Sep6
Matthew 4:1………Ready
1 Then (i.e. After Jesus’ baptism) Jesus was led (4879- guided, directed, drawn, moved, compelled, propelled, driven/drove-Mark 1:12) by the Spirit (Holy Spirit, full of the Holy Spirit-Luke 4:1) into the wilderness (2048-abandoned, desolate, or unpopulated) to be tempted (3985-to test, try, tempt, entice, to make proof of) by the devil. (For Additional Expository Notes see Companion Book.)
Continued From Book
“Jesus’ sinless character & obedience in obeying the Father’s will in going to the cross is put to the test.” ⇔ Jesus’ sinless qualification, obedience, submission to the will of God is put to the test. If the devil succeeds in tempting Jesus to sin, then the work of God would be destroyed, because sin would indicate disobedience toward God, and there would be no perfect sacrifice for sin.
“Teaches how Jesus understands our struggles & temptations, having been tempted as we are”. ⇒ Jesus knows how it feels to be tempted and can relate to our struggles. So don’t think “Jesus doesn’t understand my situation.” Or “Jesus doesn’t know the struggles I go through.” Because Jesus does know, He’s been there. Jesus knows the power and pull of temptation. There’s no area of temptation Jesus can’t identify with. Though there may be no one else who can say ”I know exactly what you’re going through”, Jesus did, or has and now He is here with you in your times of temptation as well. ( (Heb. 2:17-18, 4:14-16)
“Teaches having given our lives to Jesus, Satan now attacks us, trying to draw us back to himself”. ⇒ The devil you left behind will fight hard to get you back. Jesus was attacked while preparing for His public ministry. So to Satan will tempt us when we’re seeking to do something important for God. He tries to derail God’s servants before they can accomplish His purpose. Maybe you plan on going to church more, praying more, reading the bible more. Or maybe you plan on starting a church, ministry, or missionary work. That’s the time Satan will attack you the most. He doesn’t want you growing in holiness and sanctification. He doesn’t want you teaching or witnessing for Christ. (Note: If you’re not having had a head-on collision with Satan, that’s probably because you are going the same direction that he is.)
“Warns how our greatest temptations often follow our spiritual highs”. ⇒ When God is doing something great in our lives, when God is blessings us, we can count on Satan being right there behind us trying to spoil it and steal it! (New levels bring new devils.) At Jesus’ baptism the Spirit descended upon Him as a dove and God the Father said; “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Think about it: After the dove, up popped the devil. After the approval of Heaven, up popped the assault of Hell. That’s the reality for us as well. Were on a spiritual high returning from a Revival meeting only to coast away weeks later. Or maybe you’ve been having victory over some temptation you’ve been fighting for years, then you find yourself right back into it again. God gives you a blessing, and the Enemy loves to steal that blessing away. Think about Elijah after his victory over the prophets of Baal by calling fire down from heaven, he finds himself running for his life out fear of one women, Jezebel. Or how about the three disciples, Peter, James, and John after just witnessing Jesus’ transfiguration. They probably thought they were living on a spiritual plane higher than the other disciples. Yet as soon as they got their blessing and went down the mountain and the first person they met was a demon possessed boy who challenged their authority, who they could not heal.-(Matt. 17:14-23)
“Warns how no one is exempt from Temptation. If the Son of God went through the wilderness experience. Shouldn’t we expect to log some time in the Wilderness as well?” ⇒ Jesus was not in the wilderness by accident, God led Him there. It was a part of God’s plan, and not a random event. Don’t think that if we’re full of the Holy Spirit and doing God’s will we won’t be tempted or attacked by the devil. It is when your fully yielded to God, that the devil sets out to get you. Look at Jesus. He was in the will of God, He was walking in the Spirit. Jesus was exactly where He was supposed to be, and still He was attacked by the devil. If the devil attacked Jesus while He was doing what God the Father told Him to do, how much more will the devil attack us! So don’t assume that because I’m a child of God, I’m a Christian, I love Jesus, its going to keep us safe from all evil and temptation. If you’ve been told that God won’t lead you into difficult situations, you’ve been lied to. If you’ve ever been told that the will of God will always lead to the path least resistance, you’ve been lied too. If you’ve been told that the proof of the favor of God on your life is that situations will be less difficult, you’ve been lied too. If there was purpose in this wilderness experience in the life of the Son of God, then we better believe there is purpose for the wilderness in our own lives! (cf. Rom. 5:3-5. 8:14, 1-Pet. 4:12-13)
