2025 May 4 "The Temptation of Jesus Explained"

2025 May 4 "The Temptation of Jesus Explained" Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to all of our friends watching and listening. We love you very much. You are a priority here, and we praise the Lord and are humbled for you joining us. We appreciate you getting a hold of us, saying hello, giving us prayer requests. We love to hear from you, and you're in our thoughts. thoughts and our hearts all the time. Many prayers coming your way, especially you, our brothers and sisters from the other side of the world that have been with us for some time now. So we certainly wish to welcome you and all the folks around the United States who join us from time to time. Today we will continue the temptation of Jesus as we traditionally call it in Matthew chapter 4. I've been calling it lately the duel in the wilderness or the duel in the desert. One of the more important events of the most important life that has ever been lived, the most important mission that has ever been performed in this world. For those of you who are joining us for the first time, I encourage you to join us. encourage you to go back to last week's message where we actually began this text. And today we'll resume in verse 3 where we left off last week. But let's stand pleased to read the Word of the Lord and honor this event as recorded in the Word of the Lord according to our brother Matthew. Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 to 4. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. 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. These are the words of the Lord. And thanks be to God for them. Thank you, folks. You may be seated. Sovereign our God, our Heavenly Father, ruler of heaven and earth, we pray in the name of Jesus, and we trust being inspired and empowered by your Spirit to do so. We thank you for Resurrection Day, in which we gather to worship and today in the life of this church to partake of the Lord's table. to commemorate why the Messiah came into this world to take our sin upon himself, to grant us freedom, right relationship with you, the Father, to be filled with the Spirit, to be new human beings because of the new covenant in Jesus' accomplished work. and mission. We thank you for this very dangerous event and a very important event for we of lost and fallen humanity, now redeemed humanity, that our Lord Jesus Christ took a human body and human nature into himself to enter this world to personally duel and crush our worst enemy, the evil one himself. And we thank you for Jesus' suffering, for his sacrifice on our behalf in the Judean desert, what he did for us, what he went through for us, and for his his conquest over the false usurping prince of this world. Thank you that you sent your son to crush the serpent's head so that one day Eden will come back and Eden will be restored. And the divine plan will be complete. And all creatures who are made to honor and glorify you will do so by way of your redemption in Jesus and will glorify you and know you and enjoy you in that perfect world come again forever. Bless this, the humble proclamation of your word. Open the spiritual eyes and ears of the soul of everyone watching and listening that they may receive this truth of this great event, that they may believe, as our brother John wrote, and have life, eternal life in Jesus' name. May the meditation... of all of our hearts and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you, O Lord, our God, our Rock, our Redeemer. You who are this world's only hope, and you are more than hope enough for one and all. In the blessed name of Messiah Jesus, we pray. Amen. Amen. Pardon me, I'm a little thirsty this morning. Forgive me for that. Resuming in verse 3. We believe that Jesus, the other Gospels imply that over the entire 40-day period, Jesus dueled with Satan. But these seem to be the three, what am I trying to say? Sort of an encapsulation of that 40-day period of temptation. The three principal ways or means by which Satan was going to tempt Jesus in his humanity, joined to his deity, to do something selfish, to do something self-aggrandizing, to do something different apart from the will of his Father, and thereby spoil or ruin the mission of the Messiah, of the second Adam, who is to come. come into this world to repair the fortunes of the human race. But these are three of the worst of the temptations, or the principal ways in which Jesus was tempted. Verse 3, And while Jesus is down, well, we'll find out he's not down. Praise his name forever, amen. We would be. He's not. However, he did take upon himself genuine humanity. He is the true God-man, fully divine and fully human. And in his human body, after 40 days and 40 nights of fasting in an inhospitable wilderness, I am certain he is really suffering in his real human body. And of course, this is when the tempter arrives. at this particular time to strike, to level his temptation, to make his attack. And isn't that what he so often does with all members of humanity, including us, of course? How many times in your life have you been down? physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and there he is, to pounce and attack. And he's doing exactly the same thing to Jesus. And up until this time in history, the first century A.D., Probably about every single solitary time that the evil one has attacked a human being while they were down in the flesh, so to speak, to use that phrase, oh, he's been very successful. Probably one of his most successful tactics. The most successful time to attack a fallen human creature when they're mentally, emotionally, or physically down. But he's going to find out the God-man is another matter altogether. and more than a match for him, even when suffering in the body. And as I told you last week, most medical types, members of the medical profession, have a general consensus. opinion that around 40 days is about the longest that a healthy adult human body can go without permanent physical damage being done. So in the flesh, in the body, Jesus is at a dangerous point. And this is when the tempter comes to try to ruin his mission and his purpose in the world. So Matthew straightaway wishes to tell us that when Satan met with Jesus to do battle, he arrives in his role or capacity as tempter. In the New Testament Greek, halperazan, which translated into English is the tempter. That is the principal tempter. This is Lucifer. This is Satan himself. The arch fallen angel in command of the demons. who rebelled against God sometime at about or before the dawn of creation. This is often, as I mentioned a moment ago, Satan's modus operandi, to use the Latin in this world, isn't it? It's his method of operation. When someone's down, attack! That's when you'll likely as not be able to defeat them or destroy them. And he's going to try exactly the same thing with Jesus, the Son of God, who now has taken upon himself a human body and human nature. Has Satan really understood all of that? I don't know. I think he knows full well who Jesus is and he knows Jesus has come on mission into this world and he knows Jesus' mission into this world is to destroy him Satan and his kingdom of darkness in this world but does he fully understand what's going on with the two natures of the one person of Christ? Does he fully understand everything about Jesus' mission? I wonder. He's not omniscient, you know. Only God is omniscient and possesses all knowledge known and possibly to be known. But he certainly wishes to test Jesus, humanity as well as deity. By the way, they're not compartmentalized. This is part of the deep mystery of Jesus, the two natures of the one person of Jesus. It's not that Jesus is divided somehow, compartmentalized. and one half is deity and one half is humanity. No, he took humanity onto his deity. And the two natures became one. The one person of the Son of God. One of the deepest mysteries of life that we'll ever be confronted with. But the evil one is definitely going to tempt Jesus, as he's tempted every other human being in history, to do what is wrong. To go contrary to the will of the Father. And this, he knows, will somehow thwart the mission of the Messiah. One has to wonder here again, how much does the evil one really know at or by this time? Who knows? But again, what does he suggest or demand? If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. Now, some people