Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Looking at the Temptation of Jesus
• Temptation is the work of the evil one
• He has many demons and powers
• He puts different temptations before us
• Examples
• When we fall for one temptation we are more likely to fall for more temptation
• We are weakened
• Our conscience weakens and hardens
• If you don't know much about temptation - you need to question where you stand before God
• Jesus' record was perfect
• None of us can say that
• This passage records a time where he was bombarded for 40 days
• Then special temptations - that struck at the heart of His relationship with His Father
• He became stronger each time He rejected temptation
• He learned obedience through the things He suffered - Heb 5
• He returned in the power of the Holy Spirit
• Temptation was real for Jesus
• He was fully God but He laid aside many of His attributes when He became a man
• He knew the weaknesses of humanity - examples
• He was a real man - not like a super man
• He humbled Himself and lived a real human life in the power of the Spirit
• Luke emphasises this by including a genealogy in 3:23-28
• Overview:
• When did the temptations occur?
• Where did the temptations occur?
• What were the three temptations?
• How did He overcome?

When did the temptations occur?

• 3:21 - the Baptism of Christ
• 4:1 - He returns from the Jordan, having being baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit
• He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness
• The temptations occurred right after a time of blessing
• Jesus is at the beginning of His ministry
• The devil seeks to bring him down right at the start
• Application:
• Pray 'Do not lead us into temptation but delivered us from evil'
• Temptations are often painful
• The Lord permits temptation
• Often temptation comes after seasons of blessing - examples
• So that we would be proved and strengthened
• Personal example
• He was tempted when He was full of the Spirit

Where did the temptations occur?

• He went into the wilderness
• Was He not praying and fasting before embarking on His ministry?
• Application:
• We may be tempted in the place we least expect
• Often when we are alone - example of David and Joseph
• We must never think that the monk in the monestary is free from temptation
• He can come at any time - so we must be vigilant

What were the three temptations?

• He was tempted for 40 days
• He had various temptations before these three specific temptations
• The temptations came when Jesus was at His weakest
• Often temptations come when we are weakest
• Temptation 1: To use His powers for selfish ends
• To act independently of God but to use His divine powers for His own ends
• To question God's love
• An attack on His Sonship
• "If you are the Son of God" (v3)
• Luke starts and ends with this same temptation - "If you are the Son of God" (v3,9)
• The aim of the devil is to cause a breach in the Trinity
• Temptation 2: To get something quick (by an easy means), to worship the devil and believe that His Father is not Lord of all
• Maybe a vision
• To have a crown without a cross, to know Kingship without suffering, to know all gain without pain
• To challenge the authority of the Father
• The devil is the prince of the power of the air, but he is not in control of all
• He is a deceiver and an angel of darkness
• Temptation 3: To test God
• It is not helpful to conjecture on how this happened - many supernatural things happened
• The devil misquoting from Psalm 91
• Striking at Jesus' relationship with His Father
• Temptations striking at the heart of Jesus' relationship with His Father

How did He overcome?

• Recap
• He resisted the devil by quoting Scripture
• Deut 6
• Some Christians find the Old Testament difficult
• He quotes three times
• "It is written" (v4,8,12)
• Jesus quotes words of the Father
• Do we know the word of God?
• Do we resist temptation?
• Do we consider the consequences?
• Do we not say 'it is written'?
• Jesus is saying that his life does not just consist of eating and drinking
• His burden was to do the will of His Father in heaven
• He lived by every word of God
• He is saying that He doesn't need that
• Satan has nothing in Me - John 5
• Jesus had no propensity to sin
• We have a sinful nature and there is much that the devil will stir up
• He resisted by rebuking Satan - "get behind me"
• These are diabolical words of Satan
• The same rebuke given to Peter as he spoke of no cross
• Consider not just the sin and its consequences but most of all how it will affect our Father in heaven
• We shall worship God alone
• He resisted by refusing to test His Father
• The devil (mis)uses Scripture
• Does he know the Bible better than us?
• Jesus says He will not test His Father
• We must not test our Father
• We must not ask God to miraculously intervene when we are capable of resolving the situation

Closing Remarks

• We are to overcome by Spirit and prayer
• We will fail
• Christ overcame Satan: in the wilderness, in the garden of Gethsemane, on the Cross
• He overcame and went to heaven
• We will go to heaven because of His victory
• Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit, He prays for us, He comforts us
• The power of sin has been broken
• Jesus wants us to live holy lives now
• If you are not in Christ - look to Him