The Wilderness Temptations
-
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 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.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[c]”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. -
“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Anyone been a scout or a girl guide? I have!
Do you follow the exploits of Ber Grylls? Celebrity Bear Hunt is on Netflix at the minute.
What are the basic survival tools you may need in the wilderness? Compass and a Knife perhaps.
After 30 years as a carpenter using manual tools, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and He needed the spiritual equivalent of a wilderness survival kit.
However long you have been a Christian, you will face temptations and trials. All of us - at one time or another will end up in a spiritual wilderness, and you cannot resist the enemy without a compass and a knife. What am I talking about?
Compass. Knife. Something Else
1 Compass
2 Knife
3 Something Else
Compass
The 1st thing you’ll need is a compass – the compass is the Bible Word of God
None of us survive long in the wilderness if we do not know where we are and where we are going. The compass tells you where you are and which way is which - north, south, east or west. In the spiritual wilderness where the HS leads - we have the WORD as a compass, a means of knowing what direction in which we should walk. It can save us when we use it. The Bible.
Jesus used the word while he was in the wilderness - with it he resisted temptation - he recalled what was right – and refused & rebuked the devil - who wanted him to turn aside from his path. Wanted him to doubt who he was.
First temptation.
Jesus was hungry (after 40 days) Luke 4 v 3 ‘if you are the son of God ..make some bread.’ Sounds harmless but against the bible, Jesus recognised that doubting voice ‘if you are the son.’ That little word, ‘if.’ The enemy was trying to make him doubt who he was. The Messiah.
Remember Jesus had just heard the voice from heaven declaring ‘you are my beloved son’ (Luke 3:22). That’s the true compass. The false compass says, ‘you don’t believe that, do you?’ ‘Take care of yourself, make some bread, God’s going to let you starve out here in this wilderness.’
One of our basic sins against God is to mistrust Him. We can mistrust God in many ways, financially, health, even in relationships. The devil says to us ‘take care of Number One’ but the compass of the bible teaches us that God is totally trustworthy.
Jesus rebuked the devil with words from Deutoromy 8:3, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’
Second Temptation.
Jesus was tempted by the wrong kind of power. Again, Jesus uses the compass, quoting the bible ‘Worship God and serve him only.’
Satan claimed he was ‘lord of this world.’ He promised to give power to Jesus if he would worship him. It was a temptation to compromise. Bow down Jesus we can go into partnership, the deceiver (v6) says ‘I will give you all this - the power has been given to me.’ Devil, the father of lies is using cunning guile - I can give you whatever I want - ‘no, you can't!’ Jesus why don't you just bring your Kingdom of love and peace in and avoid the cross and suffering?
Instead, Jesus endured sacrificial death and self-denying love on the narrow Road that leads to life.
It is a temptation for us to think we don't need to stay on the narrow road or to take up your cross daily. There is an easier way, it is tempting.
In my accountancy practice, I once let my guard down and tried to compromise my integrity, and I made a wrong decision. It was not good. Later, I did repent, and the Lord was merciful.
Jesus endured this wilderness temptation and the cross so that you and I would not grow weary and would not lose heart (Hebrews 12:3).
Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:13. No one is to be worshipped but God alone. JC sinless. Still real man & real temptations.
Third Temptation.
Jesus was also tempted to test how much God loves him. Test whether God will keep you safe. The tempter even uses a false compass, quoting the bible (Ps 91) ‘God will catch you when you fall.’ Tempt to perform a spectacular miracle. Test God rather than trust him humbly.
During his wilderness temptations no special resources are given to Jesus, he faced them in the same way that we must. By using scripture. Jesus uses the true compass and replies ‘you shall not tempt the Lord.’ That’s the first survival tool: the compass - the Bible.
Knife
The second thing you need for survival is a knife. By this you can keep warm and feed yourself. You can catch food and survive in the wilderness.
Jesus’ survival knife was prayer. Jesus had a habit of going off to pray. It is a good habit. Mark 1:35 ‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark.’ Luke 5:15 ‘He often withdrew to a lonely place & prayed.’ Luke 6:12 ‘Jesus went out to a mountain to pray and spent the night praying.’
With prayer in his survival kit, Jesus was able to resist the Devil. When we are in the wilderness of hard times or spiritual dryness, it is very important to pray. Through prayer, Jesus was ready for the tests that came his way. Prayer – is so much more than making requests known to God. In prayer, Jesus knew how to wait and He was able to hear from God through his prayer relationship.
As we begin this season of Lent - as Baden Powell would say, BE PREPARED. Do you have your compass and survival knife at the ready? The word of God, the Bible & prayer. In the wilderness, our character is tested and refined. On this the First Sunday in Lent, I call you learn from Jesus’ wilderness experiences and daily seek God in prayer and in reading the Bible - the knife and compass to be prepared.
Something Else
Alongside the knife and the compass there is another unseen yet vital tool for surviving in the wilderness. It is FAITH. Faith deals with fear.
One of the most dangerous things a Scout or anyone else in the wilderness can encounter is fear, and faith counteracts fear.
Faith trusts that God is with us always. Faith trusts that God loves us unconditionally. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
If you fear you will not survive. If you fear that you are lost. Or don’t know how to use the compass to find out which way to go, or if you fear that you are going to starve to death. That is the prompt of the tempter, and the fear can kill you faster than anything else. Spiritually, the fear robs you of your peace. To survive when the going gets tough, you need to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths”(Proverbs 3:5,6).
Our confidence in survival is not in ourselves but in our Lord, our ever-present helper -take hold of this by faith.
Jesus used the Word of God and He survived in the wilderness.
Luke 4:13 “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.”
Jesus returned from the wilderness and began his work as the Christ ‘in the power of the Spirit.’
When temptation comes our way and suggests the wrong answer, the wrong choice, the wrong use of power, wrong use of God’s Word, the way of popularity, the wrong kind of relationship - then remember this “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:8,9. The Lord has given us his word, no matter how the devil may tempt and taunt or try us – we have His word.
I will conclude with another story from my Accountancy days. When I was about to complete the Sale of Accountancy practice, it fell through at the very last minute. I was devastated. My wife and I turned to prayer and the Word. We read in Hosea 6:1-3 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear…”
As we prayed, we sensed that this was a word from the Lord: ‘in two days he will revive us, on the third day he will restore us.’
I said to my wife, ‘after this weekend, it is the third day, I wonder how the Lord will restore us?’
Hallelujah! On the Monday morning, another buyer came into my office and said he wanted to take over the practice. The sale went through in a month.
An example of the Word and prayer knitted together in faith reviving and restoring us.
As we celebrate this First Sunday in Lent I call you to take very seriously the fact that we will all have wilderness experiences in our life - and that we need to be prepared. Armed with Bible and Prayer and a close relationship with the Lord (Faith), trust that He is near, and God wants to help us and through us - God wants to reach out and help and share his good news with others.
I will trust my saviour Jesus
When my darkest doubts befall
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all
City Alight
