Luke 4:1-13 – Enemy at the Gates
The devotional Today in the Word for January 5, 1997, tells the story of Manfred von Richthofen. Maybe you don’t know him by that name. Maybe you know him better as the Red Baron. Richthofen was the celebrated World War I pilot who was responsible for shooting down 80 enemy aircraft. On April 21, 1918, he began chasing a British plane that was trying to escape the battle. As the Red Baron pursued his prey behind Allied lines, gunfire from either machine-gun nests on the ground or another British pilot who had come to help killed von Richthofen. In the words of one report, the end of German’s famous “Red Baron” came because he pursued an Allied airplane “too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory.”
You know, chasing temptation for too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory has caused the downfall of many good people. Sin takes us farther than we ever wanted to go, costs more than we were ever willing to pay, and hurts more than we ever dreamed it would. And it all starts with how we handle the temptations that we face.
But we are not alone. Over the last couple of months we have been looking at Jesus our King. We saw Him as the sovereign King, the prophesied King, the royal King, the redeemer King, and the triumphant King. Today we will see Jesus as our Tempted King. Let’s read Luke 4:1-13.
This is a fairly familiar passage of scripture. I hope to show you something new in it, but if not, then at least something fresh to apply to your life again today. I want to show you what Jesus is able to do because He was tempted. And I also want to show you what you are able to do in the midst of temptation.
But first, let’s look at the nature of temptation and its source, Satan. Here are some truths about temptation, based on this passage…
1) Even Spirit-filled people get tempted – v1. Temptation is not a sin. Constant temptation is not a sin. The same temptation over and over again is not a sin. If you think that having a desire to think ungodly things is ungodly, then you will never feel good enough. Jesus was tempted.
2) Satan knows what we want. He’s been watching our every move since the day we were born. Even though he can’t read our minds or thoughts, he can see what attracts us, and that’s what he offers to us.
3) Maybe what Satan offers us is close to what God wants. After all, Jesus really did deserve the world. Satan just showed him a shortcut, an immediate way to get it. For example, God wants us to love and be loved, but Satan offers shortcuts and cheaper substitutes to that.
4) Satan knows the Bible. He quoted it word for word – v10-11. If you don’t know the Bible very well, he can very easily lift verses out of context and have you think they mean one thing, when they really don’t mean it at all.
5) Satan doesn’t stay shut up – v13. Even if you can keep temptation at bay right now, it will not last forever. So, what you need is to learn a strategy to continually fend off temptation. That’s one of the reasons why our King was tempted in the 1st place: to teach us that strategy. So let’s look at Jesus’ example.
This passage indicates 3 temptations, 3 that Jesus faced and it’s the same 3 that we face: to satisfy our appetites, to increase our power, and to fuel our ego. We are tempted to indulge in our appetites and not wait for God’s permission or timing. We are tempted to want the kingdoms of the world, to have all that we can get, to thirst for more, more, more. And we are all tempted to want fame and attention and popularity, to show who we are and what we are made of. Someone called these 3 temptations the girls, the gold, and the glory. Someone else called them sex, money and power. The apostle John called them the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. However you stack it, there it is: temptations common to all people.
Jesus was an expert when it came to temptation. He knew what it was to be tempted. Author CS Lewis wrote this: “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. That is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. Christ, because He was the only Man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only Man who knows to the full what temptation means.”
That’s why He was able to offer some warnings about it. I think of the passage in Luke 22, when Jesus said to His disciples, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” That was the night He was betrayed by His friend Judas. Luke describes the emotional state of the disciples at the time: “he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.” (v45) Jesus knew that people are more inclined to be weak when we are tired, drained out, and emotionally spent. It’s those times we need to be on our guard.
Of course, after His fast, He may have been spiritually pumped up, but He was suffering physical exhaustion. But He persevered anyway. We need to turn to the book of Hebrews, chapter 2 and 4, to help us see what Jesus is now able to do for us because He persevered.
Hebrews 4:15 (read) says Jesus was tempted in every way and yet didn’t sin. The verse says He is able to sympathize. He knows what it feels like to be tempted. He knows what you are tempted with. He knows the battles you face. He feels your struggles. He understands.
