Jesus’ Temptation: Overcoming All, Matthew 4:1–11

Jesus’ Temptation: Overcoming All, Matthew 4:1–11

(Matthew 4:1–11) Faith—Proof—Evidence—Corruption: Jesus Christ was tempted three times by the devil.

2. (Matthew 4:2–4) Jesus Christ, Temptation: the first temptation of Christ was to prove His deity by using His power for personal purposes.

Matthew 4:2-4 NASB

2 “And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He [a]then became hungry.

3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

4 But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

The devil tempted Christ to prove that He was the Son of God, that is, to secure the loyalty of men by two acts.

a. Christ was tempted to use His own power to meet both a personal and a world-wide need: hunger.

b. Christ was tempted to trust Himself, not God, and to choose another way other than God’s way.

There is a spiritual hunger that is just not met by bread. Man’s responsibility is the same as Christ’s was to trust God and to seek the things of God as he walks day by day throughout life.

Matthew 6:33

33 “But [a]seek first [b]His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be [c]provided to you.”

John 6:35

35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:50-51

50 “This is the bread that comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and not die.

51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give for the life of the world also is My flesh.”

John 5:24

24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

Deuteronomy 6:13

13 “You shall [a]fear only the LORD your God; and you shall [b]worship Him and swear by His name.”

Job 23:12

12 “I have not [a]failed the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth [b]more than my [c]necessary food.”

Psalm 119:103

103 “How sweet are Your [a]words to my [b]taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Isaiah 55:1-3

1 “[a]You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no [b]money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.

2 Why do you [c]spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.

3 Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that [d]you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies [e]shown to David.”

Jeremiah 15:16

16 Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, LORD God of armies.”

Thought 1. Believers often face the very same temptation (1 Cor. 10:13).

(1) To prove who they are and to act in their own strength and their own ability.

(2) To meet a real need (personal or community) in a wrong and illegitimate way: misusing one’s position and abilities.

(3) To stress physical needs over the spiritual needs of men—to feed them bread only, never bringing them to the cross.

(4) To trust self, not God, trusting one’s own strength and abilities.

Thought 2. Four clear lessons are seen in this temptation.

(1) Temptation often attacks an area of desperate need such as hunger. There is a right and a wrong way to meet any need. It is often felt that if a real need can be met, then how it is met is excused. That is, the end justifies the means.

(2) Man must learn that he does not live by bread alone. The physical alone will not satisfy. Man is spirit; therefore, he needs God and is dependent upon God. He cannot live without God. “You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,” (Micah 6:14; Haggai 1:6, 9; Mt. 6:24–34).

(3) Temptation is to be resisted by using the Word of God. The believer must study and learn the Word of God in order to withstand temptation (Ps. 119:9, 11; Col. 3:16; 2 Ti. 2:15; 3:16; 1 Pe. 2:2–3).

(4) When needs arise, a person must always strengthen himself against temptation. The greater the need, the greater the attack of temptation.