Alone in Temptation

- let me ask you this morning – did you face any temptation this week?...

- the temptation to think, or say, or watch, or want, or do something that would be wrong – that would be sinful – that would be displeasing to God?...

- did you face any kind of temptation in the past seven days?...we all did, right?...

- so how did you do?...

- I think it would be fascinating to go around this am and have different persons answer that question…because I imagine there would be a great amount of variety in the answers…

- everything from – by God’s grace I was able to overcome the temptation victoriously and I’m really glad I did…to, well, I fell again and I really don’t have any hope that area of my life could be any better and I’ve practically stopped trying…to every kind of answer in between…

- so I would encourage you to have a recent or typical kind of temptation you face in your mind and then let’s dig even deeper…

- are those temptations from our adversary the devil…to trick you, and damage you, and destroy and those you love?...so is the ultimate source the devil?...

- or are those temptations or testings from the Lord…with the goal of stretching your faith…refining your faith…proving the genuineness of your faith…so is the source the Lord?...Hmmm…

- you know, there’s a lot that hangs on how you would answer those questions…and please continue to have that recent or regular temptation you face in the back of your mind…because we want this to be practical not just theoretical…

- because if you would say that temptation is solely from the devil…that means you have a God who’s not sovereign…He’s not in control of what He allows into your life…

- which would contradict boatloads of Scripture…passages like…

- Ephesians 1:11–12 - also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

- Psalm 115:3 - But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.

- so if you believe in the sovereignty of God…and I hope you do – then the Lord had to have something to do with that temptation…at least we would say…he allowed it to happen, would we not…and if you know your Bible – the first couple of chapters of what OT book are probably spinning around in your mind right now – the book of Job…

- but on the other hand…we certainly wouldn’t say that God was tempting you to evil…or allowing something into your life where you were guaranteed to fail…because we all have clear Scripture about that too, don’t we?...

- James 1:12–14 - Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

- this week there was an article published on the Gospel Coalition Website (Heather – show their splash page) – which is a very trustworthy website by the way and worth your regular perusal…it was written by Joni Eareckson Tada – entitled Reflections on the 50^th Anniversary of My Diving Accident…

- if you don’t know her story, it’s well documented in the 47 books she has now written…which is amazing when you stop and think about even that statistic…

- she began the article like this…

- Recently I was at my desk writing to Tommy, a 17-year-old boy who just broke his neck body surfing off the Jersey shore. He’s now a quadriplegic. He will live the rest of his life in a wheelchair without use of his hands or legs. When it comes to life-altering injuries, quadriplegia is catastrophic.

- Halfway through my letter describing several hurdles Tommy should expect in rehab, I stopped. I felt utterly overwhelmed, thinking of all that lies ahead for him. I’ve been there. And even though half a century has passed, I can still taste the anguish. Hot, silent tears began streaming, and I choked out a prayer, Oh God, how will Tommy do it? How will he ever make it? Have mercy; help him find you!

- Tommy is facing the impossible. I’m sure he feels a little like this sketch. It’s a copy of a drawing I did in rehab, holding charcoal pencils between my teeth. Although I tore up the original years ago when I was depressed, this sketch says it all: “Oh God, this is now my life?! You actually expect me to do this?!”

- Somehow, I did it. Or, the Holy Spirit did it in me. As of today, I’ve done it for 50 years.

- then she said this….

- What a difference time makes—as well as prayer, heaven-minded friends, and deep study of God’s Word. All combined, I began to see there are more important things in life than walking and having use of your hands. It sounds incredible, but I really would rather be in this wheelchair knowing Jesus as I do than be on my feet without him.

- I’m skipping much for sake of time although I would recommend the entire article to you…but related to the questions we posed a moment ago she said…

- Half a century of paralysis has also shown me how high the cosmic stakes really are. Whenever I fidget in my confinement, I can almost hear Satan taunt God—as he did with Job—“Look at her, see? She doesn’t really trust you. Test her with more pain and you’ll see her true colors!” When the Devil insists God’s people only serve him when life is easy, I have the high honor of proving him wrong. To be on the battlefield where the mightiest forces in the universe converge in warfare? By God’s grace, I’m all in.

- Back in the ’70s, my Bible study friend Steve Estes shared ten little words that set the course for my life: “God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves.” Steve explained it this way: “Joni, God allows all sorts of things he doesn’t approve of. God hated the torture, injustice, and treason that led to the crucifixion. Yet he permitted it so that the world’s worst murder could become the world’s only salvation. In the same way, God hates spinal cord injury, yet he permitted it for the sake of Christ in you—as well as in others. Like Joseph when he told his brothers, ‘God intended [my suffering] for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives’” (Gen. 50:20).

