Matthew 4:1-11, “What’s in It for Me?”, Dr. John B. Carpenter

Matthew 4:1-11 and the Temptation of Jesus

Matthew chapter 4 verses 1 to 11 hear the word of the Lord. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and after fasting 40 days and 40 nights He was hungry and the tempter came and said to him if you are the Son of God Command these stones to become loaves of bread.

But he answered it is written man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him up to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are The Son of God throw yourself down for is written.

He will command his angels concerning you and on their hands. They will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him again. It is written. You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.

Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory and he said To him all these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him be gone Satan for it is written You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.

Then the devil left him and behold angels came and were ministering to him. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, welcome to church. I hope you found everything to your liking so far.

Let me know if there's anything that we can do to help if to make your worship experience more enjoyable. For you if there's anything at all, please let us know. I know you're not gonna tell us now that would be embarrassing to you and we don't want to in any way embarrass or make You uncomfortable and so I wonder if we ought to have feedback forms or some kind of means to give feedback.

Maybe a touchscreen on the way out kind of like Walmart does so you can rate us from one to five stars. It was the parking. All right. The temperature, okay. How was the greeting when you enter. Did you like the bulletin by text?

Was it informative or without being too busy? Do you like it being by text? So you kind of get you know about an hour or two before the service you got to know what's coming or do you prefer? The old-fashioned kind of piece of paper in your hand coming through the door.

Are we dressed? Okay for your liking not too formal. So we feel stodgy. But not too informal so we don't seem unserious. Were the announcements warm and inviting. Did you like the music or was the opening song a little too old for your taste.

Does the prayer too long? It's a little too long, isn't it? Are the drums too much you think that's unspiritual or not? Is the service just too long? Is that the problem we do understand? All of us surely we understand how important it is that you Get what you want out of this service, right?

Everyone knows that the key to any successful business is giving the customer what they ask for because everyone knows that everyone is thinking. One thing when they're considering whether spending their time or their money on on something.

They're thinking What's in it for me? It would be just a silly business that kind of advertise put a billboard out there come buy our Whatever our stuff our food because we need your money or come to our church.

Because we need you to fill our seats and give to our offering. No, you have to appeal to their personal interest. You have to tell them we have the best food or cars or clothes or whatever church service.

We have what you want at a better price than our competitors. Businesses and advertisers just understand this or they don't have to remind themselves of it at all. They just instinctively know this and they're constantly trying to tell us that it is in our personal interest to get what they are selling.

One will give us a break today another will let us have it our way and As they are doing that they are constantly telling us. Constantly reminding us drilling it into our mind with every advertisement that the proper mindset is What's in it for me and The same attitude is crept into our spiritual lives where you now even churches sell themselves as offering more to meet your personal desires with less sacrifice come and buy into our church and we'll offer everything you want and fewer burdens.

God himself is sold as someone who exists to help our Self-esteem to give us whatever we want our prosperity our health or whatever it is. Help us achieve whatever goal is we want to achieve help us to raise our kids so that they're successful.

Whatever it is will give us our best life now who will help us when we need him and will be cheering for us when we're doing well and. So people go to those churches and sometimes those churches that are particularly good at selling themselves and put on a really good show.

I mean, they just really it's just slick and it moves quickly and it's just it's entertaining. It's engaging and it leaves you at one point amused and entertained and informed. You feel like you've been enlightened and then a little convicted but not too much and you go away feeling very Lifted up and inspired and and you want to come back to the show next week.

But.

And in shows that our churches I should say they do that very well. Often can grow grow very big and successful. But when the people get tired. Or when they get a here that there's a something new opening up down the road.

That's even more engaging even more entertaining. They'll move on because even with their church attendance they're asking what's in it for me. What's in it for me. Was not the question the Lord Jesus was asking himself when he followed the Spirit's lead into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

The the fasting for 40 days we might be able to kind of understand and kind of get that. Kind of like Rocky training for his big bout. We've got to understand it as an arduous regimen to discipline ourselves with.

Something we tough we make ourselves go through now so we could get some advantage later on. Have more spiritual powers even in our day of indulgence many people understand that it's possible to afflict yourself for a while.

With the goal of being stronger later on. It's a more powerful more successful and getting what you want later on. We just the Olympics just finished all those athletes who were in the Olympics almost all of them except for that one breakdancer I don't know if she ever practiced in it, but all the rest of them that breakdancer from Australia I don't know if she's ever practiced but the rest of them seem to have put a lot of work into there and a lot Of self-sacrifice into their events and so athletes know they and they go through especially demanding times of workouts two days.

