Luke 4:1-15 "The Temptation of the Son of God" How were you tempted last week? I can tell you some of them. You were tempted to despair: to think that your problems are more powerful than God, so you might as well just give up! (and so you gave in to that temptation, right?) On the other hand, You were also tempted to think that your wisdom and strength are sufficient that you are doing pretty well for yourself. you don't need God to handle this situation, you can do it yourself! (and you forgot to pray about that, didn't you?) And thirdly, you were also tempted to think that God owes you something. I've been doing pretty well when is God going to get around to blessing me?! We read from Deuteronomy 8, which is part of Moses' sermon on the great commandment. In Deuteronomy 7-10 Moses is expounding the great commandment that he gave in chapter 6. In Deuteronomy 6 we hear the shema, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one, and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 7-10 then expound this in the context of three temptations: Dt 7 deals with the temptation to think that the nations are too strong: "If you say in your heart, "these nations are greater than I" (7:17) The temptation here is to worship the god of strength and power What you are saying is that God is not strong enough to save you. Your enemies are more powerful than God. We all get hit with that one. Our experience with sin tells us that we are too weak (which is true!), but then we conclude that because sin is stronger than we are, therefore sin will always win. Dt 8 deals with the temptation to think that you have acquired wealth by your own power: "Beware lest you say in your heart, "my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth." (8:17) The temptation here is to worship the god of "stuff" or materialism-- This is plain old fashioned pride. To use the words of Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way!" And this hasn't changed much over the centuries. All that we have is a gift from God, but we like to think that we are self-made. Dt 9 then deals with the temptation to think that God likes you because of how good you are: "Do not say in your heart, "It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess the land." (9:4) The temptation here is to worship the god of self-righteousness. We do this every time we think that God "owes" us something. "But God, I've done my best, now what about you!?" Nobody's perfect, but hey, at least I'm not like "them". . . and you look down your nose at your "pagan" neighbors and feel good about yourself! Uh, pastor, why are you talking about Deuteronomy? I thought this sermon was about Luke... That's a fair question. You may have heard or noticed that Jesus' responses to Satan are all from Deuteronomy 6-8. They are all wrapped around the basic themes that Moses expounded in his sermon on the great commandment. Not only that, but Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Israel had been led by the pillar of cloud and fire the visible manifestation of the Spirit's presence into the wilderness. And not only that, but Jesus was there for 40 days, echoing the 40 days that Moses fasted on the mountain, the 40 days that Elijah fasted on his journey to the mountain, and the 40 years that Israel spent in the wilderness. And in all of these 40 days or 40 years, there was no bread. And if that were not enough, Jesus has come to be tempted by the devil, just as Israel was tested in the wilderness for 40 years. Israel had been called to be the Son of God, was baptized in the Red Sea, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where the Son of God was tested through trial and temptation. Israel had faced the three temptations: would they trust in their own strength? or would they believe that God would go before them? would they trust in their own wisdom? or would they believe that God would provide all they needed? would they trust in their own righteousness? or would they worship the LORD and serve him? Israel had failed that test. Repeatedly. Luke is saying, here is the new Israel. Here is the Son of God who succeeds where Israel failed. I'm not going to say that the three temptations neatly fit the three categories of Deuteronomy 7-10. But they beautifully fit the general pattern. Israel was homeless, friendless, and hungry. Reduced to entire dependence upon God, they failed the test. Now Jesus is brought to the same circumstances. Alone, hungry, and desolate, will he still trust in the LORD his God? I could ask you the same question! Because this is the question in every temptation: will you love the LORD your God . . . or not? Especially when you are left friendless, homeless, hungry, and desolate, will you still love God first? At its root, every sin reveals a lack of love for God. 1. Bread in the Wilderness (4:2-4) The first temptation echoes the wilderness temptation of Israel very clearly: Israel was hungry. And when temptation came, they succumbed. Now Jesus is hungry. And the devil came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. We saw last time that at his baptism, Jesus was called to be a prophet. Now the devil challenges him, If you are the prophet like Moses, then act like Moses! And so Jesus does! And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'" Jesus' answer comes from Deuteronomy 8:3-- Moses' sermon on the great commandment. God had fed Israel with manna in the wilderness to demonstrate that man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God. Would Israel trust God to provide? Or would they say in their hearts that it was their own efforts that would bring them bread? Jesus' answer comes from Deuteronomy 8 which is all about remembering that you are not self-made, but that all that you have comes from God. Therefore Jesus is revealed as the true prophet who speaks the Word of God, and handles it rightly. You who are in Christ are called to be prophets too. When you are tempted, you are to rely upon the Word of God, you are to speak the Word of God in short you are to live by the Word of God. All that you have comes from God. 2. The Kingdoms of the World (4:5-8) And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." This is the temptation of Deuteronomy 9. Satan is appealing to Jesus' "self-righteousness." You, Jesus, are the righteous one. You have a right to all the kingdoms of the world. And I will give them to you if you will worship me! In essence, Satan is saying, "I will be your father, and you will be my son!" Jesus' response is remarkable. He doesn't say, "but I'm God, you little wuss!" After all, Jesus must endure these temptation according to the properties of his human nature. And he must respond to them as the second Adam, as the new Israel as the one who must succeed where humanity has repeatedly failed! Notice first that Jesus acknowledges (implicitly) that Satan has the ability to make this offer. When Satan says that the authority and glory of the nations has been "delivered to me" he is referring to the fact that Adam & Eve had bowed the knee to him. They had listened to his voice and submitted to him, and so the devil did have authority over the nations. But Jesus' response to the devil highlights who he is: And Jesus answered him, It is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." Jeremiah had said that God would raise up for David a