Temptation and Triumph

We're in Matthew chapter 3, verse 13, going all the way to chapter 4, verse 11.

Matthew 3:13

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Heavenly Father,

I praise you that your word is not bound.

I praise you that your word does not depend,

and the proclamation of your word ultimately does not depend on my authority or credibility,

because it rests on your authority.

So please, Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight.

Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

And give all of us here in this room ears to hear, to believe, and to obey your word.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Please stand, and if you are able, for the reading of God's word,

just to honor God who has spoken to us in his scriptures.

Let's read.

Starting in Matthew chapter 3, verse 13.

Matthew 3:13

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John,

to be baptized by him.

John would have prevented him, saying,

I need to be baptized by you.

And do you come to me?

But Jesus answered him,

Let it be so now,

for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

Then he consented.

And when Jesus was baptized,

immediately he went up from the water.

And behold, the heavens were opened to him.

And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

And behold, a voice from heaven said,

This is my beloved Son,

with whom I am well pleased.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness

to be tempted by the devil.

And after fasting 40 days and 40 nights,

he was hungry.

And the tempter came and said to him,

If you are the Son of God,

command these stones to become loaves of bread.

But he answered,

It is written,

Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Then the devil took him to the holy city

and set him 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,

lest you strike your foot against the stone.

Jesus said to him,

Again, it is written,

You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.

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 I will give you

if you will fall down and worship me.

Then Jesus said to him,

Be gone, Satan.

For it is written,

You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.

Then the devil left him.

And behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

It's God's holy and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

One of the marks of adulthood,

in contrast with childhood,

is that we carry regrets.

Healthy Christians, of course,

learn to deal with regret

by receiving God's forgiveness and mercy and grace

and also learning to trust in God's sovereignty

in and through all of it,

even through our mistakes and faults and sins.

But if there isn't anything that we wish we had done

that we didn't do,

or anything that we wish we hadn't done that we did do,

we probably just haven't lived for very long.

We've all messed up.

We have all done things that we should not have done

and failed to do things that we should have done.

Maybe you didn't take a career opportunity

that you should have taken.

Maybe you took a career opportunity

that you should not have taken,

and now your health and your family

are suffering as a result.

Maybe you were too fearful

to ask that person out on a date.

Maybe by your stubborn refusal

to humble yourself and apologize,

you lost a dear friend.

Maybe you said something

that is deeply hurtful to someone

that cut them down.

Maybe you didn't intervene

in the life of your friend or family member

when you should have,

and now that person is dead.

No matter how deep our regrets,

time only flows one way,

and there are no do-overs in life.

The Bible tells us

that we have all failed

in a profound and permanent way.

We were created to love

and to obey and to worship God,

but instead we have loved ourselves

more than we've loved God.

We have sinned against Him,

and we have made not God,

but other people and other things

the center of our allegiance

and our affection and our adoration.

In other words,

we have made idols

and have worshipped them

instead of God.

And this is what the Bible calls sin,

has created this impassable rift

between God and us,

but unfortunately for us,

there is no do-over in life.

How then can we be forgiven

of our sins

and reconcile to God?

How then can we fulfill

the righteous requirements of the law

which we have already broken?

How can we be saved?

That question,

and not what's on the news this week,

and not the anxieties

that you walked into church with this morning,

is the most pressing and important question

that faces every single one of us.

And Matthew 3, 13 to 4, 11

gives us a wonderful answer

that Jesus is the Son of God

who fulfills all righteousness

as our substitute.

First, we're going to talk about

the testimony of the Son of God.

Secondly, we'll talk about

the temptation of the Son of God.

And finally, we'll talk about

the triumph of the Son of God.

The first thing to note in this passage

is the testimony of the Son of God,

more specifically,

the testimony of God the Father

regarding the Son,

His Son, Jesus Christ.

The baptism of Jesus

doesn't get as much attention

as the birth narratives,

especially during the Christmas season

that we just went through.

But while the two of the gospel writers,

Mark and John,

entirely omit the birth narratives of Jesus,

all four gospels

include some variation

of the baptism of Jesus

and the testimony

that the God the Father bears

about who His Son is.

