Facing Temptation!
Part of Lessons From Luke
May 4, 2025

Luke 4:1–13

3 Lessons about Facing Temptation:

1) Temptation Will Come Even When We Are Spirit-Filled and Spirit-Led!

  • 1 Peter 5:8
  • We have a real spiritual enemy who wants to render us ineffective within God’s Kingdom.
  • We have a real spiritual enemy who wants to challenge our identity.
    • Jesus was fully man and fully God. (Colossians 1:15)
      • In His Spirit, He was strengthened and led by fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
      • In His Flesh, He was weakened from fasting for 40 days.
      • In this moment of physical weakness and of spiritual strength, the devil seized an opportunity to tempt Jesus.
  • In the three recorded temptations, Jesus is challenged to forget and forfeit His identity:
    • “If you are the Son of God…put your flesh above your Spirit.”
    • “I will give you all this…if you step down as the ultimate object of worship and worship me.”
    • “If you are the Son of God…be a spectacle and prove it.”
    • Satan failed to break the Spirit, He failed to hijack God’s ultimate plan, so he tried to hijack how the plan was carried out.
    • Sometimes, the devil’s way of causing us to stumble is tempting us to do God’s work our way instead of God’s way!
      • To try and promote the Work of God while neglecting or denying the Spirit of God.
    • Sometimes the devil will provoke our “good intentions” to break our reliance on the Holy Spirit.
  • To be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led is to know that Christ defines who we are and therefore we rely on Christ and the Holy Spirit to sustain us, to lead us in God’s work, and lead us in how we carry out God’s Work!

2) Temptation Will Fail When We Cling to God’s Word!

  • In all three recorded temptation, Jesus rebuffed the devil’s attacks with the Word of God
    • The Word made flesh, relied on the authority of the Word to battle temptation!
  • Luke records Jesus’ use of Deuteronomy to defeat the temptation of the devil.
    • At the temptation to put flesh above Spirit, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3.
    • At the temptation to compromise the cross and worship the devil, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13.
    • At the temptation to prove Himself and become a spectacle, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16.
  • Jesus isn’t the only one who quotes Scripture:
    • The Devil quotes Psalm 91:11–12
    • But the Devil doesn’t use the full context of the passage: Psalm 91:9–13 “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”
    • Jesus could have quoted the fullness of the passage to refute the devil but instead, He went to the foundational meat of the Word and got straight to the point: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test!”
  • When we will cling to the fullness of God’s Word and stick to it’s foundational truths, our grey areas will become more clear, we will not compromise the glory of God and our reliance upon His Spirit, and temptations will fail!

3) Victory Against Temptation Is No Reason to Let Our Guard Down!

  • Luke 4:13
    • 1 Peter 5:8 tells us we are to be “sober-minded; be watchful”. Some translations say, “Stay Alert”.
  • One reason we shouldn’t let our guard down is the fact that we are always surrounded by cultural temptations that are pretty obvious.
    • We are broken people who live in a broken world. These general temptations can make us stumble and compromise if we are not being sober-minded and watchful.
  • Another reason, is that our enemy has been defeated, but he’s not yet been destroyed, though that day is coming!
    • The enemy has lost, but he’s going to try and take as many down with him as he can.
    • His aim is to rob God of glory and worship. He seeks to do that by rendering God’s people ineffective and neglectful.
  • As we embrace Jesus and do not quench the Holy Spirit, the devil will look for more opportune times to bring direct temptation.
    • We must never take our eyes off of Jesus, but rather we must fix our eyes on Him!
    • Ephesians 6:10–13 says we are to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
  • As we have victory in our lives, let us not become neglectful and arrogant, but continue to grow in humility and reliance upon Jesus!
  • The goal is not to merely triumph over temptation, but to always walk in faithfulness and continue to abide in Jesus!

Closing

  • So where do we begin?
    • First, if you are currently ineffective in your faith because of temptation, reflect on whose you are and who you are!
      • If you truly saved, you a child of God and the recipient of His Amazing Grace!
        You are not sentenced to eternal shame and condemnation, but your sin, even the sin that weighs you down right now, has already been satisfied by Jesus on the cross!
      • So repent and through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in you, cast off the sin that so easily entangles and run with endurance the path of righteousness that is set before you, keeping your eyes on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of your faith!
      • Let Him define and shape who you are, not the sin He has already defeated and wants to render powerless within you!
    • Second, if you realize that the Holy Spirit doesn’t live in you because you are not truly saved and your whole life is defined by sin, don’t be a casualty of your sinfulness, but repent, place your trust and faith in Jesus as the Lord of your life and find salvation in Him!
      • The only way to have power over temptation is to give Jesus control and let the Spirit of God bring victory for you.
    • Third, if you currently embattled with temptation, keep your eyes on Jesus and let the Holy Spirit be your strength.
      • In 2 Corinthians 12:7–9 Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes, “…to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
      • 1 Corinthians 10:13 God’s Word tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
      • Keep Christ as your focus, abide and endure, let the Spirit of God show you the path of victory through the temptation!