[0:00] led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.
[0:16] Jesus answered, It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone. The devil led him up to a high place and showed him an instant, all the kingdoms of the world.
[0:28] And he said to him, I will give you all their authority and splendor. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.
[0:41] Jesus answered, It is written, Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. 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, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully.
[1:01] They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against the stone. Jesus answered, It is said, Do not put the Lord your God to the test. When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
[1:18] May God bless his word to us. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Tonight we are going to think about the uniqueness of the temptations of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[1:38] The uniqueness of his temptations. The word temptation is a word that's translated from a New Testament word that can mean many things.
[2:01] Tried, tested, tempted. It can have a context of something that's bad, temptation, or it can have something of a context of good, testing, trial.
[2:20] And the Bible translators, they change and choose the appropriate word depending on the context. And the context determines whether this is something good that's come from God, and that makes it a test, and sometimes a trial.
[2:45] Or something bad that comes from Satan and is a temptation to bring us down. It all depends whether the test is to build us up or to pull us down.
[3:03] God never ever tests anyone to pull them down. He never tries us and never puts us in a position of trial where his intention is to break us.
[3:18] Far from it. The devil is always doing that. His goal is to damage our spiritual lives, those of us who are Christians.
[3:34] And to make us weak. And to cause us to veer under the impulse of our natural old natures.
[3:46] In other words, to sin. To offend God. To do that which displeases the God of heaven.
[3:56] But God tests us. And he tries us. He puts trials in our way. And this sometimes comes to Christians.
[4:08] Even those who have been Christians for a lot of years. As a bit of a surprise, if not a shock. That God tests us. And tries us.
[4:20] And puts us into situations. Where we've got to stand the ground. And we've got to cope. And we've got to cope in his might and in his grace. We've got to lean hard on him. We've got to pray.
[4:31] And we've got to be faithful. And when the Lord Jesus Christ was tested. He was led by the Holy Spirit.
[4:45] Into the wilderness. To confront or be confronted. By the devil. That was the whole intention. Let's just remember what the context was.
[4:58] It's the early days. Of our Lord's ministry. About 30 years of age. He left. Nazareth. And the carpenter's bench. And he traveled down.
[5:10] To the Jordan. Down south. Traveled down to a place where. John the Baptist. Was baptizing people.
[5:21] Who. Were repenting. Were. Deeply sorry. For what they'd done wrong. Really sad. That they'd grieved God.
[5:33] And they wanted to show. Their grief. And their sadness. By. Going. To this. Jordan River.
[5:45] And submitting. To the baptism of John. It was a baptism. For the remission. Of sins. Removal. Of sins. The water.
[5:55] The water didn't remove. The sins. Baptism. Doesn't wash us. From our sins. It's a symbol.
[6:07] A symbol. In baptism. A symbol. Of our. True. Heart. Response. That we really. Are sorry.
[6:17] That we do see. And understand. Something of our sins. And our sinfulness. And how we've offended. Almighty. Holy. God. And we submit.
[6:30] To what he has provided. In baptism. To show. How. Deeply. Sorry we are. And how we want. His forgiveness.
[6:42] And at the same time. Of course. For Christians now. A little different. From in the days of John. Because the Lord Jesus Christ. Had not been crucified. Had not died.
[6:53] The Holy Spirit. Had been set forth. And. There wasn't that. Particular emphasis. On the gospel. The good news. And believing.
[7:04] In the Lord Jesus. But his. Was an emphasis. On. Repentance. And sorrow. For sin. And the symbol. That God gave.
[7:16] Baptism. Submitting. To that symbol. They could know. That God forgave them. And before Calvary.
[7:27] The people. Who loved God. Were trusting. In what God. Was going to do. In the death. Of his son. They didn't always. Know much detail.
[7:38] But they knew. That God. Was going to deal with it. Since Calvary. We look back. And we. We thank God. And we trust ourselves.
[7:50] To what God. Has done. But it seems strange. Doesn't it. When you think it was. A baptism of. Repentance. For the remission. Of sins. For the removal.