And that shows,

that fact that all the gospels

highlight this event

shows what a defining moment it was

for first century believers.

It was a pivotal moment

that confirmed for Christians

who Jesus' true identity was,

who He really is.

It says in chapter 3, verse 13,

then Jesus came from Galilee

to the Jordan to John

to be baptized by Him.

What's wrong with this picture?

We learned last week

from the preceding passage

that John's water baptism

is a baptism of repentance.

Remember how John the Baptist

rebuked the Pharisees

and the Sadducees

who were coming to observe

His baptism saying,

bear fruit in keeping

with repentance.

True repentance entails

renouncing sin,

repenting of sin,

turning away from sin.

That's the fruit of repentance.

That's the fruit of obedience

that repentance

is supposed to bear.

This is why

if a so-called Christian

lives in unrepentant sin,

presuming upon the grace of God

and indulging in sin

without confession,

the Bible commands us

to take steps

as a local church

to declare them

an unbeliever

and to discontinue

Christian fellowship

with that person.

By their lack of repentance,

they have reneged

on their baptismal covenant,

which is the promise

to repent

and to believe in Jesus.

And that's precisely

what is wrong

with this picture.

Why is Jesus

being baptized?

What sin

did Jesus commit?

What sin

does Jesus

have to confess?

What sin

does Jesus

have to be washed of?

Nothing.

There is none.

Moreover,

why is Jesus

coming to be baptized

by John?

Remember what John said

in chapter 3, verse 11,

in reference to Jesus,

He who is coming

after me

is mightier than I,

whose sandals

I am not worthy

to carry.

He will baptize you

with the Holy Spirit

and fire.

I mentioned last week

that Jews taught

that disciples

should be submissive

and subservient

to their teachers.

They taught

that disciples

should do

for their teachers

everything that

a slave does

for his master

except

carrying their sandals

because that's

beneath the dignity

even of a disciple.

That's fitting

only for a slave.

And John said,

I am not

worthy

to be your disciple.

No,

not only that,

I am not worthy

to be your slave.

I am not worthy

to carry your sandals

because that's

the surpassing

greatness

and worth

and glory

of Jesus Christ.

That's why

it says in chapter 3,

verse 14,

John would have

prevented him saying,

I need to be

baptized by you

and do you

come to me?

Jesus,

I'm a sinner.

You're not.

Jesus,

you're the king.

I'm the servant.

I need your spirit

and fire baptism.

Not you,

my water baptism

of repentance.

There's something

profoundly wrong

with this picture.

But Jesus tells John

that it is appropriate

for now

for him to get

baptized by John

in verse 15,

let it be so now

for thus it is fitting

for us

to fulfill

all righteousness.

The word fulfill

and its variation

is used 15 times

to speak of Jesus

fulfilling something

in the gospel

of Matthew.

Of those 15 instances,

only this verse

doesn't refer

specifically to

the fact that

Jesus is fulfilling

the scriptures.

So it's a significant

verse.

What is it

that Jesus

is fulfilling?

He's fulfilling

all righteousness.

Righteousness

is right living

in accordance

with God's

righteous standards.

Righteousness

is being in

right relationship

with God

and in and through

that relationship

with God

being in right

relationship

with everything

and everyone else

around you.

So how does

Jesus' baptism

fulfill all

righteousness?

We find the answer

to that question

in the way

Jesus describes

his own purpose

and mission

throughout the gospels.

He says in Matthew

8, 17 to 18

that Jesus came

to bear our

illnesses and diseases.

Quoting from

Isaiah 53

which we read

from earlier

from the assurance

of pardon,

it said that Jesus

came to be pierced

for our transgressions.

That he came

to be crushed

for our iniquities

so that by his wounds

we are healed

and it says

a few verses later

in that same chapter

in Isaiah

that the righteous one

Jesus

will make many

to be accounted

righteous

and he shall bear

their iniquities.

That's how Jesus

fulfills

all righteousness.

He bears

our iniquities

and makes us

accounted as righteous

even though we are

sinners.

Again,

Jesus says in Matthew

Matthew 20:28

20 verse 28

the son of man

came not to be served

but to serve

and to give his life

as a ransom

for many.

