What A Friend We Have In Jesus - [Hebrews 2:18]

Bethlehem Bible Church iconBethlehem Bible Church

2 views

0 comments

00:00
As you know, we have four children, and if things happened in the middle of the night, they would come into mommy and daddy's bedroom.
00:07
And depending on what was going on, that would determine which side of the bed they went to.
00:13
If there was a bug or a spider, the kids probably came to my side of the bed.
00:20
If the dog had thrown up or something like that, they came to my side of the bed. Sounds or creaky noises, my side of the bed.
00:31
But when they were sick, and when they needed comfort and love, they didn't come to my side of the bed.
00:41
They had a tummy ache or something was going on, the only time they would come to my side of the bed in that case is if Kim was out of town.
00:52
They knew when they were hurting, when they needed help and comfort, go to the one who is the most compassionate.
01:02
If you had to pick a guide to get you to heaven, not only navigating heaven but also earth, what kind of guide would you want?
01:13
What kind of attributes would that guide have? Knowing that you're weak and sinful, along with me being the same, what kind of person do we need to get us to heaven?
01:24
In Greek mythology, Chiron is not the person you want to guide you.
01:31
He was the ferryman of Hades who would take you across from the land of the living to the land of the dead in the river, over the river
01:39
Styx. The passage for Chiron was usually a coin, and you would put it on the dead person's mouth or in the mouth.
01:48
And he was rugged, he was salty. In Grecian art, he was depicted as a man holding a ferryman's pole, rough looking.
02:02
The Roman poet Virgil described him as having eyes like fire, beard uncombed, unclean, a girdle foul with grease, binding his obscene attire.
02:17
Latin authors like Seneca talked about this man as fierce and haggard in foul garb.
02:25
Dante even showed him as a winged demon having a double hammer. Michelangelo talked about Chiron as a man who had an oar over his shoulder.
02:37
In case you were slow, he would beat you with it. Today, Chiron is shown like a grim reaper.
02:46
If you've got to get to heaven, if you've got to be guided by someone to get across the river
02:52
Styx, as it were, to go from this land to the eternal land, what kind of attributes are you looking for?
02:58
Who would be the best guide? Who would be the best person to get you over there? And if you'll turn your
03:05
Bibles to Hebrews 2 this morning, you'll find one who is merciful.
03:11
You'll find one who is faithful. You'll find a guide who suffered on earth and knows what it's like to suffer and knows what it's like to be tempted.
03:21
Someone just like us, without sin, yes, but someone who can guide us not only here but also to heaven.
03:29
Jesus Christ, the high priest, who's nothing like Chiron at all.
03:36
We've been working through the book of Hebrews slowly but surely, and today we're going to be back in Hebrews 2, verses 14 through 18.
03:48
It's been a couple weeks or a few weeks since we've been in the passage, so we're going to amplify some of the things we've already learned in review.
03:56
We'll add some new information, but we're highlighting today specifically verse 18.
04:02
For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
04:10
For our outline this morning, we'll pick up where we left off three Sundays ago, and that is six purposes of the incarnation designed to give you assurance, hope, comfort, and joy.
04:23
Why did the eternal Son add humanity to himself? Why did he become man so he'd be the eternal
04:30
God -man? Why was this needed? Why was this necessary? Why is it important? Why is the incarnation so valuable for the
04:37
Christian, not just at Christmastime but throughout the year? The first purpose is we're using all verbs for our outline.
04:45
If you remember, found in verse 14, number one, destroys. The incarnation destroys.
04:50
What does it destroy? Who does it destroy? Jesus' death destroys.
04:58
Let's find out. Who does it destroy? Verse 14. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself, talking about the
05:07
Lord Jesus, likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.
05:19
Here we have the word to destroy means to render inoperative, to take away the power.
05:25
Something's powerful, and you rip away its power. That's the word destroy. You might ask the question, how could
05:33
Satan have the power of death? Doesn't God have that? Well, Satan has a weapon, and he's used it since the fall, has he not?