[8:02] For the washing away. Of sins. It seems. Rather strange. That the Lord Jesus. Submitted to it. Isn't it? He had no sin. There's not.
[8:13] One word. Of record. To suggest. He ever. Sinned. By his. Speech.
[8:24] Nothing he said. By his. Behavior. Nothing he did. And. The testimony. Of heaven. Is.
[8:35] He didn't even. Sin in his head. By his thoughts. The testimony. That comes. Over and over again. By many writers. As they record. Details.
[8:45] About the Lord Jesus. Is. He was. Without sin. He knew. No sin. From the very. Beginning. To the very. End of his life.
[8:55] Here on earth. He knew. No sin. Ever. In fact. He never knew any. Before in heaven. Or after in heaven. So we can say. He's absolutely.
[9:06] Sinless. And always been sinless. And will. Always be sinless. But he submitted. To the baptism. Of repentance. For the remission.
[9:16] Of sins. He was coming. Into the water. To symbolize. He. As the savior. Was uniting. With his. Sinful people.
[9:27] It's as though. He were coming in. And in that water. We go in. To join him. And in the symbol there. Of that. Glorious union. With him.
[9:38] We benefit. From everything. That he did. In his suffering. And death. In his resurrection. And the bible. Of course. Teaches some wonderful things.
[9:49] About the significance. Of baptism. So here is the Lord Jesus. Submits to this baptism. As he comes up. Out of the water. John. Says.
[10:01] I saw. The Holy Spirit. Come. Like a dove. Alighting upon him. He's been anointed.
[10:11] As the Messiah. He's the Christ. Of God. But then. There's the shock. Isn't there? Immediately.
[10:23] The Holy Spirit. Led. Him. Into the wilderness. To be tempted. By the devil. Not just led him. Into the wilderness. To see what happened.
[10:34] But led him. Specifically. Into the wilderness. To be tempted. It was God's will. That he should be tested. It was God's will. That he should be confronted. By the assault.
[10:47] The intellectual. And spiritual. Assault. Of Satan. The great enemy. Of God. Satan. Was going to tempt him. Satan.
[10:57] Was going to test him. And his purpose. Was to break him. His purpose. Was to break his confidence. In his mission. His purpose. Was to break. The confidence. Of this man.
[11:08] In his relationship. With God. And so. Satan. Tempted him. It seems.
[11:18] He was tempting him. Quite a number of times. Over those. Nearly six weeks. But it came. To a high point. In those. Temptations.
[11:29] That are recorded. For us. At the end. Of 40 days. And 40 nights. When he'd been. Fasting. And it is said.
[11:40] By those. Who know. Of these things. That somewhere. Around the 40th year. At 40th day. Rather. Somewhere around. The 40th day.
[11:51] Of fasting. There's. There's a. A. Threatful feeling. Of death. You're dying. And.
[12:01] A. A. A. A. New. Sense. A. Deepened. Sense. Of the horror of it all. Humanly speaking. And here.
[12:12] Is Jesus. The son. Of God. The real man. Who's real God. Too. Submitting himself. As a man. To this.
[12:23] Horrific. Onslaught. Because it's the father's will. God. His father. Wanted him. To be tested.
[12:36] To be confronted. By the temptations. Of Satan. So Satan. Comes. When humanly speaking. The Lord.
[12:48] Jesus Christ. Physically. And mentally. And emotionally. Is at a real. Low. Ebb.
[13:01] And the devil. Comes in. With his. Insidious. Suggestions. If. You are the son of God.
[13:12] Or. Since. You are the son of God. Because the devil. Isn't really. Wanting to. Challenge him. At a soft.
[13:26] Gentle. Level. He wants. To hit him. Hard. Since. You are the son of God. You're hungry.
[13:38] You're starving. Command that these stones. Should be turned into bread. You've got a new power now. You're the man. Jesus Christ.
[13:49] You've made a promise. That you won't use. Your supernatural power. You'll be a real man. Among men. A real human being. You'll subject yourself. To all that human beings.
[14:00] Have to subject themselves to. Right. But you. Have received. From the Holy Spirit. Just a little while ago. There. At the Jordan. You've received.