“Even today, Satan’s attacks usually occur just before a great blessing or soon after it. Where God blesses you with a new beginning, a new marriage, a new job, a new promotion, a new Church, Satan will strike and try to spoil it.” ⇒ How many after experiencing some great victory or some blessing from God that you’ve been praying about and receiving, then comes the battle. Or maybe you had a great time in the Word, a great day of worship, a great week in feeling close to God. Or maybe your on a spiritual high having just retuned from a retreat, a revival, a Christian camp. Or maybe it’s the initial high of your Salvation, baptism, or confirmation. Then you find yourself facing a great temptation or trial. Remember Elijah? He had just won a victory over Baal the pagan god of Israel by bringing fire down from heaven- a revival of sorts. Then only a chapter later we see Elijah as low as he has ever been, he’s running for his life. Having heard that Jezebel, a very wicked woman was out to kill him.–(1-Kings 18:20- 19:1-5)]
“Believers need to remember that temptation itself is not a sin, but giving into it is. Satan will lie to us and say; “Because your tempted, your already defeated. That’s not true, Jesus was tempted, yet without sin. Therefore temptation itself is not a sin.” ⇒ Believers can’t control when we are tempted or how we are tempted. What we can control is our response to it. Martin Luther once said; “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head. But you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” In the same way we have a say in how we will react to temptation. We can either choose to respond to it or choose not to respond to it.
More Notes & Applications
Warns against thinking just because your Saved your suddenly immune from troubles and temptation. If Jesus was tempted there’s no reason to think we will be spared. If Satan had the tenacity and gall to tempt the very Son of God, he will tempt you. Don’t think just because you got baptized and Saved, you’ll suddenly become immune to temptation. How many have said; “I would never sin like that or fall in that area.” When you say things like that your setting yourself up for failure because it’s coming from a place of pride. Which is what the enemy loves to prey on. Never think there will be a time that you’ll outgrow temptation because you’ll never mature past Jesus! When it comes to our battle for holiness we should not expect to attain a place where we are impervious to temptation.
Warns if the devil tried to tempt our Lord who had no inner ally or sin nature fighting against Him.-(1-Pet. 2:22) How much more will Satan try to tempt us who have sinful hearts, a corrupt nature, and the evil influences of the world fighting against us. [Note: Although Satan may be the dark force behind the tempting. It is our fallen and corrupt nature that allows these temptations to take root and causes us to sin.]-(James 1:14-1)
Warns how temptation can come at any time, place, and point. Never think you can isolate yourself from temptation. Temptation come while your in the garden or the wilderness. Adam was in paradise the garden of Eden and yet he fell. Jesus was in the wilderness fasting and communing with God and He was still tempted.
Calls for embracing the wilderness events in our lives. That God has a purpose behind it. Remember it was not the devil, but rather the Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness in the first place. That by itself is encouraging. So next time remember your not in a wilderness because of Satan. Your not in a wilderness because of an unfortunate accident or just bad luck. Your not in a wilderness because you took a wrong turn in life. Your wilderness is because God is at work. It’s God who put you in the wilderness. God might direct us into the wilderness so He can bring us out the other side ready to do His work. [Note: If were going to survive our wilderness, we need to live in faith that God is using it for our own good! Remember “If God brought you too it, He’ll bring you through it”!]
Teaches if were to make any progress or have any success in this Christian walk we got to remember to be led by the spirit. Jesus’ success isn’t that He is depending on Himself, but that He is being sustained by the Spirit. This is no less true for us. If Jesus leans on the Spirit for help and guidance during temptation, how much more do we need to lean on the Spirit! And just as Jesus was led by the Spirit and if you and I will walk where He leads us, we will end up where He wants us to go. If we will be led by the Spirit, we will be what God wants us to be. If we are led by the Spirit, we will end up doing what God wants done. If we submit to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, we will learn what God wants us to learn.
