By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Sermon Text: Luke 4:1-13
Sermon Theme
Jesus doesn’t begin his ministry in a neutral setting. He has invaded the domain of Satan. Overcoming the devil will be the focus of his ministry culminating in his victory on the cross (Hebbrews 2:14-15). The Spirit who descends on Jesus at his baptism now leads him into the wilderness where he is tested for forty days by the devil. We hear of three of these temptations. Jesus needs to know his enemy. As Jesus’ disciples we likewise have to know our enemy who can only be exposed by the Word of God.
Sermon Outline
I. Subtle
Satan doesn’t begin by challenging Jesus directly. The devil is always subtle or “crafty” (Genesis 3:1). The serpent in the garden begins by asking Eve a question. Jesus is famished. The devil says to him, “Since you are the son of God,why don’t you turn these stones into bread?” Again Satan begins with a question which is actually a suggestion. If Jesus turned the stones into bread to satisfy his hunger, would he be doing anything wrong? He will later turn water into wine (John 2) so turnng stones into bread shoulkd hardly be a problem. There is certainly nothing wrong with bread and it is in fact more necessary than wine. The devil doesn’t present Jesus with a choice between right and wrong but rather between making God his priority or satisfying his basic needs. This is a difficult choice for anyone. Jesus doesn’t debate Satan. He answers in the words of Scripture, “One does not live by bread alone (but by every word that comes from the mouth of God)” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
II. Seductive
Luke changes the order of the temptations in Matthew to make a point. The devil now raises the stakes. He now offers a straight forward temptation. He shows Jesus the kingdoms of the world and offers them to him if Jesus will worship him. Jesus has come to be the savior of the world (Luke 2:11; John 4:42). The devil offers him the world without any apparent cost. Jesus here can have the world without he opposition of the scribes and the Pharisees, without the betrayal of Judas or the denial of Peter, without Gethsemanae and finally without the pain and suffering of the cross. How can this not be incredibly tempting? The devil goes after each one of us seductively promising whatever we most desire. It sounds so easy. Just bow down and worship him for one moment. We can then avoid all the struggle and pain of discipleship. We need to realize that if Jesus had worshipped the devil for even a second the world would have instantly been swallowed up by hell.
III. Scriptural
Jesus’ line of defence in dealing with the devil has been the word of God, the scriptures. Specifically Jesus is quoting from the section of Deuteronomy where Moses is warning the people of Israel about the temptations they will face in the promise land (Deuteronomy 6-9). The devil now pulls out his ultimate weapon. He too can quote Scripture. Satan is too smart to deny the Bible. He will seek to use it to his own advantage. He seeks to entice Jesus by asking him essentially to force God to intervere miraculously or magically) in his life. Jesus sees through this and again responds with Scripture. We need to recognize that the devil seeks to distort the Bible to his own ends. Martin Luther King Jr. faced this misuse of Scripture in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” We need to be alert to distortions of Scripture. When Satan tempts us our defense is always the faithful witness of Holy Scripture. The more we know the Bible the more effective we will be as Christ’s disciples. Jesus puts it directly: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
Questions for Us
- What are some of the ways we can see evil as a subtle force which seeks to seduce us by asking questions which undermine our faith? How can we recognize the difference between false questions and genuine ones?
- What are some of the ways that we may be asked to worship evil momentarily? Is tolerating evil or looking the other way a form of worhsipping it/ How have you experienced this in your own life?
- How can we help both ourselves and others recognize the devil’s distortion of Scripture?
