Have you heard of the woman who came home one day with an extremely expensive dress? Upon learning how much the garment cost, the woman’s husband went ballistic. “Honey, what were you thinking?!” he asked, “You know we can’t afford that!”
The wife replied, “I know. I didn’t plan to buy the thing; it’s just that the Devil made me do it.”
“The Devil?” her husband protested.
“That’s right,” the woman said. “I was trying on clothes in that store and the devil said to me, ‘My dear, I’ve never seen you look more gorgeous than you do in that dress.’”
“Well then,” said her husband, “Why didn’t you say, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’?”
The wife replied, “I did, but then Devil said, ‘Wow, Marilyn, it looks great from behind too!’”[1]
I do believe temptation is a real phenomenon, and it is something we all have to learn how to handle. Jesus shows us how in Luke 4:1-13. Listen for God’s word to you…
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”
and serve only him.’”
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,’
to protect you,’
and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
In this event of his life, Jesus demonstrates the importance of having two pot-holders, as it were, to handle the hot pot of temptation. And the first pot-holder is the Spirit.
The same Holy Spirit who descended upon Jesus at his baptism also led Jesus into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. Why would the Holy Spirit do that?
The same Greek word, πειράζω, can be translated either as “tempt” or “test”. Whereas God tests us from time to time for our own strengthening, the devil tempts us to try to lure us away from God.
So, one thing I think we can learn from this incident in Jesus’ life is this: Whatever God leads us to, he will also lead us through.
But if we want to be prepared to face times of testing and tempting, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul says, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)
When we are filled with wine we come under its control and sometimes bad things result. Similarly, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we come under his control, but good things always result.
How do we get filled with the Holy Spirit? Jesus tells us in Luke 11:9-13…
So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Now there is a difference between baptism in the Spirit and filling with the Spirit. Baptism in the Spirit is a one-time thing. Filling with the Spirit must be repeated. Jesus was filled with the Spirit all the time because he never sinned. We, on the other hand, need our spiritual tanks re-filled on a regular basis.
It’s like the story I have told before of the man who went to the revival meetings of a little church every night for a whole week. Every night he would pray in a loud voice, “Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit. Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit!” Every night it was the same prayer.
Finally, on the last night of the revival series when that man prayed, “Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit,” the guy behind him said, “Don’t fill him Lord, he’s got a leak!”
The truth of the matter is: we all leak. We all need constantly to be re-filled with the Holy Spirit. The good news is that all we have to do is ask the Lord and he will re-fill our tanks.
So, that’s the first pot holder we need in order to handle the hot pot of temptation. We need the pot holder of the Holy Spirit.
The second pot-holder we need is Scripture.
Jesus faced three types of temptation from the devil. And to each type of temptation Jesus responded with Scripture.
The first type of temptation was in regard to provision.
Jesus ate nothing during his forty days in the wilderness. He went the full length of time that a human body can go without food before the body begins to break down. So, understandably, Jesus was hungry. Apparently, Jesus was fasting so that he could focus more on his relationship with God the Father. But this shows us that the devil will often hit us with temptation when we are down, when we are at our low point. The devil hit Jesus at his extreme point of hunger, and he said, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
Now, we may not be tempted in exactly the same way as Jesus. He was tempted to prove to the devil that he was the Son of God. We won’t be tempted in that way. But the devil does often tempt us in regard to provision. The devil often makes us question in our own minds, “Will God provide for you in this way or that as he has promised?”
Is it not fascinating that Jesus answered with Scripture? The only words attributed to Jesus in this story come from Scripture. I think that is amazing! I mean, here he is, the Son of God, why does he answer the devil from a book? I think Jesus does it as an example for us. And as Billy Graham once said to me, “There is power in the quoted Scripture.” I believe that is true. Jesus proved that it is true.
