Relying On Self

Were any of you tempted this past week? Sure, you were! If you watched any TV or listened to the radio you were more than likely tempted to purchase something. Advertisers often make self-indulgence a part of their marketing strategies. They say we'll be happier if we drive this vehicle, use this particular toothpaste.

Nowadays, it's all about instant gratification. It has become a reality. The internet has redefined shopping. Media, like books and music, can be downloaded and enjoyed immediately. Online purchases can often deliver the next day, and in some areas, you can receive your order the same day. Instant gratification has become far more instant.

But advertisers weren't the first to use this strategy. From the beginning, Satan has used instant gratification in his bag of tricks to entice us. He used it with Adam and Eve, he tried it on Jesus, and he'll try it on us. As we look at how Satan attempted it with Jesus, we can learn to trust God and what He provides rather than fall for the temptation to rely on ourselves instead of God.

So today we are going to use both the new and the Old Testament while we talk about the temptation to rely on myself instead of God. Prayer.

Have you ever caught yourself relying on yourself more than God? We think, “God, I’ll give you a break on this one. I can handle it all by myself.” We have good intentions. Giving God a break. But we are too easily tempted to being led down the wrong path to leave God out of the picture.

If you were with us last week, you might remember that we said the source of our temptation comes from our own evil desires. And if we fall into the trap of temptation, we can easily be led into sin. Today we see that Jesus faced temptations, yet He never sinned. So, it is indeed possible to overcome temptation and not sin.

Matthew 4:1-2 – “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

Now before we get too deep into this passage, in order for us to place the temptation of Jesus found in Matthew 4 in context, we need to remember that Matthew began his gospel by presenting Jesus as the answer to the Israel's exile. The Israelites had broken their covenant with God over and over again. Because of their sin, God removed them from the promised land. After 70 years, God allowed them to return to the land, but a more complete restoration was still to come. Matthew helped us to see that Jesus brought about that restoration by listing the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to David, from David to the exile, and from the exile to Jesus. You can find that list in the first chapter of Matthew.

I think we could even say that this restoration of Israel included a new Exodus. Remember that during His infancy, Jesus was taken by Mary and Joseph to Egypt before growing up in Nazareth. This fulfilled Hosea's prophecy that said when Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. (Hosea 11:1)

Bible scholars refer to Jesus as the new Moses, and in Matthew, we see Him experiencing His own time in the desert. There He faced temptation, but unlike the Israelites, He obeyed. It's interesting too that Jesus fasted in the wilderness 40 days and nights, even as the Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years. So, Matthew begins this portion of Jesus's life with an important note. He wanted us to know that none of what was to happen to Jesus was accidental. He was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness. This was God's plan. With this plan, Satan found a way to tempt Jesus. After fasting for so long, we shouldn't be surprised that Jesus was hungry. Satan hoped to use that to his advantage.

Matthew 4:3-4 – “Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Notice that the nature of Satan's temptation of Jesus centered on one phrase, “if you are the Son of God.” God had already declared Jesus to be the beloved Son, and Satan attacked at that point, as if to say, “Prove it!” Satan was trying to get Jesus to test the Father. It is as if Satan was luring Jesus to wonder, “Will God really provide?” Satan was subtly questioning God's goodness. If he could get Jesus to question the Father's goodness, then Jesus would likely provide for Himself. Jesus had a choice—trust the Father to provide for His every need, including food, or take matters into His own hands.