We're in Matthew chapter 3, verse 13, going all the way to chapter 4, verse 11.
Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.
Heavenly Father,
I praise you that your word is not bound.
I praise you that your word does not depend,
and the proclamation of your word ultimately does not depend on my authority or credibility,
because it rests on your authority.
So please, Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight.
Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
And give all of us here in this room ears to hear, to believe, and to obey your word.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Please stand, and if you are able, for the reading of God's word,
just to honor God who has spoken to us in his scriptures.
Let's read.
Starting in Matthew chapter 3, verse 13.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John,
to be baptized by him.
John would have prevented him, saying,
I need to be baptized by you.
And do you come to me?
But Jesus answered him,
Let it be so now,
for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.
Then he consented.
And when Jesus was baptized,
immediately he went up from the water.
And behold, the heavens were opened to him.
And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.
And behold, a voice from heaven said,
This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil.
And after fasting 40 days and 40 nights,
he was hungry.
And the tempter came and said to him,
If you are the Son of God,
command these stones to become loaves of bread.
But he answered,
It is written,
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Then the devil took him to the holy city
and set him on the pinnacle of the temple
and said to him,
If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down,
for it is written,
He will command his angels concerning you.
And on their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against the stone.
Jesus said to him,
Again, it is written,
You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
And he said to him,
All these I will give you
if you will fall down and worship me.
Then Jesus said to him,
Be gone, Satan.
For it is written,
You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.
Then the devil left him.
And behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
It's God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
One of the marks of adulthood,
in contrast with childhood,
is that we carry regrets.
Healthy Christians, of course,
learn to deal with regret
by receiving God's forgiveness and mercy and grace
and also learning to trust in God's sovereignty
in and through all of it,
even through our mistakes and faults and sins.
But if there isn't anything that we wish we had done
that we didn't do,
or anything that we wish we hadn't done that we did do,
we probably just haven't lived for very long.
We've all messed up.
We have all done things that we should not have done
and failed to do things that we should have done.
Maybe you didn't take a career opportunity
that you should have taken.
Maybe you took a career opportunity
that you should not have taken,
and now your health and your family
are suffering as a result.
Maybe you were too fearful
to ask that person out on a date.
Maybe by your stubborn refusal
to humble yourself and apologize,
you lost a dear friend.
Maybe you said something
that is deeply hurtful to someone
that cut them down.
Maybe you didn't intervene
in the life of your friend or family member
when you should have,
and now that person is dead.
No matter how deep our regrets,
time only flows one way,
and there are no do-overs in life.
The Bible tells us
that we have all failed
in a profound and permanent way.
We were created to love
and to obey and to worship God,
but instead we have loved ourselves
more than we've loved God.
We have sinned against Him,
and we have made not God,
but other people and other things
the center of our allegiance
and our affection and our adoration.
In other words,
we have made idols
and have worshipped them
instead of God.
And this is what the Bible calls sin,
has created this impassable rift
between God and us,
but unfortunately for us,
there is no do-over in life.
How then can we be forgiven
of our sins
and reconcile to God?
How then can we fulfill
the righteous requirements of the law
which we have already broken?
How can we be saved?
That question,
and not what's on the news this week,
and not the anxieties
that you walked into church with this morning,
is the most pressing and important question
that faces every single one of us.
And Matthew 3, 13 to 4, 11
gives us a wonderful answer
that Jesus is the Son of God
who fulfills all righteousness
as our substitute.
First, we're going to talk about
the testimony of the Son of God.
Secondly, we'll talk about
the temptation of the Son of God.
And finally, we'll talk about
the triumph of the Son of God.
The first thing to note in this passage
is the testimony of the Son of God,
more specifically,
the testimony of God the Father
regarding the Son,
His Son, Jesus Christ.
The baptism of Jesus
doesn't get as much attention
as the birth narratives,
especially during the Christmas season
that we just went through.
But while the two of the gospel writers,
Mark and John,
entirely omit the birth narratives of Jesus,
all four gospels
include some variation
of the baptism of Jesus
and the testimony
that the God the Father bears
about who His Son is.
And that shows,
that fact that all the gospels
highlight this event
shows what a defining moment it was
for first century believers.
It was a pivotal moment
that confirmed for Christians
who Jesus' true identity was,
who He really is.
