Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the tempter Satan. Jesus shows us that it is possible not to give in to Satan's temptation.

*tempting = to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.

  
All sinful desires can be classified as either lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, or the pride of life. 

 

1 John 2:16    For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

  

The lust of the flesh, eyes and pride are not of God but of the world this is not talking of the natural world but of the evil system that is under the grips of Satan. 

The world refers to the things that pull us away from God's holiness and fellowship with Him.

The word lust is defined as desire for what is forbidden. Not all desire is evil in 1 Tim 3:1  we are told  "If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work". The desire that is evil is a desire for things that are unlawful or forbidden that are contrary to the will of God.  Whatever somebody lust after like money, sex, power, pleasure, or anything else to gratify the flesh that are forbidden in God's word are evil.

Satan is called the prince of this world and is reveled as the tempter, he uses your five senses; taste, touch, smell, hearing and seeing to tempt you. He takes the carnal mind to think I'm special because of who I'm, what I have, what I know, or what I look like.

 

TESTING OF JESUS

 

 Mat 4:1-11   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 an 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.   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 only shalt thou serve.    Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the tempter Satan. Jesus shows us that it is possible not to give in to Satan's temptation. We need to follow the example of Jesus. By following the leading of the Spirit for the Spirit gives us the power to resist temptation.

THE WORD OF GOD or DALLY FOOD

 

The first temptation grew out of the hunger Jesus felt after He had fasted for 40-days. Satan challenged Jesus to act in His divine power as God to satisfy His  need for food. Jesus refused, by saying  “man shall not live by bread alone.”

 

 Jesus met each of the temptations that Satan brought at Him with the Word of God.  Satan quoted the Word in order to lead Jesus astray. We need to know the Word of truth, we need to rightly divide the Word and not Wrest or twist them to our own destruction. The Scriptures are to lead us to obey God and not to justify our desires and actions.  When we see the Word of God as truth, and determined to act on that truth it will bring the victory. It was this exercise of faith that gave Jesus the victory over Satan. The father of lies; Satan, will use the same approaches on us as he did with Jesus. But the same exercise of faith that Jesus used will give us the victory when we are tempted.

   

If You are the Son of God

 

 

The second temptation also grew out of Jesus’ humanity, “If You are the Son of God, cast thyself down." Hear Satan is still trys to raises a question of doubt like he did with Adam and Eve, did God say you shall die. In this temptation Satan says prove it!  If you are God it is your work to prove it, do some sign that I may believe in you.

  

 John 6:29, 30  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.  They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

 

 Satan, quoted Scripture  to show how easy it would be to settle the question.  Just leap from the corner of the temple wall into the valley below. God’s angels will catch You—and then I will know you are God.

 

GAINING THE WORLD

 

  

The third temptation relates directly to Jesus’ mission. This temptation shows us that it is possible to accomplish what God calls us to do by the power of Satan. For Satan offered Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" In essence Satan said you can be King of Kings by me instead of God. But Jesus shows us that accomplishing what God has called us to do through Satan's methods is wrong.  Satan tempted Jesus to become the ruler of a temporal kingdom. Satan thought Jesus was going to setup his earthy ministry and dint know that Jesus was establishing a spiritual kingdom. Jesus is ultimately going to become Ruler of all.

The devil seeks to deceive us to follow his methods and sin against God.

  

Deu 8:7  For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

 
 Deu 8:11   Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

 

 We are in God's spiritual kingdom that he has given us. We need to remember God in the good and bad times and not allow Satan to tempt us to trust in self instead of God. Be careful not to be tempted and trust in your selfs as if you got hear by your self.

TESTING OF JOB

 

Satan is called accuser of the brethren he instigates us to sin then accuses us of wrong doing. Satan influences us to sin and to trust our own judgment and desires rather than trusting God. When we look at what Job went throw it shows us that it is possible to withstand Satan's allurements and temptations.

 Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

 

Job 1:6-11    Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan  came also among them.   And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said,    From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.   And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the   earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?   Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?   Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?  thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.   But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

 Satan told God that He built a hedge around Job and all that he had, the hedge  was keeping Satan out. As believers, we have a spiritual hedge of protection around us but we like Job can break a hole in our hedge and be bitten by demons; a serpent. 

 Eccl 10:8  He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

Disobedience to God is one way that we can break God's protection around us. 

We need to see that Job broke a hole in his hedge, God said to Satan  "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the   earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?"   Job  was a upright man that fled from evil, sin.
 

So how did Satan get throw?

Job answers this for us  "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me."  Job 3:25

When one has fear that fear give Satan the serpent the right to conquer and hold you captive. Fear is like faith, fear is believing in something, faith is believing in what God said. Job was greatly developed in his fear for he said "I greatly feared" and we read in Mark 11:23 that we can have whatsoever we believe and say, Job got what he greatly believed. 

Mark 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Believers can have trouble and bad circumstances happen to them, but these do not all ways indicate that they are in sin and God is rewarding or punishing them. All believers are to live a life of repentance from sin keeping them selves right with God.

Luke 13:2-5    And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?   I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.   Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?   I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

  

To Worship    No Confidence in the Flesh

 

 
Phil 3:3    For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

  

To worship means to fall down with faces to the ground in humble adoration. The outward act of worship expresses an inward attitude of reverence and humility.

 
 

2 Chr 7:3  And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

 

Thanksgiving and worship should be expressed from a position of humility and reverence.  The basic definition of worship includes giving homage to God because He is superior to us.

 

  

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