believe that that's something of a... A challenge or an insult? Well, it's certainly a challenge. It's certainly an insult, but in what way? Well, the very fact that he's daring to tempt the Son of God in any way, shape, or form is the height of arrogance and challenge and insult for which he will pay, and he will pay eternally. But some people believe he's questioning the very identity of Jesus. I don't think that's the case. I don't think if you are the Son of God is, well, I don't really believe that you are the Son of God. Others don't or won't. I don't think that's what he's saying. I think Satan knows exactly who Jesus is. He does know Jesus' true identity as the very Son of God. He knows Jesus' true identity and title, Son of God. Son of God is something of a name and a title. which can truly only be applicable to Jesus himself, the second person of the triune being of God. I think what Satan is saying, in effect, is this, if I can paraphrase the tempter. I think what he's probably saying is, in effect, I know full well who you are, what you're doing here. You and I both know who you are, the Son of God. So why are you suffering? Why are you doing this? Why are you out here? For them, this belongs to me. They surrendered it to me centuries ago. Why are you bothering with this? Why are you bothering with them? Why have you become as one of them? Why are you suffering? Why are you doing this? You don't have to do this. You're doing this considering who and what you are? You don't have to suffer like this. Give the order and these stones will become bread. You see? That's what he's saying. That's how he's reasoning. Have you ever heard anything like this before in your life? Something similar to it at some time or another? If not, you probably will. And when you start to hear things like that, that may in any way, shape, or form go contrary to what you know according to sacred scripture, is the will of the Son, is the will of the Father, is the will of the Spirit. You are hearing the evil one. just as Jesus did. Brother Leon Morris, theologian I love so much, he wrote in his commentary of Matthew, he's absolutely right. He says, We must remember turning stones into bread is not a temptation to us mere mortals. It is a temptation only to someone who knows he can actually very well do it. You ever thought of that? You and I can't make stones into bread. Oh, Jesus could. It's only a temptation to Jesus because he knows full well he can do it. All right? Only Jesus could do such a thing. Satan is tempting him at the very core of his power. His authority, his prerogatives, his divine attributes and abilities. Satan's trying to tempt Jesus into using his power selfishly. He's trying to tempt Jesus into using his quote-unquote sonship as the very divine Son of God for selfish purposes. As others in the New Testament, even the Old Testament, would say, what? For what? For what purpose? What reason? What's he tempting him to do? To satisfy the flesh. To satisfy the physical person. To satisfy the body. To satisfy hunger. And to do so in such a fashion that defies the will of God, that defies the will of the Father, that defies the plan of the Father, you see? And you and I have been, every other human being on the surface of this planet, has been tempted to do exactly the same thing, right? To live life contrary to the will of God, contrary to His standards of behavior for human beings, contrary to His standards of behavior and thought and morality and so forth and so on. And he's going to try to do this to the God-man, to tempt him to do the same. He destroyed the first Adam back in the days of the early garden. So he certainly is going to try to take down the second Adam, who's come into the world to restore creation and humanity's fortunes. So Satan wants Jesus to use his unique and elevated position or status wrongly. Rather than restraining that power. And how many times do we see in the four Gospels that Jesus willfully, deliberately restrained his power. Kept it under very tight control. Obedience to the will and plan of the Father. Pursuing the humble path. The humble way strictly set forth for Jesus by God the Father. Satan suggests that since Jesus is obviously hungry, and he's thus suffering considerably by now, why in the world would it be wrong to just eat? I mean, if you keep doing this much longer, you're going to die out here. Is that part of your mission? Is that the will of the Father? Right? Since he's hungry and all this suffering, why would it be wrong to use his messianic power to simply feed himself? Why not? Instant gratification. I mean, is it really instant gratification? I mean, this is an emergency now, really? Isn't it? You see how he operates? What he does? You see what's happening here? This should teach us something about the way in which he tempts us. Any way to justify disobedience. Any way to try to justify the unjustifiable. Any way to justify sin. Any way to justify disobedience. Any way to justify selfishness or self-absorption or self-aggrandizement and whatever thereby or therefore you're tempted to do. Make him an excuse. Oh, it's an emergency. We have to do it. How much evil in this world has been committed because, oh, it's an emergency. I've got to do this. Oh, and it's an emergency. We've got to do this. It's a physical emergency. Jesus doesn't care. Of course he knows it's a physical emergency. He's feeling it. He's suffering it. And he doesn't care. He is here to obey the will and plan of the Father, and he will do so, and he will die doing so, but not by starvation in the desert, by crucifixion on a Roman cross, the atoning death that the Lamb of God was prophesied to die, and conquer death by rising again in a borrowed rich man's grave, not out in the middle of the desert. It's not going to happen there, not going to happen that way. But he will not budge. One bit from obeying the will and plan of the Father. And he is the perfect example for all of us to what? As the King James Version would say, Go and do thou likewise. Right? The God-man is our perfect example for how to stand up against the evil one and defeat him when he comes to tempt us. And our salvation hangs on this. Our salvation hangs on this. This is our hope on Jesus dueling with the evil one out there in the desert. Our everything hangs on this event, on everything Jesus did. So Satan is saying, we know you're the Son of God. Prove it! I think there's a little bit of that there, too. Prove that you are. You don't much look like it anymore. Prove it. Prove it by serving yourself. You need to eat, you see. So this can all be summed up this way. The issue is whether here or in any other situation or circumstance in life, the issue is whether Jesus will do things God the Father's way or his own way, own way suggested by the devil. And again, isn't this the case with all of us? I shouldn't have to explain it at length. It should be painfully obvious, right? Isn't this the case with all of us? Let me read the ESV Study Bible for you. Textual note here on verse 3. If you are the Son of God, Jesus of course was and is and ever shall be the Son of God. But he refused to be tricked by the devil into using his divine prerogatives to make this trial, the trial of this life, the trial of this life. of his mission, and the whole life of Jesus is just as important as the cross and empty tomb, to make the trial of this life any easier for himself. Jesus obeyed as a man as well as divine Son of God, absolutely essential for our salvation to qualify him to be the sin bearer on our behalf. Jesus obeyed as a man, as the representative of all who believe so. Jesus himself would say to fulfill all righteousness on behalf of his people. He will take our sin upon himself, and with a new birth, his righteousness is placed onto us. This is accomplished throughout his entire life, his victory against the evil one, of course, the cross, and resurrection. All of Jesus' life. So remember, Jesus will use, well... He will use his divine power to make bread, won't he? You remember? No, he doesn't command stones to be made into bread. He commands what? One little piece of bread in a little cloth bundle or a little basket to become tens of thousands of pieces of bread. So it is in his mission and his purpose to create bread, but not this way, not Satan's way. The Son of God will make bread to what? Feed other people, not Himself. It's about others. It's about atonement, salvation, redemption for others, the mission, all about the mission. Not for Him. himself. He will use his power the Father's way, not Satan's, to pursue God the Father's plan, and God the Father's agenda, and none other. And that's how you and I are supposed to live our redeemed life in this world as well. Everything about us that... that we have. All powers, abilities, resources attached to you, part of you, possessed by you, you name it, it's all to be used for the kingdom. It's all to be used according to the plan and will of the Father, according to the revealed plan in the New Testament. It's to be all about Him, not for the pursuit of selfishness. Verse 4, last verse for today. But he, that is Jesus, answered Satan and said, It is written. By the way, that is an extremely powerful and emphatic statement as made in the Greek. It's not only a pronouncement, a declaration, something of a command. It is written. Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Let me give you the English Standard Version Study Bible note on this verse now. When Jesus says, it is written, Jesus is responding to each temptation of Satan by quoting from the Bible. from the Old Testament, in particular the book of Deuteronomy. Every time Jesus uses the Word of God as a weapon against the evil one, and Jesus is telling us it's perfectly acceptable to do that yourselves, it is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, right? As Paul will tell us later in the New Testament. This is how you defeat Satan. This is how you defeat the evil one. Go to your Bible. Go to Scripture. Go to Old Testament. Go to New Testament. Jesus, there wasn't a New Testament at this time, of course. Now, was there? So Jesus defeated Satan here in the first century A.D. with the Old Testament. The Word of God, the book of Deuteronomy, from the books of Moses. By doing this, you see what Jesus is doing? Jesus is linking his experience to old Israel's experience in the desert. God told Israel to obey him and trust him in similar situations in the desert at the time of the book of Deuteronomy, and they failed. But Jesus, who is the true Israel, who is everything that Israel was supposed to be, Jesus will succeed where old Israel failed. And so Jesus does what? He quotes Deuteronomy. The same word that God gave to old Israel, and they failed. But Jesus knows that word, the word of his Father, and he'll obey it, and he'll use it to defeat the evil one. In Deuteronomy 8, verse 2, Moses reminds the Israelites of God's testing through hunger and his miraculous provision of manna. So Jesus is saying, I know what you're up to. I know what you're doing, and I know why you're here. So it worked with them centuries ago, but it's not going to work with me. They disobeyed my father at the time of the book of Deuteronomy and disobeyed he and his chosen leader, Moses, and they failed. I will obey the word of my father. I will obey the word he gave to old Israel and to Moses, and I will use it against you in your disobedience. your evil, but I will not disobey. It worked then, it won't work now. It won't work with me. That's essentially, in a nutshell, pardon the expression, what Jesus is saying here. Most important to observe and remember that Jesus answers, again, the devil with scripture. He answers him with the word of God. And this is exactly what you are to do. Memorize it. memorize it so you can use it anywhere and everywhere. And if your memory isn't quite what it should be, then go ahead, for heaven's sakes, and carry around a copy with you everywhere you go. And don't be afraid to draw the weapon and use it against evil spirits. They will be there to harass you and tempt you and take you down. Use the Word of God. For heaven's sakes, folks, I could preach how many sermons on that lesson alone? That Jesus used the word of God to defeat the evil one. And we are to do exactly the same thing. Jesus answers by simply quoting the truth of Deuteronomy 8, 2 and 3. Let's go there. There's two passages in Deuteronomy I want to go to, which encapsulates how Jesus answers Satan and defeats him. We may not finish with this today, but I don't want to leave anything out that I shouldn't. Deuteronomy chapter 8. All the commandments that I am commanding you today, you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has laid you in the wilderness these forty years, here it is, that He might humble you, testing you. to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And they often fail, but Jesus won't, praise God. And 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, here it is, that man does not live by bread alone, but man or mankind, humankind, lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. He quotes it verbatim. Now, Jesus will also refer to Deuteronomy chapter 6, in which we have the Shema. as it is called by the Jewish people, meaning, Hear, O Israel, listen, listen to obey and to command. So since we're near Deuteronomy chapter 6, I'll go ahead and read it for you. Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your might. And these words which I am commanding you today shall be on your very heart. So Jesus answers by quoting the truth of Deuteronomy 8, first of all, in particular verse 3 that I just read for you. And when Jesus says it is written, this phrase points from the Greek to the English, particularly in New Testament. Greek. I believe I told you a moment before, it's not only a proclamation, it's a declaration. It's an authoritative command. Jesus is saying, look, you, it is written. It is the infallible in immovable, sacred, eternal word of the Father. Everyone who hears it is to bow in submission to it and live according to it. It points to the authority, reliability, and unchangeability of Scripture, the words spoken by God, revealing Himself and His truth into His creation. It is the authority for all life and practice in God's creation, for anyone and everyone, including fallen angels. That's what Jesus is saying. For Jesus, the Son of God, a passage from Scripture that deals with this situation, this issue, or any other, that settles the matter. Period. Full stop. End of story. Let me say that again. This is true for us. This is true for Jesus in the first century. A passage from the Bible that deals. With any given situation or issue, that settles the matter, finally and comprehensively. God's message to us in the Deuteronomy text that Jesus quotes is that God's greatest gift to old Israel is not manna. or even any other physical or material food, but rather God's Word. Him speaking to His human creatures and revealing Himself and His truth and His plan. That's the greatest gift God can give to humanity. And His Son is what? The Word made flesh. The greatest gift of God to human beings. His truth, His commands, His teaching. God's Word is what? It's food for the soul, the core of your being, the real you. and which the body depends upon ultimately and inevitably. God's word is food for the soul. It's more important to feed your soul than feed your body. awful situations such as what Jesus found himself in. Jesus is in effect saying to the devil, Israel just wanted bread, as you suggest, and that's the way it goes with most of humanity, but I choose to live by the word and will of my Father. Old Israel failed in this, all the others failed, I will not. You see, there's a sense in which Jesus is reliving Adam and Eve's experience in the garden. They failed, he will win. There's a very real sense in which Jesus is reliving the old covenant people. Old Israel's wilderness experience. Oh my goodness, how many times did Israel often fail out there? A whole generation of them died out there because of their disobedience? Jesus will not. Praise God, He will not. Jesus will not yield to sin, temptation at all anyway. Totally faithful to God. Totally faithful to God's will and plan. Jesus recognizes the need for physical bread. Well, of course he does. He doesn't deny that one bit, now does he? And yet he rightly acknowledges that there is something even far more needful. God's word, food for the soul. Remember that. Remember that. Physical suffering may come your way and it may not be hunger or some kind of deprivation but still even then you are to remember in your physical suffering there is something more important it is the soul the health and welfare of of the soul, to feed and repair and save and give life to the soul. The body