Jeffrey C. Long

The following sermon was preached on February 26th, 2006 at Filer Mennonite Church. Unless otherwise indicated, all sermons online are taken from the original notes and have not been edited for publication

C.S. Lewis said in his book Mere Christianity “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting it, not by giving in. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later.”

Have you ever had a sin that you just couldn’t seem to shake, and thought to yourself, “once I get this nailed, I won’t struggle with sin anymore.” We live with the illusion that the sin we struggle with is just one area and that keeps us from realizing how sinful we are in other areas.

Lewis goes on to say “That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it.”

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, book 3, chapter 11; from Sermonnotes.com

Today we’re going to look at the time when Jesus was in the desert immediately after his baptism and prior to the beginning of His ministry and was being tempted by Satan. We’re going to see what temptation is like, what the devil’s role is in it, and how we can imitate Jesus in resisting temptation. This is a challenging message because by setting out to resist temptation, like Lewis said, we realize how bad we are. We will be testedwhen we try to resist temptation. I became more aware of temptations in my own life as I was preparing for this. If you take this sermon to heart, the same will happen to you.

Prayer. “Open our eyes and our ears to the lure of temptation. Thank you that your son Jesus resisted temptation so that we might have the Holy Spirit to empower us to resist temptation. As Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Luke 4:1-12 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness

2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.

7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered him, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

9 He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here,

10 for it is written,

‘He will give his angels charge concerning you, to guard you;’

11 and,

‘On their hands they will bear you up,

Lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

13 When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.

Temptation

(from introduction) What is temptation.

Temptation is a test. It does not mean trying to get you to sin. It means testing you.

When you take your drivers test, you aren’t being tempted to break the law. You are being tested to give you the opportunity to show that you won’t break the law.

God allows us to be tempted. But just like the driving instructore, that does not mean that He is trying to get us to break the law. James says “Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one”

He gets us out on the road where Satan attempts to get us to do evil for the purpose of building endurance in us.

James 1:2-6

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The devil

(from introdution) what the devil’s role is in temptation

Mark Twain said We do not pay [Satan] reverence, for that would be indiscreet, but we can at least respect his talents. A person who has, for untold centuries, maintained the imposing position of spiritual head of four-fifths of the human race, and political head of the whole of it, must be granted the possession of executive abilities of the loftiest order.

Mark Twain. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 3

one of the things we’re going to see time and again in Luke is the war that’s being waged by Satan and his demons against mankind

Temptation is one of his tools.

When he tempts us, it is to prove that we fail. And so he will lure us by putting things in our way to distract us. When God tests us, it is to give us the opportunity to prove that we serve Him.

Important to realize when things get thrown in our way it often means that the enemy is trying to keep us from being effective ministers in this world.

So,

Three ways we can win the test of temptation.

Take courage that you do not fight temptation alone.

In the book of 1Corinthians 10:13 Paul told the corinthian church “13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man.”

When I am going through some trial, I’m pretty sure that I’m the only one struggling with this problem. Isolation and loneliness increase our susceptibility to falling prey to temptation. Being around other Christians in a setting where you can talk about your struggles is so necessary. Sunday school, youth group, sunday evening fellowship and young adult small group are ways to take comfort that we’re in this together. We’re not alone in our temptations. They are common to everyone.

Ask God for wisdom.

Paul continues in 1Corinthians to say “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure”

If you are being tested, God will always make a way of to follow the law. He’s like the driver’s ed instructor telling you to watch out for the one way street ahead so you don’t go down it. We need to learn to go to God in prayer and ask Him for our driving instructions.

James 1:5, 6

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.

An important part of the story of Jesus’ temptation that Luke tells us is that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit went he went into the desert to be tempted. He was not alone. And neither are you. If you lack wisdom to deal with a temptation ask God in faith who gives liberal help to us.

Use scripture.

Jesus quoted scripture at every temptation to refute satan.

Memorize scripture.

If you struggle with overeating, “Man shall not live by bread along, but by every word of God”

Satan offered Jesus control over everything. If you struggle with taking control of everything, you need to always remember that God is the one in control. You need to get your focus off yourself and onto God. So Jesus quoted and so should you: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”

The same is true if you put acquiring possessions ahead of God. “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”

Take advantage of your sonship. “I can sin, because God will just forgive me. “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

If you have a problem with lust: Job 31:1 1 “I made a covenant with my eyes, How then should I look lustfully at a young woman?”

Worry: I’m a world class worrier. I have a PHd in worry from Worry University hanging on my wall.

I need to quote daily: Matthew 6:33, 34 33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.

Satan does not leave us alone. He didn’t leave Jesus alone.

We need to be ready for the battle with him, and not be like the ostrich who hides his head in the sand.

Before we pray, I’d like to end with some scriptures about our war with the devil. To help us realize how important it is to take the devil seriously.

1Peter 5:8, 9 Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.

Ephesians 6:12, 13

12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

2Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one.

2Timothy 4:18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me for his heavenly kingdom; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.