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Loving Father, we thank you for this morning, Lord. Thank you for another Lord’s Day where we could come into your presence, Lord, as a church to worship you, to praise your name, Lord, and also to hear from your word. Lord, even as we wait upon you to hear from you, Lord, we pray, Lord, that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
Let’s turn our Bibles this morning to Matthew chapter 4 and we’ll look at the first 11 verses. I know it’s a very, very familiar text, but there’s no passage in scripture which we are so familiar that we have exhausted all of it. There’s something to learn from it every time we visit a passage again. And so I trust there is a lot of observations that will encourage us this morning. There are too many things that go into this text that couldn’t probably be fully discussed within the scope of one sermon. And so I struggled how to title this sermon as well.
And I could find some help from Debu. So I think the title kind of encapsulates everything that we want to meditate this morning. Christ’s temptation and the Christian’s comfort. All right. As most of you are aware, I have a tendency to put you to sleep because I speak for long.
And so as much as possible, try to interact with me. And I do facilitate a lot of interaction by way of asking many questions. So please do make the most of it. And all the questions are not intended to test you but to ensure that we are interacting and that we are thinking together. Okay? Alright.
When you look at the very first verse, it says, “Then was Jesus led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil.” “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Okay?
word I think has a lot that we should learn from. Let’s begin with that very first word, then. That connects us back to the closing event of the previous chapter. Do you recollect what happened just before this temptation in the wilderness? Jesus was baptized and there was a great heavenly honor that was conferred upon him, if you remember. The heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended upon him as a dove. And there was a voice heard from heaven which said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” That was such a great honor that was bestowed upon Christ.
And probably the unique honor that came from the Father which was reserved for his unique son alone. But then Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted. And so let’s learn from here that the greatest heights that we may attain in our spiritual life here, and the greatest honours that could be conferred upon us, do not guarantee us against trials and temptations. We cannot expect to fare better than our Master. The servant is not greater than the Master. And if the Lord had to face temptations and trials, despite all the favours that were manifest from heaven to Him, let us not be in any fond imagination that we would be exempted in this world.
We will certainly have to face them. And more so when you see yourself in some great height. There is a language that we speak. I find myself in victory. I had a triumphant week this week. I was close to God. I enjoyed communion with God. All of that is very good. But remember that you are preparing for something that you must depend on God’s grace to overcome. Because that’s what happened with Jesus. find happening with many of the saints in the Bible. Do you recollect Paul and his experience when he was taken up into the third heaven? And he says he heard things which are not lawful for a man to utter.
And he says because of the abundance of revelation that was given to me, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me and to keep me humble. So, of course, in Jesus’ case, it was not to keep him humble. He was already the meek one from whom we must learn meekness. There was a different purpose for which Jesus was exposed to temptation. But we are allowed to face trials and temptations. We are allowed the thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet us so that we can be kept humble. That was the purpose in Paul’s life.
against any possible sin, lest he be puffed up because of the abundance of revelation that was given to him. And so it has its advantage when we face trials and temptations. And God does bring good out of every temptation and trial that we face. But here was Jesus, led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. What does that tell us again?
It was the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, who led Jesus into the wilderness where he was to be tempted. But aren’t we told that God does not tempt anyone? Does God tempt anyone? No. But the Spirit of God led Jesus into a situation where he would be tempted, right? So we must understand that to lead us into temptation or to lead us into a situation different from actually actively tempting. It was not the Holy Spirit who would tempt Jesus.
There was a tempter who would come to do that work. But the Holy Spirit was preparing the battleground. The Holy Spirit was actually leading Jesus to that battlefield where he will begin to, for the first time, face to face combat the devil. That was the very purpose with which he came, right? He came so that he can destroy the works of the devil. And he begins that ministry here. Necessary to be demonstrated that Jesus had the power over the devil to win over all his temptations. And so the Spirit of God led him into the wilderness. And we must always remember this fact that it is the Spirit of God who leads us and even if it were a situation of temptation, we must allow the Spirit of God to lead us there.
You know, Jesus wasn’t challenging the devil. Jesus wasn’t actually taking it upon himself to invite temptation. He didn’t say, “Let the devil come and I’ll take care of him.” He was not on his own when he did this. He was led by the Spirit. And so we must learn from the example of Jesus that we cannot sport with sin. We cannot invite the devil and put ourselves in the way of temptation by our own accord. We should not do that. You know, but when the Spirit of God allows us to be tempted, then we must remember that it is for a purpose and it is for the demonstration of the victory of his grace in our lives. Okay. And so, but what is very comforting here is to know that to be tempted
itself is no sin, right? If to be tempted itself were a sin, then Jesus would not have been tempted it. Right? So there is no need to be discouraged when I face temptations. There is no reason to be dejected because, you know, it is the purpose of the devil to cast a mist of gloom into your soul somehow and somehow steal your joy. The joy of the Lord is your strength and he knows that if he steals your joy, he steals your strength and you’re weak for the battle and so he wants to do that. But take heart and always remember that Jesus was tempted and therefore there is no sin in being tempted.
I can be tempted just as Jesus was tempted. And there is encouragement for me to know this that if the Son of God wasn’t exempted from a temptation then I would not be exempted from any temptation in trial. And so that should prepare me with joy and courage and comfort for facing all. Okay, all right. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Now where did Jesus take baptism? Where was he baptized?
Any guesses? I’m still not out of the Bible quiz. Yeah, where was that? Where was that? The river of Jordan? In the wilderness of Judea, right? And now we are told that he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He was already in the wilderness. What do you mean by he was led into the wilderness?