rides on the coattails of the soul. It's given over and over and over in Scripture in the New Testament. It is written, man, meaning what? Mankind, humankind, shall. shall not live by bread alone. Man is in mankind, all human beings. And also, what does Jesus say? Every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This, of course, should remind you of another absolutely key text in the New Testament about the Word of God. It should remind us of what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3.16. All scripture is theonoustos in the Greek, literally translated, and it should be translated word for word, equivalent literally, God breathed. The man is saying every single solitary word in the inspired and preserved book was actually the very thoughts of the mind and heart of God breathed out by God Almighty into this world, onto and into His human servants, and from there to the written or printed page. It is all literally the breath of God. It is not merely the whim or will or fancies of a human author. Fascinating thing. The divine inspiration of the Bible. Jesus is defending that and proclaiming that. Jesus is telling the devil and all the rest of us that every word of and in God's word is of extreme importance and interest. All of it. There is no part of God's Word that is not absolutely essential for living right with and before God. Isn't it? Oh my, oh, could I go off on about two or three other messages on this score alone? How often do we see fraudulent, phony, fake, failed Christianity in this country throwing the Word of God out the window or under the bus, whatever sorry expression you want to use, to their eternal shame and destruction? It is extremely dangerous, it is sheer folly for anyone to deny this fundamental fact of life, that the very Word of God is the breath of God and it is the final authority over everything in this world and in our life. But, to fail to do so? Well, isn't that exactly what the adversary, the devil, wants? with everybody. He even tempts the Son of God in this way. That's how he destroys people. He destroys nations. He destroys cultures and societies and civilizations. Not to mention families, neighborhoods, any group made up of human beings. The family. The individual human being. He destroys people by leading them to refuse, ignore, deny, disobey God's Word, food for the soul. You throw away food for the soul, what's going to happen to the soul? It's going to die. It's really that simple. It is incredible. Theologian Mr. Osborne, his commentary I've been enjoying, he writes, it is incredibly dangerous. for churches to neglect the depths of that sacred word. End quote. Oh, brother. Is that not the truth? This should also remind us of the words of Jesus in the Gospel. John chapter 4 verse 34. Remember Jesus was hot, tired, dusty, and thirsty and speaking to a Samaritan woman, which was pretty radical for that culture, you remember, at the well, giving her the words of life. And they come back and, well, Master, what's going on? What are you talking to this woman? A Samaritan of that? What is this? Don't you want something to eat? What does Jesus say? My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work. I will eat later, when I have first seen to my mission, to obey, to proclaim, to teach, to reveal the word and will of my Father. He is the example. We are to do the same. There might be times where we might have to say, my food or my whatever, fill in the blank, is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work, like my master Jesus who went before me and saved me. Jesus is telling us all, and Satan to his face, the principal enemy of God's Word, that a life sustained by faith is not a life of sin. physical food or the physical anything is only a really very poor life indeed in the end. And isn't that what everybody around us lives for? And only what they live for? And Jesus is saying, that's no life at all. In the end, that will just condemn you before my Father. A life containing only the physical made up of the only the physical, it's no life at all in the end. For neglect of God's word is to lead to the death of the whole person eventually, body and soul, isn't it? Also most important again, Jesus, God the Son himself, tells us in the evil one that Scripture is not ultimately the work or product of mere mortal human beings. No, that's why it's food for your soul. God is the true, final, and original author of the Bible. of scripture. That's how scripture is authoritative for life and practice. Food for the soul. If it's food for the soul, it has to be from God. It can't be from the mere material or physical world, the world of fallen human beings. And that fact remains unchanging now and always for everyone. Therefore, scripture is of paramount importance for and over all of us. Just a couple of quotes to conclude. This part of the duel in the desert for the day, of course we'll return to it next Sunday. I quote Brother Leon Morris again. He writes, We should not overlook the fact that while Jesus was tempted by the devil to do something quite beyond our ability, that is supernaturally turning rocks into bread, Jesus does not quote a text that applies to the Messiah alone. Not at all. Jesus quotes a text which is valid for the entire human race. It's valid even for angels. Jesus defeated the devil's temptation with God's word, an invaluable resource open to each and every one of Jesus' followers. Obedience to God the Father was of uttermost importance to Jesus, and so it is to be with all of us, if we really do belong to him. and his plan and agenda, end quote. Now just another point to make before we, next week, proceed further into the text of this battle between our Lord and the evil one, this time of testing or temptation. The theologian Craig Blomberg writes, Matthew warns us against two common errors, blaming God for temptation and for crediting the devil with power to act totally independent of God. Remember, the word is pedazo, to test or to tempt. God does not tempt, he tests. Satan's the one who tempts. In the Bible, God is so holy, and he is, that he is so disassociated from evil that he is never directly responsible for tempting anyone to evil. But he will test in order to strengthen. And the devil is never described as an enemy that in any way, shape, or form is equal to God. He is only an angel, fallen in opposition to God. The devil, though a powerful enemy to humanity, he always remains bound by only what God permits. End quote. And the last word I give to a theologian by the name of Birger Gerhardsen. He writes, God's purpose in this test is, of course, completely different from Satan's. God tests his son to test his metal filled with the Spirit. To give him an opportunity to strengthen himself by doing battle with the evil one, to crush the serpent's head, this opportunity to destroy the works of the devil, as the New Testament says elsewhere, to build him up for going to the cross and by conquering death and hell itself in the resurrection. God also tests his elect ones, his redeemed people, in order to what? To test our character, the sincerity of our faith, and to inquire into our way of life. For Jesus. This test was to show that he truly is the divine, triumphant Son of God who came to conquer and who came to save. In passing this time of testing, Jesus shows his proper, true Son-to-Father relationship to God. It is perfect, it is holy, it is divine, and nothing will ever thwart it or sever it in any way. This is how. He can be the second Adam, the sin bearer, to raise up the fortunes of a fallen creation and a fallen humanity. Humanity couldn't beat the evil one. A member of humanity, the God-man, he did. And he makes it possible for we today to defeat evil as well. And so to the duel in the desert, we'll return next week. Sovereign Lord God, our Heavenly Father, thank you for this, one of the most important battles which has ever been fought in all of history, and one on one. Thank you for sending the divine son of your person, the second person of your being, by your will and plan to come into the world to defeat evil. to set the creation back on track, to fulfill perfectly your plan, your story, and to enable us to become a part of it. Thank you for the victory Jesus won in great physical suffering for us who are to receive life in his name. Bless this, the humble proclamation of your word, O Lord, we pray. In Jesus' holy name, amen.

