Grace Community Church
Winchester, VA
www.GraceCommunity.com
Pastor Bradford Reaves
Watch this message online: https://youtu.be/Km22OhiY8ng
Introduction
A few guys were on a men’s retreat together and one night they decided to share with each other their struggles and temptations. The first said, “Well, it's kind of embarrassing, but I struggle with pornography.” “My temptation is worse,” said the second fellow. “It's gambling. I can’t stop going to the horse races.” “Mine is worse still,” said the third guy. “I have a bad drinking problem” The fourth fellow was quiet for a moment and then he said, “I love to gossip, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to make a phone call.” (Credit: Kerry Haynes)
We are approaching the emerging of Jesus into his public ministry. Before we get there, we have one more important testimony as to his identity and that is from Satan himself. Over the last several months, we’ve heard and witnessed testimonies from many people that Jesus is and always was the Divine Son of God. We heard it from the Arch Angel Gabriel, from Mary, the Angels, Simeon, John the Baptist. Last week we read of Jesus’ baptism and the witness of the Holy Spirit and God the Father, says out of heaven, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." All these proclaiming Jesus as the Christ.
But there is one last testimony we must examine in order to validate his authority and ability to conquer Satan and sin. Can he truly save sinners from death by conquering temptation, Satan, and sin? Can he overturn the curse of the first Adam? If he cannot do it for himself, then he will not be able to do it for us. And so Jesus is driven out into the desert wilderness to engage in a battle with Satan himself and temptation. Luke tells us that he is alone and hungry. It’s one thing to put on a good front in front of everyone, but your true character is what you are like when no one is watching and your flesh is weak. This is where we find Jesus today and where we will pick it up in our study of Luke:
1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ”(Luke 4:1–4 ESV)
1. Jesus Was Tempted with His Trust
What I want you to understand was that the Trinity was at work here again. Jesus, God the Son, was being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness by the authority of the Father for the purpose of testing him as impervious to sin. This had to happen because if Jesus had fallen into the temptation of Satan, that salvation would be impossible for us and his sacrifice on the cross would mean nothing. The Bible is clear that Jesus was tempted in every manner and in every way and that Jesus was perfect and free from sin.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.(Hebrews 4:15 ESV)
It was necessary for Jesus to do this before he entered into public ministry, preaching, healing, and eventually going to Calvary. So Jesus is led into the desert where he goes 40 days without eating. I’ve never endured such a fast, but try to imagine the struggle physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Like I said before, it’s one thing to face these things when you are physically well and emotionally strong. It’s a completely different ball game when you are literally starved in all aspects. “What Jesus suffered in the wilderness would have killed a weaker man. His condition was critical. At the end of forty days, he was closer to death than at any other point in his life, except the crucifixion” (Phillip Ryken). His body was desperate for food (v.2).
This is the point where Satan approaches Jesus and says, “If you are the son of God, command these stones to become bread” (v.3). It was at this moment, right when Jesus would be most vulnerable that Satan appears and tempts Jesus with food. What I want you to understand is that Satan’s words are not questioning Jesus’ messiahship. Satan knows full-well who Jesus is, but rather he is using it as a weapon against him. A better way to translate verse three would be to say, “since you are the Son of God.”
Since you are God, turn these stones into bread and have something to eat (by the way there are stones in the Dead Sea dessert that look like loaves of bread). What Satan is suggesting to Jesus isn’t self-indulgence. It certainly isn’t a sin to each food when you are hungry. It would hardly be a sin for Jesus to perform the miracle. The Devil was attempting (as he had with Eve) to get Jesus to distrust God to provide for Him. In other words, “The Father doesn’t really love you, so take care of yourself.”
The first temptation of Satan is for Jesus to doubt God’s love. This was what happened in the wilderness with Israel, wasn’t it? They no sooner left Egypt than they started grumbling. We had leeks back in Egypt. We had security. Grumbling is cancer and a sin. Why? Because it says that God’s provision is not good enough
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; 5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. Psalm 107:4–6 ESV
Satan goes after your weakness and all of you have been tempted this way; to distrust God’s love. If things are not going well we begin to doubt. Will God really provide? Is God really going to be faithful if I tithe? Can I truly depend on God to provide for all my needs? All of these are rooted in doubting God’s love.
You’ve been tempted to say things like, if God really loved me then I wouldn’t have cancer. If God really loved me then my marriage wouldn’t be in trouble. If God really loved me then I wouldn’t be depressed. If God really loved me then I wouldn’t be addicted, or my kids wouldn’t be rotten, I’d have a better car, and so on.
Jesus’ response is absolute confidence in God and he quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3:
3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV)
The only thing Satan can do to you is deceiving you into believing that God does not love you and you are not worthy of His love. One of the marks of a mature believer is contentment and total dependence on God. This is the key to godly living, even with our very provision of food and clothing
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (Matthew 6:31 ESV)
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 ESV)
Look, you don’t live because you eat. you live because God determined to give you life. Many people die who have plenty of food. Life isn’t a matter of these things. We’re in God’s hands. When you are putting your worldly possessions ahead of your faithfulness to God, you’re telling God that you don’t trust him.