-led by the Spirit– Meaning: Satan did not ambush Jesus in a dark alley in an unexpected way. The Holy Spirit led Jesus in the wilderness precisely so that this temptation could happen. This was God’s plan, God ordained it, The gospel writers use different Greek words to describe how Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness: The verb “drove” is actually in the present tense as to give a sense of urgency and immediacy.-(cf. Mark 1:12) It is a strong word that usually implies more of a holy urge, drive, or compulsion that is a like a force that cannot be resisted. The Holy Spirit was compelling Jesus to go to the wilderness.. There are no grounds to think that Jesus was reluctant or unwilling to follow the Spirit and had to be compelled to go; Jesus wasn’t frightened. Jesus was not forced, kicking and screaming out into the desert. The emphasis is on the necessity of the action. Jesus must go. He must be tempted and confront the enemy. Also note when Matthew & Mark use the word “led” it is in the action tense and should not be taken in the sense of led “into” something. But has more of the idea of led “within.” In other words, the text indicates that the Spirit didn’t just send Jesus off into the desert and deposit Him there to struggle with the devil. Rather the Spirit continuously led Jesus in the desert for the 40 days. He wasn’t left alone. The Spirit went with Him throughout the entire time. We often see this as a powerful and positive experience, We should want to be “Sprit- filled” and “Spirit-led”. Even into those places that are hard and difficult. We naturally see the negative side of tests. Most of us hate tests — whether they’re school tests, professional tests, or life tests. Spiritual tests are the most difficult because often our walk with God takes us straight into situations that are painful, that require faith, patience, and obedience. When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people through the Red Sea into the wilderness in order test them and to see what was in their hearts. (Exodus 13:17-18, Deut. 8:2)
-the wilderness–Meaning: The exact location of Jesus’ Temptation is unknown. Matthew was almost certainly referring to the 425 square mile of hot desolate Judean desert between the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. (see Map Pg. 6) Others pinpoint it as the area of the Jordan plain known as “Jeshimon”, which in Hebrew means “The devastation”. The wilderness is defined as a large uncultivated and uninhabited region of land that is hot, barren, and bleak. A “Wilderness” can have many meanings. A wilderness can be a place of retreat, a place to commune and grow closer to God. A place to escape the distractions of the world, no cell phones or media-devices. A wilderness can be a vulnerable place. It is isolated and lonely; there are no friends to share conversation with. A wilderness can also be a place where danger is lurking, where demonic forces are at work.-(Matt. 12:43) It sounds strange for one to be tempted in the wilderness when places like cities offer a lot more immorality and sinful influences than a desert? We tend to focus on the tempting person, thing, or situation. But our temptations say more about what is going on inside of us than what is happening around us. Isolation from the world is no insulation against temptations. You might escape a world full of sin, but there’s a world of sin in your own heart that goes with you.-(cf. Matt. 15:17-20, James 1:14) The word “Wilderness” comes from the Latin word meaning “abandoned” or “forsaken”. A wilderness can be a place of severe temptations, painful trials, and great difficulties. Jesus’ Temptations in the Wilderness are not all that different than our temptations. The Wilderness is not so much a place or situation. Like Jesus we are sometimes left alone with our thoughts. Who am I? What is my life about? How will I get through this? In the Wilderness there will always be a voice that is quick to offer an answer, an idea, a way, a solution, a quick fix. A Wilderness can be almost anything. A Wilderness can be a place of spiritual dryness, where you feel empty, lonely, and drifting. For some a Wilderness can be a season of hardships and difficulties in our lives, where everything seems to be falling apart, our marriage is falling apart, our family is falling apart, our career is falling apart. A wildernesses can be a serious illness, layoff, financial crises, bankruptcy, death of a loved one, etc. A wilderness can be a place when folk lie to you, slander your name, stab you in your back. A Wilderness can be an intense spiritual attack where you start to question your Salvation or wonder whether or not what you believed is true. A wilderness can be a crises of faith where you start to doubt God’s existence and God’s love. A Wilderness can be a time where we’re in a spiritual drought where we feel far from God, distant from God, and forsaken by God. A Wilderness can even be of our own making, through our sin, wandering, and neglect in our relationship with God. The wilderness is not always bad, some can be positive. A Wilderness can be a rich time of spiritual growth. A wilderness might be the preparation for what God’s about to do. A place where God is preparing us for service or for some mega breakthrough that lies ahead. It might be the very place where God is refining and training us for something significant. Jesus was about to begin His work as Messiah King. Many people in the bible experienced a wilderness time before being used by God. Take Moses for example although he had risen to prominence in the courts of Egypt and availed himself as God’s servant to rescue the Israelites-(Acts 7:24-25) but he was not yet ready to be used by God until he was tried in the wilderness for 40 years before he was sent back to Egypt to deliver Israel. The people of Israel were tested in the desert for 40 years before they could enter the promised land.