Sunday Sermonettes #106
We live at a time when saying Yes seems like the right thing to do because everybody is doing it. But the truth is that saying No was never easy. Back then. Not now.
And Jesus was no exception. He was God in flesh. Fully human. Tempted in all points like we are. Yet, he was without sin.
But his temptations recorded for us were unique. Two of them came with the words, “If you are the Son of God, then …”
The Temptation to Prove Yourself
Here was the temptation to use power in an unwise way. Jesus had authority on earth to forgive sins, heal, cast out demons, raise the dead and command the winds and waves. He would later use that authority in compassion, never as a display to prove how great he was.
The point it meets with our experience is when we want to prove ourselves the wrong way. We say Yes to wrong things just to prove our worth and gain acceptance. Easy choices are hard to resist, aren’t they?
But there was something deeper in the temptation. Satan was tempting Jesus to act independently of the Father’s will. Turning stones into bread was not in itself wrong. Jesus would later multiply food and feed thousands. The issue was whether he would use his power to satisfy himself rather than trust the Father and obey his will.
Jesus answered Satan with Scripture: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
The Temptation to Put God to the Test
Then came another temptation. Satan took Jesus to the highest point of the temple and told him to throw himself down. He even Scripture selectively to make the temptation sound right. If Jesus really was the Son of God, surely God would protect him.
But Jesus would not put the Father to the test. He answered, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
The point it meets with our experience is that sometimes we want God to prove himself to us before we will trust him. But faith does not mean putting God to the test. Faith means trusting and obeying him.
The Temptation to Compromise
The third temptation was about worship. The devil made that point blank. “If you will bow down and worship me …” He was showing Jesus the splendour of the kingdoms of this world and promising him everything. Just once, bow down and worship me.
Jesus did not engage Satan’s claim about what he could give. He went straight to the real issue—worship. He told the devil, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
The point it meets with our experience is that we want success without the price of obedience. We want glory without hardship. We want the crown without the cross. And therefore, we compromise.
Recognising the Devil’s Lies
Satan is brilliant at presenting temptation. He never comes as a creature with horns and a long tail. From the glimpses the Bible gives us, Satan is a powerful angelic being who rebelled against God. And he disguises himself today as an angel of light.
What does that mean?
It means that temptation does not always come looking like temptation. Wrong choices can come clothed as right things, appealing to the sinful desires within us. They come wrapped in wonderful glitter paper. But we forget to see that the wrapping is made of lies and deception simply because it is glamorous and colourful.
The point it meets with our experience is that we try to fight temptation with human logic and reason. But we need to fight it with the truth.
That is what Jesus did. All three times, he said, “It is written.”
Jesus used the living Word of God to stand against the devil’s temptations. He knew the truth, trusted the truth and obeyed the truth.
You also arm yourself with God’s Word. But don’t merely know it. Believe it. Obey it. When temptation comes, God’s Word helps you recognise the lie and choose the truth.
Because saying No may never be easy.
But when Yes means saying No to God, there is no better answer than No.
Scriptural References
- “Man shall not live by bread alone…” — Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3
- “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” — Matthew 4:7; Deuteronomy 6:16
- “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” — Matthew 4:10; Deuteronomy 6:13
- “It is written.” — Matthew 4:4, 7, 10
- Satan’s use of Scripture — Psalm 91:11–12; Matthew 4:5–6
- Satan disguises himself as “an angel of light.” — 2 Corinthians 11:14
- Temptation appealing to sinful desires — James 1:14–15
- Satan and his angels — Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:7–9
- Jesus tempted yet without sin — Hebrews 4:15
Featured image courtesy: Pexels from Pixabay
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