Lessons From Jesus’ Temptation in the Wilderness

Oh, well, it's been a wonderful Sabbath so far. I just so appreciate that opening message. Thank you to those who allowed me to speak. I don't take it lightly, and I just think it's been a wonderful opening prayer, opening song leading, great hymn singing. And so we will continue to honor God and worship God today. The title of our study today is The Devil's Temptations. The Devil's Temptations. And we're going to turn our hearts and minds onto this whole event of Satan and his attempts to turn the worship and the honor of Jesus Christ from his Father.

And in turning our attention onto this, make no doubt, this passage of Scripture, this event, is immense. It's immensely important in our spiritual journey and lives. We know this event to be recorded in the Gospel accounts where Jesus, right after his baptism, is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast 40 days and to be approached and to endure this temptation attempt by none other than the Devil himself. And we're going to read that recording in just a moment in the Gospel account of Luke.

But before we turn to that passage, I think it would be beneficial for us to really set our foundation. So I'd like us to first turn to Hebrews 2, if you will. Hebrews 2. And we're going to read verses 17 and 18. So if you'd like to open your Bibles and we can turn together, or if you'd like to listen along, Hebrews 2 verses 17 and 18.

Before we look at that temptation event, I want us to look at—and I think it's going to be helpful—to review just a couple of summary statements here. Summary statements regarding this whole issue of Satan's temptation attempts and his confrontation with Jesus Christ. The first summary statement is found here in Hebrews 2, verse 17 and 18. The writer of Hebrews says, speaking of Jesus Christ, therefore, in all things, he, Jesus, had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God and to make a propitiation for sins and of the people.

For in that, he himself has suffered being tempted. He is able to aid those who are tempted. That's one of the overarching purposes of Jesus Christ allowing himself to have this confrontation. So it's a wonderful summary statement there. Particularly, these words being tempted, he is then able to aid you and I. You and I in our experience in these matters. In other words, in this act to be made like us, in this act to be made like his brethren, he suffered this going through this whole temptation attempt by by Satan the devil.

And that's a wonderful thing because in doing so, again, he's able to help you and I. Help us to endure these confrontations with the devil ourselves. Allowed himself to endure this so that he could encourage and strengthen and educate us.

So that's a wonderful summary statement. One more summary statement found here in Hebrews. Let's turn just a few chapters forward to Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 15. Just one verse here. Hebrews 4 verse 15. Look at this. This is just one more statement regarding our high priest, Jesus Christ, and his temptation that he allowed himself to endure. Hebrews 4 verse 15. Listen to this. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin.

So before we begin to unravel this whole temptation event that the gospel writer Luke will tell us about, we just need to understand that the reason why Jesus Christ allowed him to endure these things, it is so that ultimately he can sympathize with us. Really get down into our circumstances and to truly understand Jesus Christ is not someone who is merely sitting from a far off, you know, somehow disconnected, unattached, unaware, perhaps, of all that we go on and that goes on in these battles here in our humanity.

Not at all. He came and he overcame. Therefore, he's able to help you and I in these same temptation moments. And I think it's important to acknowledge as we begin here that there can be a tendency. I know there was a tendency in my heart to just somehow believe that the temptations that Jesus Christ went through, there somehow or another, it just seems that there was less power behind those attempts. I mean, after all, he's the Son of God. He's Jesus Christ. He's the sinless, the sinless Savior.

Therefore, the notion of somehow or another the devil, I'm sure he really didn't have as much leverage with Jesus Christ in that way as he does with us in our ordinary humanity, you know. Well, if you've had that notion, I'd like you to consider the fact that it's just the opposite, just the opposite of that fact. And the temptations that Jesus Christ endured were actually even that much more striking and even had that much force behind them. Why? Well, it's because he bore a temptation in a way like no one else has had to endure.

