Your independent freedom
Luke chapter 4:1-13
Introduction-
The celebration of our Nation’s birthday is really a celebration of freedom.
We celebrate it because others have paid a price for us to enjoy it.
Freedom is not free, it is expensive. It is of great value.
Our founding fathers thought it so important they left their families, jobs, their country and risked their lives.
Today we can worship because men and women risked their lives to maintain freedom for us.
Illustration-
A father was talking to his rebellious son one day, and said, “every person who lives in the United States is a privileged person. The boy answered, “I disagree” And the father relied, that is the privilege you enjoy.
I wonder if that is not the problem in America today.
Most have not earned the freedom they enjoy.
Most didn’t fight for it. It did not cost us anything.
Most reap what we did not sow
Most are sheltered by roofs they did not build.
The soul of America should be God. And we are in danger of losing our soul!
Turn with me to Luke chapter 4:1-13
When it comes to temptation, we say or at least we act like the devil made me do it.
Truth is the devil cannot make you do anything! He’s clever. He knows our weaknesses, but he is not all powerful.
We claim to have Christ in our lives, but many live defeated lives.
Many believe in the power of God, but do not evidence Him in their lives.
If you truly want to be free from all, I repeat all that has tied you down in your life, this message is for you.
God can set you free, but if you give it back to the devil, then you are a fool.
Jesus gives us examples how we can get victory over temptations and our weaknesses.
If Satan tested Jesus, you can bet that you will be tempted.
I want to set this text up for us this morning. Jesus was heading into a wilderness experience, but He is not doing it on His own. He is full of the Holy Spirit.
(1) He has come from the river where He was baptized, where His heavenly Father has given to the world His approval that this is His Son whom He is well pleased.
Jesus has been in the presence and power of God the Father.
He has fasted 40 days for the power of God to be active in His life.
If you are going to have any chance to win over the devil, it will only be in the power of God working in your life.
Some of you have been praying maybe even begging God for something and have not seen results. God says some things only come from fasting and praying.
Some of you are taking on the devil with a stick and getting the snot beat out of you, and you are discouraged.
Some of us have been riding a spiritual high and wham! Suddenly we find ourselves tormented and attacked.
Jesus was on a high. Baptized, full of Holy Spirit, spent time with the Father, and here comes the devil to attempt to steal what was given to Him.
3 ways the devil tried to do that
(1) v3- “If you are the Son of God, tell the stone to become bread.” (Take His eyes off the Father and put them on Himself)
First thing that happens is the bait is put before us.
He knows our habits.
He knows our hangouts.
He knows our weaknesses.
The correct bait will get us hooked. (If not led by the Lord)
William McDonald
The purpose of the temptation was not to see if he would sin, but to prove that he could not sin. Only a holy sinless man could be our redeemer.
Jesus was not ever in danger of sinning, but if that possibility was never there, it would not be a test.
God does not tempt us, but He does allow us to be tempted, not to see if we won’t sin, because He knows we are weak.
He does it to see if we will have victory because the sinless holy one that redeemed us allows us to have victory because of the all powerful presence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives that conquered sin, the grave, and has defeated Satan in our lives.
He tried to catch Jesus at a weak moment. (Okay Son of God, doesn’t even deny it.) Turn this stone to bread.
Trust yourself rather than trust God the Father to supply all your needs.
The second way he tempts him is (v5) “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.”
He comes with appealing things. (Even things, he could not possible give us)
All this can be yours, just get your focus off God and on things.
The accuser, our adversary, The God of this age, the father of lies, the prince of the power of the air, son of disobedience, the tempter of our souls, paints a picture of what he can offer, and tries to lure us with fancy bait.
He withstood it (Jesus) so that in the power of the Holy Spirit we can conquer temptation.
Philippians 2- the chapter we have been in Sunday School says he was in all ways tempted and God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every other name- that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
The devil cannot offer you anything except heartache.
Ephesians 5:15-
Be very careful then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.
Illustration
Sir Edmond Burke
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
Go ahead, keep your head in the sand and look around and think all this can be yours, only keep your eyes of f Jesus- only have to do nothing.
Final way here (v9) “the devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the Temple. If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down from here. For it is written, He commanded his angels concerning you, to guard you carefully. They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
Do not put the Lord your God to the test!
There is only one place that I know of that the Lord tells us to test Him. That is in giving! Give and it should be given you. Taste and see if I won’t so that for you! Test me and see!
All other places, it is dangerous and foolish to test almighty God, and play Russian roulette with our lives.
This temptation came to Jesus when he was alone.
If the devil can isolate us.
Get us away from the things of God.
Get us away from the people of God.
Get us away from the Temple of God.
He can destroy us. We are susceptible to temptation when we are alone.
Christ is the only one who never yielded to temptation. He is the only one that can keep us from temptation and sin in our lives.
C.S. Lewis
No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good.
Closing
(13) “when the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time”
That tells me that we need Jesus always.
That Satan is looking for the right opportunity to being us down at our weak moments.
The hand writing is on the wall.
This country is going down the tubes fast without God, but it does not mean that God’s people have to go down with it .
Opportune time is when we are in a desert.
Time away from God.
Let me show you a narrative contrast in this text.
V1- Jesus led by the Spirit…………………………………………….Jesus led by the devil(v5)
V1-Jesus full of the Spirit………………………………………………Jesus tested by the devil (v2)
V1- The Jordan river………………………………………………………The wilderness (v2)
V1- Jesus full of the Spirit………………………………………………. Jesus stomach empty (v2)
V3- Bread……………………………………………………………………….. Stone(v3)
V2- 40 days……………………………………………………………………… An instant(v5)
The text tell me that Satan fired all his darts at Jesus and Jesus passed the test.
It shows us that the devil again gather his tarts and fire again at a different time. We never arrive and come to a point that he no longer fires at us and stops trying to destroy us physically and spiritually.
We must constantly be filled and seeking the strength of the Lord to be able to withstand the darts of the enemy of our lives.
FAITHFUL INSTRUCTIONS(Sermoncentral)
There was a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance.
He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note.
The note read: "pour all the water into the top of the pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the water you need". Now the man had a choice to make, if he trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he would have all the water he needed. If it didn’t work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he could choose to drink the water in the jug and get immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he still might die. After thinking about it the man decided to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and he got a little scared but he kept going and water started coming out. So much water came out he drank all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the containers he could find. Because he was willing to give up momentary satisfaction, he got all the water he needed. Now the note also said: after you have finished, please refill the jug for the next traveller.” The man refilled the jug and added to the note: “ Please prime the pump, believe me it works”!
We have the same choice to make, do we hold on to what we have because we don’t believe there are better things in store for us, and settle for immediate satisfaction? Or do we trust God and give up all that we have to get what God has promised us? I think the choice is obvious. We need to pour in all the water, trust God with everything.
Then once we have experienced what God has to offer, the living water, we need to tell other people, “Go ahead prime the pump, believe me it works”!
Altar Call