It says in chapter 3, verse 13,
then Jesus came from Galilee
to the Jordan to John
to be baptized by Him.
What's wrong with this picture?
We learned last week
from the preceding passage
that John's water baptism
is a baptism of repentance.
Remember how John the Baptist
rebuked the Pharisees
and the Sadducees
who were coming to observe
His baptism saying,
bear fruit in keeping
with repentance.
True repentance entails
renouncing sin,
repenting of sin,
turning away from sin.
That's the fruit of repentance.
That's the fruit of obedience
that repentance
is supposed to bear.
This is why
if a so-called Christian
lives in unrepentant sin,
presuming upon the grace of God
and indulging in sin
without confession,
the Bible commands us
to take steps
as a local church
to declare them
an unbeliever
and to discontinue
Christian fellowship
with that person.
By their lack of repentance,
they have reneged
on their baptismal covenant,
which is the promise
to repent
and to believe in Jesus.
And that's precisely
what is wrong
with this picture.
Why is Jesus
being baptized?
What sin
did Jesus commit?
What sin
does Jesus
have to confess?
What sin
does Jesus
have to be washed of?
Nothing.
There is none.
Moreover,
why is Jesus
coming to be baptized
by John?
Remember what John said
in chapter 3, verse 11,
in reference to Jesus,
He who is coming
after me
is mightier than I,
whose sandals
I am not worthy
to carry.
He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit
and fire.
I mentioned last week
that Jews taught
that disciples
should be submissive
and subservient
to their teachers.
They taught
that disciples
should do
for their teachers
everything that
a slave does
for his master
except
carrying their sandals
because that's
beneath the dignity
even of a disciple.
That's fitting
only for a slave.
And John said,
I am not
worthy
to be your disciple.
No,
not only that,
I am not worthy
to be your slave.
I am not worthy
to carry your sandals
because that's
the surpassing
greatness
and worth
and glory
of Jesus Christ.
That's why
it says in chapter 3,
verse 14,
John would have
prevented him saying,
I need to be
baptized by you
and do you
come to me?
Jesus,
I'm a sinner.
You're not.
Jesus,
you're the king.
I'm the servant.
I need your spirit
and fire baptism.
Not you,
my water baptism
of repentance.
There's something
profoundly wrong
with this picture.
But Jesus tells John
that it is appropriate
for now
for him to get
baptized by John
in verse 15,
let it be so now
for thus it is fitting
for us
to fulfill
all righteousness.
The word fulfill
and its variation
is used 15 times
to speak of Jesus
fulfilling something
in the gospel
of Matthew.
Of those 15 instances,
only this verse
doesn't refer
specifically to
the fact that
Jesus is fulfilling
the scriptures.
So it's a significant
verse.
What is it
that Jesus
is fulfilling?
He's fulfilling
all righteousness.
Righteousness
is right living
in accordance
with God's
righteous standards.
Righteousness
is being in
right relationship
with God
and in and through
that relationship
with God
being in right
relationship
with everything
and everyone else
around you.
So how does
Jesus' baptism
fulfill all
righteousness?
We find the answer
to that question
in the way
Jesus describes
his own purpose
and mission
throughout the gospels.
He says in Matthew
8, 17 to 18
that Jesus came
to bear our
illnesses and diseases.
Quoting from
Isaiah 53
which we read
from earlier
from the assurance
of pardon,
it said that Jesus
came to be pierced
for our transgressions.
That he came
to be crushed
for our iniquities
so that by his wounds
we are healed
and it says
a few verses later
in that same chapter
in Isaiah
that the righteous one
Jesus
will make many
to be accounted
righteous
and he shall bear
their iniquities.
That's how Jesus
fulfills
all righteousness.
He bears
our iniquities
and makes us
accounted as righteous
even though we are
sinners.
Again,
Jesus says in Matthew
20 verse 28
the son of man
came not to be served
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom
for many.
Jesus came
to die
in the stead
of sinners.
He came
to pour out
his blood
for the forgiveness
of our sins.
He came
to make
the many
accounted righteous.
So what is Jesus
doing by getting
baptized by John
here?
Jesus is identifying
with sinners.
Walking in solidarity
with sinners.
