Sermon Title: Jesus, Our Champion Text: Matt 4:1-11 Pray: Open our eyes that we may see wonderful things in your word. Ps 119 Illustration: It was 01/08/2011, at Centry Link Field in Seattle. The SeaHawks had made it to the first round of the playoffs and they were facing the New Orleans Saints. It was the 4 th quarter with only 3:40 left in the game. The Hawks were up by 4 points and had the ball on their own 32 yard line. It was 2 nd & 10. The Saints still had one time out. Plan contain Seattle for just more plays, force a punt and under the leadership of their exceptional quarterback Drew Breeze, they had more than enough time to score. Here s what happened: Show Clip As a result of Lynch s spectacular run, he became famous, clinched the playoff victory for the entire team and for all the fans. He was the champion. What we see in Matthew chapter 4 is something infinitely better and yet it is far to easy to approach this text with a yawn. We are not just talking about a temporary victory over a football team in order to advance to the 2 nd round of playoffs, which start over every year. Instead, we are talking about the man, Jesus Christ, who led God s people to permanent victory over Satan, in which Jesus defeated both sin and death. And this leads us to the burden of the text: Jesus, the Champion, was Victorious A little background before we launch into the text: Matthew wrote his gospel to a people who knew they needed a champion. Adam & Eve were tempted by Satan in the garden and they failed and sin entered the world. Immediately though, God cursed Satan and made an important announcement in Gen 3:15, that the offspring of the woman would bruise Satan s head. This is the first glimpse of the gospel. Much later Abraham, was promised a miracle child in his old age and he was told that through his seed all families of the earth would be blessed. Later still, King David was promised a son who s throne would be established forever. Due to these and other promises scattered throughout the O.T. the people had a hope and expectation of a future champion who would rescue them from evil. And as Matthew (the first book in the New Testament) unfolds we see that Jesus is that champion. In our study through Matthew thus far, we ve seen in chapter 1 that Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham who was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit and is the rightful and permanent heir to the throne of David. In Chapter 2 we discovered that Jesus while still a baby was worshipped by foreign dignitaries, and that he terrified wicked kings. In chapter 3 we saw that God sent a prophet (after 400 years of silence) to prepare God s people for his entrance. Last of all, we saw that Jesus came and was baptized in preparation for earthly ministry. And in his 1
baptism the Holy Spirit descended on him and God himself declared audibly, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. All of history had been leading up to this moment. What would he now do?? And now, Here in Matthew chapter 4, we get our first glimpse at what His divine ministry will look like. Instead of magnificent feats of glory, the 1 st thing he does is humbly follow the Spirit s leading to a place of suffering. And in that place of suffering Jesus, the Champion was Victorious in two ways I. Jesus was victorious when he faced trials (vs. 1-2) II. Jesus was victorious when he faced temptations (vs. 3-11) I. Jesus was victorious when he faced trials (vs. 1-2) We can make two observations about the trial that Jesus faced: 1. He was led into it & 2. He didn t grumble. a. He was led by the Spirit into Trials (vs. 1) then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Billboard: Now, If you are an Israelite and your hearing this, you would be thinking, what a horrible place, I wouldn t want to go there. The wilderness is described in Deut 8 like this: 8:15 who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water. And here s Jesus, favored by God and willingly following the Holy Spirit to a horrible place to face temptation. But more importantly, as an Israelite you would begin making connections: Wow: This sounds strangely familiar. During the Exodus from Egypt, our ancestors also were led by the spirit (pillar of cloud by day and fire by night) into the wilderness and just before they entered the wilderness they passed through a type of water baptism. 1 Cor 10:1 For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, The parallels are staggering, right down to their 40 years in the wilderness corresponding with Jesus 40 days and nights. The point is this, the H.S. is leading Jesus to symbolically retrace the steps of Israel However, there is a huge difference, where Israel failed, Jesus triumphed. 1 st observation he was led by the spirit into trial and 2 nd observation b. He didn t grumble (vs. 2) (2.) And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The problem with Israel is that they grumbled & complained throughout their testing: 2