Jesus came

to die

in the stead

of sinners.

He came

to pour out

his blood

for the forgiveness

of our sins.

He came

to make

the many

accounted righteous.

So what is Jesus

doing by getting

baptized by John

here?

Jesus is identifying

with sinners.

Walking in solidarity

with sinners.

Jesus already

at the very beginning

of his ministry

starting to bear

our burdens.

Setting an example

for what sinners

ought to do

in repenting.

So John's question

I need to be

baptized by you

and you

come to me

is profound.

I should be

in your place.

You should be

in my place.

That's precisely

the point.

Jesus is

our substitute.

We

should be

hanged

on that cross

for our sins.

But instead

Jesus

dies

on that cross

in our place.

that's my place.

What are you

doing there?

Come down

from there.

No,

but Jesus says

it is right

to fulfill

all righteousness.

So at Jesus'

insistence

John relents

and baptizes

Jesus

and it says

in verses 16

and 17

immediately

he went up

from the water

and behold

the heavens

were opened

to him

and he saw

the spirit

of God

descending

like a dove

and coming

to rest

on him

and behold

a voice

from heaven

said

this is

my beloved

son

with whom

I am

well pleased.

I'm going to

digress

for a couple

minutes

because it

says in

verse 16

that Jesus

went up

from the

water

which I

think is

a clear

example

of immersion

baptism.

right

you guys

can laugh

that's okay

we are

baptistic

so I do

need to

point that

out.

It's funny

but in one

of the children's

Bibles that I

read for the

kids

it's called

the big

picture story

Bible

that's the

one that we

recommend to

a lot of

our kids

in the

preschool age

in the

scene of

Jesus'

baptism

the illustrator

decided that

he's not

going to

take a

position on

it

so Jesus

is in

the water

but John

the Baptist

is sprinkling

water on

but that's

just not the

way it

happened

originally

to baptize

baptizo in

Greek means

to immerse

it's to

dunk in

water.

The reason

why people

started sprinkling

in the early

church as you

can see in

the didache

which is the

teachings of

the apostles

kind of handed

down kind of

a how-to

practical manual

it says your

first choice in

baptism is to

use running

water or

living water

out in the

ocean or in

the river or

something.

If you don't

have that option

then use still

water in a

tank like we

do here

because we

don't have

that option

and then it

said if you

don't have

that then

just sprinkle

them three

times in the

name of the

Father and

Son and

Holy Spirit.

That was

the manual

and so that's

kind of how

that descended

down.

So I'm

sorry if

you're

Presbyterian

and you're

here but

that's the

digression.

Way more

important than

how Jesus

was baptized

was what

happened

afterward.

Three times

in this

passage we see

the word

behold and

each time

heaven comes

down to

earth.

Look at

those situations

where it says

behold.

Verse 16

behold the

heavens were

open to him

and he saw

the Spirit of

God descending

like a dove

and coming to

rest on him.

This doesn't

mean that Jesus

didn't have the

Holy Spirit prior

to this point.

Remember in

Matthew 1

18 to 20

Jesus was

conceived by

the Holy Spirit

already.

But when

God was

creating the

world in

Genesis 1

Genesis 1:2

verse 2

it says that

the Spirit

of God

was hovering

over the

face of

the waters

like a

bird.

And similarly

when God

was in a

way recreating

the world

after the

flood judgment

in Noah's

day in

Genesis 8

8 to 12

Noah sends

out what

bird?

A dove

to hover

over the

waters.

Likewise

the Spirit

of God

hovers

over the

water

and rests

on Jesus

during his

baptism

because Jesus

is the one

who ushers

in the new

creation of

God.

2 Corinthians

5 17

says therefore

if anyone

is in

Christ he

is a

new

creation.

The old

has passed

away.

Behold

the new

has come.

There's

another

word.

There is

another

instance of

behold in

verse 17

and behold

a voice

from heaven

said this

is my

beloved

son with

whom I

am well

pleased.

And again

in chapter

4 verse 11

then the

devil left

him and

behold angels

came and

were ministering

to him.

And where

do angels

come from?

They come

from heaven.

