Some Truths About Temptation Series

Luke 4:1–13 ESV

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’ ”

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,

to guard you,’

and

“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Background

birth

boy Jesus in the temple

Ministry of John

Baptism and genealogy of Jesus

One of the resounding themes has been the divinity of Jesus - Son of God (birth, baptism, genealogy, temptation)

So now, it is as though he’s being tested for readiness in ministry.

How often for us have we faced moments of trial like Jesus faced?

Several years ago, I was asked to speak on a particularly sensitive topic. Going into that time, I could sense the spiritual warfare and the enemy’s enticement to lead me to stumble. It was as though that time of trial was aimed at determining whether or not I was fit to speak on that topic.

But at various times in ministry and in life, we will all be faced with temptations in a variety of ways.

In Jesus’ time of testing, we can learn several truths about temptation.

Firstly, as we look at this passage, I think it’s important to note that all…

Temptation is temporary (1-2, 13)

We may feel like temptations are intense and pressing, but we also have to recognize that they don’t last forever. Temptations come and go. They will vary.

Consider this time of testing that Jesus faced. While Jesus fasted for 40 days, he was likely spiritually strong but physically weak. This was an intense period of preparation for this examination. Once completed, Jesus had to face three temptations from the devil. But by their very nature, each individual temptation was brief.

Turning stone to bread would satisfy for a moment - but not long term. Could Jesus have done that? I think so. But doing so would have been sin. So, instead of briefly assuaging his intense hunger, he waited.

When the devil enticed Jesus with authority and glory - this would have been a more lasting outcome, but the nature of the temptation itself was brief. All he had to do was worship the devil. But again, that brief act of worship would have been sin. Incidentally, we could also say that temptations are truthless - they lie. We will see this more next week as Jesus steps into his ministry - he didn’t need authority or glory from the devil, he had it on the evidence of his teaching and miracles. In the temptation in the garden, the devil deceived Eve into thinking that eating the fruit would have a different outcome. Temptations are temporary and truth-less.

Leaping from the pinnacle of the temple would have been a brief event, but the outcome would have been lasting - either death or disobedience.

We need to keep in mind that when we face temptations, we are facing something temporary. Falling into the temptation will have a temporary moment of pleasure or benefit, but the outcome, the failure can be lasting.

There are so many ways that we can be tempted as Christians. Beloved, remember, whether it’s something to satisfy the needs of our flesh, the desires of our eyes, or the longings of our pride, these temporary pleasures can destroy lives, churches, families and so much more.

If Jesus had fallen into temptation, he would have been completely disqualified for the work to which he was assigned. He would have been unable to accomplish God’s plan for him on the cross. Billions of lives would be cast into an eternity without hope of salvation.