So as to get the benefits of the training, you know. The workout montage of a Rocky movie is always the best part of the movie. You see I'm sacrificing now for the payoff at the end. Now some people understand this when it comes to their money that they'll have to sacrifice having things now that they would like.

Short-term pleasures, maybe the satellite TV they want the nice new car. They want now the luxury of eating out very often them and they understand they have to sacrifice these things for now. So that the kid can have even more later on so they can invest it now and have more later on and later on.

They then they're hoping for the satellite TV and the nice new house and car and all that and so they're sacrificing kind of but they're still asking themselves what's driving their quote sacrifice is What's in there for me.

So we can go through hard times, but still with that attitude. All about ourselves what's to my advantage? But that's really not what the Lord Jesus is doing here. If we kind of read it that like that.

This is like a rocky Training scene montage where that he's going through here that he's he's just enduring all this so we can have it easier later on. No, that's not really what's happening. He is simply being led by the Spirit.

The Spirit has come upon him at his baptism and the first thing the Spirit leads him to do is To go into the wilderness to be tested. He is the true Israel. Call out of Egypt quotes from Hosea out of Egypt.

I've called my son. It's in Matthew chapter 3 I believe I have chapter 2 I think and gone through the waters for Israel. That was the Red Sea the Exodus for Jesus. It was his baptism in chapter 3. He's baptized.

It goes through the waters and now like Israel. He's in the desert to see if he will succeed. Where Israel has failed? He has tempted with three things first with personal pleasure second with personal promotion and finally with personal power.

Well notice that was after the 40 days was over the fast was over that the devil came. With a temptation for Jesus to provide himself food after 40 days. In fact not during not in the middle of it. But after it's over now if he had tempted Jesus during the fast that would have been too easy.

Jesus was out. No, I committed a 40-day fast. Can't make the stones bread now. Come to me later after the fast is over. No, but but now between the time the fast is over. And the first time he's able to get any food the devil comes and he took advantage of Jesus's legitimate need for food.

Jesus is a man and He needs food to live just simple as that. But the devil first tempts him to prove himself with if You are the Son of God. Are you really show me? Prove it to me. Satan says by using your powers to turn what is useless a Rock rocks are usually pretty useless to us.

Don't serve any purpose for us. Turn something useless into something you really need and want right now something you can consume and enjoy bread. The test is whether the Lord Jesus will use his powers just for himself whether Jesus like like the rest of us is asking himself.

What's in it for me? It's the stone. What's in it for me? Well, nothing I can turn it to bread now that that's in it. That's something I need and Jesus could they couldn't hate him. Well, the fast is over.

I'm hungry. I.

Need to eat.

These rocks are worthless. I Have the ability. Why not do it? But Jesus fitted him off with the repudiation of the whole approach to life that begins and ends with our self-absorbed. Constant question in our heads.

What's in it for me. He said quoting Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 3 man. Notice this man. He's talking about himself here, but he's man. Me as a man. Man shall not live by bread alone. But by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

He fended off the temptation by quoting scripture telling Satan that although he as full of God Had the ability to turn a rock garden into a pastry shop. He was also a human being and human beings are not designed to live.

Just for filling the stomach or just maybe in our day more likely for money. What are we you buy with money. Meals out nice cars nice things new gadgets. Not just for things like that. Notice that clearly here Jesus did not say since I'm the Son of God I am God in human flesh.

I don't need bread to live. You think about some people would think that's how Jesus should repudiate the temptation and I suppose he could have said that. I suppose he Could have done a miracle and rendered himself without any need of food that he was able to live indefinitely without needing to eat.

But then he wouldn't have been fully human and so able to represent us. He is fully human. He is man, and he needs to eat. But that's not his greatest need and so instead he repulsed the temptation to even use rocks for what's in it for him by affirming his Humanity man again and talk about himself.

I am a man. Man shall not live by bread alone. And God's intention for all his humans. He said here that he was a man and people don't just need bread. Don't just need food. Don't just need money. Just don't need things.

They don't just need physical things whatever it is to survive money and what it can buy. They don't need just that. They need the Word of God. I'll stop here and think about that. This is what's so perverse.

About turning our spiritual life. About church or seeking God our Christian life our church attendance into something merely for meeting our Personal interest maybe using the Bible and its promises or prayer.

