Sermon Tone Analysis

Review

We saw in our last time together at the end of chapter 3 what would mark the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, namely his baptism at the Jordan river.

If you remember Matthew introduced us to John the Baptist and it would be his calling and purpose to prepare the way for the Messiah, and so he comes as one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of our Lord, to making his paths straight.

He emerges from the wilderness and comes baptizing those from Jerusalem and the surrounding region with a baptism of repentance.

It’s at this particular time we see Jesus make his first public appearance, and he commands John to baptize him, not because of any sin he had committed but in order that all righteousness might be fulfilled.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who is without blemish, and so it’s fitting that he submits himself to the entirety of God’s law, including baptism.

Jesus the Son of God

Upon his baptism the heavens are opened and the Holy Spirit descends upon him from above, and behold, a voice from heaven says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

God the Father affirms and commissions his Son by speaking and sending the Spirit to rest on him.

And it’s within this setting we witness the next step in Jesus’ commissioning, that is, his testing in the wilderness.

Jesus will be tested by God and tempted by the devil.

Jesus the new man

Jesus is immediately “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

() God wastes no time.

As we might say, Jesus is a man on a mission, a man with a purpose.

He leaves the waters of baptism and is promptly lead by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

The Garden of Eden and the fall of mankind

What this text should remind us of is mankind’s original fall recorded back in Genesis chapter 3. It should remind us of the Garden of Eden and the serpent’s temptation of Adam and Eve.

As we all know the serpent deceived Eve and an in turn man rebelled against God in disobedience, which threw all of mankind into sin and suffering, leading ultimately to death.

Why the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

Many of us have likely asked question, “Why would God even put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden in the first place?”

The answer to that question is surprisingly simple, the answer is, so that God might test them.

And why does God lead his son into the the wilderness to be tempted by the devil?

For the same reason, to test him.

While Adam failed, the glory of this text here today is that Jesus would succeed.

He would endure the temptation, he would not rebel against God as Adam and Eve had, instead he would be victorious over temptation and the tempter.

Where Adam had failed Jesus would be victorious.

Jesus overcomes so much more than Adam and Eve

It’s quite incredible when we consider the similarities between these two stories, but it’s even more extraordinary when we consider the differences.

Here’s what I mean, 1) the environment in which Adam and Eve were tempted was perfect, there was no preexisting sin nature or corrupted creation, their circumstances were more than ideal, yet they failed when tested.

Jesus on the other hand had far less than perfect circumstances, he’s without food or water for more than a month in the wilderness, and yet he remained obedient, 2) Adam and Eve had each other, there were two of them.

How much easier is it for us to abstain from sin when we have someone nearby to regularly hold us accountable to God’s word, but yet again Adam and Eve fail despite the fact that they have one another.

Jesus on the other hand is alone in the wilderness and likely endures temptation far longer than Adam and Eve ever did.

The obedience of the second Adam

This is why Jesus is later called the second Adam, or the new Adam, the one who will make all things new.

This is incredibly good news for those of us as who are slaves to sin, born of the first Adam, because as Paul puts it, “For as by the one man’s disobedience [that is Adam] the many were made sinners, [but] by the one man’s obedience [that is Christ] the many will be made righteous.”

()

The importance of Jesus’ perfect life of obedience

We regularly speak of the importance of Jesus’ death on the cross, and while we certainly should, it’s also equally important that we recognize that he lived a life we couldn’t, he lived an unstained life, a life without sin, and it’s that righteousness that’s credited to us upon our profession of faith in Christ.

At that very moment we are justified and sealed by the Holy Spirit for eternity.

Jesus’ sacrifice would have been of no value had he not been perfectly obedient to his Father in heaven.

He acquires for us a righteousness that is an alien righteousness, what I mean is, a righteousness that is not our own, and that’s what’s so beautiful about these verses here today.

This is why the Scriptures describe us as “more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

() It’s because Jesus conquered sin and death that we can overcome sin, it’s because Jesus conquered sin and death that we can have eternal life.

In the story of Exodus

It’s important that the Son of God by tested.

In fact, I think we see at least two reasons here in the text.

Let’s read verses 3-4 again.

“And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””

Notice verse three when the devil says, “If you are the Son of God...” Satan is challenging Jesus, in fact he’s tempting him with food.

We notice

Jesus the true son

Now let’s turn back to the text and read again the temptations that Jesus endures.

Let’s start in verse 3,

3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’

”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’

” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan!

For it is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God

and him only shall you serve.’

”

3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’

”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’

” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan!

For it is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God

and him only shall you serve.’

”

“If you are the Son of God....”

Now what’s particularly striking throughout these passages is that two of the three OT scriptures quoted here are straight out of the book of Deuteronomy, specifically chapters 6 and 8.

When Jesus answers the devil’s temptation to turn stones into bread, he says, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

This OT text is found in .

The Pentateuch and Deuteronomy

The book of Deuteronomy is one of the five books of the Pentateuch which were written by Moses.

In this last book of the Pentateuch Moses reiterates and summarizes much of what had already taken place in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.

However, he takes the liberty to remind and warn the Israelites of God’s laws and judgments, and often Moses provides commentary on these events, and the book ends with the death of Moses just prior to the Israelite’s entrance into the promised land.

Careful to obey God’s commandments

The context of verse 3 in chapter 8 is that of Moses commanding the Israelites to be careful to obey God’s commandments, because in chapters 5 and 6 he had already outlined the infamous 10 commandments as well as what Jesus would call the greatest command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

So Moses goes on to tell them in chapter 8 starting in verse 2 this,

2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.

5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.

6 So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.

The Israelites grumble against God in unbelief

The question here for the Israelites was this, “Will you trust and obey God even when your bellies aren’t full?” “Is trusting and obeying God more important than food?”