A Man in the Wilderness
(Lenten Season Series: 1 of 7)
Matt. 4.1-11
March 16, 2014 Chester FBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, speaker
Introduction:
A Matt. 4.1-11 (Have the congregation read this text as a responsive reading here or at an earlier time in the service.)
B Jesus wasn’t not only led into the desert to have communion with the Father, according to Matt.4.1, He was brought to this dry place to be “tempted.”
1 The word “tempted” can mean either “I tempt” or “I test.”
a In a sense, temptation & testing are the heads & tails of the same coin.
aa The devil tempts, The Father tests.
bb A temptation is a trap that is meant to get us to against God’s will; a test tries to get us to prove ourselves faithful to God’s will.
b According to Scripture God never tempts anybody to do evil. (James 1.13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.)
aa He will use circumstances to test our character/faithfulness with the intended purpose of a solid outcome (passing the test.)
bb IL. Abraham was tested when he took Isaac to the top of Mt. Moriah. (Hebrews 11:17 (NASB) By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, . . .”
c Satan is tempting Jesus to go contrary of the Father’s will.
aa At the end of Jesus’ 40 day fast in the desert, the enemy attacks Jesus with three different temptations.
bb Jesus is tired, hungry, lonely, stretched physically/emotionally/spiritually . . .then comes the temptation!
cc The enemy rarely makes a frontal assault, but rather waits until we’re sidetracked, weary, & weak. (That’s why it seems we become inundated all at one time; he get’s one punch to land and then he immediately starts attacking on several fronts simultaneously.)
2 Temptation must be seen in the context of testing, because God is in control of both the tempter & and the circumstances, and He will never allow a person to be tempted beyond what they can endure.
a 1 Cor. 10.13; “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
aa In other words, Satan doesn’t tempt us without God knowing about it.
bb For example, when Satan tempted Job to go contrary to the will of God, Satan tempted Job, but God was testing his faithfulness . . . Job passed with flying colors!
cc With Joseph in Genesis, his brothers sold him into slavery (Satanic attack) but God used those same circumstance for good. (Gen. 50.20; "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”)
b A temptation in the hands of Satan turns to a test in the hands of God.
aa Jesus is on mission (to do the Father’s perfect will.)
bb The devil has a mission as well & that is to get Jesus to go contrary to the Father’s will.
cc At the end of the temptation, Satan’s tempting fails to achieve its goal but Jesus passes the test with flying colors.
B It is this testing that prepares Jesus to be our sympathetic High Priest. Heb. 2.17-18; “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”
1 Jesus faced temptation as a man, not as the Son of God.
a (IL.) XBOX games typically have what are called “cheat codes” which gives the player an advantage (unlimited life, ammo, juggernaut, extra lives, etc.).
aa Jesus didn’t use the “cheat code” of His divinity to overcome the enemy.
bb Satan wanted Jesus to cheat & use His super awesome deity power to cheat on the test.
b Jesus faced temptation the way we do . . . as an ordinary person.
aa Matt. 1.4, “It is written, Man . . .”
bb We don’t have super awesome God powers, we don’t have the cheat codes . . . it wouldn’t have been a big deal for Jesus to be tempted if He couldn’t sin.
c He faced temptation with the same resources we have at our disposal;
aa The Power of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 4.1) (He’s packing heat: Holy Ghost Fire)
Matthew 4:1 (NASB) 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
bb The Power of the Word of God (Matt. 4.4,7,10), “It is written . . .”
2 (Extinguish Candle on Lenten wreath) Today, we remember Jesus’ lonely trial in the desert.
a We’ll see how similar & different we are from Jesus.
aa We too face temptation/tests but we don’t always do as well as Jesus did.
bb We don’t always trust God’s provision, we put God to the test, and we worship/serve other gods by putting things ahead of the One True God.
b In the Judean desert we have front row seats of the first throw down between two competing kingdoms/rulers, between two figures who lay claim to the hearts/souls of humankind.
aa Our Jesus doesn’t tuck tail & run . . . He advances the Kingdom & His mission. He engages the enemy.
bb Today, we identify with the man in the wilderness by looking at the three temptations/tests He endured.
cc (Obj.) I hope you see that you too can overcome temptation by discovering how Jesus overcame temptation.