Well, there was a wilderness that was inhabited. There were at least six towns in the wilderness of Judea which was very highly populated and there were a lot of people living there. Okay, and we read of that in Joshua chapter 15 and verses 60 and 61, the names of the six towns that were in this wilderness. So this was an inhabited wilderness. But Jesus was now led into a wilderness that was not inhabited by any human beings. Because Mark tells us in Mark chapter 1 and verse 13, that he dwelt there with wild beasts.
Remember that? So it was into an interior part of the wilderness. Many have conjectured that this could be the wilderness of Sinai because no other wilderness was nearby which was so uninhabited and which was left completely to the wild beasts. So it could be the wilderness of Sinai. But I geographically how possible that is whether Jesus was actually led into the wilderness of Sinai because they say well that’s the place where Moses also fasted. And so it’s most likely that it could be the same wilderness. But whichever wilderness this was, this was a wilderness which was not inhabited. He was alone there with the wild beasts to be tempted by the devil.
Okay. And yeah. And then we are told that it was 40 days and 40 nights that he fasted first. Right? And how do we understand his fasting, 40 days and 40 nights? Did he fast in the morning and feast in the evening or something like that? Could that be a possibility?
No. For all the 40 days and 40 nights, he did not eat. He did not eat. How do I know that? Because Luke tells us in Luke chapter 4 and verse 2 that all those 40 days and 40 nights he did not eat.
Okay, so what does that tell us? That tells us that this was not a fasting meant for us to imitate in the first place. Jesus is fasting and still be alive. You know people boast of their length seasons and some people fast for 41 days, one day more than the Master.
And they take pride in it. But there is nothing in comparison with the Lord’s fasting when we talk of our fasting. And therefore, Jesus was gracious enough to fast and never say, “go thou and do likewise.” He not meant for our imitation. This was the Messiah’s preparation towards his ministry in his own way.
Okay, now I am not saying we should not fast. The Bible does abundantly teach us very clearly about the place of fasting and praying in a Christian’s life and that is definitely in place. We must fast, we must pray, we must spend time communing with God but we can never do it in the fashion in which Jesus did it. And we need not do it because way.
There are of course others who did it like say Moses for 40 days and 40 nights and Elijah also for 40 days and 40 nights and Jesus now but we must remember that they were all in a very special presence of God in a way that they could sustain themselves for all of those 40 days and 40 nights without eating.
But it is not natural for anyone to do that right? Yeah and a lot of people want to draw a great precedence from here for their traditional practice of keeping Lent every year. But there is a problem with that. The problem is Jesus did this only once, right?
Just before his ministry. But did he say the next year, you know, “this was around the time that I began my fasting last year, so let me go and fast again for 40 days and 40 nights”? Did he ever repeat that again? He didn’t. Do you find any of the apostles? No, they didn’t. Did they command any of us to do it? No, they didn’t. Then on what authority are we saying that the church must keep Lent?
And moreover, this traditional practice of Lent seeks to connect Jesus’ fasting of 40 days and 40 nights with his death and resurrection, right? But again, that doesn’t align with the account of the Gospel because there is three and a half years of gap between Jesus’ fasting and Jesus’ death. So again, we know that this has nothing to do with the Lent, the traditional practice of Lent. Right? So, if somebody is fond of keeping Lent, please excuse me, okay, for… I’m just saying what is in the text. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know all of us are 1689, right? Yeah, so, yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. And so, after the 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus was hungry. That's what we are told in verse 2. Is that right? After 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus was hungry and that was when the tempter came to him.
But does that mean it was only after these 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus faced any temptation at all from the devil? Was it only in these three ways that he faced the temptation in the wilderness? No. No, because we are told in Mark, in Mark chapter 1 and verse 12 and 13, that for all 40 days he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness.
So there are ways in which he was tempted in the wilderness which are not recorded for us. We do not know how the devil tempted him during those 40 days and 40 nights. But there were other ways in which he was tempted during this time.
But this was the final assault of this spell at least. You know where the devil would want to come and somehow directly face Jesus and try to take him head on. He fondly imagines that he can win the battle but he will find out that this was the Messiah that came to destroy the works of the devil. Okay? So, after the 40 days and 40 nights, there are three ways in which we are told the devil came to tempt Jesus.
He was hungry, the scripture says, after 40 days and 40 nights. So, I would suppose that he was not hungry until then. I don’t know. He was probably not hungry. Because he was in the special presence of God and it could sustain him even without what you would naturally need to sustain yourself.
And so the devil came to him and began to tempt him. But just before we go into how the devil tempted him, I have a question. Is Jesus God? Are you sure? The scripture says God cannot be tempted. Well, that’s an easy answer, isn’t it? Jesus was also 100% man and so he was tempted in his humanity. But is there a problem if God is tempted?
Well, we are told in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 16, “do not tempt the Lord as you tempted him in Massah.” What does that mean? Did the people tempt God in the wilderness? Does the scripture say they tempted God in the wilderness?
Did they tempt God in the wilderness? Yes. Then what does it mean when the scripture says God cannot be tempted? God cannot be tempted by evil in the specific way in which James puts it in that context, right? He’s talking about lust. He’s talking about some internal, you know, which other people are tempted in which and God cannot be tempted in the same way. But that’s not saying, you know, there is no way in which you can tempt God.
