Suffering in Temptation
Scripture Reading: Matthew 4: 1 - 11 (NIV)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “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.’”
7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Message: Suffering in Temptation
Temptation - Body Mind and Spirit
The temptation of Jesus marks the beginning of his ministry
Jesus starts his ministry as a human being - body, mind and spirit
And the temptation He endures is aimed at his humanity
He is tempted with his physical needs - hunger
He is tempted with arrogance - pride
And He is tempted with taking the easy way out - power
The temptation of Jesus symbolizes the resistance against God’s kingdom
As followers of Jesus, we are also faced with temptation - the invitation to do things that is contrary to our core beliefs… to do something that we know is not the right thing to do, but in the moment being tempted to take the easy way out
When we take our spirituality seriously and when we are serious to live in an active relationship with God, we will experience temptation
The Tempter
The Greek word for the tempter is “diabolos”
Also mentioned as “peirazon” - the one who tempts; and “Satana” - Satan
The literal meaning of “diabolos” is “the one who throws accross or divides”
I don’t believe that it is helpful to look for the devil around every corner in life
That is not where our focus as followers of Jesus should be
But it is important to note that there is a force of evil in this world
There is a tempter behind the temptations we endure
This force wants to disrupt our relationship with God
This force wants to divide us as we serve our God
It wants though our lives in a different direction away from God
Let’s take note of this evil force - diabolos, peirazon, Satana - but let us not be fixated on it
Building Resilience through Temptaiton
Temptation is not just about right and wrong, it is also about our connection to God
And the resistance we experience in temptation is not just bad for us - dealing with temptation is about building spiritual resilience
Let us therefore not lose heart when we think about temptation, rather, let us keep working hard at practicing our spirituality and builiding resilience through the way we face the temptations in our lives
Paul reminds us in 1 Cor 10: 13 - “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Even the hardships we endure through the temptations we face take place in the context of our relationship with God
God knows our struggles with temptations
When we fail, God is not thowing us away, God is there to help us try again
In the end, God will take care of us - verse 11 “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
Jesus showed us that God is with in our suffering in temptation.
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