Jesus already
at the very beginning
of his ministry
starting to bear
our burdens.
Setting an example
for what sinners
ought to do
in repenting.
So John's question
I need to be
baptized by you
and you
come to me
is profound.
I should be
in your place.
You should be
in my place.
That's precisely
the point.
Jesus is
our substitute.
We
should be
hanged
on that cross
for our sins.
But instead
Jesus
dies
on that cross
in our place.
that's my place.
What are you
doing there?
Come down
from there.
No,
but Jesus says
it is right
to fulfill
all righteousness.
So at Jesus'
insistence
John relents
and baptizes
Jesus
and it says
in verses 16
and 17
immediately
he went up
from the water
and behold
the heavens
were opened
to him
and he saw
the spirit
of God
descending
like a dove
and coming
to rest
on him
and behold
a voice
from heaven
said
this is
my beloved
son
with whom
I am
well pleased.
I'm going to
digress
for a couple
minutes
because it
says in
verse 16
that Jesus
went up
from the
water
which I
think is
a clear
example
of immersion
baptism.
right
you guys
can laugh
that's okay
we are
baptistic
so I do
need to
point that
out.
It's funny
but in one
of the children's
Bibles that I
read for the
kids
it's called
the big
picture story
Bible
that's the
one that we
recommend to
a lot of
our kids
in the
preschool age
in the
scene of
Jesus'
baptism
the illustrator
decided that
he's not
going to
take a
position on
it
so Jesus
is in
the water
but John
the Baptist
is sprinkling
water on
but that's
just not the
way it
happened
originally
to baptize
baptizo in
Greek means
to immerse
it's to
dunk in
water.
The reason
why people
started sprinkling
in the early
church as you
can see in
the didache
which is the
teachings of
the apostles
kind of handed
down kind of
a how-to
practical manual
it says your
first choice in
baptism is to
use running
water or
living water
out in the
ocean or in
the river or
something.
If you don't
have that option
then use still
water in a
tank like we
do here
because we
don't have
that option
and then it
said if you
don't have
that then
just sprinkle
them three
times in the
name of the
Father and
Son and
Holy Spirit.
That was
the manual
and so that's
kind of how
that descended
down.
So I'm
sorry if
you're
Presbyterian
and you're
here but
that's the
digression.
Way more
important than
how Jesus
was baptized
was what
happened
afterward.
Three times
in this
passage we see
the word
behold and
each time
heaven comes
down to
earth.
Look at
those situations
where it says
behold.
Verse 16
behold the
heavens were
open to him
and he saw
the Spirit of
God descending
like a dove
and coming to
rest on him.
This doesn't
mean that Jesus
didn't have the
Holy Spirit prior
to this point.
Remember in
Matthew 1
18 to 20
Jesus was
conceived by
the Holy Spirit
already.
But when
God was
creating the
world in
Genesis 1
verse 2
it says that
the Spirit
of God
was hovering
over the
face of
the waters
like a
bird.
And similarly
when God
was in a
way recreating
the world
after the
flood judgment
in Noah's
day in
Genesis 8
8 to 12
Noah sends
out what
bird?
A dove
to hover
over the
waters.
Likewise
the Spirit
of God
hovers
over the
water
and rests
on Jesus
during his
baptism
because Jesus
is the one
who ushers
in the new
creation of
God.
2 Corinthians
5 17
says therefore
if anyone
is in
Christ he
is a
new
creation.
The old
has passed
away.
Behold
the new
has come.
There's
another
word.
There is
another
instance of
behold in
verse 17
and behold
a voice
from heaven
said this
is my
beloved
son with
whom I
am well
pleased.
And again
in chapter
4 verse 11
then the
devil left
him and
behold angels
came and
were ministering
to him.
And where
do angels
come from?
They come
from heaven.
Three times
we are told
behold and
that means we
ought to pay
attention and
each time the
very heavens
testify to
who Jesus
is.
All of the
heavens testify
to who
Jesus is.
God the
father
testifies.
God the
spirit
testifies and
all their
ministering
angels,
their servants
testify to
what God the
father says
out loud.
Beloved
son with
whom he
is well,
with whom I
am well
pleased.
And in the
rest of the
gospel of
Matthew we
see people
gradually coming
to realize and
to believe the
full meaning of
the father's
declaration that
Jesus is
God's son.