Three times

we are told

behold and

that means we

ought to pay

attention and

each time the

very heavens

testify to

who Jesus

is.

All of the

heavens testify

to who

Jesus is.

God the

father

testifies.

God the

spirit

testifies and

all their

ministering

angels,

their servants

testify to

what God the

father says

out loud.

Beloved

son with

whom he

is well,

with whom I

am well

pleased.

And in the

rest of the

gospel of

Matthew we

see people

gradually coming

to realize and

to believe the

full meaning of

the father's

declaration that

Jesus is

God's son.

We see that

later with his

disciples and

after Jesus

calms the

storm,

Matthew 14

33,

we see that

in Peter's

declaration that

you are the

Christ,

the son of the

living God in

Matthew 16

16,

and finally with

the centurion's

declaration after

Jesus' death,

Matthew 27

54.

Truly this was

the son of

God.

This is meant

to show us that

Jesus is the

one mediator between

God and man,

between heaven and

earth.

He is the one who

brings God's

kingdom of heaven

and does God's

will on earth as

it is in heaven.

He is the

coming one,

the promised

one,

Emmanuel,

the only

beloved son of

God,

who shares the

father's nature.

That is the

testimony of the

son of God.

Now let's turn to

the temptation of

the son of God in

chapter four.

Jesus goes right

here from the

high of his

baptism to the

low of his

temptation.

salvation.

He goes from

the high of the

waters of the

Jordan River to

the low of the

desert wilderness.

Jesus goes from

the high of hearing

the voice of God

from heaven to the

low of hearing the

voice of Satan who

roams the earth.

Jesus goes from

hearing this is my

beloved son to the

low of hearing if

you are the son of

God.

The striking

contrasts are

intentionally laid

side by side to

make a point.

We see here in the

life of Christ that

the Christian life does

not always go from

one spiritual high to

the next.

Christ.

But that we often go

from the water to the

wilderness and from

affirmations to

temptations.

We sometimes

mistakenly think that

when trials and

temptations and

tribulations come our

way that we must be

doing something wrong.

God must be punishing

me.

God must not be happy

with me.

I must have done

something wrong.

But look at Jesus.

God the Father just

said to him, this is

my beloved son with

whom I am well

pleased.

And yet Jesus faces

the temptations of

the devil himself not

once, not twice, but

three times.

And note what it says

in verse one.

Then Jesus was led

up by the spirit into

the wilderness to be

tempted by the devil.

The very spirit that

just descended upon

Jesus in the likeness

of a dove is the

same spirit that now

leads Jesus into the

wilderness to be

tempted by the devil.

It's not because Jesus

is unfaithful or

unloved, but precisely

because he is faithful

and because he is

loved.

He is now led into

that period of

testing.

And this reveals the

good and sovereign

purposes of God which

transcend all of the

evil purposes of the

devil.

The word translated

tempt here can also be

translated test depending

on the context.

Sometimes when

translated tempt, it

means to tempt someone

in order to make them

fail so you can

disapprove of them.

Or when it

translated test,

sometimes it means to

test someone to show

their true worth and

approve of them.

As God tested Abraham

and as he tested the

Israelites in the

wilderness.

Both nuances are

relevant here.

God cannot be tempted

with evil and he tempts

no one.

That is true.

James 1.13.

So here it is the devil

who does the tempting,

not God.

God, the devil is

trying to make Jesus

fall and fail and to

discredit him.

But over and above all

of what the devil is

doing and intending, it

is God himself who is

testing Jesus in order to

accredit him before his

ministry begins in

earnest.

So don't be discouraged

if you're in a

wilderness season.

what the enemy means for

evil, God means it for

our good and for his

glory.

In the world, you will

have tribulation, Jesus

said, but take heart, I

have overcome the world.

Because Jesus himself in

every respect has been

tempted as we are, yet

without sin, he is able to

sympathize with our

weaknesses.

The antagonist of the

scene, we all know him,

is the devil, who is

called by three different

names in this passage.

He is called the devil

four times, Satan once in

verse 10, and he is

called the tempter in

verse 3.

This is not referring to

ordinary demons and evil

spirits that you see

throughout the gospels.

