The Certainty Of Christ's Temptations
Book of Luke 4
Temptation actually means "being put to a test".
Most people see temptation as being enticed to do evil.
We will see that this is the way Jesus Christ was tempted in the wilderness.
In fact Satan is called "the tempter".
Mat 4:3 And when "the tempter" came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
The "tempter" is not internal but is truly a real, an active, and a subtle being!
Satan is a real person!
Hell is a real place!
The Burning Lake of Fire is a real place>
The Burning Lake of Fire was created for Satan and his angels!
Victory over temptation is essential before we can live righteously and be a vessel fit for God's use!
It is in this lesson where we will learn that no temptation has ever confronted mankind that Jesus Christ has not already faced.
We can believe that because it is true!
Satan will use 3 strategies in his attacks;
1) Satan will raise doubt concerning God's Word!
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?
Satan will create suspicion about the goodness of God.
2) Satan will lie!
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die":
3) Satan will only speak in partial truths!
Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, "then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil".
Satan did not tell Adam and Eve that knowing about good and evil would not protect them from the pain, the suffering, and the surety of death that comes from sin.
Jesus was God but was also 100% Man.
As moral being whose nature had to develop under the limitations of humanity, Jesus could not escape the exposure to the perils of humans.
A real human could never escape with a fictitious temptation!
I have already stated the temptation Jesus faced was being enticed to do evil and is different from a mere test or a trial.
It is God who tests and tries us because we cannot have a testimony without a test of our faith!
Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
It is Satan who is the tempter!
It is not sin to be tempted, it is sin to fall into that temptation!
In our last lesson we know that Jesus was again filled with the Holy Ghost when He was baptized by John the Baptist.
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
This is where we will pick up in this lesson:
*****Luk 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Luk 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
The humanity of Jesus was being prepared to serve the Lord.
We should not forget Jesus was about to launch the most important work ever performed by man, the salvation of humanity!
The fate of the world and of every human had been laid in the hands of the Messiah!
The truth is, where Adam had failed, then Jesus must have victory!
The truth is, The Lord could not use His power for His own gratification!
The truth is, The Lord had to abide within the limitations of this world!
The truth is, The Lord knew he would win His kingdom at the cross and that is where His battle would occur and not until then!
Jesus had been endowed with supernatural power and Satan would tempt Him to use it to further His own interest therefore showing little regard for the will of His Father.
This was Satan's attempt to divide the Holy Trinity of God!
From this point till the cross, Jesus would follow the lead of the Holy Spirit!
Jesus had to be totally committed to carry out God's plan no matter what happened and God's plan was the cross, anything less than the cross would have been a failure of God's plan!
It is easy to see that the devil will take advantage of any of our weaknesses.
Jesus had gone without food for 40 days and was tempted for 40 days by the Devil.
*****Luk 4:3 And the devil said unto him, "If thou be the Son of God", command this stone that it be made bread.
Luk 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
At the Baptism of Jesus, a voice from Heaven had said, "this is my Son, in whom I am well pleased".
Jesus certainly had the power to to create some food if He so chose to do it!
Those words "if thou be the Son of God" were the Devil's way of taunting Jesus.
The Devil was saying, if you are truly the Son of God why are you so hungry, creating food is not such a great task for God.
Notice the wording when Jesus on the cross:
Mat 27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. "If thou be the Son of God", come down from the cross.
In the deserts of Israel are many loaf-shaped fossil rocks and the Devil used one of these to further entice Jesus.
Satan temptation, was for Jesus to misuse His power and His ability on sustaining Himself.
This would have defeated His purpose!
The powers given to the human Jesus could not be used to sustain Him in any way!
Jesus could not in any way use His deity to show people He was the Son of God!
The only way Jesus could use His power was to help mankind!
If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would have shown that He trusted Himself and not His Father!
If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would have shown that mankind had the ability to save themselves, instead of helping a world that was lost and in need of a Savior.
If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would show that man had the ability to build themselves up instead of honoring God and God's will.
Satan is a devious and subtle person!
Jesus responded with the Word of God:
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; "that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live".
We must all realize that we need much more than physical food to sustain us in this world!
We also have Spiritual needs!
