Chapter 6
THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS
(Matthew 4:1-11)
Before we begin our study of the temptations of Jesus and how they relate to you and I, let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father we ask You to please guide us through the temptations that Your Son Jesus experienced. Cause us to better understand what He went through and how His experience relates to our walk with Him.
Amen
We begin our study right after Jesus was baptized in water by John the Baptist and baptized in the Holy Spirit by God the Father. After this event we find that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert. During His stay in the desert Jesus was tempted by the devil. To see this let us read from,
Matthew 4:1
"[1] Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil."
As we explore what happened in the desert we will,
With this brief introduction let us now review and explore,
THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS
To do this we will examine each of the three temptations to determine what they were and how Jesus overcame them.
FIRST TEMPTATION CRAVINGS OF THE FLESH (Food, drink, etc.)
A record of this temptation can be found in,
Matthew 4:2-4
"[2] After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. [3] The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." [4] Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'""
In reflecting upon the above we can see that,
To more fully understand the depth and significance of Jesus' Response, let us go and read the Scripture He quoted. It is an excerpt from the book of Deuteronomy where Moses was reminding the people of Israel about God's past dealings with them.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
"[2] Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. [3] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."
In other words the Bible is teaching us, contrary to this world's way of thinking, that we are totally dependent upon God for all things, such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. To expand upon this a bit let us read from,
John 3:27
"[27] To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven."
Consequently, our Lord Jesus Christ instructs us to pray as follows:
Matthew 6:9-11
""[9] This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, [10] your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. [11] Give us today our daily bread."
Notice the attitude we should have is not one of demanding from God but one of respectfully asking Him for our needs.
SECOND TEMPTATION - PRIDE OF LIFE (Self importance)
A description of this temptation can be found in,
Matthew 4:5-7
"[5] Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. [6] "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" [7] Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'""
As we study this temptation let us notice how Satan can and will twist the Scripture. To see this a bit more clearly, let us read the passage from which Satan quoted. It is,
Psalm 91:11-12
"[11] For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; [12] they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
Now some might ask: "What is the perversion? What is the issue here?" The answer to these questions is that the implication of Satan's temptation was that Jesus could do what ever He liked and still remain in the Father's protection. Thus, before Jesus' ministry on earth began Satan is actually attempting to get Jesus to do His own will and then demand from the Father to make good on His promise to protect Him! We must remember that Jesus came down from Heaven to do the will of God the Father. This is recorded for us in,
John 6:38
"[38] For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me."
We too are to have this same attitude, consider,
Colossians 4:12
"[12] Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."
With this in mind let us now read Jesus' response to this temptation.
Matthew 4:7
"[7] Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'""
To expand upon this issue a bit more, let us go and read the verse that Jesus quoted from. It is an excerpt from the sermon Moses gave to the Israelites before he died. In this sermon Moses reminds them of all the trials and tribulations of their journey in the desert. This particular quote is from,
Deuteronomy 6:16
"[16] Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah."
This raises the questions of: " What happened in Massah? and What was Moses referring to?" To find out let us read from,
Exodus 17:1-7
"[1] The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. [2] So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?" [3] But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" [4] Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me." [5] The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. [6] I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?""
In thinking about the above incident one might ask as to: "Why was the Israelites demands so bad; after all they were thirsty and were in a desert?" To find out let us go back and reread about this incident a bit more closely. Let us start with,
Exodus 17:1-2
"[1] The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. [2] So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?""
Let us notice the following verse,
2 The Israelites were quarreling or contending with Moses. However, notice that Moses response was that they were not quarreling with him but with God Almighty.
Why? Why did Moses say this? To find out we must recall God's original promise to them. To refresh our memories let us read it from,
Exodus 3:15-17
"[15] God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. [16] "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-- appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. [17] And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--a land flowing with milk and honey.'"
As we reflect upon these Scriptures we come to see that verse 17 records God's promise to bring the nation of Israel into a land flowing with milk and honey, that is the land will produce abundant fruits. Thus, by contending with Moses with respect to the water supply they were in effect questioning God's ability to fulfill His promise. In addition, they were questioning God's good intention and love for them. To see this let us now return to the incident at Rephidim and reread from,
Exodus 17:3
"[3] But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?""
Upon hearing the people's complaint Moses went to God for help. To see that happened let us now read from,
Exodus 14:4-7
"[4] Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me." [5] The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. [6] I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?""
Thus, we find when people behave is the manner that the Israelites did they are really questioning God's integrity and His love for them. Specifically, they are challenging or putting God to the test.
As we read the New Testament we discover that as God promised the Israelites to bring them into the promised land, God has also given the born again believer a similar promise. To see this let us read the following passage of Scripture,
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
"[23] May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."
This now brings us to,
THE THIRD TEMPTATION - LUST OF THE EYES (Power, wealth, success, etc.)
A description of this temptation can be found in,
Matthew 4:8-11
"[8] Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. [9] "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." [10] Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" [11] Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."
This is a very interesting temptation. The Bible teaches us that Jesus was to inherit all these things anyway. It also teaches us that all power and glory belongs to Jesus Christ. To see this let us consider the following excerpt from the Gospel according to John,
John 13:3
"[3] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;"
Notice that the power and inheritance Jesus received was from God the Father. The Bible also teaches us that Jesus received it because of His obedience to Him. To see this let us prayerfully consider the following excerpt from Paul's letter to the church in Philippi.
Philippians 2:8-11
"[8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Thus, we find that Satan was tempting Jesus to avoid all the trials and sufferings He had to endure. Satan was trying to get Jesus to circumvent the Father's will and receive the power that was under his, Satan's, the control.
It is interesting to note that we too have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
Romans 8:16-17
"[16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Let us notice the following verses,
16 The born again believers in Jesus Christ are children of God.
17(a) Hence, we are heirs of the Kingdom.
17(b) However, as Jesus, we too must share in His sufferings before we can share in His glory.
Now that we have read about the temptations that was put forth to Jesus and how He successfully overcame them, the question arises as to: "What about us?" In other words, when the time of temptation comes to us: "What are we to do to successfully overcome it?" To find out let us now explore,
HOW TO OVERCOME THE TEMPTATIONS BY THE EVIL ONE
When the evil one comes and presents to us a temptation, we are to do as Jesus did. A good summary of Jesus' attitude and action is provided in,
James 4:7
"[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Let us notice that the Holy Spirit is instructing us to:
7(a) Submit to God
7(b) Resist, then as he did with Jesus he will flee from us.
Notice that the Holy Spirit tells us that our first course of action is to,
SUBMIT TO GOD
We do this by trusting Jesus to help. As we do we should also keep fresh in our minds that one of the reasons Jesus was tempted was so He could sympathize with our needs and help us. To see this let us read from,
Hebrews 2:14-18
"[14] Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- [15] and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. [16] For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. [17] For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. [18] Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
Secondly, we are to,
STAND FIRM AND RESIST
To do this we must remember God's will, love and promises to us and remain steadfast in them. Remember the example of Jesus. He remained steadfast in God the Father's will and direction for Him. He obeyed God and stood firm. We too must do the same.
When we follow Jesus' example He promises us that the evil one will flee from us. To refresh our memories let us reread from,
James 4:7
"[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Before we close our study let us summarize the lesson to us from the temptations of Jesus Christ.
SUMMARY
The point or teaching for our study is best summarized in,
Ephesians 6:10-18
"[10] , be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
CLOSING
Let us now close this study by reading the following excerpt from the first letter of the Apostle Peter,
1 Peter 6:6-11
"[6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. [7] Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. [8] Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [9] Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. [10] And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. [11] To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
Shall We Pray?