As the Adventure continues, I need to remind myself of what scripture says about temptation in my life and what a better place to look than Jesus
How many of us have shrugged and said, “The Devil made me do it!”
First, he lays out the bait.
Second comes the appeal
Third, the struggle begins.
Fourth, the temptation ends with the response.
In this story Jesus is faced with three general kinds of temptation that our adversary is still using against us.
Setting the Stage Luke 4:1-2
First, Matthew 4 records that this temptation of Jesus came directly after He was baptized. It was here that God the Father spoke and said, “This is my son in whom I am well pleased!” What a spiritual high.
1.It showed me testing will often come on the heels of a spiritual high point in life.
2. It comes at a time of physical weakness; Jesus had not eaten in 40 days.
Temptations often come in weakened states physically or emotionally, when we are exhausted and emotionally spent.
3. Temptation comes in loneliness We are the most susceptible to temptation when we are alone.
Let’s look at the scripture and see what temptation is all about…
1. THE TEMPTATION TO DO IT YOURSELF (vv. 3-4)
Satan Says: “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus Answers: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
The devil’s ploy in this world is to make us believe that if we want something done we need to do it ourselves – not trust in God. We regularly are tempted to go outside the confines of God’s will to satisfy our personal needs or desires. We often promote ourselves because we are sure that God will not do it. We scheme and we plan for our well-being, because we assume that God does not care or maybe does not know about our needs.
2. THE TEMPTATION TO TAKE THE EASY WAY (vv. 5-8)
The Devil Speaks (vv.5-7 )
“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (6) And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (7) Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
The devil was not lying when he promise Jesus, for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (v.6). The devil was offering Jesus a kingdom without the cross. Why go to all the trouble and pain to win the world when it can be handed to you on a silver platter. No suffering, No Struggling, No Sacrifice. But a crown without the cross would mean that there would be no forgiveness for our sins.
Jesus Answers: (v. 8)
“And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
We do not have to look for to see the application for today. Our world teaches us to avoid pain, to take the easy way, the path of least resistance. Avoid sacrifice. Why give all that money to the church when you can spend it on a new fishing boat. Why spend the rest of your life with the same mate? Go out and find yourself someone new – after all you only live once. You deserve to be happy. What is the result? We are living in a country where cheating, lying and stealing is just a lapse in judgment. Where does this lead us?
3. THE TEMPTATION TO NOT BELIEVE IT UNTIL YOU SEE IT (vv. 9-13)
The Devil Speaks (vv.9-11 )
The devil took Jesus to the point of the temple roof that overlooked the Kidron Valley, about a 450 ft. drop. Whether he took him there physically or in a vision we do not know. But once there he made Jesus very tempting offer.
Having seen Jesus defeat him two times by quoting Scripture, Satan now quotes it himself, for his own purposes (vv. 9-11). “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. (10) For it is written:‘He shall give His angels charge over you,To keep you,’ (11) and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up,Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus Answers (vv. 12-13)
“And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
But Jesus understood to start His ministry by dramatically jumping from the pinnacle of the Temple would be completely contrary to the will of God. To do so would be to test God. Jesus refused to take this shortcut.
There are many subtle ways that we can put God to the test.
We may not jump from the top of the church – but we do it in other ways.
We do it when we not put the worship of God as a priority
We do it when we dive into a path of our own choosing and then cry out to God to bail us out.
We do it when we test the boundaries of known sin.
God says, “Here is the line,” and see how close we can get to that line. Then we are surprised when we fall. Then we blame God. But it happened because we tested God.
The one thing common to all three temptations is that they attempted to distract Jesus from his mission or destroy his relationship with His heavenly Father.
The truth given in verse thirteen,
“ Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.” This verse says that “when the devil had ended every temptation” – the temptation was “ended” when he carried to completion and every avenue of attack was employed.
This verse reveals that the Devil will always be lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting for the next vulnerable moment. The war is not over… more battles to fight.
What can I learn?
When I am weak – expect a major assault
When I resist – be ready for a different approach
When he leaves – count on another attack.
Who lives my your house when Satan comes knocking?
When Christ fills my life Satan has no entrance in the house on the Adventure in Middle Grove.
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