Consider that just 3 days after they arrived in the wilderness we have the following account: Ex 15:24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And just a month after that: Ex 16:2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. It was so bad that Stephen summed up the whole 40 years Acts 7:39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. Israel s wilderness experience was a colossal failure. It s easy for us to look down on them, but we are not any different. Imagine how hard it would be 3 days journey into a desert with no water. Or to be without food a month into our journey. It would be really hard to trust God knowing you needed enough water and food to supply 1 million people! Isn t it true that the things we grumble about are nothing in comparison. Contrast that with Jesus: He fully submitted to the Spirit s guiding. So when led to go without food (it wasn t his decision) he didn t complain and ask why me? Instead he trusted God to do what was best. If the wilderness is where the Spirit led him, as awful as the wilderness was, he had confidence that it was necessary. If he went w/o food for 40 days, he knew it was necessary. He didn t complain. Transition: Unlike God s people who complained, grumbled, and were stiff necked, Jesus didn t grumble, he was submissive and easily led. In short, Jesus, the champion, was victorious when he faced trials (vs. 1,2) II. Jesus was victorious when he faced temptations (vs. 3-11) a. The First Temptation (vs. 3-4) (3,4) and the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. 4 But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. What s the big deal? making bread from stones is not an immoral act, right? After 40 days w/o food he was on the verge of permanent physical damage. He was in a dangerous position. Could Jesus trust God to take care of him? Or would he take matters into his own very capable hands? (Later, he would feed 5k in one occasion and 4k people with bread he was able to create from a few small loaves.) Always ready to help others, but he refused to even make a loaf of bread for himself when he was in dire need. This is stunning self- denial but it won t make any sense unless we think hard about the definition of sin. Is 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned each one to his own way. 3
Is Jesus going to do it his own way or is he going to submit to God s way, is he going to continue to be led by the Spirit or is he going to take things into his own very capable hands? But according to Is 53 that would be sin. And this is exactly what Jesus communicates. Look with me again at (vs. 4) But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Jesus is quoting from Deut 8:3. The audience would have immediately known the context: Deut 8:2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. and later in the same chapter he said, Beware lest you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. The reason God put them in the wilderness for 40 years was for them to trust God to provide for their needs. They couldn t create bread and so they grumbled. Champion Jesus on the other hand, was different. He refused to take matters into his own hands and rather than grumble he trusted God to feed him. Sin is so deceptive: You can attend church, be a law- abiding citizen, be faithful to your spouse, pay your taxes, avoid premarital sex, and still be steeped in sin. Your life might look really good on the outside, but inside you are ruling your own life rather than submitting to God. Jesus on the other hand trusted God for everything, even his next meal. Transition: In this first temptation we see stunning, self- denial. Rather than take matters into his own hands, Jesus, the champion, chose to follow the spirit and was victorious. b. The second Temptation (vs. 5-7) (5-7) Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, and On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said to him, Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. Satan doesn t give up, instead he takes him to the pinnacle of the temple and that deceiver uses (Ps 91) in an attempt to usurp Jesus. But of course, he takes it out of context and distorts it. The point of Ps 91 is that regardless of the circumstances, God will protect his righteous from danger. Ps 91 is an encouragement toward faith in God s provision, not a challenge to presumptuously force God s hand of protection. 4
The Devil is saying, if you are the Son of God, presume upon God s protection and force his hand to protect you, rather than believing and trusting in God by faith. So once again, Satan says, Take matters into your own hands. And how easy it would have been for him to take matters into his own hands. Jesus was weary and tired, it would have been nice to force the angels to minister to him. He s gone w/o food for 40 days, and he s being pestered to death by the Devil. Did God really favor him? But Jesus, unmoved, quotes from Deut 6, Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. Once again, Jesus points back to Israel s time in the wilderness at Massah and Meribah, They were without water and they tested the LORD by saying, Is the LORD among us or not? Transition: In this second temptation, Jesus did not force God to prove his favor, instead he trusted in the Lord s favor despite his dismal circumstances. Once again, Jesus, the champion, was victorious when he faced temptation. But Satan didn t give up and now we come to the - c. The third Temptation (vs. 8-10) (8-10) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said to him, Be gone, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. This last temptation was the boldest and most insidious. In the first two temptations the Devil was saying, in effect, Don t worship God, worship yourself. Now the Devil changing tactics says, O.K. don t worship yourself, but worship me this one time. The Payoff, I ll give you all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. On the surface, this seems like a weak temptation. After all, Jesus knew the scriptures well and that God had already promised him the kingdoms: Psalm 2 The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. Psalm 72 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! Dan 7 13 "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. Satan was not offering Jesus something new but what he was offering him was the easy way out. Question One: Did Satan have this authority? Yes / No. Eph 2 - the prince of the power of the air 2 Cor 4 - the god of this world 5
