This is the story of Jesus’ encounter with the devil, his temptations.
It may be that some here find it hard to believe that the devil is a real person.
If so, as we read I ask you to think about 3 questions:
Why did Jesus believe that the devil was real?
2 How do you explain the depth of evil in human beings?
Isn’t it reasonable to accept that there is a spiritual agency behind it
without for a moment denying our human responsibility?
3 How is it when we feel closest to God in some deep spiritual experience
that then we do find ourselves under spiritual attack
doubting, despairing, accused and accusing?
Notice as we read that Jesus comes under temptation
directly after a deep spiritual experience.
Matthew 4.1-11
Travelling on your own can be both lonely and spiritually and morally dangerous.
Selwyn Hughes had a world wide ministry of bible teaching and counselling
but that didn‘t make him immune from temptation..
Once he was far from his wife and family, going back to a lonely hotel room.
Into the lift got a lady whom we shall call ‘a lady of the night’
She was very attractive and very available.
Selwyn tells how a sneaky little voice inside him said:
‘Why not? Who’s to know. They’ll never find out.’
But as he struggled with the temptation
something else came into his mind -
a bible passage he had been given when he had been baptised.
(Romans 6. 2-5) ‘Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
we too may live a new life.’
As soon as he remembered these words Selwyn realised what he had to do.
As a Christian he was a new person
and he must in no way choose to go back to the old way of life.
He got out of the lift and went into his room
and made sure the door was double locked and the lady was outside.
There’s a modern day example of someone resisting temptation as Jesus did
simply by using God’s written word,
saying to the tempter ‘It is written’ and that’s it.
No discussion, no psyching up of holy or spiritual feelings
no saying of a special prayer,
just humble submission to God’s word.
This is exactly what Jesus did when he was tempted
It was just after his baptism and that profound experience
when the voice of God commended him:
‘This my son whom I love, in him I am well pleased.’
As can happen after a great spiritual experience, a test followed.
Satan did his prime work of trying to undermine
the basic relationship with God.
But Jesus responded each time
simply by appealing to what God’s word says: ‘It is written’
TEMPTATION ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.
ANSWER It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'
TEMPTATION All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.
ANSWER Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'
TEMPTATION ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'
ANSWER ‘It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'
Do you see what Jesus did and what he didn’t do?
He didn’t reason it out with the devil.
He didn’t argue that if he let the devil give him power in the world
he would become a cruel dictator
although that truly would have happened.
He didn’t point out that religious spectacle, being rescued by angels
doesn’t honour God or help people truly to believe
although that also is true.
He simply pointed to God’s word and that was that.
If we had more simple straightforward acceptance of what the Bible says
how much simpler and better could things be!
As the hymn says
‘If our love were but more simple / we should take him at his word
and our lives would be all sunshine / from the sweetness of the Lord.’
What stops us from lives
that are simple and bright and able to withstand temptation.
Is there a voice that whispers,
don’t be a fundamentalist, don’t be known as a bible basher.
Some people may be extreme and harsh in the use of the Bible
but what better aim than to want to be a fundamentalist like Jesus
to believe in the truth and the power of the Bible as Jesus did.
Satan is clever. That’s why we shouldn’t argue with him
He cleverly started to quote scripture for his ends
‘Doesn’t Psalm 91 promise that the angels will hold you up?’
Do you see what Jesus did when Satan tried to quote scripture?
He quoted another scripture that showed up Satan’s agenda:
that lovely promise in Psalm 91 of protection by the angels
was given to help us trust God not test him.
it is actually saying when you are in trouble God will help you,
not prove that God is there by doing something stupid
and see if he will help you out.
Do you and I use God’s word as our first line of defence?
Do we know enough of God’s word to be able to use it
and to be aware when it‘s being quoted wrongly or out of context?
Some common stress points.
A situation arises where you feel reason to hate someone,
to hit out, to hit back:
Luke 6.27-28 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you.
You feel like having a ‘pity party’ because things aren’t going well for you
Philippians 4.4 ‘Rejoice in the Lord always …
You find yourself in Selwyn Hughes’ situation
in a hotel lift or late at night surfing the net and you find a site
and a voice says ‘Why not, no-one will know ‘
The 7th commandment will do very well ‘You shall not commit adultery’
Or just in case the devil persists
and suggest it’s only cyber sex and it doesn’t matter
Philippians 4.8 should cover it
‘whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable --
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
You’re jealous because other people have more money, bigger houses,
better jobs, fancier cars, more exotic holidays
or you’re worried about making ends meet.
Hebrews 13.5 ‘Keep your lives free from the love of money
and be content with what you have,
because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
[ Deut. 31:6]
6 So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
[ Psalm 118:6,7]
Or is your problem a mouth problem and an attitude problem?
You are always sounding off about other people’s faults and failings
and are blind to your own sins?
Luke 6.37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,
will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ‘
Here of course is a text which is much over used and abused.
Don’t you find that if you express concern about something being wrong
people rush to say don’t judge?
It’s the rallying cry of the relativist,
the person who thinks we can all choose
what will be right or wrong for ourselves.
What this text means is not that we can never say something is right or wrong
for we all make judgements nearly all the time.
Instead the Lord is countering the critical, self justifying, judgemental spirit
which loves to condemn people.
One of the many things that struck me about Billy Hull
was how he never condemned people.
It was not that he thought people’s lives were fine as they were
and there was no such thing as right and wrong. Far from it.
When Billy talked about sin you knew from his tone of voice
how hateful and horrible it really is
but you also knew by the way he prayed for sinners, how much he loved them
and longed that they should be delivered from sin.
He believed in judgement but was not judgemental
and that’s an important distinction.
Another thing from his life which is relevant here
is how soaked in the scripture he was.
You wouldn’t be long talking with Billy
before some phrase from the Bible would be used
and always appropriately to the situation
How do we resist temptation?
Simply use God’s word as Jesus did, not twisting it but trusting it
Know God’s word as Jesus did.
And that means not only that we should memorise some verses
as a sort of first aid when under pressure
but also get into the habit of reading the Bible every day.
Read according to what you can manage.
If it’s only a page or a chapter a day that’s fine.
Read it carefully, prayerfully.
Use bible reading notes to help you.
Start with a gospel or the Psalms.
If a verse strikes you as particularly helpful
write it out on a card and memorise it.
As Jesus did, (in the words of a Psalm)
hide God’s word in your heart that you may not sin against him.
Gracious Father
We thank you that no temptation has come upon us that is unique -
others have been there before.
We thank you that you are faithful:
you will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear
and you will provide a way of escape
so that we can stand up under it.
Thank you that your written word often provides the way out.
Help us to treasure it and know it , rely on it and share it.
Especially at the time of spiritual exhilaration
when things seem to be going well
may we be careful lest we fall
And when we fall, show us how to get up and get back to Jesus.
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