Sunday Morning Leftovers - The Baptism and Temptation of Christ

Southbrook Church's focus on Sunday January 26th, 2014 was on the Baptism and Temptation of Jesus. 

At first I thought that these two events were somewhat isolated from each other. But as we continued to study and learn, we were able to see that these events are not only inextricably linked, but that they reflect back to other temptation accounts in the Bible.

We had time in the service to show that the three temptations that Jesus encountered in Matthew 4 were actually echoes of earlier temptations regarding God's people and Moses.  Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy Chapters 6 and 8 -while resisting Satan's temptations.  In Deuteronomy Chapters 6-8 Moses is about to lead the people into the Promised Land.  They had just spent the previous 40 years in the Wilderness and Moses wanted to remind the people that they failed when tested. Jesus, by quoting Deuteronomy Chapter 6-8 is declaring that he is unlike all those who came before him.  He is unlike the nation of Israel, unlike any of the Prophets or Kings that preceded him.  He is a king unlike any the world has seen before; because he was able to resist the temptations that came his way.

But there is more...  Think of the first temptations that were given to the first people.

In Genesis Chapter 3v1, Satan tempts Eve to eat of the tree.  By appealing to her physical appetite, we see a link to the first temptation that Jesus experienced, 'turn the stones into bread.'

In Genesis Chapter 3v4, Satan's second temptation is to tell Eve that 'you will certainly not die.' Satan appeals to Eve's personal gain, which links us directly to the second temptation of Jesus, 'you will not hurt your foot.'

In Genesis Chapter 3v5, Satan's final temptation is to tell Eve that she can be like God.  By appealing to her personal power and glory, we can see the final link to the last temptation that Christ experienced, which was for him to have all the world's kingdoms.

The first humans had a perfect environment possessing everything they wanted.  Yet they lost it all, plunging the world into chaos and death.  

Jesus is called the 'second Adam.' Instead of the perfect environment, he had the isolation of the wilderness.  He was hungry and alone.  Adam and Eve lost it all in the garden, but Jesus won it all on the Cross.  Destruction came because of Adam, but Salvation comes from Jesus.

The depth and beauty of God's Word...!

The Temptations -

Temptation seems to easily come my way. Pride, lust, control, even superiority -appear at my door, at my step, and in my life.  Sometimes I will commit myself to a new plan of overcoming them, other times I will confess to a friend and seek his help.  But more often than not, they continue to try and trap me.

Maybe you can identify, may be not.  It seems like each of us is tempted -but in different ways. One friend can't have a glass of wine, while another brews his own beer.

Is there a pattern that we can follow to help us overcome the temptations that we face?

We read in Matthew 4 that Jesus was tempted. But when we read the story it seems bizarre and with little relevance to us today...

We find the Spirit leading Jesus out to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, to jump from the Temple and finally to bow to Satan in exchange for authority over the world.

Two extremes should be avoided when studying this passage...

• We must be careful to blame God for causing temptation.  James 1.13 makes it clear that God is never directly responsible for temptation.

• We want to avoid ascribing to Satan the power to act independently of God.  Satan can only act within God's sovereign will.

The First Temptation is for Jesus to turn the stones into bread.  This temptation is all about Jesus using his power for his personal gain versus using his power to advance God's mission.

The Second Temptation is for Jesus to throw himself off the temple and have God catch him.  Satan is wanting Jesus to test God, pushing Jesus to see if God will serve his personal needs.

The Third Temptation is for Jesus to bow to Satan in exchange for the kingdoms of this world.  This final temptation involves immediate success- instant gratification.  Satan tempts Jesus to skip his suffering and to become popular right now.

The temptation story reminds us that Jesus was unlike previous Kings, that he was unlike Israel. They succumbed to temptation, while he placed his obedience to God before his personal desires.

Now we can see the link to us today...
The triple-threat of Relevance, Popularity and Power are some of the greatest temptations we face. Jesus shows us the antidote, which is obedience to God.