DON'T TEMPT ME!

Matthew 4:1-11

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And after He had fasted 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 proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’;and‘On their hands they will bear You up,So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “^[b]On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;⁹ and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and ^[c]worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and^[d]serve Him only.’” ¹¹ Then the devil *left Him; and behold,angels came and began to minister to Him. (NASB)

When was the last time you were tempted?  

Did you yield to it or resist it?

What is temptation?

Theologians and Bible scholars have examined and written much about the doctrine of sin but in comparison very little has been considered about the doctrine of temptation.    It seems reasonable to consider what the Scriptures say about temptation in order to prevent the possibility of sinning. 

Is temptation a positive or negative thing?

I.             Word Study:

a.   Old Testament:  In the Old Testament the Hebrew term which is translated as “tempt” or “temptation” is nasah.  It occurs about 40 times in the Old Testament but is also translated as “test” or “prove”.

b.   New Testament:  The verb form “peirazo”  occurs about 40 times in the New Testament as well.  It is translated as “tempt” or “test”.  The noun form “peirasmos” is found about 20 times and is translated as “temptation” or “trial”.

II.           UNDERSTANDING: 

In the Scriptures the term often translated as “test” or “temptation” is actually a neutral term.  Whether it becomes positive or negative depends on the source and intent behind it. When the source has a negative intent to tear someone down or entice to do evil then it is “temptation” or “tempt” that we see.  This is what most people think of with regards to temptation. If the source has a good intent to build someone up and see them improve then it is seen as “test”, “trials”, or “prove”.  Yes a test is a good thing.  Just like in school a teacher gives a test to gauge that you understand the material.  The intent of the test is not to see you fail but to see what your knowledge is so as to proceed in striving to pass the course.  It is the same Greek term as that used above.

The good news for us is that what the world or Satan intends to tear us down with God can actually use it to build us up.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”   -Romans 8:28 (ESV)

So whether we pass the “test” or yield to “temptation” is really up to us!

III.          POINTS TO PONDER:

What are some ways you can resist temptation? 

What have you found useful to build up your arsenal to resist temptation?

Some ideas to consider are:

1.    Read Scripture regularly.

2.   Have at least a 5 minute devotional time with the Lord each day.

3.   Prayer

4.   Listen to Christian music regularly.

5.   Strive to keep positive sources feeding your mind and spirit.

6.   Start each day asking yourself, “What is one task to focus on that will honor God today?”

7.   Attend the assembly of the saints regularly.

8.   Ask yourself before doing or viewing anything, “Can I see Jesus doing this?”

Ever since the Garden of Eden temptation has been with us.  But by the power of the Holy Spirit we can resist the evil intent of temptation and pass God’s test to be a better servant in which to honor Him.   I won’t say “good luck” because its not a matter of luck, it’s a matter of the will.  So when tempted will it be God’s will or a worldly will you follow?  Something to consider isn’t it?  Your response will determine whether you honor or dishonor the Lord.