Download Surviving Temptation i “For we do not have a high priest who is

Surviving Temptation i
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Hebrews 4:15
This Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent. We have begun our 40 day journey to the Cross of Christ where we will once again
see him stricken smitten and afflicted, pierced crushed and punished. Naturally these 40 days of lent take on a more sober tone as we
focus on the wages of our sin
As the 40 days begin we find our Savior at the end of 40 days in the wilderness fasting and being tempted by Satan. Our text
reads, “1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was
tempted by the devil.” The 40 days which Jesus spent in the desert fasting and being tempted by Satan are the origin of the 40 day
period of Lent. Today we begin our 40 days by observing our Savior to learn from him how to survive temptation.
That Hebrews Passage has been a source of comfort to believers from the moment the Holy Spirit caused it to be penned.
“We have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are” Jesus is able to sympathize; he understands how hard it is for
you and me and all people to resist temptation because he was tempted. And I don‟t mean in a superficial going through the motions
kind of way. Temptation was not a trivial inconvenience for true God to shrug off. As true man he heard the same siren song of Satan
that you do. He struggled with the weakness of flesh just like you do. Don‟t think that resisting the devil was easier for Jesus than it is
for you. Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, perhaps even more severely.
Before us now we have three examples of the temptations that Jesus faced. These are not the only temptations Jesus faced.
For all 40 days he fasted he was tempted but these three were recorded for us that we might learn how to survive temptation. The first
is recorded in our verse three. “3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” To fully appreciate
this temptation I will not neglect to read the end of verse two as well. “He [Jesus] ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them
he was hungry.” Forgive me but that seems like an understatement. When I was translating this verse I kept getting distracted by my
growling stomach. It was 3pm and I had forgotten to eat lunch. (I know people who go beyond distracted to grumpy when they skip a
meal.) I was three hours late for a lunch. Jesus was 40 days late for lunch. The devil takes advantage of his weakened condition. He
speaks directly to his physical wants, a seemingly basic need for bread- after all the man was starving nearly to death. It seems
reasonable that he should use whatever means necessary to provide himself some simple bread. But this is a temptation to desire or
crave something that God the father has seen fit not to provide.
You have faced this temptation. Perhaps even on a full stomach. Anytime that you feel a jealous desire for something, a
greedy longing for a thing an object, a possession that God has seen fit not to provide, you are facing this temptation. The devil says to
you, God is love and in his love he would want you to be happy, he would want you to have that thing, that object, that possession that
makes you happy. He tempts us to desire and to covet that thing, that object, that possession and then once desire is conceived in us
it gives birth to sin. We scheme we lie cheat or steal whatever it takes to get that thing, that object, or that possession.
How can we survive such a temptation? Observe what Jesus did. In verse 4 we read, “Jesus answered, “It is written: „Man
does not live on bread alone.‟” Jesus survives temptation by wielding the most powerful weapon that has been given to man. He
quoted the Bible. Specifically he quoted from Deuteronomy chapter 8. And what is really cool about that is that the context of that
section talks about how God led his people into the wilderness for 40 years and caused them to be hungry to test them so that he could
know what was in their heart. By quoting this verse to the devil Jesus is saying that he understands that God is not punishing him or
neglecting him. Jesus is saying that if God the Father wants me to go without something it is because he loves me and will work it for
my good. Jesus is saying I trust God. I trust him to provide me exactly what I need.
To survive the temptation for greedy wants and to keep our trust in God alone we simply do the same. We keep at our
defense verses that speak of the promise of God to provide all that we need. We survive temptation by using the word of God. If you
don‟t know it, learn it. Once you have learned it, use it and you will survive temptation.
The next temptation we read about in Luke‟s gospel is one that to be honest I struggled to understand. I mean I get how
Jesus could be tempted to eat, he was nearly starving to death. And the last temptation, we will talk about in a moment, I could see
how a noble someone could be tricked into sinning. But this second temptation seemed at first to be easy. Here is the temptation, “5
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you
all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be
yours.” See what I mean? Doesn‟t that strike you as too crass a temptation for Jesus to take seriously? Power? Jesus has never
given an indication that he was after power. But this is not as easy a temptation to resist as it might first appear. The devil is not
simply tempting Jesus with power he is tempting Jesus with another way out. Perhaps we cannot even grasp that severity of this
temptation, but it helps when we remind ourselves that the devil is offering Jesus an answer to his prayers. What did Jesus pray for in
the garden of Gethsemane? Do you remember? He prayed for another way. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me”
(Luke 22:42) Jesus knew what our salvation would cost him. He did not long to be forsaken. He wanted to know if there was another
way. The devil was offering him another way, an easy way.