The point of this Scripture is that only Jesus can meet all of our needs!
Jesus could only use His power to meet His Father's will!
And we must realize that it is not just the thoughts of the Scriptures that are important but It IS EVERY WORD!
There is no doubt that we all have certain necessities of life!
When we reject the fact that God has given us the many abilities to sustain ourselves, we are wrong.
God has a will and a purpose for each of us and He will provide our needs to fulfill His will and His purpose!
When we live for just the physical side of life and ignore the spiritual side of life, we will suffer a terrible hunger that can only be satisfied with Christ Jesus!
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Since this did not work Satan tried something else.
We should also take note, this shows us that the Devil is relentless!
*****Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
We must remember why Jesus, the Messiah had come to this earth.
Luk 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Jesus came to this earth to seek out the lost and provide them eternal salvation!
Jesus came to set up God's eternal Kingdom!
The only way to fulfill the will of His Father was by way of the Cross!
Satan provided an opportunity for Jesus to rule this world without going to the Cross.
1) Satan enticed Jesus with a moment in time, maybe even our day, when the kingdoms of this world were in their glory.
2) Satan claimed that he controlled the possessions and the glory of this world.
There are 3 "moments" that are mentioned in the New Testament.
Each one using a different Greek word and each one used only one time.
The Apostle Paul says we shall all be changed "in a moment" the Greek word "atomis" meaning an indivisible particle of measured time. This is the smallest measure of actual time.
The Apostle Paul also writes about Christian persecution and says we are experiencing "light affliction" which is "for a moment". The Greek word used here is "parautika" which means the present moment.
Here in our Scripture the Greek word "stigma" is used and it means "a point in time" but ruling the world just an instant in time, (compared to eternity) would certainly be a poor bargain and Jesus rejected that immediately.
We should realize that Satan was the prince of this world until the cross:
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
After the cross, it is our Lord Jesus who holds the keys to God's Kingdom and gave them to Peter to build His Kingdom:
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Jesus will rule God's Kingdom for eternity!
Jesus answered quickly and decisively and was totally dependant on the Scriptures.
Verse 8: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve"
Jesus is our example in this, we must worship, follow, and serve the Lord our God!
We absolutely steer away from the standards of this world!
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
We must avoid the path of worldliness!
We can have ambitions and goals.
We should desire to fulfill the calling of God for our lives.
We are wrong when we try to satisfy our own ambitions instead of following the will of God!
Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
So Satan tried still another approach.
*****Luk 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luk 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luk 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Luk 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
We already know that there is nothing impossible for God.
Our God is an awesome God!
It is certain that God would not allow any harm to come to Jesus until His plan was complete.
AND, God has set specific scientific rules that keep our world operating as it should.
When we expect things to happen, contrary to the rules that God has set, we boldly presume upon His will.
Satan had also taken Jesus to the Temple and the last place we should defile should be the place where we worship the Lord God!
When Satan uses that word "if" he is always trying to inflict doubt on the Word of God.
We that know the Lord, all know that when we die we will immediately be in the presence of the Lord.
2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
It is true that there is a Scripture that describes this action that Satan uses:
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psa 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
1) We should consider that in every case Satan has tempted Jesus to choose some other way than God's way!
God's way was by way of the cross!
Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
2) We should next consider that Satan tempted Jesus to misuse Scripture by twisting it and taking it out of context to suit His own purposes.
The Scriptures do not say that God would take care of His Son, no matter what!
The heavenly angels were certainly given charge to help Jesus in any way.
BUT, the Scriptures must be fulfilled in the context that God gave them!
Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
Mat 26:54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
3) Satan tempted Jesus to show people sensations, religious feelings, spectacular works of God.
Satan tempted Jesus to meet all the needs of this world with a quick fix.
And Jesus said: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God"
All the Scriptures that Jesus used came from the Book of Deuteronomy and every Hebrew child was expected to know these things by the time they were 12 years old. They were to be taught to them by their parents!
In our world today there are many that say all religions in effect worship the same God and there are many ways to get to Heaven.
We should never miss the lesson that we have learned in these Scriptures, where our Lord has proven to Satan that there is only one way and that is God's way!
