24. TEMPTATION MATT 4. 1-11.

Although temptation is not sin, it is something that dogs every one of us everyday and let’s face it, we give in to it much more than we’d possibly like to admit. However, if it is not dealt with it will take over and what was just a temptation becomes much more than just that, it becomes SIN. We all have our own Battlegrounds in some cases they are things we surrendered to years ago that now lurk in our innermost thoughts. That’s why The Scriptures warn,”Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life. ” Max Lucado writes, “I’m at a desk in my hotel room far away from home, the voices that encourage are distant, the voices that entice are near, A placard on my night- stand invites me to the Lounge “to make new friends in a relaxing atmosphere.” Another on the TV that promises late-night movies “that will make all my fantasies come true” In the phone book, several columns of escort services that offer “Love away from home” Voices, some for pleasure, some for power. The world hammers at your door, Jesus taps. The world offers fleshly pleasure, Jesus offers us a quiet dinner… with Him… “I will come and eat with him and He with me” (Revelation 3.20) Which voice will you obey? You ask How should I handle tempting situations? In two ways, first by filling your mind with Scripture so that your first response is always “it is written” second by keeping your eyes on Jesus who said “If your hand should cause you to sin cut it off and cast it away, it would be better to go to Heaven minus a hand than to go to hell with both your hands.” He said the same about one’s foot and eye. In other words, don’t look, touch or walk in the direction of where temptation is leading you. That’s how strongly Jesus felt about anything that causes sin in our lives. That’s why I have chosen to write about temptation, There is no sin without temptation and, temptation ALWAYS comes before SIN. And that’s the time and place to deal with it. So how do we handle temptation before it handles us. I thought we might see how Christ handled it and also bring out a few ideas of my own which I have picked up on my Christian walk, The best way of all is to throw Scripture at it, that is what Jesus did and it worked. I thought we could look at the temptation of Jesus in the desert. In Matthew 4.1. We read, “Jesus was led by the Spirit in to the desert to be tempted". Not led by the Devil, not by any earthly desire of His own, not even by any weakness on His part, but by the Holy Spirit Himself. Why? Because this is the perfect example of how God works with the people He has chosen to be in His Fighting force against Satan and his Minions. There has been war between Heaven and Hell ever since the fall of Adam and Eve. Once we make a choice to follow Christ we have been enlisted into God’s Army against sin, death and Hell. We can’t join any army without going in to training camp for several weeks or months. One can have all the commitment in the world to the cause, but if you don’t know how to handle yourself, you are a lost cause and no use to yourself or to the other people around you. When Young people go in to training, they are up at dawn, running for miles with a heavy pack on their backs, crawling under barbed wire barriers with bullets flying all around them and listening for orders from somebody they don’t know and don’t like. But, when they pass the test, they get to proudly wear the uniform. If we want to wear the uniform of Jesus Christ, we too have to pass the test. Jesus being God, was also fully man and as such He also had to pass the test, He shows us here how to combat temptation and also see how the enemy (Satan), works and the tactics he uses. Let’s look at these temptations and see how Jesus handled them and how they apply to us The First attack, (Mat.4 v3.” Turn these stones into bread.” The first area Satan will attack is our senses, A couple of examples are:-- Adam and Eve with a rosy red apple. David with a beautiful woman.. and Esau with a bowl of stew. It’s an interesting exercise to go through Scripture and see how greed and Lust dominated the lives of so many people. It is no different to-day, one can look at T.V. any day of the week and see the foothold the devil has on people’s lives in just these two areas. Was Jesus hungry? Of course He was, He hadn’t eaten for forty days, but He knew from his forty days training that He had to put His spiritual needs first and if He did that, God would take care of His natural needs (food) And so He was able to say in Matt 4.4 “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Only when we are convinced God will take care of our natural needs will we start putting Spiritual needs first in our lives. Until that happens we think we have to take care of ourselves. As a result, we walk in fear that our natural needs wont be met. and not in Faith. That is not how God wants us to live. Matt 6.33. “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of Heaven and ALL these things WILL be added unto you.” When