Text: Luke 4:1-13<\/p>\n
The Three Temptations
\nof Us All<\/p>\n
<\/span>Grace, <\/span>A few years <\/span>In our <\/span><\/i>Luke begins our text for today <\/span>All too <\/span>It would be <\/span>Can we <\/span>Our Lord <\/span>The <\/span>The first <\/span>Jesus shows <\/span>The second <\/span>The third <\/span>Those who Since Jesus has used Scripture to resist Satan\u2019s <\/span>So often in <\/span>When we are <\/span>Our Savior <\/span>Now the Text: Luke 4:1-13 The Three Temptations of Us All Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon this morning comes from the Gospel, which was read earlier. A few years ago in southern California, in the span […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[201427,9016],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lcms","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revtucher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nmercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior,
\nJesus Christ, amen. <\/span>The text for the
\nsermon this morning comes from the Gospel, which was read earlier.<\/p>\n
\nago in southern California,
\nin the span of a few days, a biker was killed by a mountain lion and another
\nman was mauled in a separate lion attack.
\n<\/span>The stories were all over the news, and people were terrified of these
\naggressive lions. <\/span>A few days later, the
\nlions were killed; people went back to talking or thinking about mountain lions
\nonly rarely. <\/span>However, during that same
\ntime, and even today, there are lion attacks taking place all around you of
\nwhich many people are unaware. <\/span>The Bible
\ntells us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone
\nto devour. <\/span>He is always ready to pounce
\nand tempt people into all kinds of sin.
\n<\/span>Fortunately, this ferocious lion has done battle with another lion, the
\nLion of Judah, and he could not overcome Him.
\n<\/span>At the very beginning of Christ\u2019s ministry, the devil attacked Jesus,
\nbut our Lord defeated him by resisting all of his temptations, and He did this
\nin order to save us.<\/p>\n
\nGospel reading for today, we see our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, facing
\nvarious forms of temptation. <\/span>This text
\nbegins the account of Christ\u2019s ministry in Galilee which follows immediately
\nafter Christ\u2019s baptism and which brings Christ face-to-face with Satan, the
\nenemy whom He has come to destroy. <\/span>Thus
\nat the very beginning of His work as well as at its close \u201cwhen darkness reigns,\u201d<\/i> Jesus does not hesitate to fight against
\nthe power of the Evil One on behalf of all people.<\/p>\n
\nwith these words:\u201cAnd Jesus, full of the
\nHoly Spirit, returned from the Jordan
\nand was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by
\nthe devil.\u201d<\/i> <\/span>Temptation faces
\neveryone, including Jesus Christ. <\/span>He is
\nno different than any other person throughout history. <\/span>Everyone faces temptation at some point in
\ntheir life. <\/span>It was no different for
\nJesus. <\/span>The temptation of Jesus was
\ncontinuous over the entire period of forty days. <\/span>Our text gives us but three examples of the
\nmany ways in which Satan attacked Christ.
\n<\/span>We have no way of knowing just how Jesus was continually tempted. <\/span>To tempt means to put to the test, here with
\nan evil intent, that is, to cause someone to sin. <\/span>Satan knew very well that Jesus had come to
\ncrush his power. <\/span>If he could succeed
\njust once in getting Jesus to sin, he would win the victory. <\/span>And this was no sham or pretended
\ntemptation. <\/span>According to his human
\nnature, Jesus was \u201ctempted in every way,
\njust as we are,\u201d<\/i> yet He remained sinless.<\/p>\n
\noften, the devil tempts us to sin for our own comfort\u2014and we give in! <\/span>We don\u2019t see it as a problem if we get so far
\nin debt that we can never get out of it, just as long as my house has all the
\n\u201cnecessities\u201d in it: a huge flat-screen plasma television, a sound system that
\nwould make the sound in a movie theatre look like nothing, and everything else
\nthat we need to survive. <\/span>This is our
\n\u201cdaily bread\u201d as far as we are concerned.
