Lord’s Day, Vol. 13 No. 41
Tempted By the Devil
Luke 4:1-13 (KJV) And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written (quoting Scripture – Memorizing Scripture), That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
A temptation is an enticement for the believer to disobey God’s will. Yielding to temptation is sin and brings with it grave consequences for the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). The first man Adam fell when he disobeyed God. The first man fell into sin when tempted by the devil and subsequently death came upon him and his posterity (Gen. 3). The second Adam, Jesus Christ, overcame and defeated the devil when He was tempted in the wilderness. Jesus gives man victory over sin and death when the believer comes and abide in Him – Romans 5:19 (KJV) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
James described well the mechanics of a temptation in James 1:14-15 (KJV) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. There are 7 verbs used (1) tempted – bring to attention a vice, (2) drawn away – turned away from God, (3) enticed – acceding to the deception, (4) conceived – from mental assent to action, (5) bringeth forth – sinful action, (6) it is finished – carrying through sin, (7) bringeth forth – results ultimately in death.
In a temptation there is a choice to be made by the believer between obeying God’s Word or obeying the voice of the tempter, the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2). Because Christ was victorious over the temptation of the devil, we too can have victory through Him. The devil’s three temptation is well classified in 1 John 2:16 (KJV) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh [– ] (v3-4), and the lust of the eyes [– power] (v5-8), and the pride of life (v9-12) [- wanting to be equal with God and not subordinate to Him], is not of the Father, but is of the world.
When tempted, the believer can pray for God’s help to overcome every temptation (Matt. 6:13a) through Christ – Hebrews 4:15-16 (KJV) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
The way to overcome temptation, as Paul taught, is spiritual victory through prayer, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to the pulling down of the strongholds of false doctrines of this world that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought to the obedience of Christ – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the [Solution, Antidote, or Remedy] (1) pulling down of strong holds😉 5 (2) Casting down imaginations, and (3) every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, (4) and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee