Let's take our Bibles once again
and turn with me to the book of Luke, chapter 4. Luke 4. We know that mysteriously, graciously,
powerfully, God was manifest in the flesh. And God Almighty subjected Himself
humbly and obediently to the trials and the sufferings that
His people must endure, and he did it for this reason, that
he might be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, that
he might in all points be tempted as we are, yet without sin in
him. He did this that he might have
compassion experientially on his people. He did this that
he might redeem that which is lost, lost in the fall. Hebrews 2.18 says this, For in
that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to
succor, to aid, to relieve them that are tempted. The Scripture
says, Hebrews 5, 8, Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience
by the things that he suffered. Not that he learned in the sense
of the word that we think of learning, He found out something
that he didn't know before. You know that's not right. But
the word learned there means he experienced it. You don't
know anything that you don't experience. It's just a theory
to you. Somebody says, well, I understand. Not if you hadn't been there.
You just don't know. Our Lord triumphed. over every
temptation for us. And by His obedience, by His
victory over Satan's temptations, that obedience, that righteousness
earned as the God-man, that obedience, His obedience is imputed. to everyone that believeth. Now,
I want us to consider the all points. He was tempted in all
points, like as we are. And may the Holy Spirit that
we considered in His last service be pleased to bring back to our
memory these things that the Lord has taught us. I want to read this scripture
concerning those all points. He was tempted in all points,
like as we are summed up in this verse right here, 1 John 2.16.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but
is of the world. all points. All temptation falls
under one of those three topics right there. Lust of the eyes,
lust of the flesh, pride of life. Now, let's look at Luke 4, verses
1 to 13, and consider our Lord Jesus Christ and His temptation. Verse 1 says, being full of the
Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit into
the wilderness. Now in the covenant of grace,
God Almighty in that everlasting covenant of grace, the human
nature of the Lord Jesus Christ was anointed by the Holy Ghost
for this lofty task of accomplishing the work of redemption. The Spirit
of God was given to him without measure. He was filled, the Scripture
says in Luke 4.1, and Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost. As far as His deity, He is God. But as man, He was given the
Spirit of God. Filled without measure. No measure. The Scripture says,
hold your place right here. Flip back and forth to Matthew
4. So you may want to just hold
your finger in both places. Matthew 3, here's what the Scripture
says concerning the Lord just before He was tempted. If you
look in Luke 4.1, it says, Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost
returned from Jordan. Well, here's what happened in
Jordan. Matthew 3.16, And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up
straightway out of the water in the Jordan River. And, lo,
the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw The Spirit of
God descending like a dove and lighting upon him. And lo, a
voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased. He had just been baptized. He
saw, and John the Baptist saw it too. John said, he said, he
told me the one on whom I see the Spirit descending, that's
the Son of God. The Spirit of God had descended
upon him. God spoke out of heaven. Heavens were opened unto him.
What a manifestation of Almighty God! And the Scripture says back
in Luke 4.1, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The Lord Himself now is going
to be tempted by the devil. He came into this place where
we are, into the wilderness, by Himself. The Scripture sets
forth that Satan was there. The Scripture says in verse 2
of Luke 4, "...and being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat
nothing, And when they were ended, afterward he hungered." Now,
he's going to suffer this first temptation. It's going to be
the lust of the flesh. And these points that he was
in all points tempted like as we are. Here it is. The Spirit
of God led him, directed him into the wilderness, and the
Spirit of God directed him to fast for forty days, Matthew
says forty nights. Forty days. Forty complete days. And he was brought, humanly speaking,
to that point of physical weakness. The scripture says, in verse
2, last part of Luke 4, verse 2, afterward he hungered I looked
it up, and I know this, you know, usually, you know, we'll eat
supper, you know, about 5, 5.30, something like that. Are you
hungry? Yeah, yeah, I think I can go
ahead and eat. Yeah, I can go ahead and eat something. You
know, like, I mean, I could wait, you know. I looked up this word
hungered, and this is what it said. He was starving. Starving, famished. craving and toiling for sustenance. He hungered. I don't know what it would feel
like to go without eating 40 days. You don't either. But here
He is in the form of sinful flesh. The only difference And I say
that respectfully, was that there was no sin in him. What I say,
there's no difference. I mean, it was real flesh, true
flesh. He had a real stomach. And he
was real hungry. He hungered, craving. How would we have felt if we
had not eaten in 40 days? He knows. He knows. And the Scripture says in verse
3, And the devil said unto him while he was craving, he was
hungry, toiling, the Scripture says, or the meaning of the word
says, for sustenance. And the devil said unto him,
If thou be the Son of God, Command this stone that it be
made bread." You notice where that temptation starts. That
word, if. Here is Satan trying to cast
doubt upon his deity. If you are who you say you are, he was in all points tempted
like we are. Don't be surprised if Satan tempts
you to doubt your sonship. You know what that feels like.
You know what that feels like. We just sang about it. Old John
Newton, can I deem myself a child? Seeing the things that I do,
the things that I think, I look inside. The scripture sets forth, I'll
just read this to you, 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13. There hath no temptation taken
you. but such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will
not suffer, allow you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will
with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may
be able to bear it." Let me tell you what the way of escape is.
