Matthew 4:1-11

Matthew 4:1-11 

Christ’s Temptation in the Wilderness 

After being baptized by his cousin in the Jordan River, Jesus goes off into the wilderness to spend 40 days fasting, praying, and communing with His Father. Jesus is about to begin His ministry, but before He does, he has to be tempted by the evil one who rebelled in heaven. Satan will tempt Jesus like we have never been tempted nor could we ever be tempted. There are only 3 temptations recorded in Scripture, and we will not know till we get to heaven and ask Him if there were more. However, we know He defeated any and all temptations He was confronted with.

Temptation is always the hardest when you are hungry, tired, weak and alone. Jesus was humgry, he had been fasting for 40 days. In the desert for 40 days without food or water will break down the bodies ability to function to think or even to sleep. So His body was weaker than I could imagaine. Physically He was alone, having no one around to comfort or care for Him. In the state he was in, you can bet He was mentally exhausted along with His physical weakness. When He was the weakest, near the end of the 40 days is when Satan came a calling. Satan offered Jesus not only what His body needed to survive, but he also offered Him the World. IF, He would just fall down and worshipped him.

Scripture (KNJV)

Satan Tempts Jesus

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 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 said 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.

(Matthew 4:1-11)

1. (Mat 4:1) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  

1. After such a great day Jesus is now led to the desert, where satan is allowed to tempt him a. 

1. The last time we read of Satan being allowed to tempt someone was (Job 1:6-12)  

2. Quite often after great moments we are tested and brought back to reality Paul's thorn (2  Cor 12:1-10) 

3. Those who come in from the dark are attacked very quickly by Satan, he will pull out all  the stops  

1. He uses your friends try to lure you away and back into his world

2. He will use your family 

3. He will use your job and co-workers

4. He will use strangers

5. He will use your own body against you  

4. What is temptation, and how does it work

1. Ultimately temptation is the act of self will desiring to rule over the spirit of Gods Will

1. Either, an evil Spirit, or Satan himself gives us ideas that are contrary to Gods will.

2. Looks good) Eve desired the pleasant looking fruit, and wanted to be wise (Gen 3:1- 6)

3. (Hunger) Esau’s hunger led him to sell his birthright for a bow of red (Gen 25:29- 34) 

4. (Power) Abimelech wanted power to rule as king (Judges 9:1-5)

5. (Lust) Samson gave away the secret of his strength for lust (Judges 16:13-21)

6. (Fear of being caught) David brought ruin upon his descendants for lust ( 2 Samuel  11:1-27)

7. (To covet what is not yours) The man who coveted his brothers inheritance (Luke  12:13-14)

8. (Disappointment) Judah’s disappointment led him to betray Christ (Matt 26:14-6)

9. (Sleepy) The disciples desired sleep (Matt 26:36-46)

10. (Shame) Peters shame led him to deny Christ (Matt 26:69-75)

2. Paul tells us who we battle against (Eph 6:12)

3. We are told in Scriptures about this battle we will wage

1. Paul wrote to the Galatians these two sides wage war inside us (Gal 5:17)

2. The flesh wants us to enjoy its works (Gal 5:19-21)

3. Those who practice works of the flesh will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Gal5:21)

4. He tells us to walk in the Spirit and we will bear the fruits of it (Gal 5:22-26)

4. James tells us how we are ensnared by sin’s desires (James 1:14-15)

5. Do I yield to these fleshly ideas or do I follow the Spirit of God

6. Paul tells us to wear the “Whole Armor of God” to win our battle against temptation  (Eph 6:13-18)

1. Girdle of truth ---- Truth in Christian living holds all the armor together

2. Breastplate of righteousness ---- The right acts as practiced by a Christian, protects the heart 

3. Sandals of the Gospel ---- The word keeps ones feet planted secure while under  attack

4. Shield of faith ---- Keeps you shielded from the fiery attacks of the evil one, full  length shield

5. Helmet of salvation ---- As the sandals protect your footing this protects your mind  with doctrine

6. Sword of the spirit ---- All others are defensive, this is your only offensive weapon  to win souls

7. Finally, James tells us we are blessed when we win the battle against temptation (James  1:12)

2. (Mat 4:2) And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

1. Satan awaited his chance, he studies his prey and pounces when it is ideal

2. When we are weak is when we must trust in the Spirit not our flesh

1. Christ told Paul that in his weakness His strength is made perfect (2 Cor 12:9)

3. (Mat 4:3) And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that  these stones become bread."

1. First attack is through His hunger  

1. interesting in that the first temptation recorded was one of food (Genesis 3:1-6)

2. Jesus could make bread from stone, He made us from dirt

4. (Mat 4:4) But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD  ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"  (Deuteronomy 8:3)  

1. Man’s life must be ordered and guided else we will just be animals of instinct

2. The Word of God feeds the Spiritual side of man, without it we are just “Dead Men  Walking”  

3. We need more then bread to sustain us, we need the Word of God

1. Jesus told his disciples he had food they know nothing about (John 4:31-34)  

5. (Mat 4:5) Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the  temple, 

1. The Temple was on a hill above the Kidron Valley that laid 450 feet below

2. James the brother of Jesus was thrown from this very place by the Jews around 60 AD

1. I would be remiss if I did not give another popular account of James death, and that is at  the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains  dashed out with a fuller's club. 