05:41
And that weapon is death. And for those people who don't have their sins forgiven, they don't have atonement to cleanse them and redeem them, then
05:53
Satan uses death, not only for their physical death, but ushering them into eternal death.
06:00
But because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ destroying death, Jesus Christ having victory over death, he's been robbed of his weapon.
06:09
He's been destroyed. He's been rendered inoperative because God no longer requires our death, eternal death, because Jesus Christ suffered for us.
06:21
You can just imagine Satan somehow demanding, God, you say that you have holy and just laws, and the wages of sin is death.
06:32
These people have sinned, therefore they must die. But now Satan no longer can demand that because Jesus has died in our place as a substitute.
06:41
God's holy and just law has been upheld. When Jesus showed up to Damascus Road and saved
06:49
Paul, listen to what happened. And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the
06:54
Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which
07:08
I will appear to you. Delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom
07:13
I am sending you, listen, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
07:32
That's Acts chapter 26. Physical death, Christian, can't keep your body in the grave.
07:39
Spiritual death cannot hold you because Jesus Christ has died in your place and you're trusting in His power.
07:48
Now, remember the big picture here in Hebrews. How can Jesus be better than angels? How can someone who's a human be better than an angel?
07:55
How can someone who's a human who suffers be better than an angel? Well, here it all has to take place for God the
08:02
Son to render Satan's power inoperative. He had to become a human to do it.
08:09
Number two, not only does the Incarnation destroy, but the Incarnation delivers. Jesus delivers us.
08:17
Verse 15, And deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
08:27
Christians have been liberated from not only death, but also the fear of death, like it's the last thing that happens.
08:34
It's the only thing. It's the final thing that confronts us. But we know there's life after death.
08:41
The theme of Jesus tackling Satan, destroying Satan, is all through the
08:47
Gospels. Here's one illustration, Luke 10, And He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
08:55
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
09:04
And even ending in Revelation 20, And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
09:18
Jesus Christ is our representative, and He has died for us. He's been raised from the dead, and therefore we don't have to have the apprehension that we had before when it comes to death.
09:32
Number three, seizes. The Incarnation destroys, delivers, and now seizes.
09:37
Remember this? We saw this last time. For surely it is not angels that He helps, but He helps the offspring of Abraham.
09:47
Can you imagine? We can say what no angel has ever said. Jesus has took on our flesh.
09:54
He's took on our nature, and He's rescued us. There's the God -man,
09:59
God -man, but there's not the God -angel. Jesus didn't take on the attributes of an angel to go rescue the angels.
10:07
Did not the angels sin? Did not the angels rebel? God didn't go rescue them. He could have done whatever
10:13
He wanted, but He did not go rescue the angels. What must it be like to be on the receiving end of God's redemption?
10:21
That's a question that the angels ask. No angel can say, Jesus died for me,
10:27
Jesus loved me, and gave His life for me. And the text here,
10:33
I like it how it says, For surely, it's the language of, of course, I agree.
10:40
He doesn't take hold of angel nature, but the seed of Abraham. He helps, not angels, but He helps the offspring of Abraham.
10:51
This is the kind of help that grabs someone and says, I need to rescue you. I need to seize you, to grab hold of you.
11:01
This is language of Jeremiah 31. When I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the
11:13
Lord. It's used also in Isaiah chapter 41. But you Israel, my child
11:19
Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendants of Abraham, whom I love, whom I took from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners, and said to you, you are my child, do not fear, for I am with you,
11:33
I helped you. Jesus takes on human flesh.
11:42
Matter of fact, Matthew 1 says, the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
11:51
It's fascinating here, if you want to get down into the nitty gritty of the passage in verse 16.
11:57
But he helps, literally, offspring of Abraham. It's referring to a class.
12:03
The definite article, the, isn't in the original. He helps a class of people, the offspring of Abraham.