If Jesus had changed the plan of God in any way then, could none of us be saved!
Jesus Christ had to go by way of the cross in order that we be saved!
All mankind are tempted to bypass God, to choose another way!
The way of the cross may seen to hard and to difficult for some, but it is truly the only way to God!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Trying to seek another way to Heaven will only bring the doom of Hell!
1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
This world we live in today in these last days have used every means they can think of, to twist the truth out of the Scriptures to allow them to do what they want, but that is still the sin of unbelief!
The sin of unbelief is the greatest of all sins and cannot be forgiven!
There is not other way to reach God but by the cross!
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
And Satan departed from the Lord "for a season".
*****Luk 4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
The Devil lost this first battle with Jesus in His human form because Jesus rebuked him with the Word of God.
Satan left Jesus alone, but only for awhile!
We must remember faith that cannot be tested is faith that cannot be trusted!
The next lesson to learn is, those who are called into the ministry of the "Gospel" should never use that ministry for personal gain!
The next lesson for us all is no matter what Satan throws at us, we should never quit on God it is Satan who has to retreat from the Word of God!
Every battle we win over temptation will make us stronger!
Jesus began His ministry!
*****Luk 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Luk 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
Before Jesus went back to Nazareth, He began His ministry in Galilee, which includes the city of Nazareth.
Galilee was a province and not a city at this time.
Of the 32 parables Jesus spoke, 19 were spoken in Galilee.
Of the 33 miracles recorded in the New Testament 25 of them happened in Galilee.
His first miracle was at the wedding of Cana.
His last miracle was after His resurrection on the shore of Galilee's sea.
In Galilee was the "Sermon on the Mount".
Jesus preached Himself as the "Bread of Life", Purity, Forgiveness, and Humility in Galilee.
Jesus called His first disciples in Galilee.
In was in Galilee where the "Transfiguration took place.
Jesus had a great ministry in Galilee before He went to His home in Nazareth.
We can see that victory over temptation will lead to great results!
It leads to more power.
It leads to a greater testimony.
It leads to a greater ministry.
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
It leads us into the throne room of God.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
A Synagogue was a recognized place of Jewish worship.
The hours of worship were the same as those of the Temple in Jerusalem.
1) First there would be prayer and the Jews had at least 18 prayers they would recite.
2) Next there would be the reading of the Scriptures in certain definite portions.
3) Next there would the exposition to those portions of Scripture that were read. Ezra said ("making sense of the Word") Explaining the meaning of what God had said!
Jesus was welcome in most all synagogues until the Pharisees became hostile toward Him!
The Lord Jesus Christ had the general admiration of all the people, until the religious rulers felt threatened by the truth that He taught!
And then Jesus came to Nazareth to the synagogue in His home town.
*****Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
We should immediately notice that Jesus regularly attended the weekly services in the synagogue.
We know that as a boy of 12, His knowledge of the Scriptures had impressed the rabbis of Jerusalem.
We should not be surprised that Jesus was called on to read, but this day things would be a little different.
*****Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
In the Sabbath service there were usually two lessons read.
The first lesson was always from the Pentateuch, the 5 books of Moses.
The second lesson was from the prophets which were on single rollers.
The scroll of Isaiah was given to Jesus and He opened it until He came to the Scripture He had chosen.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus taught like He never had before.
On this day, Jesus the Christ declared that He was the Messiah.
The Scripture that Jesus read was this:
Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, {and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;}
Notice Jesus did not read the last portion of this verse.
In the day of Jesus there were no chapter and verse designations!
These people were first impressed, then shocked, and then angered as what Jesus said began to sink in.
It is no coincidence that this passage mentions the three persons of the Holy Trinity.
The Spirit, The Lord God, and Jesus the Messiah.
1) We should always trust the Word of God to be the truth and we should reverence the Scriptures.
Here at Gethsemane, we know that we always stand when our Pastor reads the Scriptures.
The Jews did the same:
Neh 8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
2) The Jews understood that the Messiah would be anointed by the Holy Spirit. In fact the Messiah would be called and equipped by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when He was within the womb of His mother Mary.
The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus when He was Baptized.
The Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness where He defeated the Devil.
