Luke 4:3-4

John, or excuse me, Luke, chapter 4, verses 1 to 4. And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, and was led by the spirit into the wilderness, being 40 days tempted of the devil, and in those days he did eat nothing. And when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, if thou be the son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. Jesus answered him, saying, it is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word. God bless to us His sacred and holy word this morning. One day when my four children were still little, 30 years, I remember returning from church one day. squeezed in the car. We had a sedan. We had six seats, and that’s all we could get in there, one with a child seat. We got home from church, and we pulled into the parking lot, and the family jumped out of the car, and everybody entered in the house, and we were preparing lunch, and we noticed the youngest child Matthew was missing. To our horror, we realized he was still in the car seat, in the car. So we rushed out to the car, and there he was, strapped in the seat, crying, because he had been, forgotten by his parents. In the spiritual realm, there are times when you may feel like Matthew, you may think that your heavenly father has forgotten all about you as his child. He’s abandoned you, and you’re all on your own. You may feel like Gideon, who declared in Judges 613, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? Why has the Midianites taken over our land? Well, this is the essence of Satan’s first temptation of Christ. The Lord has forgotten you. You’re going to have to provide for yourself. Now, last week, we considered in verses 1 and 2 how Christ was spiritually prepared for this temptation. Christ was full of the Holy Ghost. Christ was engaged in obedience to the Father’s will, indeed, he was led by the Spirit, and Christ was fasting and communing with God in the wilderness. Now, all of this is important, because Christ is acting, we said, as our representative. Because you and I have failed against the temptations of Satan, and Christ is the one who has overcome him and defeated him. He is our representative, and we want his righteousness. He perfectly obeyed the law of God under every temptation that he faced. And he victoriously overcame Satan. He is our example, and he shows us how we also can overcome Satan. Let me begin by saying this. You learn how Christ was victorious. over Satan’s first temptation here. And we have Satan’s temptation in verses 2 and 3. Now we see that this was a personal temptation. In one sense, Jesus was being tempted. It appears throughout the 40 days in the wilderness, according to verse 2, this more clearly resembles perhaps the daily temptations. that all of us as believers face. However, this period culminates in a personal encounter with Satan here in these three last temptations, and we have a visible manifestation of the devil before Christ. Matthew states in Matthew 4.3 in his gospel, that tempter came to him. He approached Jesus. and he did so in some type of visible manner. It’s not revealed to us what this was like. Before Satan’s temptations were perhaps what we would call behind the scenes. Maybe there was a secret suggestion, or perhaps in other various ways he tried to tempt Christ. But here he personally does so. At the end of those 40 days, bodily appears, to give his final assault on the Savior. Now, while Christ thought he could be successful in this temptation, we are not told. Perhaps he remembered his prior success in dealing with the first Adam in the garden, and perhaps he thought, well, I can tempt Christ. Perhaps he thought the Son of God was vulnerable because he had now a human nature. Maybe he thought that would give him a and Achilles’ heel, so to speak. He’s the God man. It’s not likely that Satan will make a personable, visible approach to you today, and yet you will find Satan in a hidden manner secretly tempting you in all kinds of ways. And his temptations will be real, and they will be crafty. Satan often affects his temptations through various agents. Many times other human beings are used. It’s interesting we read in the book of Job about Job’s wife suggesting that he cursed God and die. But Satan was behind that suggestion. It was Peter. You recall who rebuk Christ when Christ said he was going to go up to Jerusalem and die. And be put to death. And Peter, we find was somehow influenced by Satan in his rebuking of Christ, saying you shouldn’t be thinking that way, because Christ says to him, get thee behind me Satan, indicating that was Peter’s thinking that wasn’t right. It wasn’t of God. Scripture reveals how subtle Satan is, how crafty he can be. Rarely will make a public appearance, but he’s still actively working. And so you are commanded to resist the devil. It is indeed a daily battle. Now this temptation regarded Christ’s sonship. You’ll notice he says here, if thou be the son of God. Isn’t it like Satan to put an if where God puts an ex-execliction. point. You remember that it was not that long ago, very shortly before this, there was Christ’s public baptism, and what voice from heaven said, thou art my beloved son? It was the father’s voice, wasn’t it? Out loud, declaring Jesus Christ to be the son of God. But Satan doesn’t make here an outright denial. Oh, he just simply