Temptation
February 26th, 2023
1st Sunday of Lent
"There are no shortcuts in life"
Jesus is lead into the wilderness by the holy spirit and is being tested for 40 days and 40 nights.
When things are really bad, when you are at your worst, that is when the devil comes in to tempt people. The devil doesn't have to look like anyone or anything; It is the temptation that drives you away from God. The feeling that takes you away.
We see the joy that Jesus Christ brought us, because he died for our sins.
So we are watching him get tempted for 40 days. The devil knows the scripture almost better than we do- he knows what to say to get us swayed. The devil tries to offer Jesus Shortcuts out of the temptations. Jesus was strong in his faith and knew what his fate was and what he needed to do- he needed to end his journey on the cross.
The devil tempts Jesus with provision, protection, and power. The same things we face today.
Temptation:
Temptation isn't always the action, it is the
thought in someone's mind. The devil plants seeds in our minds, everyday.
Provision, protection, and power. We don't always trust that the Lord will provide for us. Everyone is tempted by this.
There are times when we feel HOPELESS. When we are at our lowest. This is when the devil comes in and tries to tempt us. People find protection in Alcohol and Drugs. We have to believe that God will help us threw our depressions and our pains. We need to feed ourselves with God's scripture.
Matthew 4: 10 --- "Jesus said, 'Away from me, Satan! For it I'd written: worship the lord your God and serve him only.'"
Hymn: 269 -- Lord. Who Throughout these 40 days.
ABIDE.
When you go home, think about your relationship with God. TRUST IN GOD. Don't take any shortcuts. ABIDE WITH GOD AND JESUS. Stay in the will and the way he has in store for us. ♡
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“1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted a by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ b ”
“Jesus’ temptation was a demonstration of his humanity
We know from Scripture that Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14; Colossians 2:9). He has two distinct natures, both divine and human. We call this the hypostatic union. At the very least, the temptation of Christ was a recognition of his human nature. And, it was in his humanity that he walked, talked, grew, and was ultimately crucified for our sins.“
“Matthew 4 clearly reveals, in part, the fulfillment of what God said long ago. Christ bruised Satan’s head since He was victorious in this instance of temptations and at the cross, effectively crushing the power of Satan over mankind. Satan bruised Christ’s heel. While it was necessary for the Savior to suffer and die for us, it was in God’s divine plan that Satan would only bruise the least part of Christ’s body.”
Citation: https://carm.org/about-jesus/why-was-jesus-led-into-the-desert-in-order-to-be-tempted/
““Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,” Jesus said, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16.
No doubt, this would have drawn widespread and immediate attention to Jesus in Jerusalem. The devil takes advantage of people in high places because they have so far to fall.
The devil knows how to use Scripture to tempt people. In this case, he might have hoped to cause Christ to kill Himself.”
“The devil failed in tempting our Lord. There is victory in Jesus who loves and understands us.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).”
Citation
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/33136/christ-is-tested-in-the-wilderness/amp
An example of dependence upon the word of God
One of the most important things that we can glean from the Scriptures that deal with the temptation of Christ is his reliance upon Scripture. Since Jesus was (and still is) God in the flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5), he could have rebuked the devil with a command or even a wave of his hand. But, instead, Jesus resisted temptation and rebuked the evil one by quoting Scripture.
Matthew 4:4, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ ””
Matthew 4:7, “Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’ ”
Matthew 4:10, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.” “
We see here the demonstration of Jesus’ dependence upon the word of God. We should follow the example of Christ, just as Paul did (1 Cor. 11:1). If Jesus relied on Scripture to resist temptation, then so should we.
How could Jesus be tempted if he is God?
A common question is how could Jesus be tempted if he is God in flesh? The answer is simple. There are two types of temptation. A person can be offered a temptation but it not really be tempted. For example, I do not care about watching sports. But, let’s say that I had a scheduled dinner with my wife one week in advance and a friend offers me tickets to a big sporting event on that same evening. I am, so to speak tempted by him, but internally I am not tempted. I would much rather do dinner with my wife. Likewise, the temptation can be offered to God externally, but God cannot be tempted internally. Please consider the following Scripture.
Psalm 106:13-15, “They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, 14 But craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15 So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them.”
As we can see, if you read the context, the Jews God in the wilderness. But, God was not tempted. In other words, it was an external temptation, not an inch one.
Citation
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/33136/christ-is-tested-in-the-wilderness/amp