It's referring to Satan who

is the ruler and prince

among them all.

The head honcho himself

comes and attempts to go

toe-to-toe with Jesus, but

he is about to be roundly

defeated and sent home

packing.

The devil is the Greek

equivalent of the Hebrew

word Satan, and it means

accuser or slenderer, because

that is what he does.

He accuses and slanders God's

people day and night.

He shouts condemnation over

us day and night.

If you have a clear

conscience, that doesn't

mean that you haven't

sinned.

It means that there is no

sin you haven't confessed

and haven't brought to God.

You've done that.

You've confessed your sins.

You've brought those things

to God.

But you still hear the voice

of the devil condemning you.

That's not the voice of the

Lord.

It's the voice of the accuser

and the slanderer.

He's also called a tempter

and a liar.

He whispers lies to us about

God's character, and he

tempts us to disobey God.

The devil is not a literary

personification of all the evil

in the world.

He is a real and personal

being.

And we can see that clearly

here.

As much as we would like to,

we cannot explain away all the

hatred and the evil that is in

this world simply by the

sinfulness of man.

Though that sinfulness is very

grave.

There is a real personal evil,

a spiritual evil, that is at

work in our world.

And that's why Ephesians 6, 12

reminds us that our spiritual

battle is not against flesh and

blood.

It's not against other people,

but it is against the spiritual

rulers and the authorities and

the powers.

And against the spiritual forces of

evil in the heavenly places.

It's so easy for us, isn't it, to

antagonize people who disagree with

us or go against our interests, act

against our interests in the world

and in the church.

But we must remember that our

battle is ultimately against a

different enemy.

It's not against flesh and blood.

Let's look at the temptations in

detail.

The first is found in verses 2 and 3.

After fasting 40 days and 40 nights,

he was hungry.

And the tempter came and said to

him, if you are the son of God,

command these stones to become

loaves of bread.

The number 40 is symbolically

significant and it comes up

frequently throughout scripture.

But the most relevant connections

here is that Moses fasts for 40

days and 40 nights before receiving

the covenant requirements for God's

people from God.

And even more relevant than that,

Israel, God's people, wander in the

wilderness for 40 years prior to

entering the promised land.

And since Jesus uses scriptures from

Deuteronomy from the period of the

wilderness wandering of God's people,

Jesus is here being portrayed as the

representative of God's people, the

new Israel, who is not facing the same

temptations that his people faced in

the wilderness.

The first temptation is pretty

straightforward.

I think we can all relate.

Verse 2 tells us that Jesus was hungry.

And though Jesus is fully God, he's

also fully man, which means that he

needed to eat and when he didn't, he

got hungry.

Of course, many of us, including me,

we exaggerate and say that we're

starving when dinner is one or two

hours late.

But Jesus is actually starving.

Forty days and forty nights.

Imagine that.

Jesus' body has long depleted the

reserves of glucose and the fat.

Now his body is breaking down his own

protein, his own muscles, consuming

itself for energy.

So imagine how hungry Jesus would have

been and how tempting Satan's

temptation would have been.

If you are the son of God, command these

stones to become loaves of bread.

There's nothing wrong with the appetite

for bread.

God made us to get hungry and God made

us to eat.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to eat

bread.

But Jesus is here being tempted to doubt

God's provision for him and to take

things into own hands and provide for

himself.

It brings into question the way God is

leading Jesus because God's the one who

led Jesus into the wilderness where

there's no food.

He's the one who has led Jesus to fasting

for those forty days and forty nights.

We can see how Jesus responds in verse

four.

It is written, man shall not live by bread

alone, but by every word that comes from

the mouth of God.

Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 8 verse 3

Deuteronomy 8:3

when Moses said to the Israelites, he

humbled you and let your hunger and let you

hunger and fed you with manna, which you did

not know, nor did your fathers know, that he

might make you know that man does not live by

bread alone, but man lives by every word that

comes from the mouth of the Lord.

God humbled the Israelites by letting them

experience hunger and then instead of

providing enough food for them to last the

entire journey in the wilderness, God

provided just enough to last one day so

that each day they would have to depend on

God's fresh provision so that they would

be humbled, so that they would know that God

the Father is their provider.

