Introduction

As we saw last week, temptation is common to all men. We all face temptation. No one here this morning is exempt from temptation. It is part of being alive on earth. But there must be something in us that should say no to temptation.

Steven Cole puts it this way... "To live in this world means that you will encounter temptation. Some, like scriptwriter Oscar Wilde, don't even try to fight it. He said, "I can resist anything except temptation." Others want to be delivered from temptation, but they would like it to keep in touch from time to time. But if we want to be godly people, we must learn to resist the temptations that come at us from the world, the flesh, and the devil. When it comes to resisting temptation, Jesus Christ is our great example and teacher."

Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18: For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. 

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

It is important to note that Jesus faced the enemy as man, not as the Son of God. His first word was, "Man shall not live by bread alone."  Our Lord was able to overcome the enemy's temptation, not because He was the Son of God, but because He was filled with the Spirit and filled with the Word of God! He relied on the power of the Spirit and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

One of the things that strikes me in the temptation of Christ is the environment that He was tempted. Adam was in a beautiful garden paradise, but Jesus was in a dry isolated wilderness. Adam had everything he needed, but Jesus was hungry after forty days of fasting. Adam had Eve to support and encourage him, but Jesus had to endure the attack of Satan alone.

The situation was completely different, Adam had everything in his favor yet failed the test and plunged humanity into sin and death. But Jesus was in a forsaken place with nothing and with no one yet won the battle and went on to defeat Satan in more battles, culminating in His final victory on the cross. O, What a Saviour!

This morning consider with me the second temptation recorded in this Luke's account and how the Lord Jesus Christ responded to the Satan's temptation.

I — The Adversary

In this account of the temptation of Jesus Christ, we are learning more about our enemy and his deceptions. Last week we were reminded that our enemy's name is Satan which means adversary. He is called the devil, which means accuser or slanderer. He is also called the tempter — he solicits men and women, boys and girls to do evil and he delights to see them fall into sin.

Here in this second temptation another aspect of our enemy's character and devices is revealed. One of the main devices of Satan uses is lies and he is good at it.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 

Somehow Satan was able to show Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. After showing the glory of the kingdoms of the world Satan followed it up with an offer.

Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7: If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

Satan comes to Jesus not with complete lie. He comes to Him with truth but mixed with a lie. That is what he is good at, he comes with half-truth and half-truth is still a lie and more deceptive.

It is true that Satan is "the prince of this world" (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4) but he does not have the power and authority to grant it to whomsoever he wills. It is God alone who sets up kings and grants authority to whomever He wills.

Daniel 4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. (v25)

Satan's device has not change. He comes to us with truth mixed with error. His offers are like rat poison. Rat poison is made up of 99% good food and 1% poison. When Satan comes to us with his offer, like all of his offers, it is 99% good but 1% poison. And that 1% poison though very small portion can still kill.

Satan claims that all the kingdoms of this world are his and has been delivered unto him.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

The LORD owns the earth and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

Psalm 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8: Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

The Father has promised to give all the kingdoms of the world to His Son. 

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Here is the fulfillment of that promised.

II — The Assault

Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7: If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

In this second temptation Satan is offering Jesus shortcut to the crown. What Satan is essentially saying is, "If you are the Son of God, why do you have to suffer in order to be King? Why do you have to suffer on the cross in order to be crowned King? There is an easier way to the crown.  I can give it to you without humiliation, without suffering, without the cross, without shedding your blood, and without dying."

Satan hated the cross because he knows that the cross would bring victory to Jesus and to all that are in Jesus. And so he comes with this temptation to divert Christ away from the cross.

Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost. This would only be accomplished through the shedding of His blood. And yet Satan attempts to show the Lord Jesus a way that He might have power and authority without going to the cross. He is going to do everything in his might to divert the Lord Jesus from the cross. 

Satan knows that through the cross he will be crushed. He will be destroyed.

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

And so he comes with this offer. This is not the only time he tries to prevent Christ from going to the cross.  Remember later on at the Caesarea Philippi where Peter made the great confession that "Christ is the Son of the living God." After that Jesus tells them that He has to go to Jerusalem and suffer and die. Peter says, no way...

Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23: But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Get thee behind me Satan - here goes Satan again, trying to divert Jesus from the cross.

Furthermore, in this temptation, Satan is offering Jesus shortcut to glory by tempting Him to break the first commandment.

Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2:  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 

Only God is to be worshipped and yet Satan is calling our Lord to worship him. Satan always wanted to be worshipped. He wanted to be like God so he would get all the worship that only God deserves. 

III — The Answer

Luke 4:6 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus did not argue with Satan about who owned the world and who has the power and authority to grant  it, but our Lord replied, "It is written" and then quoted Deuteronomy 6:13;10: 20.

Jesus rejected Satan's offer of shortcut to glory. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Satan left out something. He said, "If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine." Satan had said nothing about service, but Jesus knew that whatever we worship, we will serve. You and  I cannot worship without serving. The one you worship, you will serve.  And we are to worship God only, and Him only are we to serve.

IV — Applications

What can we learn from this temptation?

Brothers and sisters, if there is nothing else you take away from today, I pray you take this away — O, how much He loves you and me! This is the thought I want us to take with us - the love of Christ for sinners.

Jesus will not be diverted from the cross. He is resolved to die on the cross for sinners. He came determined to go to the cross. He came to do the Father's will. He came to give His life for sinners on the cross.

Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 

As the time of His exaltation to the Father is fast approaching, Jesus sets His face to go to Jerusalem. To set his face towards Jerusalem. What does Jerusalem mean to Jesus?

Luke 13:33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

Here's what Jerusalem meant for Jesus. Jerusalem meant one thing for Jesus: certain death. 

He predicted in ...

Luke 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32: For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

When Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, he set his face to die on the cross. I don't know of any other way for us to begin to know how much he loved us.

John15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Love so amazing, so divine

Demands my soul, my life, my all!

As Jesus set His face towards Jerusalem, resolved to give Himself for sinners, let us who have been saved by His grace to set our face to love and obey and honor Him who gave it all!

AMEN!