13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Transcription

1 HELP FOR OUR STRUGGLES: HOW TEMPTATION BECOMES OBEDIENCE Luke 4:1-13 4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone. 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours. 8 And Jesus answered him, It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, 11 and On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answered him, It is said, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. 1

2 FROM TEMPTATION TO OBEDIENCE 1a. Back to the sixties Temptation and obedience: what do words conjure up to people living in 21 st century: quaint, old fashioned, almost archaic ideas Like walking into a church picnic in a dusty church hall in the 1960s Back when I was singing Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin. And Trust and obey, for there is no other way Coincidentally 1965, The Temptations had first hit; 2 years later the show, Temptation debuted on US TV. b. Today Modern usage more likely to think of the urge to eat an extra piece of chocolate cake or binging on episodes of the Bachelor, when hear word temptation. Yet A topic of vital importance. Affects every one. Something we all face, threatens to rob us of life. More you face it, more intense it becomes. Two words go hand in hand. Only feel the power and threat of temptation when care about obedience. If not concerned about obedience temptations simply become options c. Temptations of Jesus Luke 4 Tonight, want to take you to the classic analysis of temptation, not just in the biblical literature, but in Western literature. Takes us to the heart of the nature of temptation and what it takes to resist temptation. Watch as Jesus turns a time of temptation into an opportunity for obedience. Temptations of Jesus in the desert. Time for Jesus to draw aside and prepare for the 3 years of public ministry that lie ahead Before he becomes the overnight sensation and is followed by crowds everywhere Takes time to draw near to his Father in heaven Fasts in order to focus his mind and express his dependence on God 2

3 2. The subtlety and savagery of temptation This report is a study in the subtlety and savagery of temptation. 2.1 Savagery We need to appreciate the ruthlessness and brutality of temptation a. Stalked by a hunter As Jesus is alone and isolated We find he is being stalked Stalked by a skilled hunter, determined to take Jesus captive, setting up nets, laying down traps, concealing pits Each temptation provides Jesus with reasons and justifications to disobey Keep him from achieving what he set out to do Rather than draw near to his Father, the hunter is out to drive a wedge between them b. Waiting for an opportunity Like a skilled hunter, the evil one patiently waits for his moment, hoping to catch Jesus unawares, off guard. Waited until he is alone Waited until he is hungry See it most clearly in v 13 After he proves unsuccessful, retreats until another opportune moment We know the night before Jesus dies will prove to be one of those moments c. Exploiting vulnerabilities Constantly on the lookout for a vulnerability Like Achilles in Greek mythology, weak spot or Target zone rhino s nose; Elephant s inner nose; buffalo neck, chest brain Looking for a weakness: hunger & fatigue, power & entitlement, pride and status d. Deadly intent The evil one is motivated by deadly intent. His goal is nothing less than Jesus life He wants to get Jesus to betray his purpose, betray his life s vocation, betray his God. 3

4 He wants to trap Jesus, bring him under his control show him off as an exhibition of his power d. The savagery of our temptation We need to understand this about the temptation we face This wasn t a competitive game of tennis where opponents come to the net at the end and shake hands. Not a game of chess where Satan hopes to call checkmate and then put all the pieces back in their places. When Satan tempts us to disobey, his goal is to have us turn away from God and harden into rebellion against him, so that it costs us our life. He is playing for keeps and has the same deadly intent he showed toward Jesus. He stalks us, waiting for the opportune moments when we are tired, our blood sugars are low, when we are stressed, alone, feel isolated and he can seduce us into doing something we know God hates. Nothing compounds our vulnerability more than being oblivious to his schemes and plans People who wonder what all the fuss is about with temptation have very likely already lost the battle, capitulating to an enemy they don t take seriously and a threat they minimize. 2.2 Subtlety The second dimension we need to grasp if we are to be ready to meet and repel temptation is its subtlety. You see it in the progression across the three temptations a. Voice of reason, personal concern In the first, we hear the voice of reason, of personal concern Jesus is hungry and the evil one offers him a very simple solution well within his power Surely if this is the Son of God, the lack of food can be dealt with simply enough It s a subtlety our temptations are characterized by too 4

5 There are different kinds of hunger For approval, for recognition, for intimacy, for sexual excitement, for financial security It s been such a long day, I deserve a drink or two. People are laughing, I should belittle someone else behind their back. I ve been working so hard, it won t matter if I look at this porn. This is my money, I don t have to share it with anyone. I provide for this family. I don t have to put up with this. I can justify lashing out with my tongue or my fist. b. Aware that it belongs to Jesus, early In the second he only offers Jesus what is already his As God s Son all the kingdoms of the world belong to him, he will inherit them Not something illegitimate for Jesus to claim Just premature; claiming rightful inheritance early How serious can that be? c. Quotes Scripture Third temptation shows how adaptable and contextualized the evil one can be Been met with Scripture quotations by Jesus in previous temptations, so he quotes Scripture to Jesus Mounts a biblical argument Ps 91:11-12 Promise of divine protection to God s King Is Jesus really going to refuse this opportunity to prove that the Bible is fulfilled in him? Or is he afraid that it might not happen? That God won t come to his rescue? The apostle Paul warns that in the last days people will surround themselves with teachers that will tell them what their itching ears want to hear. No shortage of preachers of the prosperity gospel that reinforces people in their greed and idolatry. No shortage of teachers who will twist Scripture to justify all sorts of sexual behavior that the Bible makes clear is unacceptable. People latch on to all kinds of verses out of context to justify selfish, self-serving decisions. 3. Jesus chooses obedience 5

