A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
LUKE 4:1-14
Lesson #12
TEMPTATION
- Memory Verse: Luk 4:14a “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee…”
- After Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, there is a shift in focus from John the Baptist to Jesus.
- The baptism that Jesus experienced is the initiation of Jesus’ earthly ministry. How do we know that?
- It is the first event in adulthood that all of the synoptic Gospels tell us.
- God’s declaration from heaven that “thou art my beloved son in thee I am well pleased.” (Luk 3:22)
- Read Luk 4:1-2 Jesus is led into the wilderness by God
- The word “led” means = to be driven by urgency. It was very important that Jesus go through this experience. We are going to see why it was so important.
- Read Jam 1:13
- How can this passage tell us that we are not tempted by God when Jesus was led by God into the wilderness to be tempted?
- The problem here is in the language.
- The New Testament, written in Greek, uses the same word for three different words in English. Those three words are “test”, “tempt”, “trial”.
- =1= Test: Through the whole Bible we are told that God tests our faith. The purpose is to reveal to us our level of faith. When we see this English word used, the event is from God’s perspective.
- =2= Tempt: This word in English is always used in relation to Satan who seeks to destroy the faith of the believer and undermine his relationship with God. When we see this English word used, the event is from Satan’s perspective. It means to entice or incite to do evil; to seduce.
- =3= Trial: We go through trials or problems of various sorts, sometimes they are tests by God and sometimes they are temptations by Satan. This English word is used from man’s general perspective.
- Therefore this passage in Jam 1:13 tells us that God does not tempt man with the purpose of destroying our faith or undermining our relationship with God. He does not entice us to do evil.
- Why was it necessary for Jesus to be tempted by Satan?
- We see in this event the spiritual battle behind the scenes between God and Satan for the souls of men.
- We see in this event the human nature of Jesus. Remember that this is Luke’s theme…Jesus is the perfect man. He experiences all the same things that humans experience, yet He comes through victorious. We are going to see why that is!
- Read Luk 4:3-14 The Temptation of Jesus Christ
- Jesus was tempted by Satan.
- In what form did Satan appear to Jesus? Was he in a body? Was he like a roaring lion? (1Pet 5:8)
- Jesus was tempted by Satan.
Was he like an angel of light? (2Cor 11:14)
-
-
- Satan is a person, not a spirit force. Jesus confronted him face to face.
- There are three distinct temptations that Jesus experienced in the wilderness. Why three?
- Read 1Joh 2:16
- All temptation falls into the same three areas: The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
- =1= What is the lust of the flesh?
- Man has a sinful flesh nature passed down from Adam and Eve that elevates man’s ego to selfishness so that all his decisions are based on what is best for ME.
- Jesus did not have a sinful nature but He was human and needed to eat to sustain life.
- The temptation of the lust of the flesh appeals to the body of man and attempts to draw man away from the will of God.
- =2= What is the lust of the eye?
- Man is tempted by what he sees in the world. He desires to posses it. Then when he has it, it loses much of its glamour. It is through what we see that we become aware of what is available to us.
- The lust of the eye appeals to the soul area of man and attempts to draw man away from the Word of God.
- =3= What is the pride of life?
- Man is always concerned with how others view him. If others view you favorably, you have gained a certain degree of power in their sight. Power in the sight of others and over others can become an addictive stimulus to pride. Pride puts man himself on the throne of his heart instead of God.
- The lust of the pride of life appeals to the spirit area of man and attempts to draw man away from the worship of God.
- =1= What is the lust of the flesh?
- Before we consider the temptation of Jesus, let us first consider the temptation of Eve that initiated Satan’s manner of temptation for all of us.
- Read Gen 3:6
- Notice that Eve was tempted by Satan in the same three areas.
- She is tempted because the fruit was good for food. This is lust of the flesh. She was hungry.
- She is tempted because the fruit was pleasant to the eyes. This is the lust of the eye.
- She is tempted because eating the fruit will make her wise. She will have something others do not have. This is the pride of life.
- Therefore, Eve was tempted in every way as we are today.
- Notice that Eve was tempted by Satan in the same three areas.
- The three aspects of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.
- =1= The temptation to turn stones to bread. (The Lust of the Flesh)
- Luke tells us that Jesus was hungry after fasting 40 days.
- What is special about 40 days?
- The number 40 in scripture is symbolic of testing for preparation.
- For example: Remember that the Israelites were 40 years in the wilderness being tested for their faith and in preparation for entering the Promised Land.
- What so wrong if Jesus turned stones to bread to satisfy His hunger?
- Bread is the basic element of life (bread is called the staff of life). All humans need basic nutrition to sustain life.
- Therefore, there is nothing wrong in being hungry and needing to eat to sustain life. Satan always uses man’s weaknesses to tempt him to evil.
- What is wrong in this temptation is that Jesus is being tempted to supply something for himself.
- =1= The temptation to turn stones to bread. (The Lust of the Flesh)
-
Of all the miracles that Jesus did during His earthly ministry, none of them were done to supply something that He needed.
Selfishness is the red flag that this is a temptation following the category of the lust of the flesh.
-
-
- =2= The temptation of the kingdoms of this world. (The Lust of the Eye)
- Jesus was tempted by what He saw when Satan showed him the kingdoms of the world.
- Did Satan have possession of all the kingdoms of this world to be able to offer them to Jesus?
- The answer is yes.
- If Satan did not have all the kingdoms of this world to offer Jesus, this would not be a legitimate temptation.
