May 3
For some
reason John does not record Jesus’ baptism although he makes reference to the
Holy Spirit as a dove descending on Him
And neither
John nor Luke mention Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness
Mark makes a
short reference to it in Mark
1:12-13 (ESV)
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
The best
account we have is from Mathews gospel and I want to look at this today
Matthew 4:1-2 (ESV)
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Mark tells
us that Jesus was driven into the wilderness
The Greek
word there is “ek ballo” and means to drive, thrust or to cast out
Mathew uses
the word led which is the Greek word “an ago” and means to bring, to
launch or to bring to
Both carry
the idea of compelling someone to go to some where
It was Gods
will that Jesus go through this tempting period
It was a
testing as gold is tested in the furnace
Like I said
Mathew has the more detailed account, but he only gives us three examples of
the temptations Jesus had to undergo
But it was
far more than three temptations Jesus underwent
Look at Mark
1:13 again And he was in the
wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan.
Jesus was in
the wilderness for 40 days being tempted
The author
of Hebrews tells us this
Hebrews
4:15 (NASB)
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Let that
sink in. tempted in all things
Every
temptation you have ever struggled with Jesus overcame
And did so
without sinning or giving in to the temptation
Matthew
4:3 (ESV)
3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Have you
ever been really hungry?
I’m not
talking about midnight snack hungry; I’m talking 40 days without food hungry.
That would
be the weakened state Jesus is in, but then we have the temptation
If you
are the Son of God…
Interestingly
in Marks gospel the tempter is called Satan, Mathew 4:1 calls him the devil and
Mathew 4:3 he is called the tempter.
All three
carry the same meaning of one who tempts, one who lures the innocent into his
trap
But make no
mistake, this Satan, this devil, is not a god in competition with our heavenly
father
He is a
created being just as we are only for now more powerful than man, but he is not
all powerful or all knowing
This may
explain the phrasing of the temptation, if you are the Son of God
Is it
possible that Satan did not know whether this was the Messiah, the Christ of
God?
Perhaps he
had an inkling but wanted to test this man Jesus to be sure
“If you
are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Would that
really prove Jesus was Gods son?
I mean
Elijah made an ax head float, Joshua prayed for the sun to stop in the sky,
Moses parted the Red sea
Would
turning stones to bread really prove Jesus was the Christ or is there something
else going on here?
Would Gods
son really take advice or commands from the devil.
Matthew
4:4 (ESV)
4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus quotes
from Deuteronomy in His answer
Deuteronomy
8:3 (NASB)
3 "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.
3 "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.
Jesus
identifies with the children of Israel humbled by hunger in the wilderness
until God provided manna
Jesus could
easily have turned those stones to bread just as easily as He will transform a
small boys lunch and feed 5000
But He won’t
do it by Satan’s request
Matthew
4:5-6 (ESV)
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and 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 will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and 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 will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
If you think Satan does not know the
scriptures you would be wrong
Here he
quotes Psalm 91:11-12 (NASB)
11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.
12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.
12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
Scholars
have argued for centuries as to which pinnacle Satan took Jesus to
Perhaps one
that over hung the main court so that if Jesus listened to Satan everyone,
including the priests would see it
and Jesus’ identity as Messiah would be
revealed earlier than He wanted them to know
I’m more
interested in the fact that Satan could take Jesus here supernaturally more
than I am what pinnacle this was
But this was
something Jesus voluntarily went through to prove Himself
Matthew
4:7 (ESV)
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Once again Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16 (NASB)
16 "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.
16 "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.
This answer
seems a bit obscure unless you are familiar with the Old Testament scriptures,
in this case Exodus 17
It was here
in the wilderness of sin that Israel asked “is the Lord with us or not”?
What made
this so objectionable was that Israel had seen so many of Gods blessings in
their lives
So, to
question His presence was despicable
Jesus uses
the same answer Moses used on Israel
You shall
not put the LORD your God to the
test
Yes the
promise from the Psalm is accurate but I will not use it to test God.
