Temptation

Sermon notes from Sunday 7 October 2018 by Rev John Hayes

Matthew 4 verses 1 - 11

The temptations which Jesus Christ faced.  The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan maked the beginning of Jesus` ministry.  Jesus was probably about 30 years of age.  He was physically and spiritually mature.  As he comes out of the water the heavens opened and the Spirit descended on him like a dove.  He was anointed for the great ministry he was to embark on.  All 3 of the Gospel writers record this event - Matthew 3 verse 16, Mark 1 verse 10, Luke 3 verse 22 and John 1 verse 32.   These 4 recordings are very significant in scripture.  We must realise that the Holy Spirit is economic with words and expression.  God is placing here the importance on this event.  This was a moment, a great unique moment in the life of Jesus.  The symbol of the dove is very striking.  The dove symbolised purity, harmlessness and gentleness.  God could not have chosen a more wonderful symbol of the Holy Spirit.  If God has blessed you and you come into deep experience of blessing with the Lord watch out because the very next thing that will happen is Satan will attack you.  After the approval of heaven comes the assault of hell.  Jesus entered into this conflict under the leading of the Holy Spirit.  It was not that Jesus was going along and he was attacked by the enemy.  Jesus entered this conflict under the leading of the Holy Spirit.  It was a divine appointment.  It was not at the instigation of the devil.  Satan was not challenging Jesus but Satan was challenging God himself.  Jesus faced this temptation as a perfect man, not as perfect God.  It is impossible for God to be tempted with evil.  It would have been no contest because God cannot be tempted with evil.  Jesus faced this contest as the second Adam.  He had come as the Saviour of the world.  The time of this testing was very significant.  It was not the first time Satan had tempted Jesus.  The Bible tells us he was "in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin." (Hebrews 4 verse 15)  Jesus was tempted in his own life.  We need to realise that he was tempted in every area of his life.  When Satan attacked Christ nothing was left out.  Every area of his manhood, any temptation that ever came for man in his desires, Jesus was tempted in every area of his life and he overcame.  That is why we can overcome through his power.  When he indwells us he is in control in our lives.  He gives us grace and help to overcome in that time of temptation and trouble.  This time of temptation was to do with his public ministry and working of redemption.  He was being prepared for this great ministry that lay before him.  Remember when he commissioned his disciples after his death, 3 1/2 years of public ministry when he preached and taught them everything he knew.  What would it have been like to have been with Jesus?  Not just to have his physical appearance but his personality and being.  There was a stamp of graciousness on his life.  He was an attractive person.  People didn`t flee from Jesus, he had a drawing influence on people.  When it was noised abroad that he was in the area they flocked to him.  They could have come with ulterior motives but they also came because they wanted to hear words whereby they might be saved.  Remember when the soldiers were sent out to arrest him and they came back empty, they said no man ever spoke like this man.  It had such an impact on their lives.  Instead of arresting him they were overcome by his ministry and teaching so couldn`t do it and returned to their masters without doing it.  What would it have been like to accompany him for 3 1/2 years?  Yes through his death they had mixed feelings and felt betrayed but after the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost they were empowered to go out and live for Christ.  The only man in that original bad of disciples who died a natural death was John.  Some suffered terrible deaths, burnt alive, slain in half but they had such an impact on people`s lives.  I don`t believe you could have listened to Jesus and not have been challenged.  It is impossible not to have been responsive to Jesus Christ.  He was such a person.  This temptation, it was really a very powerful one.  It was a conflict with a real and powerful enemy.  There are people today who deny the existence of the devil.  They would say "sure the devil is not too worried about that."  There is a devil.  Some even deny believing God created him.  He was a perfect holy creature, his name was Lucifer, the anointed cherub.  To deny the existence of Satan infers that all the evil in the world is to come to the final analysis that God is the author of sin and evil.  This would be blasphemy.  There is an evil person in this world.  An evil force.  When you turn your back on the devil you will know there is a devil out there.  He will get attacks, thing will be launched against you.  There is evil out there and it stalk your tracks and the tracks of every person who wants to live for Christ.  The enemy chose 3 lines of attacks.  There are 3 ways in which anyone can be tempted.  1 John 2 verse 16.  

Satan attacked Jesus in 3 ways - the first line was the lust of the flesh.  Paul said he knew in his flesh there was no good thing.  We live in a human body, we have appetites in that body.  We need to keep them under control.  Jesus was tempted with the lusts of the flesh.  C H Spurgeon talking about sin said "some have a desire but not the opportunity, some have the opportunity and not the desire but woe unto you when opportunity and desire meet."

The second appeal was to the lust of the eye.  David saw a young woman washing herself.  These things are in the word of God as a warning to us.  David took that young woman, sinned and as a result incurred the wrath of God.  In his actions Bathsheba`s husband died first then 70,000 people also died.  The consequences of his sin was far reaching.

The third attack is to the pride of life.  A very subtle attack and Satan can attack everyone in this area of life.  Will this benefit me?  Something that comes my way ask yourself - will it make me look better, benefit others, will this make me more important in the community, will this create for me a good image, will it give greater influence to what I have known?  Everyone of us will be tempted in this area.  We will be tempted in each of these 3 areas.  Jesus was tempted yet he overcame them all.  Jesus silenced the enemy with the word of God.  It is important that we know the word of God.  We need to be familiar with the scripture in any given situation we are attacked in.  There are hundreds of thousands of Christians who have never read the whole word of God completely at least once.  How will they defend themselves when Satan attacks?

What is the value in Christ`s temptation for us?  Through Christ`s victory we can become "more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8 verse 37).  There is grace, help, power available for us in the person of Christ.  I believe it is profitable to consider this great temptation that Jesus faced.  Had he failed it was all over.  Had the second Adam been brought down that would have been it, Christ would never have made the effort to redeem mankind.