When we think about this, I want you to consider 1 Corinthians 10.13, a very familiar verse to us. Why don't we go ahead and turn over there? 1 Corinthians 10.13, one more verse before we get to Luke 4. I just want to show you this, that what you and I experience in our temptations and all these temptation attempts from the devil, they're actually filtered through God's protective hand. Notice this. 1 Corinthians 10.13, we're going to see that what you and I experience is actually filtered through God's protective hand. Look at this. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 10.13, he says, no temptation has overtaken you, that's you and I, except such as is common to man. 2 Corinthians 10.13, but God is faithful, and here it is, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. So let's stop there. So in other words, he will not suffer you and I to experience temptations beyond what we're able. He will always make a way of escape. We'll be able to bear it. So again, with the temptations that you and I experience, there is this filtration system, if you will, whereby God protects us from the ultimate onslaught of these things, where we're not tempted beyond what we're able. There is a way of escape.

However, however, that filtration system is removed when it comes to Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ, when we're about to read what we're about to read in Luke 4, he experiences the unmitigated onslaught of the devil challenging him to the highest degree, challenging him in his humanity, challenging him as Messiah, and all of its manifold intensity. And he allowed himself to be put in these crosshairs with the great enemy, so that, again, he can help you and I as we go through these things. So with that foundation, let's get to it. Luke chapter 4, this is the temptation event as recorded by Luke. Luke chapter 4, we're going to read verses 1 through 13, and just know that we come to one of the most incredible moments here ever recorded in all of human history here. This is a cosmic battle, cosmic in its importance to us and all that it meant. Luke 4, let's just take the time to read verses 1 through 13 and really listen to this, what Luke records for us. Luke 4 beginning in verse 1, then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for 40 days by the devil. And in those days, he, Jesus Christ, ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, he was hungry. And the devil said to him, here's the first temptation here, if you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. But Jesus answered him, saying, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Then here it is the second, the devil, taking him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to him, all this authority I give you, all this authority I give you, so he says to Jesus Christ, all their glory, for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if you will worship before me, all will be yours. And Jesus answered and said to him, get behind me, Satan, for it is written, you shall not worship the Lord your God in him only you shall serve.

Then the third and final temptation here, verse 9.

Then he brought him to Jerusalem, set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written, you shall give his, he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you. And in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against the stone. And Jesus answered and said to him, it has been said, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Verse 13. Now, when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. Let's stop there. Whew! I've got to tell you again, this is some of the most profitable words to us here in all of scripture. And you'll notice that this cosmic struggle, it begins with a fast.

Jesus Christ fasts for 40 days here. That's verse 1 and 2, filled with the Holy Spirit. This is after his baptism. He's led by the Spirit into the wilderness, no food for 40 days, tempted by the devil. I wonder if those words at the end of verse 2 struck you at all. He ate nothing during those days. And at the end of them, Luke writes, he was hungry. Well, okay. Thank you, Luke, for the obvious.

You know, and I wondered, what could that be for? Why would you state that? There might be a few reasons, but one reason it might have been for the benefit of those listeners at the time. There was a segment of society then that tried to make Jesus Christ all God and make him less than human. Not quite man, they said. So they would have said, you know, it doesn't matter if he fasts 40 days. It doesn't matter if he fasts 400 days. You know, he's fully God, they would have said. And not quite man. So they tried to diminish him in that way, diminish the fullness of him. That's an erroneous belief, trying to make him so much God that they made him less human. But Luke, you know, here says, oh no, oh no, he didn't eat for 40 days and he was hungry. So if we would have seen him there, no doubt he would have been gaunt. He would have been pale in color, perhaps, just emaciated. You would have had the picture of him in total weakness at that point. And the evil one steps up and he says, good afternoon. I would like to talk to you about a number of things here.

And he says, in fact, let me say to you, and here's the first temptation again, if you are the Son of God, why don't you just tell this stone to become bread? That's verse 3.

Verse 3, and the devil said to him, if you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.

