This morning we’re moving forward with our study of temptation and truth.  Three temptations that we all struggle with and three truths - what God gives to us so that we can see the temptations for what they are.  So that we don’t have to go there and get sucked into what ultimately is the self-destructive behavior of sin.

We are looking at Matthew 4:1-11 and Satan’s attempts at tempting Jesus.  I was trying to think of a way that we could read through this that would be different than how we’ve been reading through it.  But, you all have done so well that I thought why mess with a good thing.

So, this section here is going to read what Satan says - the temptation part.  This section here is going to read what Jesus says - the truth part.  And this section over here and over here is going to read the narration part - everything else that’s not in quotations.  We’re together?  Okay.  Take a deep breath.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

And the tempter came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

But He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning you.’  and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, “All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan!  For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’”

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.

Before we come to verse 8 and temptation number 3 - we need to make sure that we are all up to speed on where we’ve been and what’s going on here.

Verse 1 begins with a “then.”  When we see a “then” in Scripture we need to ask…  “when”?  Then is Scripture’s way of connecting together sequences of events.  “Then” - meaning after the “when” of the baptism of Jesus in chapter 3.

Briefly - the baptism of Jesus is about 2 things.  Thing one is the... inauguration - or beginning - of Jesus’ ministry - what Jesus has come into humanity to do.  Thing two is the... declaration - or announcement - of Who Jesus is.  Jesus is deity - God in the flesh of humanity.  Fully God.  Fully man.  And Jesus is beloved of God.  God is pleased in Him.  All that is going on at Jesus’ baptism.

Then - 4:1 - post baptism - then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

The Spirit purposefully bringing Jesus to be tempted by Satan in order to reveal what’s really going on in Jesus - the beloved Son - God in the flesh of humanity - what’s going on in Jesus’ relationship with the Father. 

Which is what Satan is challenging.  Not what Jesus has come to do or Who Jesus is.  But will Jesus trust God or not?  Is Jesus - in His humanity going to follow God’s will - faithfully and obediently stick to following God’s plan and purpose for His life - or is Jesus going to take matters into His own hands and do things His own way.

Which is a struggle that each of us faces every day of our lives.

It isn’t that we don’t know what God says about who we are.  For the most part - most of having been around church for a bit - we get that we’re saved and forgiven and God’s kids with an eternal inheritance and that we’re loved by God and all that.  And it isn’t that we don’t understand - at least in a intellectual sense - that God has a plan and purpose for our lives that He’s uniquely created us and called us to - and that we’re suppose to be discipling and living faithfully obeying Him and all that.

Not to trivialize that truth.  But, that isn’t the issue.  The issue is will we actually live that truth?  Every day, Satan - our mutual adversary - throws stuff at us to tempt us to trust our own whit, wisdom, and working and not God - to go our way through life.  What is definitely not God’s will for us. 

When we trust ourselves and not God - that’s sin.  Sin is the ultimate selfie.  Sin is self-destructive behavior.  What we would like to avoid.  Yes?

Looking at Jesus - three temptations - three truths - is huge for all of us.  Because we way too often we opps.  And, we don’t want to go there.  But we do.  We’re together?

Temptation number one was Performance.  The temptation to think that we are what we do - what we achieve in life.  Jesus’ answer - truth number one - is to trust God.  Its not what we do - because we’ll always come up short - life is about trusting God for His provision of our needs.

Temptation number two was Popularity.  The temptation to think of ourselves - our worth and value - who are is based on what others think of us.  Jesus answer is to stay focused on who God has already declared us to be.

Temptation number three:  Possessions.  The temptation to find our security in what we possess rather than in God.

Verse 8:  Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, “All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.”

Let’s do some unpacking.

In Greek the words for “a very high mountain” mean… “a very high mountain.”  One theory is that the mountain Satan took Jesus to was the same one that God took Moses to and showed Moses the whole of the Promised Land.  What was probably Mount Nebo - 2,680 feet high - just east of the Jordan River.

