Luke 4.1-13

A recent study tracked the top temptations Americans face. 

The people surveyed said they struggled with the following temptations either “often” or “sometimes”:

• Worrying or being anxious—60 percent
• Procrastinating or putting things off—60 percent
• Eating too much—55 percent
• Spending too much time on social media—44 percent
• Being lazy—41 percent
• Spending more money than they could afford—35 percent
• Gossiping about others—26 percent
• Being jealous or envious of others—24 percent
• Viewing pornography or sexually explicit material—18 percent
• Abusing alcohol or drugs—11 percent

So, I now ask you:

What tempts you?

Does the snooze button on your alarm clock tempt you to stay in bed and prolong the start of your day?

Does the Playstation, Xbox, or Switch tempt you to play one more level of your current video game instead of studying for a test or preparing for your early morning work meeting?

Does the chocolate on your counter tempt you to break your commitment to eating healthier and losing weight?

Does the availability of every episode of your favorite show on a streaming service tempt you to forsake your household chores or ignore your children?

Does the promise of a new car or luxury vacation tempt you to miss important events in your kid’s life in order to at work late and go in for overtime to pay off the expense?

Does the alcohol in the restaurant tempt you to break your commitment to sobriety?

Does the instant physical gratification of pornography tempt you to break the promise you made on your wedding day to find satisfaction only in your spouse?

We are all tempted in one way or another.

And, let’s be honest, temptation isn’t something we find easy to brush off or walk away from.  Temptation, to do what we shouldn’t  do and to not do what we should do, is powerful and often seems to control and dictate our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

Today’s text, chosen for us by the lectionary for this First Sunday in Lent, comes from the Biblical book of Luke.  This pericope is focused on several temptations that strongly encourage Jesus to make decisions that will completely ruin his life and in turn completely ruin our life.

Our sermon text for today is Luke 4.1-13, which can be found on page 859 of the blue Bibles in your pews.

Let’s read and hear this piece of history together:

Luke tells us this:

[1] And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness [2] for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. [3] The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” [4] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 

[5] And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, [6] and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. [7] If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” [8] And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’”

[9] And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, [10] for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

to guard you,’

[11] and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

[12] And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” [13] And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. (ESV)

Here in our Biblical text, we hear and see that Jesus was tempted by God’s ultimate enemy, the devil.  We often hear the Devil referred to as “Satan” which is derived from the Greek word satanas,  meaning adversary. 

This morning, we see that the devil tempts Jesus in three specific ways.

First, Jesus was tempted to find instant gratification by feeling pleasure and satisfaction through trusting in his own abilities.  The devil tempts Jesus to use his power to meet his own needs instead of trusting in God’s promise to provide for him when the time was right.

Second, Jesus was tempted to inappropriately “skip the line” in order to have power over the people and kingdoms of the earth.  Jesus was tempted to take the short cuts in life in order to get servants, authority and wealth, instead of walking the road that God put him on.  The road that God put him also promised power, but it would have road blocks and bumps along the way.  However, God’s road to power would lead him to be blessed now and forever. And, God’s road for Jesus would ultimately lead to you, hearing this today, receiving God’s blessing now and forever.

Jesus’ third temptation was to become instantly famous.  He was again tempted to take the easy way out and cheat with short cuts in order to have people look at him and want to be like him and want to be near him.  Taking the Devil’s way would lead people to speak of Jesus’ greatness without ever mentioning that God the Father in Heaven and Creator of the Universe, sent him to freely forgive sin and give out  righteousness and eternal life.  By following the devil’s temptation to walk away from God’s plan and purpose for his life, he would forsake you and me, leaving us forever separated from God in Heaven.

Jesus was on God’s mission to rescue you.  During His time on earth, Jesus was fully aware that the life of obedience that he lived be credited to you through your faith.  So, Jesus did what was right in God’s eyes for your eternal good.  

The greatest temptation that we all face is the exact same temptation that Jesus faced in our text this morning.  That temptation is the temptation to look away from God, to ignore God, and to disobey God’s plan and purpose for our life.  The temptation is to skip God’s line in order to get things that matter only in this world—instant pleasure or satisfaction, fame, and power.  

