There’s a cartoon that reads “how come opportunity knocks only once, but temptation beats the door down every day?”
Temptation, how often are we tempted in some situation to just give in. The human race does not have a great track record when it comes to temptation. This from Genesis 3:1-9.
An interesting sort of outcome to giving into temptation, the result was that the man and woman hid from God, the result is still in our shame often we hide from God. Some even believe that by denying His existence that sin does not exist, nothing to hide from, “its all tickity-boo, I can do what I want to do”. An interesting thing shame and dangerous if we don’t sort out our path to being in God’s will.
As we lead up to Easter we can look at the life of the one who was tempted but did not give into temptation. We also see that in his life Jesus was tempted and we also see that temptation is not sin; giving into temptation is. If it is outside the will of God t is sin.
The temptation of Jesus; what was that about then? How come he was lead by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil?
This comes down to qualification and it also comes down to Jesus pointing us to the way out of temptation when we are tempted.
1) Qualification: What is that all about? Jesus had to be tempted, He and was continually being tempted in His ministry. The devil spoke to Jesus through the word of Peter at Caesarea Philippi when Peter tried to talk Jesus out of going to the cross, Jesus reply to him was ”Satan, get behind me.” Another time Jesus said, “You are those who have stood by me in my trials…” (Luke 22:28). His trials included temptations.
The thing to remember here is that Jesus could have used his divinity to get him out of all sorts of situations but he didn’t, he had to be tempted as a man and over come those temptations, to show he was the Saviour, that he had been down that path of temptation that we all travel but he did not yield. Jesus was tempted as a man he suffered and died as a man but at the same time was God.
We have a doctrine that talks about this. The forth Salvation Army doctrine reads “We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.”
God understands how it is for us, he has been tempted, he has suffered pain, he has suffered rejection, insults, he’s cut his finger, scraped his knee, been given jip about his family background…he‘s been tempted to turn stones into bread, to leap off a tall building to prove his Fathers love for him, to have more earthly wealth than I can imagine and I can imagine quite a bit!
Jesus was shown to be perfect not just by His miracles, not just by His teaching but by His overcoming temptation…even to the stage where He could have called down legions of angels to save His suffering death on the cross, but He was willing to carry out his Fathers will…in suffering and dying as a man. He has been where we all must go and is the first fruits of all who will rise from the dead.
Jesus has the qualifications of a Saviour, no other who went before and no other who comes after fits that bill, He is Lord over sin and Lord over death, Jesus has beaten them both.
What can we learn from his temptation in the desert?
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2) We see that Jesus was in a place of temptation as the devil was tempting him, and who won’t be tempted after forty days fasting to turn stones into bread?
We see the devil using the line “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”. This is goading a little like we would say in a moment of peer pressure, “you say you’re this, prove it if you’re not chicken.”
But rather than give into the temptation Jesus quotes scripture/: Deuteronomy 8:3 says this; “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
Interestingly Moses spoke the words to the nation of Israel about hunger and the Lords provision with manna, after Jesus temptation God provided angels to attend to him.
A) The lesson from verses 1 to 4 are two fold: (1) We need the word of God, in the form of scripture, as well as when we see his word at action in our lives and (2) It is the good having physical sustenance but we also need to be sustained spiritually and only God can provide spiritual sustenance.
This may came about through reading the scriptures, particularly remembering the scriptures, if you find you give in easily to temptation; you will build up your armory of scripture to ensure that you have the right answer for the tempter, just as Jesus did. Jesus shows us how to avoid sinning when we are tempted (SBI)
You may also find that prayer and fasting help in learning to resist temptation, and not eating is only one way to engage in the discipline of fasting, it could be that not watching Coronation Street or that other street programme, your favorite sports or cooking programme might be of spiritual value, giving up some favorite thing for a time is a great way to grow spiritually. If you are interested in fasting make sure you are sensible about it if you suffer health issues find away to fast that will not affect your health detrimentally.
From verses 5 to 7 we see something else.
B) That we should not put God to the test, I’ve heard of people who put themselves into situations where they are tempted to the max, with the idea that they will not fall because God will rescue them.
The ladies man who flirts like crazy, the alcoholic who hangs around bars or mates parties, the hoarder who keeps going to garage sales, the dating couple who spend time together un-chaperoned.
If we give into temptation it is one thing, but to put ourselves in temptations way is foolish practically if we turn around and blame God when we do the stupid thing and go back to the ways of the old man, that person who sins, because God didn’t save us from ourselves.
After the Jesus says to the devil “Do not put the Lord your God to the test’, we read this, ”Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that all may go well with you …” (Deuteronomy 6:18a). We all know that if we don’t do what is right and good in the Lords sight, life gets messy. Thankfully Jesus shows us how to avoid sinning when we are tempted. (SBI)
But remember that the devil tempted Jesus just as we are tempted, verses 8 to 10, show us to what extent Jesus was tempted and show a couple of ways in which we are also tempted.
C) All the kingdoms of the world, all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
This temptation has a couple of biggies that most human beings crave, desire and many have died trying to gain!
Material possessions and power, not just in a small way but all of it; Jesus was offered it all, no having to teach these disciples, no having to traipse around that dry old country side for three years, no run ins with family and Pharisees, no need to go off to lonely places to avoid the crowds, no need to perform miracles that left him drained and above all no need to suffer and die on the cross.
Three years of hard yaucker or instantly in charge, power, fame and fortune? Hands up who wants the three years of hard work or the big prize that means you’ll never have to work again?
Jesus knew his divinity, and here it all was laid out before him, all the kingdoms of the world in their splendor all he had to do was, bow down and worship Satan and it could all be his.
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13 “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Jesus shows us how to avoid sinning when we are tempted. (SBI)
If we are worshiping God if our whole lives are focused on him if we are “Living for God”, temptation will be easier for us to overcome and in overcoming temptation we are made spiritually stronger. Interestingly enough the Salvation Army has another doctrine about this, doctrine ten reads: “We believe it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We can be blameless!
3) Through temptation we are able grow spiritually, as we avoid giving in we grow;
What the devil would use for our harm, what he would use to cause us to sin can help us to grow spiritually, to grow in our relationship with God and to prove our witness as Holy Spirit filled people! By not giving into temptation; we see that it is possible not to sin…once done this can be repeated many times… always.
What could have resulted in bad; by resisting results in good!
What can weaken us or prove us weak; by resisting can make us stronger, and purer to the point of blamelessness.
By resisting the temptations that are put in our way, as we engage in the spiritual battle as Jesus showed us, we are strengthened.
Do we engage in the ways of resisting, by engaging in the word of God, by studying it, learning it and being strengthened by it as it is worked out in our lives, do we not test God being sensible with our behaviors, with the company we keep, and do we worship God before all others including our selves, because if we do we will be able to follow Jesus example and resist temptation.
We are not called to do this alone as we engage with temptation as Jesus shows us and as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us we will overcome.
I would like to acknowledge the work of Pastor Chris Smith of Stauton Baptist Church for snippets gleaned from his sermon “The Purpose of Temptation.”
