In the second service this morning,
Lord willing, I plan to preach as we continue in our Lord's
Sermon on the Mount. And the next portion in His Sermon
on the Mount is found in Matthew 6, and it's concerning fasting. And as I thought on that blessed
passages of scripture where our Lord dealt with fasting. My heart was drawn to consider
when the Lord fasted. So I want you to take your Bibles
for this first message and turn with me to the book of Matthew
chapter 4. Matthew chapter 4. I'm going to look at verses 1
through 11. Now before we look at that, I
want to say this. Our Lord was openly declared
to be the Messiah through the means of a man named John the
Baptist. John the Baptist was prophesied
that he would be the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
John, in John 1.29, John the Baptist, when the Spirit of God
was pleased to move upon John the Baptist, he said, when he
saw the Lord coming, he said, Behold, the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world. Not every man and woman in particular,
but Jew, Gentile, all that Almighty God had ever purposed to save. Behold the Lamb of God that takes
away their sin. Now, Matthew's account of that
unveiling of the Lord says that whenever the Lord came, he came to John
the Baptist and he told John, he said that he wanted John to
baptize him, the Lord. Now I was just, I wanted to get
into that baptism but I thought no for the sake of time and staying
with what I want to preach on. He told John, he said I want
you to baptize me. And John said, I have need to
be baptized of thee, and thou comest to me. And the Lord answered,
and He said to John, He said, Suffer it now to be so, for thus
it becometh us. Whatever the Lord was going to
be doing, being baptized, John and all of God's people had a
part in that. It becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness and then John baptized him. Now, whenever the Lord was
baptized and that was the opening, the beginning of his public ministry. He's been announced openly and
when he was baptized the scripture says He came up straight way
out of the water and then the scripture declares in John it
says that when the Lord came out of the water the heavens
were opened to John's eyes and understanding and John saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and light upon the Lord
Jesus Christ. And then he heard a voice from
heaven saying this, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased. Now, the Lord has been fully
revealed to men. John announced it, behold the
Lamb of God, Spirit of God descended upon Him, And the scripture says
that God spoke out of heaven and said, this is my beloved
son. I'm well pleased with him. Now, in the book of Matthew,
in chapter 4, the scriptures reveal the next thing that happened. He'd been baptized. God's spoken
from heaven. Spirit of God has lighted upon
him. And the scripture says in Matthew
chapter 4 verse 1, then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Now, here is the only
hope for mankind. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ,
the hope of God's sheep, the hope of the church, the hope
of the bride, the elect themselves, all of their hope of life eternal
is found in Him, in the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin
of the world. And He is led up of the spirit
to be tempted of the devil. Though we're going to readily
admit that our understanding is veiled as to the fullness
or the depth of all that's going to transpire in His temptations. Temptation. There is some things
that we do know that God's been pleased to reveal unto us. The
secret things belong unto the Lord. Secret things are God's
secrets. But those things that He reveals
to us, They're for us, for our children. So there's some things
that we do know concerning His temptation. Number one, we know
who was led into the wilderness to be tempted. We know this. This is the beloved of God. This
is the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's the surety of the sheep. Here's the one in whom the Father,
the first one to ever trust in Christ, the Father. We trust
Him by faith. We lean upon Him. We trust Him. We cast our all to the Father.
Scripture says we're the first one to ever trust Him. And here
is the one who has ever stood to answer God's demand for obedience
to His law and for the satisfaction of justice being done for that
law that was broken. Here's the one that the Lord,
God of heaven, is trusting in. The one in whom all the sheep
were chosen before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy in without blame before Him in love. And here is the
Lord Himself. Now, remember this. We're in
Him. We're in Him. We were chosen
in Him. before the foundation of the
world, and now here He is. He's being led of the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And all God's sheep
are in Him. This is the one of whom the Scriptures
speak. The Lamb of God's providing,
the Lord of glory. So we know who it is. And I'll
tell you this, we know why He's being led of the spirit into
the wilderness to be tempted. We know why he's there. He must suffer the same temptations
of his people. He must learn from experience
that which we suffer. Now listen to this scripture,
Hebrews 5a, though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the
things which he suffered. He learned, and this is what
that word learned means, by use and practice. And I've always
said, you don't really know anything unless you've experienced it.
Someone can say, well, I know how you feel. Well, not if you
hadn't gone through it. Somebody might say, well, I know
what it feels like to have a sickness like that. Not unless you've
had it. He learned by experience those things which he suffered.
He learned them by going through them. The scripture says, Hebrews
4.15, For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched
with the feeling of our firmities, but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. There's no temptation suffered
by man, by God's people, that the Lord did not experience.
