For the more lasting food of obeying the Father.
• He replies to the devil in verse 4:
• By quoting Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 3: "Man cannot live on bread ALONE."
• Key word in that verse "Alone”.
• “But on every word that comes from the mouth of God".
• I think what the Lord is saying is this: "There are more important things than food."
• "Life is more than the physical feeding of the body".
• "I am not to take the gifts God has given me & use them for selfish reasons”.
• “I am not here to please myself, But to please him who sent me”.
• “I refuse to act independently of God the Father”,
• “I will only walk in accordance with his word.”
• “On every word that comes from the mouth of God".
Apply that:
• Many of us are tempted:
• Not in the area of our weaknesses, but in the area of our strengths.
Quote:
• William Barcley:
"We must always remember that again and again we are tempted through our gifts;
• The person who is gifted with charm,
• will be tempted to use that charm to get away with anything.
• The person who is gifted with the power of words,
• will be tempted to use his command of words to produce glib excuses to justify his own conduct.
• The person with a vivid and sensitive imagination
• will under-go agonies of temptation that a more stoic person will never experience.
• The person with great gifts of mind will be tempted to use these gifts for himself,
• not for others, to become the master and not the servant of men;
• It is the grim fact of temptation that it is just where we are strongest
• that we must be forever on the watch".
Each one of us has at least one gift (may be more) & we also have natural talents and abilities:
• Our gifts will not be turning stone into bread,
• But if we are not careful;
• We can yield to the temptation of selling ourselves,
• To lower aims and objectives than God has for us.
(1st). Temptation: Selfishness, do your own thing what you want to do!
Answer 1:
• Verse 4: Jesus says to the tempter:
• "Man cannot live on bread alone, But on every word that comes from the mouth of God"
2nd test: The Spirit - Presumption
• In this test, notice where the devil takes Jesus;
• Verse 5-6:
"Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple".
• "The devil took him to the holy city", which is Jerusalem.
• “And had him stand on the highest point”, which is the pinnacle of the temple.
The temple was built on the top of Mount Zion.
• The top of the mountain was levelled off into a plateau
• On that area the whole of the temple buildings stood.
• There was one corner at which Solomon’s porch and the royal porch met.
• At that corner there was a sheer drop of 450ft into the Kedron valley
And as they stand together at that pinnacle point, the devil says to Jesus in verse 6:
"If you are" OR "Since you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down.
For it is written".
• In other words the devil says to Jesus; “Since you’re into quoting Bible verses,
• Let me give you a verse”, and he quotes from Psalm 91:
"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".
• The devil is very deceptive and extremely crafty:
• He draws on that first temptation by saying,
• “You want to trust your Father, well here is a good opportunity to trust him!”
The devil temps Jesus to jump over the edge:
• Had Jesus jumped, then I believe he wouldn’t have been killed,
• I believe the angels would have come to his aide – as promised!
• That’s why the devil did not push him off the edge,
• After all had he pushed him off the cliff he could have been rid of Jesus for good!
• But while Jesus walked in God’s will, he enjoyed God’s protection.
• God’s angels would have come to his rescue had he been pushed.
The point of this temptation is this:
• His physical body would have been rescued:
• But note: his life would have been preserved, but not his mission.
• His mission was according to John chapter 12 verse 32:
• "He was to draw all men to himself".
• But he was to do this not by sensationalism;
• Not by circus style dare devil acts.
• But by being "Lifted up to die".
• The cross was his mission and his purpose for coming.
• Note: The devil says to him,
• “This is a breathtaking opportunity, what a way to inaugurate a public ministry,
So the devil says:
• What a great way to impact the nation:
• People will see that you are a wonder worker, a sensationalist,
• The jump would be spectacular, a real crowd pleaser.
• One that would surely establish you as the Messiah
• Who else could jump from the temple and live to tell the story,
• What a following you would attract.
The devils aim is again to get Jesus to act independently from his father:
• "Do what YOU want to do, draw attention to yourself.”
• “Be concerned with yourself and your image, get folks to notice you!!!”
Note: Jesus answers the devil in verse 7:
• Once again Jesus answers the tempter with a quote;
• Deuteronomy 6 verse 16: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test".
To paraphrase his answer:
"Since your quoting Bible verses,
let me give you one that will correct your mis-interpretation of scripture,
Don’t fool around testing God".
The problem in this temptation is a sin that is found throughout the Bible;
• The sin of presumption.
