The Temptations of Jesus

The Rev. Herbert G. Hand

Faith Anglican Church

Cordova, Tennessee

February 25, 2007

Title: The Temptations of Jesus

Series: Growing in Holiness

Text: Luke 4:1-13

I. The Incarnation

Each Christmas we celebrate the mystery and the awesomeness of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus had existed eternally with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, as a co-equal member of the Holy Trinity.

As we proclaim each Sunday, Jesus is:

God from God, Light from Light

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

The Gospel according to John calls Jesus the Word, the Logos. John 1:1-3 says:

^{1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through
him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:1-3 (NIV)}

Jesus spoke the creation into existence:

"Let there be light."
Genesis 1:3 (NIV)

"Let the land produce vegetation..."
Genesis 1:11 (NIV)

"Let the water teem with living creatures..."

let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."
Genesis 1:20 (NIV)

"Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds..."
Genesis 1:24 (NIV)

"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..."
Genesis 1:26 (NIV)

Jesus is the eternal Word, the creator God. He spoke the creation into existence. He is God.

Yet, John 1:14 tells us:

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us..."

John 1:14 (NIV)

Jesus, the one who spoke all of creation into existence, became one of us.

He was born to the Virgin Mary and laid in a manger, a food trough for animals.

Just as God tangibly dwelt in Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle, in the midst of his people, so God dwelt in the midst of his people here on earth in the man, Jesus Christ.

Was Jesus God? Yes – 100% God.

Was Jesus man? Yes – 100% man.

The Elements of Holy Communion

Holy Communion is much the same way.

When you receive Holy Communion, is what I put in your hand bread? Yes – 100% bread.

Is what I put in your hand the Body of Christ? Yes – 100% the Body of Christ. Jesus said, "This is my body."

In the same way, Jesus is both God and man, simultaneously.

You might think that since Jesus was God, he was incapable of sin. Not so. Because he was also man, he experienced all the frailties of the human condition:

Hunger

Thirst

Pain

Death

Temptation

Hebrews chapter four, verses 14-15, says:

^{14Therefore, since we have a great high priest
who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we
profess. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet
was without sin.

Hebrews 4:14-15 (NIV)}

Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin."

Thoughts of selfishness, bitterness, lust, greed, deception, rebellion, idolatry, drunkenness, gluttony, you name it.... All these thoughts floated through Jesus’ mind.

Jesus was tempted to sin, but by the grace of God, He chose not to sin.

As William Shakespeare once said,

'Tis one thing to be tempted,

Another thing to fall.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Or as famed revival preach Billy Sunday once said,

Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole; yielding is opening the door and inviting him in.

Billy Sunday (1862-1935)

Or as Martin Luther once said,

"Temptations, of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent the birds from flying over our heads, there is no need that we should let them nest in our hair."

Martin Luther, "Martin Luther--The Early Years," Christian History, no. 34.

II. Where Temptations Come From

So, where do temptations come from?

This morning’s reading from Luke chapter four is very very clear; temptations come from the devil.

Throughout Scripture the devil is described as:

The devil (Luke 4:2).

Satan (1 Chronicles 21:1)

The evil one (Matthew 6:13).

Our enemy (Matthew 13:39).

Our adversary (1 Peter 5:8).

A liar (John 8:44).

A deceiver (Revelation 20:7).

Satan’s temptations rarely begin with something heinous like genocide or pedophilia.

No, Satan’s temptations often seem reasonable and appealing.

In our reading from Luke chapter four, Jesus had been fasting for forty days in the Judean Wilderness – a vast desolate arid place, which boarders the Dead Sea to the west. There’s no vegetation, only dirt, sand, and small pieces of limestone, about the size and color of loaves of bread.

He was to the point of starvation. If he didn’t eat soon, he was going to die. He needed food.

The Temptation to Disobey God

The devil seemed to make a reasonable suggestion:

"If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
Luke 4:3 (NIV)

Jesus, you are God. You have the power. Use your divine power to provide for yourself.

But Philippians chapter two tells us,

^{6...though [Jesus] was in the form of God, did
not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
^{7but emptied himself, taking the form of a
slave, being born in human likeness...
Philippians 2:6-7 (NRSV)}}

Jesus chose to live among us, limited by all the human frailties you and I experience.

He chose to only do miracles by the prompting of God the Father, with the power of the Holy Spirit.

God the Father had not prompted him to turn stones into bread.

Satan was tempting Jesus to disobey God the Father.

^{4Jesus answered, "It is written: ‘Man
does not live on bread alone.’"