Jesus answered the devil, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” This quote comes from Deuteronomy 8:3. The Israelites hungered when they were traveling through the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land. They complained to Moses and wanted to go back to enjoy the food they had in Egypt. Somehow, they forgot that they didn’t have such a good deal in Egypt. They had been slaves. But God was gracious to the Israelites despite their complaint and he provided them with manna to eat. The thing to note here is that the Israelites failed their test in the desert. Jesus did not fail his test.
The second temptation posed by the devil to Jesus was in regard to power.
It is important to note that we are not told that Satan appeared in bodily form to Jesus. These temptations may well have been presented only in Jesus’ mind. That becomes clear with this second temptation. There is no mountain in the entire earth from which one can see all the kingdoms of the world. So, apparently, Jesus is being presented all of this in a vision of sorts.
And notice that the devil tempts Jesus by promising to give him something that is not his. The kingdoms of the world do not belong to the devil. I believe the devil often tempts us by promising to give us things that are not his to give. We need to trust God to give us what is necessary for a life that is pleasing to him.
Now again, we may not be tempted in exactly the same way Jesus was. But most of us are tempted by power from time to time. Who doesn’t like to have authority in some way at some time over some one? And of course, there is nothing wrong with authority or power in and of itself. Problems come in when we try to exercise authority in ways, and at times, and over certain people in a manner that God does not approve.
But again, Jesus has the perfect answer to the devil. He says, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God,and serve only him.’”
This is another quote from Deuteronomy. This time it is from Deuteronomy 6:13. The context is that Moses is warning the Israelites not to forget God after they enter the Promised Land. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said, in his address when he received the Templeton Prize,
… the events of the Russian Revolution can only be understood now, at the end of the century, against the background of what has since occurred in the rest of the world. What emerges here is a process of universal significance. And if I were called upon to identify briefly the principal trait of the entire twentieth century, here too, I would be unable to find anything more precise and pithy than to repeat once again: Men have forgotten God.
The devil’s third temptation of Jesus has to do with protection.
Isn’t it fascinating that the devil learns from Jesus to quote Scripture? The devil can quote Scripture with the best of the best. So, if we face the devil with Scripture alone in our hands, we are sunk. But the one thing the devil does not have is the Holy Spirit. We need both the pot holder of the Spirit and Scripture if we are going to handle the hot pot of temptation and not get burned.
Now, we may never be tempted to throw ourselves off the pinnacle of the temple, but all of us face temptation in regard to protection. I saw an example of it just this week in my email in-box. I received this advertisement: “Ready to feel protected? You’re in luck. Today starts National Consumer Protection Week, which wants to help you understand your consumer rights and make better decisions about your money.”
Now, is there anything wrong with National Consumer Protection Week? There is nothing wrong with it in and of itself. The problem is when we put our ultimate trust in anything or anyone other than God for protection.
And once again, Jesus knew how to answer the devil. He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
The Israelites put God to the test at Massah and Meribah when they demanded water to drink. Jesus refused to put God to the test.
Is it not fascinating that each of these three Scripture quotes from the mouth of Jesus come from the book of Deuteronomy? I think it shows us that Jesus was soaking his mind in Scripture, and in one particular book. In the same way, we need to let Scripture steep in us like a tea bag in hot water.
Jesus overcomes temptation in this scene. But every other time the word for temptation is used in the New Testament, apart from Jesus, human failure is anticipated. That’s the bottom line: We all fail. But the good news is: Jesus never fails.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
So, when the devilcomes knocking at our door, we can simply say, “Jesus, would you please answer the door for me?”
And when we fail the tests that God puts before us, it is good to know that we have a forgiving, gracious God who will pick us up off the ground where we have fallen and help us get on the right path again.
C. S. Lewis once wrote these words to a former student whom he was able to lead to Christ…
I know all about the despair of overcoming chronic temptations. It is not serious provided self-offended petulance, annoyance at breaking records, impatience etc doesn’t get the upper hand. No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be v. muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, & the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present to us: it is the v. sign of His presence.[2]
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