Matthew 4 - Part 2 - How do Jesus' temptations relate to me?
Matthew 4 - Part 2 - How do Jesus' temptations relate to me?
In Matthew 4 Jesus shows us that He has power to overcome Satan's temptations. What about those temptations? They don't seem such a big deal! When I first read them I thought that they weren't all that tempting - turn stones into bread, throw yourself off the pinnacle of the temple, and worship Satan. As if Jesus is going to say, "Sure, I'll throw myself off the temple and worship you". It didn't seem to me like these would tempt me if I were Jesus.
I can think of better temptations. Do you understand what I am getting at? I mean what about some kind of sexual temptation. Jesus was 30 and not married. What better way to get at Him than by tempting Him with illicit sex.
Or how about a get rich quick scheme, say by finding coins in every fish you catch. Jesus did this for tax purposes. Why not for a major income source? Who would not want to go fishing and earn a fortune as well? But somehow the temptations Satan faces Jesus with were the ones that Jesus found the most difficult of all. Why? I think that somehow these temptations encapsulate the kinds of temptations we experience. But how do they do this?
Well, let me tell you what I have been thinking about. It seems to me that Jesus does something that reverses what happened in the wilderness with Israel years before.
God led Israel into the wilderness and they went without food or water so that He might test them. It's rather intriguing and obviously significant that Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (NLT) says "Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
Does this remind you of anything? That's what Jesus said at His temptation. In the wilderness God tested Israel in 3 areas - to trust God's Word, to trust God's provision, and to trust God's leaders. They failed all 3. They sinned against God's Word and made an idol, they failed to trust God for their provision and complained constantly, and they failed to trust God's chosen leaders when Korah rebelled against Moses.
The broken tablets of the Law were placed in the Ark of the Covenant to remind them of their sin against God's Word. The manna was placed in the ark of the Covenant to bear testimony to their sin in not trusting God for His provision. Aaron's rod that budded was placed in the Ark of the Covenant to remind them that they had sinned by not trusting in God's appointed leaders. 3 very strong reminders of their blatant areas of sin and of ours.
Jesus reversed this by trusting in God for His provision, by trusting in God's Word implicitly and by being led by God's Holy Spirit. Satan says turn these stones to bread. But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'". Israel failed but Jesus won the victory on every level, and reversed the curse of our sinfulness.
Jesus constantly quotes from Deuteronomy which seems to indicate he was doing something specifically to prove that although Israel failed, He came through with flying colours.
Jesus travels through His wilderness experience with perfect obedience and trust in God. Jesus died for our sin of not trusting God for His provision for our lives, not trusting God's appointed leaders, and not trusting in God's Word. These are all areas of temptation that we constantly face. Sexual temptation is not trusting God for His provision in marriage. Temptation to speak negatively against the vision of your Church could well be an example of not trusting in God's appointed leaders. Being tempted not to forgive others when they do something against you is directly failing to trust God's Word which speaks clearly about forgiveness.
The second temptation tries to make Jesus test God deliberately jumping off the temple pinnacle and being caught by angels. Kind of like bungy jumping without a rope. Now that wouldn't tempt me, but for Jesus it was big. Then again how often am I tempted to do things that make me look good rather than God? I guess it's the same kind of temptation. People aren't impressed when I try to show off in the areas of my gifting. It's not about me. It's about God and His purposes for my life.
If Jesus had given in to these temptations, He would have compromised everything He came to do. The devil wanted Him to worship him and by-pass the Cross. Jesus actually addressed all the areas of temptation that I face and won. With His help, I can win too.
God bless you Church as you trust in Jesus for victory over the temptations in your life.
Pastor Ross
In Matthew 4 Jesus shows us that He has power to overcome Satan's temptations. What about those temptations? They don't seem such a big deal! When I first read them I thought that they weren't all that tempting - turn stones into bread, throw yourself off the pinnacle of the temple, and worship Satan. As if Jesus is going to say, "Sure, I'll throw myself off the temple and worship you". It didn't seem to me like these would tempt me if I were Jesus.
I can think of better temptations. Do you understand what I am getting at? I mean what about some kind of sexual temptation. Jesus was 30 and not married. What better way to get at Him than by tempting Him with illicit sex.
Or how about a get rich quick scheme, say by finding coins in every fish you catch. Jesus did this for tax purposes. Why not for a major income source? Who would not want to go fishing and earn a fortune as well? But somehow the temptations Satan faces Jesus with were the ones that Jesus found the most difficult of all. Why? I think that somehow these temptations encapsulate the kinds of temptations we experience. But how do they do this?
Well, let me tell you what I have been thinking about. It seems to me that Jesus does something that reverses what happened in the wilderness with Israel years before.
God led Israel into the wilderness and they went without food or water so that He might test them. It's rather intriguing and obviously significant that Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (NLT) says "Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
Does this remind you of anything? That's what Jesus said at His temptation. In the wilderness God tested Israel in 3 areas - to trust God's Word, to trust God's provision, and to trust God's leaders. They failed all 3. They sinned against God's Word and made an idol, they failed to trust God for their provision and complained constantly, and they failed to trust God's chosen leaders when Korah rebelled against Moses.
The broken tablets of the Law were placed in the Ark of the Covenant to remind them of their sin against God's Word. The manna was placed in the ark of the Covenant to bear testimony to their sin in not trusting God for His provision. Aaron's rod that budded was placed in the Ark of the Covenant to remind them that they had sinned by not trusting in God's appointed leaders. 3 very strong reminders of their blatant areas of sin and of ours.
Jesus reversed this by trusting in God for His provision, by trusting in God's Word implicitly and by being led by God's Holy Spirit. Satan says turn these stones to bread. But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'". Israel failed but Jesus won the victory on every level, and reversed the curse of our sinfulness.
Jesus constantly quotes from Deuteronomy which seems to indicate he was doing something specifically to prove that although Israel failed, He came through with flying colours.
Jesus travels through His wilderness experience with perfect obedience and trust in God. Jesus died for our sin of not trusting God for His provision for our lives, not trusting God's appointed leaders, and not trusting in God's Word. These are all areas of temptation that we constantly face. Sexual temptation is not trusting God for His provision in marriage. Temptation to speak negatively against the vision of your Church could well be an example of not trusting in God's appointed leaders. Being tempted not to forgive others when they do something against you is directly failing to trust God's Word which speaks clearly about forgiveness.
The second temptation tries to make Jesus test God deliberately jumping off the temple pinnacle and being caught by angels. Kind of like bungy jumping without a rope. Now that wouldn't tempt me, but for Jesus it was big. Then again how often am I tempted to do things that make me look good rather than God? I guess it's the same kind of temptation. People aren't impressed when I try to show off in the areas of my gifting. It's not about me. It's about God and His purposes for my life.
If Jesus had given in to these temptations, He would have compromised everything He came to do. The devil wanted Him to worship him and by-pass the Cross. Jesus actually addressed all the areas of temptation that I face and won. With His help, I can win too.
God bless you Church as you trust in Jesus for victory over the temptations in your life.
Pastor Ross