Faith. Faith. Faith. Faith. God's people believe God. Faith. My flesh, my conscience,
Satan, may cast doubt on my sonship, but God's people, kept by the
power of God, have this knowledge, 1 Timothy 1.12, for the which
cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed
Paul says, ìFor I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded
that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him
against that day.î ìIf thou be the Son of God, command this
stone that it be made bread.î Let me ask you this, was the
Lord really hungry? Was He really? Scripture says
He was. The Scripture says he was starving,
craving. But there was a delight that
he possessed being full of the Holy Ghost that was greater than
that hunger. This is what the Scripture reveals. John 4.34, my meat, my food. is to do the will of Him that
sent me and to finish His work. Would we have collapsed under
that temptation? Yeah. What did Adam do? When Peter said, Lord, I'll never,
I'll never forsake You. Be careful what you say. Because
I'm telling you, write this down, you'll probably be proven wrong. Without Him, we can do nothing. Blessed be His holy name, that
He could do nothing but be obedient. He could do nothing, there was
no sin in Him for Satan's temptation to draw out rebellion. I'll prove
this. John 14.30. Do you know why? Do you know why we rebel against
God? Why we sin? Because there's something
in us to react to it. But there was nothing in Him.
Impeccable. Impeccable. Full of the Holy
Ghost. No sin in Him. John 14, 30. Could He have sinned? No. How do you know, Marvin? Because
He said so. John 14, 30. Hereafter I will
not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world cometh and
hath nothing in Me. There is nothing in him. Here
was the perfect man. This was the God-man. No sin. He had made him to be
sin who knew no sin. This is who I need. This is the
substitute that I must have. Why don't you take that stone
right there? and make you some bread. Boy, wouldn't one bite
taste good. I think he had used that line
before. Satan had in the garden. Just one bite. That's all it
would take. One bite. If thou be the Son
of God, command this stone, it may be made bread. Verse 4 says,
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God. Where was that written? Deuteronomy
8.3. Deuteronomy 8.3. The Scripture says this is the
Word of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8.3. And the Scripture
says, Moses speaking to the people, he says, He humbled thee, and
suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou
knewest not, neither did thou fathers 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." What
was he saying there? Here is where he said man is
going to walk by faith. Man must walk by faith. Without faith it is impossible
to please God. Man must wait upon God's provision,
trusting the Lord. Why don't you take that stone
right there and turn it into bread? It is written. Man is going to wait on God.
That was rock. Let me ask you this. Could you
turn it into stone? I mean, into bread? Could you do it? No. Could He have in His deity turned
that stone into bread? Well, He took five loaves and
two fish and fed 5,000 people. in His humanity, He must walk
by faith. Establishing that obedience. Obedience. It is written, man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God. He must be obedient. Scripture
says in verses 5-7 back in Luke 4, taking him up into a high mountain
and showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
And the devil said unto him, all this power, now listen to
what he is about to say here, all this power will I give thee,
and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me. And to
whomsoever I will, I give it, if thou therefore wilt worship
me, all shall be thine." You see all this glory and all
this power and all that wonder. That's mine, he said. It was
delivered unto me. It was given to me. And it's
at my disposal to give it to whosoever I choose to give it
to. You liar. That's a lie. John 17. John 17, our Lord's
high priestly prayer. What does God have to say? John
17, "...as thou hast given Him." power over all flesh, that He
should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him. The Scripture says in Matthew
28.18, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power
is given unto Me in heaven and earth. 1 Corinthians 10.26, For
the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. Here is
the temptation of Satan. to the Lord Jesus Christ and
to God's people. You give me your worship. You bow to me. You give me your
time, your affection, your heart, and I'll give you all of these
cares. I'll give you the world. It's all yours. But let me ask
you this, as we hear that temptation from Satan, go after me and the things that
I have to give, all of this, and I'm telling you, you'll be
satisfied. There won't be anything that
you want for. You need more money? You need
more power, you need more glory. You ask of me, you seek after
me, he says. What does God have to say? Matthew
16, 26, for what is a man profited if he gain the whole world and
lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul? These little trinkets? This little nothing? I don't have time for God. I've
got a this, this, or this. I don't have time. The Scripture says, verse 8,
Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan,
for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and
Him only shalt thou serve." A man, the scripture says, cannot serve
two masters. Be careful what you go after
that is contrary to seeking Him first. The Lord may let you have
it. And then thirdly and lastly,
the pride of life. Lust of the flesh Won't you turn
that stone right there to bread? I know you're hungry. Lust of
the eyes? Look at all this glory around
here. This is a whole lot more important out here than God is.
You're just wasting your time. You've heard what that preacher
said before. What difference does it make?
