21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Lk.3:21-22 (NIV)
1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4Jesus answered, "It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’"
5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ "
9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:
" ’He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ "
12Jesus answered, "It says: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ "
13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Lk.4:1-13 (NIV)
Introduction
This temptation thing is a vast topic. The bible is filled with it from cover to cover, mostly about how God dealt with our problem of sin and giving us victory. God deals with it and we deal with it. It is what’s real...
· Reality: Everybody gets tempted…
It is common experience to all “But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience” 1 Cor. 10:13
· Jesus also was tempted but never sinned.
Our text reveals to us Jesus was sorely tempted and he understand really well what that whole experience is all about…
14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity “ Heb.2: 14
There was once a poor country pastor was livid when he confronted his wife with the receipt for a $250 dress she had bought. "How could you do this!" he exclaimed.
"I don’t know," she wailed, "I was standing in the store looking at the dress. Then I found myself trying it on. It was like the Devil was whispering to me, "Gee, you look great in that dress. You should buy it."
"Well," the pastor persisted, "You know how to deal with him! Just tell him, "Get behind me, Satan!"
"I did," replied his wife, "but then he said "It looks great from back here, too."
Isn’t that the reality ? Trouble is we like to handle things on our own like this story…
On a vacation to Australia, a Texas farmer meets an Aussie farmer and starts talking to him about his farm. The Aussie takes him to see his big wheat field, but the Texan wasn’t impressed.
"We have wheat fields that are twice as large as this one," he told the Aussie.
The Aussie farmer drives him around the ranch and shows off his big herd of cattle.
"Oh, our longhorns are at least twice as big as these," the Texan bragged.
The Aussie farmer is getting frustrated when the Texan notices a herd of kangaroos hopping across a field.
"What on earth are those?" he asks. The Aussie turns to him with an astonished look. "Don’t you have any grasshoppers in Texas?"
We try to look bigger, don’t we? Don’t wanna be the has been, looked down, slighted? Proud and self-sufficient. Pride kicks in and we’re in trouble quicker than we say “uh oh.”
Goal of Temptation
· Temptation’s Lure: Find life apart from God
That is what Satan wanted to do with Jesus – go for the “do it yourself , instant fix”
· Strategy: Twisting Scripture
That is what Satan specializes in. He knows the Bible well enough to twist it with some from of innocent looking deception. What’s wrong with telling a stone to become bread?
Today’s Situation
· Current situation: Temptation is everywhere
Picture this: Like a scuba diver in the ocean, we feel engulfed with water and alluring sights.
ILLUSTRATION… Discipleship Journal, 11-12/92
A recent survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them:
1. Materialism
2. Pride
3. Self-centeredness
4. Laziness
5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness
5. (Tie) Sexual lust
6. Envy
7. Gluttony
8. Lying
Do we identify with this?
· The Good news is: THERE IS A WAY OUT
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. 13 But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you A WAY OUT so that you will not give in to it.14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 1 Cor.10:12-14 (NLT)
Available Options
FALL AWAY: Giving in.
Illustrate: Swindoll Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p.150ff
Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ring-tailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple. They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. But he can’t get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him.
That is how we get caught too. Only way to get out that trap is to let go of the seeds and how?
· FIGHT:
Survey respondents noted temptations were more potent when…
they had neglected their time with God (81 percent)
and when they were physically tired (57 percent).
Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 percent), avoiding compromising situations (76 percent), Bible study (66 percent), and being accountable to someone (52 percent).
a) FELLOWSHIP: Be strong in the LORD
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Phil.4:6-7
Key to Jesus overcoming Satan is his fellowship with God the father and God the Spirit… Before the temptation in the wilderness, Jesus got affirmation from them his baptism…
You are my Son, whom I love and am well pleased and descent of Spirit like a dove… speaks of strong fellowship of love, connection so as believers we need to have the same… peace of God’s affirmation so we …
Let God be strong in you… pray about everything! In the preface before instruction in spiritual battle with the armor of God in Eph.6 Paul says: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
This is not merely about spouting out the Bible it’s about knowing God Himself, being able to talk to Him, filled with His love...
How can I pray? Reliance on God is key here…
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:26-29 (NLT)
See how God helps? It is in our distress, when we feel weak, the Spirit prays for us. It is all about trust and dependence on God. God will work things out. SO...Stand firm in truth that God assigns no blame, truly forgiven of sins. No condemnation for those in Jesus (Rom.8:1 ff.) So the Spirit of life dwells in all true believers and it is His Spirit that continues to help. Apart from God we have no life.
b) FILLING: of the Spirit
No wonder the Bible instructs believers to get filled with the Spirit of God:
Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. 19 Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph 5:18-19
How can it happen?
Illustration:
34Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36“Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37“For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1 (NKJV)
Like Mary, we too, are perplexed how can the Son of God be born in her a sinner? The answer is "with God nothing is impossible" and all God needed was a yielded life that says “Let it be according to Your word.” Result: through this active response of Mary, Jesus was born and salvation to the world is given. Same thing with us, let us yield to God and say, when we don’t what to do what to pray, how to battle… “let it be according to Your word” and trust God in prayerful dependence.
c) FEEDING: The Sword of Spirit word
4Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” Matt.4:4 (NIV)
Feeding implies a regular intake. No one eats for the whole week in one meal. But yet many of us do that, expect a visit to church to be enough. Feed enough daily and regularly to get by for the day... "Give us this day our daily bread"
d) FUELING: When empty fuel up
Car is empty of fuel, you fuel up… don’t run empty…
2 Chron 20 illustrates how Jehoshaphat and his people ran empty and they fueled with God’s word, prayer and worship…
10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
13 As all the men of Judah stood before the LORD with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the LORD came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph. 15 He said, “Listen, King Jehoshaphat! Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!”
18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the LORD. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 After consulting the leaders of the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to the LORD;
his faithful love endures forever!”
22 At the moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had finished off the army of Seir, they turned on each other.
24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, there were dead bodies lying on the ground for as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the LORD there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
27 Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, full of joy that the LORD had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets and proceeded to the Temple of the LORD. 29 When the surrounding kingdoms heard that the LORD himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side. 2 chron. 20
Fuel up with worship… Book of James says submit to God, resist the devil, and he’ll flee from you; draw near to God and He’ll draw near to you
Power of praise: Remember Jehoshaphat’s victory - 2 Chronicles 20
e) FRIENDS
Really helpful to get help and enouragement from spiritual friends - “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other,…” Heb.10:25 (NLT)
Principle of accountability - “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)
FLEE
Flee with your mind... Concentrate on good things...
"Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Phil.4:4 Holy Bible, New Living Translation
Flee with your feet... If you can’t do anything, just run...
22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 2 Tim.2:22 Holy Bible, New Living Translation
What would Jesus do with Temptation?
Count on Jesus helping us
18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18
Jesus has promised to help… let go of the seeds and seek His help… The story of Jesus’ temptation reminds us Jesus knows the experience really well, the battle isn’t over, Satan will want to get at us at an "opportune time", but he is able to help, be like Jesus, full of the Spirit, full of God’s acceptance an love.