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to all of our friends watching and listening. We love you very much. You are a priority here, and we praise the Lord and are humbled for you joining us.

We appreciate you getting a hold of us, saying hello, giving us prayer requests. We love to hear from you, and you're in our thoughts. thoughts and our hearts all the time. Many prayers coming your way, especially you, our brothers and sisters from the other side of the world that have been with us for some time now. So we certainly wish to welcome you and all the folks around the United States who join us from time to time.

Today we will continue the temptation of Jesus as we traditionally call it in Matthew chapter 4. I've been calling it lately the duel in the wilderness or the duel in the desert. One of the more important events of the most important life that has ever been lived, the most important mission that has ever been performed in this world. For those of you who are joining us for the first time, I encourage you to join us.

encourage you to go back to last week's message where we actually began this text. And today we'll resume in verse 3 where we left off last week. But let's stand pleased to read the Word of the Lord and honor this event as recorded in the Word of the Lord according to our brother Matthew.

Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 to 4. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.

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. These are the words of the Lord.

And thanks be to God for them. Thank you, folks. You may be seated. Sovereign our God, our Heavenly Father, ruler of heaven and earth, we pray in the name of Jesus, and we trust being inspired and empowered by your Spirit to do so. We thank you for Resurrection Day, in which we gather to worship and today in the life of this church to partake of the Lord's table.

to commemorate why the Messiah came into this world to take our sin upon himself, to grant us freedom, right relationship with you, the Father, to be filled with the Spirit, to be new human beings because of the new covenant in Jesus' accomplished work. and mission. We thank you for this very dangerous event and a very important event for we of lost and fallen humanity, now redeemed humanity, that our Lord Jesus Christ took a human body and human nature into himself to enter this world to personally duel and crush our worst enemy, the evil one himself.

And we thank you for Jesus' suffering, for his sacrifice on our behalf in the Judean desert, what he did for us, what he went through for us, and for his his conquest over the false usurping prince of this world. Thank you that you sent your son to crush the serpent's head so that one day Eden will come back and Eden will be restored. And the divine plan will be complete.

And all creatures who are made to honor and glorify you will do so by way of your redemption in Jesus and will glorify you and know you and enjoy you in that perfect world come again forever. Bless this, the humble proclamation of your word. Open the spiritual eyes and ears of the soul of everyone watching and listening that they may receive this truth of this great event, that they may believe, as our brother John wrote, and have life, eternal life in Jesus' name. May the meditation... of all of our hearts and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you, O Lord, our God, our Rock, our Redeemer.

You who are this world's only hope, and you are more than hope enough for one and all. In the blessed name of Messiah Jesus, we pray. Amen. Amen.

Pardon me, I'm a little thirsty this morning. Forgive me for that. Resuming in verse 3. We believe that Jesus, the other Gospels imply that over the entire 40-day period, Jesus dueled with Satan.

But these seem to be the three, what am I trying to say? Sort of an encapsulation of that 40-day period of temptation. The three principal ways or means by which Satan was going to tempt Jesus in his humanity, joined to his deity, to do something selfish, to do something self-aggrandizing, to do something different apart from the will of his Father, and thereby spoil or ruin the mission of the Messiah, of the second Adam, who is to come.

come into this world to repair the fortunes of the human race. But these are three of the worst of the temptations, or the principal ways in which Jesus was tempted. Verse 3, And while Jesus is down, well, we'll find out he's not down.

Praise his name forever, amen. We would be. He's not.

However, he did take upon himself genuine humanity. He is the true God-man, fully divine and fully human. And in his human body, after 40 days and 40 nights of fasting in an inhospitable wilderness, I am certain he is really suffering in his real human body.

And of course, this is when the tempter arrives. at this particular time to strike, to level his temptation, to make his attack. And isn't that what he so often does with all members of humanity, including us, of course?

How many times in your life have you been down? physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and there he is, to pounce and attack. And he's doing exactly the same thing to Jesus.

And up until this time in history, the first century A.D., Probably about every single solitary time that the evil one has attacked a human being while they were down in the flesh, so to speak, to use that phrase, oh, he's been very successful. Probably one of his most successful tactics. The most successful time to attack a fallen human creature when they're mentally, emotionally, or physically down. But he's going to find out the God-man is another matter altogether.

and more than a match for him, even when suffering in the body. And as I told you last week, most medical types, members of the medical profession, have a general consensus. opinion that around 40 days is about the longest that a healthy adult human body can go without permanent physical damage being done.

So in the flesh, in the body, Jesus is at a dangerous point. And this is when the tempter comes to try to ruin his mission and his purpose in the world. So Matthew straightaway wishes to tell us that when Satan met with Jesus to do battle, he arrives in his role or capacity as tempter.

In the New Testament Greek, halperazan, which translated into English is the tempter. That is the principal tempter. This is Lucifer. This is Satan himself. The arch fallen angel in command of the demons.

who rebelled against God sometime at about or before the dawn of creation. This is often, as I mentioned a moment ago, Satan's modus operandi, to use the Latin in this world, isn't it? It's his method of operation. When someone's down, attack!

That's when you'll likely as not be able to defeat them or destroy them. And he's going to try exactly the same thing with Jesus, the Son of God, who now has taken upon himself a human body and human nature. Has Satan really understood all of that? I don't know.

I think he knows full well who Jesus is and he knows Jesus has come on mission into this world and he knows Jesus' mission into this world is to destroy him Satan and his kingdom of darkness in this world but does he fully understand what's going on with the two natures of the one person of Christ? Does he fully understand everything about Jesus' mission? I wonder.

He's not omniscient, you know. Only God is omniscient and possesses all knowledge known and possibly to be known. But he certainly wishes to test Jesus, humanity as well as deity.

By the way, they're not compartmentalized. This is part of the deep mystery of Jesus, the two natures of the one person of Jesus. It's not that Jesus is divided somehow, compartmentalized.

and one half is deity and one half is humanity. No, he took humanity onto his deity. And the two natures became one. The one person of the Son of God.

One of the deepest mysteries of life that we'll ever be confronted with. But the evil one is definitely going to tempt Jesus, as he's tempted every other human being in history, to do what is wrong. To go contrary to the will of the Father.

And this, he knows, will somehow thwart the mission of the Messiah. One has to wonder here again, how much does the evil one really know at or by this time? Who knows? But again, what does he suggest or demand? If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.

Now, some people believe that that's something of a... A challenge or an insult? Well, it's certainly a challenge. It's certainly an insult, but in what way?

Well, the very fact that he's daring to tempt the Son of God in any way, shape, or form is the height of arrogance and challenge and insult for which he will pay, and he will pay eternally. But some people believe he's questioning the very identity of Jesus. I don't think that's the case.

I don't think if you are the Son of God is, well, I don't really believe that you are the Son of God. Others don't or won't. I don't think that's what he's saying. I think Satan knows exactly who Jesus is. He does know Jesus' true identity as the very Son of God.