I The first temptation was about the desire to serve oneself. (Matt. 4.3-4)
Matthew 4:3-4 (NASB) 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"
A After 40 days w/o food you gotta know that Jesus was hungry.
1 Why was it a temptation to get a biscuit?
a Satan was trying to get Jesus to demonstrate His power to get what He (Jesus) wanted . . . He wanted some food!
aa When Jesus came to earth He laid aside His own will to only the Father’s Will (Jn. 4.34; 6.38; Matt. 26.39,42)
John 4:34 (NASB) 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.
John 6:38 (NASB) 38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Matthew 26:39 (NASB) 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."
Matthew 26:42 (NASB) 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done."
bb When Jesus did anything supernaturally it was always under the prompting & subjection of the Father: He didn’t do anything w/o the Father’s leading/approval.
b Getting a biscuit wasn’t the issue, the issue was to break the trust & submission Jesus had to the Father’s will (Literally to fracture the very nature of God.)
aa “I guess the Father’s not going to feed you. That’s alright, you don’t need Him, get your own bread.”-Satan
bb Jesus couldn’t pull the God card & still be in perfect unison with Father.
2 Jesus responded to the tempter with the powerful word of Scripture (Deut. 8.3)
Deuteronomy 8:3 (NASB) 3 "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.
a Jesus is declaring that we are better off to obey/depend on God, waiting for His provision, than to grab satisfaction for ourselves when as we think we need it.
b Jesus passed the test, overcame the temptation by waiting on the Father to provide.
B God’s people are never justified in complaining/worrying about their needs.
1 If we live by faith in Him & in obedience to His Word, we will never lack anything we really need.
a Philippians 4:19 (NASB) 19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
aa Matthew 6:8 (NASB) 8 "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
bb Matthew 6:33 (NASB) 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
b We are always better off to obey God and to trust in His gracious provision than to impatiently, selfishly provide for ourselves in ways that disobey, or in any way compromise, His Word.
2 Like Jesus, the most important thing in our lives is not “things” but rather to be in unison with the Father.
a Where we get in trouble is when we do things in our own power because we can.
aa The central motive in our lives should be to please God & trust Him to supply our needs.
bb No matter how urgent/important a need seems to be, we are to wait for our heavenly Father’s provision.
b When we wait upon Him, don’t rush/push, allow Him time to come through.
aa The temptation is to satisfy our own needs, the test is to have faith God will meet our need.
bb Our greatest need is not solved with clothes, food, shelter; our greatest need is spiritual.
cc Our greatest goal in life is not how much we acquire, but rather we bring glory to the One True God.
II The second temptation was to test God (Matt. 4.5-7).
Matthew 4:5-7 (NASB) 5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and *said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'" 7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'"
A Satan, after tempting Jesus with a biscuit, takes Him to the pinnacle of the Temple (probably about 500 foot drop above the Kidron Valley.
1 On top of this grand Temple tower, Satan says, “You’re the Son of God. Jump!”
a The devil even gets out his Bible & quotes scripture,
Psalm 91:11-12 (NASB) 11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
“If you believe Scripture then Jump! Put your money where your mouth is!” -Satan.
b Notice, Satan didn’t quote the whole verse; he omitted “to guard you in all your ways.”
aa When the child of God is in the will of God, the Father will protect him.
bb He watches over those who are “in His ways.”
