Who Am I? The Gospel According to Matthew Week 7

The Gospel According to Matthew Week 8

Navigating this world, and trying to live a life for Christ can be difficult.  There is no question that temptation is a real and difficult challenge that we all experience.  Sometimes evening knowing when we are being tempted can be difficult.  Overcoming temptation, is it possible? How do we accomplish such a feat.  Today as we study the beginning of chapter 4 in Matthew where we see Jesus tempted, let us keep asking how this can help us.  Is this just an interesting story about Jesus, or is there lessons for us to take away?

READ: Matthew 4: 1-11

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted^[a] by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’^[b]”
⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “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.’^[c]”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[d]”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’^[e]”
¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Jesus is baptized and then led by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit who was at his baptism into the wilderness where he fasted for 40 days.  Now fasting for 40 days is incredibly taxing on the entire body.  Gandhi survived 21 day fast.  Of course he was old, but the point is to fast for 40 days is incredibly difficult and must have brought the Savior to the brink of death.  The mental and physical toll was enormous. A benefit he had was that he had also been spending time with the Holy Spirit, communing with God just as we can.  His fasting was a time of fasting and prayer.  Physically weak yet strong in his connection with God.

There are three different temptations.  All three are different, attacking the Savior on ever deepening levels. 

  

Let's break down the three temptations.

1. Physical need/ Physical body.

Satan takes his great need for food, his weakness, the physical need first. How many of the things that you are tempted with are connected to the physical body?

How did Jesus respond?  What was his defense?

2. Uses the very words that Jesus was using for strength against Satan, Satan uses to tempt him.  He uses what should be nothing but the source of strength and truth to tempt Jesus. He uses truth. He asks Jesus to test God.  

Have you been tempted in similar ways?  If we are unwilling to seek truth and believe truth, can we be tempted by skewed "truth" or by a need to make God prove himself?

How did Jesus respond? What was his defense?
  

3.  Third and final temptation is an interesting one.  Michael Card talks about it being the glory of what Satan was showing him, the wealth and beauty.  It is also interesting that ultimately Jesus mission results in the world being His, yet Satan uses it to tempt him.  It is the easy way, the quick way, just one simple thing, worship him.  Worship Satan.  Interesting, that if we worship and acknowledge Christ as our Lord and Savior what happens?

How have or are you tempted in this way?  Wealth, worshiping Satan, not trusting God with what He has promised you and getting it on your own? 

How did Jesus respond? What was his defense?

How was His response different here?  

Jesus was in probably the weakest state both physically, mentally, and emotionally as humanly possible, but he still had strength.  Where did His strength come from?

What can we learn from how Jesus handled the temptations.  What is our response to Satan?  What is our defense?

1. Spend time with God. 

Jesus may have been physically and mentally at the brink, but he was strong in God's love and purpose for His life.  He could still hear, "this is my son in whom I am well pleased!"  This fasting time in the wilderness gave him 40 days of prayer, 40 days where his singular focus was the Savior. 

2.  The scriptures.

Jesus as a young boy had spent time memorizing and studying the scripture.  He knew His bible.  He could quote it.  He knew it's meaning. When Satan uses the scriptures against him, or to tempt him, He knew the difference, he was confident in what it said to know!

3.  Use the name of Jesus Christ and be willing to tell Satan to "GO."  This is perhaps something we heard about as children, but how often do we use this very powerful tool.  We are completely at the mercy of Satan and his power unless... unless we are willing to use the strength that comes from Jesus Christ.  

4. Worship the one true God ONLY!!!!!  This is easily said, yet giving him our true allegiance, not so easy at times.

So who are we because of who He is?  He is victorious, He puts Satan in his place even when in His weakest physical and mental state!  We too can be victorious if we are willing to use the tools given to us.  We also have the Holy Spirit, we too have the scriptures, we too have the power using Jesus name to command Satan to leave.  We can be victorious and strong because of who He is! 

One last thought.  Last week we saw how beautifully Jesus saw who he was, he was confident in His fathers love, he saw the Holy Spirit with him, and it was then that Satan tried to attack. Often when we are the most confident in who we are in Christ that Satan tries to make us doubt and question and no more an effective way to do that than to get us to surrender to his temptations.  Come close to God, experience Him, know who you are in Christ, and then make sure you lean on Him to keep you strong.