TEMPTATION OF JESUS

 

The Temptation of Jesus Christ

Matt 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13 & Luke 4:1-13

               Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  This was a confrontation and conflict between the two heavy weights of human history.  The two individuals who have had the most impact on the human race.  Jesus was tempted three times and He used the Word of God to defeat the devil, an example for every Christian to follow.  It was the big fight between good and evil and good won.

 

1.       Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert and this was Jesus’ first time of testing.  The desert is where all the great characters of the Bible have been tested, refined and processed for eternal purposes.

2.      Jesus fasted for forty days and He was a man who was willing to sacrifice for God.  Fasting is the providential discipline to which great power and breakthrough come as a result of this practice.

3.      Jesus was tempted to use His power for self to be fed.  Jesus used scripture to defeat the devil.  He revealed that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

4.      The devil is the tempter and he will use scripture out of context as a tool to tempt.

5.      Jesus was tempted to use His power to save His life.  He was tempted to put God to a foolish test.  Jesus refused to do this.

6.      It is revealed here that one of the functions of angels is to protect the child of God.

7.      The devil has authority over the kingdoms of this world.  His greatest desire is to have people worship him.  Jesus refused and told the devil that God is the only one worthy to be worshipped.

8.      The temptations show that the devil to be a liar and defeated by the Son of God.  1 John 3:8 states that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.

9.      Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit when He was sent into the desert.

10.   The kingdoms of this world can be given to anyone the devil wishes, which he will do for the anti-christ.

11.   The devil left Jesus but he was looking for a more opportune time which he never found.