We see that
later with his
disciples and
after Jesus
calms the
storm,
Matthew 14
33,
we see that
in Peter's
declaration that
you are the
Christ,
the son of the
living God in
Matthew 16
16,
and finally with
the centurion's
declaration after
Jesus' death,
Matthew 27
54.
Truly this was
the son of
God.
This is meant
to show us that
Jesus is the
one mediator between
God and man,
between heaven and
earth.
He is the one who
brings God's
kingdom of heaven
and does God's
will on earth as
it is in heaven.
He is the
coming one,
the promised
one,
Emmanuel,
the only
beloved son of
God,
who shares the
father's nature.
That is the
testimony of the
son of God.
Now let's turn to
the temptation of
the son of God in
chapter four.
Jesus goes right
here from the
high of his
baptism to the
low of his
temptation.
salvation.
He goes from
the high of the
waters of the
Jordan River to
the low of the
desert wilderness.
Jesus goes from
the high of hearing
the voice of God
from heaven to the
low of hearing the
voice of Satan who
roams the earth.
Jesus goes from
hearing this is my
beloved son to the
low of hearing if
you are the son of
God.
The striking
contrasts are
intentionally laid
side by side to
make a point.
We see here in the
life of Christ that
the Christian life does
not always go from
one spiritual high to
the next.
Christ.
But that we often go
from the water to the
wilderness and from
affirmations to
temptations.
We sometimes
mistakenly think that
when trials and
temptations and
tribulations come our
way that we must be
doing something wrong.
God must be punishing
me.
God must not be happy
with me.
I must have done
something wrong.
But look at Jesus.
God the Father just
said to him, this is
my beloved son with
whom I am well
pleased.
And yet Jesus faces
the temptations of
the devil himself not
once, not twice, but
three times.
And note what it says
in verse one.
Then Jesus was led
up by the spirit into
the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil.
The very spirit that
just descended upon
Jesus in the likeness
of a dove is the
same spirit that now
leads Jesus into the
wilderness to be
tempted by the devil.
It's not because Jesus
is unfaithful or
unloved, but precisely
because he is faithful
and because he is
loved.
He is now led into
that period of
testing.
And this reveals the
good and sovereign
purposes of God which
transcend all of the
evil purposes of the
devil.
The word translated
tempt here can also be
translated test depending
on the context.
Sometimes when
translated tempt, it
means to tempt someone
in order to make them
fail so you can
disapprove of them.
Or when it
translated test,
sometimes it means to
test someone to show
their true worth and
approve of them.
As God tested Abraham
and as he tested the
Israelites in the
wilderness.
Both nuances are
relevant here.
God cannot be tempted
with evil and he tempts
no one.
That is true.
James 1.13.
So here it is the devil
who does the tempting,
not God.
God, the devil is
trying to make Jesus
fall and fail and to
discredit him.
But over and above all
of what the devil is
doing and intending, it
is God himself who is
testing Jesus in order to
accredit him before his
ministry begins in
earnest.
So don't be discouraged
if you're in a
wilderness season.
what the enemy means for
evil, God means it for
our good and for his
glory.
In the world, you will
have tribulation, Jesus
said, but take heart, I
have overcome the world.
Because Jesus himself in
every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet
without sin, he is able to
sympathize with our
weaknesses.
The antagonist of the
scene, we all know him,
is the devil, who is
called by three different
names in this passage.
He is called the devil
four times, Satan once in
verse 10, and he is
called the tempter in
verse 3.
This is not referring to
ordinary demons and evil
spirits that you see
throughout the gospels.
It's referring to Satan who
is the ruler and prince
among them all.
The head honcho himself
comes and attempts to go
toe-to-toe with Jesus, but
he is about to be roundly
defeated and sent home
packing.
The devil is the Greek
equivalent of the Hebrew
word Satan, and it means
accuser or slenderer, because
that is what he does.
He accuses and slanders God's
people day and night.
He shouts condemnation over
us day and night.
If you have a clear
conscience, that doesn't
mean that you haven't
sinned.
It means that there is no
sin you haven't confessed
and haven't brought to God.
You've done that.
You've confessed your sins.
You've brought those things
to God.
But you still hear the voice
of the devil condemning you.
