Mission 66 (English podcast)
Matthew 04 The Devil's Temptation
Jesus used the Scriptures to resist the devil's temptation every time, and this is why we ought to read and learn the Bible so that we know what God says. And I'm not deceived by people who try to misuse the Bible for evil purposes. Today we're diving deeper into the gospels. Mission 66 comes from the ministry of Bible teacher and pastor Dr. Louis Seow, and reaches listeners worldwide, and multiple languages through Transworld Radio. Let me remind you to download your free study guide of the gospels. You'll be able to go deeper into God's Word and follow along with each day's program. It's a great companion resource of the audio teaching of John Matthews and Esther Sussulu. To get your free study guide of the gospels, visit mission66.org. That's mission66.org. John Matthews is our teacher and his co-host Esther Sussulu is here to kick things off. Let's get started. Today we've arrived at the Gospel of Matthew found at the beginning of the New Testament, and our teacher John Matthews is presenting to us chapter four with the theme the devil's temptation. Now the reality of life is that as we go through life, each of us is going to be tempted to do wrong. This chapter will show us how the Lord Jesus handled temptation, and if we follow the example set by the Lord himself, we will be more successful in defending ourselves against the tricks of the evil one. Now contrary to popular belief, it's not a sin to be tempted. The sin comes when we yield to it. And nobody except Jesus has fought against temptation perfectly, but we are expected to make an effort. So stay with us now as we open up Matthew chapter four. Good to be with you, John. Yes, they're so good to be with you as always and great to be with you. Our listeners, wherever you're listening to us today, a very warm welcome to mission 66. And as Esther just said there, we're on to Matthew four. And well, this is an interesting one, because this tells the account of how Jesus was tempted by the devil. Yes, Jesus, the very son of God, whose baptism we saw back in chapter three, Jesus, upon whom the dove descended when he came up out of the water. Jesus, about whom God's voice spoke audibly from heaven to be heard by all those present. This is my beloved son in who I'm well pleased. This Jesus was personally tempted by Satan himself. You and I probably were probably not important enough to get a personal visit from the devil himself. Chances are he'll send one of his underlings to do his dirty business. But the son of God rated personal attention from the prince of darkness. So let's read it starting with verse one, which says, then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, and here is about to come the content of this temptation. But before we look at that, let's just observe something at the beginning of this passage. First, it's the fact that Jesus is led by the spirit to be tempted. Contrary to what most people think, God does not only lead us to still and quiet waters, nor does he only give us roses with no thorns. Here we're finding Jesus is put under an enormously difficult test. He's led to the middle of the desert, which was considered a scary place sometimes associated with evil to be tempted by the devil. And the spirit of God himself leads Jesus into this situation. Why? Why did he do this? Well, it was to prove that Jesus was able to resist. And so the tempter faces Jesus. And the devil says, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. What does Jesus answer here? He answers based on the Bible. And he quotes words from the Old Testament. Actually, a passage found in Deuteronomy 8, which says, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" The first temptation then strikes at Jesus' physical need. He's hungry because he's been fasting for a really long time, 40 days and 40 nights. But it's Jesus who uses God's words against the devil's words by saying, "It is written." This is how Jesus answers temptation. Scripture then continues. Verse 5 says, "Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down for it's written. He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" Who would have thought the devil quotes the Bible to tempt Jesus? But here he's using it wrongly, deceitfully. You know, the devil knows the Bible better than most Christians, and here he uses the words of Psalm 91 out of context because he's trying to convince Jesus to jump, to see if his own angels would come to catch him. The trick of the devil here was to try to get Jesus to act on his own volition, apart from God's leading. And so he was appealing to the human side of Jesus, to his human sense of pride, prodding him to do something to prove that he was divine. And isn't that the essence of temptation, devils suggesting to people that they act apart from the will of God? And Jesus always acted in complete accordance with the Father's will, never once did anything that the devil suggested. And Jesus answers, quoting Scripture once again by saying, "Again, it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test." And that was from Deuteronomy chapter 6 where it says, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Now, it would have been pretty presumptuous of him to jump and risk killing himself just to force God to protect him. But this is Jesus' answer. No, for it is written. And so in verse 8 again the devil tries again. This time takes him to a very high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he says to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." See here, Satan says, "Look, you came to this world to be the great king and you know that you have to suffer crucifixion before you can achieve this. I've got a much, much easier way for you to walk. All of these kingdoms here, they belong to me and I can give them to you if you simply bow down to me and worship me. And that way you can get a kingdom and avoid all that pain and suffering that's coming your way." Unfortunately, Jesus was so firmly committed to his father's will even in the midst of this hunger and tiredness. And even though he knew he was destined for suffering on this mission that the father had given him. And so Jesus answers the devil saying, "Be