Common Ground

Matthew 4:1-11

1)Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2) After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3) The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4) Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. 5) Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6) "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 7) Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.8) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9) "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10) Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' 11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

I am an avid fan of all forms of gospel music. From my early introduction to the traditional sounds of, Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, and the Clark Sisters to the pulsating rhythms of Christian rock bands like BarlowGirl, I am enamored by artists who passionately render the powerful Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I unashamedly roll the windows down on the two-seater and turn up my radio to the likes of Deitrick, Lecrae, J.R., Tye, Canton, Flame and yes Cross Movement giant, Da’T.R.U.T.H. While perusing the Cross Movement site late one evening, I happened upon a headline that truly pained me: “An Apology from Emanuel L. Lambert, Jr. - Da' T.R.U.T.H.” Therein he stated that he was entering a ministry sabbatical in order to address his marital indiscretions. In the quiet of my call room, I sat back from the computer, staring at his photographed image and printed apology. My heart entered into prayer for restoration of our brother and his family. I was immediately reminded that believers, especially ministers of the Gospel, are under relentless spiritual attack by the evil one. I Corinthians 10 13 reminds us that “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” In today’s lesson we will study our Elder-brother, Jesus Christ and learn that while yes, we all stand on the common ground of temptation, we have victory by the Power of God and His inspired Word. I hate to jump to the end (Matthew 4:11), but how wonderful to know that when we resist the devil using the Word,not only must satan the tempter flee, but God will send us the help that we need to recover! I am too excited about this lesson. Let's go!

A Relatable Savior

Perhaps one of the most amazing things to me about the gift of Jesus, is that He is relatable. As recorded in sacred and historically sound scripture, he was born into a real human family with real human issues. There were very real hurts, tangible joys and irrevocable sorrows. It was God’s will that Jesus would live a life that could serve as a living epistle for how we are to live and face temptation. Hebrews 4:15 encourages us: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin.” Our personal situations must not be used to excuse giving in to temptation. For example, when your roommate smokes recreational marijuana and you are having a particularly stressful time at work, this set of circumstances does not excuse your “taking the edge off” by joining in the festivities. Or maybe your husband no longer pays you the attention that “Sam” from the office lavishes upon you. Certainly, having a quick coffee after work is innocent enough. Take comfort in knowing that Jesus too had times of stress, isolation and anxiety. Just read the story of his pre-Earthly ministry temptation here in Matthew 4 and his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (See Luke 22, Mark 14) Note that He did not give into even the humanly understandable temptation to forgo the cruelty of the Cross, since His heart is ever directed toward the Will of the Father. The life of our Lord declares “Not my will, but Your Will be done” Jesus, tempted in EVERY manner as we have been, and will be, triumphantly overcame the evil one by submitting His fleshly will to that of the Father as found in His Word, and so can you!

Spiritual triumph marks the path to temptation

Matthew 3: 16) As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17) And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Can you recall a time that you completed a period of deep consecration, fasting, or prayer where you were certain that God was with you? You seemed to be filled with so much of the Holy Ghost that you felt like a spiritual giant capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound? You exited this time of spiritual renewal excited about your God encounter, only to find that you were to face to face with greater temptations than you had ever faced before. Not only did God see you on the Holy Ghost mountaintop, the enemy saw you too! The experience of Jesus was quite like this. We see in Matthew chapter 3, that Jesus is audibly announced as the Son of God, having pleased the Father. What higher heights are there than to have had all those standing about hear from Heaven that you are in fact the Son of God? It was surely a glorious day for all who heard the Voice of God! Chapter 3 ends and Chapter 4 opens equally abruptly, with “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” There is no descriptive segue of a great celebration for Jesus perhaps led my John the Baptist or the people at large. No parades marking this present Messiah. Isn’t it interesting the noticeable quiet after the voice of God speaks? After this God encounter, Jesus is lead not directly onto a platform to preach, but into an isolated place where His flesh will grow hungry and weak. The enemy not only preys upon these physical longings for food, he also spoke to His emotions and thoughts with temptations to feed fleshly ego and pride as seen in verse 8: “…the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9) "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Recognize that while God has spoken powerfully over one area of your life and you are enjoying the associated victory, the devil is standing with fiery darts aimed carrying any number of new temptations designed to destroy the great work that God has begun in you. He wants us to become obsessed with the cares of this life and pride of life, just as God desires to continue elevating us spiritually. Thank God that according to His word as found in Philippians 1:6 “…I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Perhaps it is now time to face tougher areas of your Christian walk in order to prepare for higher levels in God. Don’t be afraid of the desert. Your triumph on the mountain has prepared you for the great temptations to come.

Sword Play

When we were kids, my brothers and I would often play sword fighting with sticks. We had heard the words “On guard, touché!” many times on TV and we would match the click-clack of our “swords” with these utterances. “On guard” meant “get ready, I’m coming after you” while touché indicated that one had been “cut” by the opponent. In the Christian life, we are certainly spiritually embattled. We must be not only on guard, but also aware of the touché moments in our lives when our opponent the devil has wounded us with sin and temptation. As believers, know that temptation is coming, and we must be prepared, especially after experiencing high places in God. Ephesians 6 masterfully depicts how a follower of Christ can defeat the enemy by wearing and carrying the appropriate spiritual fighting gear. Verse 17 of that chapter admonishes us to “take on the …sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Every temptation offered to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 4 was renounced by the speaking the written Word. Jesus spoke directly against what the enemy is saying to Him. When satan offers Jesus natural bread, our Lord retorts that 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. The Word of God protects us from death associated with sin. We grow less concerned with physical hunger and our hearts yearn for the life gained by eating Bread from Heaven. I have found in my own life that physical desires are quenched by simply picking up my Bible and reading. This feeds my spirit man and he grows stronger while my physical desires grow weaker. Remember, what you feed will grow! In verse 5 the devil takes Jesus to the temple, and cunningly tempts Jesus with sacred text to test the grace of God by throwing Himself from a high place toward death in hopes that God will save Him. Jesus fights this ridiculous notion with scripture: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Note in verses 5 and 6 that satan will meet you outside on the same church ground you danced around on during Sunday service. Also, note he, too knows the Word. He will manipulate Biblical truths in order to win the fight. Be on guard! When the enemy tempts Him to defy God and worship satan, the ruler of this world, in exchange for Earthly kingdoms, Jesus declares: "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Again, this mandate to serve God alone can be found throughout Old Testament scripture. To know the Word requires that we study it: Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Our best chance for winning spiritual battles starts with wielding the best weapon we have, the sharp and powerful Sword of the Spirit; the irrefutable Word of God!

Dr.’s Orders  Even our greatest Gospel teachers, preachers, singers, and rappers alike share with the rest of us this common ground of temptation, but as followers of Christ we glean from His Divine example several keys to being victorious in the face of temptation.
1) Understand that our Lord sympathizes with our situation and that we have victory in Him! Confess your personal point of temptation to Him in prayer then accept His forgiveness and preserving power in your life. You will never be the same in Jesus name!
2) Understand that your spiritual mountaintop experiences are preparing you for places of challenge and temptation. While coming down off the mountain, be led of the Spirit into a quiet place of preparation and reflection. Do not be surprised when the enemy attacks. Know that you must be in the right place (the Will of God) since you got his attention.
3) Arm yourself with the Word of God. Daily study of God’s Word prepares us for the attack of the enemy that will surely come. Keep a journal of those scriptures that empower your walk with God. Read the Book, for in the end you win!