6. (Mat 4:6) 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, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A  STONE.'" 

1. In essence he is telling Jesus to make a big splash to start your ministry 

1. Put the Word of God to the real test  

2. He can draw huge crowds, the people will see Him fall 450 feet and angels swooping in  to catch him  

3. Many men yield to the temptation to start big without the support of the Holy Spirit just  to fall 

2. Satan knows Scripture but he always seems to leave out a key part when attacking people

1. The whole Scripture goes as follows  

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to  

guard you in all your ways they will bear you up in their  

ways, that you do not strike your foot against a stone 

(Psalm 91_11-12)

3. If by happenstance we end up in harms way, we put our faith in Him to deliver us  

7. (Mat 4:7) Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE  LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'" 

1. Jesus Jesus responds to Satan's use of Scripture with Scripture 

1. As we now see having on the “Full Armor of God” allows us to defend ourselves from  bad doctrine  

2. Like an Olympic fencing dual, Jesus uses the “Sword of the Spirit” to put Satan on his  heels 

3. Many times we are confronted by people who know just enough Scripture to twist it

1. We should all be like the Bereans that Paul shared the Gospel with (Acts 17:10-12)

2. Then we will be approved of God (2 Tim 2:15)

3. Because knowing Scripture sets us free from the evil ones yoke of slavery (John  8:31-32  

2. However we are not to purposely step in harms way to test Him, ie.. walking in front of a  truck 

1. Some cults like to handle snakes because of the Scripture that says (Mark 16:18) &  (Luke 10:19)  

1. Jesus means in the routine of spreading the Gospel, He does not mean to handle as  proof faith  

2. We also see some cults telling their parishioners not to trust modern medicine

3. These two and many more are lies Satan tells those not wearing the “Helmet of  Salvation”  

2. God may allow us to be tested, but we never want to test Him 

3. Again this temptation is one of the flesh, but again Jesus defends Himself by deferring to  Scripture to the will of the Father as He say’s later he is here to do the will of the Father  who sent Him  

8. Mat 4:8) Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the  kingdoms of the world and their glory;  

1. All, not just Judea but ALL Kingdoms of the world  

2. Here we have Satan showing off his world 

3. Every kingdom of earth was corrupted, vile, nothing more than holding tanks of sewage  

9. (Mat 4:9) and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship  me." 

1. Satan tells Jesus that the cross is not needed to accomplish His task of redeeming the world

1. He says he will give it to Him 

2. Just bow down to him  

3. Does God really say you must suffer?  

4. Does it matter how you accomplish it?  

5. Take a short cut and I’ll give you what I have  

2. News Flash, Satan can not give you what is not his to give  

3. Most of us will only have a dash between the day we were born and the day we die other  then our children and friends no one will really know or care what we did between those  dates, and lets be honest. After our children are gone the most our grandchildren will  remember about us they could put in a small notebook. But Jesus knew what He came into  the world to do and it was more then a dash 

1. He came to teach us a new way, yet if we look at the OT everything He taught us was  there 

2. He was to be tempted (Matt 4:1-11) 

3. He was to be threatened (John 10:31)  

4. He was to be mocked (John 8:48) & (Matthew 27:39-44)  

5. He was to be despised (John 18:22)  

6. He was to be rejected (Luke 23:18) & (John 18:39-40)  

7. He was to be betrayed (Luke 22:48) & (Mark 14:66-72)  

8. He was to be beaten and marred beyond recognition of his friends and family

9. He was to be mocked an ridiculed while dieing for those who did it to Him

10. He was to be crucified like a common criminal 

11. He was to die so that sin would be defeated 

12. He died so we can be free of Satan’s bondage  

13. He was to be resurrected so that death may be defeated

14. He came declaring the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand 

4. Now he sits at the Right hand of God waiting for us to take up residence in the room he has  prepared for us (John 14:2)  

5. Satan offers a physical world, Jesus came to reclaim the spiritual souls of men

6. A shortcut to damnation is all He can really offer anyone, and now we have Christ who  offers us a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8)  

10. (Mat 4:10) Then Jesus *said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP  THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'" 

1. There will be another attempt by Satan to stop Jesus from doing what He must

2. In Ceasaera Philipi when Jesus tells His disciples He will be crucified and rise again on the  3rd day  

3. Peter rebuked Jesus saying “God forbid it Lord, this shall never happen to You.” (Matt  16:21-23)  

11. (Mat 4:11) Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

1. Jesus answered all the temptations Satan offered with Gods Words, and in so doing He gave  us the formula for defeating the evil ones desires

1. Scriptures 

2. Prayers 

12. Quite often, after a tremendous trial that you are victorious over, God will send a Spirit of  Calmness and relaxation. In time your trials will get harder as your faith gets stronger.