That's not the voice of the
Lord.
It's the voice of the accuser
and the slanderer.
He's also called a tempter
and a liar.
He whispers lies to us about
God's character, and he
tempts us to disobey God.
The devil is not a literary
personification of all the evil
in the world.
He is a real and personal
being.
And we can see that clearly
here.
As much as we would like to,
we cannot explain away all the
hatred and the evil that is in
this world simply by the
sinfulness of man.
Though that sinfulness is very
grave.
There is a real personal evil,
a spiritual evil, that is at
work in our world.
And that's why Ephesians 6, 12
reminds us that our spiritual
battle is not against flesh and
blood.
It's not against other people,
but it is against the spiritual
rulers and the authorities and
the powers.
And against the spiritual forces of
evil in the heavenly places.
It's so easy for us, isn't it, to
antagonize people who disagree with
us or go against our interests, act
against our interests in the world
and in the church.
But we must remember that our
battle is ultimately against a
different enemy.
It's not against flesh and blood.
Let's look at the temptations in
detail.
The first is found in verses 2 and 3.
After fasting 40 days and 40 nights,
he was hungry.
And the tempter came and said to
him, if you are the son of God,
command these stones to become
loaves of bread.
The number 40 is symbolically
significant and it comes up
frequently throughout scripture.
But the most relevant connections
here is that Moses fasts for 40
days and 40 nights before receiving
the covenant requirements for God's
people from God.
And even more relevant than that,
Israel, God's people, wander in the
wilderness for 40 years prior to
entering the promised land.
And since Jesus uses scriptures from
Deuteronomy from the period of the
wilderness wandering of God's people,
Jesus is here being portrayed as the
representative of God's people, the
new Israel, who is not facing the same
temptations that his people faced in
the wilderness.
The first temptation is pretty
straightforward.
I think we can all relate.
Verse 2 tells us that Jesus was hungry.
And though Jesus is fully God, he's
also fully man, which means that he
needed to eat and when he didn't, he
got hungry.
Of course, many of us, including me,
we exaggerate and say that we're
starving when dinner is one or two
hours late.
But Jesus is actually starving.
Forty days and forty nights.
Imagine that.
Jesus' body has long depleted the
reserves of glucose and the fat.
Now his body is breaking down his own
protein, his own muscles, consuming
itself for energy.
So imagine how hungry Jesus would have
been and how tempting Satan's
temptation would have been.
If you are the son of God, command these
stones to become loaves of bread.
There's nothing wrong with the appetite
for bread.
God made us to get hungry and God made
us to eat.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to eat
bread.
But Jesus is here being tempted to doubt
God's provision for him and to take
things into own hands and provide for
himself.
It brings into question the way God is
leading Jesus because God's the one who
led Jesus into the wilderness where
there's no food.
He's the one who has led Jesus to fasting
for those forty days and forty nights.
We can see how Jesus responds in verse
four.
It is written, man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from
the mouth of God.
Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 8 verse 3
when Moses said to the Israelites, he
humbled you and let your hunger and let you
hunger and fed you with manna, which you did
not know, nor did your fathers know, that he
might make you know that man does not live by
bread alone, but man lives by every word that
comes from the mouth of the Lord.
God humbled the Israelites by letting them
experience hunger and then instead of
providing enough food for them to last the
entire journey in the wilderness, God
provided just enough to last one day so
that each day they would have to depend on
God's fresh provision so that they would
be humbled, so that they would know that God
the Father is their provider.
They were to learn humility and submission and
dependence on God through that, but the
Israelites failed that test.
They grumbled against God and they doubted
his provision.
And so in essence, the devil is asking Jesus
here, aren't you the son of God?
Didn't the father just say, you are my
beloved son in whom I am well pleased?
Aren't you the son of God?
And aren't you starving?
Where is your father?
Doesn't he provide for you?
Doesn't he care about you?
Here's some rocks.
Take things into your own hands.
Use the power that is within you.
Turn it into stone.
This is a representative temptation that can
be applied generally to all kinds of
different temptations of appetite and desire.
Where in your lives have your appetites
grown inordinate?
Inordinate?
Maybe it's an inordinate appetite for food,
for sex, for money, for companionship, for things.
The devil tempts us in very similar ways.
