Tempted in the Desert
Notes
Transcript
Matthew 4:1-11
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, 2 and after he had fasted forty days and forty nights, then he was hungry. 3 And the tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, order that these stones become bread.” 4 But he answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man will not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the highest point 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 lift you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand it is written, ‘You are not to 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, “I will give to you all these things, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan, for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and began ministering to him.
As we begin today We read from Matthew chapter 4, I however will be drawing on information found in Mark 1 and Luke 4 as well.
Immediately, Mark likes that word. and He uses it to tell us that Immediately, after Jesus Baptism He was lead into the desert where he undergoes trials and temptations.
A testing period.
Testing periods are important in the scripture. Before something big happens there is often a period of Testing. And when you read from the point of view from someone who reads the Old Testament, as Jesus would have done, as Matthew would have written
The wording of the beginning of this passage reminds the reader of Deuteronomy 8 When Moses reminds the people
2 And you shall remember all of the way that Yahweh your God led you during these forty years in the desert in order to humble you and to test you to know what is in your heart, whether you would diligently keep his commandments or not.
Jesus goes into the Desert To relate to the people of God. As they went through these same temptation in the desert years before but still very much on their mind. The exodus event is the most important redemptive act in the OT. It is the subject of so much of their teaching, of The Torah, The first five books make the corner stone of all of Israel’s beliefs
Jesus goes into the desert and is tempted by Satan, The tempter, The Advisory. And after all kinds of temptations in the desert Jesus faces the last three.
The big three
The three that all other temptations of this world can be boiled down too
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.
The Desires of the Flesh
The Desires of the Flesh
Jesus is Hungry And Satan tempts him with this hunger
But more than just with hunger, Satan is tempting Jesus to be independent from God
Take care of himself
The flesh is hungry and needs more than God can give you“life would be so much better if we could just …”The flesh is hungryBut Jesus quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3
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.
Jesus Knows that even though he was hungry he was being provided for by God and would rely on that. The Israelites failed in their test. They grumbled against God, Adam failed this test
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, then she took from its fruit and she ate. And she gave it also to her husband with her, and he ate.
When the Woman saw that the tree was good for food
Some of us struggle with these desires of the flesh. Things we are not trusting God to give us enough of Food, Money, Comfort, Time off, Work, Sex, Etc
Pride of Life
Pride of Life
The next temptation was Jesus was taken to the Pinnacle of the Temple The highest part of the temple And Jesus was asked to throw himself down from the temple.
This is not suicidal. This temptation was about Jesus displaying his Messiahship. For a rabbinical saying in Pesiqta Rabbati says that “when the King, The Messiah, reveals himself he will come and stand of the roof of the temple”
But more importantly. This temptation was about challenging God to keep his promise of protection of his children.
This is about pride, The pride of Life.
You are the messiah, Through yourself down and prove it.
You don’t need to follow God’s plan prove it.
He will protect you, and you can rise as king, as God
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, then she took from its fruit and she ate. And she gave it also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Woman saw that it was desirable to make on like God.
But Jesus Quotes from Deuteronomy 6: 16
16 You shall not put Yahweh your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.
At Massah the Israelites failed Massah means quarrelling the story is in Exodus 17 when the people quarrel with God
7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the Israelites and because of their testing Yahweh by saying, “Is Yahweh in our midst or not?”
Is the Lord among us or not. Just like Jesus we must ask, Will God Protect you? Some face these temptations today. Temptations to test God.
Are you real? Will you really do what you say you will do?
Lust of the Eyes
Lust of the Eyes
The third temptation is that Jesus is taken to a very high mountain and shown all the kingdoms of the world and their Glory
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, then she took from its fruit and she ate. And she gave it also to her husband with her, and he ate.
and woman saw that the fruit was Desirable to Eat
The Lust of the Eyes
All this can be given to you Satan whispers. Receive your rightful inheritance without obedience to God
4 “Hear, Israel, Yahweh our God, Yahweh is unique. 5 And you shall love Yahweh your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your might.
Jesus responds with Worship God Alone the basic of all Jewish and Christian Law.
Some may struggle with this one
We are tempted to put other things, people, gods, Above the Lord our God Jesus came and passed all these temptation where all those before him had failed Jesus came to be an new Adam from which all mankind can be renewed
Sinless in the eyes of God
Jesus came to redeem his people so we can be the true children of God
Jesus came to show us that we are no longer slaves to sin and we can choose to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord
Despite whatever the temptation may be Because if we resist the devil he must flee
7 Therefore subject yourselves to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
You are free from your sins
Will you act upon that freedom
Or will you remain a slave by choice
It isn’t easy to overcome temptation
If it was it wouldn’t be a temptationBut it does make us stronger
And makes us better
And makes us ready to leave the desert be the people of God
What will you do
Pray