Tested and approved
Luke 4:1-12
Introduction-
Last week we looked at finding God in the wilderness of our lives.
Those times we need to hear from God but feel like we are in no man’s land and alone.
Most live there instead of believing that God wants to speak to us.
We can become so use to ordinary that we miss and are not sensitive to hearing God calling us to extra-ordinary.
Moses had a burning bush experience from God to get his attention and we need to be looking for Him to be in our everyday life speaking to us.
This morning as we get closer to Easter and the cross, The Scripture here is Jesus being tested in the wilderness and He shows us how He overcame temptation.
Not only can we overcome temptation, but we can have victory over temptation by the same principals Jesus used when He was tempted.
A great number of people live in the wilderness experience.
The Lord wants us to learn lessons in the wilderness but does not intend that we stay there.
Prayer-
Father, this morning do something extra-ordinary in our lives. Help us to see that we can get victory in our wilderness experience and live the life that you intended for us. Help us to learn by your example instead of the hard way we usually learn. May today be that day that we move to a new level in our love for you, and you be able to love through us to someone else.
Luke 4:1-4:12
“Jesus, full of the Holy spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil.”
There is so much in those two verses that you have to stop and grab it all!
Jesus full of the Holy Spirit! He had just been baptized by John the Baptist and was full of the Holy Spirit and was led into the wilderness.
Chapter 3:22- “And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove and a voice came from heaven:” you are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Jesus empowered by His heavenly Father
Audible approval from His Father that all there could hear- “This is my Son! Whom I love; whom I am well pleased!
He left that empowering moment and went into the desert and fasted 40 days before his confrontation with the destroyer of our souls (Satan)
Jesus tested in the dessert (Scripture says)
Some commentaries want to pick holes in the wilderness experience by saying things like-
There really is no high point anywhere in the world where Jesus could have stood where Satan could offer him the whole world.
That the Hebrews could not understand Satan being the tempter because Jesus had not yet went to the cross and many did not believe him to be the savior.
Some don’t want to believe that there really is a devil-
Then they don’t read their Bibles!
Because my Bible tells me there is a devil and gives him many names Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, murderer, liar, prince of this world, god of this world, the dragon, to name a few.
The same Satan that deceived Adam and Eve.
The same devil was trying to stop the second Adam (Jesus) from coming and finishing what he started for mankind.
The failure of the first Adam left mankind dead, sorrowful, without hope, and in darkness.
The second Adam (Jesus, would bring joy, power, peace, light, immortality, and redemption.
It made the devil mad!
I would rather look at it this way-
Almighty God commissioned His Son Jesus Christ full of the Holy Spirit of God to come to this earth.
Jesus Christ takes on human flesh- That is supernatural! That is above my pay grade.
He takes on our flesh which means that he could be tempted and means that he could have failed.
He became like us in ability to fail, that he might make us like unto himself in power to resist temptation.
Jesus did not go into that wilderness experience to fail!
He was coming out of the wilderness a victor over temptation and eventually over death itself. Amen.
Stone into bread
(3) “The Devil said to him, “ if you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Have you ever seen Israel? On the news, they are constantly throwing rocks at each other- this is not a sandy beach, it is rock invested area with limestone bits that look like loaves of bread.
The devil is approaching Jesus Christ and asking the question… if you are the Son of God-
He knows that Jesus is the Son of God- the thrown down defeated Satan knows the Son of God.
He is saying to Jesus- you want people to follow you, use you supernatural powers and give them material things they think they need instead of the spiritual things you know they need.
Bribe them into following you.
The taunt is a challenge to the weak man Jesus.
To provoke him to be out of character as the Son of God.
Jesus is experiencing 40 days of hunger as a man. He was hungry.
He had brought manna to others, why not create some manna for himself?
Jesus refuses to use his divine status for self-preservation.
Jesus responds -”It is written: Man does not live on bread alone.”
The need for sustenance could not lead him outside of God’s will
For Jesus, hunger was a test of his will; His will was to do the Father’s will.