He experienced all of them. Now, we need, we need a Savior
who is a perfect man. He's God. He is man. He's totally God,
totally man. He is man without sin. He was born of a virgin. That's
what you just read. The blood of Adam did not run
in the veins of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not conceived
in sin. He knew no sin. He could not succumb to the temptations
of the devil. He could not. The scripture says
whenever Satan tempts us, I mean, it's like those fiery
darts, they fall upon us, we're like kindling, you know, lighter
pine. You know, it just ignites. But
with the Lord, the Scripture says He knew no sin. He could
not sin. John 14.30 says, Hereafter I
will not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world
cometh and hath Nothing in me. Let me explain what nothing in
me means. It means he has no claim on me. He has nothing common with me. I have nothing common with him. Nothing in me that belongs to
him. He has no power over me. He knew no sin. He knew none. So I tell you what we need. We
need one who can. and did perform the work in establishing
a perfect righteousness before God on our behalf. We need one
who is our representative and mediator, one who can suffer,
be intempted, but conquered the tempter. So we know, we know,
we know who is there. We know why he's there. And I'll
tell you the third thing we know. that we truly have an adversary.
We know we do. The scripture says that he was
led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the
devil. One who evil arrogance and desire
to destroy all those that were everlastingly loved of God even
in that arrogance would tempt the Lord of Glory, even attempt
to deceive Him. Oh, but when it came to the Lord,
Satan sparks like fire in the ocean. He said, He has nothing
in me. But there is something amazingly
wonderful that is also said in this passage of scripture concerning
the Lord being tempted in the wilderness. Before he was actually
tempted, the scripture says in verse 2, and when he had fasted
40 days and 40 nights, he was afterward and hungered. Now here, the Lord of glory,
He who is truly God, truly man was said to fast. Now, fasting. Fasting. You know what that is. It's a
depriving of self. That's what it is. Fasting. It's
a denying of self. And the scripture says that he
for 40 days and 40 nights deprived himself. Now here is the servant
of Jehovah submitting himself unto his father. Now he knows
that he's going to be tempted of the devil. He knows that. And here he is for 40 days and
40 nights doing this. When he said, my meat My sustenance,
all that is to satisfy me, my meat, my meat, is to do the will
of him that sent me and finish his work. That was his sustenance. The
scripture declares that he would be tempted with the same temptations
that Satan tempted Adam and Eve. The lust of the eyes, the lust
of the flesh, and the pride of life. And here is the servant,
the submissive servant of Jehovah, and what he did? Fasting. Now, understand something. Here
is the Lord of Glory, God Himself, totally God, and totally man. Now, when I say totally man,
I mean exactly that, yet without sin. And here he is, all of the
natural inclinations for the sustaining of this body that
we have, he has. And the scripture declares that
he's doing something that you and I, because of the presence
of sin, cannot do. We desire to will is present
with us, but how to accomplish that which we would? Here they
are casting all of his care upon God. And he did this as our representative. as the representative. He's not
doing this as a private person. He's doing this as the representative,
as the federal head of his people. That which we must do perfectly. What's it going to take for us
to be found in glory? How good does a man or woman
have to be to get into glory? How good? I'll tell you how good.
They have to be as holy as God. As holy as God. That's why 2
Corinthians 5 21 becomes so precious. For he, the Father, hath made
him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made
the righteousness of God. in Him. Chosen in Him from before
the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without
blame before God in love. What's it going to take? I tell
you it's going to take a whole lot more than me and you can
do. Oh, to rest on our will and our ability Our works, this is
all of our hope right here. All of our hope before God. The
scripture says, and I found this out of Psalm 40 verse 1. This is all speaking of the Lord.
Read Psalm 40. That's the Lord. He said, here's
what, He waited patiently. That's what scripture, I waited
patiently for the Lord. I waited patiently for the Lord.
That's Psalm 40 verse 1. Who's ever done that in themselves?