The scripture does say people tempted God and I would say well that's exactly the way Satan tempted Jesus. Even if you were to think of his divinity and say well God cannot be tempted and Jesus was tempted and so God, so Jesus is not God. Then think of all those passages in the Old Testament where it says God was tempted.
Can God tempt? No, in a particular sense he cannot. But did he tempt Abraham? Yes. So is there a difference in the meaning? Oh, there is a difference in the meaning, right? Just because you find the same words, it need not, you know, have the same meaning and it need not have the same definition.
Okay, so there was a particular way in which the Messiah could be tempted and he was tempted in that way, all right? But of course he was tempted in his humanity. Okay, then let’s come to his humanity. How is it that we are humans, we as humans are tempted? How does James put it? James 1:13, 14, every man is tempted when he’s drawn away and enticed by his own, on what? On desire. Anybody has the King James Version? Nobody is reading the King James Version nowadays. By his own lust, it says, right? Every man is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his
own lust is what the scripture says. Now if Jesus was tempted, and then to make it a little more complicated for you, in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 15 we are told that Jesus was tempted on all points as we are. So did Jesus have lust in him by which he could be tempted?
Yes or no? So then was Jesus not tempted in all points as we are? He was? So decide again and tell me. Did Jesus have lust in him in some way? Well, first of all, brother is pointing out that it says he was tempted on all points as we are yet without sin.
Okay, so if there was lust in him, then it could not have been said without sin, right? Well, well that's a good observation, but then how do we reconcile this? He was tempted on all points as we are. Are most of the people married here?
Yes? Do we have temptations that are unique to a married situation? Do we or do we not have? You haven't thought that much about it? Or you left off thinking about it? But would you say Jesus also faced temptations that we face typically in our family situations?
He was not married, right? I mean the reason I am asking you that is when you say he was tempted on all points as we are, that all is all without exception then how do you understand this? All right, let me, let me try to approach this from another perspective. When you look at James 1:13, what temptation is he talking about? Is he, is he talking — I mean when he says every man is drawn away and enticed by his own lust, what temptation is he talking about, or what aspect of the temptation is he talking about? Is he just talking about facing temptation or is he talking about inclination towards temptation?
What does he have in view when he is saying those things? Inclination. So in order to be inclined in some way or in some measure to a temptation that you face, you must have lust inside you, right? But could we say that Jesus inclined to any of the temptations that were presented to him by the world or by the devil? No.
And so, this was only talking about the temptations we face externally. It was not talking about the temptations that we face internally because of our own sin nature and because of our own lust. Let's have that clear first. So, people who want to say that Jesus was peccable, he had some nature in him which could incline to sin, which could actually draw him that temptation. You know, just like we experience the pull when we are tempted towards the sin. Jesus also experienced that pull, but he overcame it for you and for me. You heard that before? That is a lie.
That is not true. As emotionally as they may want to put it across for us. I heard Zac Poonen say that, for one at least. But I do not believe that Jesus has anything in himself by which he could experience that pull towards sin when he is tempted. I do not believe that. The Bible doesn't teach that.
That is not the Jesus, the Bible presents. Right? But then how do we reconcile this verse? He was tempted on all points as we are. In Hebrews 4, 15. 15. Any solution for that? Everybody is here? You are all with me? Okay. See, first of all we must understand that what James is talking about is not the same thing which the writer In the context of Hebrews, what was the one primary exhortation that was running through the entire epistle as a thread that connects the entire epistle?
Caution against apostasy, isn't it? Take heed lest there be any root of bitterness or an evil heart of unbelief of departing from the living God. Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 12. Right? And Hebrews chapter 6 and verses 4 through 6, we know that, right? I mean, after receiving all the heavenly benefits which can lead you to repentance, if you then, if you then fall away.
You know, so he's talking about apostasy. Again, in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26 onwards, if we sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, then there remains no more sacrifice for us, but a looking forward for God's judgement and wrath. So why was the writer of Hebrews cautioning them against apostasy?
Because they were constantly facing trials and tribulations for the faith that they embraced in Christ. From their own Jewish community, these were people who were converts from the Jewish background, and they were facing a lot of persecution from there, and the temptation was to go back to Judaism, forsaking Christianity and abandoning Christ.
And therefore, in order to encourage them and to exhort them, the writer of Hebrews brings before them several considerations, and that is the theme of the entire, you know, letter to the Hebrews. And he says is that we have a high priest who faced everything that we are facing, and so he knows what we are going through, and he is able to give us the grace that we need. And he was talking in the context of the trials and tribulations which are also called temptations in scripture. So when the scripture says, “he was tempted on all points as we are,” he’s not talking about the quarrels that you have with your spouse. He’s not talking about, you know, some people have even gone to the extent of, you know, when you look at a woman and lust in your
heart, you know, there is an amount of temptation that you kind of go through. And Jesus also went through all of that and yet without sin. You know, people even go to that extent. No, that’s not what it’s talking about. It’s talking about trials and tribulations, which the Hebrews faced for their faith.
And the writer of Hebrews was encouraging them by saying, you know, Jesus faced all of that from this world. Hatred of this world. And he said, “If the world hates you, know that it hated me first.” And the heights of that hatred was manifest in the cross. You know, the cross was the representation of the hatred of the world.
And Jesus did not go back, despite all of that he faced, but he did the will of the Father. And so take him as an example, he that you need. That’s what the writer of Hebrews is saying, and so we need not confuse it with saying, well, Jesus was necessarily tempted on all points just as we are.