puts his if in here, that he might cast doubt upon the man, as if Christ would need to prove that he was the Son of God. This temptation is artfully introduced. It conveys an insinuation that if Christ is unwilling, or if he’s unable to perform, a miracle to prove that he is the Son of God, then we have good reason to doubt his sonship. So here’s Satan’s standard tactic. He always tries to undermine God’s word. Thou art my beloved son. And whom I am well pleased. That’s what the Father says. Satan says to him, if you are the son of God, and questions what God says. This is how he always works. You remember, when God created Adam, he told him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. God warned that the day that he ate thereof, he would surely die. When Satan tempted Eve, what was the method of his approach? Ye have God said, ye shall not surely die. He begins casting doubt upon the word of God. God didn’t really mean what he said. Forbidden tree. in this glorious garden that seems unreasonable. God didn’t actually mean you to actually die. We’re just eating a piece of fruit, did he? That seems absurd. Now, friends, think about this. If Satan has the audacity, the question, the sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ, you can count on it. You can be sure of this. He’s going to question yourself. sonship. He’s going to make you doubt your place before the Lord. Now, God declares plain in his word that believers are sons of God or adopted into his family. The scripture says, but as many has received him, meaning Jesus Christ, to them gave he the power, the right, or the authority to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Or as Galatians 3.26 says, for you’re all the children of God. God by faith in Christ Jesus. Now that’s what God says. And yet Satan will sail you as a child of God, casting doubts in your mind about the precious promises of God. You, a son of God, you with all your imperfections and spiritual weaknesses, how can you be a child of God and suffer so much under God’s providence? If you, you, you, were his son, why would he treat you this way? Look at the sin you’ve committed. How dare you claim you’re a son of God? You’re unqualified to have that title. Over and over again, Satan will come along and question, question your sonship. It drives you to your wits’ end. The great redeemer, Martin Luther, had many imagined conversations with Satan. even threw inkwells at them at them, what I understand. Luther was tempted to doubt his standing with God and he pictured Satan standing before him with a long list of the sins of which he was guilty. How could Luther claim to be a son of God? But Luther ended this satanic assault by saying, right across that list in red ink, the blood of Jesus Christ, his son of God. cleanses us from all sin. Luther realized his sonship was based upon the Lord Jesus Christ, having predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. It’s not according to our good works, but the good pleasure of his will, he did so. so you’re not a son of God based upon your works, upon your efforts, but solely because of Christ, we’re sons of God by faith in Christ. So the temptation was regarding Christ’s sonship, if thou be the Son of God. Notice this. The temptation here was to distrust the Father’s providential care. If you’re the Son of God, well, command this stone to be made bread. You see, the subtlety of Satan who seeks to exploit any vulnerable area that we may have for Christ after fasting for 40 days was hungered. He was hungry, according to verse 2. He’s in the wilderness where there is no food for him to eat. It Satan pretends to be helpful. here. It’s suggesting that why you could command a stone and would be made bread. But this temptation would be a distrusting of his heavenly father’s care of him. Was he not led by the spirit into the wilderness? Should he now rely upon himself to provide for his needs? What Satan would do, and he does it with us as well, he would counsel you to think independently of God. Not to depend upon God’s providence. Now here, Christ refuses to work a miracle to satisfy save. When it came to the support of his doctrine, when it came to helping others, Christ worked all kinds of miracles. He can multiply the loaves and the fishes. He can make plenty of food if he wanted to, because this was Satan’s suggestion because it would seem to throw some type of discredit upon his father for not caring for him he refused to do it. Now the lesson we learned from this if we look at this temptation is Satan is sort of like a fisherman. He uses whatever bait he thinks will work with the fish he’s trying to catch. Now in Christ’s case here, because he was hungry from fasting, he’s trying to catch him with regard to food. Of course, it was a wedge of gold that he placed before Aiken in the Old Testament. He sets beautiful heathen women before Solomon in the Old Testament to draw him away after idols using these women. He sets the power of the throne before the ambitious Absalom. and he takes the bait. He sets bread and red lentil pottage before a hungry he saw and he willingly sells his birthright. You know, Martin Luther gave the Roman Catholic Church so much trouble that the Pope at one point tempted Luther with wealth and honor if he would just cease trying to reform the church. Luther