in this congregation or any congregation. Who's done it? None. He made
the Lord his trust. Who has ever trusted God Almighty
and never deviated one time? Whoever did. He delighted to do His will and
the law of the Lord was in his heart. Psalm 40 verse 8. It was
the Lord our righteousness who was praying. And here's what
he said in Psalm 40 verse 13. Here's the Lord. Here's the Lord
as the submissive servant of Jehovah, the man, Christ Jesus,
fasting, denying himself. Here's his prayer. Be pleased,
O Lord, O Jehovah, to deliver me. Here's the federal head of
his people. What did I need? I need deliverance. What's He doing? He is my representative,
as the representative of all His sheep. This is what He's
doing. He's establishing that righteousness that we never could. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver
me. O Lord, make haste to help me. In verse 17 of Psalm 40,
listen to this. But I'm poor and needy. Whoever humbled himself as the
Lord, who did? Yet the Lord thinketh upon me,
thou art my help and my deliverer, make no tarrying. Oh my God. Is that not the desire of every
regenerated child? Vessel of mercy, God's mercy. Is that not, you know, only could
he pray those prayers as a man, as God, He had no need, boy,
but as man, as the man, Christ Jesus. Behold the man, Christ
Jesus. And here's one. You know, when
we get to thinking about some things that we've done or faithfulness
we've done, I'm telling you, when the Spirit of God gives
us some understanding of what we are, we say as Paul the Apostle,
old wretched man, that I am. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Here's the will of God and the
eternal security of God's bride. And that was His heart for His
people. That's why He's here. He came
to seek and save that which was lost. And He humbled Himself
before God and us in Him. And here we are. Oh, we were
all found in Adam. We were all in Adam's loins.
And whatever Adam did, that's what we did. Because we were
in him. But here he is. Now you just
think upon that. God give us some understanding.
And realizing that what he's doing right here, being tempted
of the devil. And here he is fasting before
God. And you listen, after six weeks,
without food. Six weeks he went and he humbled
himself and cried out unto the Father as the man, Christ Jesus,
as the representative of his people and never deviated one
time, one time, in thought, in attitude, in his hunger, After
God's will, praying for God's help, God's deliverance, here
he is praying unto the Lord, that's what he's saying, help
me, make haste to help me, I'm poor and needy, think on me,
oh my deliverer. Make no tarrying, oh my God.
Realizing who is doing this for us. And after all that time of fasting,
Seeking God 40 days and 40 nights. The scripture says in the moment,
humanly speaking, of his greatest weakness and need, the scripture
says in that second verse, now he's hungry. He's hungry. You know, sometimes we think
about eating something. You know, maybe for supper. We
had a late lunch or something like that, you know. We ate about
1.30, 2 o'clock, something like that. We ate about 4.30, 5 o'clock.
You want anything for supper? No, I'm not hungry. I'm really
not hungry. I'm not that hungry. He hadn't eaten anything, Neal,
in six weeks. Pouring out his soul unto God. Praying, God have
mercy. God have mercy. Help me. Deliver me. Deliver me. And the
scripture says in verse three, and when the tempter who surely
heard the voice from heaven, this is my beloved son, whom
I'm welcoming. A tempter who has watched him
now for six weeks, not eat. And he's gonna come, scripture
says he's gonna tempt him. Now we know what happened when
our when the first Adam, we know what happened there. Well, what
happened here? Here the scripture says, scripture
says verse three, when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou
be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Satan came to the Lord and tempted
him with the lust of the flesh. I wanted to make sure I understood
what those words meant. The lust of the flesh. What does
that word refer to? The flesh. Here's what it refers
to. The animal nature of a man that
possesses cravings which incite a man to sin. The animal cravings of a man. The flesh, the lust of the flesh. He tempted the Lord to doubt
God. That's what he did. He tempted
the Lord to doubt. But I want you to listen to our
Lord who has not eaten in six weeks. Satan said, Take those
stones right there, if you're the son of God. And won't you
turn them into bread? Won't you get you something to
eat? I know you're hungry. And the scripture says, our Lord
answered the devil at the very point of his weakness,
trial, where Adam fell. And here's all our hope right
here. Here's all it is. And he answered the devil and
he said this, verse four, it's written, man shall not live by
bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth
of God. Now that's, you hold your place
right there. Turn to Deuteronomy 8. Deuteronomy 8. I'm gonna just
touch these last few verses. Deuteronomy 8 verses 1 to 3.
Where was that written? He said it's written. Deuteronomy
8 verses 1 to 3. All the commandments which I
command thee this day shall ye observe to do. This is all we got to do right
here. If we do this, we'll live. All the commandments which I
command thee this day shall thou observe to do that thou may live.