-(Deut. 8:2) How about David? David was a fugitive on the run from Saul for seven years, hiding in desert caves, yet he still held onto the promises of God of being heir to the throne.-(1 Sam. 16:1-13) Wilderness experiences are often a testing ground. Think about it, the test is not for God to see how we would respond, He’s God, He already knows! But rather the test is to see what our faith and obedience is like. Many people in the bible were tested in the promises of God. Take Adam as an example, he was promised dominion over the earth and life everlasting in return for his obedience in obeying God’s command not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree.-(Gen. 2:15-17, 3:1-3) It was not by accident that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil was in the middle of the garden. God could have put it in the far corner or left it out all together. But He placed it squarely in the center of the garden so that Adam would have to walk past it no matter where he was headed. God was testing Adam’s obedience. Unfortunately Adam failed the test. How about Abraham, he was given a promise by God that all nations would be blessed through him. Then he had the wilderness test of whether he was willing to obey God and offer up the son of promise, Isaac, as a sacrifice.-(Gen. 22:1-19, Heb. 11:17-19) Joseph had seen a vision from God. But he had to endure the test of captivity in Egypt. Would he continue to trust God in the midst of his Egyptian captivity? Joseph, himself, would later say that this was God’s doing.-(Gen. 37: 5-10, 50:19-20) No one likes going through a Wilderness experience. For one thing it is uncomfortable, uncertain and unpredictable. We fear life in the wilderness because it is something we cannot control. All true believers will go through a wilderness experience in their life; Its not a matter of “if” but “when”. (Note: We should beware of any version of Christianity that speaks of a life of prosperity and bliss without hardships & trials.) Wilderness experiences can last for days or years. Some may experience a 40 year dry spell like Moses.-(Acts 7:29-30) Some may experience 40 days like Noah or Jesus, and others may only have a three day experience like the Apostle Paul.-(Acts 9:8-9) [Note: The Wilderness may be God’s choosing, but the length of stay is ours. Depending on how fast we learn it’s lessons!] Going into a wilderness is rough and it may seem worse than the place you left. In this wilderness season you may tempted to run back to what is familiar or to what is comfortable (that relationship, those friends, alcohol, drugs, etc.) but that’s the very thing God is trying to deliver you from. Think about the Israelites, they were physically free from slavery, but they were still in bondage to a mental slavery and wanted to turn back to Egypt. They needed to spend time in the wilderness in order to be renewed and refined before they entered the promised land. The same is true for us! God uses these dry and difficult seasons in our lives to strip us of sinful habits and strongholds that are hindering our faith and walk with Him.] (Ex. 13:17-18, Numb. 21:4-5, Acts 7:38-43)
-to be tempted –Meaning: It doesn’t mean that God hopes that Jesus sins, or that Jesus or any of us succumb to temptation. Nor does it mean that Jesus had done something wrong that led Him to be temped. But rather the Spirit cast Jesus into the wilderness to face the temptations wherein Adam & Eve failed.-(Rom. 5:12-21) Temptation is the inducement to do something wrong, and thereby, to turn away from God. Because Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit displays how temptation itself is not sin. If you’re tempted, there’s nothing wrong with you—there’s something right with you. It means you’re not in collusion with the devil but in collision with the Holy spirit. This is important because at times we can feel guilty about temptation, even though we have not yielded to it. You may have hard thoughts about God, or lustful desires. But they only become a sin when you act on it. Or better yet think of temptation as a bridge into sin only if we cross it. Nor was the act of tempting led by God. God may allow us to be tempted, but He is not the cause of the temptation.