True Freedom is in Christ – Overcoming Temptation
Theme: To show how true freedom comes from overcoming the temptation of Satan
Text: Luke 3, 4
Introduction
Luke 4:14) Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. (15) And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (16) So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. (17) And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: (18) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; (19) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." (20) Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. (21) And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
MSG 18 God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, 19 to announce, "This is God's year to act!"
Jesus comes and announces to the world that Freedom is here. True freedom. No longer obligation to the legalistic rules of the world. No longer trapped in the bondage of sin. True freedom has come to the world.
Joh_8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Joh 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
2Co_3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
I believe that this is for us. Yet I also believe that this is what we give to the world around us.
Matthew 18:18 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Jesus taught us before we can bring freedom to the world we must have freedom our selves.
This is where this chapter begins.
Temptation of Jesus
Yet there is a more important freedom that goes beyond what we celebrate as a nation. It is what we celebrate as a Christian. We read in this passage that when Christ came he came to bring freedom. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36 AV) He came to as to as Luke 4:18 says “set at liberty them that are bruised,”. He came to set us free. How many people are walking around this nation as a free citizen yet not experiencing true freedom. True freedom only comes from Christ.
How many people are walking in the bondage of sin? Let me tell you you may be an American and be free but true freedom is only through Christ.
True freedom is walking in Christ and in his ways.
Let us today allow Christ to set us free.
Luke 4:1-21 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into* the wilderness, (2) being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
Temptation of Jesus – Satan has only three strategies
1 John_2:16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
Gen 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" (2) And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; (3) but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " (4) Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. (5) For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of -0i
Same temptation as Eve – Genesis 3
A. Lust of the flesh – “fruit was good for food
B. Lust of the eyes – “Pleasant to the eyes”
C. Pride of life – “able to make one wise”
The order he comes doesn’t make a difference it is the fact that he comes. He hits us a different points in our life.
Lust of the Flesh
(3) And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, (Luke 3:21-22 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. (22) And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.)
command this stone to become bread." (4) But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' "
Lust of the flesh – satisfy your hunger. Satan was tempting Jesus to use a divine power to meet a human need. Please yourself.
We live by God alone. It is God who keeps us alive.
The flesh is a powerful thing to overcome. It is the spirit that gives us power to overcome.
With faith and trust in God and using His word we can overcome this temptation. When the flesh comes up we can lean on the word of God.
Galatians 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Lust of the eyes
(9) Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. (some Jewish tradition says there was an expectation that the Messiah would ascend down from the pinnacle of the temple) (10) For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,' (11) "and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " (12) And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' "
Don’t force God. Don’t be presumptive in our faith.
It is absolutely right to believe in miracles but absolutely wrong to schedule in them.
Left a piece out. Psa 91:11-12 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. (12) In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
“Satan always understates the goodness of God and overstates the judgement of God” Minimize the goodness of God and maximize the judgement of God – David Jeremiah
As in the Garden “has God really said”
Pride of Life
(5) Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (6) And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (7) Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." (8) And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "
Appealing to the personal ambition of Jesus.
(13) Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
James “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”
Lessons Learned from this Passage
Note - Power of God’s word
When the word of God comes alive to you. It is not just words in a book but it resonates in your heart, it reads your mail, it follows you around throughout your day.
Hebrews_4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The swords that Jesus used came from the book of Deuteronomy.
Importance of Getting God’s Word in You
Reading the Bible consistently
Study to show yourself approved.
Necessity of Memorizing the Scriptures
Note from Gotquesions on “the Pride of Life”
Christians have always been, and will always be, lured by the same three temptations Eve and Jesus experienced. Satan doesn’t change his methods; he doesn’t have to because they continue to be successful. He tempts us with the lust of the flesh—sexual gratification, gluttony, excessive alcohol consumption, and drugs, both legal and illegal, as well as the “deeds of the flesh” about which Paul warned the Galatians, “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Galatians 5:19-21). He tempts us with the lust of the eyes—the endless accumulation of “stuff” with which we fill our homes and garages and the insatiable desire for more, better, and newer possessions, which ensnares us and hardens our hearts to the things of God.
But perhaps his most evil temptation is the pride of life, the very sin that resulted in Satan’s expulsion from heaven. He desired to be God, not to be a servant of God (Isaiah 14:12-15). The arrogant boasting which constitutes the pride of life motivates the other two lusts as it seeks to elevate itself above all others and fulfill all personal desires. It is the root cause of strife in families, churches, and nations. It exalts the self in direct contradiction to Jesus’ statement that those who would follow Him must take up their cross (an instrument of death) and deny themselves. The pride of life stands in our way if we truly seek to be servants of God. It is the arrogance that separates us from others and limits our effectiveness in the kingdom. The pride of life “comes not from the Father, but from the world.” And, as such, it is passing away with the world, but those who resist and overcome the temptation of the pride of life do the will of God, and “the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).
What are you struggling with today?
Do you need to get “reconnected” to God’s spirit?