- Read 2Cor 4:4
- =2= The temptation of the kingdoms of this world. (The Lust of the Eye)
-
Here we are told that Satan is the god of this world system.
In other words, with the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, Satan gained the authority over this world system that God initially gave to Adam when He told Adam that he had “dominion” over the earth.(Gen 1:26)
Therefore, in Jesus’ temptation, Satan would return the authority that Adam lost over the world system to Jesus in exchange for the worship of Satan.
However, in the plan of God Jesus needed to wear the crown of thorns before He would wear the crown of a king.
-
-
- =3= The temptation of the fall from the pinnacle of the temple (The Lust of the Pride of Life)
- Notice that Satan knows who Jesus is in that Jesus has authority over the angels to be able to call them into service to Him at any time.
- The temptation is that Satan would help Jesus to become famous. This miracle would call attention to Jesus’ power and authority. Jesus would have the applause of all men. Instead of people rejecting Him, they would have an awesome respect for Him.
- What does this infer about the miracles that Jesus did?
- All the miracles that Jesus did were to express God’s love for mankind. Jesus never did a miracle for himself. Neither did He do a miracle for another person with the motive of self-promotion. All of miracles were either in response to the faith of the people or in God’s overall ultimate plan that would glorify God, the Father.
- =3= The temptation of the fall from the pinnacle of the temple (The Lust of the Pride of Life)
- If we put the three temptations of Eve and the 3 temptations of Jesus in a comparative chart, we can more easily see the relationships.
-
| Scripture: | “Lust of the flesh” | “Lust of the eyes” | “The pride of life” |
| Eve’s temptation: (Gen 3:4-6) |
The tree was good for food | The fruit was pleasant to the eyes | Eating would make one wise |
| Jesus’ temptation: (Mat 4:1-10) | Hunger. Command the stones to be bread. | He saw all the kingdoms of the world that could be His. | Fall from the pinnacle of the temple and the angels will catch you. |
| Temptation of the body of man | Temptation of the soul of man | Temptation of the spirit of man | |
| It draws us away from the will of God (Gal 5:16 Joh 15:3) | It draws us away from the word of God(Joh 15:7) | It draws us away from the worship of God (1Pet 5:5-11 ) (Joh 15:8-10) |
-
- How did Jesus handle these three temptations to defeat Satan?
- He used the Word of God.
- =1= The Lust of the flesh. Jesus used Deu 8:3.
- Read Deu 8:3
- =2= The Lust of the eye. Jesus used Deu 10:20
- =3= The Lust of the Pride of Life. Jesus used Psa 91:11-12
- Read Psa 91:11-12
- Notice how Satan misquotes scripture in a very suble way in Luk 4:10.
- =1= The Lust of the flesh. Jesus used Deu 8:3.
- He used the Word of God.
- How did Jesus handle these three temptations to defeat Satan?
What is it that Satan omitted in quoting Psa 91?
Satan said, “He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee.”
He omitted the phrase, “all thy ways”.
The significance in the misquote is that God the Father had a plan for Jesus’ life. Jesus was to fulfill that plan perfectly by submitting to God, the Father in “all his ways.”
For Jesus to go outside of that plan in one little detail would have been a sin.
-
-
- What does that tell us about handling our own temptations?
- We should first study to know the Word of God.
- Then we will have it available in us to use against the enemy in the same way Jesus used the Word of God.
- We need the filling power of the Holy Spirit.
- It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus won the victory over Satan and not because He was God in the flesh. (Notice Luk 4:1 and Luk 4:14)
- We as believers in Jesus Christ have the power of the Holy Spirit in us to help us gain the victory over Satan in temptations.
- What does that tell us about handling our own temptations?
-
This means that if we do not have victory over temptation, we lack what Jesus gave us.
We either lack the effective use of the Word of God
Or we lack the presence and power of the Holy Spirit that fights the battle for us.
This means that if we do not have victory over temptation, we are fighting the battle in our own strength and will never win that way.
-
- Summary and Application:
- This temptation in the wilderness was not the only temptation of Jesus.
- Luk 4:13 tells us that Satan departed from Him for a season. In other words, there were temptations all through His ministry and especially in the Garden of Gethsemane before He went to the cross.
- Read James 1:1-8, 12-16 Your attitude in temptation, testing, and trials
- Temptation comes to everyone.
- Some of these divers trials are a result of the consequences of sin and some are unmerited. Some of these trials are chronic and some are temporary.
- These points do not matter for God can use all and any trial for his purposes toward us.
- In James we see what our attitude should be toward temptation.
- The hardest thing to do when you are having problems (divers temptations) is to rejoice.
- However, that is exactly what James tells us to do. Why?
- The natural thing to do when we have problems is to worry or to feel sorry for ourselves, and then to complain to others about what sad condition we are in.
- That is the natural thing to do, but we are believers who are supposed to be living by faith, not by feelings. (2Cor 5:7)
- The Christian thing to do is “count” it all joy.
- In other words, consider it beneficial. Look at problems as God’s opportunities to benefit you.
- Look at problems as God’s opportunities to demonstrate His power in your life.
- Temptation comes to everyone.
- Summary and Application:
HOMEWORK
Luke 4:15-44
- Application of Luk 4:1-14
- How successful are you in handling temptations?
- What have you learned in this lesson that will insure your victory the next time temptation comes your way?
- Preparation for Luk 4:15-44
- Read Luk 4:15-44
- Why did Jesus stop the demons from telling the people the truth about who He was? (35, 41)
- Read Luk 4:15-44
- Memory verse: 1Cor 2:4
