Questioning Jesus - The Tempter
Matthew 3:16-4:4
February 10, 2008
Not long after Jesus gives an inspiring - revolutionary - spell-bounding speech on what it is that he represents
-what it is he is about.
-what he is for.
A teacher of the law - a man with a good mind - a man who thinks well - a man who isn’t given to acting on a whim or carelessly. An expert/teacher of the law approaches Jesus - being so moved by him and says, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
You Teacher - the one who just inspired me.
Spoke to my heart.
Spoke truth I was longing to hear.
"Teacher Jesus, wherever you go, I want to go."
"I want to get in on
participate in
become involved in what you are setting up and beginning."
"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." (Matthew 8:19)
Jesus’ response isn’t - sure - no problem
Come follow - it’s that easy.
I appreciate your desire - come.
I’m just beginning - I’ll take anyone at this point.
Jesus doesn’t say that. What he says to this interested, excited, I’m willing guy is,
"foxes have holes
and birds of the air have nests
BUT the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20)
What’s Jesus telling him?
It isn’t going to be easy.
It isn’t a yellow brick road.
It isn’t all what it appears to be.
I don’t have a place to lay my head.
Are you sure that you want to be part of something like that?
And the man’s response? We don’t know. Matthew doesn’t tell us.
We sometimes call this man’s desire
His excitement
His noble ambitions
The honeymoon period.
You know the beginning time when everything looks good
Sounds good.
Feels good.
It’s the nothing could go bad - the nothing could go wrong. It’s "all good" period of time.
Yes honey.
Yes sweetie, I’ll serve you.
I’ll help you.
I’ll turn off the TV and do dishes and vacuum the floor.
It’s the honeymoon time.
Jobs have this period of time.
A time when you boss and co-workers are wonderful.
A time when your office seems big
Or the work not too hard and even a little enjoyable.
Jobs have honeymoon times.
Parenting does as well.
Little Johnny or Sally is born and you put a blue or pink hat on them
And their new outfit on and they drool on it
But that’s o.k. because they are so adorable.
And then their diaper overflows and stains the outfit and it’s o.k.
Family vacations have honeymoon periods for a mile or two
When everyone is excited.
Loving
Patient
And content
Getting a new car, a new apartment or house, a new animal - each comes with a honeymoon chapter.
But the reality hits
Strikes
Draws near
And we question if our spouse, boss, child is the same person.
That once shiny car begins to drip oil and that house needs its roof patched and the animals can become more expensive than you kids.
It’s easy to say sign me up.
I’m committed to becoming a husband.
An employee here.
A dad.
That’s the easy part but living into a fulfilling those roles can be hazardous to everyone’s health.
"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." The man said.
And Jesus says, you better think twice about that.
I won’t let you jump into this so fast.
It isn’t as rosy as it appears.
"Foxes have holes, birds nests - me, Jesus - God’s Son. I’ve got no place to lay my head."
In our text for today, we see these 2 periods or chapters of time. This honeymoon time and reality time. We’re going to see how the truths and words revealed during the honeymoon got Jesus through a very difficult, tense, emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually draining experience. Memories of the honeymoon often got us through tough situations. Words said, promises made, lives shared can be foundational and the infrastructure necessary when things are toppling over.
Quite often I find people have the wrong idea, wrong perception of Jesus. If they were to characterize Jesus’ life as honeymoon or reality - many people assume honeymoon.
They think about the Jesus stories they’ve heard or seen and reason, heck when there were storms, Jesus could calm them.
When he was hungry - he could make extra value meals out of a few fish and loaves of bread.
When there was sickness - he could cure it.
Jesus’ life was honeymoon - all honeymoon even when he was killed - he resurrected. But in reality his life - what he endured, lived through, experienced was the very reality you and I face and most of it isn’t too much honeymoon.
Our text begins with the honeymoon.
1st the honeymoon - Matthew 3:16-17, page 1499.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Matthew tells us that Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan. He went under the waters. And as he was coming up out of the water he saw and
Heard something
He saw the heavens opening.
He saw God’s Spirit descend upon him as a dove.
He heard God’s voice say, "This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased."
This is honeymoon.
Jesus as he submits to his Father’s will for him enters the waters, committing himself to life ahead of him. At that moment God himself makes a commitment, a covenant, God himself gives Jesus a sign of his deep pleasure in him.
The heavens open up.
A dove descends.
A voice speaks - "You’re my Son.
I love you.
I am well pleased with you."
Is not that a speech every child longs to hear from their Father?
Would not such an affirmation put you in a honeymoon made.
I’m loved
I’m in a good relationship.
Someone - no not just someone - but the Father - Master of the universe finds pleasure in me.
It’s honeymoon.
It’s grand - beautiful.
What’s the first word? "Then"
What does then mean?
Next
Afterward
Following
Immediately
Then - next - immediately after this, "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil."
And we say, "Lord have mercy - not so quick. The honeymoon just started."
Then Jesus was led
Taken
Brought
Guided by whom? The spirit - this was God’s doing
God’s choice
God’s timeline.
Into the desert
Wilderness
Lonely
Isolated place. Why?
To be tempted.
Tested
Quizzed
Questioned by the devil.
Jesus doesn’t wander there himself.
Jesus doesn’t make a wrong turn heading back to Nazareth.
Jesus didn’t choose this path.
No he is led by the Spirit of God to that place.
But I thought you loved me? I do.
I thought you were pleased with me? I am.
I don’t understand. I don’t get it.