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 ESV)
2. Jesus Was Tempted with His Worship
5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you, I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” Luke 4:5–8 ESV)
Having failed to persuade Jesus to doubt God’s love for him, Satan decided to try something else. He led Jesus to a high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world. “I’ll give you all of this, for it was given to me. All you have to do is worship me.
This really is an overstatement here, which Satan will do- half-truths. He has a narcissistic view of his own power. Satan does have dominion over places, but only as the ruler of darkness and evil
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. (John 12:31 ESV)
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:11 ESV)?
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
But this does not mean that Satan is the Lord of the Earth. (2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV)
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, (Acts 17:26 ESV)?
17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ (Daniel 4:17 ESV)
The message that Satan is sending, is you will have all your wants and desires just worship him. It is the same today and countless are being deceived by his lie. Now, this doesn’t mean that there are scores of people standing in a pentagram chanting to Lucifer, but there are multitudes who live and die worshiping the world system Satan has put in place. The idea that we need something more than salvation through the cross. It is a Christ-plus idea. Christ plus wealth, Christ plus a new house; Christ plus....” In all these things our hearts become hardened to the things of God and hungry for satisfying our lusts, our greeds, and our pleasures.
What Satan is telling Jesus, is that there is an easy way Jesus can bypass the cross. Distrust God’s plan and take a shortcut to the plan of satisfaction. Again this was the same message of Satan to the Eve in the Garden. Take an easier way, this isn’t that big of a deal and after all, God wants you to be happy, right?
This what got Lucifer kicked out of heaven in the first place. Ezekiel 42 tells us that because of his beauty and splendor, pride entered his heart and he sought to be worshipped, rather than to lead others to worship God.
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! (Isaiah 14:12 ESV)
Once again, Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy
13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. (Deuteronomy 6:13 ESV)
By the way, the word Satan uses for worship is proskyneo, which means to literally “kiss the ground” or position one’s allegiance to and regard. The standard Jesus uses from Deuteronomy is “fear” or reverence. It’s a broader standard. “You want me to bow down and submit myself to you, but it is written in Scripture that I will fear God alone.”
What is your standard? Do you feel willing to compromise your fear of God to kiss the ground of your job, your home, your possessions? Our pride will lead us away from our worship. I see this constantly in the lives of people. There’s no shortcut to glory; no shortcut when it comes to our service to God. He gets the firstfruits of our lives. This would be the case for Jesus.
3. Jesus Was Tempted with Signs and Wonders
Luke 4:9–12 ESV
9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and “ ‘On their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the
Lord your God to the test.’ ” (Deuteronomy 6:13 ESV)
The Temple Mount is a vast platform. It’s huge. There’s a place on the temple mount that you are looking down on a sheer 450-foot drop into the Kidron Valley. The Temple Mount is thought to be the location of Mount Moriah where Abraham took his son Isaac to be sacrificed. What Satan is doing here is inviting Jesus to bypass his sacrifice.
“You want to quote Scripture, Jesus? Fine. I’ll quote Scripture too. Here’s a Scripture for you.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:11–12 ESV)
When Satan says, “For it is written,” it reminds us that Satan is a Bible expert and knows how to twist Bible passages out of their context. Sadly, many people will accept anyone who quotes a Bible verse as if they taught God’s truth, but the mere use of Bible words does not necessarily convey the will of God.
The third temptation was putting God to the test. Satan wants Jesus to bypass the Cross. Kill the Christ and let God demonstrate to the world his importance. “Let’s see the display as the angels and forces of heaven move in to protect you from the fall, Jesus” If Jesus took this leap of faith and landed safely, then the whole world would marvel at your power and know your identity.
It is the same temptation Satan gave to Eve, “Sure you will not die” (Gen 3:4). This temptation is the most subtle and dangerous because it encourages people to exercise their faith in God. In reality, it arrogantly demands things from God turning Him into a genie in a bottle who grants people wishes. This is the kind of teaching prosperity preachers to follow. In essence, it makes man sovereign. If the right formula is used, God has to respond. When He does not deliver the goods they have claimed by faith, however, many become disillusioned and abandon Him.
Jesus responds once again from Deuteronomy:
12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:12–13 ESV)
Satan's strategy is that he will tempt us to distrust the love of God; he will tempt us to distrust the plan of God and thus to compromise with sin to get what we think we need and deserve and want. Watch out for the high points in your life because just as soon as you've had your high point and you've heard from God, "This is My beloved Son," you're liable to get hit with the biggest temptation. Be alert when you're physically weak. Be alert when you're in evil surroundings. And watch for those who twist the Scripture to justify some act of presumption.
How do you defeat Satan? The same way Jesus defeated Satan. With Scripture. Be committed to knowing, studying, and living a life saturated in Scripture. When you do, God will provide you with the escape and strength to be an overcomer.
Take it to the Cross
