Temptations of Jesus (2)

(Transition) in our passage today we see a Spirit filled and Spirit led Jesus facing the temptations of this world and setting an example of how we too can have victory over temptations.

The Temptations passage

Luke 4:1–2 NASB95

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

Luke 4:3–4 NASB95

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ”

Luke 4:5–6 NASB95

5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

Luke 4:7–8 NASB95

7 “Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ”

Luke 4:9–10 NASB95

9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’

Luke 4:11–12 NASB95

11 and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

Luke 4:13–14 NASB95

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time. 14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

What sticks out to you in this passage, note it down, and why?

Who led Jesus around and for how long (vv.1-2)?

The Spirit led Him around for 40-days

Jesus tempted by the devil, what was the first temptation (v.3)?

Turn stone into bread, feed your hunger Jesus, you are hungry.

What is the second temptation (v.7)?

Worship me and I will give you dominion and its glory. (part of the answer came from (v.6)).

What is the third temptation (v.9)?

Throw yourself down

What was the end result (vv.13-14)?

Tempted with all things, the Devil left for a more opportune time

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and word about Him spread!

(Transition) Satan, the Devil even had to admit who Jesus was (vv.3, 9)

Satan wanted Jesus to use His divine power, divine authority to disobey the Father’s will. To do it, use it for His own purposes

Why was Jesus tempted?

To demonstrate victory over the temptations of the enemy and walking in the Fathers perfect will.

To start the work that He will be the acceptable High Priest who was tempted with everything and yet did not sin (Heb2:16-18, 4:14-16)

Wiersbe said this: “The first Adam was tempted in a beautiful garden and failed. The Last Adam was tempted in a dangerous wilderness (Mk1:13) and succeeded.”

I think will give you some good points even before getting into the temptations.

We have the same resources available to us today as Jesus did.

Prayer (Lk3:22)

Fathers love (Lk3:23)

The filling and powering of the Holy Spirit (Lk4:1)

The word of God (Lk4:4, 8, 12)

One more thought, this too from Wiersbe

“Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us, but God can use these difficult experiences to put the best in into us. Temptation is Stan’s weapon to defeat us, but it can become God’s tool to build us. (Jm1:1-8, 13-17).

Leading into temptation

To face the temptations to come Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit (Lk3:21-22)

Jesus led by the Spirit being tempted by Satan (Lk4:1-2) (also see Heb4:15)

After identifying with sinners in baptism

Now identifies with sinners in temptation

Identified so we now can know He understands the temptations we face

Hebrews 4:15 NASB95

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Whereas we are weak, Jesus was strong. Whereas we had a sinful nature, Jesus had a perfect nature. Jesus in the flesh faced and overcame what we have given into many times.

Filled with the Spirit did not keep Jesus from temptations, in Jesus case it led Him to be tempted.

Jesus because we are Christians we should never think we will never be tempted by the things of this world or that there are never going to be things that are difficult to face.

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome those things, those seasons in life we have to go through.

The First Adam was tempted, tested in perfect conditions; the Last Adam was tempted in in bad, severe circumstances. One was victorious, the other was not.

The First Temptation

Luke 4:3–4 NKJV

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”

The first temptation, meet your own personal need (lust of the flesh)

40 days without food, scripture tells us He was hungry.

I found interesting thought from Llyod-Ogilvie “In the first temptation, Satan suggested there must be something wrong with the Father’s love since His “beloved Son,” was hungry. In the past Israel was hungry in wilderness and God provided food from heaven, surely Jesus could use His divine power to feed himself.”

Yet Jesus did not use divine power to overcome physical hunger, He used God’s word.

Paul said we are not tempted beyond our ability to resist (see 1Cor10:13)

Know God’s word, let that overcome the lusts of the flesh

If you are the Son of God do this was the temptation of the Devil.

This is not a “if” as if there was a question about it, it is a since you are the Son of God do this, use your power, your divine power to meet your physical, fleshly need, you are hungry, eat.

Satan had used food with the first Adam (Gen3:6) and it worked there, but with Jesus it worked too, victory by the power of the Spirit and the word of God.

Jesus responded with the word of God from

Deuteronomy 8:3 NASB95

3 “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

Guzik said this: “Jesus used Scripture to battle Satan’s temptation, not some elaborate spiritual power inaccessible to us. Jesus fought this battle as a Spirit-filled, Word-of-God filled man. He drew on no divine resources that are unavailable to us.”

The Second Temptation

Another interesting fact, difference between Luke’s investigated, detailed account, and what it says in Matthew, there is a different order in temptations 2-3.

The Matthew account seems to be the correct order

Lukes account follows the order of John, 1Jn2:16

1 John 2:16 NASB95

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

The temptation: Here you can have all the kingdoms of the world if you worship me.

Satan claimed authority over the kingdoms of the world, and that was uncontested by Jesus

Satan is the ruler of this world (Jn12:31)

Prince of the power of the air (Eph2:2) (Also used Lk24:25-26)

Jesus purpose was to take away the sin of the world and that meant suffering and going to the cross. The glory came after the suffering

Luke 24:25–26 NASB95

25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

Father already promised the kingdoms to the Son (Ps2:7-8); but it came after suffering (Jn12:23-33; Rev5:8-10)

Psalm 2:7–8 NASB95

7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

There is the promise, you can look up the others when you have opportunity.

Jesus victory over this temptation again is the word of God, this time (Deu6:13; also see 1Pt5:10)

Deuteronomy 6:13 NASB95

13 “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.

Because of this victory, Peter says this

1 Peter 5:10 NASB95

10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

“There are no shortcuts in the Christian life, and there is no easy way to spiritual victory and maturity. If the perfect Son of God had to hang on a tree before HE could sit on the throne, then His disciples should not expect an easier way of life.” (see Lk9:22-26, Act24:22) - Wiersbe

The Third Temptation

The temptation of using signs, wonder (boastful pride of life).

Devil quoted (Ps91:11-12)

Psalm 91:11–12 NASB95

11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

Look Jesus I know angels will rescue You, what a great way to show Your power in doing this, it will be good for your ministry.

Jesus, again, responds with the word (Deu6:16)

Deuteronomy 6:16 NASB95

16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.

Morris: “The temptation may have been to perform a spectacular, but pointless miracle in order to compel wonder and belief of a kind.”

Signs and wonders save no one, that was not the purpose

(Transition) - we are about out of time, but the final thing should be noted one more time

Luke 4:13–14 NASB95

While Satan may have backed off, he did not just go away, he waited for a more opportune time

F. LaGard Smith: Satan is not stupid; he will not continually put his limited resources into an ineffective battle. If you want Satan to leave you alone for a while, you must continually resist him. Many are so attacked because they resist so little.”