Today I am beginning a new series of messages
on the temptations of Jesus. And I do hope that
you will not miss one single one of these heart
-to -heart talks in this series of messages.
Because I believe that they will mean much to
you. What? Really? were those temptations that
Jesus had in the wilderness. Everybody talks
about his temptations. I dare say there are very
few people living today, whether they are a Christian
or not, but what knows that Jesus had temptations
in the wilderness? that there was actually a
time when the enemy, Satan, confronted Jesus.
They stood face to face, and the devil had the
audacity to tempt the Son of the Living God.
Much has been said, many words written, regarding
the temptation of Jesus. In the wilderness. And
yet, how many of you folk listening to me this
very moment, some of you Bible teachers, some
of you haven't gone to church all of your life,
can actually tell me what those temptations were.
What was that first temptation? What was it?
Oh, somebody said, satan tempted jesus and challenged
him to turn the stone into bread i know that
we all know that but where was the temptation
there had to be something in the turning of that
stone into bread that had Jesus yielded, it would
have caused him to sin. Wherein was the temptation?
Pause a moment. Do you really know wherein was
the temptation? We're going to take these temptations,
the three of them, one at a time. Before we go
very deeply into this first temptation, when
Satan challenged Jesus to turn the stone into
bread, I want to make something very clear to
you, and that is the fact that Jesus could have
sinned. Oh, I know immediately whenever I make
that statement, there are those who feel as though
I am almost blasphemous in making that statement.
But consider with me. Had it not been possible
for Jesus to have yielded to temptation, then
his temptations would have been a farce. They
would have been a mockery. I know you and I think
of Jesus in the light of the Son of the Living
God. Absolute perfection. which he is. We never
think of him in the light of one who could have
yielded to temptation. But it's true. Those temptations,
when Jesus was in the wilderness, confronted
by Satan, tempted of Satan, if it were not possible
for him to have yielded to any one of these three
temptations, then, beloved, those temptations
were a farce. They were nothing more or less
than a mockery. But I am telling you upon the
authority of God's word that when they stood
face to face, When Jesus faced Satan and Satan
faced Jesus, they both knew that Jesus could
yield to any one of those three temptations.
Why? You must realize that Jesus was the very
son of the living God. When Jesus, way back there
before the foundation of the world, offered himself
through the Holy Spirit to God the Father to
come to this earth, he was deity, he was divinity.
perfect, the matchless, the sinless son of the
living God, God's only son. But when he came
to earth, he took upon himself the form of man.
He became as much man in the flesh as though
he were not God. On one hand, he was as much
deity as though he were not man. On the other
hand, he was as much man as though he were not
God. That's exactly what the fourth chapter of
Hebrews means in the 15th verse. For we have
a high priest. That's Jesus. You and I have Jesus
at the right hand of God the Father this very
moment in position of great high priest. He's
living ever to make intercession for you and
for me. He is interceding for our sins, our imperfections,
our failures. When we're tempted, He is there
interceding in our behalf. before the throne
of god we have a great high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities
but was in all points what's that word all a
-l -l but was in all points tempted Like as we
are yet without sin. Oh, to me, that's one of
the most thrilling portions of the entire word
of God. I mean that. That's the reason we have
a great high priest who understands us. Had he
never been tempted. Had he never had the possibility
of being able to yield to temptation. Had he
not been as much man as though he were not God.
Had he never been in that position. He never
could have understood me. He could never have
understood you. Know that. There isn't an unregenerated
man. But what Jesus understands perfectly. There
isn't a man or a woman. who lives this hour but
what Jesus understands that one perfectly. He
understands your weaknesses. He understands your
failures. You cannot sympathize with someone
else unless you have gone through the thing yourself.
You cannot understand another's burdens, another's
problems. You cannot understand another's sorrow
unless you have gone through a Gethsemane. You
cannot understand another's heartache unless
your own heart has been broken. You cannot give
to anyone else any more than you have experienced
yourself. That's why I told you over and over
again, that it's not going to be God the Father
who's going to judge you and judge me. When we
have that great judgment day, I will be judged
one day, not by God the Father. In that day,
my judge is going to be Jesus. God the Father
has given judgment over to Jesus Christ, his
Son. Because the Son has experienced, he has
been through, he understands us even better than
God the Father understands. For he was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Oh, I think that's glorious. I think that's marvelous.
All right now, before we go into these temptations,
remember something. We must realize, first of
all, that Jesus was as much man as though he
were not God. Jesus did not face temptation,
nor overcome it in the realm of his deity. but
in the magnificence of his pure, strong manhood.
And Jesus was in that wilderness that day, in
that hour of temptation, as man's representative.
Know that. That day, Jesus, was facing temptation
as your representative as my representative he
has been in the wilderness as man's representative
and as surely as he came out of his temptation
victoriously having won So remember something.
Temptation in itself is not a sin. You can be
tempted every hour of the day. Temptation in
itself is not a sin. It's when you yield to that
temptation that it becomes sin. All right. Now,
let's begin first of all. Let me, if you will
please, just read. from the fourth chapter of
the book of Matthew. I can tell you right now
you're going to love this series of messages
on the temptations of Jesus. I believe that before
I will have finished these heart -to -heart talks
with you, you will thank me. You will be glad
for that which I pray the Holy Spirit will reveal
unto you. Now, the order of the temptations is
different in Matthew and Luke. In both, the suggestion
that stones be turned into bread is first. Luke
reverses the order of the last two. It is almost
certain that the order in Matthew was the actual
order. Therefore, in the series of messages,
I shall refer to Matthew at all times. let me
read it the fourth chapter of matthew then was
jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted of the devil and when he had fasted
forty days and forty nights he was afterward
and hungered and when the tempter came to him
he said If thou be the Son of God, command that
these stones be made bread. But he answered and
said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him
up into the holy city and setteth him on a pinnacle
of the temple. And saith unto him, If thou be
the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is
written, He shall give his angels charge concerning
thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee
up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against
a stone. And Jesus said unto him, It is written
again, Thou shalt not tempt. the Lord thy God.
Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding
high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms
of the world, and the glory of them, and saith
unto him, All these things will I give thee,
if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith
Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan, for it
is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him also. only shalt thou serve. Then the
devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and
ministered unto him. Study that portion of the
Word of God very carefully until our next heart
-to -heart talk, and I will tell you in our next
message, Wherein Was the Temptation? God bless
you.