The Battle of Personal Power
MATTHEW 4:1-11
THEME: The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. Jesus triumphs over Satan, then returns to Galilee to begin his ministry and calls his first four disciples.
RELEVANCE: Jesus was tempted so that every creature in heaven, on earth, or under the earth might know that Jesus Christ is the Conqueror. This temptation was necessary to demonstrate His moral fitness to do the work for which He had come into the world. He exposed Satan and his tactics, and He defeated Satan indisputably. Because of His victory, we can have victory over the tempter.
INTRODUCTION:
Our Lord’s experience of
temptation prepared Him to be our sympathetic High Priest.
Hebrews 2:16-18,
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed
of Abraham. [17] Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto
his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in
things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
[18] For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succour them that are tempted.
Hebrews 4:15-16, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
It is important to note that Jesus faced the enemy as man, not as the Son of God. His first word was, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” We must not think that Jesus used His divine powers to overcome the enemy, because that is just what the enemy wanted Him to do! Jesus used the spiritual resources that are available to us today: the power of the Holy Spirit of God (Matt. 4:1), and the power of the Word of God (“It is written”).
LESSON:
Jesus Defeats The Devil
(Matt. 4:1-11):
Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.
THIRD ROUND OF ATTACK—LIVE
FOR PERSONAL POWER (Matt. 4:8-10)
The Temptation to Seek Worldly Power (Matt. 4:8-9): All the Power and Glory This World Has to Offer Is Yours If You’ll Only Kneel Down and Worship Me.
1.
In The
Third Temptation, the Devil Took Jesus Up on an Exceedingly High Mountain and
Showed Him “All The Kingdoms Of The World.”
a.
He offered them
to Jesus in exchange for His worship.
Although this temptation had to do with worship,
an exercise of the spirit, it was an effort to seduce our Lord to grasp
imperial power over the world by worshiping Satan.
b. The reward offered, all the kingdoms of the world with their glory-grandeur, appealed to “the lust of the eyes” (1 Jn. 2:16).
c.
In a sense, the
kingdoms of the world do belong to the devil at present.
i. He is spoken of as “the god of
this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), and John tells
us that “the whole world lieth in wickedness”(1 Jn. 5:19).
ii. When Jesus appears at the Second Advent as King of
kings (Rev. 19:16), then “the kingdoms of this world” become His (Rev.
11:15).
iii. Jesus would not violate the divine timetable, and certainly He would never worship Satan!
2.
For
Us the Temptation Is Twofold:
1.
To Barter Our
Spiritual Birthright for the Passing Glory of This World.
2.
To Worship and
Serve the Creature Rather Than the Creator.
The devil offered the whole world to Jesus if Jesus would only bow down
and worship him.
a.
Today Satan
offers us the world by trying to entice us with materialism, sex, and power.
The devil would like us to believe that "life is short, get all you
can!"
b.
Even Christian
leaders find themselves tempted to build empires here on earth.
c.
But Satan
requires people to pay for such success by selling their souls to him. We must
resist temptations in the same way that Jesus did.
d. If you find yourself craving something that the world offers, quote Jesus' words to the devil: “Worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” Then follow that advice, with the support and prayers of Christian friends.
3.
The
Devil Offered Jesus A Shortcut to His Kingdom.
a.
Jesus knew
that He would suffer and die before He entered into His glory (Luke 24:26; 1 Peter 1:11; 5:1).
b.
If He bowed
down and worshiped Satan just once (this is the force of the Greek
verb), He could enjoy all the glory without enduring the suffering.
c.
Satan has
always wanted worship, because Satan has always wanted to be God (Isa. 14:12–14).
d. Worshiping the creature instead of the Creator is the lie that rules our world today (Rom. 1:24–25).
4.
There
Are No Shortcuts to the Will of God.
a.
If we want to
share in the glory, we must also share in the suffering (1 Peter 5:10). As the prince of this world, Satan
could offer these kingdoms to Christ (John 12:31; 14:30).
But Jesus did not need Satan’s offer.
b.
The Father
had already promised Jesus the kingdom! “Ask of Me, and
I shall give Thee the heathen [nations] for
Thine inheritance” (Ps. 2:8).
c.