Aren't you a child of God?
Where is your father?
Aren't you lonely?
Go.
Sleep with that woman at that party.
Marry that non-Christian man.
He will love you.
Provide for you.
Your father is nowhere to be seen.
Take things into your own hands.
Don't wait on God or trust in his provision.
Aren't you in need?
Steal that money.
Cheat on the taxes.
No one will notice.
Aren't you the son of God?
Aren't you the daughter of God?
Where is your father?
If you are in a season of wilderness hunger,
don't demand food at your own convenience,
but instead wait for God's good and perfect timing.
That's the first temptation.
Yes, we need bread for life,
but life is not for bread.
The point, the purpose of our lives is to do the will of God,
to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
That's why Jesus says in John 4, 34,
my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
So Jesus passes the first test.
The second temptation is in verses five and six.
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple
and said to him,
if you are the son of God, throw yourself down for it is written.
He will command his angels concerning you and on their hands,
they will bear you up.
Lest you strike your foot against a stone.
Having been rebuked by scripture,
the devil ups his game and decides that he will try his own hand in using scripture against Jesus.
And he quotes Psalm 91 verses 11 to 12.
It's all too easy to rip scripture out of context and misuse it to suit our own purposes.
I've quoted this before as many preacher and professors have said,
the text without its context is a pretext.
In its original context,
Psalm 91 spoke about how we ought to walk with him and to trust in him
and that if we take shelter under the shelter of God almighty,
that we will be protected by him.
The Psalm called for humble submission to God,
but the devil is tempting Jesus to presumption,
to put man and not God at the center.
Aren't you the son of God?
May God prove his care and protection for you
by jumping off this temple.
Notice the devil takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple.
This is the very house of God in those days.
Surely God is in this place.
Surely he'll not miss you here.
You're right at the tip,
the pinnacle of the temple.
Let's do a little trust fall.
Jump.
But Jesus once again rebuffed Satan with scripture in verse seven,
quoting from Deuteronomy 6, 16,
you shall not put the Lord your God to the test
as you tested him at Massa.
This is an allusion to the time
when the Israelites quarreled with Moses
and tested God by angrily demanding water
because they were thirsty in the wilderness.
Exodus 17.
This incident is described this way in Exodus 17, verse seven.
And he called the name of the place Massa and Meribah
because of the quarreling of the people of Israel
and because they tested the Lord by saying,
is the Lord among us or not?
Now that gets to the rub of the temptation here.
The nature of this temptation is God with you or not?
Does your father care for you or not?
Make him prove it.
We so often put God to these kinds of tests.
If you heal my disease,
then I will believe in you,
that you care for me.
If you give me a job,
then I will follow you
and believe that you are for me.
If you give this to me,
if you do that for me,
and if only then will I believe
that you really are there
and that you love me.
But to do that is to put God to the test.
To do that is to make God serve us
rather than us serving God.
So Jesus refuses the second temptation as well.
Notice that both of these first two temptations
are prefaced with the conditional clause,
if you are the son of God.
This is directly related to the fact
that God just said concerning Jesus
in chapter three, verse 17,
this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.
Satan calls into question
Jesus' identity as the son of God,
not because he doubts it,
he knows it,
but because he wants to cast a shadow over it,
because he wants to drive a wedge
between the father and the son.
And not only the devil,
but again and again,
godless people in the gospel
will taunt Jesus precisely on this point.
In Matthew 27, 39 to 40,
the passerbys,
the passerby,
they deride Jesus
and they wag their heads saying,
if you are the son of God,
come down from the cross.
In Matthew 27, 43,
the chief priest with the scribes and the elders,
they mocked Jesus saying,
he trusts in God,
let God deliver him now,
if he desires him,
for he said,
I am the son of God.
If you are the son of God,
wouldn't your life be different right now?
That's the thrust of all the temptations
that the devil puts before the people of God.
That is why every temptation is serious
and every sin is grave.
Not only does our sin in and of itself displease God,
it also impugns God's character.
It makes us question the goodness of our heavenly father.
All Satan needs to do is to drive this narrow sliver
of the tip of the wedge in.
Then he can drive the rest of it in.
In the third and final temptation,
the devil drops all pretense.
