Sermon Central
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Journey Through The Desert Series
Contributed by Rick Stacy on Mar 9, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: First of six messages leading to Easter. We all are tempted – even Jesus. There is not a one of us who has not been tempted to do something we know we shouldn’t – From sneaking a cookie to sneaking cash. From birth to death we will always be hounded b
Journey through the Desert
Matthew 4:1-11 (NCV)
4 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 Jesus ate nothing for forty days and nights. After this, he was very hungry. 3 The devil came to Jesus to tempt him, saying, “If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘A person does not live by eating only bread, but by everything God says.’ ” a
5 Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. 6 The devil said, “If you are the Son of God, jump down, because it is written in the Scriptures:
‘He has put his angels in charge of you.
They will catch you in their hands
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’ ” Psalm 91:11-12
7 Jesus answered him, “It also says in the Scriptures, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ” b
8 Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all their splendor. 9 The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”
10 Jesus said to the devil, “Go away from me, Satan! It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” c
11 So the devil left Jesus, and angels came and took care of him.
Temptation
We all are tempted – even Jesus
There is not a one of us who has not been tempted to do something we know we shouldn’t – From sneaking a cookie to sneaking cash. From birth to death we will always be hounded by temptations but that doesn’t mean we have to give in.
Today we look at the example of Jesus as He was tempted and found victory in the process.
Paul wrote in Hebrews 4:15 “For 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.”
We can like Jesus become victorious over the temptations of life.
His temptation stands as an example to each of us that yes, we will be tempted, and in the process, we can be victorious just like Jesus. Today, lets look at the example of Jesus.
Now, let’s be real. We won’t be victorious all of the time. Be we can begin to be victorious some of the time.
We are in Matthew 4. The first verses offer us insight into life itself
Temptation comes as “Desire”
It all starts with desire:
Weight Loss Clinic instructor
One night at a weight loss clinic the instructor held up an apple and then a candy bar. "What is the nutritional value of this apple," she asked, "and how would it relate to your diet?" "Low in calories", “natural” and "lots of fiber" were among the answers. She then went on the explain what was wrong with eating candy, and concluded with, "Apples are not only more healthful but also less expensive. You can buy this apple for about thirty cents. Do you know I paid eighty-five cents for this candy bar?" Everyone just stared at the forbidden treat, and from the back of the room someone blurted out: "I’ll give you two dollars for it."
For Jesus it was “Bread”
Verses 1, 2: THEN JESUS was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil. And He went without food for forty days and forty nights, and later He was hungry
3And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are God’s Son, command these stones to be made loaves of] bread. 4But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
He was 40 days without food
That makes any hunk of bread look pretty much like a church potluck dinner in the eyes of a college student who’s been eating in the dorm cafeteria!
The prior verse stated Jesus had been without food for 40 days and he was hungry. Along comes the devil and challenges his ability with the desire for food he has. Turn these stones into bread. Could He have done it? Of course!
But to this temptation and each of the others, Jesus responds with Scripture explaining why He will not.
What is it for you?
It might be bread, or a cappuccino and cinnamon roll with maple frosting. (That’s my morning thing). It might be desire for fame, for personal pleasure, or financial security.