And Hebrews 2:18 (read) says that Jesus suffered when He was tempted, so He is able to help us when we are tempted. He is able to sympathize – that is, He does not condemn us for being tempted – and He is able to help. How? How does He help us? What does He do when we are in the middle of temptation?
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is the clue as to how Jesus is able to help us. His power to defeat temptation can become ours when we obey His commands. Note this: if you do not obey His commands, you will be left without His power. But if you obey what He says, He is more than able to give you the power and the means to defeat temptation.
First, the verse says we all get tempted. Folks, you are not alone in your struggles. Then it tells us that God is faithful in the midst. That is, He will not leave us alone, even if temptations make us feel as if God has forgotten about us. God is still faithful to be with us in dark times.
And the verse makes 2 promises about us when we are tempted. Just as Hebrews tells us that Jesus is able to sympathize and able to help, 1 Cor.10 tells us that we are able to resist or able to run. Fight or flight. Let me explain.
Paul tells us that God knows what we can handle, and we won’t get tempted past this level. Now, this sounds pretty simplistic. I mean, haven’t we all been tempted to the point that we couldn’t fight it anymore? Haven’t we all gotten carried away in our thoughts, our bitterness, our anger, our gossip, our hatred? Haven’t we all been in situations where we felt no way out?
Probably, yes. But again, feeling there’s no way out and there really being no way out are different. One is perception, the other is reality. The Bible says we are able to resist. James 4:7 tells us that resisting the devil will make him flee. We can fight temptation. We can say, “I refuse to hold a grudge. I refuse to slander that person. I refuse to doubt. I refuse to curse. I refuse to complain. I know that God can help me resist this.” You can even say out loud, “In the name of Jesus, leave me alone.” It may not drive temptation away the 1st time, but continually resist and he will continually flee. God says so.
But 1 Corinthians also tells us something else. It tells us that God provides a way out. That is, if we can’t resist, we can run. Some temptations tempt us wherever we are and any time of the day. Those temptations we need to resist. But some temptations tempt us when we are in compromising situations. Those ones we need to run from. 1 Cor.6:18 tells us to flee from sexual immorality – that is, if a situation is close to tripping you up, get out of there.
It’s like the guy who was trying to lose weight, but came to the office one day with two dozen donuts. His co-workers asked him why he got donuts if he’s trying to diet, and he answered, "Well, as I came to the corner where the donut shop was, I told God that if He wanted me to buy some donuts to have a parking spot open right in front of the donut shop. And on the eighth time around the block, there it was!¨
Even the OT hero Joseph did that, and he was strong in the faith. There is a way out of those situations, and it is to run, to flee, to escape. If we don’t escape when we can, and we get overcome by temptation, it is not God’s fault. It’s one thing to be obeying the Lord and end up in tempting situations, but it’s entirely another to go looking for them.
1st Peter tells us to follow in Jesus’ steps. It’s not that we will ever be perfect in our performances, but I have to believe it is possible to resist temptation. While I am not saying, “It is not possible to sin,” I am saying, “It is possible not to sin.” We must be able to resist or to run – the Bible says so. I’m not saying it’s easy, but Jesus wouldn’t say that either. Temptation is hard because it is real. But Jesus came through it. He quoted the Bible, and He believed the truths in it. Because our Tempted King lives inside believers, and because He is able to sympathize and able to help, by His power we become able to resist and able to run.
Author Portia Nelson wrote what she called “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters”. It says this:
Chapter 1. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in the same place, but it isn’t my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It’s a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter 4. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
Chapter 5. I walk down another street.
Folks, when it comes to temptation, don’t play around the edge. Don’t fly too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory. God has given you the strength to resist and the wisdom to run. Today you may find yourself in the middle of a terrible battle with Satan. You are weary with the fight and long for the victory you know is possible. Look to Jesus today. He has already won the victory in your behalf, and He will provide mercy and grace to help in your time of need.
I am also aware that some of you may have been defeated. You have done battle with the enemy of your soul and lost. Remember that losing one battle doesn’t mean you have lost the war. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Confess your failure to Him and to seek His forgiveness. Ultimate victory is yours if you truly desire it because Jesus is tried and true, our Tempted King.