- if you believe all of that – or at least willing to consider it truthfulness – it completely changes the way we think about temptation…because there’s hope that we can learn to handle them well…

- with that in mind, please open your Bible this am to Matthew chapter 4…page 2 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you…

- we’re beginning a brand new series today that will go the next 6 weeks on When Jesus was Alone…

- it’s part of our annual theme In Christ Alone – to commemorate the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation…

- but we thought we’d focus several Sundays on key times in the life of Jesus where He was willing and sometimes desirous to be alone…in order to accomplish God’s plan…and secure our salvation…

- so whenever we’re struggling with whether Jesus is all we need – can we really find forgiveness and joy and satisfaction and purpose in Christ alone…we can remember and rejoice in the times our Savior was alone…in order to make such an approach to life and death possible…even if there’s a diving accident…something in your life where God has permitted what he hates…to accomplish what he loves…

- let’s see what we can learn about all of this from Matthew chapter 4…read Matthew 4:1-11…

- we’re talking this morning about When Christ was Alone in Temptation…

- with the time we have remaining, let’s look for 3 values of handling temptation well.

I. You Can Show that Your Greatest Sustenance is the Word of God

A. The background of this event

- the gospel of Matthew is written especially to a Jewish audience and the purpose is to present Jesus as the promised King, their Messiah, the One who fulfills the promises and prophecies in the OT…

- so if you just glance back at what has already been presented….

- Jesus has a royal or kingly genealogy…

- His birth is filled with events fit only for a king…for example the wise men come with gifts and worship Him…

- John the Baptist’s ministry as the forerunner of the Messiah is characterized by statements like…Matthew 3:11 - As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

- then amazingly, Jesus presents Himself for baptism, which at first John doesn’t understand but then Jesus says it has to be done to fulfill all righteousness – and then Matthew 3:16–17 - After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

- John MacArthur explains it like this -- In Matthew 4:1–11 one of the most monumental and mysterious spiritual battles of all time is recounted-the personal confrontation between Jesus Christ and Satan. The devil’s temptations directed at Jesus in the wilderness of Judea were observed by no other human being. He was entirely alone, and it is therefore obvious that we could know nothing of what transpired there unless Jesus Himself had told His disciples of it. Here He reveals the victory secret, as it were, of His momentous struggle with Satan.

The encounter occurred immediately after Jesus’ baptism, which, in the terms of His kingship, represented His coronation, His commissioning. Now, after His proclamation as King comes the test of His kingliness. His baptism in the Jordan declared His royalty; His testing in the wilderness demonstrated it. Here Jesus proved He was worthy to receive and to reign over the kingdom His Father would give Him. The One of whom the Father had just said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (3:17), here shows why He was well-pleasing to His Father. He shows that, even in the extreme of temptation, He consistently lived in perfect harmony with the divine plan. Here He first demonstrated His power over hell. His absolute sovereignty forbade Him to bow to the “god of this world,” so He faced the full force of Satan’s wicked deception, yet remained untouched and uncontaminated. Evil at its lowest was overcome by Him, and goodness at its highest commended Him. The combination of both accredited Him as King.

In this struggle of the Son of God with the son of perdition we are given clear and applicable insights into Satan’s strategy against God and His people and also into Christ’s way of victory over the tempter. Side by side we are shown the way of danger and the way of escape, the way that leads to defeat and death and the way that leads to victory and life-in short, the way of Satan and the way of God. (John MacArthur, Commentary on Matthew, pp. 84-85).

- now, did you notice as we were reading…

B. The fascinating juxtaposition in verse 1.

- Matthew 4:1 - Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

- clearly God is allowing this event – and our adversary who is specifically called “the tempter” in verse 3 is involved as well…

- you and I face forms of this very juxtaposition each and every day…

- please note also…

C. The specific setting of the first temptation

- Matthew 4:2 - And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

- temptations come at some very interesting times, don’t they?...

- sometimes right after a great victory…perhaps you experience that…

- but at others when you’re tired, you’re drained, you’re frustrated, you’ve had it, you’re hungry or hurting, you’re at the end of your rope…

- command that these stones become bread – serve yourself – act as if the most important aspect of your identity is your physical needs or desires…

D. Jesus’ victorious answer

- Matthew 4:4 - But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”

- you undoubtedly noticed Jesus answered every temptation with truth from the Word of God…

- He was the epitome of what David had said 100 years earlier -- Psalm 119:11 - Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.

- now, please take that back to the questions we asked at the very beginning…about temptations you’re facing…

- for those able to say – by God’s grace, I was able to overcome that temptation victoriously…what else do you think that person would say?...they overcame it with truth from the Word they had read, and memorized, and could skillfully apply it at the moment of need…

- is there a take away for you as you make plans for what your life is going to be like this fall?...

