Jesus' Temptation: Humanity, Divinity, and Obedience

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For this reason, he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people because he himself suffered when he was tempted he is able to help those who are being tempted. [00:00:46]

This Lord Jesus is not somebody who's sitting away up on a high pinnacle somewhere, looking down on humanity untouched and unaware, but rather we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet was without sin. And the testimony of the gospels is amply summarized there in that phrase. [00:01:52]

Jesus is just like us in as much as he has come to inhabit the pit with us. He is not on the perimeter of it shouting down into it. He has come from all of the glory of heaven and eternity down into our exact time space capsule. He is like us in that respect. [00:07:33]

And what we find in Christ is simply this, that he bore temptation in a way that no one else ever has, because according to First Corinthians 10:13, the temptation which we experience is filtered through God's protective hand. You can read it at your leisure, but you remember it. [00:14:17]

The temptation that comes to Christ is known in all of its manifold intensity. Now I say all of that simply to take you back to the simple phrase real man, real temptation. If you get that this morning, you've really gained a lot. Now look at what we're told in the first verse of chapter four. [00:15:40]

It is written man does not live on bread alone. Now this is the first of three quotes from the book of Deuteronomy. You can find them at your leisure. I'll give you that as part of your homework. I'll give you a help for this one. It's in Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 3. [00:24:04]

Man does not live by bread alone, says Jesus. I don't need to go doing what you say. I'm depending on my dad. He promised to look after me. He led me in here. I'll admit that the wilderness here for six weeks is a pretty dry barren ugly spot. I am prepared to give you that. [00:25:13]

He went the route of self-denying love. He went the way of sacrificial death. He went down the narrow road. If he had sought food or power along an illegitimate path or if he had sought food or power with impure motives, he would have been succumbing to Satan's advances. [00:37:23]

The same temptation comes our way. The devil comes says you know you don't have to you don't have to believe the stuff about the narrow road. You don't have to get into the taking up your cross every day and following Christ. Don't do that. I got a whole way of doing it. [00:38:01]

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you and I in turn will not grow weary and lose heart. Let me say this in closing we'll come back to the third of these tonight and try and make some points of application there are many children here this morning. [00:39:02]

And grant that in considering these matters we may be drawn to trust in Christ who established the pattern by trusting unreservedly in you as his heavenly father despite the fact that all hell was unleashed against him. We recognize that it is not an easy road we're traveling to glory. [00:41:38]

And we are annoyed by people who suggest that it is so through these many dangers toils and snares bring us safely home we pray may your grace and your mercy and your peace from the father the son and the holy spirit triune god rest upon each one today and forevermore amen. [00:42:21]

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