That is definitely not within the scope of that episode. Okay, and then of course people might still have questions on that, but how can then Jesus be my model, right? How can he be my example? If he was, if there are temptations in way, if there are ways in which Jesus was not tempted, and if I face those temptations, then how can Jesus be my model? How can Jesus be my example?
You know, but if Jesus was tempted exactly in every way in which I was tempted, including in the lusts which I have, then how can he be a perfect sacrifice which the Father would accept? He had to be a lamb without blemish, right? Could not have that lust in him and still atone for my sin.
So, do you want a perfect sacrifice that atones for you or do you want an example, you know, which even kind of makes Jesus somewhat like you, even in the matter of having that indwelling sin nature or that lust which can draw him to temptation and sin. And so that’s something for us to think about. But talking about the example part, you might say, well, Jesus says, if we were to follow Jesus, and if he did not have lust, then it is impossible for us to follow him. How can he be my example? That’s Zakman’s argument as well.
Suppose there is an angel who comes down, and I’m at the brink of a river, and I’m supposed to cross it. And the angel comes with his wings and he crosses the river ahead of me and says, “Come follow me,” will you be able to follow him?
No. But if you were to follow him, if he were to be your example, what should the angel do? Take off the angelic nature, take off your wings, take off all your supernatural ability, and then jump into the river, swim, and show me how to swim, and then say, “Come after me,” and that would be a better example. That’s his analogy. Doesn’t it sound very reasonable?
Doesn’t it sound reasonable? If Jesus expects me to follow him and if he has no lust in him, but if I struggle every day with the lust that I battle, how can he be my example? It’s a very sound argument, isn’t it? And what’s your answer to that?
So Jesus must be peccable necessarily. Would you say that? No? Because we are talking about example. How many times do you not read in the Old Testament, “be holy even as I am holy”? Who is the one who says that? God. So are you telling me that God also has some lust problem which he is taking care of every day and therefore he expects me also to overcome it just like he overcomes it and in that sense he is my example.
No, when he says “be holy even as I am holy,” he is not saying take me as a model, he is not saying follow me just as I am holy, he is not saying follow me and be holy taking me for an example. He is actually setting the standard of holiness. He is saying this is the standard to which you must attain to be holy.
And then you would say can any man, can any flesh and blood attain to that standard ever? Can you ever become holy as God is holy? No. Can you ever conform to the image of Jesus and be as perfect as he was on the face of temptation? Whatever temptation that is that he faced. Can you ever be? No. So what you need is not a perfect example. What you need is a perfect help from a perfect high priest. And that’s the point of the writer of Hebrews. In Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 15, where it says, “he was tempted on all points as we are yet without sin,” then does the writer of Hebrews go on to say, “therefore let us follow his example and live as he lived”?
Does he say that? Is that the application? No, he says, “let us boldly come unto the throne of grace to find help in time of need.” Because he is a high priest who is touched by the feeling of our infirmities and he knows what we are going through.
So if Jesus is perfect, he is not offering himself as an example to us which we can follow and attain to that standard. But he is offering himself as a help in time of need. And isn’t that more comforting to know? All we need is his help because we would not flatter ourselves into thinking that we have the ability somehow to become as Jesus is or to live as Jesus lived. Not even on a single point can we do that, right? So although Jesus is my example in some sense, he’s not an example in the same sense that I can look at him and be like him and live like him and become like him without his help. Okay. And if God says “be holy,” then we would definitely not assume that God also had some lust problem and he was overcoming that and therefore I
should take him as an example and be holy despite the lust. No, he had no lust, he had no sin in him, he was absolutely sinless. He had no feeling of our infirmity as far as the human feeling is concerned, and yet that is the standard which we should attain, and that can never happen other than by the help of God, which is completely monergistic. It is not something that is left to your ability. It is, it is God’s grace that will help you to attain to that standard. Okay. Now that was important, because people are attacking the personality of Christ and the nature of
Christ in different ways today. They’re bringing in all of those Arian heresies — probably they want to die like Arius, I don’t know. They’re digging out all of those old Arian heresies, uh, you know. And so it is necessary for us to, whenever there is an opportunity, to think more about the nature of Christ and have a clear understanding of who he was and how we ought to approach him. All right. Now let’s go into the temptation itself. The tempter came. Tempter is one of the names given to the devil, is another name given to the devil. Okay. And Satan is another name given to
the devil. Why is he called the — that’s not an easy, that’s not a hard answer. Because he tempts. Why is he called the devil? Because he devils. Why is he called the devil? Because he is the accuser of the brethren. That’s where he gets that name, Diabolos. And why is he called Satan?
Because he is the adversary. And did you know that Satan is a more generic term? It is not a term that is just used to refer to the devil. Any adversary is a Satan actually. Any adversary is a Satan, and the expression is also used for the angel of the Lord in the context of Balaam in the original Hebrew. And the angel of the Lord stood against him as his adversary, remember that? And it says the angel of the Lord stood against him as his Satan in Hebrew, so that’s a more generic term, but in our translations we somehow reserved that title only for the devil that we will not be confused when we are reading. Okay. But Satan is just a generic term, but the
devil is his name. The tempter is his name because he is the one who tempts. Okay. All right. So what was the first temptation? Everybody still here? Okay, didn’t sleep. Okay. So what was the first temptation? Turn the stones into bread. Now was Jesus hungry around this time? Yes. Did he have the ability to turn the stones into bread and eat? So what was temptation about it?