There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus as He read this Scripture.
It was the Lord Jesus Christ who was anointed to first preach the "Gospel"!
The truth is, when God calls, He anoints, He equips, and He sends and the Holy Spirit goes with everyone chosen of the Lord wherever God sends them!
The Messiah was to preach the Gospel! (Evangelize)
He was to preach the "Gospel" to the poor. (Those who are poor in spirit)
He was to preach the "Gospel" to deliver the captives. (Those caught in Satan's snares)
He was to minister to the brokenhearted and heal them!
He was to give sight to the blind. (those who are spiritually blind, and those blind physically)
He was to set at liberty all those who are bruised. (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually)
He was to preach the age of salvation!
The acceptable year, is the era of salvation that we still live in now!
2Co 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2Co 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
We now live in what is said as the Church Age.
Jesus stopped His reading before He read all of verse two.
Because the last part refers to the Judgement of God and in His present ministry until He returns in the clouds we are still in His present ministry, the Age of Grace.
*****Luk 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
To be a prophet of God, then there had to be a fulfillment of those prophecies!
Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
We should consider that God already knew that Jesus would be rejected in Nazareth.
By saying He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus placed Himself on the same level as God, which we know is true but this place where He was raised as a child, raised by a carpenter, to be a carpenter just would not accept Him and this included most of His family at this time.
There was only one thing to do and that to just give them the truth!
By saying "this day" Jesus proclaimed to be the Messiah!
The people were looking for a King and they got a poor carpenter who preferred to be a Shepherd over them and a Fishermen of all men!
Those people who had known Him from childhood first were impressed with His eloquence.
Next they began to question His words and His motives.
Then they demanded proof, and became offended at His words!
We can be certain that even Christ Jesus faced the same temptations we face.
We can be sure the Christ Jesus overcame all temptation and without sin.
We can be sure that Christ Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven.
Because we can be sure that Jesus is the Messiah sent from God.
And we can be sure that most of this world will still reject Him until He returns in glory, when it will too late.
Many people are impressed with the life of Jesus but when they stand at the cross they are offended and He is rejected and despised!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
Book of Luke 4
Temptation actually means "being put to a test".
Most people see temptation as being enticed to do evil.
We will see that this is the way Jesus Christ was tempted in the wilderness.
In fact Satan is called "the tempter".
Mat 4:3 And when "the tempter" came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
The "tempter" is not internal but is truly a real, an active, and a subtle being!
Satan is a real person!
Hell is a real place!
The Burning Lake of Fire is a real place>
The Burning Lake of Fire was created for Satan and his angels!
Victory over temptation is essential before we can live righteously and be a vessel fit for God's use!
It is in this lesson where we will learn that no temptation has ever confronted mankind that Jesus Christ has not already faced.
We can believe that because it is true!
Satan will use 3 strategies in his attacks;
1) Satan will raise doubt concerning God's Word!
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?
Satan will create suspicion about the goodness of God.
2) Satan will lie!
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die":
3) Satan will only speak in partial truths!
Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, "then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil".
Satan did not tell Adam and Eve that knowing about good and evil would not protect them from the pain, the suffering, and the surety of death that comes from sin.
Jesus was God but was also 100% Man.
As moral being whose nature had to develop under the limitations of humanity, Jesus could not escape the exposure to the perils of humans.
A real human could never escape with a fictitious temptation!
I have already stated the temptation Jesus faced was being enticed to do evil and is different from a mere test or a trial.
It is God who tests and tries us because we cannot have a testimony without a test of our faith!
Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
It is Satan who is the tempter!
It is not sin to be tempted, it is sin to fall into that temptation!
In our last lesson we know that Jesus was again filled with the Holy Ghost when He was baptized by John the Baptist.
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
This is where we will pick up in this lesson:
*****Luk 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Luk 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
The humanity of Jesus was being prepared to serve the Lord.
We should not forget Jesus was about to launch the most important work ever performed by man, the salvation of humanity!
The fate of the world and of every human had been laid in the hands of the Messiah!
The truth is, where Adam had failed, then Jesus must have victory!
The truth is, The Lord could not use His power for His own gratification!
