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Luke 4:3-4

'And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”'

 

  • Today I want to look at Jesus temptation in the wilderness, the purpose of trials and the power of trusting in God’s word.

 

Luke 4:3-13

'And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord

 

your God.’ ” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.'

 

  • Charles Spurgeon said

“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil and let us see what we are made of.”

 

  • In these verses Jesus dealt with temptation head on by using truth. He was hungry, alone and vulnerable but He stood firm on the word.

 

  • He used the word as a weapon, not standing on His own strength and wisdom He stood on the Word by replying “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” 

 

  • God’s word is truth and cuts through lies and deceptions. It will cut through the darkness of temptation.

 

  • By standing firm on the promises of God we don’t have to worry about the lies of the enemy. We can resist them, and we are armed with the truth.

 

 

  • When Jesus was tempted, He didn’t just repeat scripture from His mind. He believed it and trusted in it.  We can’t just know what the Bible says we have to believe it and trust it.

 

  • Jesus knew and trusted God’s word not His own feelings. Because He did, He was able to trust in the truth and resist temptation.

 

  • Knowing the truth in our hearts will allow us to recognize the lies and deception. The devil is a master of lies and empty promises.  He can’t give us what we need only God can.  When we reject his empty promises and trust with our hearts in God we can cling to God’s true promises.

 

  • We can’t just know the truth we have to put it into action in our lives. Like Jesus did we have to live the word of God and apply it to everything in our lives.

 

 

  • So many times, we want to take the easy way out and live the lies of the world giving into the temptations of the flesh.

 

  • Because Jesus lived out the truth, he was able to overcome temptation.

 

 

  • Living the truth means making choices. Choosing to trust God and not our feelings.  Choosing to obey God not our desires

 

  • By trusting God and obeying His word we can experience the true freedom and joy that only He can give. It is not easy, it takes sacrifice, but the outcome is so worth it.  The world will tell you it’s not, it will try to convince you to take the easy way out, the way that leads to empty promises.

 

 

  • We will face trials, but they have a purpose in our lives. The time Jesus spent in the desert helped prepare Him for His ministry.

 

  • If we stand firm on the truth in the trials and temptations we can truly say from the heart and believe it “Get behind me, satan! For it is written you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.”

 

  • Trials will reveal our true character and commitment and dependence on God’s provisions. Jesus was hungry and physically weakened but when the devil tempted Him with turning the stones into bread He responded, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

 

 

  • Trials so often come in times when we are weak and will expose our fears and doubts. But they also reveal our strengths and faith.  How we respond reveals to the world who we really are and where our trust lies.

 

  • The world wants us to take the easy way down a crowded freeway that bypasses all the simple pleasures of life. God wants us to take the narrow path that will take us by that beautiful waterfall He has created or that little pond that reminds us of when we were kids.

 

 

  • The devil took Jesus to a mountain top and showed Him all these treasure that the world could give Him. But Jesus chose to stay faithful to God and told the devil what He knew in His heart “Get behind me satan for it is written. You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

 

  • This showed the world Jesus faith in God and His rejection of any form of idolatry.

 

  • The devil took Jesus to the top of a temple and challenged Him to throw himself down and let the angels save Him. But Jesus chose to trust in God and know He didn’t have to test God and He could trust in God’s protection. He said “you shall not tempt the Lord your God.”  This shows us Jesus understanding in God’s greater plan and trust in that plan.

 

  • In James 1:2-4 we are told to consider it nothing but Joy when we face trials because in testing our faith, we produce perseverance and strengthen.

 

  • I Peter 1:6-7

'In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, '

 

  • Trials get us ready for greater works. When the devil left Him, Jesus went on the Galilee to begin His ministry.  The trials He went through in the wilderness were just the beginning of the work that lay ahead of Him.

 

  • Just like Jesus our trials are not meant to destroy us but to prepare us for the greater plans God has for us.

 

  • Those trials are just steppingstones that we must follow to achieve the God given purpose for our lives.

 

  • We all face temptations in life it is part of being human. How we respond to these temptations is what makes the difference.  When they come along, we must lean on God’s word and trust in the truth of it to guide us.

 

  • We must remember that His word is our shield and sword to fight and protect us from the darts the devil shoots at us

 

  • Psalm 119:11 says

   'Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord ! Teach me Your statutes.'

 

  • During times of temptation, we have to meditate on God’s word, letting it control our thoughts and actions.

 

  • Paul showed us that God’s word is our lifeline it will expose the lies of the enemy and show us the way out of temptation.

 

  • I Corinthians 10:13

'No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the  way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

In each time Jesus was tempted in the dessert He showed how God’s word is our sustenance during temptation.  It is our spiritual food to strengthen our soul, helping us to resist temptations.

 

 

  • Resisting temptation and trusting in God’s word grows our relationship and draws us closer to Him. We are choosing to let Him shape us, guide us and His love fill us.