As a way, well some people do teach prosperity preachers how to get rich. How to get stuff how to be successful. Here Jesus extends his fast a little bit longer. Because remember his fast is over at this point after the fast is over.

But he is extending a little bit longer and he determines that as a man He needs to hear and heed the word more than he needs lunch. But we have so many today who think the purpose of the word the purpose of religion purpose of the Bible of worship is.

For their.

Personal pleasure. Or for the church or at least to get them out by by lunch. It is merely if it is merely something for achieving personal peace and happiness having spiritual powers. That we can then harness to achieve whatever we want to achieve.

We can do better in our career. We can be healthier. We can be more successful have a better family life able to win friends and influence people all about getting what we want. Then we've taken what should not be consumed.

Something like a rock. We've transformed it and we've consumed it or we're trying to consume it for our personal pleasure. We've encountered this with people who leave us like they leave a favorite restaurant when a new one opens up.

You know, they used to go like Outback best now, it's Texas Roadhouse. They used to like this church best now. They there's a newer one slicker one down the road and then you ask them. Well, what about the other church members and they'll give you a blank stare like what who.

Well, but what do you talk about? It's like that it would be like the Outback manager asking them. Well, what about the other customers? They're used to eating with you. Huh? I'm here to consume. This is all about me.

It's about my personal happiness. Now that's the modern attitude and it reeks of. What's in it for me? Jesus was hungry. He needed food. He had the power to turn boulders into biscuits. But if he did he would show that he believed his powers existed for his own personal pleasure not for the glory of God and so he rebuffed it with I.

A man.

Do not live for food for money. Whatever it can buy alone. But by every word of God. Second he was tempted with personal promotion. And the devil tempts him to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple.

It's probably the corner of the royal porch and Solomon's porch. But there was a drop from that corner into the valley of the book Kidron. The drop was 450 feet. So it's a pretty big drop and there was a tradition in their day that when the Messiah comes He will appear there at that pinnacle at the top of the temple so that people could know that he's the one.

It was just a tradition. It's not something from Scripture, but part of what Jesus is being tempted with here is to put on display. So that he would be recognized as the Messiah. He would people would see him that he's a son of David and just accept him as that and follow him.

But if he were to do this People would look up and and see him at the top and then just to wipe away any doubts whatsoever. He would throw himself down. He would land safely. Kind of like one of these superhero movies where they come crashing down breaks the pavement.

But somehow his bones are fine, and then they would all know. And then they would all accept him wouldn't they? That makes makes sense. That would seems an easy way to go. There would be no need to be rejected and betrayed.

No need for the lashings for the cross. We're having to be laid in a tomb. Why not do it this way? It's kind of a good idea Satan. Not a bad idea so much easier the temptations is think. What's in it for me?

Sure, I will force God to do something for me that he shouldn't have to do. But why should I care about that? What's in it for me is that I get to avoid suffering. I will fling myself down. I'll land safely.

I'll be a claim the Messiah. I'll be promoted. So why not and Just to make the temptation that much stronger. Satan quotes scripture. He quotes from Psalm 91 to say that God will protect the one who trusts in God.

So if Jesus was really the Son of God again if if you are show it then Jesus should be able to demonstrate God's commitment to him. But by doing this the stunt. But Satan took the scripture out of context that is out of its proper setting.

The promise of God's protection is not meant as an excuse to do foolish things. Dangerous things forcing God to protect you because you just chose to do something dumb. No here the devil was proposing an artificial crisis that Jesus purposely put himself in danger.

Force God into a corner. Force him to send angels to keep Jesus from being hurt by a fall. It'd be like today people take that promise from Philippians 4, you know, God will provide all my needs. And so well if that's the case I'm just gonna spend all the all I can soon as the the check comes in I'm gonna go out and go out to eat in most expensive place to buy this or that and I'll be out of money by the first day of the month, but I'm supposed to trust God's promise.

He'll provide all my needs for the for the rent and everything. No, he's not gonna do that. That's trying to use God's promise for self. Self-promotion trying to force God to do What he doesn't want to do.

Because we want him we want to use him for what we can get out of him. Here would be as if Jesus had taken himself hostage. You know save me God or I'll kill myself and demand that God do what he wants him to do.

When he wants him to do it and all that to prove something to people. So he can avoid the cross avoid the suffering. For his self-promotion. Now many people think that religion exists for self-promotion.

It's where they go to strut their spirituality to demonstrate that they're one of the anointed. Some traditions have kind of very lofty titles for some of the spiritual leaders the right reverend dr. Zoltan Cyclops, whatever they call it.

