The Temptations of Jesus; The Pride of Life

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:9-13

In the third and final temptation, the devil appeals to the "pride of life", trying to get Jesus to rely on himself other than the faithfulness of the Father. For the first time in this passage, the devil quotes scripture, citing Psalm 91, albeit, leaving out the "in all your ways" and twisting the Word to fit his actions.

When a child of God is in the will of God, he can claim the Father’s protection and care... but if he willfully gets into trouble and expects God to rescue him, then he is tempting God. (See Exodus 17:1-7)

Our Lord’s reply was, “on the other hand, it is written”

(Matthew. 4:7 NASB), `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'

Jesus balanced Scripture with Scripture to get the total expression of God’s will.

When WE try to live OUR life outside the WILL of GOD, we exhibit the PRIDE of LIFE!

So, how do we hear God's voice, how do we determine His will?

“For whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans. 14:23),
and “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans. 10:17)

We live by faith, we obey God and His Word, we hear his message...and His message is the Gospel and the message is JESUS!

"When the devil had finished all this tempting,

he left him until an opportune time."

Notice that the devil will attack sometimes in our weakest moments and sometimes even right after a victory. He attacks at what is most adventageous to his plan...and most harmful to us.

Summary of the Temptations

· Satan questioned the FATHER’S LOVE when he tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread.
· Satan questioned the FATHER’S HOPE when he offered Jesus the world's kingdoms this side of the cross .

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:1-3

· Satan questioned the FATHER’S FAITHFULNESS when he asked Jesus to jump from the temple and prove that the Father would keep His promise.

The enemy attacked the 3 basic virtues of the Christian life—

FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:33

FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE…
They remain today…because of Jesus…and what He did for us in the desert…and on the cross.

LOSE Your Pride, LIVE your life, and LOVE the Lord

Questions to Discuss:

1. What is the essence of the third temptation, to throw oneself down from the temple? How do we face this temptation today?



2. Did Jesus have any special powers at his disposal to resist temptation that Christians today don't have?



3. What lessons about how to resist temptation does Jesus teach us disciples in this passage?



4. In what situations are you sometimes tempted to put the Lord to the test?