They were to learn humility and submission and

dependence on God through that, but the

Israelites failed that test.

They grumbled against God and they doubted

his provision.

And so in essence, the devil is asking Jesus

here, aren't you the son of God?

Didn't the father just say, you are my

beloved son in whom I am well pleased?

Aren't you the son of God?

And aren't you starving?

Where is your father?

Doesn't he provide for you?

Doesn't he care about you?

Here's some rocks.

Take things into your own hands.

Use the power that is within you.

Turn it into stone.

This is a representative temptation that can

be applied generally to all kinds of

different temptations of appetite and desire.

Where in your lives have your appetites

grown inordinate?

Inordinate?

Maybe it's an inordinate appetite for food,

for sex, for money, for companionship, for things.

The devil tempts us in very similar ways.

Aren't you a child of God?

Where is your father?

Aren't you lonely?

Go.

Sleep with that woman at that party.

Marry that non-Christian man.

He will love you.

Provide for you.

Your father is nowhere to be seen.

Take things into your own hands.

Don't wait on God or trust in his provision.

Aren't you in need?

Steal that money.

Cheat on the taxes.

No one will notice.

Aren't you the son of God?

Aren't you the daughter of God?

Where is your father?

If you are in a season of wilderness hunger,

don't demand food at your own convenience,

but instead wait for God's good and perfect timing.

That's the first temptation.

Yes, we need bread for life,

but life is not for bread.

The point, the purpose of our lives is to do the will of God,

to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

That's why Jesus says in John 4, 34,

my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

So Jesus passes the first test.

The second temptation is in verses five and six.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him 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.

Lest you strike your foot against a stone.

Having been rebuked by scripture,

the devil ups his game and decides that he will try his own hand in using scripture against Jesus.

And he quotes Psalm 91 verses 11 to 12.

Psalms 91:11–12

It's all too easy to rip scripture out of context and misuse it to suit our own purposes.

I've quoted this before as many preacher and professors have said,

the text without its context is a pretext.

In its original context,

Psalm 91 spoke about how we ought to walk with him and to trust in him

and that if we take shelter under the shelter of God almighty,

that we will be protected by him.

The Psalm called for humble submission to God,

but the devil is tempting Jesus to presumption,

to put man and not God at the center.

Aren't you the son of God?

May God prove his care and protection for you

by jumping off this temple.

Notice the devil takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple.

This is the very house of God in those days.

Surely God is in this place.

Surely he'll not miss you here.

You're right at the tip,

the pinnacle of the temple.

Let's do a little trust fall.

Jump.

Jump.

But Jesus once again rebuffed Satan with scripture in verse seven,

quoting from Deuteronomy 6, 16,

you shall not put the Lord your God to the test

as you tested him at Massa.

This is an allusion to the time

when the Israelites quarreled with Moses

and tested God by angrily demanding water

because they were thirsty in the wilderness.

Exodus 17.

This incident is described this way in Exodus 17, verse seven.

And he called the name of the place Massa and Meribah

because of the quarreling of the people of Israel

and because they tested the Lord by saying,

is the Lord among us or not?

Now that gets to the rub of the temptation here.

The nature of this temptation is God with you or not?

Does your father care for you or not?

Make him prove it.

We so often put God to these kinds of tests.

If you heal my disease,

then I will believe in you,

that you care for me.

If you give me a job,

then I will follow you

and believe that you are for me.

If you give this to me,

if you do that for me,

and if only then will I believe

that you really are there

and that you love me.

But to do that is to put God to the test.

To do that is to make God serve us

rather than us serving God.

So Jesus refuses the second temptation as well.

Notice that both of these first two temptations

are prefaced with the conditional clause,

if you are the son of God.

This is directly related to the fact

that God just said concerning Jesus

in chapter three, verse 17,

this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.

Satan calls into question

Jesus' identity as the son of God,

not because he doubts it,

he knows it,

but because he wants to cast a shadow over it,

because he wants to drive a wedge

between the father and the son.

And not only the devil,

but again and again,

godless people in the gospel

will taunt Jesus precisely on this point.

