The Temptation for Selfish, Soulful Gain
We are continuing in our study of the temptations of Christ today. See April 14 Devotional to read Part 1. The temptations of Christ found in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13 all point to an attack on the Identity of Christ.
Identity! Identity! Identity!
Why is it so important to study the temptations of Christ and gain revelation?
- We can more readily identify the truth of the Word of God and the character of God versus the lies of Satan and his consistent pattern of temptation.
- This empowers us to:
- Be confident in our sonship as co-heirs with Christ.
- Know who we belong to: our Heavenly Father.
- Walk in obedience as we operate under and in the authority of Christ
Last time we talked about Christ being challenged in his sonship and the temptation for him to prove he was in fact the Son of God. Christ didn’t fall for it, of course, for he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, including himself. We focused on the baiting prompt of the first and the second temptation of Christ, “If you are the Son of God”.
Today, I want to focus on the significance of the first temptation and how it connects to the purpose of the authority we have in knowing our Identity in Christ.
Luke 4:1-13 4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, 11 and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time
The Temptation to Use our Identity for Selfish, Soulful Gain.
Luke 4:3-4 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
Jesus had been fasting without food for 40 days up to this point. Luke 4:1-2 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
Some may read this passage and wonder why this was a sin for him to turn stones into bread. He was indeed the Son of God. He was indeed hungry. Bread is not evil. So wherein lies the temptation to sin? Or maybe wonder why it was different from turning water into wine. Thank you, Lord, for teaching us your ways through your Word.
There was an authority that was connected to Christ’s identity as the Son of God. He had the power of God; he was fully God and yet fully man. Jesus had just been baptized in water; the Holy Spirit had descended upon him; and His heavenly Father manifested in an audible voice and declared that Jesus was indeed His beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased.
Mark 1:9-13 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[g] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
John the Baptist declared loud and proud exactly who Jesus was.
John 1:29-34 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”[f]
These temptations came directly after his Identity was declared for all to hear. Satan had his man, and this particular temptation came to cause Jesus to operate in his authority as the Son of God to appease and please his flesh. This is one of the greatest temptations for anyone who has come into their calling and purpose by saying Yes to Jesus.
Once you know who you are in Christ, there is a strong sense of Identity and purpose that we put on like a mantle. Many a mighty man has fallen because of this temptation. King David with Bathsheba is a perfect example of this temptation and the fall after giving in to it. See 2 Samuel 11.
There are benefits we can reap as heirs of Christ, blessings and rewards. But Christ was not going to misuse his authority and distort the purpose of his authority to access those benefits for selfish, soulish gain.
As a mother, I can easily distort the authority I have over my children and manipulate them to appease my own selfish desires. As a wife, I can be tempted to do the same thing to my husband. As a pastor, I have the same opportunity to manipulate and misuse my authority as an under-shepherd over God’s people. In every relationship, we can experience the temptation to misuse the authority and access we have been given for selfish or soulful gain. This temptation is real and prevalent.
How to Overcome this Temptation…
Christ responded to this temptation with, “We shall not live by bread alone”. This is a quote from Deuteronomy 8:3 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Even though we have the ability to do something, it doesn’t mean it is pleasing to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
Jesus responded to this temptation to please his flesh by reminding himself and Satan that he was not to rely on food or fleshly things, but only on the Word of the Lord. This is the root of many sins: we make idols of our fleshly desires, we make idols of our identity, and we make idols of our authority and success. We arrive at a certain place in life and feel entitled to appease our flesh. This draws our reliance away from the Lord. It causes us to rely upon outward substances, activities, and relationships that are all innocent in nature and could even be seen as blessings.
We overcome these types of temptations by staying in the Word of God daily. We commit ourselves to the teaching of the Word of God. We submit ourselves to the authority of the Word of God. We are patient in the process of the Word bringing forth fruit in our lives. This fruit will sustain us. It will also refresh and comfort us. The fruit of the Word of God in our lives gives us the confidence to say no to this temptation and to also recognize it.
