The Servant s Temptation Mark 1:12-13 Introduction

Transcription

1 Introduction The Gospel of Mark begins with a witness from the Old Testament (vv.1-3); it continues with the work of John the Baptist (vv.4-11) and will now focus on the wrath of Satan in the wilderness (vv.12-13). Jesus came...from Nazareth. Jesus came...to identify with sinners. Jesus came...and was tested. The test was severe; the test included attacks on his body and his soul and his spirit. Most people hate tests. Some people love tests. A test provides opportunity to demonstrate knowledge or competency in a specific field or function. We probably need to define our terms. Does God allow people to be tested? The answer is yes. How is testing different from temptation? Temptation carries with it the idea of a solicitation to evil or wickedness or that which is wrong. James wrote; Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God ; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone (1:13). James makes it clear (v.14) But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. The Lord God never solicits or invites us to do that which is evil. But the Lord will allow storms, tests, trials. The storm makes a tree strong, and storms make a Christian strong. No branch escapes the pruning knife; No jewel the polishing wheel; No child the correction rod; No chosen vessel the thorn. Great trials prepare for great service. Temptation s Determination (v.12a) Mark 1:12 (NKJV) Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. Does it surprise you that the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness? Matthew s Gospel puts it this way; Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1). The temptation and test of Jesus comes immediately after His Baptism by John and the affirmation of Christ by His Heavenly Father. Temptation seems to follow decision. The test takes immediately after the decision of Jesus to enter into the ministry; but more than then that; the resolution to fulfill the task assigned to Him. Most scholars believe the entire ministry of Jesus may have lasted only about 36 months. Our temptations often take place when we make specific decisions to honor and obey the Lord. Do you want to avoid the test or the temptation? 1

2 Then pose no threat to the enemy. The man or woman who makes it a special point to trust the Lord will in turn be trusted by God and tempted by Satan. Our temptations often take place in what seems like isolation. Church tradition places the wilderness temptation in the bleak desert as you approach Jericho. This wilderness was rocky and barren. A pilot was experiencing difficulty in landing his plane because of a fog; and the airport decided to bring him in by radar. As he began to receive directions from the ground he suddenly remembered a tall pole in the flight path, and appealed in panic to the control tower about it. The reply came bluntly, You obey instructions; we ll take care of obstructions. How many Christians hesitate to trust God s Word and obey God s Word because of perceived polls and obstructions? The new Christian is often tempted and tested. Why? Satan attacks, attempting to overthrow the New Believer s new found faith. Satan will attempt to create doubt, to question, to choose another way, to look in a different direction. A direction where you can hold on to your sin. Temptation s Application (v.12b) The Spirit drove Him How can God use tests in our lives? The word translated drove is very instructive. It is the Greek verb ekballei and means to push or thrust; to cast forth or to drive with force. We often use the word push to describe an unwelcome or involuntary force pushing us in a specific direction. Mark will use the same word when Jesus casts out demons. We see in the baptism of Jesus His resolve to follow His Father s plan. We see in the temptation in the wilderness the resources at His disposal. A test or a trial can be a stepping stone or a stumbling stone. The tests of God are designed to strengthen us. The temptations of Satan are designed to cause us to stumble; to doubt God or God s goodness. Ravi Zacharias was fond of quoting this poem on those occasions when he spoke on God s testing; When God wants to drill a man, And thrill a man, And skill a man; When God wants to mold a man To play the noblest part, 2