In Matthew 27, 39 to 40,

the passerbys,

the passerby,

they deride Jesus

and they wag their heads saying,

if you are the son of God,

come down from the cross.

In Matthew 27, 43,

the chief priest with the scribes and the elders,

they mocked Jesus saying,

he trusts in God,

let God deliver him now,

if he desires him,

for he said,

I am the son of God.

If you are the son of God,

wouldn't your life be different right now?

That's the thrust of all the temptations

that the devil puts before the people of God.

That is why every temptation is serious

and every sin is grave.

Not only does our sin in and of itself displease God,

it also impugns God's character.

It makes us question the goodness of our heavenly father.

All Satan needs to do is to drive this narrow sliver

of the tip of the wedge in.

Then he can drive the rest of it in.

In the third and final temptation,

the devil drops all pretense.

There is no,

if you are the son of God,

Satan is no longer trying to play on Jesus' relationship

with the father and making it sound like,

oh, since you are God's son,

these things should be happening for you.

No, he drops the mask

and outright tempts Jesus

to renounce his allegiance to God the father.

He says in verses eight and nine,

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 I will give you

if you will fall down and worship me.

The devil is described in several instances

throughout the New Testament

as the ruler of this world

and he does in fact have this authority

under God's sovereign ultimate rule

to grant this.

This world is under the devil's influence

until it is wrested from his control

by our Lord Jesus

when he returns to glory to consummate

his kingdom.

The main thrust of the temptation

is authority and glory in the world.

Jesus already has been promised

authority and glory.

He is destined to rule

according to the prophecies of the Old Testament.

So it is not wrong for the son of God

to have these things.

The problem is in the way

that the son of God claims

that authority and glory.

God the father had appointed

that the son would attain glory

through the humiliation of the cross.

God the father has ordained

that the son would attain his rule

and his kingship through service

by giving his life as a ransom for many.

But this temptation tempts Jesus

to short circuit that process.

aren't you the son of God?

Isn't all this authority and glory and power

supposed to be yours anyway?

Well then here it is.

Take it.

I offer it to you.

Forget proclaiming the kingdom of heaven.

Here.

Here.

I give you all the kingdoms of the world.

All you have to do

is renounce your allegiance to God

and pledge allegiance to me.

Bow down and worship me.

Jesus answers the devil

by quoting scripture once again in verse 10.

Be gone Satan.

For it is written

you shall worship the Lord your God

and him only shall you serve.

This is a quotation from Deuteronomy 6.13.14

and recalls Israel's idolatry in Exodus 32

when they made a golden cap

in the place of the true God

and worshiped and bowed before it.

In Moses' absence

these people,

the Israelites realized

they need divine help

in order to complete the conquest

and to claim the promised land

but they're like

well Moses is gone

and where is God?

And so they

pick quickly

because their quest

wasn't ultimately about the glory of God

but about their own glory.

Cut God out of the picture.

In comes the golden calf.

Are you willing to

forsake your allegiance to God

for your own glory?

Are you willing to compromise

your principles

in order to climb

the ladder of success?

Yes, you want to do

great things for God

but is that great thing

really for you

or for God?

There's only one person

in the world

who deserves worship.

and that is the Lord

our God.

Does your life

bear witness

to this

exclusive allegiance?

In God's economy

humility

always comes

before honor

and pride

always comes

before fall

because Jesus

does not take things

into his own hands

but trusts

in the Father's will

after his death

and resurrection

Jesus says

in Matthew 28, 18

all authority

in heaven

and on earth

has been given

to me.

He didn't get that authority

from the devil

because the devil

doesn't have that authority.

He got it from God the Father

because it's authority

in heaven

and on earth.

it is unbecoming

of us

brothers and sisters

to seek

positions

and glory

power

recognition

we already have

the greatest affirmation

we can have

in Jesus Christ

God the Father

says of all of us

this is my beloved

son

with whom

I am

well pleased.

Is there

more glory

out there

somewhere

than being the heir

of the king

of the universe?

Is there

more joy

out there

somewhere

than being able

to be well

pleasing

to God

our Father?

So Jesus

passes all three tests

with flying colors

which is why

he's prepared

to meet

the fiery trials

of the cross.