That is a very wise advice, isn’t it? A very friendly advice in fact also. How concerned the devil is. What’s the temptation about it? Yeah. So let’s not forget that. Read the whole verse. It says, “If thou art the Son of God, if thou art the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.” Right? That was the temptation. Why was that a temptation?
Because who was it who testified some 40 days before, when Jesus came out of the waters of baptism, that “this is my beloved Son”? Whose word was that? That was the word of God, right? That was the word of God. And this is always the devil’s strategy to create doubt in your mind against the word of God. This is how he brought about the first fall.
Remember how he questioned Eve? Eve? What was his question to Eve? “Did God indeed say this?” right? Did God indeed say what he said to Adam and Eve? Yes, he did. But it was the devil’s purpose to always create a doubt and raise a question against the word of God.
And that’s what he is attempting to do also with Jesus. And that’s what he would attempt to do with all of us. That is his old, old strategy. And though he might have failed several times, he also knows that this is one thing that brought him the greatest success so far. And so he has never abandoned that strategy, he will continue to do that. And that’s why when we are talking about the armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6, what was the one piece in the armor of God that was meant to extinguish the fiery darts of the devil?
No, extinguish the fiery darts of the devil? By faith, the shield of faith. It was the shield of faith which would extinguish all the fiery darts of the devil. So if it is the shield of faith that will extinguish all the fiery darts of the devil, what are the fiery darts of the devil?
Doubts and questions against the word of God, right? And it is only faith that can always combat the fiery darts of the devil. And that’s what we find demonstrated in Jesus and in the example that we read here. So here was a question against the word of God. “Yea, hath God said,” a similar fashion, right?
God. Then do this. And Jesus definitely had the ability to do it. And the devil was actually pushing him to have confidence in himself rather than on the father. To not depend on God and to do his own thing. And if he attempted to do something like that, the devil would have been successful in his attempt to tempt Jesus because that would have expressed a considerable amount of doubt on Jesus’ part whether he was truly the son of God according… We are talking about Jesus as a man here, right?
And this was the same Satan that was behind the Israel that tempted God in the wilderness. “Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” Remember that question? And it was the same incitement that we find here as well. The devil was asking a similar question. Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Why don’t you do something for yourself?
Depend on your own strength. And do this. Because you should be able to do it, right? If it’s true that you are the son of God and if you aren’t doing it and if you are hungry and if your father has abandoned you to this hunger in this wilderness, then it could be that you are probably not the son of God. You are just deluding into thinking that.
And what was Jesus’ response? Very famous lines which we also sing as song. Yeah. It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Right? Now, what do you understand by… Okay. But before we come to what do we understand by that?
You would notice that three times the devil assaults Jesus with a temptation, every time he always comes back with an answer, “It is written, it is written, it is written.” What does that tell you? Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus as God could have said anything and it would have been right, isn’t it?
But he always referred to the scriptures, he always referred to the scriptures, and showed us a pattern, showed us an example, how we must face temptation in our lives. It is not by our own wisdom, it is not by our own understanding, that we can understand all temptations and deal with it. We must always depend on the word of God. It is by the word of God that a young man can keep his way clean. It is the word of God that keeps me from sinning, and in order to keep me from all temptation in all sense, it is what is written that can always
come for my aid and not my own wisdom. And if the Son of God himself in his incarnation depended on the word which otherwise he himself had inspired, what a great example that is for all of us to depend on God’s word, right?
“It is written.” Okay, and where is it written by the way? There are three passages that Jesus alludes to. And every single passage is taken from the book of Deuteronomy. Now, should we really derive an observation from there for our application? I don’t know. But let me still say this.
Jesus wasn’t referring to any Levitical formulas of ceremonies to handle the devil, right? What was he referring to? What is the Deuteronomy? It is the second book of the law. The moral law, the moral precepts. And Jesus was always referring to the moral spiritual law rather than to the ceremonial law in handling the devil. What does that tell you?
It is always abiding by the moral principles that the scripture teaches and by living by the spiritual principles that the word of God lays down for our application that we can always keep ourselves safe from the devil. It’s not by some ceremonial formula that you are kept safe from the devil. You know people believe on the crucifix, they have the holy water, they have some enchantments. I don’t know what they say, the blood of Christ?
I know in Telugu, “Yesu Raktham Jayam,” you know, and that should be sufficient to take care of the devil. But it doesn’t work. No ceremonial formulas work to handle the devil. It is always abiding by the moral spiritual principles that are taught in scripture, the best way to handle the devil. And that’s what Jesus does, always refers to the moral law and expresses his firm adherence and commitment to that law. That’s what we should be doing. Under your pillow and expect the devil to stay away.
It doesn’t happen. A lot of people keep the Bible under their pillow for that same reason. They are afraid the devil will come and tickle them when they are sleeping. But you can’t keep the devil away that way. You must abide by what is taught in that scripture in order to keep the devil away.
As Jesus said, “It is written.” And then he says, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Now help me understand this, please. Was Jesus saying, “I don’t need to eat, I can just read the Bible and survive”?
Seems like that’s what he’s saying, right? That’s how many understand it, at least. Otherwise, I don’t know when you’re asked to pray for the lunch or for the dinner, say grace, they say, “Lord, man shall not live by bread alone.” I don’t know what’s the relevance of that.
Why are you eating in the first place? Is that what Jesus meant to say? Was he saying, “I don’t have to eat, I just read the Bible. That’s enough for me to live”? Did he mean that? What else could he have meant, right?