Luke 4:4 (NIV)

He was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 which says,

^{3...man does not live on bread alone but on
every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV)}

Jesus overcame this first temptation by knowing and
recalling the Holy Scriptures.

The Temptation to Gain Power without God

Next, ⁵The devil led him up to a high place
and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶And he said to
him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me,
and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷So if you worship me, it will all be
yours."

Luke 4:5-7 (NIV)

Jesus knew God the Father had already promised him all
the kingdoms of the world. Speaking of the coming Messiah, Psalm 2:8 foretold:

^{8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your
inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
Psalm 2:8 (NIV)}

So why would Jesus even be tempted to rebel against God
the Father?

Because he knew the only way to receive his kingdom was
through his unimaginable suffering on the cross.

A moment of subservience or unimaginable agony?

Every last one of us would rather avoid the pain. Jesus
was no exception.

Again Jesus quoted Deuteronomy. He said,

^{8..."It is written: ‘Worship the
Lord your God and serve him only.’"
Luke 4:8 (NIV)}

Sometimes Satan tempts you and me to avoid the cross, to
avoid servant-leadership, to gain power in all the wrong ways.

It was true for James and John, who after a group of
Samaritans had refused hospitality to Jesus, said,

"Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven
to destroy them?"

Luke 9:54 (NIV)

On another occasion, they said to Jesus,

"Let one of us sit at your right and the other at
your left in your glory."
Mark 10:37 (NIV)

The same is true today, Satan tempts you and me to take
power, not to exercise servanthood.

In every church I’ve ever served, I’ve seen
Satan constantly tempting the member of the church to gain power and influence in all the
wrong ways. But as 1 Peter 5:8-9 reminds us, we must:

^{8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist
him, standing firm in the faith...

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)}

The Temptation to be Praised by Others

In his third temptation,

^{9The devil led [Jesus] to Jerusalem and had
him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he
said, "throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰For it is written:
"‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;

^{11they will lift you up in their hands,}

so that you will not strike your foot against a
stone.’"
Luke 4:9-11 (NIV)}

Here Jesus was tempted to do something spectacular in the
sight of all, something to draw their applause, something to wow the crowds, something to
make his popularity soar.

Again Jesus quotes Deuteronomy,

^{12..."It says: ‘Do not put the Lord
your God to the test.’"
Luke 4:12 (NIV)}

Yes, just like you and me, Jesus wanted the people to
love him, but not at the expense of his mission.

Author and Anglican priest, John Stott once said,

"You can’t preach the Gospel and be
popular."

III. Overcoming Temptations

You and I face temptations every day. Satan and his
minions are constantly whispering suggestions which are contrary to God’s Word and
contrary to God’s plan for our lives.

How can you and I overcome these temptations?

How did Jesus overcome his temptations?

Holy Spirit

First, just before Jesus faced his temptations in the
wilderness, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was God incarnate, but he had emptied himself of
all his divine powers. Just like you and me, He needed the power of the Holy Spirit to
resist temptation and to fulfill His ministry.

In Luke chapter three God’s Word tells us:

^{21When all the people were being baptized,
Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²²and the Holy
Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.... Luke 3:21-:22 (NIV)}

If Jesus needed the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to
resist temptation, you and I need it more.

In Luke 3:16, John the Baptizer said,

^{16..."I baptize you with water. But one
more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Luke 3:16 (NIV)}

You and I need the power of the Holy Spirit to resist
temptation. Fill us Lord. Fill us.

Word of God

Second, Jesus knew the Scriptures. When Satan seductively
tempted Him, Jesus immediately responded by quoting Scripture in its proper context.

In Second Timothy 2:15, St. Paul challenges us to:

^{15Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word
of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)}

As your knowledge of Scripture grows, your ability to
identify and resist temptation will also grow.

Accountable Relationships

Thirdly, we need each other. We need accountable
relationships.

Singapore theologian Simon Chan said,

"The nature of the Christian life is such that no
one grows spiritually without some help from others. Strictly speaking, there are no
self-taught saints."

(Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of
the Christian Life).

Ecclesiastes chapter four tells us:

^{9Two are better than one, because they have a
good return for their work: ¹⁰If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)}

To identify, resist, and overcome temptation:

1) We need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Pray, fill
me Lord. Baptize me with your Spirit.
2) We need to thoroughly know the Scriptures. Read your
Bible daily, attend Sunday school, attend Bible studies.
3) We need to build accountable relationships, so when we
are about to fall, our friends can hold us up.}