He knows Jesus' true identity and title, Son of God. Son of God is something of a name and a title. which can truly only be applicable to Jesus himself, the second person of the triune being of God. I think what Satan is saying, in effect, is this, if I can paraphrase the tempter.

I think what he's probably saying is, in effect, I know full well who you are, what you're doing here. You and I both know who you are, the Son of God. So why are you suffering?

Why are you doing this? Why are you out here? For them, this belongs to me. They surrendered it to me centuries ago. Why are you bothering with this?

Why are you bothering with them? Why have you become as one of them? Why are you suffering?

Why are you doing this? You don't have to do this. You're doing this considering who and what you are? You don't have to suffer like this. Give the order and these stones will become bread.

You see? That's what he's saying. That's how he's reasoning. Have you ever heard anything like this before in your life?

Something similar to it at some time or another? If not, you probably will. And when you start to hear things like that, that may in any way, shape, or form go contrary to what you know according to sacred scripture, is the will of the Son, is the will of the Father, is the will of the Spirit.

You are hearing the evil one. just as Jesus did. Brother Leon Morris, theologian I love so much, he wrote in his commentary of Matthew, he's absolutely right.

He says, We must remember turning stones into bread is not a temptation to us mere mortals. It is a temptation only to someone who knows he can actually very well do it. You ever thought of that? You and I can't make stones into bread.

Oh, Jesus could. It's only a temptation to Jesus because he knows full well he can do it. All right? Only Jesus could do such a thing.

Satan is tempting him at the very core of his power. His authority, his prerogatives, his divine attributes and abilities. Satan's trying to tempt Jesus into using his power selfishly. He's trying to tempt Jesus into using his quote-unquote sonship as the very divine Son of God for selfish purposes.

As others in the New Testament, even the Old Testament, would say, what? For what? For what purpose?

What reason? What's he tempting him to do? To satisfy the flesh. To satisfy the physical person.

To satisfy the body. To satisfy hunger. And to do so in such a fashion that defies the will of God, that defies the will of the Father, that defies the plan of the Father, you see?

And you and I have been, every other human being on the surface of this planet, has been tempted to do exactly the same thing, right? To live life contrary to the will of God, contrary to His standards of behavior for human beings, contrary to His standards of behavior and thought and morality and so forth and so on. And he's going to try to do this to the God-man, to tempt him to do the same. He destroyed the first Adam back in the days of the early garden. So he certainly is going to try to take down the second Adam, who's come into the world to restore creation and humanity's fortunes.

So Satan wants Jesus to use his unique and elevated position or status wrongly. Rather than restraining that power. And how many times do we see in the four Gospels that Jesus willfully, deliberately restrained his power.

Kept it under very tight control. Obedience to the will and plan of the Father. Pursuing the humble path.

The humble way strictly set forth for Jesus by God the Father. Satan suggests that since Jesus is obviously hungry, and he's thus suffering considerably by now, why in the world would it be wrong to just eat? I mean, if you keep doing this much longer, you're going to die out here. Is that part of your mission? Is that the will of the Father?

Right? Since he's hungry and all this suffering, why would it be wrong to use his messianic power to simply feed himself? Why not?

Instant gratification. I mean, is it really instant gratification? I mean, this is an emergency now, really?

Isn't it? You see how he operates? What he does?

You see what's happening here? This should teach us something about the way in which he tempts us. Any way to justify disobedience.

Any way to try to justify the unjustifiable. Any way to justify sin. Any way to justify disobedience.

Any way to justify selfishness or self-absorption or self-aggrandizement and whatever thereby or therefore you're tempted to do. Make him an excuse. Oh, it's an emergency. We have to do it. How much evil in this world has been committed because, oh, it's an emergency.

I've got to do this. Oh, and it's an emergency. We've got to do this.

It's a physical emergency. Jesus doesn't care. Of course he knows it's a physical emergency.

He's feeling it. He's suffering it. And he doesn't care.

He is here to obey the will and plan of the Father, and he will do so, and he will die doing so, but not by starvation in the desert, by crucifixion on a Roman cross, the atoning death that the Lamb of God was prophesied to die, and conquer death by rising again in a borrowed rich man's grave, not out in the middle of the desert. It's not going to happen there, not going to happen that way. But he will not budge.

One bit from obeying the will and plan of the Father. And he is the perfect example for all of us to what? As the King James Version would say, Go and do thou likewise. Right?

The God-man is our perfect example for how to stand up against the evil one and defeat him when he comes to tempt us. And our salvation hangs on this. Our salvation hangs on this.

This is our hope on Jesus dueling with the evil one out there in the desert. Our everything hangs on this event, on everything Jesus did. So Satan is saying, we know you're the Son of God.

Prove it! I think there's a little bit of that there, too. Prove that you are.

You don't much look like it anymore. Prove it. Prove it by serving yourself.

You need to eat, you see. So this can all be summed up this way. The issue is whether here or in any other situation or circumstance in life, the issue is whether Jesus will do things God the Father's way or his own way, own way suggested by the devil.

And again, isn't this the case with all of us? I shouldn't have to explain it at length. It should be painfully obvious, right? Isn't this the case with all of us? Let me read the ESV Study Bible for you.

Textual note here on verse 3. If you are the Son of God, Jesus of course was and is and ever shall be the Son of God. But he refused to be tricked by the devil into using his divine prerogatives to make this trial, the trial of this life, the trial of this life. of his mission, and the whole life of Jesus is just as important as the cross and empty tomb, to make the trial of this life any easier for himself.

Jesus obeyed as a man as well as divine Son of God, absolutely essential for our salvation to qualify him to be the sin bearer on our behalf. Jesus obeyed as a man, as the representative of all who believe so. Jesus himself would say to fulfill all righteousness on behalf of his people. He will take our sin upon himself, and with a new birth, his righteousness is placed onto us. This is accomplished throughout his entire life, his victory against the evil one, of course, the cross, and resurrection.

All of Jesus' life. So remember, Jesus will use, well... He will use his divine power to make bread, won't he? You remember?

No, he doesn't command stones to be made into bread. He commands what? One little piece of bread in a little cloth bundle or a little basket to become tens of thousands of pieces of bread. So it is in his mission and his purpose to create bread, but not this way, not Satan's way. The Son of God will make bread to what?

Feed other people, not Himself. It's about others. It's about atonement, salvation, redemption for others, the mission, all about the mission. Not for Him.

himself. He will use his power the Father's way, not Satan's, to pursue God the Father's plan, and God the Father's agenda, and none other. And that's how you and I are supposed to live our redeemed life in this world as well.