So first
Jesus says living by Gods word is sufficient and now living by faith rather
than sight is sufficient
Matthew 4:8-9 (ESV)
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
I have
always wondered just what kingdoms of the world Satan showed Jesus
Was it just
the kingdoms of that day and time like Rome, Egypt and Babylon
Or was it
every kingdom that would exist like Rome, the Ottoman empire, Great Britain,
the USSR and the United States
I guess it
really does not matter but the vision is certainly tempting
But the cost
would have been devastating.
Jesus will
be our King of kings and Lord of lords if He just stays faithful to Gods plan
Satan has
always wanted worship
This is what
got him kicked out of heaven in the first place
His name was
Lucifer which means “Star of the morning”
He held the
highest of rank in the heavens and was blessed with exquisite beauty and wisdom
He was
endowed with great power and was called the guardian cherub.
Here is how the fall is described in scripture
Ezekiel 28:12-17 (ESV)
Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, ….. and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.
Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, ….. and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.
Isaiah also tell us further details
Isaiah 14:12-15 (ESV)
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
This is the
fallen angel who now wants homage and worship from the Son of God
Jesus was
faced with a decision
Worship this
devil and have a temporary earthly kingdom
Or stay
faithful and one day soon be seated at the right hand of God
Where one
day every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord of all
When we
speak of Christ’s temptation, surely, they do not even come close to the
enticements we are offered
We are given
three examples, but we must never forget that this went on for 40 days at His
weakest time
Jesus’
answer to the first two temptations were to quote scripture accurately and
within the context given
But this one
demands a stronger response
Matthew
4:10 (ESV)
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Again Jesus
refers to Deuteronomy 6:13 (NASB) 13 "You
shall fear only the LORD
your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
But He also exhibited His own authority and
power Be gone, Satan!
If Satan was
not sure if Jesus was the Christ earlier, he certainly was now.
Matthew
4:11 (ESV)
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
The way the
Greek is phrased here, it means that Satan immediately left and immediately
angels came to minister to Him
That word
minister to Him is the Greek word “de ok an eo” where we get our English word deacon
We see this
same ministering of Jesus when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane the night He
was betrayed and arrested
There are
two lessons here
One is that
just because someone quotes scripture does not necessarily mean that they are
godly people
Satan knows
the scriptures perhaps better than most Christians
The second
lesson is that scripture used correctly, by godly and faithful people is a
powerful weapon
In Ephesians
Paul tells us that God’s word is a part of the armor of God
James 4:7
teaches us to draw near or submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee
from you
This is
exactly what Jesus has demonstrated for us.
And it is a
promise from God to every believer
Sometimes
the temptations we go through seem overwhelming, but they are not
And this
brings us to another promise from God
1
Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Perhaps one
of the best promises in all of Gods word for the Christian
Know that
you are not going through anything that is unique
Your
temptation is common to man, meaning many are going through the same things you
are
The promise
for the believer is that God will not let us be tempted beyond our ability to
resist
And along
with the temptation is our way of escape
Jesus was
hungry beyond anything I have ever experienced. 40 days without food
I can’t
remember going 40 hours without food
But Jesus
resisted
How?
God’s word!
Jesus may
have been having some doubts as to whether God was still with Him
So, the
devil says throw yourself off this pinnacle and see if God comes to your rescue
But Jesus
resisted
How? God’s
word!
Who wouldn’t
want to be over all the kingdoms of the earth?
Many a man
has sold his soul for far less
Fame,
fortune, prestige, more stuff.
But Jesus
resisted
How? God’s
word!
And that is
the way God has provided for each and every one of us.
God’s word
In Gods word
there is encouragement, exhortation and strength for the battles we face
And our
battles are no different than those Jesus went through
Hebrews
4:15 (NASB)
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
I am sure
Jesus could have destroyed Satan right where he stood but He did not
Any more
than he called down 12 legions of angels as he was being crucified
Instead, He
relied upon Gods word
That’s the
lesson here
With Gods
word we will always be victorious
A day is coming when the final
victory will be ours and especially Christs.
Listen to how he wrote about it in
his last book
Revelation 12:7-12 (ESV)
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,
8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,
8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
LET US PRAY!
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