- first of all – has there been a definite time when you acknowledged your sin and accepted the invitation to become a follower of Jesus Christ…Have you made Him your Savior and your king?...

- this victorious Savior has sustained Joni Eareckson Tada for 50 years…working in and through her broken body…

- secondly, have you publically proclaimed your allegiance to this king through believer’s baptism…this book of Matthew is going to end with the commission that the church would go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…and then teaching them (us) to observe all that Jesus has commanded…

- thirdly – are you cultivating the kind of worship habits, and study habits so you could honestly say that your greatest sustenance is the Word of God…

- and are you finding it so satisfying that the delicious nature of self-satisfaction pales by comparison?...

II. You Can Show that You Are Committed to Long-Term Faithfulness

A. The insidious nature of the second temptation.

- the devil shows how crafty and sly he is by doing what in the second temptation?...

- he quoted Scripture too…or better said, misquoted it…

- Matthew 4:5–6 - Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ”

- but the issue here was – take the short-cut to proving your messiahship…

- instead of what lies ahead between the baptism in chapter 3 and the resurrection in chapter 27…everything Jesus is about to do to prove He really is the Son of God…

- take the shorter road…the easier road…

- throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple and be miraculously rescued by the hand of the Father…then no one will question your credentials…

B. The focus of Jesus’ answer

- Matthew 4:7 - Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

- isn’t that a fascinating answer?...even in His weakened state…can you imagine Jesus looking at the devil and saying “on the other hand”…

- there’s also the hard road…there’s the long road…

- one that will involve calling 12 disciples like He does later in this chapter…

- and three plus years of teaching…and healing…and sacrificing…and suffering…

- culminating with the horrors of the trials and the crucifixion

- by overcoming this temptation by the power of the Word – Jesus demonstrated that He was committed to long-term faithfulness…

- theologian Eugene Peterson made some unfortunate comments recently…but he certainly helped the church when he defined discipleship as long obedience in the same direction.

- that is especially needed in this microwave culture in which we live…

- seek instant gratification…immediate success…just google it…

- but followers of Jesus Christ have made a decision about that, haven’t we?...

- because of times like this when Jesus was alone – and He proved that temptations can be overcome…

- we want to follow in those footsteps…

- so we agree with what the apostle Paul would later say…1 Corinthians 4:2 - In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

- or the writer of Hebrews…Hebrews 12:11 - All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

- Joni ended her blog post with these words…Now, every day when I wheel into the Joni and Friends International Disability Center, I try to squeeze every ounce of ministry effort from my quadriplegic body. This summer, Joni and Friends will hold 27 Family Retreats in the United States and 23 in less resourced nations, reaching thousands of special-needs families for Christ. Christian physical therapists will serve on our Wheels for the World teams in more than 40 countries, delivering Bibles, giving the salvation message, and hand-fitting wheelchairs to needy people with disabilities. Hundreds of our Cause4Life interns will work in orphanages overseas, showing that spina bifida isn’t a voodoo curse and people aren’t better off dead than disabled. Because Jesus is ecstasy beyond compare, and it’s worth anything to be his friend.

- Last week my husband, Ken, and I were at our Joni and Friends Family Retreat in Alabama. We were lunching in the big, noisy dining hall when a college-aged volunteer approached me, holding a kid with Down syndrome on her hip. She gestured at the crowd and asked, “Miss Joni, do you ever think how none of this would be happening were it not for your diving accident?”

- I flashed a smile and said, “It’s why I thank God every day for my wheelchair.” After she left, I stared for a moment at the dining hall scene. I suddenly had a 35,000-foot view of the moment: She’s right . . . how did I get here?

- It has everything to do with God and his grace—not just grace over the long haul, but grace in tiny moments, like breathing in and out, like stepping stones leading you from one experience to the next. The beauty of such grace is that it eclipses the suffering until one July morning, you look back and see five decades of God working in a mighty way.

- Grace softens the edges of past pains, helping to highlight the eternal. What you are left with is peace that’s profound, joy that’s unshakable, faith that’s ironclad.

- It’s the hard, but beautiful, stuff of which God makes 50 years of your life.

- by the way, I’m happy to tell you that we’re developing a partnership with Joni and Friends because they have a desire that the counsel they provide across their ministry platforms be explicitly biblical counseling…

- so for example, at our Biblical Counseling Coalition Annual Leadership Retreat this December – an organization that our church had the privilege of being involved in starting – the focus is on developing a theology of disability – and Joni is going to be one of our speakers…

- what an incredible example of long-term faithfulness…

- so where does all of this intersect your story?...