3 When he yearns with all his heart To create so great and bold a man That all the world shall be amazed, Watch his methods, watch his ways--- How he ruthlessly perfects Whom he royally elects. How he hammers him and hurts him, And with mighty blows, converts him Into trial shapes of clay Which only God understands, While his tortured heart is crying, And he lifts beseeching hands. How he bends but never breaks When his good he undertakes. How he uses Whom he chooses, And with ever purpose, fuses him, By every act, induces him To try his splendor out. God knows what he s about. The Lord allowed Jesus to be tested and proved. Does that surprise you? James 1:12 (NKJV) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Temptation s Location (v.13a) And he was there in the wilderness forty days... Here we find the temptations location and duration. The location...a wilderness...the duration...forty days. Forty days rain fell to the earth. Forty years the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. Forty days the Savior was tempted. He was tempted to doubt the Father s love; to rely on his own power and resources, and to question hope. Mark does not describe the temptation or the victory of Jesus in the temptation. The test or temptation often takes place in a wilderness place. When are we most vulnerable? When we find ourselves in an isolated place. You might think, the Spirit drove Jesus into the Wilderness! It is true. Sometimes after an amazing and incredible experience with God; we sense His power, His presence, His favor; we wake up the next morning and we don t sense His power, His presence, His favor. We hear a voice whisper; You have lost the power, the presence, the favor of God and now the temptation begins. 3

4 Temptation s Champion (v.13b) tempted of Satan (v.13b) Matthew s gospel fills in the details. In Matthew 4:2-4; 4:5-7; 4:8-10; some of us are familiar with story recorded in Matthew. Jesus has been in the wilderness for 40 days and forty nights. The text says, afterward He was hungry. Thomas Brooks wrote; He that will play with Satan s bait, will quickly be taken with Satan s hook. Our flesh baits the hook (James 1:14). The devil has no need to tempt the unbeliever and the make-believer. The ancient Roman historian Tacitus wrote; Forbidden things have a secret charm. Satan is called many things in the Bible. He is called the king of death (Heb.2:14); the wicked one (Matt.13:38); the accuser of the brethren (Rev.12:10); the deceiver (Rev.20:10) and the tempter (1 Thess.3:5). Matthew 4:3; Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Then the devil took Him up into the Holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you and, In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Again the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory. And he said to Him, All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus to him, Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve. Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. There is no area of our lives immune from Satan s temptations. The devil focused on three areas when he tempted Jesus; (1) physical needs and desires, (2) possessions and power, and (3) pride 4

5 (see 1 John 2:15-16). But Jesus refused to cave in. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin (Heb. 4:15). Jesus is aware of our tests and temptations; and he is willing to help us in our time of need. When you are being tempted turn to Jesus for strength and help. Oscar Wilde reportedly said, I can resist anything except temptation. Why is it so easy to give in to temptation? When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden he questioned God s Word. Really? he asked the woman. Did God really say you must not eat of any of the fruit in the garden? (Gen.3:1). Satan accuses God of being a Cosmic-kill joy. There is something fun. Something exciting. Why won t God let me do anything and everything? Why would God limit my freedom or place restrictions on my appetites? Temptation is part of a clever plan that appeals to our natural desires in an attempt to separate us from God s perfect plan and God s perfect will and in the end to separate us from God Himself. Satan was an angel. A created being who will in the end lose his battle against God. His rebellion will be smashed. God promises that Messiah will crush his head. Satan solicits Saints to a life of self-serving selfishness that leads to rebellion against God. Satan solicits us to feed off our self-sufficiency. Satan invited Eve to question God s Word, to doubt God s word, and in the end to doubt God s goodness. Satan in a single moment caused Eve to forget all that God had given the happy couple and to focus on the one thing she could not have. We find ourselves in the same circumstance when we forget God s blessing and focus on that thing that is not allowed. The next time you feel sorry for yourself because of something you don t have--remember all that you possess in the Lord Jesus Christ. Temptation may seem subtle, perhaps even harmless; but it leads to catastrophic consequences. The Lord did not want the children of Israel to adopt the pagan practices of wickedness and idolatry. It was easy to be drawn into these practices. Do not be trapped into following their example in worshiping their gods. Do not say, How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example (Deut. 12:30). Sometimes curiosity can cause us to stumble. Knowledge of evil is harmful if the evil becomes to tempting to resist. To resist the kind of curiosity that causes us to doubt or disobey God shows wisdom and helps reinforce obedience. Temptation often hits hardest in our areas of weakness. For all his wisdom Solomon found himself in constant trouble. The Bible warned about multiplying horses, wives and gold. Solomon seemed to have little ability to say no to compromise or to lustful desires. Whether he married out of lust or political advantage the net result was compromise and then disobedience. His wives turned his heart away from the Lord. 5