But the Greek has the idea of a mountain that’s more like Mount Everest kind of very high.  Meaning that we really don’t know what mountain this is.  But it was a very high mountain.  How high was it?  High enough.

From the mountain Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all their glory.

Meaning all of what man has carved out for himself through-out man’s history.  All of what man has aspired to.  Hoped for.  Dreamed of.  Given himself to the pursuit of.  All man’s art and literature and philosophy and ideals and knowledge and science and understanding and wisdom and law and government.  Man’s wealth and power and architecture.  The great cities and civilizations.  His sports.  What he occupies his leisure time with.  The splendor of humanity on display. 

Where that mountain was and how Satan got Jesus there and how in a moment of time Satan showed all that to Jesus we don’t know.  If it was important for us to know God would have told us.

What we do need to understand is the offer.  We need to make sure we’re tracking with just what Satan is asking Jesus to consider here.  Whatever there is that occupies the world of man.  Satan offers that to Jesus.  Its all there - all of what might captivate and interest us - its all there at the feet of Jesus.

Scripture tells us that Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).   Think about where air is.  That’s dominion.  Scripture tells us that Satan is the ruler of the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).  That’s authority.  Scripture tells us that the whole world lies in Satan’s power (1 John 5:19).  That’s… power.

When Luke records this account - Luke gives us more of what Satan told Jesus.  Quoting Luke - Satan speaking:  “To you [Jesus] I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.”  Jesus never disputes that claim.  (Luke 4:6)

Meaning that Satan has the authority to deliver on his offer.  It really is all there at Jesus’ feet.

We need to also be careful to remember that Satan is indeed the father of lies  (John 8:44).  When he speaks of his authority to come through on his offer - legitimate as that may be in the present age - what Satan is careful not to mention is that all of his dominion and authority and power is really about Satan being on a leash and God Himself is holding the end of that leash.

The word for “fall down” means to… fall down.  Ironically that falling can be either an act of worship - prostrating ourselves.  Or and act of falling down to our destruction.

In one very real sense this is a true and tempting offer and yet like all of what humanity possesses of our own self-focused initiative there is a very empty and short lived value to all this.  But even knowing that - this is  tempting.  Very tempting.

It’s a no brainer that Jesus would see the potential and the pitfall all that.  Both sides of what’s going on here.  If we see it He must have seen it.  And yet, like us - its not hard to imagine a very real struggle going on in Jesus over this.

Remember the Garden of Gethsemane?  Jesus sweating blood.  Pleading - wrestling - with the Father.  “My Father, if it be possible, let his cup pass from Me…”  It’s a struggle of wills.  My will or the Father’s will?  Trust self or trust God?  (Matthew 26:39)

Satan offers Jesus a short cut - gaining the world without - gaining mankind - without the cross.  No beatings.  No agonizing death.  No humiliation and rejection.  What Jesus would possess would be all of mankind - those He came to save - and possessing them He could rule over them - be their Messiah and lead them to the Father.  And at the end of all this temporal - what’s passing away - it all goes back to God anyway.  In kind of a twisted way it sort of makes sense.

Just humble yourself before me.  Bow down.  Prostrate yourself.  Revere me.  That’s all it takes.  In the Greek it’s a continual action.  Worship and be worshipful.  Just keep worshiping me and I’ll give you all of it. 

Bottom line:  To possess it all - all the glory - all the marbles - all the cookies in the jar - all Jesus has to do is submit Himself to Satan.

Do remember the movie Amadeus?  Antonio Salieri is the court musician who - at the core of who he is - Salieri is destroyed by envy - because of what he doesn’t possess.

He longs to create music for God.  Which is a good thing.  But while Salieri is good.  Really good.  He’s not as good as Mozart.  He doesn’t posses what Mozart has been given by God.

Mozart is a genius.  Mozart possess the ability to compose extraordinary symphonies in his head - a unique rarity in history.  Mozart does things with music that totally stops Salieri in his tracks in astonishment.