There is no,
if you are the son of God,
Satan is no longer trying to play on Jesus' relationship
with the father and making it sound like,
oh, since you are God's son,
these things should be happening for you.
No, he drops the mask
and outright tempts Jesus
to renounce his allegiance to God the father.
He says in verses eight and nine,
again, the devil took him to a very high mountain
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world
and their glory.
And he said to him,
all these I will give you
if you will fall down and worship me.
The devil is described in several instances
throughout the New Testament
as the ruler of this world
and he does in fact have this authority
under God's sovereign ultimate rule
to grant this.
This world is under the devil's influence
until it is wrested from his control
by our Lord Jesus
when he returns to glory to consummate
his kingdom.
The main thrust of the temptation
is authority and glory in the world.
Jesus already has been promised
authority and glory.
He is destined to rule
according to the prophecies of the Old Testament.
So it is not wrong for the son of God
to have these things.
The problem is in the way
that the son of God claims
that authority and glory.
God the father had appointed
that the son would attain glory
through the humiliation of the cross.
God the father has ordained
that the son would attain his rule
and his kingship through service
by giving his life as a ransom for many.
But this temptation tempts Jesus
to short circuit that process.
aren't you the son of God?
Isn't all this authority and glory and power
supposed to be yours anyway?
Well then here it is.
Take it.
I offer it to you.
Forget proclaiming the kingdom of heaven.
Here.
I give you all the kingdoms of the world.
All you have to do
is renounce your allegiance to God
and pledge allegiance to me.
Bow down and worship me.
Jesus answers the devil
by quoting scripture once again in verse 10.
Be gone Satan.
For it is written
you shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.
This is a quotation from Deuteronomy 6.13.14
and recalls Israel's idolatry in Exodus 32
when they made a golden cap
in the place of the true God
and worshiped and bowed before it.
In Moses' absence
these people,
the Israelites realized
they need divine help
in order to complete the conquest
and to claim the promised land
but they're like
well Moses is gone
and where is God?
And so they
pick quickly
because their quest
wasn't ultimately about the glory of God
but about their own glory.
Cut God out of the picture.
In comes the golden calf.
Are you willing to
forsake your allegiance to God
for your own glory?
Are you willing to compromise
your principles
in order to climb
the ladder of success?
Yes, you want to do
great things for God
but is that great thing
really for you
or for God?
There's only one person
in the world
who deserves worship.
and that is the Lord
our God.
Does your life
bear witness
to this
exclusive allegiance?
In God's economy
humility
always comes
before honor
and pride
always comes
before fall
because Jesus
does not take things
into his own hands
but trusts
in the Father's will
after his death
and resurrection
Jesus says
in Matthew 28, 18
all authority
in heaven
and on earth
has been given
to me.
He didn't get that authority
from the devil
because the devil
doesn't have that authority.
He got it from God the Father
because it's authority
in heaven
and on earth.
it is unbecoming
of us
brothers and sisters
to seek
positions
and glory
power
recognition
we already have
the greatest affirmation
we can have
in Jesus Christ
God the Father
says of all of us
this is my beloved
son
with whom
I am
well pleased.
Is there
more glory
out there
somewhere
than being the heir
of the king
of the universe?
Is there
more joy
out there
somewhere
than being able
to be well
pleasing
to God
our Father?
So Jesus
passes all three tests
with flying colors
which is why
he's prepared
to meet
the fiery trials
of the cross.
Later in Matthew
26
when Jesus
is being betrayed
and arrested
his disciples
try to intervene
but Jesus says
do you think
that I cannot
appeal to my Father
and he will at once
send me more
than twelve
legions of angels?
But how then
should the scriptures
be fulfilled
that it must be so?