You know, that's interesting. In the previous chapter, chapter 3 verse 22, God had already proclaimed Jesus Christ as his son. There in chapter 3 verse 22, he says, you are my son there at his baptism. But here, chapter 4 verse 3, the devil's voice comes and says, if you are the Son of God. And let me tell you, that's the way it always is. That's the way it always is with the devil. That's his way. That's his words. Did God really say, do you really think that's true? Are you really a son or a daughter of God? So, when you think through this first attempt here, and think it a bit in terms of Christ's humanity and how it relates to us, just really put yourself here. Because again, just not too long earlier, there he was, being immersed, the baptism, the heavens open, the words, the spirit descends. Upon Jesus Christ, like a dove, you are my beloved son, in whom I'm well pleased. This is wonderful. Here we are, Jesus Christ would have said to himself, 30 some years, and preparing for this. Here we go. Here we go. Here we go where? Well, here we go to the wilderness, a barren, ugly wilderness. Whose idea was that? Well, God the Father leading Jesus Christ by the power of His Spirit. Verse 1 again, it is God who by the power of the Spirit leads Him into the wilderness. And here he is, alone, not eating. First day, second day, third day, fourth day, 40 days. And in the midst of all this, you have this cosmic struggle here taking place.

And I want to really emphasize that because this again is in light of, in light of the voice of the Father from heaven saying, you are my son. This is in light of that. God now leads Him to this amazing struggle right at the outset of that experience. So here's the devil. You can imagine him. I'm gonna give a little conjecture here, here, you know, looking around at this horrible place. Huh? He would have said, he would have said, if you are the Son of God. And I say if purposely, Jesus, because that was quite a scene there at the, at the river there. Quite a scene. Heaven's open voice and all that. But I just want to suggest to you that what you thought happened didn't. Because after all, if you really were the Son of God, in whom the Father was well pleased, don't you think things would be going a little bit better than they are?

Don't you think things would be wonderful? I mean, you just come out of the Jordan, just a day or two in it, and now you're in one of the most wretched places, no food, seemingly forsaken by everyone, and you have me to talk to. Seems like to me, Satan would have said, you've been forsaken.

And my suggestion to you, that if you really are the Son of God, take one of these stones and turn it into bread. You know, it's a little bit of conjecture on my part, but I think that's really the essence of it. Some commentators say that this temptation is simply or merely to provide physical need, and you can glean that from this, but I think the fullness, the fullness of this temptation in its essence is a temptation to doubt.

I wonder if you agree with that. A temptation to doubt. Doubt. Doubt that his father was still with him. Doubt that he was with him in these most devastating circumstances here.

Forsaken, facing the worst of days. Tempted to say, where are you, God?

Tempted then to take matters into his own hands. Go at it your own, the devil was saying. Why adhere to your father's will? Why adhere to that will and run the risk of starvation?

You can just take care of these dire circumstances yourself. Go ahead.

Look at Jesus' answer here, verse 4 again, verse 4. Again, verse 4. But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. This is a quote from the book of Deuteronomy.

For your notes, it's Deuteronomy 8.3. And for your homework, if you like, if you want to look back to that moment, you will see that Deuteronomy 8.3, that that is in the moment where God's provision is being provided to his people in the wilderness wanderings.

So it's another wilderness event. The manna he's providing, the shoes that don't wear out. They're in the wilderness, providing for them supernaturally.

It serves as a reminder that we are not ultimately dependent upon physical bread, but we are to be dependent upon God, who is the ultimate giver of life and the ultimate supporter of life. Let me just say this. The bread that you can purchase, the bread that you can make with your own hands and your own means is perishable, temporary, and woefully inadequate. But the bread that God provides, if you would eat of it, it's eternal and everlasting.

So our hope and faith is it to be in him alone.