[14:11] From the Holy Spirit. That anointing. That enabling. That power. You have the power now. You can. In the power of the Holy Spirit.
[14:21] And by that power. You can change these stones. Into bread. Meet your own need. Jesus. Reassure yourself. That you really are. The son of God.
[14:32] Man shall not live. By bread alone. But by every word.
[14:43] That proceeds. From the mouth. Of God. In other words. I'm not. Going to do. As you. Suggest. I'm not.
[14:56] Going to meet. My own needs. By the exercise. Of God's power. If God.
[15:07] Wills me to die. I'll die. But I'm not going to change those stones. If God. Wills to provide for me. He will do so.
[15:18] Somehow. Now. Now. But I'm not. Going to satisfy. My own needs. Miraculously.
[15:29] It's quite amazing. Isn't it? Quite amazing. And the devil comes again.
[15:41] Doesn't he? He comes again. He's tried to reach. The Lord Jesus. Through. Hunger. Through the need. He has in his body. Through.
[15:52] His appetite. That must have been. At a real. Desperate state. Tried to reach him. Through. The flesh.
[16:04] Now. He takes him. Up. Into a high position. Where he can view. Places of the world. All this I'll give you.
[16:15] He says. I'll give you it. If you've just worshipped me. I'm the God of this world. I can give it to whoever I want.
[16:25] What? Oh. But just a moment. What are you offering? You're offering me the world.
[16:38] Without Calvary. You're offering me. The peoples of the world. Without any suffering. You're offering me so much.
[16:51] Without. Without. Without the struggle. Of calling people. And searching for people. And drawing my people. From all the nations. You're offering me. An alternative. To God's way.
[17:05] And the Lord. Jesus as a man. Knew exactly. What was in front of him. He only got to open. The Bible of the Old Testament. Such a place.
[17:17] As Psalm 22. Knowing that one day. When he died. He would in such a desperate state. In a sense. Of his own agony.
[17:28] And suffering. That he would cry out. My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me? He knew he was going to say that. He wasn't thinking on that cross.
[17:38] I wonder what I could. What is there in the. In the Psalms. Of David. That I could just quote. Jesus. Jesus. Didn't quote David. David.
[17:50] Quoted Jesus. A thousand years before the time. That's what prophecy is. And Jesus knew. He was going to cry out. I thirst. They're surrounding me.
[18:04] Like dogs. They're playing. Playing some. Game. To find out. Casting lots.
[18:17] To see who's going to have. The fifth garment. That I'm wearing. He knew. He knew what was in front of him. In detail. Not. No one.
[18:27] But the son of God. Could have caught with that knowledge. And still gone ahead. And what Satan is offering him. Is an easy route. With one condition.
[18:39] Just worship me. Just worship me. That's all. Be like a northerner. Go into the mill.
[18:50] Tip your hat. To the boss. That's all he was looking for. But Jesus knew the implications. And whatever.
[19:01] Whatever. Was determined. Whatever the plan. And purpose had been. From before the foundation. Of the earth. He. Was going to do it.
[19:14] Whatever. The cost. He was shown the kingdom. So the devil was trying to reach him. Through his eyes. What he's seeing.
[19:24] To appeal to him. Through what he saw. And then. The devil. Says look. In effect.
[19:36] He says. Now you've got this new power. Look. You can win people easily. You know. God knows you're his son. But lots and lots of people. Though you're the son of God.
[19:48] Demonstrate. Your. Your powers. Throw yourself down. Off this pinnacle. Throw yourself down. Because. There's a promise. In the scriptures. Which says. He'll not.
[19:58] Even let your foot. Stumble. You'll not trip. And hurt your toe. You'll send his angels.
[20:10] To bear you up. So. Impress people. If they don't know. And recognize. That you're the son of God. Impress them.
[20:20] So that they begin to realize. You've got an amazing connection. With heaven. All you've got to do. All you've got to do.
[20:34] Throw yourself down. And God. Will. Protect you. He's promised. To protect his people.