What do you think is the meaning? Any suggestions? If you can help me, we can move faster. Because I’m stuck here. Could be. Could be that’s what Jesus is saying, right? You must always go back to the source from which Jesus is quoting to understand the meaning. Where was he quoting this from?
Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 3. What does God say there? “I humbled you” — I mean, he is talking to the nation of Israel — and he says, “I humbled your fathers, I caused them to hunger, and I fed them with manna, that you might know that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” That’s the whole context. Now tell me, what do you understand from this food by which the nation of Israel could survive? Right? But what provided a food for them? What provided manna for them from the heaven?
The word of God. It was God who commanded the heavens to rain manna to feed Israel. It was the word of God which proceeded from his mouth which made the necessary provision to sustain Israel all those 40 years in the wilderness. So all Jesus was saying when he was referring to that text was he was saying, “I don’t have to make bread out of these stones to quench my hunger.”
“Because if my father says the word, he can make any arrangement to sustain me in this wilderness. He can provide food for me by just saying the word. And it is on him that I depend.” Because he reads in scriptures, and as we read in scripture and understand, you know, when God spoke the word, the heavens rained manna. When God spoke the word, the angels brought food to Elijah. And when God spoke the word, who has brought food to Elijah? Even a raven. I didn’t say raven, I said raven.
Even a raven, of all the creatures on the face of the earth, a raven, what is it known for? When do we use the expression ravenous? There is no creature that is more gluttonous than the raven. It is not known for giving, it only takes. But when God speaks the word, even a raven comes and gives food to Elijah. And so by the word of God, he can make any alternate arrangement by which I could be fed.
on my own wisdom. I don’t have to depend on my own ability. I don’t have to depend on my own strength when I have the word of God sufficient to depend on. That was Jesus’ confidence. That was his answer to the devil. Okay, so that was not a very successful attempt. And so then, it was as though the devil said, “Okay, is that how much you trust in your father? Is that how much you rely on his word? Is that how much you have confidence in him? Okay, then let’s go over there to the top of the temple, to the pinnacle of the temple.”
And so the devil took him to the holy city, onto the pinnacle of the temple. Now what is the holy city? Luke 4:9, I think, says it is Jerusalem. Luke is very direct. The holy city is not some spiritualized place somewhere else outside the realm of humanity. But it was the city of Jerusalem. That was the holy city around that time. Why was it called the holy city?
Because the temple was still standing there. And the sacrificial system and everything was still on. And that was still the place from which God promised all those old covenant benefits. Okay, and so it was still called that holy city. Now, the devil takes him to the holy city, takes him to the pinnacle of the temple.
And so what does that tell you? That tells you that there is no place on the face of the earth from which you are kept from the devil. There is no such a holy place from which you are prevented from the devil getting you.
The devil can get you anywhere. Does he also come into the church? Maybe not into Back to the Bible, right? There is no place that can keep you from the assaults of the devil. He can get you anywhere. And we are talking about the holy city, but he was standing in front of the Holy One of God.
Right? He can go as far as God gives him access. And so he, I mean, there’s no place where we could fondly imagine that we are kept from the devil and I’m safe in this place. And so that should teach us that we must always be on our guard and never become complacent wherever we are.
We must always be on our guard. It is in a holiest environment that the devil could get more subtle than you might imagine. You know, and so always be on your guard. Okay. Now, the devil took him to the pinnacle of the temple and what was the temptation this time?
Cast yourself from the top of this temple. And then, you know, now the devil wants to imitate Jesus. He wants to quote scripture. And so he says, “It is written, he will give charge to his angels over you and they will hold you up in their hands in a way that your feet is not dashed against the stone.” So you will be kept safe by the angels, that’s the promise.
That’s what is written because you seem to have a lot of confidence in what is written. And you express a lot of confidence in the word that your father speaks. Right? So this is the word of your father and this is his promise. And so cast yourself down.
And you would notice that the devil himself doesn’t cast Jesus down, doesn’t attempt to do any such thing, because that would have been foolish on his part to do that, right? Because he would have, Jesus have the complete guilt for casting himself down.
See, every suicidal tendency is from the devil, always remember this. Every suggestion to kill yourself is from the devil. I know some good men of God have had suicidal tendencies. Any examples that you can think of? Jonah. Elijah probably was not a suicidal tendency, he was asking God to kill him actually.
Jonah wouldn’t mind being cast into the sea, but he would not obey. Obedience was his problem, not dying. Okay, right. So but, see, some good people can be assaulted with these thoughts of, you know, kill yourself, there’s no purpose of living anymore, there’s no meaning in life, what’s left in life? You know, all these different kinds of thoughts that come into your mind, no matter what the circumstance. My circumstances are such that you might have never seen in your life, you know. You don’t know what I go through, brother. You know, “no temptation has taken overtaken you than what is common to man,” the scripture says, “and God is faithful with the temptation to make a way of escape.”
Can you read from Psalm 91 and verses 11 and 12 and quickly compare for me what the devil quotes in Matthew 4 and tell me what's missing? Are you all with me? Yes, 91, 11 and 12. Yes, 91, 11 and 12. Yes, so the expectation is that you would compare that for me in Matthew and tell me what's missing.
Yes, “to keep you in all your ways,” this promise applies to you when you are on the path of duty, not when you are out of the way. This promise does not apply to you when you are out of the way. The devil was tempting Jesus to go out of the way and then saying this promise will apply to you.
So he was misquoting the scripture. So, every misquotation of scripture, wherever you find it, any twisting and turning of scripture, wherever you find it, whether intentional or unintentional, who is behind it? The devil is behind it. Always remember that and be very, very careful how we use scripture.