Rather recognize Mozart’s genius and champion Mozart as an artist - Salieri is angry at God.  God is unfair.  Salieri comes to believe that God loves Mozart.  God doesn’t love Salieri.

Salieri - seeking to possess what is not his to possess - to destroy what he cannot have - Salieri takes matters into his own hands - the result of which is disaster for Mozart and Salieri.

There’s something in Salieri that touches each of us.  That we all struggle with.

We know this:  God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives.  Most of us would agree with that.  But, in the day to day of life - it is way too easy for us to think about what we want - what we desire for ourselves - what we think we need - even rationalizing that what we’re doing is for God - and yet we’re buying into Satan’s lie - trusting in our own whit, wisdom, and working to go after the glories of whatever. 

The bottom line is that the stuff - the glories of the world - all that is only the carrot - what Satan has designed this world system under his control - to tempt us with.  The real issue is who or what has authority over our lives - who or what are we really serving with our lives.

Jesus answer number 3 is hugely clarifying.  Answer number three:  WORSHIP God - not this world or the stuff of this world - whatever Satan may tempt us with.  Worship God and God alone.

Verse 10:  Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! 

“Be gone” is a command.  Its almost kind of vulgar.  Kind of like:  “Take a hike buckwheat.”  There’s no respect or honoring or worship implied in Jesus’ response.  It is a command that must be obeyed.  Demonstrating the authority of Jesus over our adversary.  “Get lost.”  Which Satan does.  Must do.  Will do, when we resist him in the name of Jesus.

For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.”  

Jesus paraphrases Moses.  He takes what Moses said - what’s recorded in Deuteronomy 6 - and Jesus gives it the emphasis needed to definitively answer - rebuke - Satan.  Which means we need to go back to Deuteronomy 6 and see what Moses said in the context that Moses said it in in order to see what Jesus is getting at here.

Some quick background as you’re turning or flipping.  Deuteronomy 6 takes place after the ten plagues - after the crossing of the Red Sea - God taking out Pharaoh and Pharaoh's gods and Pharaoh's army.  God delivering His people from Egypt.  God’s people have wandered the 40 years or so in the wilderness.  Generation one has died off.  Generation next is about to conquer the Promised Land.  Moses is speaking and warning God’s people.

Deuteronomy 6 - starting at verse 10:  And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that He swore to your fathers Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you...

The reason the Promised Land is called the Promised Land is because… God promised  “swore” to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give the land to their descendants - God’s people.

Point being that the whole conquering the Promised Land - think possession of the Promised Land - all that is about God and what God has chosen to do for His people and what God is doing and what God will accomplish - meaning this is all about… God.  And nothing that God’s people ever deserved or earned or would have been able to accomplish - or possess - by their own whit, wisdom, and working.

Moses goes on - the land that God is giving them comes complete with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant    

The Promised Land is not a fixer upper.  It comes with everything God’s people need to just move in and do the stuff of life.  Cities already built.  Houses that are fully furnished - a two chariot garage.  Cisterns already dug - a fully functioning water supply system.  Vineyards and olive trees already planted.  Food is table ready.

The source of all this is…  God.

Moses goes on:  and when you eat and are full - satisfied because God will bless you and fill you.

and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“Take care” - in Hebrew - is kind of like the Spanish Cuidado.  Caution.  But caution meaning do something to be careful.  Don’t just notice that the floor is wet and slip on it.  Change course to avoid walking on the wet floor.

Take care.  Make choices.  Do what it takes to make sure you don’t forget the Lord - the God who took you out of Egypt and delivered on His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - God Who blessed you with all this.  “Take care” - because it would be easy to think - at the point when you’re stuffed - that somehow all of what you’re possessing is about you and not God.

Then the part of what Moses says that Jesus is paraphrasing:  It is the Lord your God you shall fear.  Him you shall serve and by His name you shall swear. 

We’ll come back to that in a moment.

