The Temptation Of Jesus

Temptation of Jesus Matthew 4:1-11

• Have you seen the Kid’s Candy Challenge videos?

• What happens in the Kid’s Candy Challenge is the parent tells their small child or children that they can have

some candy

• But they have to wait until mom or dad gets back

• The candy is set right in front of them

• Along with a phone to record the incident

• And then the adult leaves the room

• You can imagine what usually happens

• Sometimes, but rarely, there are some really well behaved kids

• Those Mommas should be very proud

• It has to be very difficult for them to resist

• I can’t hardly resist candy

• Like caramel creams or jelly beans or licorice

• I can’t resist blueberry cake donuts

• There are some things that we cannot do

• Let me ask you, what are some things that you cannot do?

• Now, let’s list something that Jesus cannot do

• What is something that Jesus cannot do?

• Can God make a rock so heavy that He can’t lift it?

• Can God make a one ended stick?

• Can God make a square circle?

• Can God make a married bachelor?

• All of these things are outside the realm of what is possible

• There is of course one thing Jesus cannot do that falls within the realm of things possible and that is sin

• Jesus cannot sin

• But for some reason we read in Matthew 4 where Satan attempts to get Jesus to sin

• Where we read about the temptation of Jesus

• And Jesus is required to face the strongest temptations the devil could bring against him

• Matthew 4:1-11

1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

3. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become

bread.”

4. But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds

from the mouth of God.’”

5. Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

6. and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

7. Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”

8. Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world

and their glory.

9. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10. Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and

Him only you shall serve.’”

11. Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

• So first we have to ask why?

• Why did the Spirit of God lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil?

• It wasn’t designed to see if Jesus would sin

• But to prove that He wouldn’t

• As the Union Pacific railroad was being constructed

• There is a story about an elaborate trestle bridge that was built across a large canyon out West

• Wanting to test the bridge the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its

normal payload

• The train was driven to the middle of the bridge where it stayed for an entire day

• One worker asked, “Are you trying to break this bridge?”

• No, the builder replied

• I am trying to prove that it won’t

• These temptations occurred to prove that Jesus wouldn’t sin

• From this event from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry we can learn some very important lessons

1. Jesus is indeed the sinless Son of God

2. He exposed Satan and his tactics, and defeated him

3. The fact that temptation in and of itself is not sin

• Verse 3 we see Satan’s first volley

3. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become

bread.”

4. But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds

from the mouth of God.’”

• A little background

• Jesus had just been baptized by John