we worry about the natural we are telling God we don”t trust Him. Because when we trust God we don”t have to worry. I know it’s easier said than done, but we just have to ask ourselves one question, Has He ever let me down? The Second attack The attack on the pinnacle Matt 4v5 “The devil took Him up into the Holy City and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple” If Satan hasn’t got us through our senses, he will try fear and failure, he will tell ,you “You are on the pinnacle of success now, but you can easily fall off” he will remind you of your past failures, your inadequacies and short comings and tell you “You’re just not good enough, People will not respect you any more.” How do we handle this sort of temptation? When the devil told Jesus to jump what he was saying is “You can do anything if you are the Son of God” And he’ll say to us “If you are a Christian The Bible says God will protect you.” As soon as he starts quoting Scripture, be on your guard, He knows Scripture better than you or I do and he’ll use it to his own advantage. . So all we have to say is “I will not tempt The Lord my God. Nor will I put Him to the test”. God does not have to justify Himself to anyone particularly not the devil. It has to be said here that there are two kinds of fear, Healthy and unhealthy fear. Healthy fear will keep us dependent on God, it will protect us from Pride and self-sufficiency (1Cor.10.v12.) says “Therefore let him who stands take heed lest he fall.”(That means don’t get proud stay dependent on God). The unhealthy fear will keep you in the boat when Jesus is calling you to walk with Him on the water, having Faith doesn’t mean at times you won't experience that sinking feeling that Peter did, But we have a choice, we can give into fear or trust in the God who has called us, sustained us and never failed to give us the strength to cope with whatever we’re facing, If our own intellect and talents are the bases of our confidence we have good reason to fear, but if God is the bases of our confidence we have nothing to fear. That is a good adage and worth keeping in mind, asking ourselves,Where does my confidence lie at this particular time in this particular situation. The third attack. Matt. 4.v9 “All these things I will give you.” Satan”s final temptation was over the cross-less life. He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and that’s what He’s showing you and me And what is he saying to you and me? “You don’t have to take up your cross everyday, You can have the world, all its Bright lights, all it’s good times, and all the pleasures this world offers I will give it all to you if you will just follow me,” And He was saying to Jesus ‘You don’t have to carry that cross just bow down and worship me and you can have it all. In Scripture Jesus calls him “The Prince of this World” and so he is, but not for much longer for the time is coming when this world and all that is in it will be under the feet of Jesus Christ and Satan knows this very well and wants to take as many of us as he can with him. Don’t join him. In Matt.4.10. Jesus says “Away with you Satan you shall worship God alone and Him only shall you serve.” In Galatians 2.v20 Paul writes “I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Has God promised to bless us? Absolutely He has, but that doesn’t mean we’ll never get hurt, or face lack or fatigue, or be betrayed and disappointed by others, we are living among other Human Beings most of whom don’t know Jesus Christ or much about Christianity, be kind and patient with such people God will Bless, help and keep you safe, He will give you the right words to say to them. This will not always be easy or comfortable and sometimes take a deal of humility, but this is what Jesus meant when He said in John 12.v24. “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies (to self) it remains alone, but if it dies (to self) it produces much.” To get to that new level of blessing, we have to die to our own Pride,Wills and Selfishness, this is a daily process and if we are willing God will lead and help us along the path that leads to Glory. It’s His Kingdom we are fighting for, all we have to do is sew a Faith seed. This can be done in several easy ways, By just talking to someone about Jesus or about what God has done for us, or By the life-style we live, or even by just refusing to do something that you’re not happy about doing. A smile and a kind word goes a long way with some people in this lonely yet busy, hostile world. Yes, we can have it all now if we are willing to put our eternal life in danger, but we all know someone who has done just that to their cost. That’s why we spend so much time in prayer for our loved ones, please God He will hear our prayer and turn them around. Thank you for reading these thoughts on temptation, I hope it has helped us all to understand this topic and how to handle it a little better. May Almighty God Bless us and open our minds and hearts to His unchanging Word. Phaline. -------------------------