12:10
And of course, now we know if you're a believer in Christ Jesus, you're Abraham's offspring. That's exactly what
12:16
Galatians 3 says. Not just for Jews any longer, but Gentiles as well. If you are
12:21
Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Number four, we're almost to new information.
12:33
Identifies, destroys, delivers, seizes, and now identifies. Fear of death, that's future, but what if I need help now?
12:40
What if I need encouragement now? What if I need an application today?
12:46
Well, we have an empathetic high priest. Verse 17, therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God.
12:59
Now this language of, he had to be, is language of obligation. God, the Son, owed it to the
13:05
Father, because the Father is the one that sent him. The eternal covenant of God, sending the
13:11
Son, prior to Genesis 1, the Father said, I'm going to send you, and the Son agreed, and so he had to go.
13:17
That's the language here. He had to be made. He also had to be made a human, because how could he be a real representative, a real priest, if he was only
13:26
God? He was obligated to do this, so that he might become our high priest. The incarnation demanded it, and Jesus was faithful to do it.
13:38
He did everything he had to do. I think about the words in 1
13:43
Samuel 15, but the Lord delights in burnt offering and sacrifices. Does he delight in those things, as much as obeying the voice of the
13:51
Lord? To obey is better than what? Sacrifice. And Jesus Christ, of course, was the sacrifice, but he obeyed up to the cross and beyond.
14:03
And our final point of review, number five, propitiates. To make propitiation for the sins of the people, found in verse 17.
14:11
What's the purpose of the incarnation? It destroys, delivers, seizes, identifies, and propitiates.
14:18
To make propitiation for the sins of the people. Now, this is fascinating.
14:24
When you think of propitiation, you should think of God has holy laws, and when we break those laws,
14:31
God is angry. God has wrath. And what propitiation does, is God the
14:37
Son assuages the wrath of God. He absorbs it. He placates
14:43
God's wrath by taking the punishment in our place. That's what propitiation means.
14:50
And he does it for everyone. What's the text say? For the people.
14:56
Now, when you study the Septuagint, the Old Testament version, the Greek version of the
15:01
Old Testament, the people of God means Israel. It's a technical term for the people that God has chosen and separated out, called to himself.
15:14
And now here in the book of Hebrews, the people of God is referring to the family of God.
15:21
All the people who follow the Lord, who have been called according to his purpose. Jesus dies for a particular people.
15:30
Of course, in your mind, you're probably thinking, does this mean he died for everybody? Does this mean he died for Judas?
15:37
Does this mean he died for Goliath? Does this mean he died for Jezebel? Well, what does the text say?
15:42
He died for the people. If you believe in propitiation, you will believe in particular redemption, our limited atonement.
15:51
Because if he's assuaged the wrath in your place, you're going to heaven. If Goliath's sins were paid for by Jesus, what holds
16:00
Goliath from being in heaven? But here it says, he died for the people of God.
16:08
These particular people. You can see why this doctrine is so hated.
16:15
Here's what people think about propitiation. It limits God and it somehow earns
16:21
God's love. God didn't really love people until they had their wrath assuaged.
16:27
Friends, that is so wrong. Never think that way. You can think of the most popular verse in all the
16:33
Bible that would solve that problem. For God so loved the world, what? He gave.
16:40
Propitiation doesn't turn wrath into love. Propitiation proves that God loves to send
16:45
His Son. That's a loving thing to do. The fury of holy heaven poured out on Jesus in our place is called propitiation.
16:58
Jesus is the new mercy seat. Now, of course, this is the 500th year of the
17:04
Reformation. Start 1517, 2017. Anselm had talked about this doctrine a little bit, and Luther and Calvin come along, and they said, you know what?
17:13
If God the Son has to make atonement for people, it has to be by Him assuaging the wrath of God.
17:22
But Anselm would talk about how sin is kind of an insult to God, insult to His honor.
17:28
But Calvin and Luther saw what Paul saw, what the writer of Hebrews saw, that it's not so much a dishonoring, although that's true.