righteous branch, who would deliver Israel, and in that day, the people would no longer say, as the LORD lives who brought...the house of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but, as the LORD lives who restored his people from exile. (23:5-8) In other words, Jeremiah said that the restoration from exile would be greater than the Exodus. Well, the restoration in the 6th century BC was certainly NOT greater than the Exodus. And there was no Davidic king restored in the 6th century before Christ. It is only when Jesus comes that the Davidic king is restored. God had said, Israel is my son, my firstborn let my son go that he may worship me. The restoration of the kingdom of God is characterized by the worship of God. And Jesus, the Son of God par excellence is also the worship-leader par excellence. He would not bow the knee to the devil, but in true righteousness and holiness worshiped his Father in heaven. Therefore he has been given the name that is exalted above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In other words, Jesus is the righteous king. He is the Son of David who sits at the right hand of God the Father. This temptation comes to us in many forms. This is the temptation of the "easy way out." Many have pointed out that Jesus is being offered the glory without the cross. He can have the kingdoms of the world, without having to suffer first! The devil offers you the same path! You can have what you want, without suffering! Don't bother with self-denial, you deserve it! (And if you worship me, I can give it to you!) You see this in sexual temptation: you deserve sexual gratification! Don't deny yourself, express yourself! But you see this also in all sorts of desires. Advertising preys upon our desire for instant gratification and for the easy way out. We are called, as those in Jesus Christ, to resist temptation by fleeing to Christ. "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." Do not serve the lusts of the flesh, but deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. You are called to be a king in Christ Jesus. Use that authority, therefore, to serve God and one another! 3. The Pinnacle of the Temple (4:9-12) I should point out that Matthew and Luke give the temptations in different orders. The second and third temptations are reversed. In Matthew's gospel, the pinnacle of the temple is second, and the kingdoms of the world are third. The movement of Luke's gospel takes you from the wilderness, to the kingdoms of the world, to the temple in Jerusalem. Luke's gospel starts in the temple, with Zechariah. Jesus goes to the temple as an infant and as a boy. Now his temptations will come to their climax there. Because in the third temptation, the devil again appeals to Jesus' identity as the Son of God, and urges him to reveal himself as the Son of God through a spectacular event: cast himself off the pinnacle of the temple, thereby "forcing" God to rescue him by sending his angels to catch him. If Jesus did this, then he would be spectacularly revealed as the Son of God. Notice how Satan sets Jesus up on this one. This is actually the same temptation that Deuteronomy 7 talks about: the idea that the nations are too strong. Except Satan knows that Jesus won't fall for that so he says, in effect, do you really believe that God is your strength? that God will rescue you from your enemies? Prove it! If you are the Son of God, then reveal yourself in the temple! And Jesus answered him, it is said, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." That's from Dt 6:16 "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah." How did the Israelites test the Lord at Massah? They grumbled and complained that Moses had brought them out of Egypt to die of thirst in the wilderness. They said that the LORD was not able to deliver them from their enemies! And Jesus says, I will not put the Lord to the test. I know that he is able to deliver me, but I will not put him to the test; rather, I will wait for his time. Because Jesus will be revealed in the temple but not this way. He will be revealed in his humiliation and suffering. He will be the sacrifice that cleanses us from our sins. He will become a spectacle the derelict on the cross! But he will patiently wait for the Lord and put his trust in him. This temptation also comes to us every day. It is easy to put God to the test! why am I still suffering? why hasn't God dealt with my problem?! But we also put him to the test when we say, "This problem is too big." "My enemies are too strong." "Nothing will ever change!" It is hard to wait for the Lord. But you are called to be a priest in Christ. And the priest's task is to bless others. Don't worry about your circumstances! Be a blessing to those around you. God is able to take care of the rest! Conclusion: The Power of the Spirit The lesson that Jesus teaches us in his response to temptation is that "it's not about you." Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did not put himself at the center of the universe. He did not exalt himself or glorify himself. He humbled himself, and therefore was exalted by his Father. The reason why Jesus Christ is today at the center of the universe is because he was the one man in all of human history who did not think of himself as the center of the universe! And in Christ, you are now sons of God! You now inhabit that wilderness where he was tempted. And these same temptations come to you. They may feel overwhelming. You may at times be beaten down by them and you may think that there is no way out. Brothers, sisters, take heart! Because Jesus has overthrown the power of the devil! It's not just that he is able to "sympathize" hey, I know what you're going through hang in there! Every high priest could do that! Rather, Jesus brings help. Because Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit! He came out of the wilderness with the Spirit of the LORD upon him. And that same Spirit has now been poured out upon you! You will never face a temptation that Jesus has not defeated. And his Spirit now rests upon you. The same Spirit who empowered Jesus now empowers you. The Spirit of the exalted Christ has been given to his church, so that you might be able to resist the devil, and cling to your faithful Savior. You do not have to sin. In Christ you are able to not sin. Of course, you are also able to sin. In this life we do still fall prey to temptation. Too often we are like Israel in the wilderness, and are not like Jesus in the wilderness. But we are called to be like Jesus, because he has given to us his Spirit. What do you do when temptation strikes? What do you say in your heart? Do you say in your heart, the temptation is too strong! That is a lie! That temptation has been defeated by Jesus! After his baptism and his temptations, Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee. And he came and preached the kingdom of God. He has now poured that same Spirit out upon you, so that you might have the same Spirit that sustained him through temptation. The Spirit of Christ now equips you as prophets, priests and kings, so that you might live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God so that you might worship the Lord your God and serve only him, and so that you might not put the Lord your God to the test, but that you might humbly submit to his good and perfect will!