So let me ask, is this a temptation for you? Do we really think of and by ourselves we can solve all these issues that we face? What are you putting your faith? What are you putting your heart on and depending on by your own resources, rather than ultimate dependence upon the heavenly Father? Is this your temptation? Doubt? Fear? That God's not with you? And then the temptation to self-will versus God's will? Are we growing weary, losing faith in God? And therefore, maybe beginning to put our faith in the bread that we can manufacture, the bread that we can control more than God?

Remember this, verse 4, when Jesus says, what Jesus is saying here is, no devil. My God promised to look after me. And in fact, my Father, by his power, he's led me to this dreadful place. Think about that. I will admit he could have said to the devil, this is a horrible place. It's a barren place. It's an ugly place. I'll give it to you that. But I am not going to listen to what you say. Why? Because my Father knew I was going to be here. And he even was the reason I am here. He knows I am without food. He knows I would be famished. He even knew you'd be here, Jesus Christ would say. So if I were to do as you suggest, I would be in an act of disobedience, and it would be an act, a lack of faith toward my God.

So it's an incredible response here. Verse 4 again, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. We must not depend on our own devices.

And I think this particular overcoming by Jesus Christ would have been particularly helpful to the disciples, because in just a short period of time, he would gather his disciples and say, and ask them, why are you worrying? He says, why are you worrying what you'll eat? Why are you worrying what clothes you'll wear? Why are you worrying about these things?

But if we suppose for a moment that Jesus Christ would have failed in this temptation, and taken it into his own hands, and manufactured the bread, whatever it may be, what would the disciples say to Jesus Christ when he said, now don't worry, guys. Well, they would have legitimately been able to say to him, that's easy for you to say. Within a snap of your fingers, presto, there's bread, you know. You don't know what it's like to be hungry. You don't know what we're going through.

Ah, but Jesus Christ does know. And he would have said, I do know. In fact, I went 40 days without eating. No one came to help. No one gave me a thing. So this is the Jesus Christ that we meet in Scripture right here. He is down here in our circumstances. He stands in the valleys of our life and reaches out to us. When no one else understands, Jesus Christ says, I do. I do.

Second temptation found here in verses 5 through 7. Luke 4, verses 5 through 7. Here it is.

Then the devil, taking him, Jesus Christ, up to a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the devil said to him, all this authority I will give you and their glory, for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if you will worship before me, all will be yours. Let's stop there. So think about this temptation. This is a powerful one.

The devil comes and proposes to Jesus Christ that he should establish his messianic kingdom. By making a compromise with the devil, proposes, why don't you just bow down to me? And I'll give you what you seek. I'll give you everything you seek.

And get this. You'll be able to get it all, but achieve it without all the struggle and without all the suffering. Isn't that what the devil is saying here? Again, this is a powerful temptation. In other words, there's another route I can offer you, and it's a route that does not require pain and suffering. A route without enduring a crucifixion.

Why don't you just go that route without the struggle, he says? And we know Jesus Christ would come to truly know the struggle. There, in his final prayer to the Father, he says, Father, if it's possible, take this cup from me.

And I just wonder if, you know, at that time, Jesus Christ is thinking back to this incredible beginning to his ministry and the struggle here, and he would have remembered the voice of the evil one at this time. Why don't you just accept this kingdom from me without the pain, without the suffering, without the narrow road, without the bloodied face, without the crown of thorns? But what was Jesus's response here? Verse 8 again. Verse 8. And Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind me, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve. That's amazing. What a statement. There. So rather than the path of no suffering, he chose self-denying sacrifice. That's what this is. Self-sacrifice. And he chose not to worship himself.

Jesus Christ chose not to worship his own desires and to put that above worshiping God and God's will in his life. He chose the narrow road, rebuked Satan, chooses the way of struggle and conflict, chooses the way to endure temptation.

And make no doubt. Make no doubt. The connection is obvious. Today, today, the devil comes to us. And he says, You don't have to worry about any of that narrow road stuff. Why worry about that? Why worry about taking your cross up every day? No, don't do that. Have a much broader road for you.