Here his whisper, you know what s before you more suffering! God says you must suffer, but I offer you an easy way out. What Jesus has suffered so far in the wilderness was horrible, but it was nothing compared to the cross that was waiting for Jesus just three years later. Jesus was weary beyond words and here is Satan offering him a massive shortcut. Jesus is disgusted with Satan s deceitful ways and says BE Gone! Jesus is fully bent on God s glory, even when it comes at his own expense. And for the third time Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy. Thus showing the unmistakable connection between his entire experience in the wilderness with Israel s own experience during the Exodus from Egypt. Jesus was victorious when he faced temptation. After the first two temptations the devil sought other ways to tempt but notice the language after the third unsuccessful attempt. (Vs. 11) Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. Matthews point is clear. Jesus proved himself to be the champion by being victorious over all trials and temptations. Application: Jesus victory should impact us in at least three ways Be Comforted / Stand Firm / Have Faith 1. In suffering trials and temptations, we should be comforted: Why? a. He is qualified to be our great high priest, our advocate with the Father. Heb 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Why else should we be comforted? b. He sympathizes with our weaknesses. Hebrews 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. Why else should we be comforted? c. He helps us in our time of need: Heb 4:16 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. Be Comforted, and #2 6
2. In suffering trials & temptations we should Stand Firm: How do we stand firm? a. Stand Firm by having a firm grasp on Scripture: Ps 119 How can a young man keep his way firm? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. And this is why as Christians we must gather together for church. We need to be studying God s word individually and corporately. This is why we have Adult Sunday School & Children s Sunday school. This is why we encourage home group attendance and participation. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. This is why we have CrossRoads (our youth group), it s why we have Veritas (our college ministry). Discipleship groups that meet on Saturdays, etc. b. Stand Firm by Resisting the Devil James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. When we resist in the small areas we develop spiritual muscles that will enable us to resist to an even greater degree. (just think in your own lives, some of the things you struggled with 1, 3, 5 years ago that aren t as difficult as they once were. Transition: Be comforted, Stand firm when tempted & last of all c. Stand Firm by Praying Matt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Be Comforted, Stand Firm & Last - 3. In suffering trials and temptations, Trust God But what does this look like? a. Trust that what God has for us is infinitely better than the fleeting pleasures of sin. Illustration: my mom used to tell me when I was in Jr high and highschool to wait for physical intimacy until I was married. Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world, but here s what God delivered: Phil 2: 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Young people: the Bible says to obey your father and mother, but it seems so tough. It seems like doing things your own way is better than listening to your parents. Or you re an employee and the most expedient thing to do from a worldly standpoint is at odds with God s way. In fact, obedience to God in a particular area 7
might really hurt you financially. What are you going to do? The answer is to Trust God, he is fully trustworthy! b. Trust - that Jesus is not just the champion, He s your champion. When we trust in him, His Victory becomes our victory. Once again, the burden of this text is not to give us tips to overcome sin and temptations but to show us that, Jesus, our champion was victorious in our place. All the parallels between Jesus and Israel are here for a very good reason. Israel failed miserably when they were tempted in the desert. And it s easy to point our fingers at those grumblers who didn t trust God. But we are really no different than them. What would you do if you were in the middle of the desert and you, your entire family and livestock were completely out of water? Would you trust God or grumble? Or if you arrived at the promised land and saw that it was inhabited by a powerful people and you were supposed to strap on a sword and fight them. Would you trust God in the midst of overwhelming odds? We are right to focus as much as we do on penal substitution. That act on the cross where Jesus suffered the penalty for all our sins and so we are washed clean. The countless times we have given in to fear and doubt and failed to trust God, washed clean. But we need more than to just have our sins removed. We need perfect obedience. And Jesus obeyed in our place. This is far different than Marshawn Lynch delivering one playoff game to the Seattle Seahawks In God s game, Jesus accomplished something infinitely greater and then rather than have us watch and marvel from a distance, it s as if we were right there with him obeying perfectly. when we place our trust in Jesus, his righteousness is credited to our account, so that God rightly says to each Christian, Well done, good and faithful servant! 8