Temptation of Jesus

One of the greatest characteristics of our Lord and Saviour is the fact that He came to this earth, not only to die for our sins, but also to endure the same struggles and temptations that we endure on a regular basis. It would be one thing for Jesus to come and immediately go to the cross, but to be willing to humble Himself and fall under temptation is beyond my comprehension.

Text: Matthew 4

Two Early Observations:

1. God was in complete control. (v 1) The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for a time of fasting and temptation. God knew it was going to happen and even led Him into it. Temptation is not necessarily a bad thing. It is merely a test to see our spiritual maturity.

2. Jesus was at a time of physical and emotional weakness and stress. (v 2) Jesus was on a 40 day fast! In my limited times of fasting, I have found that your body will become weak, but your mind and emotions are many times affected more severely.

Steps on the Road of Temptation:

1. Desires. (v 3) The one thing Jesus desired (food), the Devil made it available for Him. This is the most straight-forward method of the Devil's temptation: find out what we desire and offer it to us. Don't be fooled! Keep your desires in check.
*Jesus' response - Scripture

2. Dare. (v 5) The Devil issued Jesus a personal challenge. Much like a child will tell another child, "I dare you..." The Devil does the same to Jesus. Don't be so immature to fall to this nonsense.
*Jesus' response - Scripture

3. Dominion. (v 8) After Satan's failed attempt at tempting Jesus outwardly, he then moves on to the temptation of the inner-man. He goes after that famous yet so often ignored sin of pride. He offers Jesus (Who owns it all) dominion over land! That just makes me laugh! Many times, though, Satan may not get us to fall to the physical, outward temptation, but he will get us through pride.
*Jesus' response - Scripture

Notice how Jesus handled temptation. He handled it by quoting Scripture to the Devil. I was often taught as a young child to recite the end of James 4:7, "...Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." That verse should be quoted at the Devil each time he tempts you to sin. It may sound too simple, not quite theological enough. Well, it worked for Jesus, maybe it will work for you.