responded he would not be put off by such low things. I’m not going to go for that. Notice something else here. The second lesson about Satan tactics here. Satan’s chief goal is to get you to stop depending upon God. Satan’s sharp arrow in this temptation was to make you question God’s care. That’s what Satan was doing with Christ. And this is what he does with us. He points out all the afflictions and all the trials and all the troubles and tribulations you’re going through and he says, to you, if you’re really, God, son, why would you have to have all these problems? And his design is for you to have hard thoughts about God and his lack of care for you. So here’s Satan’s temptation. Now notice Christ’s response to the temptation in verse 4. Jesus answered, saying it is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. The best way for you to answer temptation is by Scripture. It is written. Now Jesus had a great choice of weapons with which he could have fought safe. But the only weapon he will wield here is the sword of the spirit. It is written. He could have prayed to the fall. and presently had 12 legions to angels to withstand Satan and whisk him off. Banish him. He could have exercised the power of his godhead and with one word, cast Satan into the abyss. But Christ knew that you and I didn’t have that power. Christ knew that you and I had only the scriptures, and so he only uses the scripture to defeat Satan. here that he might set a godly example for us. The word of God is the sword of the spirit. It’s the only offensive weapon in the Christian armory, according to Ephesians chapter 6. What need there is then for us to know this weapon well that we may grab the appropriate scripture and have it ready at hand when we combat temptation ourselves. David spoke of hiding God’s word in his heart that he might not sin against the Lord in Psalm 119. Verse 11. Isn’t that good practice for all Christians? Hide it in your heart that you may know how to respond. I read something about the Roman Catholic Church. They advised their agents to labor to get those people who claim to be reformed or who rejected Roman Catholic doctrine. Get them they said out of the castle of the scripture. Get them into the plain and open field of church councils and the fathers of the church. He says you’re never going to beat them while they’re in the castle of scripture. You’ve got to get them out in the open field. Get them away from the word of God. My friends, never leave the castle. That’s the the secret here. Never leave the castle. We don’t argue about church councils. We don’t argue about the fathers of the church and their opinions which may conflict with one another. As Luther said, they have been wrong. Both the councils and church fathers in the past. It is the scripture that’s the castle. And so know the scripture. That’s your protection against all the attacks of Satan. So the best way for you to answer Satan. temptation is by scripture. Do what Jesus did. Now you should realize the ultimate source of life is God’s Word. Christ quotes from Deuteronomy 8.3. And it’s good if you read the whole verse to grasp the context here. If you would, look with me at Deuteronomy chapter 8. I want to look at verses 2 and 3. Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verses 2 and 3. God says here, and thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord God led thee 40 years in the wilderness to humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou would as keep his commandments or no. And he humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know. that he might make the know that man doth not live by bread only but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. The reason why God fed them for 40 years with manna was to teach the Israelites that man shall not live by bread alone. Notice how closely Israel corresponds to Christ. in this case. Israel was God’s son that he called out of Egypt. So was Christ. Matthew 1, 2.15, in chapter 2 15, verse 15, tells us that, quoting from Joseo 111, Israel was in the wilderness, so was Christ. Israel was God’s son, but God brought him into difficult circumstances. So was Christ. Why did he bring him to the circumstances to humble him, to test him. In a similar manner, Christ learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Israel, however, distrusted God’s care. Is the Lord among us? Can he furnish the table in the wilderness? Can he give bread? Christ however did not. And that’s the distinction. God caused Israel to go hungry before he fed them, that he might test them and prove them, and he does so with Christ in this section of scripture. Now, it is true that God ordinarily sustains men with earthly bread, farmed from the ground. However, God sustained Moses and Elijah without bread for 40 days. He has just done so with Jesus Christ in the wilderness. He sustained Israel for 40 years with heavenly manna and not bread made from grain. Jesus didn’t need to turn a stone into bread, but to trust in God to keep him alive in some way or another. Didn’t Jesus live the last 40 days without bread? How did he live? Did he not live by the word that he was meditating upon? And he’s communing with God there in the wilderness? There are several passages in the scripture that are interesting in this regard with regard to food and service to God. Our focus on the Lord. Look with me at Abakuk, if you would. Chapter 3 in verses 17 and 18. A backhook, chapter 3, verses 17 and 18. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the volumin the long. vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Isn’t he saying the same thing here? Even if we don’t have any food to eat, I still will rejoice in the Lord God. Look with me at Matthew chapter 6 and verses 25 and 26. Therefore I send, you take no thought for yourselves or for your life. What you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body, what you shall put on, is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment. Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly father feedeth them. are you not much better than they? Verse 31, wherefore take no thought saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentile seek, for your heavenly father, knoweth you have need of all these things. But seek ye first, the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. We live by the word of God, seeking first the Lord. And then, if you would, John chapter 4. We have another example of this. This is in Christ’s life. John chapter 4, he’s speaking with the woman at the well, and his disciples had gone into the city to get bread. He’s out there by the well talking to Christ, or talking to the woman of Samaria. And notice verse 31 to 34 here. In the meanwhile, his disciples prayed to him saying, Master, eat. But he said to them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Wherefore said the disciples one to another, have any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus said under them, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. That’s what was priority in his life. Not the food and the drink, although that is a necessity. He’s trusting the Lord will provide for him, and he’s putting the kingdom of God first. And that’s what we see in these passages of Scripture. Remember, your God is Jehovah Jira. He will provide, as the scripture tells us. Let me make these final observations with regard to these two verses. The first is this. You find a demonstration here of Christ, ability to fulfill the purpose for which he came into the world. Scripture says for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. And here you have the first crossing of swords, if you would, between Christ and Satan. And Jesus achiees a remarkable triumph. Satan will try two more temptations. But the result is going to be the same, isn’t it? He’s going to strike out. Afterwards, during his earthly ministry, Jesus is going to be casting out demons. He is going to be thwarting Satan right and left and eventually binding Satan. And if you would, he is going to rob the strong man’s house of his goods, limiting his powers and his abilities. By his atoning death and resurrection from. the dead, Jesus would spoil principalities and powers, making a show of them, triumphing over them, the scripture says. This is just the first telling blow, a foretaste of what’s coming. And Satan is finally facing one stronger than he, the God man, and his head is going to be bruised by the woman’s seed. The second thing we see here is that God who leads you into temptation provides a way of escape. Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. Now, he wasn’t led there to fail. He was led there to triumph over Satan. And that’s important fact, I think, to be kept in mind. Jesus was tempted in all points like unto us his brethren, and yet without sin. It is a very important fact, I think, to be kept in mind. possible for you to overcome Satan’s temptations. It is made possible for you by Christ. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheth me. You need not steal when you’re tempted to covetousness. You need not be adulterous because you’re tempted to lust. You need not lie because you’re tempted to hide the truth. God, who exposes you to the temptation, will make a way of escape just as he has promised. There’s no dead end to these temptations. There’s always a way to escape. You can be kept by the power of God so that your feet do not fall. You can pass through the fire of temptation preserved and upheld by God’s wonderful grace. We should be encouraged by Satan’s defeat at the hands of Christ because he encourages us that the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet also. Sometimes we struggle with sin. We’re like Mr. Christian. We’re battling Apollion. And yet we can say, even though I may fall seven times, I will rise again. That God will lift me up. There are setbacks, but ultimately by Christ’s power, you shall be victorious. That’s our hope as the people of God. My son Matthew was forgotten by his parents, left in the car for a few minutes. You must not think your heavenly father will ever forget you and leave you behind. Satan may tempt you to doubt God’s providential care of you as one of his children, but you don’t have to succumb to it. You don’t have to succumb to that. So let us trust in God, in His providence, and His watch care over us as His children. Let us do as Christ did. Use the Word of God whenever Satan tempts us in any way. And may the Lord bless us as His people. Now this morning, as we are going to observe the Lord’s Supper, I’d like to take a moment and speak to you from the Book of Song of Solomon once again.