The truth is, The Lord had to abide within the limitations of this world!
The truth is, The Lord knew he would win His kingdom at the cross and that is where His battle would occur and not until then!
Jesus had been endowed with supernatural power and Satan would tempt Him to use it to further His own interest therefore showing little regard for the will of His Father.
This was Satan's attempt to divide the Holy Trinity of God!
From this point till the cross, Jesus would follow the lead of the Holy Spirit!
Jesus had to be totally committed to carry out God's plan no matter what happened and God's plan was the cross, anything less than the cross would have been a failure of God's plan!
It is easy to see that the devil will take advantage of any of our weaknesses.
Jesus had gone without food for 40 days and was tempted for 40 days by the Devil.
*****Luk 4:3 And the devil said unto him, "If thou be the Son of God", command this stone that it be made bread.
Luk 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
At the Baptism of Jesus, a voice from Heaven had said, "this is my Son, in whom I am well pleased".
Jesus certainly had the power to to create some food if He so chose to do it!
Those words "if thou be the Son of God" were the Devil's way of taunting Jesus.
The Devil was saying, if you are truly the Son of God why are you so hungry, creating food is not such a great task for God.
Notice the wording when Jesus on the cross:
Mat 27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. "If thou be the Son of God", come down from the cross.
In the deserts of Israel are many loaf-shaped fossil rocks and the Devil used one of these to further entice Jesus.
Satan temptation, was for Jesus to misuse His power and His ability on sustaining Himself.
This would have defeated His purpose!
The powers given to the human Jesus could not be used to sustain Him in any way!
Jesus could not in any way use His deity to show people He was the Son of God!
The only way Jesus could use His power was to help mankind!
If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would have shown that He trusted Himself and not His Father!
If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would have shown that mankind had the ability to save themselves, instead of helping a world that was lost and in need of a Savior.
If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would show that man had the ability to build themselves up instead of honoring God and God's will.
Satan is a devious and subtle person!
Jesus responded with the Word of God:
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; "that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live".
We must all realize that we need much more than physical food to sustain us in this world!
We also have Spiritual needs!
The point of this Scripture is that only Jesus can meet all of our needs!
Jesus could only use His power to meet His Father's will!
And we must realize that it is not just the thoughts of the Scriptures that are important but It IS EVERY WORD!
There is no doubt that we all have certain necessities of life!
When we reject the fact that God has given us the many abilities to sustain ourselves, we are wrong.
God has a will and a purpose for each of us and He will provide our needs to fulfill His will and His purpose!
When we live for just the physical side of life and ignore the spiritual side of life, we will suffer a terrible hunger that can only be satisfied with Christ Jesus!
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Since this did not work Satan tried something else.
We should also take note, this shows us that the Devil is relentless!
*****Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
We must remember why Jesus, the Messiah had come to this earth.
Luk 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Jesus came to this earth to seek out the lost and provide them eternal salvation!
Jesus came to set up God's eternal Kingdom!
The only way to fulfill the will of His Father was by way of the Cross!
Satan provided an opportunity for Jesus to rule this world without going to the Cross.
1) Satan enticed Jesus with a moment in time, maybe even our day, when the kingdoms of this world were in their glory.
2) Satan claimed that he controlled the possessions and the glory of this world.
There are 3 "moments" that are mentioned in the New Testament.
Each one using a different Greek word and each one used only one time.
The Apostle Paul says we shall all be changed "in a moment" the Greek word "atomis" meaning an indivisible particle of measured time. This is the smallest measure of actual time.
The Apostle Paul also writes about Christian persecution and says we are experiencing "light affliction" which is "for a moment". The Greek word used here is "parautika" which means the present moment.
Here in our Scripture the Greek word "stigma" is used and it means "a point in time" but ruling the world just an instant in time, (compared to eternity) would certainly be a poor bargain and Jesus rejected that immediately.
We should realize that Satan was the prince of this world until the cross:
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
After the cross, it is our Lord Jesus who holds the keys to God's Kingdom and gave them to Peter to build His Kingdom:
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Jesus will rule God's Kingdom for eternity!
Jesus answered quickly and decisively and was totally dependant on the Scriptures.