Don't believe all that nonsense about self-sacrifice? Why sacrifice the self? Why deny yourself's desires? Why leave everything else behind? You can have everything now.

So you see, this is how Satan comes to Christ in his second temptation attempt here.

So let me ask again, how are we doing with this temptation?

In what areas are we choosing the broad road?

To really try to really personalize this. In what areas? You know, the broad road often provides comfort in the temporary. The broad road often provides peace of mind in the temporary. The broad road is focused solely on those things in the physical life. Perhaps the comfort and the peace of mind can be at the expense of what is eternal and what is everlasting.

So when you think about this temptation in your life, that's really how to measure it up and how to hold this up to your life. What comfort measures? What peace of mind measures am I bringing into my life today? It's solely physical in nature. It's solely temporary in nature. If I take an honest look at it, it is at the expense of that which is eternal. And at its essence, I'm choosing then in those circumstances to worship myself, to worship my own desires, to elevate my own desires above that which is God's desire and His will. I think many of us understand that the way to the kingdom is through suffering and self-sacrifice now. This is what Jesus Christ showed us. Yes, I don't want to be all doom and gloom. When I got on this narrow path and it includes suffering and self-sacrifice, the irony, we could say from a human perspective, is that I experienced more joy than I ever experienced on the broad road. That's the irony of it all if you just think of it from a physical point of view. But I have so much joy and I know you can attest to this as well. When I'm making those decisions for self-sacrifice and when I'm putting God above my own desires, oh, it hurts a little bit at first and in the physical. But I come out on the other side just so filled up, so filled up. Because when we give, we can never match what God gives us in return.

And Christ is showing us this. He endured it and with His help we can too.

How sad Christ is going to later say, go on later to say, He says, how sad would it be to receive your full consolation in this life? When He's talking about the beatitudes and the woes, He said, oh, what a tragedy it would be if you received your full consolation, your full comfort in this life. Oh, that would be such a tragedy and negate that which is the everlasting comfort to come. Isn't this such an enlightening passage of Scripture here? I just love this.

Well, moving on to verses 9 through 11. Jesus Christ is confronted here in the third and final temptation here. The devil leads Him to Jerusalem, has Him stand on the highest point here of the temple. Let's read this, verses 9 through 11. Then He, the devil, brought Him, that's Jesus Christ, to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you, and in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone. Let's stop there. So the devil confronting Him once again. And you know, you could come up with your own description with all these temptations. But I think this is the temptation to create a scenario, create a situation in which the Father would be forced to come to the aid of His Son.

So I think the essence of it is this, this third temptation. It is the temptation to intentionally make an unwise decision or an unlawful decision and expect God to catch you when you fall. Let's think about this. I'll repeat that. This final temptation attempt here is to intentionally make a decision, an unwise decision, an unlawful decision, and then expect God to catch you when you fall. So in that way, you're testing God's love for you. You're testing His promises of protection in this way. And you'll notice that we're told this is in the context of the temple. You know, that's pretty fitting. You know, the temple represented God's presence, His protection. And you'll notice that the devil actually, what he quotes here is actually fitting as well. He quotes from the 91st Psalm. We won't turn there, but you'll recall the 91st Psalm, Psalm 91. It begins with these words, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High. That's how the Psalm 91 begins. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High. So again, this place in which the devil takes Jesus represents shelter, protection, and he quotes from that Psalm. This is from Psalm 11 and 12 there in verse 6. This comes from Psalm 91 verse 11 and 12. For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against the cell. So what the devil tries to do with this temptation is to tempt Jesus Christ in participating in the test of God's promises. Here, tempt Jesus Christ to test God's love of Him.

And you know, this is a unique temptation in that challenge of trust and love and the challenge of God's promises, His love for Him in this way. So why don't you just jump? The devil says. But then Jesus says, look at this, verse 12, Jesus said and answered and said to Him, It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.