\n<\/span>But that is not the daily bread which Jesus taught us to pray for. <\/span>Daily bread is what we need to sustain our
\nbody and soul, NOT<\/b> what makes us
\nhappy. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nvery easy for Jesus to give in to the temptations of Satan, just like it is
\neasy for us to give in to temptations.
\n<\/span>Jesus trampled the devil\u2019s real temptation with Scripture. <\/span>Christ, who has taught us to pray, \u201cLead us not into temptation,\u201d<\/i> had
\nHimself been led by the Spirit to go where temptation was. <\/span>He knew its strength and danger. <\/span>His own temptation, all three of His
\ntemptations, stretching over a period of 40 days, were wholly concerned with
\nthe choice between right and wrong, between higher and lower means of carrying
\nout the mission on which His heavenly Father had sent Him.<\/p>\n
\ndoubt the seriousness of those forty days of decisive conflict? <\/span>On the outcome hung the whole issue of His
\nmission on earth and every hope of salvation of mankind.<\/p>\n
\nwas setting out upon the mission of His heavenly Father. <\/span>His mission was to bring all mankind into the
\nkingdom of God, free from Satan. <\/span>For that mission, He possessed gifts and
\npowers that were brought to light in fullness at His baptism by John the
\nBaptist when the voice declared from heaven, \u201cYou are my beloved Son;<\/span>
\nwith you I am well pleased.\u201d<\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n
\ntemptations which Jesus faced were great temptations indeed. <\/span>They were meant for our Lord and Savior,
\nJesus Christ to give up His divinity, to renounce who He is and to worship
\nSatan. <\/span>Christ knew what was at stake:
\nus. <\/span>We were at stake. <\/span>Our salvation was at risk. <\/span>Had Jesus given in, there would be no
\nsalvation for us. <\/span>When God looks at us,
\nHe would continue to sin our utter filth.
\n<\/span>That is not what God sees because Christ refused to give in to Satan\u2019s
\ntemptations for the sake of the Father\u2019s will: that all men be brought to Him
\nso that we might be saved.<\/p>\n
\ntemptation in our text is the temptation of the flesh. <\/span>It starts with a big \u201cIf.\u201d <\/span>\u201cIf you are the Son of God\u201d<\/i> is the devil\u2019s central plea. <\/span>It is designed to undercut the completeness
\nof the loyalty and Christ\u2019s acceptance of the necessary limitations on Him in
\nHis redemptive mission as the Son of Man.
\n<\/span>He was never to use His divine power for self gratification or for
\nfulfillment of His merely human needs.
\n<\/span>Satan lured Jesus to preoccupation with His physical needs. <\/span>He was hungry, very hungry. <\/span>The appeal was tricky; it was a deep-seated
\nlure and allure which the miraculous tends often to hold for human beings. <\/span>What Satan was telling Jesus was this: <\/span>\u201cProve
\nyour sonship, your messiahship! <\/span>Perform
\na miracle!\u201d <\/span>By performing such a
\nmiracle according to the will of Satan, Jesus would show Himself to be a false
\nson. <\/span>He would show a lack of trust in
\nHis heavenly Father to provide for Him.
\n<\/span>It would also be evidence of a desire to avoid suffering and pain, for
\nwhich He had come into the world. <\/span>The
\ntrue Son of God was also being tested by the Father through this
\ntemptation. <\/span>Would He stand up to this
\ntest? <\/span>Not if He would try to escape it
\nby performing a miracle.<\/p>\n
\nhis trust as the true Son of God by His reply.
\n<\/span>In this case as in each of Satan\u2019s other attacks, Jesus answers with
\nScripture. <\/span>God wanted His people to know
\nthat He was feeding them manna by the power of His word. <\/span>Israel often complained against
\nGod\u2019s gracious care in the wilderness.