gone, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve." That's Deuteronomy chapter 6 being quoted there by Jesus. So Jesus rebuffs the devil three times using the word of God against those temptations. And boy, what a pattern to follow. You know that can be our pattern in resisting the evil one. And it then says, "Then the devil left him and behold angels came and were ministering to him." You know, it's very easy to see here that the devil is trying his best to destroy the entire plan of redemption and trying to make Jesus fail on the mission that he was on. But Jesus successfully resists this. And every other temptation that the devil throws at him. And then chapter 4 moves straight to the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Verse 12 says, "Now when he heard that John, that John the Baptist had been arrested, Jesus withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea in the territory of Zebulun and Naftali." Now this is a region in the north of Old Israel. And as he does, the prophecy of Isaiah 9, verse 1 and 2 is fulfilled. This is what was written in Isaiah 9 of many, many years before. It says, "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naftali, the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness, see in great light. And for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them, a light has dawned." And so this reveals to us that the Messiah is associated with this region north of Galilee. And it goes on in verse 17 to say, "From that time, Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Messiah is announcing the kingdom of God, and the certainty that God will come to rule over this world, and this brings with it a message of repentance." And at the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus then calls his first disciples to join him. Jesus had 12 disciples, and this is when he calls the first ones. Jesus is walking by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, which is actually a big lake located in the north of Israel. You can go there today. It's in many ways, much like it was in Jesus' time. And it says, verse 18, "While walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.' And immediately they leave their nets, and they follow him. And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets. And he called them, and immediately they left the boat, and their father, and followed him. And so this is how it all begins. And these disciples were the ones, as it turned out, who were closest to Jesus. And only they are mentioned here. The others will show up later in the gospels. And so we reach the final part of chapter 4, which says, Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. And so his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick. Those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, those who were oppressed by demons, epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee in the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Jesus reveals here that he came from God, and that he has power over evil, over suffering, and over everything that men and women have gone through. So he begins by announcing his message of repentance, and showing everyone that the kingdom of heaven is coming. And he calls his disciples, he gathers them, and shows them his power, the signs that authenticate his ministry are being presented here at the end of chapter 4. Jesus is capable of curing any sort of sickness, and it's a real cure. He heals the paralyzed, the epileptic. He frees those who are demon-possessed, and those who are under the power of evil spirits. And so he proves, doesn't he, to all, that his ministry and his power come from God, even when he's faced with temptation from the devil himself. Jesus is victorious, and he's approved by God. And therefore, he begins his ministry of bringing salvation to the world, and that's exactly what God has in store for us. Isn't that amazing, Esther? Because this was his plan. No, no, no. This is his plan. And a perfect plan it is, John. Different, welcome to Mission 66, if you've just joined us. We are studying the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4, with our teacher, John Matthews, and I am Esther, greetings to you all. Now, John, chapter 4 begins by telling us that the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted. Does this mean that God is the one who tempts us? Yeah, it's a good question. The answer is no, Esther, because in the book of James, chapter 1, we find that God does not tempt anybody, but there we also find the answer as to why God allows temptation. In James, it says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood that test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts nobody. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." You see, we don't have to blame God when the problem really may well lie within our own sinful hearts. Jesus stood the test. He endured the temptation. He remains steadfast under this immense trial, and so he's given us this pattern to follow. And when the devil says to us sin, we can say no, because it is written every time that we resist temptation. We get stronger, actually, and we become more mature in our walk of faith. Okay, well, I'm looking here at Matthew 4, verse 3, and it talks about the tempter coming to Jesus. And on verse 5, it says, "The devil took him to the holy city." And at the end of verse 10, Jesus told Satan to leave. So is it Satan, the devil, or the tempter? Or is there some kind of demonic trinity as well? Well, let's do they all refer, actually, to the same evil entity, and that is, the devil or Satan has many names, and each name reveals a part of his evil character. In another episode, actually, we'll discuss the scriptures which describe the devil as an angel who rebelled against his Creator at some point in the past and tries then to harm the life of human beings, even today. The Hebrew name Satan simply means enemy or a poser. And the word devil comes from a Greek word that is diabolos, which refers to slander and accusation. So the devil tempts us to do wrong, and then accuses us when we sin. And it's important to point out here that the devil is not the God of evil. There's no such thing as the God of good and then the equivalent God of evil. The devil