6 You may have a strong faith and a deep desire to honor and please God. But there are weak spots, vulnerable spots, where temptation lurks. Strengthen and protect the weak areas; beware we are all capable of falling. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If Solomon can fall, no one is immune from Satan s seductions. Would you like some hints at enduring and resisting and rejecting temptation? Remember resistance begins when we become aware of how Satan works and when temptation strikes. Remember that temptation in and of itself is not sin. Jesus was tempted by the devil and did not sin. We may feel dirty or embarrassed but the temptation is not sin. We sin when we give in and disobey God. Remembering this is the first step. Do not be surprised if temptation takes place after a major spiritual decision or spiritual victory. Jesus wasn t tempted at his baptism but rather in the desert, in isolation, in a weary place, in a place of deprivation; when you are alone and tired and hungry and vulnerable. Satan often tempts us when we are mentally, or physically, or emotionally vulnerable; when we are faced with difficult decisions or when we are faced with future uncertainties. But Satan is also willing to appeal to our pride or self-sufficiency. James writes submit to God, resist the devil and he shall flee. We must submit to the Lord, we must pray for strength, sometimes our best course of action is literally to flee the situation. Resist immediately. Delay makes temptation more difficult. Have a plan for resisting temptation. If your plan is give in you have a bad plan. Pray and ask the Lord to help you flee temptation. Avoid those persons and places and things that put you at risk. Memorize and mediate on those portions of Scripture that will help you combat known areas of weakness; and memorize and mediate on those portions of Scripture that would cause you to trust the Lord. At the root of most temptations is a real desire or a real need that God can fill; but you must be willing to trust the Lord s judgment and the Lord s timing. Find a wise man or wise woman who you can share specific struggles and call on this person when temptation strikes. Erwin Lutzer in his book Ten Lies About God relates the story of how Art Linkletter saw a young boy scribbling wildly on a sheet of paper. What are you drawing? Linkletter asked. I m drawing a picture of God. You can t do that, because nobody knows what God looks like. They will when I m finished the boy confidently replied. Karl Barth was in essentially correct when he said there were only two ways to obtain or attain knowledge of God; one is to begin with man and reason upward; the other is to begin with God and accept His revelation to us. The problem with beginning with man and reasoning upward is we manufacture or fabricate a god who is in fact the god of our imagination rather than the God of the Bible. The first lie Lutzer writes about is the lie that God is whatever we want Him to be. Other lies include many paths lead into God s presence and God is more tolerant that he used to be. Temptation s Enemy (v.13c)...and was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him. 6

7 In the middle of the trial Jesus was without human help. The comfort Jesus experienced was certainly unusual. Mark records Jesus was with the wild beasts. The emphasis seems to be companionship. They comforted Him and helped Him! Does that sound crazy? Mark also adds the angels ministered to Him. What does that mean? Supernatural beings comforting Jesus? Clearly there are several times when angels come and provide assistance; here it might mean that angels sustained the inner man, thought life and emotions. Invisible angels providing assistance in the invisible and internal areas of life. Is it possible many of us have experienced the comfort and assistance of angels and were completely oblivious to their ministrations? 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Are you one of those Christians who flee temptation only to leave a forwarding address? Conclusion G. Campbell Morgan in his commentary on Mark on this section writes; So Jesus came from Nazareth, where for thirty years He had lived the self-emptied life; where for thirty years He had been without the prerogatives of sovereignty which were His in the inherent mystery of His being; where for thirty years He had been subject to parents and human conditions. He came to men, and found them sinning, and joining them, repented with them and was baptized. He came to God, and had the answer of the anointing of His Spirit, and the ratification of His high purpose. He came to Satan, and entered into conflict with him, and mastered him (see p. 27). Now Jesus is ready to start His ministry. He has the Father s approval. He has the Spirit s equipping. He has been tried and tested. 7