\n<\/span>They were not satisfied with the food that God provided. <\/span>However, Jesus does not complain. <\/span>His trust in God\u2019s providence remains
\nfirm. <\/span>It is that Word which continues to
\nstrengthen us when we are tempted by Satan and all of his attacks against us. <\/span>The words which we sang just a few moments
\nago echo the power which the Word has: \u201cThough hordes of devils fill the
\nland\/All threat\u2019ning to devour us,\/We tremble not, unmoved we stand;\/They
\ncannot over pow\u2019r us.\/Let this world\u2019s tyrant rage;\/In battle we\u2019ll engage.\/His might is doomed to fail;\/God\u2019s judgment
\nmust prevail!\/One little word subdues him.<\/b>\u201d<\/p>\n
\ntemptation of Jesus was to be a bargain sale of sorts. <\/span>Jesus is to choose between a whole unrestrained
\ndisplay of power as second in command to the prince of this world now<\/b> and the promise of future glory
\nafter suffering by way of the cross and death would not be necessary. <\/span>The view was big. <\/span>The view was beautiful and alluring. <\/span>We have those same temptations in our lives,
\nto give in and exchange our beliefs for the things of this world. <\/span>We give up going to church from September
\nthrough February in exchange for the NFL season. <\/span>We give up going to church because of family
\nvacations. <\/span>\u201cIf we\u2019re not in church for a
\nweek or two, or maybe for months on end, it\u2019s not going to hurt us. <\/span>Besides, I\u2019ve heard it all before; you\u2019re not
\ngoing to tell me anything new.\u201d <\/span>It\u2019s
\ntrue, you have heard it all before. <\/span>But
\nyou need to hear it again: that you are a sinner and deserve nothing but
\neternal damnation. <\/span>Jesus Christ came
\ninto this world so that you might have everlasting life. <\/span>All of your sins have been forgiven. <\/span>We have that promise in His Word and in His
\nbody and blood, which strengthens and nourishes our faith. <\/span><\/p>\n
\ntemptation recorded for us in our text was the temptation of the spirit. <\/span>To tempt God is the highest spiritual
\nenticement. <\/span>\u201cIf you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is
\nwritten, \u201c<\/i> <\/span>\u2018He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,\u2019 and \u201c<\/i> <\/span>\u2018On
\ntheir hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.\u2019<\/i> <\/span>\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\nwant to argue that Satan doesn\u2019t know Scripture do not really know the full
\ndeception which Satan is capable of.
\n<\/span>Satan is quoting directly from Psalm 91.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\ntemptations, Satan himself uses Scripture in his argument. <\/span>In his use of Scripture, however, Satan seems
\nto omit a few words to try to make God\u2019s Word say what it really does not
\nsay. <\/span>Nowhere does God say that we can
\ntest His protecting care by exposing ourselves recklessly to danger. <\/span>By using this same kind of logic any child of
\nGod could, for example, throw himself into the path of a railroad train and say
\nthat he wanted to prove his trust in God\u2019s power to protect him. However, this
\nis not the most important feature of this temptation. <\/span>Here the devil challenges Christ to test
\nwhether the Word of God is as reliable as Jesus seems to think. He asks Jesus
\nto put the promise of God to a test to see if it is true.<\/p>\n
\nour own lives are we tested, to put the promise of God to a test to see if it
\nis true or not. <\/span>Do we put or trust in
\nthe things of this world or do we put our trust in the Word of God? <\/span>The temptations of our Lord are the
\ntemptations of all mankind. <\/span>The
\ntemptations of Lord are the temptations of His church. <\/span>The temptations of our Lord are repeated in
\nthe temptations that come to you in your daily vocation.<\/p>\n
\nattacked and accused, we trust in Christ, who saved us by His perfect
\nobedience, suffering, and death. <\/span>When
\nthe devil tempts us to sin, we trust in Christ and His Word of truth. <\/span>When the Law accuses us of sin, we trust in
\nChrist and His perfect obedience. <\/span>When
\ndeath demands our life, we trust in Christ and His innocent suffering and
\ndeath.<\/p>\n
\nknows what it is to be tempted. <\/span>He
\nwillingly faced temptation by our enemy, the prowling lion, and He did it for
\nour salvation. <\/span>He won the battle, and
\nHis victory belongs to all who trust in Him.
\n<\/span>In the name of Jesus, amen.<\/p>\n
\npeace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the
\ntrue faith until life everlasting. <\/span>Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"