Later in Matthew

26

when Jesus

is being betrayed

and arrested

his disciples

try to intervene

but Jesus says

do you think

that I cannot

appeal to my Father

and he will at once

send me more

than twelve

legions of angels?

But how then

should the scriptures

be fulfilled

that it must be so?

Once again

there is a temptation

at the end of his life

on his way

to the cross

to call down

legions of angels

to protect him

but again

Jesus does not

take that rock

because he says

the scriptures

must be fulfilled

and he must die

and later in Matthew 16

Peter will declare

to Jesus

you are the Christ

the son

of the living God

which is an amazing

profession

but shortly after that

we see that

Peter still

doesn't get it all

because when Jesus

foretells

his impending

suffering and death

Peter says

oh wait a minute

no no no

you are the son

of God

far be it from you

this shall never

happen to you

but Jesus

hears the voice

of the devil

behind Peter

if you are

the son of God

you would not

have to suffer

like this

and so Jesus

rebukes

Peter

and rebukes

Satan

get behind me

Satan

you are a hindrance

to me

for you are not

setting your mind

on the things

of God

but on the things

of man

very similar

to how Jesus

now says

be gone

Satan

in so doing

Jesus passes

all the tests

where Israel

God's people

failed

Israel

if you might

recall

from our series

in Exodus

is described

as God's

firstborn son

in Exodus

4 22

and in Jeremiah

31 9

and in their

experience in the

wilderness of 40

years

they failed all

three of these

tests

but Jesus

who is the new

Israel

who represents

all of God's

people including

us

succeeds

where they

failed

during his

40 days

of temptation

and this is

why

all of Jesus

scriptural

answers

come from

Deuteronomy

because he is

functioning as

our substitute

to fulfill

all righteousness

so think for a

moment with me

of all the sins

that you have

ever committed

maybe some sins

that no one

no living human

being knows

but you

think of

all the

evil

and sordid

places

that you

have gone

with your

feet

with your

eyes

and in your

mind

and in your

heart

Jesus

the holy

one

the son

of God

has been

there

he has

been there

he has

been there

and he

succeeded

exactly

exactly

where you

failed

all the

places

where I've

ever

failed

Jesus

has

succeeded

there

in all

the places

where you

have

failed

Jesus

has

succeeded

there

in your

place

so that

we say

as John

says

I should

be there

you should

be here

but Jesus

says

it is

right

so that

I might

fulfill

all

righteousness

and that's

why

the tender

affection

and approval

of God

the father

in chapter

3 verse

17

is now

pronounced

over us

don't

ever

lose

sight

of the

wonder

of that

brothers

and sisters

family

of God

do you

know where

that comes

from

beloved

son

this is

my beloved

son

with whom

I am

well

please

first part

of it

comes

from

Isaiah

42

1

which we

read

as our

call

to worship

speaking

of Jesus

the servant

of the

Lord

the Messiah

who is

to come

it also

comes from

Genesis

Genesis 22:2

22

verse 2

when God

commands

Abraham

to sacrifice

his only

son Isaac

and do you

remember what

God calls

Isaac

there

when he

tells Abraham

to sacrifice

him

your son

your only

son

your beloved

son

and if

you know

the rest

of the

story

God

interrupts

Abraham

doesn't

let him

sacrifice

Isaac

and instead

of in

Isaac's

place

provides

a ram

a male

sheep

to take

Isaac's

place

so that

that sheep

can be

offered

in the

place

of his

son

Isaac

and you

know why

God provides

that substitute

because it's

pointing forward

to what God

knows he's

going to do

when his

only son

his beloved

son

comes down

and climbs

up a mountain

and dies

on behalf

of sinners

like you

and me

it's

because

Jesus

has been

offered

as the

lamb

of God

for the

sins

of his

people

and because

he has

died

there

and because

he was

raised

from the

dead

that we

his

wayward

people

are

forgiven

the

wayward

son

is forgiven

because

the

righteous

son

is

condemned

the

wayward

son

is

reconciled

the

wayward

son

lives

because

the

obedient

son

dies

there

are

no

do

overs

for us