To violate the laws of nature and turn a stone into bread would violate his incarnation and thus fail God’s will.
Jesus refusal to do self interest demonstrates the power of the Holy Spirit working in his life.
Luke 4:18-
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free”
A Supernatural God coming to this earth to save mankind.
A lesson for the Spirit-filled church
Acts 8:18-20
“When Simon saw that the spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered them money, and said, give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. Peter answered: may your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right with God.”
I will give you authority and power/ Worship me
(5) “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; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
In an instant Satan shows him his kingdom on this earth- Jesus if you will just take a shortcut and forget this divine intervention of mankind- you go with your weak instincts and wanting power and things now! I can give all of this to you now!
Ever wonder who he was referring to that gave him this authority? Certainly was not God the Father because He said that authority was given to Jesus Christ. “His kingdom will never end.”
“If you will worship me” This… will all be yours!
Jesus responds… “It is written:”Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”
Jesus refused to take a shortcut- He refused to worship anyone or anything but God the Father.
He quotes Deut. 6:13 warning the Israelites to stop following other gods. That when they get into Canaan, they would only serve the one true God and not put anything in place of their God.
In the wilderness, if we are not careful, we do things that we would not normally do.
In the wilderness, we begin to worship things we want instead of giving God our worship.
We see people today giving praise and worship to things and people that should be given to Jesus .
“It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”
It is a rebuke to the Devil and a reminder to each of us to be careful who we are giving our worship too.
The Devil made promises he cannot keep.
He offered power he could not deliver.
He offered authority he did not have.
Jump from the temple
(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 will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hand, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
Okay Jesus, If you are the Son of God- Throw yourself down and let all these people see all the angels of heaven save you
Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and the Spirit falling on Him was purity and power.
Heavenly Father audible testifying to his Sonship with authority.
The Spirit of the living God acknowledging his worthiness.
God Almighty saying that He was pleased with His Son.
This was not about power, because Jesus could have called on thousands of angels and displayed miracles. It was about Jesus coming out of character as the Son of God on a mission from God and being weak as man and taking second best instead of God’s perfect plan for us.
(12) “Jesus answered, “It is said: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
The life the Devil would have us lead is doubt and uncertainties.
That the world can offer eternal blessings
That right now is all there is and you must get all the gusto now.
It is a lie from the pits of Hell and it smells like smoke!
What lessons can we learn from Jesus testing?
We can know that we can be overcomers of temptation the same way Jesus overcame.
Satan is already a defeated foe.
What is the key to resisting temptation?
Do it the same way Jesus did. (repeat)
Closing,
Make sure you are led by the Spirit of God
Jesus made sure He was filled with the Spirit of God and empowered to be able to defeat the temptations that the Devil threw at Him.
Make sure you are empowered and hearing from God before you go into the wilderness, not fighting to find God after you go into the wilderness.
It would be much easier to follow Christ principals before you are in the area of temptation than scrambling for answers in turmoil.
Know the Word of God well enough that when the Devil tries to lie to you that you know the truth of God and stand on them.
“I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength.”
Believer’s freedom
“I have the right to do anything, you say, but not everything is beneficial. I have a right to do anything- but not everything is constructive.” 1 Corinthians 10:23
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” Galatians 5:16
Ephesians 6:10-
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes.”
My favorite
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm.” Ephesians 6:13
Jesus beat the temptations of the Devil by the power of the Holy Spirit and living the truth of God’s Word! That is the way that you beat the devil everytime.
Listen to this closing verse as we close-
(13) “When the devil had finished all his tempting, he left him until an opportune time.”
We need Jesus every minute of every day!
When we lower our guard, the devil will try to get a foothold.
Empowered by the Spirit of God, and the truth of His Word. We are equipped in power to overcome Satan’s assaults
God’s Word and His Spirit is more powerful than any of Satan’s schemes.
When we do, He is master of our life.
When we do, He warns us to flee from sin and not get tangled up in it.
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11