-(James 1:13, 1:12) In the Bible the words used for Temptation are Nasah (Hebrew) and Peirazō (Greek). Both words carry a wide range of meaning that can be translated as either to “tempt” or to “Test”. The first is in the negative sense, as to “Seduce or Entice” someone to sin and do evil. The second is in the positive sense of proving the quality of a persons character and fitness for the task at hand. The differences between “test” & “temptation” is that Satan tempts believers to see if they will do evil and sin. (temptations of “Solicitation”). Where as God “tests” believers in order to build character and grow faith. (temptations of “Probation”). Therefor Satan tempts us to bring out the “worst” in us; and God tests us to bring out the “best”. You could say; The same event will often be both a temptation and a trial. Whether it is a trial or a temptation depends on our response. Let’s say for an example you come down with a serious illness. Is that a temptation or is it a test? Well, Satan will try to use that difficult situation to tempt you to fall into despair and bitterness, to turn you away from God and destroy your faith. So for Satan it’s a temptation to pull you away from God. But at the same time that difficult situation can be a testing from God to purify your life and turn you from some wrong habit, behavior, or attitude. Whether that difficult situation ends up being a temptation that destroys your faith or a test that strengthens your faith depends on your response to it. Or lets suppose you lose your job or your savings. Satan will tempt you to give into anger and discouragement. Where as God through that trial may have a better purpose in mind. He may have a better job for you or He may be trying to build some spiritual discipline by turning you from things that have now become an idol in your life. It works the other way as well. Let’s suppose you get a promotion and a nice raise in salary. Now you are better off financially than you’ve ever been. Can a promotion be a trial from God? Absolutely. Prosperity is often a trial or testing from God to see how you will handle His blessings. Prosperity ought to make us more giving in ministry and generous toward the needy. But at the same time Satan will use that same prosperity to make you greedy, selfish, and self-absorbed. These are just a few examples of how something God intends as a means of building you up is also used by Satan as a means to pull you down. Also note when it comes to Temptation never think that because your being tempted by Satan, the world, or the flesh that you’ve already lost. Never assume that because you have dirty thoughts, sinful desires, jealous feelings, that you’ve lost the battle. Have you ever felt tempted day after day that you might as well give into it so the temptation will go away? That’s a lie. Keep resisting and stay in the fight. One of the biggest mistakes we make is giving up after resisting once or twice. Sometimes we feel like resisting is futile since the attack seems relentless. It appears easier to throw in the towel and give in. But don’t give up on your battle with sin. Keep on fighting and confessing. If we’re patient and don’t give up God will eventually provide a way out of the temptation as scripture declares! “No temptation has overtaken except what is common to man; and God is faithful, He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.-(1-Corn. 10:13) Which should motivates us to persevere because we are assured that our temptations are not beyond our ability to resist. We will never face anything new. Whatever your trial or temptation is today, it is common to man, there is nothing unique about it. [Note: When it says “God will provide a way out” What does that actually mean? Will your smartphone suddenly lose power as you go to that website? Or your car not start when you’re about to make a run to the dealers house? Or the lid on that bear won’t open? Probably not, since God giving you a way out doesn’t mean that He has to physically prevent you from sinning. (Though God could do so if He chose-Numb. 22:22-35) Instead, it means that if you’re a Christian, you are no longer a slave to sin, and God has given you the means to choose righteousness and holiness instead of sin. In other words He gives you the ability to say no!] Another lesson we learn Jesus’ temptations is that ALL TEMPTATIONS WILL COME IN THREE FORMS the “LUST OF THE FLESH”, “LUST OF THE EYES”, and the “PRIDE OF LIFE”. Satan still uses the same three tricks—because the old ones still work. Satan doesn’t have a big playbook, he may have countless variations and different wrapping paper as it were, depending on who he is working on. What works on one person may not work on another. Sometimes he will use a combination of two or even all three forms. When Satan tempted Eve to do what God had forbidden, he simply appealed to her lustful desires “When she saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh] and pleasing to the eye, [lust of the eyes] and also desirable for gaining wisdom, [pride of life] she took some and ate it.”-(Gen. 3:1-6).Therefore since we know Satan’s tactics it’s easier for us to prepare and stand guard against those entry points if we know what to look for. (cf. 1-John 2:15-17, James 1:13-15)