Verse 8: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve"
Jesus is our example in this, we must worship, follow, and serve the Lord our God!
We absolutely steer away from the standards of this world!
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
We must avoid the path of worldliness!
We can have ambitions and goals.
We should desire to fulfill the calling of God for our lives.
We are wrong when we try to satisfy our own ambitions instead of following the will of God!
Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
So Satan tried still another approach.
*****Luk 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luk 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luk 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Luk 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
We already know that there is nothing impossible for God.
Our God is an awesome God!
It is certain that God would not allow any harm to come to Jesus until His plan was complete.
AND, God has set specific scientific rules that keep our world operating as it should.
When we expect things to happen, contrary to the rules that God has set, we boldly presume upon His will.
Satan had also taken Jesus to the Temple and the last place we should defile should be the place where we worship the Lord God!
When Satan uses that word "if" he is always trying to inflict doubt on the Word of God.
We that know the Lord, all know that when we die we will immediately be in the presence of the Lord.
2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
It is true that there is a Scripture that describes this action that Satan uses:
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psa 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
1) We should consider that in every case Satan has tempted Jesus to choose some other way than God's way!
God's way was by way of the cross!
Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
2) We should next consider that Satan tempted Jesus to misuse Scripture by twisting it and taking it out of context to suit His own purposes.
The Scriptures do not say that God would take care of His Son, no matter what!
The heavenly angels were certainly given charge to help Jesus in any way.
BUT, the Scriptures must be fulfilled in the context that God gave them!
Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
Mat 26:54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
3) Satan tempted Jesus to show people sensations, religious feelings, spectacular works of God.
Satan tempted Jesus to meet all the needs of this world with a quick fix.
And Jesus said: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God"
All the Scriptures that Jesus used came from the Book of Deuteronomy and every Hebrew child was expected to know these things by the time they were 12 years old. They were to be taught to them by their parents!
In our world today there are many that say all religions in effect worship the same God and there are many ways to get to Heaven.
We should never miss the lesson that we have learned in these Scriptures, where our Lord has proven to Satan that there is only one way and that is God's way!
If Jesus had changed the plan of God in any way then, could none of us be saved!
Jesus Christ had to go by way of the cross in order that we be saved!
All mankind are tempted to bypass God, to choose another way!
The way of the cross may seen to hard and to difficult for some, but it is truly the only way to God!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Trying to seek another way to Heaven will only bring the doom of Hell!
1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
This world we live in today in these last days have used every means they can think of, to twist the truth out of the Scriptures to allow them to do what they want, but that is still the sin of unbelief!
The sin of unbelief is the greatest of all sins and cannot be forgiven!
There is not other way to reach God but by the cross!
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
And Satan departed from the Lord "for a season".
*****Luk 4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
The Devil lost this first battle with Jesus in His human form because Jesus rebuked him with the Word of God.
Satan left Jesus alone, but only for awhile!
We must remember faith that cannot be tested is faith that cannot be trusted!
The next lesson to learn is, those who are called into the ministry of the "Gospel" should never use that ministry for personal gain!
The next lesson for us all is no matter what Satan throws at us, we should never quit on God it is Satan who has to retreat from the Word of God!
Every battle we win over temptation will make us stronger!
Jesus began His ministry!
*****Luk 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Luk 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
Before Jesus went back to Nazareth, He began His ministry in Galilee, which includes the city of Nazareth.
Galilee was a province and not a city at this time.
Of the 32 parables Jesus spoke, 19 were spoken in Galilee.
Of the 33 miracles recorded in the New Testament 25 of them happened in Galilee.
His first miracle was at the wedding of Cana.
His last miracle was after His resurrection on the shore of Galilee's sea.
In Galilee was the "Sermon on the Mount".
Jesus preached Himself as the "Bread of Life", Purity, Forgiveness, and Humility in Galilee.
Jesus called His first disciples in Galilee.
In was in Galilee where the "Transfiguration took place.
Jesus had a great ministry in Galilee before He went to His home in Nazareth.
We can see that victory over temptation will lead to great results!
It leads to more power.
It leads to a greater testimony.
It leads to a greater ministry.
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
It leads us into the throne room of God.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
A Synagogue was a recognized place of Jewish worship.