You see how cunningly he does not mention that phrase at all? “To protect you in all your ways,” “to keep you in all your ways.” But had he mentioned that, that would have been against his own purpose of using that verse. So he was quoting the scriptures is out of context. So just because, I mean, a lot of people, uh, you know, are accustomed to, accustomed to say, you know, you, uh, they say, “Well, don't question that preacher, because he's also teaching from the Bible. He's also quoting verses from the Bible only. You talk as though only you are speaking from the Bible.” Everybody quotes from the Bible only. Yes, even the devil also quotes from the Bible only. Problem.
Right? Because there is a greater deception there. When you find a citation from scripture, then you think it's probably a biblical thought that is also presented. But it is cleverly twisted in a way that it presents a different thought altogether. Okay? And so when Jesus says, “It is written again,” the principle we are supposed to learn is the scripture must interpret scripture.
What do we mean by the scripture must interpret scripture? When you give meaning to any part of the scripture, when you give meaning to any verse in scripture, the thought that you present by that interpretation should not conflict with what is taught in any other part of the scriptures.
If the interpretation you give has the slightest tendency to conflict with any other part of the scripture, what does that tell you? That tells you that your interpretation is wrong and it will lead to a false application. The scripture must be understood in harmony.
The scripture is not written in such a way that one verse of the scripture can conflict scripture, but it is all written in unison, in one thought, in a harmony that we must understand. And if we are not able to harmonize our understanding of one verse with other parts of the scripture, that is not because there is something wrong with the verse, that is something wrong with our understanding.
So there is a very important principle that Jesus is teaching us here as far as interpretation of scriptures is concerned. Not just that we must read the scriptures in context, but that we must always ensure that the scripture interpret scripture in a way that everything falls in a proper harmony.
Okay, and so Jesus says, “It is also written,” or “It is written again,” “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” So, there is another important observation that I want to make here. In the first temptation, what was the devil's attempt? He wanted Jesus to have confidence in himself and not trust in the Father.
Okay, but when Jesus expressed his confidence and trust in the Father. Now he wants to take that to another extreme and say, “well, because you trust in the Father and because there is a promise that he will protect you, you can put yourself to a situation where you can put yourself in the dangerous way and expect God to fulfill that promise.”
You know, and so we must not tempt the Lord on the pretext of trusting God. We must not tempt God on the pretext of trusting God. Where you have your human responsibility to be careful, when you have your responsibility to do something that you know is right, do not leave that part to God. That is for you to perform.
You can't jump into the well and say, “well, my God will take care of me.” That's what the devil is asking him to do. Okay? Right. So, Jesus won over that temptation, teaching us several things also to learn for our application. Then what is the final temptation? Jesus was taken to a high mountain. Now remember, Jesus was in the wilderness, right? But he was travelling along with the devil. It was as though Jesus said, “I would go anywhere with this fellow to ensure that I baffle him and defeat him. And ensure that I win the battle.”
And he went wherever the devil took him. And overcame the devil. And so the next battleground, some people think this is just a journey in the spirit. Jesus didn't actually physically travel but this was some journey in the spirit that happened. No, that cannot be because then the devil could not have said to Jesus, “cast yourself down from here,” right?
There would have been no harm to his spirit had he casted himself from the pinnacle of the temple or from anywhere for that matter. So it was a physical presence actually, actual physical presence that we are talking about. And so he was taken now onto a high mountain, and the devil this time shows him the kingdoms of this world and the glory of all the kingdoms and then says, “All this I will give to you, fall down and worship me.” Now even before we come to discussing all that, what could be that mountain from which anybody could have the view of the whole world and the kingdoms of this world and the glory them as well.
Is there any such a mountain on the face of the earth? Could it be Mount Everest? Or any other higher peak? Is there any high peak of the mountain on the face of the earth from which you can see all the earth is the question, humanly?
Can you? No. No, I don't think so. So, and that too in a moment. I mean, he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment is what it says, right? So what could this scenery be? What was it that Jesus saw?
What did the devil show him? I would suggest that it was just an illusion. Could it be? Because the devil is known for illusions and lies. And so he was just making up all of this. Because there is no kingdom on the face of the earth which he can rightly say belongs to him, which he has the authority to give to anyone for that matter. But that’s what he pretends to say here, right? He says, I mean if you read it from Luke’s account, in Luke chapter 4 and verse 5 onwards I think, he says, “All these things are given to me and I can give it to whomever I will.”
of all the kingdoms of this world. God has abandoned all the kingdoms of this world. He is not ruling over the world anymore. And he has given all of this to the devil so that he can give it to whomever he wills. Is that true?
No, that's a lie. And so everything that he showed to Jesus also was just an illusion. Just some fast colors that can deceive him. And how many in the world are deceived by these very illusory things as sufficient attractions to leave God in exchange for the world.
Isn’t it? But Jesus knew better. Jesus knew his father. Jesus knew all the promises of the father, isn’t it? What was the father’s promise to Jesus? Ask of me and I will give you what? I will give you nations for your inheritance, that you can rule over them. So it was within the power of God to give nations to Jesus as inheritance. It was not within the power of the devil to give that to Jesus.
But he speaks as though he has authority over everything. Do you want to know something? The devil has authority over nothing. Even to enter into the Gadarene pigs, the devil had to take permission from Jesus. Can I? Can I please? And only when Jesus said go, he could go. He doesn’t have authority over a single Gadarene pig.