and multiply, and go and possess the land which the Lord sware
unto your fathers, that thou shalt remember all the way which
the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness,
to humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart,
whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no. And he humbled
thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which
thou knewest not, neither did thy father know that he might
make Thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by
every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth
man live. Now what did he say? What did he say? It's written,
I shall not live by bread alone. Here's what he said. Man doesn't
live by the natural things of this world, but truly lives believing
in trusted God. That's what he says. Won't you
get you something to eat? I know you're hungry. Man does
not live by trusting in the temporal things of his life. Then the
Lord secondly was tempted with the pride of life. Back in Matthew
4, look at 5 and 6. Pride of life. Then the devil
taketh him up into the holy city and setteth him on a pinnacle
in the temple and saith unto him, if thou be the Son of God,
cast thyself down, for it is written, he shall give his angels
charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee
up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. I want you to notice the cunningness
of Satan. He always speaks, quote in scripture, Speaking of God's promises and
God's grace and God's protection. He tempted Christ to presume
on God. That's what he did. I'm going
to show you that in just a second. Here's what he's saying. If you be the son of God, jump off. Just jump off. And God's not going to let you
dash your foot against a stone if you be the son of God. And
again, the Lord answered him. He said in verse 7, Jesus said
unto him, it is written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy
God. Turn to Deuteronomy 6.16. Deuteronomy
6.16. Should have just made you just
keep your finger there. Deuteronomy 6, 16. Here's what scripture says. Ye
shall not tempt the Lord your God as ye tempted him in Massa. What did they do there? Well,
look at Exodus 17. Exodus 17. Exodus 17 verses 1 to 7. Exodus
17, 1 to 7, all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed
from the wilderness of sin after their journeys according to the
commandment of the Lord and pitched in Rephidim and there was no
water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide
with Moses and said, give us water that we may drink. And
Moses said to them, why chide ye with me? Wherefore do you
tempt the Lord? and the people thirsted there
for water. And the people murmured against Moses and said, wherefore
is this that thou has brought us up out of Egypt to kill us
and our children, our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried
unto the Lord saying, what shall I do unto thy people? They be
almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses,
go on before the people and take with thee of the elders Israel,
thy rod, wherefore thou smotest the river, taking thine hand.
And behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb,
and there shall smite the rock. There shall come water out of
it, and the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight
of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the
place Massah and Meribah because of the chiding of the children
of Israel and because they tempted the Lord, saying, is the Lord
among us or not? He said unto the Lord there in
the wilderness, he said, why don't you just jump off? What did the Lord tell him? He
said, it's written. Don't you test. Don't you murmur
against. Don't you chide against the truthfulness
of God's power and God's presence. and God's promise of greatness. You believe God and don't you
question what God's doing. Don't you tempt the Lord. Did
the Lord say, I'll never leave you and I'll never forsake you? Did He say that? He said, don't you tempt God.
If God's not pleased, to do according to my will or my thoughts, he
said, don't you open your mouth. Don't you tempt God. Don't you
question his providence. Oh my. And then lastly, the Lord was
tempted back in Matthew four with the lust of the eyes. What
did he do? How did Satan tempt the Lord
in this last point? He tempted the Lord to be treasonous
to God. To commit treason. Verses 8 to
10. Again the devil taketh him up
into an exceeding high mountain and showeth him all the kingdoms
of the world and the glory of them and saith unto him, All
these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship
me. Then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan, for it
is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only
shalt thou serve. In Deuteronomy 6.13, where's
that found? Here the tempter lays absolute
claim to something that is not his by right. The earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof. But Satan wanted the Lord to
fall down and worship him who promises nothing but that which
will be found to be deception, evil, that which leads to destruction,
and the Lord answered him with the word of God. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God in him only, shalt thou worship. And then the scripture says in
verse 11, then the devil leaveth him. Oh, you read these scriptures
and you just want to shout and say, oh, thanks be unto God that
there was one. There was one that pleased God
on the behalf of His people. There were all of His people
in Him, found in Him. All of His people in their representative,
in their federal head, obeying God. All of us obeyed in Him. Somebody says, if you ever obeyed
God, only in my substitute, only in my representative, only in
my Savior. Outside of Him, no. No, I never
have, but in him I did. Scripture says, then the devil
leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him. He was hungry. There he had humbled
himself, made himself of no reputation, servant of Jehovah, and on the
behalf of God's will and his people, he obeyed God. And where Adam fell immediately
and all mankind in him, the Lord Jesus Christ conquered, conquered. And we did too. And those ministering
spirits that are sent for all the heirs of God that ministered
to him, minister to us. minister unto us. Oh, the comfort
of beholding by faith the truth of being found in Him and knowing
the assurance of our acceptance with God Almighty totally on
the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God be pleased and
bless this to our hearts. Give us some understanding Of
that which he suffered some, I know we see through a glass
darkly. We know in part, we preach in part, because we don't know
everything. But he who knows, who is omniscient,
knows it all. He satisfied God. This is my
beloved son, whom I'm well pleased. You hear him. Let's take a break.