17:35
It's not so much an insult to God. That's true. But it's the breaking of God's law.
17:41
You won't reign over me. You won't tell me what to do. I'll do what I want when I want. And to think that a creature would do that to the
17:49
Creator. What kind of sin must that be? And yet Jesus said, I will take all those sins and place them on my account and bear their penalty so that my people, the people of God, can go free.
18:05
In one way you could say propitiation is this. Jesus suffers the death penalty for us.
18:13
I know it is uncouth to many and unsophisticated to many, but it is biblical, and you can just hear the apostle whom
18:21
Jesus loved reflect that when he said in 1 John 4, in this is love, not that we have loved
18:29
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
18:36
If you would like to define the love of God, it has to be within the context of propitiation. Without that, it's not real love.
18:45
And now number six. Number six. I'm so sad to leave chapter two.
18:51
I don't want to leave chapter two. I'm slowing down. You know, me and my big mouth, three or four months ago,
18:58
I said I'm going to go slowly through Hebrews because this might be the last book I ever preach through. And I thought, it might actually be now the last book
19:05
I ever preach through, so maybe we could work it out in such a deal, Lord, between you and me, that as long as I'm preaching in the book of Hebrews, I'll stay alive.
19:12
So this is going to be like a 15 -year series. I'll just keep preaching.
19:19
Did you know there was a New England pastor, true story, and he preached for 40 years.
19:25
Four zero years. And he started his ministry preaching
19:30
Isaiah chapter one, verse one. Forty years later, he got through chapter eight.
19:37
That was it. So when you think I'm difficult, I want you to think bell curve.
19:44
That's what I want you to think of. Not when it comes to propitiation can you think bell curve or God's holiness.
19:51
Now remember, the big picture, what the writer is trying to do is to encourage people.
19:59
Remember, they're suffering. They're hiding. They're on the run. And do you know what?
20:05
The temple's not that far away. Remember the beauty of the temple? The smells? The incense?
20:11
The trumpets? The priests? The sacrifice? The gold? The marble? It's just beckoning them.
20:19
Please come back. You can see the grandeur of it all. And now we're believing in Jesus, the
20:25
Son of God as the Messiah, and we're hurting. We're suffering. We're on the run. We are suffering people, and we're tempted to go back.
20:35
Oh, just to go back and just to be part of the fellowship and be part of the synagogues locally and be part of temple worship.
20:43
But now we suffer. Oh, it's so tempting to go back. Is God faithful?
20:50
Are His promises true? What do we do when we're suffering? What do we do when we're tempted to somehow discount the promises of God and His faithfulness?
21:02
There's one who suffered and who is tempted, and you need to focus on Him.
21:09
That's the idea of verse 18, for because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
21:17
The sixth purpose of the Incarnation, to give you assurance, is helps. Jesus helps.
21:29
Now, Jesus is both able to help and willing to help. Let me ask you this question.
21:36
What if He wasn't able to help? What kind of comfort would that be? He was willing to help, but He's not able.
21:47
That would not be comforting. It would also be very unconcerting if we thought to ourselves,
21:56
He was willing to help, but He didn't have the power to help. This is kind of Rabbi Kushner's dilemma back in the day when you see suffering.
22:04
We think God's all -powerful, God's all -loving, and then why does He allow suffering?
22:09
Well, somehow He must not be powerful enough to do anything about it. You see in this passage here today,
22:15
He's able to help and He's willing to help. And for the
22:20
Christian, and for these people here today, the only thing they needed to know about Him in the middle of their suffering and their temptations was that they could fully trust
22:31
Him. No matter what would come their way, God the Son was able to be trusted.
22:38
You take Him at His word, you're thinking, you know what? I am going to believe you. Trust and confidence is important.
22:46
And here the passage is assuring us that God the Son, because He has a human body,
22:54
He has sympathy. He has empathy. He's been there. This is not a theoretical thing.
