TEMPTATION
MATTHEW 4:1-11
November 12, 2000
INTRODUCTION: G.H. Charnley, in The Skylark’s Bargain, tells the story of a young skylark who discovered one day a man who would give him worms for a feather. He made a deal – one feather for two worms. The next day the lark was flying high in the sky with his father. The older bird said, “You know, son, we skylarks should be the happiest of all birds. See our brave wings! They lift us high in the air, nearer and nearer to God.” But the young bird did not hear, for all he saw was an old man with worms. Down he flew, plucked two feathers from his wings and had a feast. Day after day this went on. Autumn came and it was time to fly south. But the young skylark couldn’t do it. He had exchanged the power of his young wings for worms.
TRANSITION THOUGHT: Today I want to talk to us about the power of temptation and the model for overcoming temptations in our lives. Jesus is always the example, and as we saw in our Scripture lesson for the day, Jesus shows us the way through Temptation. The reality of life, however, is that our constant temptation is to exchange wings for worms. We must find a The “Way” out.
THESIS SENTENCE: Jesus is our model for overcoming temptation.
I HAVE THREE QUESTIONS ABOUT TEMPTATION OUR TEXT CLEARLY ANSWERS.
I. WHEN DOES TEMPTATION COME? (MATTHEW 3:16 – 4:3A)
A. Temptation comes on the heels of some great event in life.
1. Matthew chapters 1-3 tell the story of the birth of Jesus until His baptism/confirmation.
2. The second chapter of Jesus’ life is about to begin. He has waited for many years for this date in time. He is about to embark on a whole new adventure, and how does it begin?
3. As Jesus comes up out of the water, the very voice of God speaks, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”
4. It can’t get any better than that, the very voice of God proclaiming the true identity of Jesus, as His one and only Son. And, not only did God proclaim Him to be His Son, but the Son with whom He is “WELL PLEASED.”
5. Have you ever been to a Wedding and the Pastor Announced to the congregation, “May I please introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. John Doe.” It is a time of celebration. It is a time for pomp and circumstance. Jesus has arrived. The time could be no higher!
B. Temptation comes at the weakest points in life.
1. “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry (4:2).”
2. Not only had something extravagant happened in Jesus life, but now he is at one of the weakest times in his life: the end of a prolonged fast.
3. One little aside here, the Spirit of God did not tempt Jesus, but lead him to the desert where the devil would tempt him. There is much that could be said about this, but suffice it to say, the devil is the one who does all the tempting to sin! 4. Have you ever fasted? Can you imagine the condition of the body and mind after 40 days? The scripture plainly says, “HE WAS HUNGRY.” Can you hear His stomach growling? Can you feel the pains of hunger? Can you feel the weakness?
C. High times and weak times often come back to back and both leave us incredibly susceptible to temptation.
ILLUSTRATION:
QUESTION #2
II. WHAT DOES TEMPTATION LOOK LIKE? (VV. 3-9)
Our text gives us three pictures of temptation:
A. Temptation looks like satisfying natural desires.
1. Jesus was hungry and the tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell the stones to become bread (v. 3).”
2. What is wrong with this picture? Jesus is the Son of God and has command of all the power of God. Why not make Stones into bread?
3. Temptation is seen in this context as satisfying natural needs in unnatural ways. Jesus knew the hunger he had would not be filled with Him miss appropriating His power.
ILLUSTRATION: In counseling there is a term called “self-medicating.” It is when we try to fill some need in our life with a substitute that does not meet the real need: Low self esteem with over aggression, loneliness with Sex, inhibition with Alcohol, depression with drugs, and the list goes on!
4. We all have physical appetites that need to be satisfied, but the tempter wants us to fill those appetites in ways that are not pleasing to God, in unnatural ways.
B. Temptation looks like SELF-VALIDATION.
1. The tempter comes once more to Jesus and tempts Him to Tempt God. 2. An aside here: did you note that the tempter knows the scriptures? He quotes Psalm 91: 11 and 12 to Jesus as an affirmation of what God will do Concerning Him (Verse 6).
3. This temptation is really about proving oneself, about giving evidence that you are who you say you are. It is about defending who you are in the face of those who might question your validity. It is the need to prove to the world and all around you that you are something special. It is the refusal to stand on who you are alone without verification, without demonstrable evidence, and without validation. The temptation for Jesus was to prove that HE WAS THE SON OF GOD BY GIVING GOD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FULFILL SCRIPTURE IMMEDIATELY IN HIS LIFE.
