That’s Tempting!

Can you name a situation in which you have been tempted to sin recently? Did you give in or did you resist? Do you have an area in your life where you are having a hard time saying "no" to a particular temptation? Would you like to know how you could gain power and victory over that situation?

We have already seen much evidence that sin hurts us and it hurts other people. Famous names that have been caught succumbing to temptation include a former president, entertainers, sports celebrities, business owners and top executives. The truth of the matter is that everyone is tempted and most of us have areas in our life where we regularly give in to the temptation instead of saying, "That is wrong and I'm not going to do it." How do you find the strength to resist temptation and not give in to it?

We also have areas in our life where we are tempted and we regularly say "no" without having to think that much about it. What is the difference that helps us resist some temptations, yet fall victim to others? Since sin is what separates us from God, we don't want to sin. How do we stop giving in to temptation and gain victory over sin in our lives? Can Jesus help?

Jesus was tempted, but He didn't give in to the temptation. Can He help us learn how to resist temptation? The story is elaborated in Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13. Jesus is tempted directly by Satan in three areas. Each time, He says "no" to the temptation and Satan looses. Lets see if there is anything in these situations that will help us fight temptation.

Physically – Satan challenges Jesus to make the stones into bread. This is a promotion of situation ethics. It is justified if the situation justifies it regardless of whether it is right or wrong. Satan knows that Jesus has gone for forty days without eating and is very hungry. They both also know that Jesus better eat soon or He will die of starvation. Jesus has lost a lot of weight and probably didn't have that much to loose!

The bread is still only a temporary fix for this world. We need God's spiritual nourishment much more than we need more bread! We often use "situation ethics" to justify traffic violations, stealing from our employer, lying to hide our guilt in another situation, etc. Wrong is still wrong, even if others are doing worse things! Wrong is still wrong, even if you don't get caught! Jesus replies to Satan's temptation by quoting Scripture and citing God as His authority! Who is going to be your authority? When are you going to repent and stop trying to justify your wrong behavior? How about learning Scriptures that you can quote when you are tempted with certain temptations? That is what Jesus did!

Mentally – For this temptation, Satan transports Jesus to Jerusalem (we don't know if it was instantly or by foot) and challenges Him to take a flying leap off of the pinnacle of the Temple! If it is the temple building, that is a 60-foot jump. Both Satan and Jesus know that Jesus is God's Son. Here, Satan is challenging Jesus to display His power by "flying" down off of the Temple. Wouldn't you like to be able to fly off a building and land without getting hurt? This would prove that Jesus is more than a mere human being.

Satan even misquotes Scripture to try to fool Jesus into thinking that He would be justified to jump off and let the angels catch Him. Jesus knows Scripture better than Satan and corrects his out of context comment. Have you ever altered God's word to suit your circumstances? Have you ever tried to justify a feeling or belief with Scripture that you knew was wrong? Always check the context of a Scripture before you quote it!

Spiritually – Worship me and I will give you the whole world! Satan directly challenges Jesus' relationship to God. Jesus knows that He is supposed to be the King of the Jews and that His Kingdom will include the whole world. Satan offers Him a chance to make it happen now! Does Jesus know about the cross? Does He understand that His Kingdom is spiritual as opposed to a physical one? He can have it now instead of having to wait! He can have it now by worshipping Satan instead of struggling for three years and then dying by crucifixion and depending on a bunch of uneducated men to build a Kingdom for Him.

"Worship" means "bend the knee" which is an act of giving honor to another person. (Why some of us kneel when we pray!) This offer of "power" would be a temptation to many people. Satan does have the power to give Jesus this earth. However, Jesus knows that if He takes it this way, He will die spiritually and not be able to save us from our sins! If Jesus had bowed the knee to Satan, He and we would all spend eternity in hell! Jesus tells Satan to "take a hike"!

What would Satan have to do to get you to choose popularity, fame, glamour, glory or fortune over your relationship with God and Christians? Are you going to allow him to get away with such temptation in the future or are you going to put a stop to it and tell him to stop tempting you?

God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus!” Have a great day!