- here’s my question for you – are the choices you’re making helping you overcome temptation because you’re asking God to help you develop long-term faithfulness?...and are you enjoying that aspect of living in Christ Alone?...to follow in the footsteps of our victorious King…

- I hope you’re planning to join us tonight for our monthly church family night…

- that’s important every month for all sorts of reasons including the fact that God has called us to be a body of people seeking to overcome temptations victoriously…together…

- that’s what the writer of Hebrews meant when he said…Hebrews 10:24–25 - and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

- so we’re able to encourage one another – to stimulate one another to love and good deeds…

- and when that happens – an entire group of people living In Christ Alone – seeking to handle temptations together in a way that pleases the Lord…

- there’s a powerful apologetic that comes from that…

- a corporate testimony that can be a very bright light in the world in which we live…

- so tonight we’re going to focus on fall readiness…all we hope to accomplish for the Lord at our various ministry platforms this fall…

- but even beyond that – we’re going to be having our final vote on our next 5 year strategic ministry plan…

- I appreciate all the work that has gone into this process by our church family over the past 6 months…

- you can review the plan on-line this afternoon if you like – there’s info in your bulletin about that…

- but if go through initiative after initiative – it’s amazing how much of it dovetails with what we’re talking about this morning…

- faithfully and creatively proclaiming the gospel…

- and then making truth from the Word of God available in all sorts of forms so that we can handle temptation victoriously…

- you could summarize it like this…Colossians 1:28 - We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

- and that help us have an impact around the world…remember the great commission at the end of this gospel…Matthew 28:18–20 - And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

- in other words, this Savior, who overcame temptation victoriously – can help you overcome temptation too…and then when an entire church full of people can try to head that way…long obedience in the same direction…you can have an impact in all the nations…

- the reports coming out of Albania as a result of youth group’s mission trip there is exciting…it proves what happens when teenagers get ahold of this approach to living…

- Please be praying for Dr. Hodges and Pastor Shaw…they’re in Brazil right now teaching on these very issues…

- our friends in Brazil in turn are spearheading a new effort in Portugal right after Thanksgiving…since Brazil was originally a colony of Portugal, they want to go back to that country and they’ve asked me if I would join them…

- I’d appreciate your prayers this week as Pastor Pena and I leave for Costa Rica and then Cuba…

- we also received messages last week from the pastor we’ve been working with in Mexico – Pastor Kike – he’s in Columbia right now and we’re being asked to join them next year for a follow up training conference…

- the Lord blesses people who want to show the genuineness and seriousness of their faith in part by working at overcoming temptation well…

- what’s the lesson from this third temptation?...

III. You Can Show You Want to Worship and Serve the God of Heaven

A. This revealed the core issue all along

- Matthew 4:8–9 - Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”

- the first two temptations were more subtle – but this was the issue all along…

- our adversary hates God…and he hates it when Christ’s followers show that they love and worship God more than anything else…

- and that’s rarely on display more powerfully than in the way we handle temptation…

- you could say it like this – the way you respond to temptation reveals the identity of your functional god…

B. It’s time for Satan to flee

- Matthew 4:10 - Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ”

- like James would later say…James 4:7 - Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

- if you’re here this am and you would say – you know, I need to get some individual help, or help for our family in exactly how to do this in my particular situation…

- you can always speak to your service pastor, your ABF or small group leader, your deacon…

- are you thankful that you don’t have to fail in temptation over and over and over?...

- …that God has given us a victorious King who stands ready to lead us in triumph as we handle temptation in a way that is consistent with this passage?...

- and are you thankful for the opportunities we’re given around the world if we’ll seek to live this way?...

- we have a very special group of teenagers with us for the next several weeks…

- some of our dear friends in the DR are Olga and Pastor Oscar Arocha…

- Olga has an orphanage in Santiago with nearly 100 children…and she is completely committed to teaching these young people the gospel and solid biblical truth…we actually have a formal partnership with VOH and their ministry in the DR…

- Olga also wants her children to learn English because that’s so essential to their employability in their country…

- so 12 teenagers from Santiago are here in the states – 7 at a supporting church in Nebraska and 5 staying with families here at Faith for the next month…

- I hope you’ll show them a warm welcome…

- but aren’t you glad that of all the church Olga might want her children to experience – we were able to be one of them?...handling temptation well gives you a platform for world-wide impact…

- let me just conclude by briefly explaining a special opportunity in the country of Haiti…

- we rarely have special offerings here because we recognize our people give so generously and sacrificially already…

- but every so often I find myself in a ministry situation where I think – if our church family was standing right here next to me, I know they would want us to do something…

- [explain what’s happening and the special giving opportunity – because these leaders are trying to train these young children without parents how to handle temptation in Christ Alone]…