Moses goes on with a warning:  You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and He destroy you from off the face of the earth.  (Deuteronomy 6:10-15)

Being destroyed from off the face of the earth isn’t a good thing.  God takes this serious and so should you.  Take care that you do not go after other gods.

Keeping the big picture in mind - God being our provider and the crucial seriousness of needing to remember that - let’s go back and look at what Jesus is paraphrasing.

It is the Lord your God you shall fear.    The word for “fear” in Hebrew has the idea of standing in awe of God - astonishment - being totally blown away by Who God is and what God does - all of what He’s provide for you.

Fear is the kind of reverential fear that drops us to our knees in worship.  Because there is no other possible rational or emotional response to God and what He has done for us.  What Jesus translates as “worship.”

The word for “serve” has the idea of becoming a slave.  Giving God ownership over our lives and living in total obedience to Him - total devotion to Him.

Serving God is tied to the worship of God.  Worship isn’t just doing lip service on a Sunday morning when it fits our schedule.  Worship is more than an intellectual or theological assent to Who God is.  Worship is the total - 24/7/365 - commitment of our life to God - because of Who He is and what He does.

Searing by God’s name doesn’t mean using God’s name as a swear word.  Some people have that confused.

Swearing by God’s name means respecting God’s name - honoring and highly valuing God’s name - because we respect and honor and highly value God.  God’s name represents God Himself.  Who God is.

In the culture of back then - swearing is about making an oath - a commitment - a contract.  Swearing by God’s name means that we understand there is no higher authority to hold us accountable to fulfill the obligations that we’re committing ourselves to. 

Swearing by God’s name means we understand that God is the source of everything that we possess - all our transactions - whatever it is that we may involve ourselves in.  We are accountable to God for how we live our lives.

Are we together on where Jesus is going with this?  Jesus’ response to the temptation to possess it all by simply worshipping Satan.  “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.”

Worship is obedience.  To worship God is to serve God alone.  To worship God is to be devoted to God alone.  God, Who alone, is able and willing and does provide for us everything we need to live our God created for and called to purpose in life - to His glory and His glory alone.

Let’s think about that.  What that may mean for each of us.

The other day I asked someone, “How you doing?”  He answered, “I’m breathing independently.”  

Everything that is of value to possess comes from God - every breath - every heart beat - our very relationship with God.  If we understand that at the heart level it means giving God the total reverential devotion of our lives 24/7/365 in service that honors Him - that recognizes our accountability to Him.  That seeks to depend totally on Him alone as the provider and sustainer of our lives.  Trust God.  Not self.

Do we really live that way?  I struggle.  Anyone else relate?

Long ago in a church far far away I was asked by a family to go visit their aunt - who I think was about 90 at the time.  She lived alone in this house in San Francisco.  One of those walk-ups where the house is above the garage.  She’d been living in this house for maybe 60 plus years.

Apparently her insurance company had dropped her as a client and the fire department was threatening legal action.  Her house - they said - was a fire hazard.  She was refusing to do anything about it.  The family was at their whits ends.  Could I go talk to her?

I didn’t think I could be of help but I said I’d try.  And, actually I was a tad curious.  Things couldn’t really be all that bad.  Which they weren’t.  They were worse.

In front of the house was one of those storage pods.  The kind they drop off - you fill them - then they take them and store your stuff someplace.  It was full - bulging.  A compromise between her and her family - getting her to store stuff off site rather than throw it away.

The door barely opened because of the stuff piled up at the door.  There were canyons - walkways - through the house.  The canyons were about 3 feet deep.  This poor lady had never - repeat never - discarded anything.

Imagine newspapers - magazines - stacks of old McDonald’s cups next to stacks of old McDonald’s cup lids.  Stacks of styrofoam doggie boxes.  Paper plates.  Dishes.  Clothes.  Are you picturing this?  She invited me to sit in a chair that was in a notch in a canyon wall separated by a stack of old letters and papers from the notch where her chair was.