Everything about us that... that we have. All powers, abilities, resources attached to you, part of you, possessed by you, you name it, it's all to be used for the kingdom. It's all to be used according to the plan and will of the Father, according to the revealed plan in the New Testament. It's to be all about Him, not for the pursuit of selfishness.

Verse 4, last verse for today. But he, that is Jesus, answered Satan and said, It is written. By the way, that is an extremely powerful and emphatic statement as made in the Greek.

It's not only a pronouncement, a declaration, something of a command. It is written. Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Let me give you the English Standard Version Study Bible note on this verse now. When Jesus says, it is written, Jesus is responding to each temptation of Satan by quoting from the Bible.

from the Old Testament, in particular the book of Deuteronomy. Every time Jesus uses the Word of God as a weapon against the evil one, and Jesus is telling us it's perfectly acceptable to do that yourselves, it is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, right? As Paul will tell us later in the New Testament. This is how you defeat Satan. This is how you defeat the evil one.

Go to your Bible. Go to Scripture. Go to Old Testament.

Go to New Testament. Jesus, there wasn't a New Testament at this time, of course. Now, was there? So Jesus defeated Satan here in the first century A.D. with the Old Testament.

The Word of God, the book of Deuteronomy, from the books of Moses. By doing this, you see what Jesus is doing? Jesus is linking his experience to old Israel's experience in the desert. God told Israel to obey him and trust him in similar situations in the desert at the time of the book of Deuteronomy, and they failed. But Jesus, who is the true Israel, who is everything that Israel was supposed to be, Jesus will succeed where old Israel failed.

And so Jesus does what? He quotes Deuteronomy. The same word that God gave to old Israel, and they failed.

But Jesus knows that word, the word of his Father, and he'll obey it, and he'll use it to defeat the evil one. In Deuteronomy 8, verse 2, Moses reminds the Israelites of God's testing through hunger and his miraculous provision of manna. So Jesus is saying, I know what you're up to. I know what you're doing, and I know why you're here. So it worked with them centuries ago, but it's not going to work with me.

They disobeyed my father at the time of the book of Deuteronomy and disobeyed he and his chosen leader, Moses, and they failed. I will obey the word of my father. I will obey the word he gave to old Israel and to Moses, and I will use it against you in your disobedience.

your evil, but I will not disobey. It worked then, it won't work now. It won't work with me. That's essentially, in a nutshell, pardon the expression, what Jesus is saying here. Most important to observe and remember that Jesus answers, again, the devil with scripture.

He answers him with the word of God. And this is exactly what you are to do. Memorize it.

memorize it so you can use it anywhere and everywhere. And if your memory isn't quite what it should be, then go ahead, for heaven's sakes, and carry around a copy with you everywhere you go. And don't be afraid to draw the weapon and use it against evil spirits. They will be there to harass you and tempt you and take you down. Use the Word of God.

For heaven's sakes, folks, I could preach how many sermons on that lesson alone? That Jesus used the word of God to defeat the evil one. And we are to do exactly the same thing.

Jesus answers by simply quoting the truth of Deuteronomy 8, 2 and 3. Let's go there. There's two passages in Deuteronomy I want to go to, which encapsulates how Jesus answers Satan and defeats him. We may not finish with this today, but I don't want to leave anything out that I shouldn't. Deuteronomy chapter 8. All the commandments that I am commanding you today, you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has laid you in the wilderness these forty years, here it is, that He might humble you, testing you.

to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And they often fail, but Jesus won't, praise God. And 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, here it is, that man does not live by bread alone, but man or mankind, humankind, lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. He quotes it verbatim.

Now, Jesus will also refer to Deuteronomy chapter 6, in which we have the Shema. as it is called by the Jewish people, meaning, Hear, O Israel, listen, listen to obey and to command. So since we're near Deuteronomy chapter 6, I'll go ahead and read it for you. Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your might. And these words which I am commanding you today shall be on your very heart. So Jesus answers by quoting the truth of Deuteronomy 8, first of all, in particular verse 3 that I just read for you.

And when Jesus says it is written, this phrase points from the Greek to the English, particularly in New Testament. Greek. I believe I told you a moment before, it's not only a proclamation, it's a declaration. It's an authoritative command. Jesus is saying, look, you, it is written.

It is the infallible in immovable, sacred, eternal word of the Father. Everyone who hears it is to bow in submission to it and live according to it. It points to the authority, reliability, and unchangeability of Scripture, the words spoken by God, revealing Himself and His truth into His creation.

It is the authority for all life and practice in God's creation, for anyone and everyone, including fallen angels. That's what Jesus is saying. For Jesus, the Son of God, a passage from Scripture that deals with this situation, this issue, or any other, that settles the matter. Period. Full stop.

End of story. Let me say that again. This is true for us.

This is true for Jesus in the first century. A passage from the Bible that deals. With any given situation or issue, that settles the matter, finally and comprehensively.

God's message to us in the Deuteronomy text that Jesus quotes is that God's greatest gift to old Israel is not manna. or even any other physical or material food, but rather God's Word. Him speaking to His human creatures and revealing Himself and His truth and His plan.

That's the greatest gift God can give to humanity. And His Son is what? The Word made flesh. The greatest gift of God to human beings. His truth, His commands, His teaching.

God's Word is what? It's food for the soul, the core of your being, the real you. and which the body depends upon ultimately and inevitably.

God's word is food for the soul. It's more important to feed your soul than feed your body. awful situations such as what Jesus found himself in.

Jesus is in effect saying to the devil, Israel just wanted bread, as you suggest, and that's the way it goes with most of humanity, but I choose to live by the word and will of my Father. Old Israel failed in this, all the others failed, I will not. You see, there's a sense in which Jesus is reliving Adam and Eve's experience in the garden. They failed, he will win. There's a very real sense in which Jesus is reliving the old covenant people.

Old Israel's wilderness experience. Oh my goodness, how many times did Israel often fail out there? A whole generation of them died out there because of their disobedience? Jesus will not.

Praise God, He will not. Jesus will not yield to sin, temptation at all anyway. Totally faithful to God. Totally faithful to God's will and plan.

Jesus recognizes the need for physical bread. Well, of course he does. He doesn't deny that one bit, now does he?

And yet he rightly acknowledges that there is something even far more needful. God's word, food for the soul. Remember that. Remember that. Physical suffering may come your way and it may not be hunger or some kind of deprivation but still even then you are to remember in your physical suffering there is something more important it is the soul the health and welfare of of the soul, to feed and repair and save and give life to the soul.

The body rides on the coattails of the soul. It's given over and over and over in Scripture in the New Testament. It is written, man, meaning what?