[20:45] Ah. But when the devil quoted Psalm 91. On that particular occasion. That God would keep him. He forgot to say. Or did he forget.
[20:57] He missed out. Mischievously. Missed out some words. God will keep you. In all your ways. If we're going to be kept by God.
[21:12] We've got to be walking. In God's ways. Not our own. And Jesus knew. What the devil was doing. He knew.
[21:23] What he was suggesting. We cannot. Tempt. God. We tempt God.
[21:34] When we do something stupid. Thinking. God will look after us. When we do something foolish. What we haven't thought through carefully.
[21:46] And we expect God. To get us out of it. God does not condone rashness. He condemns rashness.
[22:00] Judges it. And punishes it. And Jesus. Knew well. That to. Do.
[22:10] What was requested. To impress people. With his power. Was not the way of God at all. He chose rather the way.
[22:22] Of humility. And the way that would lead. To lots and lots of. Misunderstandings. By sinful. Blind. Blind. Spiritually.
[22:33] Blind. People. He knew. Why this means. He was condemning himself. To the Calvary road. And being seriously.
[22:46] Seriously. Misunderstood. Misunderstood. You shall. Misunderstood. You shall. You shall. Not. Tempt.
[22:58] The Lord. Your God. That is. You mustn't. Try God. And test him. To do evil. Or to condone your evil. devil. And then we're told.
[23:11] The devil left him. For a while. Until an opportune moment. In other words. He'll be back. When it says.
[23:24] That the Lord Jesus. Was tempted as we are. We must understand. Just what that means. Because the Lord Jesus Christ. was not just tempted.
[23:36] As we are. But he was tempted. Far. Far. More. Than we are. And that. For a very clear.
[23:49] Logical. Reason. When you or I are tempted. When we've been tempted. Sooner or later. We've given in.
[24:02] So in effect. Because we've given in. To temptation. So many times. We've never known. The full impact.
[24:13] Of that temptation. We've never known. How hard. Say can really. Hit us. Because we've given in. We've quit. We've yielded. This man.
[24:25] Whom yielded never. Got the full blast. The full impact. The devil.
[24:36] Did everything. He. Could possibly do. Against Jesus. And the subtlety. Of these questions.
[24:47] Brings out. His insidious way. Of trying to. Break. The relationship. Between father. And son. God the father. And God the son. Break.
[24:59] The confidence. Of the son. Towards his father. Break. The confidence. Of his son. To the father's. Purpose. And mission. To the whole reason. For him coming.
[25:10] It was an attack. On his person. It was an attack. On his relationship. With God. It was an attack. On his work. And he came out.
[25:22] With flying colors. Oh. What a savior. What a lord. What a. What a glorious. What a glorious. What a glorious.
[25:32] Friend. Of sinners. He knows. What it's like. To be tried. And tested. He knows. What it's like. To be. Subtly approached.
[25:43] You know. How the devil. Is recorded. In the scriptures. Peter tells us. He's like. A roaring lion. That's persecution. Outward.
[25:53] Open. Persecution. That's. Ungodly people. Coming against. The godly. Persecution. That many of our. Brothers and sisters. Are facing. Right now.
[26:04] Throughout the world. Horrid. Vicious. Bloody. Many of them. To death. That's the roaring lion.
[26:16] Prowling around. Seeking. He. Whom he may devour. But there's another side. To his workings. An insidious side.
[26:28] He is. Able to. Change himself. And come. At us. As a very. Angel. Of light. You can see this.
[26:38] Described in Peter. In the first. In the roaring lion. Because. The first letter of Peter. Is all about. Suffering persecution. And how to cope with it.
[26:49] The second letter of Peter. Is quite different. Now. He's. He's dealing with the. Insidious. Work of Satan. Within. Within the church. Community.
[27:01] As he comes. As an angel of light. And wins people's. Loyalty. Through. False. Heretical teachers. Who look so lovely. And behave so beautifully.
[27:12] But inside. Their hearts. They've got all sorts of. Mischief. To lead people away. From the truth. And it behoves us.