23:01
This is not God the Spirit, the Father who says, well, you know what?
23:06
I understand because I made you and I can see these things that are happening to you. This is the Son sent by the
23:12
Father and confirmed in His ministry by the Spirit who goes and He knows now. He knows what it's like to suffer.
23:20
He knows what it's like to be tempted. S. Lewis Johnson said, this particular verse is one of those sentences that could make us meditate on it the rest of our lives.
23:37
Jesus knows suffering not just externally, but internally. Jesus knows temptation not just in a lab experiment, but He was tempted.
23:47
And of course, we know the Lord Jesus never sinned, but He was tempted to. He was tempted to question the
23:53
Father's care. He was tempted to say, oh, those were the better old days and now
23:58
I'm suffering. How could this be working everything out for good? He was tempted because He was fully human and for us to be delivered and for us to be redeemed, this is how far
24:13
Jesus had to go. This is how far the triune God had to go to send Jesus to have
24:19
Him add humanity to Himself and then have that Son suffer and have that Son be tempted.
24:32
One commentator said, honestly, we can't even conceive that but every part of us ought to praise
24:37
Him for it. Now here's the backdrop and if you don't get anything else, this will help you.
24:45
Here's what Philo, a writer, said about Jewish high priests. Quote, he will have his feeling of pity under control.
24:58
If you're going to be a high priest and you're going to represent people, don't show your feelings.
25:05
Don't be empathetic. Don't come alongside and put your arm around them because you're the high priest after all.
25:13
This needs to be very sterile and antiseptic and far removed and you don't want these people maybe affecting you and getting too close to you because can you imagine if you have to deal with people on a regular basis as a high priest, sinful people, crazy people, rebellious people, these kind of people will affect you.
25:34
So Philo said, don't show pity, don't show feelings, keep them under control.
25:41
I don't know who's worse, Charon or Philo. Jesus is human and therefore he was tempted in every way.
25:54
What does the text say? He himself. That's emphatic. There's an extra word in there in the
25:59
Greek making sure you know it's him and him alone. He himself has suffered when tempted.
26:08
And when you look at the context, there's a word at the beginning of verse 18 that ties it back to the substitutionary atonement.
26:15
To the propitiation. Jesus dying on the cross, taking our wrath, bearing the pain and the shame.
26:23
The word is for in verse 18. Tying us back. Previous context.
26:29
Connected with the suffering death of Jesus. You could read it this way. For because he himself has suffered when tempted as he died on the cross, he's able to help those who are being tempted.
26:46
His suffering was the source of temptation for him. The Father turning his back on the
26:53
Son and the Son saying, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? His suffering was a source of temptation for Jesus and yet he did not sin.
27:03
He remained faithful. He was pushed to the limit. Could you suffer any longer? No amount of suffering.
27:09
I asked this of someone the other day. Jesus was one of 20 ,000 Jews who were crucified. What makes him so different?
27:16
A crucified Jew is nothing but a crucified Jew who's the eternal
27:23
Son who's added humanity and then suffers so he would know what it's like to have empathy and sympathy and kindness and help.
27:31
Now that's different. These people, and maybe you as well, maybe me too, you're tempted to cave in.
27:41
All this suffering, all this difficulty, all these issues, is it worth it?
27:50
Does anybody know? Can anybody help me? Nobody can really give me sympathy because they don't know my troubles.
28:00
Tempted to cave in and then you see that word, He's able to help. Well, what do you need when you're suffering?
28:06
What do these people need when they were suffering? Help. Help. Fast forward if you go to chapter 4, verse 16.
28:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we might receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
28:29
I need help. Does anybody understand what it's like to go through this? And Jesus says, yes,
28:35
I do, and more. If you've been through suffering for health or for persecution or for anything else,
28:42
I know more. And therefore, I can come and help you. I'm powerfully able to help.
28:47
I'm able to sympathize with your weaknesses. I'm able to save those completely. Hebrews 4 and Hebrews 7.