We are tempted to look only to our own personal interests and our own personal good (as we see it) and ignore everything that God has done for us.  This path of temptation causes us to live in disobedience to God’s will that we would be saved from God’s wrath on our sin and simply love Him and love others.

Even things that don’t seem like a big deal—the things we would label “little sins”—show that we are tempted to care more about ourselves than God or others.  

As an example, let’s go back to where we started. As silly as it seems, giving into the temptation to eat that piece of chocolate on the counter when you once, probably not too long ago, committed to taking better care of the physical body that you are now living in, says that you don’t care about the body that God has given you. 

What tastes good right now and for the next 3 minutes, as the residue remains in your mouth, is a sign of a much bigger problem of the inability to choose right and do right 100% of the time.

To repeat what I said a few minutes ago,

We are all tempted in one way or another.

And, let’s be honest, temptation isn’t something we find easy to brush off or walk away from.  Temptation to do what we shouldn’t and to not do what we should is powerful and often seems to control and dictate our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

There are some days where life is difficult and we want to take any short cut we can to get to where we want to be.  We will step on who we need to step on.  We will lie where we need to lie.  We will gossip where we need to gossip.  We will fix numbers where we need to fix numbers.  We will cheat where we need to cheat.  

We will do all of these things and more if it means getting what we want sooner and easier.

Several years after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and return back to Heaven, the apostle Paul wrote to the struggling church in the city of Corinth.  In his first letter to them, he encourages them with these words, found in that letter, specifically at 1 Corinthians 10:13:

Paul reminds them that:

[13] No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. [But] 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. (ESV)

It is here that the apostle Paul reminds us of two pieces of good news.

The first piece of good news is that you are not alone when you are tempted.  When distractions come your way and something inside of you tells you to turn away from doing the right thing, you are no different than any other human being that has or that will ever live.

You are not strange.

You are not weird.

You are not the only one who struggles with choosing to think, say, and do, the right thing 100% of the time.

Temptation is as old as humanity.

The second piece of good news that the apostle Paul gives in his words to the Christians in the city of Corinth is that when you are tempted, God is with you who believe in Him, and will help you and give you exactly what you need to overcome the temptation.

You may be asking, “How does God give me the ability to overcome the strong pulls of temptation to think, say, and do, the wrong thing? The text just says that he will, not how it will happen!”

Well, for that, let’s look back to Jesus in the desert.  In Jesus’ temptation in the desert, we see how God provided Jesus the strength to push away the temptations in his life.  God provided the strength for Jesus to push away temptation by giving Him the living and active words of Scripture that God had written for him and his daily, as well as, eternal, good.

For each specific temptation, Jesus knew a verse from the Bible that helped him and strengthened him to trust God when the road to doing the right and Godly thing was difficult.

So, how does this work in your life? The same way God worked in Jesus’ life now works in your life.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 reminds you of this when Paul reminds his disciple Timothy that:

[16] All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (ESV)

There are verses to help you and strengthen you in every single temptation you are facing now and will face in the future.  

But, they will not come into your mind out of thin air.  Part of having faith in God is knowing who he is, what he promises to do, and how he will do it for you.  And, the only place you will find all of that information and be able to store it up for a rainy day of temptation is in His Word, the Bible.

You are living in a time where accessibility to God’s Word, the Bible, is easier than it ever was.  In addition to printed Bibles and Bible Apps for our phones.  We also have search engines like Google that you can type in things like “Bible verses about worry or Bible verses about addiction,” and in milliseconds you will provided with exhaustive lists on what you are looking to know.

A Super Bowl commercial from 2013 advertised the Mercedes Benz CLA. The ad starts with thirty-something man sitting in a cafe. As the waitress serves him a cup of coffee, the man looks out the window and sees two workmen unveiling a new billboard for the Mercedes CLA. His eyes look longingly at the car when a man dressed in black sits across the table from him. The Satan-figure (played by Willem Defoe) says, “Nice car!” “Sure is,” the young man agrees.