[27:24] To take note. Of what Paul says. In. 2 Corinthians. 2. 11. We are not. Ignorant. Of his. Devices. Don't.
[27:35] Be ignorant. Of the devices. Of Satan. So here. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Is tested. And tried. And he wins through.
[27:46] Magnificently. He's been tested. Through. His own appetite. Turn these stones. Into bread. He's been tested.
[27:58] Through his eyes. See. Here. These. Kingdoms. I'll give you them all. Look. You can have them. Only just. Worship me.
[28:09] And then. He's tempted. Tempted to. Show people. How wonderful he is. Demonstrate his power. Isn't that to do with.
[28:21] The pride of life. Do you remember how it all began. All the problems began. Way way back. There in the garden of Eden.
[28:34] Where Satan came. And addressed Eve. God had given them. This beautiful garden. Some superb fruit.
[28:46] And vegetables. And said. You can eat the fruit of the tree. But there's one thing. I don't want you to do. Just.
[28:57] One thing. Don't eat. Of that one tree. Because. The day you eat of the fruit of that tree. You're going to die. You would have thought.
[29:09] That had been quite satisfied. Wouldn't you. But there's. Probably. True to say. That. Any one of us. In that position. Would have done.
[29:20] Exactly. What Eve. Eve. Eve. In fact. The Bible. Speaks as though. We were all. Somehow. Involved in it.
[29:32] It was what we all. Did. Through our ancestor. Eve. Well. What does it say. In God's word. About Eve.
[29:43] He says. In Genesis. Three. Six. So when the woman. Saw that the tree. Was good. For food. Oh.
[29:55] That a strange connection. With. Turning stones. Into bread. And that it was pleasant. To the eyes. Oh. Isn't that a strange connection. With the devil.
[30:06] Showing Jesus. The world. And the countries. Of the world. And that it was desirable. To make one wise. Pride.
[30:20] Of life. To make one wise. Oh. I should be as wise. As God. Wasn't that the promise. That the devil made. You'll be as wise.
[30:31] As God. Let's jump from that. Right. Into the New Testament. Into 1 John. Chapter 2. And verse 15.
[30:43] What do we read there? 1 John. 2. 15. Do not love the world.
[30:55] Or anything. In the world. If anyone. Loves the world. The love of the father. Is not in him. For everything. In the world. The cravings.
[31:05] The cravings. Of sinful man. Or. The lust. Of the flesh. And the lust. Of the eyes. And the boasting.
[31:17] Of what he has. Or does. Comes not from the father. But from the world. The world. And its desires. Pass away. But the man.
[31:27] Who does. The will. Of God. Lives. Forever. Here. John is saying. That. There's the love. Of the world. Which is directly.
[31:39] Opposite. To the love. Of the father. And it. Consists. In three things. It consists. In. Lust. Or.
[31:50] Appetite. Cravings. For things. That offend. God. And don't. Please God. God.
[32:00] God has created us. With appetites. We've got the appetite. Of food. And God. Provides the means. Of its satisfaction. We have food.
[32:11] To eat. But that craving. That. That desire. That appetite. For food. Can. Get out of place. Can't it? And we can crave.
[32:22] And crave. And crave. Not just sufficient. To eat. And enjoy. And live. But to eat. And eat. And eat. It can become.
[32:34] When the devil. Pushes it. A sin. Gluttony. The lust of the flesh.
[32:46] There is an appetite. For which marriage. Is God's. Lovely provision. Any other means. Of meeting.
[32:57] That particular. Appetite. Built into us. Any other means. Is sinful. So when it cannot be satisfied.
[33:09] In a God honoring. And lawful way. We go to God. And pray to God. For the grace. To live our lives.
[33:21] Holy. Before him. And find fulfillment. In him. And in friendships. The world. Within the church.
[33:35] We have appetites. But the devil. Can push them. So that they become sinful. They become lusts.
[33:47] The lust of the flesh. And then the second one. Is the lust of the eyes. And as far as I understand.
[33:59] It's us men. Who have the bigger problem. In this direction. And for why. Well it can be. Simply illustrated.
