What You Believe Matters

January 23, 2022

Luke 4: 1-13

¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.

⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you carefully;
¹¹ they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[d]”

¹² Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[e]”

¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Read Luke 4:1-13

1. In some ways this passage runs parallel to the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Read that account in Genesis 3. What similarities and parallels do you observe between the Genesis 3 temptation of Adam and Eve and the Luke 4 temptation of Jesus? How does Romans 5:12-19 help us in our understanding?
2. What is the common thread between all three of Jesus’ responses to temptation? What are the implications? What does it look like for us to put that into practice on a daily basis?

Read Luke 4: 1-2

1. Jesus was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness. What are the implications of this in our own lives? What does it feel like to be “in the wilderness?” What possible purposes might God have for leading us there?
2. Matt. 6:9-13 is commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Read the final lines of that prayer. How might it be connected to our passage in Luke 4?

Read Luke 4:3-4

1. Satan tempts Jesus with food after 40 days of fasting. In your experience, how likely are you to experience temptation at your weakest point rather than your strongest?
2. Where are your weak points? In what areas are you most vulnerable to temptation?
3. What can you do to protect yourself in those areas of temptation?

Read Luke 4:5-8

1. What things in your life are you tempted to put in the place of God?

Read Luke 4:9-13

1. Satan tempts Jesus to prove himself. Do you ever compelled to prove yourself to others? Where does that take place most frequently for you….with family? …at work? …where?
2. How do you feel about the enemy waiting for an opportune time to tempt you? How does 1 Peter 5:8 speak to this? In very practical terms, what does it mean to ‘be alert and of sober mind”?