-The Devil-Meaning: The Greek word “diabolos” is borrowed in Latin as diabolus, from which comes the English word devil. It is the term normally used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew name Satan. He is also known by other names as Tempter, Accuser, Adversary, etc. The Bible calls him the “Prince of this world”, the “god of this age” and the “Prince of the power of the air.”-(John 14:30, 2-Corn. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, 6:12) Satan is not just a myth as some people would have you believe, he is a very real individual. In our culture, we think of Satan as merely a personification or representation of evil. We think of Satan as nothing more than superstition. But Satan is presented in scripture as a personal being. Satan was a angel created by God.-(Gen. 1:31, John 1:3) The bibles teaches that Satan had sinned and rebelled against God-(Is. 14:12-15) and when he sinned he took a third of the angels of heaven with him.-(Rev. 12:9) They are commonly referred to in scripture as demons. Satan will ultimately be bound to a pit for a 1000 years. Then at the end of the thousand years he will be released to tempt the nations one more time.-(Rev. 20:1-3, 7-8, 2-Pet. 2:4, Jude 6) Then Satan will be cast into the lake of fire for ever and ever, to be tormented night and day.-(Rev. 20:10) For reasons only known to God He has allowed Satan to operate and roam around the world.-(Job 2:1-2) In the meantime God uses Satan to accomplish His eternal purposes. Since, if God willed it, Satan could be thrown in the into the Lake of Fire now, instead of at the End of the Age.-(Rev. 20:10) Satan doesn’t care if you believe in him or not. In fact, it helps him if you don’t because you’re most vulnerable to an enemy when you won’t even acknowledge the existence of that enemy. Satan doesn’t come to us as a dragon with red tail, horns, and a pitchfork which would make us run the other way. He comes in an attractive form. The devil often appears in an appealing disguise. He comes to use through marketing and advertisement. He comes at us as everything we’ve ever wished for or wanted. He comes at us as every reward we’ve ever thought we deserved. He comes at us with reasoning and rationale that what he has to offer is just what we have been wanting all our lives to satisfy us. Satan often “gifts wrapped” temptation in shiny bright paper to make it look attractive. He portrays and shades things in such a way that they look so appealing, so reasonable, so delightful. Satan’s attacks don’t come in the form of powerful explosives or guns. He can attack you with illness, poverty, joblessness, marital turbulence, wayward children, homelessness. He even plants people around you that will bring trouble to your life. He can use your boss, your husband, wife, neighbors, strangers, family members, colleagues, church members, etc. against you. Satan cannot push us or force us to sin. When it comes to sinning we have to own it, we can never say “The devil made me do it”! The devil is our Enemy who’s only goal is to drag us away from God and destroy our faith.-(John 10:10)
Note: Because these Temptations are put immediately after Jesus’ baptism. We can conclude that the Temptation was physiological in nature and necessary for Jesus to prepare Himself. Jesus needed time to understand the revelation of His identity given by the voice of His Father at His baptism: “This is my Son, with whom I love, and are well pleased.”-(3:16) Jesus needed time to think about who He is, what He was to be, what He was to do, and how He would He act as the Son of God. Critics agree, if such a period of meditation and contemplation was needed, it was now in determining how His ministry would be characterized throughout. Would He use His divine Powers selfish ends in serving Himself?-(First Temptation) Would He use His Fame & Popularity as a miracle worker to gain a following.-(Second Temptation) Would His ministry be about wealth and prosperity? -(Third Temptation) (Note: Since Jesus’ identity and relationship with the Father were a given before He went, even before He faced or responded to the first Temptation. Whether Jesus said yes or no did not determine His Sonship, His belovedness, or that God was well pleased. They already were the reality. Jesus could neither earn them nor lose them, and neither can we.)
Note: Many bring up theological questions regarding the “Impeccability” of Christ. Arguing since Jesus is God, and God is incapable of sinning, how could Jesus have been tempted to sin? To start off with we have to assume Jesus had to be able to fall into sin or it would have been a puppet show, not reality. And second, even though Jesus had no inward vulnerability of the sinful nature that we have, but at the same time He felt the pressure and presence of temptation. Think about it, Adam & Eve didn’t have sin natures for Satan to grab hold of either, yet they gave into temptation, and they sinned. Not only that, Adam had the best of conditions in the Garden of Eden yet he fell. Jesus was in the worse of conditions in the wilderness, yet He triumphed. Adam had a full belly he was in a beautiful garden with glorious fruit hanging from every tree. Our Lord was hungry, He was in a wilderness with no supply of food. Adam confronted Satan in paradise. Our Lord confronted Satan in a fallen world. Adam faced one temptation. Our Lord faced three temptations. Adam had only one Commandment to obey and he blew it. Jesus was open to assaults and attacks on numerous fronts, and He was victorious! Adam had all he could ask for, he had Eve as a companion, he was well feed, having all the trees in Eden to eat from, yet it wasn’t enough. Jesus was in the opposite position, He was lonely, hungry, and with the wild beasts, yet He was satisfied.-(Mark 1:13, Philp. 2:6-8, Is. 53:11) You could say, Adam failed even though he had everything going for him, but Jesus succeeded even though the odds were stacked against Him.