[34:11] When did you last see. An ill clothed man. Draped over. A washing machine. To sell it to a woman. Point taken.
[34:26] We are vulnerable. Men. Vulnerable. And we need to heed. The words of Job.
[34:36] Job 31 verse 1. I have made a covenant. With my eyes. Not to look. Upon. A young woman.
[34:47] He doesn't mean. I don't look at them. Strictly. He's being. Profound. He's saying. I don't. Give. A wrong.
[34:58] Look. And I don't. Have a wrong. Thought. In my head. And he guards himself. We have to know.
[35:12] How to avoid. Areas of sin. And weaknesses of sin. And to learn from God. Great self-control. Sisters. You're not free of the difficulty.
[35:24] Sorry. It may not be your eyes. So much as your ears. The ladies. Are much more susceptible.
[35:36] Through their ears. That's why husbands. Have got to learn. How to speak nicely to them. If you really want to. Win over the love of your wife. You tell her.
[35:47] How much you love her. Don't leave her to guess. Time and again. I've had couples. Come to me. For marriage counseling. And the wife will say. He doesn't love me anymore. And he said.
[35:58] Oh I do. I do. And she says. You haven't told me. You haven't told me. Since the day we got married. But you know.
[36:09] I love you. They say. Yeah. But I like to hear you say it. Do I get a smile. From all the. Wives. And. Widows.
[36:21] Is it right? As you can be. Blessed. Through your. Hearing. Hearing. So you can be.
[36:31] Beguiled. Through your. Hearing. As Eve was. The lust. The lust. Of the eyes. Stroke ears.
[36:44] The pride of life. Isn't this one of the most complicated ones in the lot. Because the tendency. For us Christians. Is to become. Christian.
[36:55] Uriah. Heaps. If we try hard. Really hard. To be humble. We want people to know. We've been humble. And we get proud of being humble.
[37:11] And that crackers. Proud. Of not being proud. Pride of life. We want people to notice us.
[37:21] We want people to appreciate us. We want people to. To thank us for what we are. And what we've done. The idea of doing things. And being someone.
[37:34] And saying things. Without thought. Of what people think. And without wanting their accolades. Is not easy one.
[37:47] Not to be concerned. About ourselves. And putting ourselves forward. And boasting. In our achievements.
[38:00] Mind you it's lovely. When somebody else comments. Isn't it? Or is it? It's tricky. This third one.
[38:16] Because just when you start thinking. You've mastered it. The very moment. You think. You've mastered it. You've just blown it again. But our Lord Jesus.
[38:30] Was tempted. Way beyond. Anything that you. And I. Will ever face. And he's a wonderful example. And he's a wonderful example.
[38:40] And he's a wonderful example to us. And he says. Look. I've done it. And it was tough. If you love me. Cope.
[38:52] Come to me for help. Call upon the Lord. For the Holy Spirit. And fight through. Fight through.
[39:02] And win. Win. By. God's grace. And God's empowerment. Resist. Temptation.
[39:14] Resist. The devil. And he will flee from you. And if a computer is your problem. Open your window. And throw the thing out. And if there are places.
[39:26] Where there's danger. Don't go. I have a brother. That we love very deeply. Who's a converted. Alcoholic. And he can't go.
[39:38] Anywhere near. Alcohol. Just the smell. And he's got to be so careful. He doesn't say.
[39:49] I'm going to go into the pub. And I'm going to evangelize. I'm going to get a fish full of tracks. And I'll go in there. And God will keep me. That's testing God. That's tempting God. That's putting God to the test.
[40:03] He says. That's one place I won't go. There's lots of other places. I can go safely. That's one place I can't go. Are there places like that? Brothers.
[40:13] Sisters. Of a different kind? Places that you really ought not to go. Because you're going to be vulnerable. Are there things that you do. That are dangerous.
[40:24] And that you can manage without doing them. Places to avoid. We have to learn wisdom. Proper wisdom.
[40:38] The wisdom of God. How to keep ourselves in the way of holiness. Let's sing our final hymn. Let's sing our final hymn. Yanom