28:58
No matter what temptation was thrown at Jesus, He didn't cave in. So therefore,
29:04
He's able to help. Now specifically, here's what's happening in the book of Hebrews.
29:12
There are some people and they're getting so attacked and they're suffering so much, maybe we should just give up our profession of faith.
29:22
It's just not worth it following Christ. And the writer is saying, it's worth it.
29:28
Take assurance. He's here to help you. You can hear people who are of the false teacher sort.
29:37
Why would you worship a God who's added humanity? That makes
29:42
Him less of a God. How can that be a God? Here, behold the man.
29:48
And what the writer does is says, that's the wrong way of thinking. What you think is a deficit in Jesus, He's human.
29:54
It's a positive thing. He knows you. He's suffered. He's been tempted. Don't make that an objection.
30:02
Make that assurance. He suffered.
30:10
Jesus can help people who are tempted because He understands. That word to help means, basically it's a compound word from the words cry and run.
30:25
It's a great word. Cry and run. How does that work? Cry and run.
30:33
When someone's crying out for help, what do you do? You run to help them.
30:39
That's the word. Isn't that a great word? Lord, help me. Now when
30:47
I was an unbeliever and worked in hospitals and in the OR and I needed to get things done so I could sell my product, I would manipulate nurses, both male and female nurses, by saying some simple thing.
30:58
And here's what I would say. I know Dan has never done this, but I used to do this. Would you please help me?
31:06
I thought, what's a job description of a nurse? They help people. So I would say to them, I mean that's a fine thing to ask, could you help me?
31:13
But I said it because I needed to get things done and they were going to help me get it done. Could you please help me?
31:20
I mean, I was nice. I smiled and all that. Could you please help me? Now we are the ones saying help, but with no kind of, you know, special kind of, what word do
31:36
I want to use? Agenda. Except we need help. And we cry out to God for help.
31:44
And what happened on the mountains of Carmel with Elijah and all those people and the false teachers and they needed their
31:55
God to help them. Elijah said, okay, we've got a deal. Here's the deal. Put a bunch of water on here. Sacrifice everything else.
32:01
Call from heaven. Call your gods. And whoever brings down fire, he's the God. Good idea, they said.
32:07
And what does the text say? They're calling. They're yelling. They're cutting. Can you imagine?
32:13
Lancing their arms and the blood and the dried goo and the ick and the...
32:18
Nobody listened. No one. Not one person. Jesus cries for help.
32:31
We now cry for help. Jesus knows exactly what it's like. Turn to Matthew chapter 4, please.
32:40
Not only was Jesus tempted at Calvary, but there was the very initial parts of His ministry in which
32:49
He was tempted. When you're weak, when you're tempted, and when you're frail, maybe you're not wanting to trust in the promises of God.
32:59
You need to trust in Jesus, who knows and who is faithful. That's the point. My biggest problems come into focus is when
33:07
I'm thinking only about myself and not thinking about the object of my faith. Here we have
33:13
Matthew chapter 4. Now, you're going to know this passage, and we've taught it here several times.
33:21
When we first go to this passage, we're looking for ways that we can be helped when we're tempted.
33:28
Three times Jesus is tempted, and three times He quotes from what particular book of the Bible? Deuteronomy.
33:35
And so we go to this passage and we say, when I'm tempted, I'm going to quote
33:41
Scripture. Deuteronomy. Is there anything wrong with quoting Scripture when you're tempted? No.
33:47
But this passage has nothing to do with you. It has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the object of our faith.
33:54
Jesus is going to get tempted, and He's not going to cave in. The purpose of this passage is to show you who
34:01
Jesus is. This is the passage for all those people who are tempted and have struggled with the temptation, who are tempted and have fallen and actually sinned.
34:13
Adam in the garden, tempted, failed. Israel in the wilderness, tempted, failed.
34:23
David on a rooftop, tempted, failed. Solomon on his courts, tempted and failed.