The hours of worship were the same as those of the Temple in Jerusalem.
1) First there would be prayer and the Jews had at least 18 prayers they would recite.
2) Next there would be the reading of the Scriptures in certain definite portions.
3) Next there would the exposition to those portions of Scripture that were read. Ezra said ("making sense of the Word") Explaining the meaning of what God had said!
Jesus was welcome in most all synagogues until the Pharisees became hostile toward Him!
The Lord Jesus Christ had the general admiration of all the people, until the religious rulers felt threatened by the truth that He taught!
And then Jesus came to Nazareth to the synagogue in His home town.
*****Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
We should immediately notice that Jesus regularly attended the weekly services in the synagogue.
We know that as a boy of 12, His knowledge of the Scriptures had impressed the rabbis of Jerusalem.
We should not be surprised that Jesus was called on to read, but this day things would be a little different.
*****Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
In the Sabbath service there were usually two lessons read.
The first lesson was always from the Pentateuch, the 5 books of Moses.
The second lesson was from the prophets which were on single rollers.
The scroll of Isaiah was given to Jesus and He opened it until He came to the Scripture He had chosen.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus taught like He never had before.
On this day, Jesus the Christ declared that He was the Messiah.
The Scripture that Jesus read was this:
Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, {and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;}
Notice Jesus did not read the last portion of this verse.
In the day of Jesus there were no chapter and verse designations!
These people were first impressed, then shocked, and then angered as what Jesus said began to sink in.
It is no coincidence that this passage mentions the three persons of the Holy Trinity.
The Spirit, The Lord God, and Jesus the Messiah.
1) We should always trust the Word of God to be the truth and we should reverence the Scriptures.
Here at Gethsemane, we know that we always stand when our Pastor reads the Scriptures.
The Jews did the same:
Neh 8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
2) The Jews understood that the Messiah would be anointed by the Holy Spirit. In fact the Messiah would be called and equipped by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when He was within the womb of His mother Mary.
The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus when He was Baptized.
The Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness where He defeated the Devil.
There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus as He read this Scripture.
It was the Lord Jesus Christ who was anointed to first preach the "Gospel"!
The truth is, when God calls, He anoints, He equips, and He sends and the Holy Spirit goes with everyone chosen of the Lord wherever God sends them!
The Messiah was to preach the Gospel! (Evangelize)
He was to preach the "Gospel" to the poor. (Those who are poor in spirit)
He was to preach the "Gospel" to deliver the captives. (Those caught in Satan's snares)
He was to minister to the brokenhearted and heal them!
He was to give sight to the blind. (those who are spiritually blind, and those blind physically)
He was to set at liberty all those who are bruised. (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually)
He was to preach the age of salvation!
The acceptable year, is the era of salvation that we still live in now!
2Co 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2Co 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
We now live in what is said as the Church Age.
Jesus stopped His reading before He read all of verse two.
Because the last part refers to the Judgement of God and in His present ministry until He returns in the clouds we are still in His present ministry, the Age of Grace.
*****Luk 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
To be a prophet of God, then there had to be a fulfillment of those prophecies!
Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
We should consider that God already knew that Jesus would be rejected in Nazareth.
By saying He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus placed Himself on the same level as God, which we know is true but this place where He was raised as a child, raised by a carpenter, to be a carpenter just would not accept Him and this included most of His family at this time.
There was only one thing to do and that to just give them the truth!
By saying "this day" Jesus proclaimed to be the Messiah!
The people were looking for a King and they got a poor carpenter who preferred to be a Shepherd over them and a Fishermen of all men!
Those people who had known Him from childhood first were impressed with His eloquence.
Next they began to question His words and His motives.
Then they demanded proof, and became offended at His words!
We can be certain that even Christ Jesus faced the same temptations we face.
We can be sure the Christ Jesus overcame all temptation and without sin.
We can be sure that Christ Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven.
Because we can be sure that Jesus is the Messiah sent from God.
And we can be sure that most of this world will still reject Him until He returns in glory, when it will too late.
Many people are impressed with the life of Jesus but when they stand at the cross they are offended and He is rejected and despised!
Questions?
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