Running under and through all that were extension cords - probably all 1930’s vintage - frayed and decaying.  Oh, and the garage - what was under all that - was worse.  And full of chemicals.

It was an amazing collection of 99% junk that this poor lady refused to give up.  That she valued above even her own safety - even her family.

Someone is probably saying, “Well, I’m not that bad.”  Or, “I know someone like that.”  Which is probably  true.  But it isn’t the point.

The point is that we relate.  We can picture it.  It wouldn’t be hard for any of us to get there - or someplace on the way to there - where we start valuing what we possess - hanging on to that for security - rather than trusting God - the source of everything - rather than trusting God for what He chooses to bless us with.

Let’s be careful.  Commercialism or a house full of junk is an easy target.  Or commercialism. 

What happens in 11 days?  Black Thursday.  Thanksgiving is a non-event.  There are only 39 shopping days left to Christmas.  You’re nothing if you don’t get the right stuff for the people you care about - or at least the people that you care about what they think of you.  Parents need to pay out or they’re failures a parents.

Let’s be careful.  There are other glories of the world - other possession - less tangible “needs” - that can really mess up our trust in God. 

Our culture basically says to us:  “Look around at what other people have.  What do you have?  You got nothing.  How are you going to make it?  What security do you have?  Who do you think you are?  You’re nobody.”

Our answer to those questions isn’t necessarily about possessing more stuff.

Who has the better life?  The better family situation?  The better kids?  Has a better husband?  A better wife?  Takes better vacations?  Who has the better job?  Has a job?  Who has the better education from what school?  Who’s providing what for their kids?  What experiences?  What opportunities?  Who gets to go to what events?  Who’s the better athlete?  Who’s more spiritual?  On and on and on.

If I only had that - whatever that is…  then I’d have what I need.

If we’re processing Jesus’ answer for ourselves we need do be asking ourselves some pretty serious questions.

What might I be devoting myself to possess - to get into my life and hold on to - at the expense of trusting God - following God’s plan for my life - whatever God’s plan for my life may include or not.  What is it that I must have or must do or must provide that tempts me to compromise and rationalize choosing whatever that is over worship and Bible study and fellowship and discipleship and stewardship and service and whatever God may have for me?

Push comes to shove who or what wins?  Am I trusting myself or God?

God’s RESPONSE comes in verse 11:  Then - when?  After the three temptations have been resisted - then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.

Matthew could have just moved from verse 10 to the next ministry event for Jesus - verse 12 - Jesus heading up to Galilee - preaching and teaching - calling His disciples.  But verse 11 is here for us.  God wants you and I to see His response to Jesus’ trust.

We say, “Well, that’s pretty stupid.”  And it is.  But, if we’re trusting in what we’re providing for ourselves - whatever that is - we’re just worshipping a god of our own making.  There is no value to that.  No contentment - no peace - no security.

What God is showing is how He provides for what we need.  Calling on us to trust Him.

Jesus’ refusing to relieve His hunger by miraculously turning the rocks into bread - Jesus is now fed by angels.  Jesus’ refusal to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the Temple - testing God to send His angels - is now ministered to by angels.

Shown all that Satan had to offer Him - Jesus refusing to take the short cut to possess the kingdoms of the world in all their glory - is now ready to step forward fulfilling His ministry on earth - and we know - as Paul writes in Philippians 2 - that God will highly exalt Jesus and bestow on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:8-11)

Jesus’ ministry is just beginning.  The conflict is just beginning.  More struggles - more battles - are coming - even the cross.  But Jesus’ pattern of trust and obedience has been established.  And God’s blessing is clearly shown to us.  We need to hold on to that.

To take care to remember Who God is and what God has done for us and  will do for us - so when we’re tempted to trust ourselves - we’ll trust Him.  To follow Him through life with 24/7/365 devotion - worship - service through whatever He chooses to lead us through - with whatever He chooses to provide for us.

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General reference for this series:  “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality - Unleash a Revolution in Your Life in Christ” by Peter Scazzero,  Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2006.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.