6 Given the savagery and subtlety of temptation in our lives, it is vital that we watch Jesus carefully. Provides a model of resistance, of standing firm, of not being seduced a. No excuses First, we should note that Jesus offers no excuses. He doesn t take refuge in extenuating circumstances. He doesn t succumb but then seek to explain it away by his tiredness, loneliness b. God refuses to provide for me After 40 days of not eating it must have been very appealing to put an end to the hunger. But Jesus unmasks the invitation for what it is Being induced to question God s goodness and provision for him. Recognises the pattern in Israel s history Exploited their hunger when in the desert heading to the promised land: Psalm 106:14-15 (Ex 16; Num 11) Manna craving Refuses to do that. Knows his Father is committed to his best interest. Confident God will provide in good time and not push him beyond his limits. Meets him with Scripture: Deut 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. c. Recognition and glory Jesus sees through the offer to give him all the kingdoms of the world for his glory Not just a premature claim, change of ruler, transfer his worship from one true God to the great impostor Again the pattern is straight out of the history of Israel playbook Psalm 106:19-20 (Ex 32) Worship Calf As soon as they escaped slavery in Egypt threw all gold into the fire and cast an idol to worship as if it was the god who brought them to freedom 6

7 Jesus won t go there. He knows what tragedy befell Israel afterwards. He knows who God is. Deut. 6:13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. d. Prove yourself to me The final desperate attempt to derail Jesus from his mission takes the form of the call to prove himself, that he really does enjoy God s protection. Jesus sees it for what it is because he knows his Old Testament: Psalm 106:32-33 (Num 20) Meribah complaint Deut 6:16 Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah. This was Israel s failure of faith. They weren t content with God s protection and provision and kept on making demands to have him prove his commitment to them. Jesus knows better than to do that. If we are going to be people who resist temptation then we will need to heed the example of Jesus. But even more importantly, we will need to understand that that this is much more than an example. Jesus resisted temptation on our behalf, for us. Satan wasn t just wanting to derail Jesus obedience and his relationship to God, he wanted to derail your salvation and mine a. In the wilderness... Forty days... Being tested... Hungry There are numerous little clues and reminders that Jesus is mimicking Israel s experience Wilderness years... tested...hungry They are parallels that point us to the greater significance of Jesus obedience b. Faithful where they failed Jesus is reliving Israel s history, only he is proving faithful where they failed; obedient where they succumbed to the temptation not to trust God and his goodness 4. Beyond an example 7

8 At each step of the way, he responds the way they failed to do and we fail to do. He trusted God, relied on his word, resisted the lure, chose obedience. And it was absolnecessary for Jesus to do it c. Our champion and savior Heb 4:15 Jesus has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet he did not sin. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Jesus didn t just resist temptation for his sake, he did it for ours It was because he turned every temptation into an opportunity for obedience that he could offer his perfect life of obedience as a sacrifice for every time we have takn the bait and wandered into disobedience 5. Facing our temptation So what does this account have to tell us about our struggle with temptation? a. Never easy Facing temptation is always difficult for the reasons we explored above; the savagery and subtlety of it. Pet. 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The tempter will stalk us patiently, grab the moment when our defences are weakest and explore every vulnerability. The difficulty will only increase as we seek to be more obedient as we will be increasing the resistance Many of us have rarely experienced the full force of temptation because we have capitulated so easily b. Never alone In light of Jesus commitment to us, resisting sin for our sake; offering his life for ours We need to understand that we never face temptation alone Jesus is always with us and always wanting us to resist Heb 2:18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. 8

9 No-one has plumbed the depths of temptation s savagery and subtlety like Jesus did, because no-one has put up the resistance Jesus has. And now, as he sits at God s right hand, we benefit from his intimate acquaintance with what it is like. Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. c. Never an excuse It also robs us of our excuses, our mitigating circumstances and justifications for disobedience Paul is explicit in 1 Cor 10, that there is never a good reason for succumbing to temptation: 1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to human beings. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. This means we have to acknowledge that our disobedience is always disobedience. Instead of trying to excuse it we need to confess it and find forgiveness d. Relying on God; relying on his word In this 500 th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses, it is appropriate I share a Martin Luther quote: Martin Luther: You can t stop the birds flying over your head, but you can stop them nesting in your hair. If we are going to resist temptation and stop it nesting in our hair we need to rely on God s word the way Jesus did. It was the Bible that warned Jesus of the savagery and subtlety of temptation as he read about Adam and Eve in the garden and Israel in the wilderness. 9

10 It was the Bible that made him aware of the evil s ones strategies and schemes, what his agenda really was. It was the Bible that gave him his defence. He could go to the Bible confidently to know God s will. He took refuge in God s will and used it as a weapon in self-defence. It was the Bible that laid out Jesus vocation and mission. And it was the Bible that told him this was the gracious plan of a good and loving God who can be trusted, especially when temptation comes in all its savagery and subtlety. 10