You have faced this temptation too. The easy way out, the path of least resistance or confrontation is a temptation for us. My
younger brothers and sisters in faith you face this temptation when you know stopping gossip, or refusing to participate in underage
drinking or smoking, or going home early so that you can go to church will cause your friends to pick on you and tease you. Those of
us who are older face this temptation when we know that training up our children in the way they should go might cause our children to
be made at us when we restrict their behavior and it might cause other parents to think we are being unreasonable when our children
skip a baseball or softball tournament because they have church to go to. My older brothers and sisters face this temptation when
grown children have lost their way but you fear if you say something they will never speak to you again. It would be easier to drink the
beer, indulge the child, and ignore the sin! Wouldn‟t it?
How can we survive such a temptation? Again we observe what Jesus did. “8 Jesus answered, “It is written: „Worship the
Lord your God and serve him only.‟” Jesus‟ answer shows that he understands what taking the easy way out means. It means that
you have elevated your wants and desires above the wants and desires of God. And anything that you elevate above God becomes to
you a false god that you serve. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus would once again demonstrate that he would worship one God
only when he finished his prayer asking God the Father to take the cup from him by praying, “yet not my will, but yours be done.”
(Luke 22:42)
To survive the temptation to elevate your will over God‟s will, we again do what Jesus did. We keep at our defense verses
that remind us to fear love and trust in God above all things and to submit our will to his will. We survive temptation by using the word
of God. If you don‟t know it, learn it. Once you have learned it, use it and you will survive temptation.
The last temptation we will consider this morning recorded in verses 9-11. “9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him
stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: “„He
will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.‟” Oh what a crafty demon. He has learned that his words are not effective so he misuses the word of God to his
advantage. But as in the garden of Eden his words contain a poisonous lie. Prove it is the crass summery of this temptation. Prove it
Jesus! Prove that God cares for you. Prove that God is strong enough to protect you. Prove that God will keep his promises. In
psalm 91 He promises that angels will guard you. So prove it. To me out of the three temptations this one seems to be the most
noble. To prove to all the world that God keeps his promises, to put the devil in his place to shut his blasphemous mouth. Boy that had
to be a hard temptation to resist.
Once again you have faced this temptation. The doubter stand before you and says, prove it. Prove that your God created
the heavens and the earth. Prove that Jesus was capable of paying for all sins. Prove that when a person dies they go to either
heaven or hell. Prove it. The temptation before such a doubter is to try to explain the unexplainable, either by trying to combine
evolution and creation or by finding some value in ourselves why God should save us. From the miracle of creation to the miracle of
salvation a miracle is a miracle and needs no proof. God said it so it is true. Even if our motivation to silence a mocking doubter is
noble when we rationalize our faith we are testing God.
How can we survive such a temptation? One more time we observe what Jesus did. “12 Jesus answered, “It says: „Do not
put the Lord your God to the test.‟” Jesus once again demonstrates a trust in God the Father. If God said it, it is true. Faith needs no
proof.
To survive the temptation to test God, we once more do what Jesus did. We keep at our defense verses that remind us that
those who believe without seeing are blessed and faith needs no proof. We survive temptation by using the word of God. If you don‟t
know it, learn it. Once you have learned it, use it and you will survive temptation.
Even with Jesus example of how to survive temptation by using the word of God, the sad reality is that we have often failed.
Thankfully Jesus succeeded where we failed. Once again that verse from Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way,
just as we are—yet was without sin.” Jesus resisted all temptation not only to win salvation for himself but to obtain salvation for
you. Another very comforting verse tells us, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Because Jesus survived temptation and sacrificed himself for our failures we will survive
temptation. Amen
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Luke 4:1-13
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Lent 1 February 21 2010 Pastor Harmon Lewis @ Saving Grace, Mobile, AL