Note: Have you ever wondered how Matthew heard the story of Jesus’ temptation? Jesus was alone in the desert; no one had observed Him. Jesus doubtless told His disciples about His temptation so that they might learn from Him how to be victorious over temptation. Then when it came time for them to sit down and write their experiences, the Holy Spirit helped guide their memories and thoughts as they wrote. The Lord may have endured many temptations during the 40 days, but the disciples probably chose these three temptations being the culminating and most intense testing of Jesus’ wilderness experience. This brings us to the question of the content of the temptations. Did they come from within or from without. Did Satan stand beside Jesus, or sit on an adjacent rock, and converse with Jesus under that hot middle-eastern sun. Or did the suggestions come directly from an invisible evil spirit. (For the ordering of the temptations see Vs. 8-9) Some commentators even question whether our account is of ‘real’ events, or whether (as depicted in some films) these things happened within Jesus’ mind—since, for example, there is no mountain high enough from which you can see ‘all the kingdoms of the world’.-(4:8-9) But we use the language of ‘seeing’ and ‘showing’ in all sorts of figurative ways, and there is nothing in the account to suggest that these were not real experiences, albeit with a supernatural dynamic to them.
THE PURPOSE OF JESUS’ TEMPTATIONS……..
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To overcome Adam & Eve’s sin the Garden of Eden. (Gen. 3:1-13, Rom. 5:12-21)
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To overcome Israel’s failure in the wilderness. (Ex. 15:22, 16:1-3) (Both were tempted in the wilderness, Israel for 40 years, Jesus for 40 days. Jesus responds to each temptation by quoting Deuteronomy.)
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To help Jesus intercede and stand with us in our weakness. That He may help us when were tempted. (Heb. 2:17-18, 4:15-16)
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To be an example for us of how to fight temptations that come our way. (1-Pet 5:8, 1-John 2:6)
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To warn how all are tempted – That no one is ever safe or free from temptation. (Matt. 6:12-13, Luke 4:13, 1-Corn. 10:13, 1-John 1:8-9)
WHY GOD LEADS JESUS INTO TEMPTATION..
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Perhaps God wants His Son to take the offensive against temptation, and not just be on the defense.
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Perhaps Jesus is being tested to further mature His character. (Before this event Luke tells us of His early childhood, “he grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him”)
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Perhaps the Spirit led Jesus into temptation–in order to learn submission, the same type of submission He would have to face in Gethsemane, where the will of God in going to the Cross was put to the test? “Your will be done, not mine”
SATAN’S THREE AREAS OF ATTACK….
1) The “Lusts of the flesh” in the way of sexual addictions, drugs, alcohol, adultery, anger, hate, bitterness, gluttony, gossip, etc.
2) The “Lusts of the eyes” in the way of money, wealth, fame, greed, envy, jealousy, covetous, materialism, worldliness, etc.
3) The “Pride of life” in the way of power, prestige, status, attention, recognition, position, popularity, respect, etc.
Note: It is important to beware of these “Three” areas of temptation. For every sin we commit will be preceded by at least One of these temptations. Also note Temptations come in many forms. Most of us are probably not going to tempted to steal, get drunk, use drugs, or commit adultery. But can be tempted to give into anger, lose our temper, break our promises, compromise our values, trade in our integrity, hide like cowards instead of standing up for what we believe. Our temptations can even be like those Christ endured —disobeying the Word or testing our dependence on the Father. Nor should we think that all temptations are a sin. Desire itself is not a sin, since God created us to feel pleasure. Our desires for food, sex, shelter, and success are all good things in themselves in their appropriate places. As an example, God created food. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a delicious meal. But when we gorge on food to find comfort, relieve stress, or to eat away the pain, its a sin. God also created sexual desires. There’s nothing wrong with seeing a beautiful scantily clad women. But the moment it turns into a romantic attraction or a sexual fixation to someone not our wife, it’s a sin . There’s nothing wrong with wanting fine things, designer clothes, a nice house, a new car. But if we covet them as a source of status, worth, importance, and success its a sin. Finally there’s nothing wrong with having pride and ambition in a job, working hard and being successful at it. But when we fail to give God the glory, or when we pride ourselves in being lifted up and praised by others its a sin.