4. How often have we felt the need in a fight with our spouse to be the winner? How often in life do we demand our rights first? How often in life do we refuse to let God have vengeance and claim it for ourselves? How often in life do we refuse to turn the other cheek? The temptation is for us to take the place of God. And to complain that God is not really involved, to question the reality of God in the midst of life’s struggles and to want to undo God’s perfect plan. (Refer back to Number 21: 4-7)
C. The final Temptation looks like Painless pleasure.
1. The tempter comes after Jesus once last time. Jesus has been strong and has not yet yielded, but could this be the one?
2. Jesus knew the plan of the Father. He knew the agony to come if he was to fulfill the Redemption of all humanity.
3. He knew the cross was on the way. He knew that He was the Suffering servant mentioned in Isaiah 53. He knew that by His stripes we would be healed.
4. The temptation then was to achieve the kingdom with out the pain of the cross. 5. The temptation was gain now what should only come later!
6. How often have we wanted riches without working for it? Health without discipline? Faith without works? Blessings without obedience? Joy without Tears? Love without sacrifice? How often have we wanted to worship anything besides the living God because of the High Cost of being a Disciple?
7. We must have forgotten the old adages: No Pain, No gain; No Guts, No Glory. Scripture has a mantra of its own, No Cross, No Redemption; No Blood, No forgiveness of Sins.
ILLUSTRATION:
III. HOW IS TEMPTATION OVERCOME? (VV. 4-10)
A. Know Scripture!
1. Jesus knew the word of God. He was the word of God in the flesh.
2. But Jesus never assumed that he did not need to study the word and expound upon it.
3. We cannot use Jesus as an excuse to not know the word. He came that we might have the word. The word of God is a gift to us that must be cherished.
4. The word must be known to know how to apply it to life and temptation. 5. Do you know the word of God?
B. Not only must the word be known, we must use it as a weapon. The word must be spoken/quoted.
1. At every instance of the tempter’s attack, Jesus quoted scripture.
2. The word of God was upon His lips. He did not rely on His own power to confront the devil, but on the power of the word of God.
3. Are you ready to quote the word of God when Satan comes after you?
C. The Scripture must be obeyed.
1. Did Jesus just quote scripture, or did he do what it said.
2. When Satan command Jesus to turn the stones into bread, did He just say, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,” or did he quote it and then did the opposite?
3. When Satan told him to jump, did he just quote scripture, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God the test,’” and then jumped?
4. And when Satan told Jesus to bow down and worship him, did Jesus just quote scripture, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only,” and then bowed down? 5. No, in all the instances, he not only quoted scripture, but did as it said. He obeyed the word of God.
ILLUSTRATION: I heard a man at promise keeper’s say, “We only believe the parts of the Bible we obey.” Do you believe in the word of God? Could it be proven by your obedience to it?
ILLUSTRATION: Joseph Parker draws attention to some interesting features in the answers of our Lord to Satan’s suggestions. They were not the result of a keen intellectuality on the part of Christ to which we mortals may not lay claim. They were not the outcome of ready wit nor of an unexpected flash of fire form friction that hand not been counted on. They do not bear the marks of inventive genius. They were not answers that came on the spur of the moment as a result of His infinite wisdom. They were not metaphysical arguments elaborately stated and eloquently discussed. But they were simple enough for the average child to understand. They were quotations from the Word of God on which He meditated day and night. They were authoritative, not in the form of submitted suggestions. Human reasonings and arguments are weak in conflicts with Satan because they lack authority.
CONCLUSION: What did we learn? Temptations come when great things happen and when we are at our weakest. Temptations look like normal/natural everyday life. But Temptations can be overcome by the supernatural power of God’s word.
HOW IS THE ENEMY TEMPTING YOU? ARE YOU TEMPTED TO SATISFY YOUR NATURAL APPETITES WITH UNNATURAL SUBSTITIONS? ARE YOU TEMPTED TO PROVE YOURSELF WHEN JESUS HAS PAID THE PRICE ALREADY? ARE YOU TEMPTED TO WORSHIP THE ONE WHO DOES NOT CALL YOU TO PAIN FOR GAIN, GUTS FOR GLORY? DO YOU WANT A PAINLESS SALVATION?
