Temptation - Part 1

Well in my last post I talked about repentance. But today I want to look at the starting point of repentance – temptation. You see unless we are tempted we do not sin and if we do not sin then there is no need to repent.

So I would like for us to look at this topic of temptation by exploring the most powerful moment of temptation that the world has ever known – the temptation of Christ. In this story from Matthew 4; Mark 1; and Luke 4 we see Jesus having to endure the all-out assault of Satan. The Enemy tempts Christ in three different ways during this encounter.

Now what I think is important to note is that Satan believed that he could get Jesus to sin through these temptations; and if there was the possibility that Christ would sin then it seems obvious that we are almost certain to fail under the same scenario. In fact, I believe that the three temptations of Christ remain the greatest temptations for all of humanity. I believe that it is these three sins that we must guard against above all others. So over the next few days (today, tomorrow, and Friday – I will not be posting on Thursday – I have the chance to go hunting) we will explore these temptations in more detail and see what we must do to avoid falling into the pit that they offer us.

So, let’s start by looking at the beginning of the passage:

Luke 4:1-4 (NIV)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”

The first temptation does not seem to be all that applicable to us, I mean doesn’t the simple solution seem to be – DON’T GET THAT HUNGRY! This is an avenue to success that I willingly embrace! But the temptation to make bread and eat is not really the point of Satan’s offer. No, what he is saying is, “You must become the determiner of your own life; you must provide for your own well-being; you can only really trust yourself; you must be the boss of you!” This temptation screams for Christ to not trust His Father, but lean on his own abilities to get through life.

Now this is a temptation that strikes at the core of each of us. Let’s face it, if we really trusted God completely then we would have no fear of sharing the Gospel in our workplaces; tithing would be a simple and delightful act of obedience; and we would never be willing to sacrifice any part of our integrity for the sake of political correctness! No, trust is hard! And the temptation in our hearts screams for us to not do it His way, but to carve out our own path and do it our own way!

You can bet that Christ wanted those rocks to be bread; that He wanted to not be so hungry. But He also knew deep down that the only thing that could really sustain Him; the only thing that would really satisfy was (and is) the Word of God. In fact the Apostle Matthew will record the rest of the words of Christ in this moment when He says this:

Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

I think that when this temptation really takes root in our heart is when we think that something can satisfy us more than the blessings of God. You see if I think that only God can really satisfy then I am only concerned with having more of God (which I know comes only through obedience). But if I convince myself that there is something out there worth more than Him then I am willing to try and sidestep Him to get it. This is exactly the issue that confronts Christ and He overcomes it by coming back to the delightfulness of the Word of God. God and God alone satisfies and blesses our lives – so place your hope in Him!

Psalm 130:5 (NIV)
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.


Oh Lord I praise you! You and you alone satisfy! Forgive me when I seek to control my own life thinking that I can bring greater blessings than what flows from your loving hand. I place my trust in you. In you alone I put my hope!