You love me?
You really are pleased with me? Yes- Yes- Yes
Reality hit hard and fast for Jesus after the honeymoon period.
Friends, I can’t really explain this to you.
I don’t know why this happened and happens but as I read the Bible, what I realize and discover is that this is what God does with us. God gives us those beautiful life blessed moments but also gives us and promises to take us through reality as well.
Abraham
Moses
The disciples
Paul
Peter
All have honeymoon moments followed quite quickly by a big dose of reality. Had they done anything wrong.
Had they transgressed?
No - It’s the way God works.
Back to the text.
After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of god, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "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."
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Observation #1
Temptation came to Jesus when he was at his limits.
1. Temptation comes when we are at our limits.
Times of temptations come-
Times of testing are experienced when we are a limit.
For the 3 previous weeks we’ve talked about limits
Boundaries
Fences
When we live life with no reserves.
When we live life at a full pace with no time for rest.
No money for a rainy day
No margin
No safety net.
When temptation enters our lives we are more susceptible.
When I come home wiped out from my day - when I’ve been pushed to my limit,
I am quite often unable to restrain my voice when the Kids act like kids.
I’ve recognized that I tend to eat more - especially stuff I shouldn’t eat. Things I normally could say no to.
Ice cream at 11:00 p.m. sound good.
Jesus was at a place where he was at his limits.
He was at his hunger limit - 40 days of no food.
He was brought to the highest point of the tempt and to a very high mountain.
The tempter brought Jesus to the very edge - trying to make it easy for Jesus to fall into his way.
Example:
Do you struggle more with
Drinking
Pornography
Swearing
Cheating
Anger when you are rested and healthy or when you are at a limit.
The tempter knows human nature.
The allure of temptations are more enticing when we are at our limits, near the edge.
2. Encountering Temptation/Experiencing Temptations isn’t a sin, it is how we respond to that temptation.
What we do in that situation.
Sometimes we put ourselves in awkward spots but often we don’t. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
The Bible says,
"Jesus was tempted in every way yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)
It is how we respond when we are tempted that matters.
3. The ability to withstand temptation is related directly to my confidence in God.
When we have confidence,
Trust
Faith in God
In who he is and what he promises, we can withstand temptations.
When we doubt if God will come through for us.
If God even cares.
If God can be trusted.
If it is worth it to remain pure
Honest
Right
Then we fall to temptation.
Again the tempter knows this.
In verse 3 - what is the first word in the Tempter’s sentence, "If - if you are the Son of God.
In verse 6 - what’s the first word? “If."
The tempter’s strategy is to bring doubt to Jesus’ identity as God’s Son. Jesus can you be confident that God love you and is pleased with you and will come through for you?
How does Jesus respond? Full of confidence!
He quotes scripture - Scripture gives him confidence.
He trust that living righteously in the now, in the short term will in the long run be best.
He remembers back to the honeymoon.
The Father said he loves me.
He was pleased with me.
I will live confident of that.
When I know who I am and whose I am I sin less.
4th Observation - there is always more at stake than we think.
With temptation there’s always more at take than we think.
Food in verse 3 wasn’t about food but about sustenance.
Where Jesus’ provision came from.
Would Jesus find his nourishment from the Tempter or from his God.
There is always more at stake than we think.
We tend to think - temptation only affects the now
The present.
But you know that isn’t true.
You will find yourself watching a movie or a TV show and the character is being pressured into something he’s at the edge about ready to cave and you yell out, "don’t do it." because you knew that his decision will not only affect him but his marriage
Job
Kids.
Example - some of you grew up in a broken home and you carry the burden, the pain and anger still today towards your dad or your mom who thought that they could do that 1 thing that 1 time and that it would only affect them.
But years later, it is still affecting you.
There is always more at stake than we think.
What’s at stake?
My Future.
My family/others.
My faith.
Every time I sin, it affects my future.
Every time I sin it affects my family.
Every time I sin it affects my faith.
Having that extra beer doesn’t just affect you - does it?
Staying out later than you said doesn’t just affect you - does it?
Cheating or stealing from work doesn’t just affect you - does it?
It is the lie of the Tempter for us to think - sin - falling into temptation only affects the 1 person in the present only but it just isn’t true.
Jesus knew this.
Jesus believed this.
Jesus was committing himself to the call of God upon his life. He would pursue living faithfully into that call when tempted to be unfaithful.
And because he did, he gained victory of temptation.
And because he made it through this test and others, we too can get through those times of temptation.
How? By remembering our honeymoon.
Those moments, those times when the truths of god are heard and planted deep within you.
When we take to heart the fact that our God loves us - is pleased with us and will one day open up the heavens for us - we can make it through the reality we face.
No, I am God’s child - I will not be yours.
No, I have confidence that God will get me through and has something better for me on the other side of this.
No, I will not live at my limits.
Push hard
Live at the extremes morally
Physically
I desire to live a boundaried life for when I do - I am better able to withstand those times when temptations come.
I want to give you a phrase to take with you.
I want to give you - phrase to commit to memory.
Listen to the phrase-
Temptation - you will not have my future.
You will not have my family;
You will not have my faith.
In those moments. At those times - when you are in a vulnerable situation, I want you to say this phrase.
Temptation - you will not have my future - it’s more than just now.
You will not have my family - this would affect more than just me.
You will not have my faith - I have full confidence and trust in God.
Let’s pray.
Parts of this sermon were taken directly from Andy Stanley Pause - sermon 1, North Point Community Church.