• Flirting with danger to prove God’s power or his forgiveness.
• God sometimes expects us to exercise faith and do risky things:
• But he never asks us to be recklessness, to be stupid,
Ill:
Even Psalm 91 itself, underlines this in verse 9:
• "If you make the Most High your dwelling.... then no harm will befall you".
• Note: The condition; “Trusting in God, dwelling in him”.
• Simply to claim promises of scripture out of context:
• For purely selfish reasons is presumption.
• God will protect us, as we walk according to his will.
• But he does not promise to protect us from our own stupidity,
• If we deliberately do stupid and reckless things.
• God’s guiding & protection is not something to be played with:
• It is something to be quietly experienced,
• As we trust him in our every day living.
Verse 7:
• Jesus replies to the tempter:
• "Do not put the Lord your God to the test".
3rd test: The Soul – Compromise (vs 8-9).
"Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed
him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour".
Theologians have spent too much time debating the practicalities of that verse:
• e.g. Did they physically go to a literal mountain? If so, how & where?
• e.g. Or was it a vision that Jesus was given to Jesus?
Quote: Maybe Calvin in his commentary explains it well
“It is asked, was he (Jesus) actually carried to this elevated spot, or was it done in a vision?….. What is added, that all the kingdoms of the world were exposed to Christ’s view…in a moment…agrees better with the idea of a vision than with any other theory.
In a matter that is doubtful, and where ignorance brings no risk,
I choose rather to suspend my judgement than to furnish contentious people with an excuse for a debate”.
• Now use your imagination to try to imagine what it was like?
• Notice the key word, "Splendour".
ill:
• You and I have been to some high places;
• e.g. Ben Nevis, Giants Causeway etc..
• And looked over breath-tacking scenes,
• But they would be nothing to what was on offer here.
• Satan parades before Jesus, everything he has; “the kingdoms of the world”:
• He is pulling out all the stops, and plays his MasterCard.
• In this last effort to woo Christ from the father’s will,
Verse 9:
• "All this I will give you, he said" (Just one little compromise in return, that’s all I’m asking)
• "Bow down and worship me".
Note: Don’t forget:
• Jesus hasn’t begun his ministry yet.
• He hasn’t even got a single follower.
• He is 40 days weak through lack of food,
• He knows the task ahead will be murderously difficult.
• Note: the deceptiveness of the devil;
• He is literally telling Jesus that it needn’t be difficult and excruciatingly painful:
• Satan’s willing to hand him the world he’s been sent to save,
• And hand it him on a silver platter.
• The devil says, "You’ve come to save the world, worship me and I’ll give it you".
• Think about it! No suffering! No struggling! No sacrifice!
• Just one little compromise:
• And this world and the crown of power that goes with it, are all yours!
Question: What is the devil trying to do in this temptation?
Answer:
• He is offering to Jesus the easy way to claim his kingdom now.
• He is giving him the option to avoid the cross, avoid the pain & avoid the agony.
• And Jesus can have it all; just for a little compromise:
• Jesus can have it all if he just thinks about himself and forgets the world (human race).
JESUS RESPONDS TO SATAN IN VERSE 10:
• "God’s the only one worth serving." (Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 13).
• "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only".
• Jesus was well aware that you cannot defeat evil by compromising with evil.
• You defeat it by living and following the truth.
• And so without hesitation Jesus rejects Satan’s final attempt:
• And reminds him that there is only one who deserves our worship and service.
• Verse 11: Frustrated and angry at his failure, Satan departs;
• "Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him".
Now Wouldn’t it be great if that was it:
• One temptational conflict, just one struggle,
• Bam, bam, bam, one, two three, and the rest of your life you are free of the enemy?
• Don’t think that Jesus was free from the enemy:
• The parallel passage in Luke tells us; "He left him until an opportune time".
• He came back on many other occasions, and in different disguises.
Quote:
"Though the roaring lion failed to devour the Lamb of God, he did not give up.
The hunter simply resumed stalking, watching for another moment to pounce".
Quote: Warren Wiersbe:
• “The first Adam met Satan,
• So the last Adam (Jesus) met the enemy.
• Adam met Satan in a beautiful garden,
• But Jesus met him in a terrible wilderness.
• Adam had everything he needed,
• But Jesus was hungry after 40 days of fasting.
• Adam lost the battle and plunged humanity into sin and death.
• But Jesus won the battle!
• And went on to defeat Satan in more battles,
• Culminating in his final victory on the cross”