So why does He respond in that way? Jesus answered and said, It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God your way. Well, I believe He responds in this way. Simply the answer to that is that He knew there had been no word from His Father directing Him to take this dive. Okay? To take this dive from the edge of the temple, Pinnacle. There had been no word from His Father directing Him to do this.

And He understood what it is to live in the will of the Father and to go outside of the Father's will and to live in that space outside of the Father's will, we tempt or test God.

Now you may say, you know, I don't know. Okay. But I don't know if I would ever tempt God in this way. I think this may be a temptation for someone else, you know. I would never test God's love or protection for me. Well, okay. Not so fast because we take these dives every day of our lives, where intentionally or sometimes unintentionally we're putting God to the test. Testing Him by making that dive, which is outside of His instruction to us and still expecting Him to catch us. So we can think about this. Let me put it to you. What aspects in your life, what dives are you taking, which may be testing God to catch you?

We pray. We pray. God bless me. God bless my family. We pray. Protect me. Protect my family. We pray. Give us our daily bread. Deliver us from the evil one. That is our prayer. But then we take these various dives. We make these decisions which are not according to God's will and therefore take us out of His protection. Because we're living in the realm of outside of His instruction. Again, asking God to daily catch us while we're not placing ourselves under the instruction of His Word. Dives. We are testing God to catch us, even though we're not living according to what His will is in our life.

I can relate to this one. You know, Father, catch me. And there I am diving off a ledge that He never instructed me to dive off of. And it's not a ledge I should be diving off of.

You know, and while I'm falling, Father, please catch me.

This is a personal one. This is a very intimate temptation here.

And so, if you're in one of those moments before the dive, we can think of these words here. You shall not tempt the Lord your God. So this is a powerful third temptation to consider here.

Well, the temptation ends here in verse 13, and we will work to a conclusion as well. Verse 13, Now, when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

And if you read the Gospel account, that opportune time comes again and again and again. And Jesus Christ comes with these same three temptations. When you read the Gospel accounts, the Gospel records, with these temptations in mind, it's so interesting. You will see them come over and over and over again. I read one commentator said, you know, these are the same three bullets that Satan has in his gun at all times. Just to take manners into your own hands, take a different route than what God intended. Step outside of God's will, but still ask him to protect us. And when you look at Jesus Christ in his life, you will find that these temptations come to him. And sometimes they're presented to him from some of those who were nearest and dearest to him.

There was one moment where Jesus Christ was going forth to Jerusalem, to his destiny, that crucifixion, and he brings all of them together. And he says, this is what's going to happen. I am going to go up and suffer and die. And who speaks up? But Peter, and he says, Lord, this will never happen to you. You know, in a matter of words, it's not on my watch, you know, I won't let this happen. Peter, urging Jesus Christ to go the route without pain and without suffering.

Peter, urging Jesus Christ to take it into his own hands. Peter, urging Christ to go outside of God's will. They're all there.

And what does he say? What does Jesus Christ say to Peter?

That's right. He says, get behind me, Satan. He knew, Jesus Christ knew who's behind all these things.

We know, we know who's behind all these temptations that we face.

But thankfully, all of these attempts by the devil to overturn the plan and the purposes of God, despite all the onslaught, all the evil that was let loose on Jesus Christ, he defeats them all. Defeats them all. And then provides us that very victorious power to come and to live in us. So that we can say, when we're presented with these things, we can say those exact same words, get behind me, Satan. And in those words, we're acknowledging where we know the true temptation is coming from. And therefore, we know what battle, what level we need to fight it on. It's a spiritual battle. So we need to go to the Father and ask Him for this help so that we can have victory, just as Jesus Christ did. The power to resist Him.

May we use this power and may we use the education that this is giving us in this recorded event here. There is victory over Satan the devil. Let us allow these words. Let's allow this Spirit, God's Spirit, to help us move forward to the end. Victorious, victorious over all the devil's temptations.