Mankind, humankind, shall. shall not live by bread alone. Man is in mankind, all human beings.

And also, what does Jesus say? Every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This, of course, should remind you of another absolutely key text in the New Testament about the Word of God.

It should remind us of what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3.16. All scripture is theonoustos in the Greek, literally translated, and it should be translated word for word, equivalent literally, God breathed. The man is saying every single solitary word in the inspired and preserved book was actually the very thoughts of the mind and heart of God breathed out by God Almighty into this world, onto and into His human servants, and from there to the written or printed page.

It is all literally the breath of God. It is not merely the whim or will or fancies of a human author. Fascinating thing.

The divine inspiration of the Bible. Jesus is defending that and proclaiming that. Jesus is telling the devil and all the rest of us that every word of and in God's word is of extreme importance and interest. All of it.

There is no part of God's Word that is not absolutely essential for living right with and before God. Isn't it? Oh my, oh, could I go off on about two or three other messages on this score alone? How often do we see fraudulent, phony, fake, failed Christianity in this country throwing the Word of God out the window or under the bus, whatever sorry expression you want to use, to their eternal shame and destruction?

It is extremely dangerous, it is sheer folly for anyone to deny this fundamental fact of life, that the very Word of God is the breath of God and it is the final authority over everything in this world and in our life. But, to fail to do so? Well, isn't that exactly what the adversary, the devil, wants?

with everybody. He even tempts the Son of God in this way. That's how he destroys people.

He destroys nations. He destroys cultures and societies and civilizations. Not to mention families, neighborhoods, any group made up of human beings.

The family. The individual human being. He destroys people by leading them to refuse, ignore, deny, disobey God's Word, food for the soul.

You throw away food for the soul, what's going to happen to the soul? It's going to die. It's really that simple. It is incredible. Theologian Mr. Osborne, his commentary I've been enjoying, he writes, it is incredibly dangerous.

for churches to neglect the depths of that sacred word. End quote. Oh, brother. Is that not the truth?

This should also remind us of the words of Jesus in the Gospel. John chapter 4 verse 34. Remember Jesus was hot, tired, dusty, and thirsty and speaking to a Samaritan woman, which was pretty radical for that culture, you remember, at the well, giving her the words of life. And they come back and, well, Master, what's going on?

What are you talking to this woman? A Samaritan of that? What is this?

Don't you want something to eat? What does Jesus say? My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.

I will eat later, when I have first seen to my mission, to obey, to proclaim, to teach, to reveal the word and will of my Father. He is the example. We are to do the same. There might be times where we might have to say, my food or my whatever, fill in the blank, is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work, like my master Jesus who went before me and saved me. Jesus is telling us all, and Satan to his face, the principal enemy of God's Word, that a life sustained by faith is not a life of sin.

physical food or the physical anything is only a really very poor life indeed in the end. And isn't that what everybody around us lives for? And only what they live for?

And Jesus is saying, that's no life at all. In the end, that will just condemn you before my Father. A life containing only the physical made up of the only the physical, it's no life at all in the end. For neglect of God's word is to lead to the death of the whole person eventually, body and soul, isn't it?

Also most important again, Jesus, God the Son himself, tells us in the evil one that Scripture is not ultimately the work or product of mere mortal human beings. No, that's why it's food for your soul. God is the true, final, and original author of the Bible. of scripture.

That's how scripture is authoritative for life and practice. Food for the soul. If it's food for the soul, it has to be from God. It can't be from the mere material or physical world, the world of fallen human beings.

And that fact remains unchanging now and always for everyone. Therefore, scripture is of paramount importance for and over all of us. Just a couple of quotes to conclude.

This part of the duel in the desert for the day, of course we'll return to it next Sunday. I quote Brother Leon Morris again. He writes, We should not overlook the fact that while Jesus was tempted by the devil to do something quite beyond our ability, that is supernaturally turning rocks into bread, Jesus does not quote a text that applies to the Messiah alone. Not at all.

Jesus quotes a text which is valid for the entire human race. It's valid even for angels. Jesus defeated the devil's temptation with God's word, an invaluable resource open to each and every one of Jesus' followers.

Obedience to God the Father was of uttermost importance to Jesus, and so it is to be with all of us, if we really do belong to him. and his plan and agenda, end quote. Now just another point to make before we, next week, proceed further into the text of this battle between our Lord and the evil one, this time of testing or temptation. The theologian Craig Blomberg writes, Matthew warns us against two common errors, blaming God for temptation and for crediting the devil with power to act totally independent of God. Remember, the word is pedazo, to test or to tempt.

God does not tempt, he tests. Satan's the one who tempts. In the Bible, God is so holy, and he is, that he is so disassociated from evil that he is never directly responsible for tempting anyone to evil. But he will test in order to strengthen.

And the devil is never described as an enemy that in any way, shape, or form is equal to God. He is only an angel, fallen in opposition to God. The devil, though a powerful enemy to humanity, he always remains bound by only what God permits. End quote.

And the last word I give to a theologian by the name of Birger Gerhardsen. He writes, God's purpose in this test is, of course, completely different from Satan's. God tests his son to test his metal filled with the Spirit.

To give him an opportunity to strengthen himself by doing battle with the evil one, to crush the serpent's head, this opportunity to destroy the works of the devil, as the New Testament says elsewhere, to build him up for going to the cross and by conquering death and hell itself in the resurrection. God also tests his elect ones, his redeemed people, in order to what? To test our character, the sincerity of our faith, and to inquire into our way of life. For Jesus. This test was to show that he truly is the divine, triumphant Son of God who came to conquer and who came to save.

In passing this time of testing, Jesus shows his proper, true Son-to-Father relationship to God. It is perfect, it is holy, it is divine, and nothing will ever thwart it or sever it in any way. This is how.

He can be the second Adam, the sin bearer, to raise up the fortunes of a fallen creation and a fallen humanity. Humanity couldn't beat the evil one. A member of humanity, the God-man, he did. And he makes it possible for we today to defeat evil as well. And so to the duel in the desert, we'll return next week.

Sovereign Lord God, our Heavenly Father, thank you for this, one of the most important battles which has ever been fought in all of history, and one on one. Thank you for sending the divine son of your person, the second person of your being, by your will and plan to come into the world to defeat evil. to set the creation back on track, to fulfill perfectly your plan, your story, and to enable us to become a part of it. Thank you for the victory Jesus won in great physical suffering for us who are to receive life in his name.

Bless this, the humble proclamation of your word, O Lord, we pray. In Jesus' holy name, amen.

Transcript for:2025 May 4 "The Temptation of Jesus Explained"

Transcript for:
2025 May 4 "The Temptation of Jesus Explained"