is a created being as are all of the angelic beings. And so he has limitations. The devil is not going to win anything. He's not going to outsmart God, and so he is able to be resisted. And Jesus beat him at the cross through his death and resurrection. And you know the great thing is we share that victory, Christ's victory over the evil one when we put our faith in Jesus' name. Yeah, you know, John, I'm so glad that you made that distinction because I think sometimes people do confuse the two and think that there's a God of good and a God of evil. Yeah, you know, John, I find it so hard to wrap my head around the fact that the devil believed that he could tempt Jesus with all the kingdoms of the world. I mean, didn't Jesus already have everything the devil was offering? The Bible says the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. Yeah, that's a good question, Esther. And the truth is that Satan probably did have the kingdoms of this world. He got them in the Garden of Eden. You know, when Adam and Eve sinned, they lost the paradise that God had created for them. And the world was then handed over to the devil at least temporarily. And even to this day, Satan messes with the world's politics, with its education, its economics, its science and the arts. And he's able to reward men and women who knowingly do his bidding. But that is for this life only. People who worship the devil will one day regret it. And Jesus knew all this and he knows it today. And the devil probably knew that Jesus knew. But as we already mentioned, the devil proposed to give Jesus this easier way to get the kingdoms without the pain and suffering of going to the cross. Get them back, I think, is the right way to say it. And the idea that Satan probably had was to tempt Jesus because he thought it's possible that Jesus might just accept my terms. And if he did, well, then Jesus would have sinned, which would have ruined God's entire plan of redemption. Well, we can thank God that Jesus even under that pressure held the line and did God's will to the end, even to that death on a cross. And only Jesus could have done it. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Okay, John, I found something else that was a bit strange. I was looking at this particular passage. It says that the devil seems to escort Jesus to a very high mountain. And he shows him all the glories of the earthly kingdoms in a moment of time. How is that possible? Well, look, I mean, we know there's no such thing as a place on earth that you can just climb and see the entire planet and all the kingdoms of the world at the same time. You know, you could go to a very high mountain if you're a mountaineer and see a great expanse of the world, but not all of the kingdoms at one time. So obviously, you know, this temptation is not being done in a physical way. Therefore, there is probably temptation going on here that happens at a supernatural mental level. It's possible that Satan was using some kind of devil's trick to show him Jesus. That is a vision of all the kingdoms at once mixed into one scene. But even though we don't know how it was done, the temptation was real. And Jesus again answered it by quoting Scripture. Yeah, I love that. He definitely shows the power in the Word of God. Now, John, is there any significance in mentioning Syria in verse 24 as well as Galilee? Yes. Do we mention, didn't we, in an earlier episode, how this entire region up in the north of Israel and the region of the Galileans was inhabited by foreigners and people who were largely considered to be outsiders, despised, if you like, in Israel. And in Jesus' ministry, in many cases, the ones who listened to him, who ended up believing in him, and many of the ones who received then healing miracles, were these outcasts and those who were despised by the religious elites of the times. And the fact that Jesus begins his ministry in this troubled area reveals that his heart goes out not only to the lost sheep of Israel, but also to the poor and rejected whomever they are and wherever they come from. Wow. Talk about a compassionate and a loving Lord. I just, I get goosebumps thinking about it. Well, you know, friend, today on Mission 66, we've been looking at Matthew chapter 4 and the theme was the devil's temptation. Now, I want you to remember that each of us will face temptations of many kinds in this life. And we can follow Jesus' example to meet every temptation with the Word of God. It is written. Right, John? Yeah, right, Esther. We've seen, haven't we, hear how the devil tempts Jesus after he'd spent 40 days fasting. And when Jesus then successfully resists his temperature in the desert, he's officially approved by God and so begins his ministry. And what is most surprising is that the devil uses the Bible, the words of the Bible to tempt Jesus, but Jesus is not fooled by that. Jesus uses the words of the Bible to resist the devil's temptation every time. And that's why we can read and we ought to read and learn the Bible so that we know what God says and are not deceived by people who try to misuse the Bible for evil purposes and can use the words of truth as protection for ourselves. So, yes, get into that Word of God which has power, which is alive on your own. Study it. Look at it. Read it each day because it is ammunition for you to use now against temptation. And there you have it, my dear friend. Some really impactful takeaways from today's episode. A big thanks to our teacher John Matthews. Well, this has been Mission 66 for today, another journey through the pages of the Bible. Thank you so much for listening, friend. And we hope to have you back here again with us on Mission 66. Let me remind you to download your free study guide of the Gospels. You'll be able to go deeper into God's Word and follow along with each day's program. It's a great companion resource of the audio teaching of John Matthews and Esther Susulu. To get your free study guide of the Gospels, visit mission66.org. That's mission66.org. It's a great resource. You can also support the Ministry of Mission 66 when you visit the site. You'll help continue the program here and around the world. Mission 66 is a Ministry of Transworld Radio in partnership with Dr. Louise Cial. I'm Rob Deppsy.