With Jesus Resist Temptation To Sin Against God

No one here would like to start a new job and on the first day the boss says, “For the next forty days we’re going to make your life a living hell.  And by the way, you won’t get anything to eat so we can see how you hold up under pressure.”  I don’t think it is a coincidence that we are beginning the 40 days of Lent and today we are talking about Jesus beginning his ministry by spending 40 days in the desert being continually tempted by Satan.  Did you hear me?  I would imagine you couldn’t hardly make it through a day without eating, let along 40 days of intense attacks from Satan!  Jesus begins his ministry of grace to save us and it shouldn’t surprise us that Satan counters with his special attacks of slander and deceit.  But, we also know that the devil lost to Jesus, so who do you think his next target is?  You!   Jesus gave up 40 days of fasting.  Can you relate? How about you give up drinking too much for Lent?  How about you give up hating your spouse for Lent?  The devil would make every effort to stop God’s plan to pour out his love to people.  The devil works today to get you to doubt God’s care, his Word and to tempt you to avoid following God’s will.  While the Gospel Writers record only three significant temptations, as we study the Master’s strategy, we learn not only about his victory over these temptations but also how we can withstand our own temptations.  Let’s listen carefully to Matthew’s account and

With Jesus Resist The Temptation To Sin Against God

Trust God’s Care

I’m sorry to bring it up because the presidential election isn’t until November, 2024, but already the candidates are putting themselves in the public eye gathering support and making a good impression.  But God had something else in mind for his Son: a battle at the beginning of his ministry that would set the tone for Jesus’ ultimate victory three years later on the cross.  “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. ² After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The Tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”  Do you get what the devil is saying? “You are supposed to be the great Messiah King.  Why did your Father send you out in the desert?  This is no place for a king.  Let’s get after it!  Let’s have some action!  Change these stones to bread.  You shouldn’t have to go hungry.  You are supposed to be the Son of God!”  The temptation Jesus faced was real!

But the Savior responded, “⁴ But Jesus answered, “It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”  Who really takes care of us?  If God decided to command your food, “Don’t be nourishing!” you eat all the meat and potatoes and veggies you wanted, but you would starve.  You see, it isn’t really the physical substance that sustains us, but God’s design and command that food be nourishing.  He causes crops to grow.  He gives people the brains to process and market it.  You buy it and eat it, but the only reason it does you any good is because our gracious Creator stands behind the nourishing power of good and the our bodies he created to digest and benefit from it.  God is the One who takes care of people.  Jesus Perfectly Trusted God’s Care for him and withstood the devil’s temptation to distrust God’s care and went right on trusting that the heavenly Father would provide food for him at the right time and place.

This is still one of the devil’s favorite tricks.  He wants to doubt God’s love and get us to distrust God’s care.  “How are we ever going to get ahead with our income staying the same and taxes going up?”  “How can God expect me to give six or eight or eleven percent of my income as an offering to him when I’m having trouble paying bills as it is?”  “How can our church ever grow when we have trouble taking care of what we have already?”  Can you sniff it out?  The devil tempts you to distrust God’s care and to trust yourself.  You’ll be disappointed.  And don’t put all your trust in friends.  They might leave or die.  Don’t trust money.  It disappears.  Rather, let’s follow Jesus’ strategy.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).  With Jesus Resist The Temptation To Sin Against God and Rather Trust God’s Care. Jesus is your Great Messiah, your Savior and Substitute.  Jesus came to beat back the devil for you.  Look at the battle he won in the wilderness.  That’s just a sampling of the whipping he gave the devil in the war on the cross.  Jesus came as your Champion, and you are on his side.  God gives you the Spirit-led choice to withstand Satan’s tricks and trust in Jesus more than you have in the past.  Jesus is your strength.  Don’t leave him behind! Jesus provides health to work and provide money.  Jesus takes care of seed-time and harvest.  Jesus has already provided us with abundant blessings.  As he has provided for you in the past, With Jesus Resist The Temptation To sin Against God and Rather Trust God’s Care for you.  Lean on Jesus Christ to take care of you and believe that God will Keep His Word!

Keep God’s Word

When Satan tempted Jesus the first time, Jesus fought against the devil by using words from Scripture.  Satan picked up on this and used Scripture himself.

“⁵ Then the Devil took him into the holy city. He placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶and he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you. And they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 

Matthew 4:5-6

Satan figured, “I’ve got him now.  If Jesus really takes God’s word seriously, then he’ll have to do what I say.  After all, doesn’t God promise to send his angels to protect people?  Surely Jesus will want to prove that God’s Word is true.”

But “⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written: You shall not test the Lord your God.”  The devil quoted Psalm 91 accurately.  The problem was he quoted it out of context.  It’s true that God promises to protect people, but that doesn’t mean they should purposely put God to the test.  That would be a sarcastic disregard for God’s words.  Nowhere in Scripture does God invite people to play games with his promise of protection.  So Jesus withstood the devil’s temptation to inappropriately use God’s Word and went right on using Scripture regularly and correctly in its proper context with its intended meaning.