The Devil himself then holds a gold fountain pen in his fingers with pointed and polished fingernails. He says temptingly, “Make a deal with me, kid, and you can have the car and everything that goes along with it.”

As the young man takes the pen, he visualizes himself in a series of scenes that represent all the world has to offer. In the first scene, he drives his Mercedes to a red carpet awards ceremony, exiting the car with a gorgeous woman on his arm. In the next scene, he’s at a nightclub dancing side-by-side with his good buddy singer-songwriter Usher. Then the young man is driving his car with several attractive women as passengers. In the next scene he’s a popular model being photographed for trendy magazines. Finally, as he jumps into his car to escape a mob of women, he’s suddenly driving a Formula One race course speeding past the lead car.

Then the ad shifts back to the young man is back at the table in the café. The tempter asks, “So what do you say?” Holding the gold pen, the young man’s eyes stare down at the contract and then gaze out the window where he sees the relatively low price of the Mercedes on the billboard. “Thanks, but I think I’ve got this!” Immediately, the tempter disappears in a cloud of smoke.

So, as God’s enenmy, Satan, is tempting you to look away from God, to deny God’s love for you, and do your own thing in order to get exactly what you want instantaneously by exchanging God for lies, going the wrong way down a one way road hitting everything in sight, look out the window of Satan’s automobile and see the free gift of forgiveness, restoration, and reconciliation with God that he provides for you through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave and say to the temptation and they tempter, “Thanks, but God’s got this for me!” And, just like the tempter did with Jesus, he will leave you and disappear for a while.

The good news that you have in the face of temptation this morning is that you have a God who knows exactly what you are thinking and feeling in the moments of temptation and is therefore able to help you and rescue you by forgiving you of the times that you gave in to temptation and turned your back on Him.

Hebrews 4:14–16 tells us this:

[14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (ESV)

Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, was tempted with every temptation that you have been and will be tempted with.  But, Jesus never gave into any of those temptations to turn away from God and sin.  That is good news for you because He now gives you His sinless life to show to God as it is also your sinless life through faith in Him.

God knows all about your weak moments when you are being tempted. 

And, Jesus death on the cross, forgives you of your weak moments that led you to give into the temptation to think, speak, and act in a way that denies His goodness, His grace, and His love.

So, with confidence, come to Jesus today, and the next day, and the day after that, letting him know all about your struggles while asking him to lead you to the Bible to find the truth you need to strengthen you.  

He is here. He is there. He is waiting.  He is willing.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

March 9, 2025

Prayer:

Almighty God, 

We have come before you to worship you, but as we speak words of worship and sing songs of praise, we are reminded by your Word that we are to have no other gods before you. We have fallen woefully short of keeping this great command. Our worship of you is neither consistent nor wholehearted. You have called us to set our minds on things above, yet we habitually allow our minds to slip back toward things of earth: the fleeting pleasures that this world offers us in food, sexual immorality, and entertainment; the seeming glory it grants us in reputation, success, and money. 

Lord Jesus Christ, 

we have often doubted that you could rescue our souls. We create elaborate systems of salvation to comfort ourselves in our desperate condition. Some of us have learned to live in blindness toward the sin that so easily ensnares us, assuming that we are better than we are and smugly satisfied that we are not like other sinners. Others of us have established rituals of self-hatred to cope with the sin that we find in our hearts, hoping that if we just work hard enough, you might find it possible to forgive our insidious and constant sins. One thing we have in common is that none of us sees our own sin clearly. Instead we make too much or too little of it, and thereby obscure our view of your cross. 

Holy Spirit, 

lead us back to the good news of the gospel: that all our sin has been put to death, fully and finally, by Christ on the cross. Help us to see the reality of our justification: we have been raised with Christ, and our relationship with God has been secured as beloved children. Help us to put to death the remaining sin in our hearts, but give us the confidence to admit that our struggle with sin is ongoing, and will be so until you glorify us. Give us bold faith that lingers at the cross longer than we linger over our sins. Entice us with the good news from above, so that our worship might flow from transformed hearts enraptured by a God who loved us first. Clear our spiritual vision, we pray, that we might see our souls as hidden with Christ on high, our Savior and our God. In his name we come, amen.