You find the
same promise in Psalm 22:22–31, and this is the
psalm of the cross.
The Triumph Over the Desires of the Eyes. (Matt. 4:10): Get out of here Satan; Worship and Serve the Lord your God only!
1.
For The
Third Time, Jesus Resisted Temptation by Using the Bible: “Thou shalt worship the
LORD thy God, and Him only you shalt thou serve.” (Deut. 6:13).
a.
Worship and the
service that flows from it are for God alone. To worship Satan would be
tantamount to acknowledging him as God.
b. Satan had said nothing about service, but Jesus knew that whatever we worship, we will serve. Worship and service must go together.
2. The Order of The Temptations as Recorded by Matthew Varies from That in Luke (4:1–13). Some have suggested that Matthew’s order parallels the order of the temptations that Israel faced in the wilderness (Ex. 16; 17; 32). Jesus showed Himself in perfect contrast to Israel’s response to hardship.
3.
Also,
The Word “Then” In Matt.
4:5 And the Word “Again” In Matt. 4:8, Seems to Indicate Sequence.
a.
Luke only uses
the simple conjunction “and” and does not say he
is following a sequence.
b. Our Lord’s command at the end of the third temptation (“Get thee hence, Satan!”) is proof that Matthew followed the historical order. There is no contradiction since Luke did not claim to follow the actual sequence.
II. The Assistance of the Angels (Matt. 4:11): Afterward, Angels Come and Care for Jesus.
A. SATAN LEAVING (Matt. 4:11).
1. When Jesus Had Successfully Defeated Satan’s
Temptations, The Devil Left Him.
2. Temptations Come in Waves Rather Than in A Steady
Flow. What an encouragement for God’s tested saints!
a.
Isaiah
59:19, So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory
from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the
Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
b.
The metaphor of
"lifting a standard" for making an armed resistance is common in
Isaiah (Isa 5:26; 13:2; 18:3; 31:9).
c.
“That,
whatever attempts the enemies of God's people may afterwards make upon them to
disturb their peace, they shall be baffled and brought to nought: When the
enemy shall come in like a flood, like a high spring-tide, or a land-flood,
which threaten to bear down all before them without control, then the Spirit of
the Lord by some secret undiscerned power shall lift up a standard against him,
and so (as the margin reads it) put him to flight. He that has delivered will
still deliver. When God's people are weak and helpless, and have no standard to
lift up against the invading power, God will give a banner to those that fear
him (Ps 60:4), will by his Spirit lift up a standard, which will draw
multitudes together to appear on the church's behalf.” --- Matthew Henry
3. Satan Slunk Away, A Defeated Foe; But He Did Not Cease
to Tempt Jesus.
a.
We understand
that Luke 4:13, carries the idea, “that the
devil ended every possible kind of temptation, he stood off from Christ until a
suitable time.”
b.
Through Peter,
Satan again tempted Jesus to abandon the cross (Matt.
16:21–23); and through the crowd that had been fed, Satan tempted Jesus
to an “easy kingdom” (John 6:15).
c. One victory never guarantees freedom from further temptation. If anything, each victory we experience only makes Satan try harder.
B. ANGELS ARRIVING (Matt. 4:11).
1. We Are Told That Angels Came
And Ministered Unto Him, But No Explanation Is Given for This
Supernatural Assistance. It probably means that they provided the physical
nourishment for Him which He had refused to provide at Satan’s suggestion.
2. We Learn That the Devil Can Attack Those Who Are
Controlled by the Holy Spirit, But That He Is Powerless Against Those Who
Resist Him with the Word of God.
3. After Jesus Christ Had Defeated Satan, He Was Ready to Begin His Ministry. No man has a right to call others to obey who has not obeyed himself. Our Lord proved Himself to be the perfect King whose sovereignty is worthy of our respect and obedience. But, true to his purpose, Matthew had one more witness to call to prove the kingship of Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
Jesus was tempted so that
every creature in heaven, on earth, or under the earth might know that Jesus
Christ is the Conqueror. This temptation was necessary to demonstrate His moral
fitness to do the work for which He had come into the world. He exposed Satan
and his tactics, and He defeated Satan indisputably. Because of His victory, we
can have victory over the tempter.
