1. Temptation
a. "Be tempted"
In marketing, temptation is good.
We know it all too well. Chocolate advertisements. Car advertisements. "Just one more hour of Warcraft!"
Temptation is about being led away from the framework of life that we have built or agreed upon.
b. Christ's?
As Christians, God is the one who sets the framework. He has created everything. He knows how things work.
Temptation for Christians is going outside His framework. We are right to feel guilty if we go outside His framework.
If we go outside His framework, even if we don't feel guilty, we are guilty before God.
But is temptation itself sin?
2. Model of Overcoming Temptation?
In Luke 4:1-13, we see Jesus is tempted. Yet He remains sinless. He is a perfect man. Therefore, temptation is not sin.
Many preachers preach this section as a model of how we as Christians can overcome temptations.
a. Nature of the temptations
3:21 The Holy Spirit had just come on Jesus
3:23 He has just begun His ministry. The first thing the Holy Spirit does is to lead Jesus into temptation in the wilderness.
What are the temptations?
i. Fend for yourself for your physical needs / use whatever you have in your power to fend for yourself (4:3)
It is a lie because this world is not the be all and end all. It is a very deceptive lie, because it sounds right (a half-truth, which are the most difficult lies to detect).
ii. Gain your own kingdom through false worship / building your own kingdoms in this world (4:6)
An example of worshipping Satan is by cheating, backstabbing, working 24/7 to rise up the corporate ladder etc. It is basically defining ourselves apart from God by building our own 'kingdoms'.
It is a lie because God has the sole authority. It sounds right because the devil is indeed very powerful - he is known as the prince of the air, the ruler of this world (the half-truth). Yet, God has full authority over Satan.
ii. Testing God's protection / Presuming on God's protection for us (4:9-11)
Examples of this include people not studying and praying to pass an examination, or praying to God for money and expecting riches. It is putting ourselves in a position where we are forcing God's hand.
It is a lie because it is the misuse of Scripture. It sounds right because Scripture is quoted (half-truth). But it is presuming on Scripture on our own terms.
b. Devil's lies
The temptations come from Satan (Luke 4:3). Satan speaks lies. His lies are very effective because they are always half-true.
How do we fend off the temptations?
c. Countering with Scripture
Jesus counters the lies with Scripture. This is a good model for us to follow. It means we should know the Bible and remember the Bible in our hearts.
Jesus quotes the following texts:
1) Deut 8:2-3 crf Luke 4:4
Man shall live by the Word of God alone. What does this mean? What is the Word?
In the context of Deuteronomy, the Word refers to God's promise to the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. God promised He would make them a mighty nation and bring them to the Promised Land.
For us, it means relying on the promises God has said in the past, and hanging on dearly to those promises.
2) Deut 6:10-14 crf Luke 4:8
God is the One who will give the Israelites the Promised Land, cities and towns and kingdoms.
We are to worship Him alone.
3) Deut 6:14-16 crf Luke 4:12
In context of Deuteronomy, it refers to not testing the Lord as at Massah, where the people complained against God for not having meat despite being showered with manna from heaven. It is about testing God, demanding that God provide for us according to our whims and fancies.
We are not to test God.
Modelling Jesus' response is supported in other parts of Scripture as well, such as James 4:7, which encourages us to submit ourselves to God. We are to resist the devil and he will flee from us. By submitting to God's word, we are able to fend off Satan.
Most preachers will end their sermons here. Alas, this is not the main point of Luke 4:1-13.
The passage is primarily about Jesus.
3. "If You are the Son of God..."
Luke 4:3, 9 - "If You are the Son of God..."
It is the temptation that comes on Jesus because He is the Son of God. It is unique! None of us are the 'Son of God' like Jesus.
a. Adam
3:38 Adam is the son of God. Therefore, Jesus being known as Son of God, is the representative Adam, the second Adam (see 1 Cor 15:45, Rom 5:12-21 for the same idea).
In Genesis 3 we see how Adam wanted to be like God. Being tempted by the serpent, he gave into the temptation, not trusting God's goodness. He disobeyed God. Sin and death came into the world through Adam.
As Jesus is pronounced by the Father to be God's Son (3:22), we hold our breath in anxiety: is this new Adam going to fall where Adam failed?
No, Jesus does not give into temptation! He is our new representative man!
b. Israel
Jesus is not just Adam, He is also Israel. Israel was the firstborn son of God (as we read the account in Exodus 4:22-23, when God tells Pharaoh to let His people go). Just like the Israelites were 40 years in the desert, Jesus was 40 days in the desert.
Jesus is the true Israelite. He does not give into temptation! And unlike Israel who were saved from the Egyptians, Jesus brings us salvation Himself.
c. Messiah
As we had seen earlier, Son of God is the generic term for the 'messiah', 'the anointed one', God's chosen King (The idea stems from 2 Sam 7). We have also seen in the previous chapter that Jesus is the Messiah who is going to die. According to the Old Testament Scriptures, He must suffer first before He enters into His victory.
Here, He is tempted to take the short-cut. But Jesus does not give in.
d. Not the last temptation...
Luke 4 is not the last temptation of Christ.
Later, almost immediately after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, Peter rebukes Jesus for saying that He must suffer and die. Jesus responds by saying, 'Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man" (Luke 9:18-23 crf Mark 8:33) Jesus saw in Peter Satan because through Peter He was being tempted away from the cross.
The night Jesus was betrayed into custody, Jesus could have called upon legions of angels to deliver Him from the cross (Matt 26:53). Instead, He asks his disciple Peter to put away his sword (Matt 26:55-56 crf Luke 22:49-53) and He quietly surrenders to the authorities.
In Luke 22:42-46, Jesus is again tempted to not drink the cup (of wrath). But yet, He says, 'nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.'
All the temptations had one objective - they were tempting Jesus away from the cross.
4. Victory over Sin
a. Real enemy
The real enemy is Satan. Luke 4 introduces us to the main antagonist. It is not the Roman empire Jesus has to overcome. Jesus wins Round 1.
b. Real temptation
It is real temptation. Luke 4 presents Jesus as really tempted (Luke 22:44 crf Hebrews 4:15). The longer He resists, the stronger the temptation, especially the temptation to avoid the cross. He could have gotten Himself out of it. He had the means and the power to get out of it.
But He didn't.
c. Real Son
He is the real Son. Jesus is the representative Israel. But more than that, He is the representative Adam. He is our representative. He represents not just the Jews, but all nations. What if Jesus gave in? It would mean that Jesus would no longer be perfect. It would mean not going to the cross. We would be lost in our sins, because it is only at the cross that our sins can be washed away! We can only be right before God because of Jesus' death on the cross!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
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