And he says, all the kingdoms of this world are his and he gives it to whomever he wills. Say that to someone else, not to Jesus. Okay, and what was Jesus’ response? Did he say, no, no, no, my father will give me the nations, I will ask of him and he will give me? He didn’t say, he didn’t have to discuss all of that with the devil, right? That’s between him and his father. What did he say? Until this point, he was patient. Until this point, he was calm, he was composed, he was answering the devil patiently. But this was the greatest affront that he could give to the Son of God.
Fall down and worship me. Fall down and worship me. And Jesus said, “Get thee hence, Satan.” And the devil had to leave. That’s the authority he was boasting of. There is someone else here who would command him with authority and the devil cannot even stand for another moment there. He had to leave. Your time is over. You better leave. Okay, and he had to leave.
And, of course, he departed from Jesus for a season, the scripture says, in Luke. It was not as though he went off for good. He will come back again with different forms of temptation, again and again, all through the life of Jesus. But this spell of the battle was over. And Jesus won everything thoroughly and completely. But just reflect on those words with which he wanted to tempt Jesus. He says, “All this will be yours only if you fall down and worship me.”
Does the devil seek worship? Does the devil seek worship? He seeks worship. There is one long cherished unfulfilled dream of the devil. Do you remember what that is? “I will be like the Most High.” “I will be like the Most High.” And the devil is not doing anything in isolation. He is always doing everything he does with a commitment towards that ambition. He works hard towards that ambition. And so do not view any temptation in isolation. No temptation that you face in your life comes isolated from this scheme of the devil. His ultimate purpose is to not just cause you to apostatize, but to also fall down and worship him.
That’s what he wants. And if there is anyone else that is getting worship in this world in any form than the one that is truly offered to the real God, it is the devil who is getting all of that worship. Even in Christian concerts where there is no Christ, it is the devil that is getting that worship.
The devil seeks worship and gets it in many instances. And that’s written for our caution. We are called to worship God and Him alone. And you swerve from that duty, you are, you are not left with many alternatives. You can’t say, “Well, I have other gods whom I worship.” No, there is one God, you either worship Him or you don’t and then you end up worshipping his rival who manifests himself in so many different forms.
Again that’s the devil’s aim. So always remember this. All of devil’s temptation to get you apostatized is so that he can get you to worship him. And do not make light of any temptation and any sin because this is ultimately what is designed behind that temptation. And therefore you must be on your guard against even the smallest appearance of evil and sin.
You cannot say, “Well this is a small sin, I can sport with this, this is okay. This is all right, this is common, everybody does this.” No, there is no sin that you can make light of. Because every sin is eventually designed, every temptation to sin is eventually designed to bring you at the feet of the devil.
So let us always be on our guard and always abide by what is written and always learn to overcome temptations just as Jesus overcame. And look at the conclusion of this whole narrative in verse 11. He says, “And the devil left him and the angels came and ministered to him.”
What does that tell you? The angels came and ministered to him. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” And God commanded his angels. These are the angels who work only at the commandment of God.
Isn’t it? And so, God caused his word to proceed from his mouth, commanding his angels to go minister to Jesus. What was the need that was immediately urgent for Jesus? He was hungry. So what could this ministering mean? He was given what was needed for him to be strengthened and sustain himself, right? He was probably fed. Although we are not told what precise ministering that happened there. But within the context we could safely infer that he was fed by the angels.
If the angels can feed Elijah, how much greater ministering could we expect for the son of God himself? Right? But did Jesus, did God vindicate the faith which Jesus expressed in him by sending his angels to minister to him? Yes, he did. He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” and God caused his word to proceed from his mouth, ordering the angels to feed Jesus. And what was the devil’s own, own, you know, citation of the scripture. He said, “He will cause his angels to watch over you,” right?
And God said, “Yes, indeed I command my angels and they will, I will give them charge concerning my son and they will minister to him.” And his faith was completely vindicated and he came out victorious in that temptation. And we are promised that if we depend on him, he will give us victory. The devil is a defeated enemy and we have the Lord on our side who has destroyed all the works of the devil and he is our confidence to face all trials and temptations in our lives when we depend on him. You know, there may have been many failures in our lives unlike Jesus.
Jesus did not fail even once. You know, but we can always depend upon God. It is because we have the tendency to fail that we are told to depend on His grace. Okay, and so, we not only have a perfect example of how to handle temptations, but we also have a confidence and a comfort and an assurance and an encouragement that we have a high priest that knows what it means to be tempted.
And who could deliver us from this temptation of the devil. Okay, and so we did talk about too many things, you know, in this passage. We spoke about the humanity and the divinity of Christ. We spoke about the impeccability of Christ. We spoke about the schemes of the devil and understanding how the devil operates. We talked about how to interpret the scriptures correctly.
And we also talked about how to handle temptations. Every single one of them is essential for our Christian life. Every single one of them calls for more attention, for more pondering, for deeper meditation. Because all of these are very complex subjects. We are just introduced to these subjects in this sermon. But I would encourage all of us to study deeper into each of these aspects. And make sure that we are in alignment with what Jesus did in our Christian walk. To be Christian is to be Christ-like and to follow Him. And if these are the lessons this passage teaches us, then let’s be careful to analyze them further, understand them deeper and apply them in our lives.
And may God give us all the grace we need to be faithful Christians that will overcome temptation and that will continue to know the need of God’s grace and depending on it as days progress in our Christian life. May God give us the strength and the grace to live as he pleases. May God bless. Thank you.