34:35
Elijah running from this lady, tempted and failed. And the list goes on.
34:41
Abraham, she's my sister, tempted and failed. Isn't there someone who can withstand temptation?
34:49
Isn't there anybody in the universe that can have temptation and finally just say, I'm not going to succumb?
34:57
And the answer is, Jesus. This could be the answer to the question that the
35:03
Hebrews were looking for. Now remember what's just happened in Matthew.
35:12
Heaven had opened, right? This is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. And now Arcanthius says, now hell opens.
35:20
Then he says, then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Friends, I can tell you right now, this isn't about your temptation because you're taught to pray a particular way, aren't you?
35:32
Our Father who art in heaven. And then you finally get to the point where you say, and what? Lead us not into temptation?
35:40
Aren't we supposed to pray that? Of course. What does the text say? The Spirit led
35:46
Jesus to be tempted. That should tell us right now it has nothing to do with us in terms of how should we deal with temptation.
35:53
This is all about Jesus is the King. That's what Matthew wants you to see. And after he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he then became hungry.
36:02
Isn't it funny? We think this is all about us but we quick skip verse 2 because we don't want to fast for 40 days and 40 nights.
36:12
You can't trust the Father is the first temptation. What a perfect opportunity for Satan to tempt.
36:23
Comes to food, fast of 40 days.
36:30
I think there was someone else a long time ago that fell when it came to a piece of food.
36:38
And the tempter came and said to him, if you're the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.
36:47
It's food. You're hungry? What's the big deal? You've got to be starving. I don't think
36:55
Satan knew this yet but we would know Jesus later would have bread for 4 ,000 men and 5 ,000 men that he would make.
37:03
Satan knows this is Jesus, the Eternal Son. He's not doubting if you are.
37:08
He's saying something like this, you are the Son of God and you're hungry. Classic.
37:16
He could have said, you're God's Son and you're born in a manger living in a little village in Nazareth.
37:23
Would Jesus succumb like Adam did when it comes to food? We know this wasn't the will of the
37:30
Father for Jesus to do so it can't be right for Him. If you're the
37:37
Son, Jesus, you should satisfy yourself. That's what sonship is. That was
37:42
Satan's lie. There are some things more important than food though.
37:48
Verse 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.
38:00
I will not do things independently of my Father. It's better to suffer and obey.
38:08
And he quotes right from Deuteronomy 8. Israel had to learn to be fed by God in the wilderness.
38:17
To trust the Father, you can see the parallels. I will live by my
38:24
Father's word. Oscar Wilde said, I can resist everything except temptation.
38:32
I'm going to trust the Father no matter what. Temptation 2 comes along.
38:39
See what the devil does? Then the devil took him into the holy city, verse 5, and he had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple and said,
38:46
If you're the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it's written, He will give his angels charge concerning you, and on their hands they shall bear you up or will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
39:00
Oh, Jesus. I can see after that first temptation, you really trust the Father. How much do you trust the
39:06
Father? Why don't you prove it? Put your money where your mouth is, Jesus. Takes him up to the southeast corner.
39:12
This is the same corner that tradition says, James, Christ's half -brother, was thrown down and killed.
39:20
Oh, Jesus. You think you're going to live on God's word? I've got a couple of verses for you then.
39:26
Beware of Bible -quoting people when they quote out of context or omit things.
39:34
Did Satan quote Scripture properly, accurately? What did Satan do?
39:40
He did two things. He omitted a phrase in Psalm 91 to guard you in all your ways.
39:46
And he twisted the meaning. The meaning of the Scripture was trust in God no matter what.
39:54
And Satan torques it and perverts it into test God at all costs. God's going to protect you no matter what you do.
40:03
Presume on God's will. God's going to watch out for you no matter what. What did
40:08
Jesus say? Verse 7, Jesus said to him, on the other hand, it is written, you shall not put the
40:15
Lord your God to the test. It is written. He says it again. Quoting Deuteronomy 6.