You've already settled this thing. You're in agreement with hell. pride of life. Back in Luke 4,
verses 9-11, And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on
a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the
Son of God, cast thyself down from thence, for it is written,
He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee. And in
their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time Thou dashed
thy foot against a stone." Now hold your hand right there, and
I want you to turn to Psalm 91-11. Satan partially quoted a scripture. Psalm 91. Just hold your hand right there
in Psalm 91. I'm going to read what he said. Satan answered after the Lord
had told him, you're going to worship the Lord thy God. And
then he brought him up on that pinnacle. And then Satan started
to quote this scripture. It's written, he shall give his
angels charge over thee to keep thee, and in their hands They
shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against
a stone." Now, here's the Scripture that he partially quoted. Psalm
91, verse 11 and 12. For he shall give his angels
charge over thee. Now you see this next phrase
right here? This next part? To keep thee
in all thy ways. And they shall bear thee up in
their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Now, he
only left out just a part of it. He only left out to keep thee
in all thy ways. Being kept in all of thy ways
means that the Lord is going to keep His people in all their
temptations, all their trials, all their afflictions, according
to His will, according to His purpose, according
to His direction, according to His goodness, according to His
means. And that little phrase right
there would be contrary to Satan's work against God's people, so
he just left it out. He just omitted it. Learn this, evil ways, evil men
always rest, twist the Scriptures for their own purpose. I'll give you this example. Men
will say, they'll say, I hear what you're saying, about sovereign
grace, about election, predestination. I hear what you're saying. I
don't agree with it, because I know for a fact that the Scripture
says concerning the Lord, He's not willing that any should perish. He's not willing that any should
perish. Well, the only problem with that
is that you just partially quoted it. Here's what 2 Peter. The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. Almighty God is longsuffering
to us-ward. Why does God Almighty allow things
of this world to go on like they do? Because He is long-suffering
to us-ward. He is going to save His elect.
There may be some that have not even been born yet. But He is
long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish.
You take a partial Scripture and you try to twist that Scripture
to make it say what you want to say. You've changed the whole
meaning of that Scripture. And that's what Satan did. Now
back in Luke chapter 4, and keeping in the context, this is another
thing that we always need to do. Keeping with the context
of what was being done when a Scripture was said, was quoted, or written,
okay? Where is the Lord? He's on a pinnacle. He's on the
top of a pinnacle of the temple. That's what the Scripture says.
He brought him to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the
temple. And he's up there, way up there. How high? I don't know. But it was high. And said unto him, if thou be
the Son of God, why don't you just jump on? You do have faith, don't you?
You do believe God, don't you? Why don't you just jump off? It's written, He shall give His
angels charge over thee to keep thee in their hands. They'll
bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a
stone. If you're the Son of God and
God loves you and you love Him, prove it! Jump off! Verse 12, And Jesus answered
him and said, Thou shalt not tempt, test, presume the Lord
thy God. Don't you presume on God. Don't
you tempt God. And this message that I was telling
you about, Brother Henry, I'm going to take some lines from
that message. Tempting God. Testing God. To try to bring honor to yourself. I'll show you how spiritual I
am. I'm going to believe God. I'm going to tempt God. I'm going
to test God. And I'm going to prove that I'm
one of the Lord's owners. His presumption. His presumption. Brother Henry started giving
some examples, which I thought was so good. He said, I've heard
men say, well, I just don't believe in buying insurance. I just don't
believe. I just think that buying insurance
is a lack of faith. He said, if you're somewhere
and you just can't get it, They don't have it. They don't offer
it. You're somewhere over in another part of the world and
you just don't have it. He said, you're going to have
to live by faith. You're just going to have to believe God.
But he said, if you're somewhere and it's available and you just
don't buy it and you refuse the means that Almighty God has raised
up, he said, that right there is fatalism. That's presumption. If you get sick, you want to
know what my advice would be? Go to a doctor. There's one great
physician and he uses means. He's raised up means. Are you hungry? If you're not
physically incapacitated, go to work. Go get a job. You hungry? I'd go to work. Are you cold? I'd get a coat
and I'd put it on. Satan came to the Lord at Pinnacle. He said, if you're
the Son of God, won't you jump off? Won't you just jump off? The Lord said, I'm not going
to let you hit your foot. give His angels charge over you.
I read one of the commentaries and he said this, if you're on
a pinnacle in the temple, he said, I'd take the stairs to
go down. The Lord that has predestinated
the end, predestinated the means. Did you eat breakfast this morning?
Why? Because Almighty God has made
this body that it's got to have some food. It's going to have
to have a drink of water. And this is the way it's going
to be. We don't tempt God. It is not a lack of faith to
take the means that God has provided, thanking Him for it. I thank
God for air. But if you say, I'm going to
believe God, I'm going to live by faith, and I'm just not going
to take another breath of air. Well, you will. That's presumption
in the context of this message, the Lord was on a pinnacle, and
Satan suggested to him, ìIf youíre God, son of God, jump off.î And
he said, ìThou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.î And when the
devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. Our Lord, who victoriously and
obediently triumph over the temptations of Satan for His glory and our
good, that obedience is charged to God's people. In Him, we are
more than conquerors through Him that loved us. May the Lord
bless these words to our heart.