Some do it if they don't go to those kind of churches. They put the ultra big Bible in formal clothing. You got a dress really nice to show off how Serious, they take church some long to be the preacher.

They want to be a preacher. So They'll be looked up to as somebody. After all what other opportunities do people have where you all sit nicely and quietly and listen to someone talk to them for like 45 minutes.

A few weird people even handle snakes or Display themselves as supposedly being overcome by the Holy Spirit by their outbursts of emotion. But often it's about Self-promotion like what Satan offers Jesus here use God's promises.

To show that you are somebody you're one of his favored ones. To the one asking what's in it for me the obvious. Yes, I'll do it. Whatever it is. I want to be somebody. I want God to promote me. But to the one asking what does my father want?

The answer is in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 16. You shall not Put the Lord your God to the test. You don't use God for your personal promotion. Then the third temptation for personal power beginning of verse 8.

The devil shows the Lord Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Paul calls Satan the the god of this world. So they're all his. In other words He sees Jesus sees all that this world has to offer and then Satan tries to make him a deal.

It's a great deal. I will give you all this all the power all the wealth the pleasures of this world. You control it. All you have to do is fall out of worship me. Satan says it seemed like an irresistible bargain.

It seemed like a great deal. Why not for just one quick act of compromise you get to rule the whole world and. Think of the justifications. Think of all the good that he could do is the ruler of the world all the justice he could bring.

The wrongs he could write the sufferings he could alleviate. Scientific advancements he could bring the world the peace and the unity the prosperity. That could come on all the people living under the wise rule of Jesus.

No more wars. At least that's what Satan was trying to get Jesus to believe. It's the same temptation He offers the church whenever it thinks that politics is a better way of achieving its goals than preaching the gospel.

We got to get our man or woman in the White House because that's where the power is. You know if churches are saying that yeah. They've taken the bait. We can advance God's kingdom they think and it's also God's kingdom and our personal power.

If only we bow before the altar of power Satan still whispers that in our ears. Including at election time Satan had taken Jesus up to a high place to see all this members a high place. And it was on the high places the mountaintops such as such as this where Israel itself had fallen down.

Before other idols and worship through most all of the Old Testament. We've read the Old Testament all over and over the high places. The Kings are judged whether they're good or bad whether they destroyed the high places.

But Israel Israelites were going to the high place at the mountaintops and usually worshiping idols. Now Jesus the true Israel again, he's brought out of Egypt. He's followed the Lord through water now.

He's in the desert. He's on a high place. And he's offered the whole world in exchange for a soul. But this true Israel doesn't fall for it like the old Israel did. Instead he dismisses Satan be gone Satan Notice the authority there.

He just he just orders him. Get out of here with that nonsense and then he quotes scripture from Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 13. You shall not you excuse me. You shall worship the Lord your God and him only.

Shall you serve? The temptation was for personal power all the kingdoms of this world all the power there is on earth to gain the world. But lose your soul. So Jesus the Son was called out of Egypt through the water in the desert tempted he succeeds including on the high place.

Where the old Israel failed? So he is Righteous. This is Jesus as active Obedience. He was not only the true Israel. He was the last Adam who succeeded where the first Adam had failed. Through these temptations Jesus kept God's law.

He kept perfect submission to God's will he resisted the devil's enticements. So by successfully overcoming the temptations of power and provision and presumption Jesus embodied the righteousness required of us.

But which we could not attain of our own. His obedience here is not merely an example for us to follow but is instead a vicarious Fulfillment vicarious meaning it in our place in our place. He obeyed God's law in our place.

He withstood temptation and Never failed and so he kept the covenantal righteousness. That is the righteousness of the covenant with God that is necessary for our salvation that is he fulfilled God's requirement for us.

He obeyed the law.

For us.

He rejected the temptations For us and this active obedience then is the righteousness That is imputed.

To us.

But you might ask What does this have to do? With us. Except that we believe it. Okay, you understand? Okay, I can't believe it. But what does is it practically have to do with me after all I can't turn stones into bread.

And so I'll never be tempted to try that's not really a temptation for me. Turn stones into bread. It just never occurs to me. I don't presume to think that if I jump off a tall building that God is bound to protect me.

So I'm not gonna really be tempted to test God that way. Satan has yet to offer the whole world to me. And so I'm pretty sure he never will. So I don't have to worry about that temptation either. But we each face our own variety of these temptations.