2 Jesus, just like before, quotes Scripture right to the tempter; “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
a I believe there are two key reasons Jesus refused to take part in a spectacle such as throwing Himself off the Temple roof.
aa Sensationalism is always under the law of diminishing returns. (People are never satisfied. One more sign, miracle, show. This year’s miracle would have become next year’s bore.)
bb To test God is to doubt God, and to doubt God is not to trust Him, and not trust Him is sin. (That’s what Satan wanted Jesus to do.)
b Had Jesus put His Father to such a test, He would have separated Himself from His Father and perverted the divine plane of redemption–the very purpose for which He left heaven to accomplish.
B If Jesus, who was perfect, didn’t feel comfortable putting God to the test, why should we, who are so imperfect, feel like we have the right to test God?
1 To live recklessly/carelessly, and then expect God to bail us out when we get into trouble, is to presume upon the grace that has been shown to us.
a The diabetic who refuses to take insulin and argues, “Jesus will take care of me,” may be tempting the Lord.
aa Anytime we try & force God to contradict His Word is to test Him.
bb When we put Him to the test to fulfill our own ambitions, He gives no promise on which we can rest.
b Those who willingly put themselves in the way of danger/temptation often end up blaming God when harm comes from their foolishness.
aa IL. Garden of Eden, Adam blamed God for giving him Eve.
bb Let’s not blame God for our stupid mistakes. (God you said you’d provide for me. I didn’t tell you to take a $8,000 loan from the loan shark!)
2 God expects us to take risks, any risk necessary, in order to obey His will.
a When we risk our prestige, money, lives, families, or anything else to fulfill the Lord’s calling, we can rest confidently in His divine provision for all tha we need—if we accept the truth that only He knows what our needs really are.
b We must never divorce one part of Scripture from another (which is what Satan did in v. 6, but must always “compare spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2.13)
1 Corinthians 2:13 (KJV) 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
aa It’s important we learn to read all Scripture, and study all God has to say, for all of it is profitable for daily life.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB) 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
bb Know His Word before you start claiming the promises. (Don’t take my word, or anyone else’s word for it . . . go to the Scriptures yourself!)
III The third temptation was Worshiping Satan (4.8-10).
Matthew 4:8-10 (NASB) 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"
A Satan knew that sometime in the future, that every knee would bow/tongue would confess the name of Jesus, so he offered Jesus a shortcut that didn’t run through Calvary.
1 If Jesus would bow & worship Satan just once (this is the force of the original language), then He could enjoy all the glory without any of the suffering.
a Satan had always wanted worship because he wants to be God.
Isaiah 14:12-14 (NASB) 12 "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 13 "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'
b Worshiping the creature instead of the Creator is the lie that rules our world today (Rom. 1.24-25).
Romans 1:24-25 (NASB) 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
2 Our Lord replied with Deut. 6.13,
Deuteronomy 6:13 (NASB) 13 "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
a Notice, Satan didn’t say anything about service, he said “worship.”
b Jesus knew that whatever we worship we will serve. (Worship & Service go together.)
B Satan slunk away but he did not cease to tempt Jesus.
1 Luke 4:13 (NASB) 13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
a Through Peter, Satan again tempted Jesus to abandon the cross.
Matthew 16:21-23 (NASB) 21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."
aa Through the crowd that been fed, Satan tempted Jesus to an “easy kingdom” (John 6.15).
John 6:15 (NASB) 15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
bb At Calvary, the crowd said, “If you are the Son of God, save yourself.”
b One victory never guarantees freedom from temptation; if anything, each victory we experience only makes Satan try harder
c IL. Ever play somebody in pool, checkers, xbox and win. (Let’s play again.) That is exactly what the devil does!
2 As weak as Jesus physically was, and as powerful as Satan was . . . even in most vulnerable physical state . . . the Power of the Word never lost it’s power!!!!
a You may be weak, worn, tired . . . it doesn’t affect the truth that God’s Word is more powerful than any two-edged sword!
b Because Jesus overcame, so can we!!
Conclusion:
Notice to Sermon Central Users:
My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
