Jesus was tempted, so are we today. Jesus overcame the temptations, so can we today.
• Even under a direct confrontation with the devil, alone in the wilderness, under harsh circumstances, Jesus won.
If the devil tempts Him these ways, it would possibly mean that these were good entry points, our “Achilles’ heel”.
• The baits exposes our vulnerabilities, else they won’t be very much of a temptation.
• There are the same 3 vulnerable areas that we need to take heed today.
Before the passage begins, we are given a snapshot of Jesus’ understanding of WHO He is.
• Heaven opens. The Spirit descends like a dove. And Jesus’ Father speaks audibly: “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”
• Jesus has yet to do any ministry or perform any miracle. Yet He receives a tangible affirmation that he is deeply loved.
• He is loved by the Father for WHO he is. He knows that very well. This love is the anchor of his soul and the root source of how he feels about himself.
We are the beloved of God, not for WHAT we do or can do for Him, but for WHO we are.
• Understanding this love makes us secure. Knowing this love enables us to surrender to God.
• We are able to submit because we know we are fully loved. We are able to obey Him, even when His will seems so different from what we see, feel or figure out ourselves, because we know we are deeply loved.
This love anchors me. This love anchors my soul. I am fully secured and at peace, because I know I am deeply loved and highly favoured.
• Jesus enters into the desert with such an understanding.
• He does not need to do anything to prove he deserves to be loved. Jesus was anchored in His Father’s love for him.
The devil came with three powerful temptations, all hitting at Jesus’ understanding of his identity before God.
• The devil throws the same temptations at us today.
• He said to Jesus: "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." (4:3)
Temptation One: YOU ARE WHAT YOU DO (Performance Trap)
Don’t fall for such a trap. The devil would like to you think that your value lies in what you can do. It is a performance trap.
Jesus had not yet begun His ministry at this point. He had nothing to show. He had only been a carpenter. For thirty years, He had done ‘nothing’ great.
• When Nathanael got to hear that Jesus came from Nazareth, his response was: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46)
• Jesus seemed like a ‘nobody’. No one has yet to believe him. What contribution can he make?
Our culture asks the same question. Show me what you’ve got. What have you achieved? Demonstrate to me your usefulness. What can you do?
• Over time, such a preoccupation causes us to value ourselves according to our achievement.
• We see ourselves as worthwhile IF we can do well at school, at work, in our relationships, and even in church ministries.
And if we don’t score enough successes, we either (1) force ourselves to work harder, longer, faster, to prove that we are somebody, or (2) enter into a depression, and feel sorry for being who we are.
• You don’t have to prove anything. You are already deeply loved and highly favoured in God’s eyes.
Thomas Merton was a writer of a best-seller and was approached by a man who was compiling a book about SUCCESS, to contribute a statement of how he got to be a success.
Merton was actually angry. He replied, “I did not want to consider myself a success in any terms that had a meaning to me. I swore I had spent my life strenuously avoiding success. If it happened that I had once written a best-seller, this was a pure accident – due to inattention and because I was naïve. I would take very good care never to do the same thing again.
If I had a word to my contemporaries, it was surely this: Be anything you like… of every shape and form, but at all costs, avoid one thing, success.
I heard no more reply from him and I am not aware that my reply was published.
Merton understood how easily earthly success tempts us to find our worth and value OUTSIDE of God’s inexhaustible love for him, in Jesus Christ.
• Don’t read in too much of your achievements; they are yours because of God’s grace.
The devil went on to tempt Jesus a second time:
"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "`He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" (4:6)
Temptation Two: YOU ARE WHAT OTHERS THINK (Popularity Trap)
This is the popularity trap. Some of us are very affected by what others think.
Satan invited Jesus to throw himself down from the highest spot of the temple that people might believe in Him.
• Up to this point, no one noticed Jesus. He was, in effect, an unknown. How could he think he had worth and value?
• Let the people see that you are important, that even angels will come and lift you up on their hands.
[This text Psalm 91:11-12 - was taken out of context. It talks about trust God as your refuge, and when you walk in your ways God will protect you.]
Jesus is somebody so great that even angels will come and save him. The people will see how important he is.
• We like that to. We place a high premium on what other people think of us. We want to impress.
• We are all affected by this, including myself. I have to challenge this thought all the time.
When I started serving in this church, I was very conscious of how I perform, partly because of the prominent role I have as a pastor. I am very addicted to what others think. What should I say or not say in a meeting? How did my preaching go? Do they like what I am doing? I was tormented by these thoughts, constantly. My emotions go up and down depending on whether I had more compliments that week, or criticisms.
You cannot please everybody. Not even Jesus. Eventually, I’ve learnt to redirect my focus on God – to move away from what people think of me, to what God thinks of me. For that is what really matters - who I am in Christ. I seek to do my best to please God, not men. He is the One I am living for.
True freedom comes when you no longer need to be somebody special in other people’s eyes.
• It happens when we know very convincingly that we are deeply loved and highly favoured by God.
You know why we fall for such a trap of popularity so easily? We are too pre-occupied with self – how do I look, how do I fare…
M. Scott Peck shared an interesting experience when he was 15 years old and meeting up with an old classmate. This was his reflections after the conversation:
“I suddenly realized that for the entire ten-minute period from when I had first seen my acquaintance until that very moment, I had been totally self-preoccupied. For the two or three minutes before we met all I was thinking about was the clever things I might say that would impress him.
During our five minutes together I was listening to what he had to say only so that I might turn it into a clever rejoinder. I watched him only so that I might see what effect my remarks were having upon him.
And for the two or three minutes after we separated my sole thought content was those things I could have said that might have impressed him even more. I had not cared a whit for my classmate.”
That was a 15-year old speaking, but the same dynamics continue in the 20s, 40s, 60s and 80s.
• Many remain trapped in living a pretend life out of an unhealthy concern for what other people think.
• Rest in how God thinks of you. Take delight in it. Meditate upon it again and again.
Lastly, for the third time the devil tempts Jesus - Matt 4:8-9
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
Temptation Three: YOU ARE WHAT YOU HAVE (Possession Trap)
Jesus was taken to see all the magnificence and glories of the earth.
• It is a possession trap. It makes you look at what you have; believing that what you have defines you.
• “Look at what the world has to offer you. You don’t have anything now. How can you think you are somebody? How will you survive? No one notices you.”
• The devil plays on your fear. He hits at the source of your security.
Our culture measures our success by WHAT YOU OWN.
• Advertisers spend millions of dollars each year telling us we need their products. Over time, we really believe that we need them.
• Soon our identities depend on them. They become our status symbols and we feel that we cannot do without them.
• Our culture tells us possessions, wealth, the applause of men are what make us great.
We begin to compare – who has the most money, the most beautiful look, or the nicest house? Who scored the highest grade, got the most awards, and has more degrees in their resume?
• Our sense of worth is tied to our possessing these things. Our sense of worth is tied to our positions at work. Are these the true measures of our worth?
• There is nothing wrong with having things. But just remember, they don’t define us.
Jesus sees himself as the Son immensely loved by his Father and found his personal fulfilment in hearing his Abba Father says: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
• We choose to do the same today. Rest in the love of the Father as the true anchor for who we are. Put a premium on your relationship with God!
• Meditate on this truth all the time, and you’ll find yourself loving Him and obeying Him, just like Jesus.
Don’t be too caught up by WHAT YOU DO (performance), on WHAT OTHERS THINK (popularity), or WHAT YOU HAVE (possessions).
• Be confident of WHO you are in Christ. Know that you are deeply loved, highly favoured and forever blessed.
• Then will you SURRENDER to Him and SUBMIT to His will without reservation.