WHY GOD ALLOWS TEMPTATIONS..
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God allows temptations as a “Necessary” result of freedom, without it there would be no love, no free-will, no choice, no personal decision
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God allows temptations in order to build character and resistance (The more you say no, the easier it will be next time)
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God allows temptations for our own good, that we grow in holiness and resilience
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God allows temptations in order to test our heart to see if we will follow and obey Him
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God allows temptation so that were less dependent on self and more dependent on God and His grace
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God allows temptations so that we may see what our faith & obedience is like
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God allows temptations in order to humble us and keep us from pride in thinking to highly of ourselves
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God allows temptations in order to encourage and comfort others in their time of need
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God allows temptations that He may prove His power and ability to deliver us
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God allows temptations to show our weaknesses and areas we need to submit. (Points to areas Satan still has a foothold)
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God allows temptations in order to prepare us for the future battles to come
KEYS IN OVERCOMING TEMPTATION
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know the devil is coming after you
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Stay spiritually alert
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Don;t think your stronger than you are( Will power is not enough)
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Know your weaknesses and vulnerable spots
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Pray for God’s help & strength, know you can’t overcome temptation alone
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Spend daily time in God’s Word and Prayer (Study & memorize bible verses)
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Avoid & flee from it, eliminate and remove the source of the temptation
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Remind yourself how the promises of God far exceed and outweigh the fleeting pleasures of sin
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Remind yourself of all that Christ has suffered (Remember the high price of your sin and what it cost Jesus)
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Have a hate for the sin, and how much guilt & regret you’ll feel after committing it
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Take proactive measures, stay accountable, be it internet filters, accountability partners, etc.
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Confess sin immediately, and move on (Keep short accounts with God and others)
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Stay occupied in the things of church, ministry, community outreaches
WHY GOD ALLOWS WILDERNESS SEASONS..
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Wilderness seasons allows us to lean more & more into God and His grace
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Wilderness seasons can be a place of spiritual discipline. Not to hurt us or punish us but to teach us and train us
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Wilderness seasons can be a place of testing & refinement, preceding a season of fruitfulness
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Wilderness seasons develops perseverance, character, resilience, and steadfast faith
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Wilderness seasons are God’s way of getting us to exorcise our faith when things aren’t going well
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Wilderness seasons strips us of the superficial so we might seek God and what’s truly important in life
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Wilderness seasons takes away the illusion that we will have a life free from struggles & trials, or that God will make life easy for us
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Wilderness seasons allows us to have a greater appreciation for God’s blessings
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Wilderness seasons prepares us for future hardships to come
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Wilderness seasons exposes the idols that have secretly crept into our hearts & lives
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Wilderness seasons allows us to feel the pain & foolishness consequences of sin and learn from it
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Wilderness seasons allows us to be more loving, caring, compassionate, and charitable
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Wilderness seasons pushes us to despair in giving up, that all is hopeless. (Brings a person to thirst and cry out to God)
HOW TO SURVIVE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCES…
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Remember your not there by accident, your not there alone, and you will not be there forever
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Remember God is leading to even greater blessings, an inheritance in heaven
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Remember the joy & promises of God are far greater than what your going through in the moment
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Remember that God is at work in your life and will bring good out of it, you’ll be a better person for it
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Remember not to panic, don’t let your imaginations or emotions run wild (Remind yourself you belong to God)
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Remember wilderness experiences doesn’t mean you’ve gone off course, made a wrong turn, or done something bad
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Remember wilderness experiences is where victory, holiness, and spiritual growth is achieved
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Remember to seek the glory of God in it, stay faithful and passionate for God and His work
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Remember to lean on your brother & sisters in Christ, stay in fellowship with other believers
(For more Applications get the whole Book)
(All material is copyrighted and may be used for preaching, teaching, and instructing. And not for publication in any form without the written permission of the author.)
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