Once again
there is a temptation
at the end of his life
on his way
to the cross
to call down
legions of angels
to protect him
but again
Jesus does not
take that rock
because he says
the scriptures
must be fulfilled
and he must die
and later in Matthew 16
Peter will declare
to Jesus
you are the Christ
the son
of the living God
which is an amazing
profession
but shortly after that
we see that
Peter still
doesn't get it all
because when Jesus
foretells
his impending
suffering and death
Peter says
oh wait a minute
no no no
you are the son
of God
far be it from you
this shall never
happen to you
but Jesus
hears the voice
of the devil
behind Peter
if you are
the son of God
you would not
have to suffer
like this
and so Jesus
rebukes
Peter
and rebukes
Satan
get behind me
Satan
you are a hindrance
to me
for you are not
setting your mind
on the things
of God
but on the things
of man
very similar
to how Jesus
now says
be gone
Satan
in so doing
Jesus passes
all the tests
where Israel
God's people
failed
Israel
if you might
recall
from our series
in Exodus
is described
as God's
firstborn son
in Exodus
4 22
and in Jeremiah
31 9
and in their
experience in the
wilderness of 40
years
they failed all
three of these
tests
but Jesus
who is the new
Israel
who represents
all of God's
people including
us
succeeds
where they
failed
during his
40 days
of temptation
and this is
why
all of Jesus
scriptural
answers
come from
Deuteronomy
because he is
functioning as
our substitute
to fulfill
all righteousness
so think for a
moment with me
of all the sins
that you have
ever committed
maybe some sins
that no one
no living human
being knows
but you
think of
all the
evil
and sordid
places
that you
have gone
with your
feet
with your
eyes
and in your
mind
and in your
heart
Jesus
the holy
one
the son
of God
has been
there
he has
been there
he has
been there
and he
succeeded
exactly
where you
failed
all the
places
where I've
ever
failed
Jesus
has
succeeded
there
in all
the places
where you
have
failed
Jesus
has
succeeded
there
in your
place
so that
we say
as John
says
I should
be there
you should
be here
but Jesus
says
it is
right
so that
I might
fulfill
all
righteousness
and that's
why
the tender
affection
and approval
of God
the father
in chapter
3 verse
17
is now
pronounced
over us
don't
ever
lose
sight
of the
wonder
of that
brothers
and sisters
family
of God
do you
know where
that comes
from
beloved
son
this is
my beloved
son
with whom
I am
well
please
first part
of it
comes
from
Isaiah
42
1
which we
read
as our
call
to worship
speaking
of Jesus
the servant
of the
Lord
the Messiah
who is
to come
it also
comes from
Genesis
22
verse 2
when God
commands
Abraham
to sacrifice
his only
son Isaac
and do you
remember what
God calls
Isaac
there
when he
tells Abraham
to sacrifice
him
your son
your only
son
your beloved
son
and if
you know
the rest
of the
story
God
interrupts
Abraham
doesn't
let him
sacrifice
Isaac
and instead
of in
Isaac's
place
provides
a ram
a male
sheep
to take
Isaac's
place
so that
that sheep
can be
offered
in the
place
of his
son
Isaac
and you
know why
God provides
that substitute
because it's
pointing forward
to what God
knows he's
going to do
when his
only son
his beloved
son
comes down
and climbs
up a mountain
and dies
on behalf
of sinners
like you
and me
it's
because
Jesus
has been
offered
as the
lamb
of God
for the
sins
of his
people
and because
he has
died
there
and because
he was
raised
from the
dead
that we
his
wayward
people
are
forgiven
the
wayward
son
is forgiven
because
the
righteous
son
is
condemned
the
wayward
son
is
reconciled
the
wayward
son
lives
because
the
obedient
son
dies
there
are
no
do
overs
for us
in life
but
there
was
one
great
ultimate
do
over
and that
was in
the life
and death
and resurrection
of Jesus
Christ
our
substitute
let's
pray
oh
Jesus
that was
our
place
that was
our
place
that you
took
thank
you
thank
you
Jesus
it's
because
of you
we have
forgiveness
because
of you
we have
life
because
of you
we have
the promise
of the
resurrection
and eternity
with God
our
father
because
of you
we have
the Holy
Spirit
who is
poured
into our
hearts
the spirit
of adoption
that spurs
us to
cry
Abba
father
oh
Lord
help
every
single
one
of my
brothers
and sisters
here
in this
room
right now
to know
the
father's
love
to be
assured
without a
shadow
of doubt
that over
them is
pronounced
the same
words
that you
pronounced
over
Jesus
because
they
have
believed
in you
and they
are in
Christ
this
is
my
beloved
son
and this
is
my
beloved
daughter
with whom
I am
well
pleased
thank you
God
in Jesus
name we
pray
amen
Man
one
you
note
to be
man
way
man
can
yet