40:26
And then temptation number 3. Just to shortcut everything. Go straight to the crown.
40:32
Avoid the cross. Go straight to glory. Let's forget the suffering. This is the big deal.
40:38
Before, he was like an angel of light disguising his words. And he was being kind of cool about it.
40:44
And now there's no pretense of anything. All the cards are on the table. No punch is pulled.
40:52
This is the bottom line. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
41:00
Rome, Egypt, Greece, Persia, Jerusalem. And he said to him, all these things I will give you if you fall down and worship me.
41:08
You want power? You want lordship? Just one little genuflection. I mean really.
41:19
I know the Father promised you that. But do you really have to go through the garden of Gethsemane?
41:26
Do you really have to live in a little village for three years? Do you really need to be crucified?
41:32
Do you really need to have the Father turn His back on you? Do you really need to die? There's a bypass.
41:38
There's a shortcut. You can have the crown before the cross. You can have glory without suffering.
41:45
Take it now. You're worth it. You deserve it. But of course we will later read in Matthew 26, and he went a little further beyond them and his face fell and prayed, saying,
42:00
My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt.
42:07
It wasn't the Father's will. It was the Father's will always to go send the Son to be the God -man, representative and substitute, and to die on the cross and to be the perfect high priest.
42:16
And so what did Jesus say? Be gone, Satan, for it's written, and here comes another Deuteronomy 6,
42:22
You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. Great tie -in with Israel in the wilderness.
42:31
We'll talk about that another time. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and began to minister to Jesus.
42:43
Hey, wait a second. Psalm 91, Satan was using and torquing and perverting and dislocating about angels protecting
42:52
Jesus, and now, in fact, these angels do come and fulfill the
42:58
Word of God. Amazing, simply amazing.
43:07
Jesus out in the middle of the wilderness, desolate, lonely, and here comes the angels to minister to Him.
43:17
Jesus withstands the test for Messianic credentials. Jesus was tempted and He did not capitulate.
43:27
While we sin, when we're tempted very often, Jesus does not.
43:34
For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
43:44
When you need help and you're a child, what side of the bed do you go to?
43:55
Well, I might want the children to come to my side, but I remember when
44:00
I was a kid, I always went to Mom's side too, because I needed comfort.
44:06
I needed help. I needed someone who would not say what
44:12
I say to the kids. You know, that huge gash in your head with blood everywhere is just a minor flesh wound, no big deal.
44:21
It's like I have this line, if you walk by my office and there's that sign there that I'm recording a radio show, do not knock unless you're bleeding.
44:31
One pint an hour. When we suffer, when we need help,
44:41
God is not abstract. This is no Muslim view of God who's transcendent only, but He's close and He understands and He helps.
44:54
People write songs about this, like Isaac Watts. Jesus, my great high priest, offered His blood and died.
44:59
My guilty conscience seeks no sacrifice beside. His powerful blood did once atone, and now it pleads before the throne.
45:10
My advocate appears from my defense on high. The Father bows His ears and lays
45:15
His thunder by. Not all that hell or sin can say shall turn His heart,
45:21
His love away. Let's pray. I thank You, Father, for today.
45:26
I thank You for our time where we can just think about Jesus. I think about myself too much.
45:33
I know people here struggle with the same thing. We're consumed with self. And it's good to just come back and be reminded, the power of the cross, grace alone.
45:45
Jesus suffered and tempted, but did not cave in. And we have, therefore, a faithful high priest, a merciful high priest.
45:54
We are so thankful that there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Who is to condemn?
46:02
Christ is the one who died and who was raised and who's interceding for us.
46:08
We will experience many things throughout the coming years and this year, and even, I think, of Wayne Reces with his mom and others here at the church.
46:20
They need help, and you are there to dispense your help not because you are a stingy
46:30
God, but because you're a loving God, and that's proved by sending Jesus. So I pray that you would help us and help us be resolved in light of Jesus' stand against temptation, not to cave in to temptation.