This is one of Satan’s more sophisticated types of temptations.  He aims it at people who have a pretty fair knowledge of the Bible.  He tries to get us to focus on one truth of Scripture while disregarding others.  Here’s some examples I like to call illegitimate conclusions: 1) “I don’t have to go to church, because I can worship at home.” What about the 3^rd Commandment or his Word that says, “Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have the habit of doing. Rather, let us encourage each other, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25).  2) “God strengthens my faith through the Word so I don’t need the sacrament!”  Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19), not “think about this in remembrance of me!”  3) “God loves everybody and he loves me just the way I am.”  What about Jesus who said, “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48) and “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31).  Don’t let the devil tempt you by his crafty misquoting of God’s Word and……

Don’t fall for the devil’s temptation that you know enough of God’s Word because you were confirmed. Don’t be satisfied with a passing acquaintance with Scripture.  Don’t rely on a friend or relative to bring a Word of Scripture when you need it.  While they may be happy to do it, they may not always be available.  Follow Jesus’ strategy. 

“¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you do not fall from your own firm position by being led astray through the error of the wicked. ¹⁸ Instead grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 3:17-18

God says, “Jesus is your Great Messiah, your Savior and Substitute.  Jesus came to beat back the devil for you.  Look at the battle he won on top of the temple.  That’s just a sampling of the whipping he gave the devil in the war on the cross.  Jesus came as your Champion, and you are on his side. God gives you the Spirit-led choice to withstand Satan’s tricks and trust in Jesus more than you have in the past.  Jesus is your strength.   I’m giving you my words to use as the sword of the Spirit.  You can slice and dice Satan and send him running.”  As he has provided for you in the past, With Jesus Resist The Temptation To sin Against God and Rather Trust God’s Care for you.  Believe that God will Keep His Word, and then…

Obey God’s will

Satan didn’t give up. “⁸ Again the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will bow down and worship me.”  Wait!  Jesus already has all authority in heaven and on earth!  So why is this a very real temptation?  It was a temptation to take the easy way out.  God’s plan was for Jesus to become the King who rescues us by walking up Mt. Calvary.  From the viewpoint of his human nature the thought of suffering and death was horrible. But Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”  Even though Jesus could have just snapped his fingers and assumed authority over the universe, he didn’t because that was not God’s way.  God’s way may have been more difficult, but God’s way was the only way, the right way, to get rid of the barrier of sin that blocks our connection with God.  So Jesus withstood the devil’s temptation to disobey God’s will and went right on obeying his heavenly Father, keeping God’s will the number one priority even if God’s way seemed the hard way.

This is one of Satan’s oldest and most successful temptations.  He tries to get us to think that we know better than God.  Some examples: 1) “The real purpose of our church is to take care of our faith and to make sure our children stay Christian.  2) We don’t have the time and resources to reach other people.  Besides, they’re not like us.  Their lives are all messed up with drugs and alcohol, and we don’t want to get mixed up with people like that.  3) On top of that, evangelism is the pastors’ job.  Why do you think we called him?”  But that’s blatant disobedience against God’s way.  When tempted to disobey God, don’t follow the crowd even if everyone else says it’s OK.  Don’t follow your emotions.  Follow Jesus’ strategy.  He said, “Here I am. I have come to do your will, God.” (He 10:7).  God says, “Jesus is your Great Messiah, your Savior and Substitute.  Jesus came to beat back the devil for you.  Look at the battle he won on top of the mountain.  That’s just a sampling of the whipping he gave the devil in the war on the cross.  Jesus came as your Champion, and you are on his side. God gives you the Spirit-led choice to withstand Satan’s tricks and trust in Jesus more than you have in the past.  Jesus is your strength.   I’m giving you my words to use as the sword of the Spirit.  You can slice and dice Satan and send him running.  You can actually withstand Satan’s old tricks.  Because of Jesus you actually have the power to say, ‘No!’ to what the devil wants and ‘Yes!’ to what I want.”  As he has provided for you in the past, With Jesus Resist The Temptation To sin Against God and Rather Trust God’s Care for you.  God will keep his Word.  You can obey him!

No one would want to start a new job and hear, “The next 40 days are going to be hell for you!”  40 days!  How about a lifetime of living in this sin infected world, with a sin infected heart!   You are aware that the devil’s temptations are not easy to handle, but Jesus’ victory in the wilderness helps us overcome temptations by giving us the strategy we need.  Here it is: Jesus’ victory on the cross helps us overcome temptations by giving us the power we need.  Dear Christian Friends, With Jesus Resist The Temptation to Sin Against God.  Trust God’s Care!  Trust God’s Word!  Obey God’s Will and the devil must flee!  How do I know?  God’s Word says so!  Amen!