We are tempted to use our faith the things of God. It's something to be consumed like a loaf of bread again like the promise God will provide all your needs. Okay. Well, I'm gonna spit everything out and let God take care of me after that.

Well, no, he won't play along with it. This is we try to use God to satisfy our desires. Given to some temptation and we think well he can just excuse our sin. And so I can send as much as I want. I'll send the grace may abound.

Well, no, he's not gonna play along with that either. And so we have the church hoppers of our day taking in the services. They're using the church in the same way. They use any other business for what's in it for them and we're tempted to not be satisfied with the Word of God.

So we're constantly Discontent with it. We prefer the show rather than the word looking for something else then then what God's Word every word of God which Jesus said we live for but have that. We have the temptation to take the easy way out.

Not to take up our cross not to deny ourselves to think we we can we can have the Lord and The world too. Jesus said you cannot serve God and mammon mammon says you can. You can serve God and me mammon says mammon's lying to us.

That's the deceitfulness of riches. You can live for money and you're gonna have God at the same time. Oh sure, you might have to skip going to church for a few years while you make a little bunch of money.

But later on you could go back to God. No, it's lying to you. But God doesn't lie to you you see. There are those there used to be a lot of them in the past. They're kind of the age of the Middle Ages the ascetics the monks and the nuns the monasteries and convents and all that.

There used to be a lot of it who would be holiness as something to be achieved for themselves. Would there be willing to go? Through a lot of sacrifice a lot of self-discipline arduous. Afflicting of themselves for the benefits for the glory they can get out of it and they might be religious and strict.

But they are still they could even at that time they could still be constantly thinking in the back of their heads. What's in it for me. And for them it was answered well if I do this I suck I get heaven later.

But we see here that that is the opposite of the Christlike holiness. Christlike holiness has to do not primarily with denying yourself things and if I only I I give more money I Pray more I go to church more I sacrifice this more then I'll be holy.

No, that's not really. Yeah, that's not really what this passage is about. It's about what's in the center of your life. Whether you are living a God-centered life. So through the temptation of personal pleasure personal promotion and personal power we see two keys to the God-centered life the Spirit and Scripture.

Now many Christians long for great experiences of the Spirit. Seeking the thrills the laughter of the awesome displays. We should pray to be filled with the Spirit often assuming often assuming that the Spirit will bring them a lot of Pleasure promotion and power.

Now I wonder if they really want to be led by the Spirit though. I Mean you think about it often they being led by the Spirit means this being led but they have the power they have they can Do miracles they can they have all this joy.

Everything's great. That's what they think of is being led by the Spirit. But the very reason Jesus went into the wilderness in the first place because the Holy Spirit led him to being led by the Spirit.

It says and so the Apostle Paul tells us there are two kinds of people those who are led by the Spirit. Who walk in the Spirit and those who live in the flesh that is those who will live with the attitude.

What's in it for me? And so often today people use talk About following the Spirit following the spirits leading to justify doing or not doing. Whatever it is they want. When someone wrote to me to say that he or she will come back to attending church when the Spirit leads them.

Of course, I thought well the Spirit's already. The Spirit's already leading you. He's already spoken about that in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25. Where he tells us not to forsake our assembling together, but that's really not what the person meant.

They really Meant if they'll come back to church when they feel Like it maybe when their spirit leads them to when they feel there's something in it for them. In an age of self-centered consumerism the individuals will their personal choices their subjective sense of what they want of what is right for.

Them.

Are the only thing that cannot be questioned. Can't question, you know, they said they say they're not led. Then what am I supposed to say about that? That's this our attitude today. If they want to do things sexually.

They're immoral. Then who are we to question them? Who are we to question someone else's lifestyle choice. Some Christians have the same attitude. They just use talk of the Spirit to cover all that up to disguise it and disguising their self-centeredness.

They'll do what they want to do When the Spirit leads them to do it. What's just really their spirit? This is the opposite of what's going on here the Lord Jesus. You can almost be guaranteed that he didn't feel like denying himself food and refreshing drinks for 40 days comfortable place to sleep.

While subjecting himself to the testing of the devil, I you know, I believe in being led by the Spirit. But it's much easier to believe that someone is really being led by their spirit when they're being led to sacrifice.

When they're denying their flesh when they are doing something that's clearly for God rather than What's in it for them? Then we see here the use and misuse of Scripture three times. The Lord Jesus says it is written.

And you think about that now he is God in human flesh. He is the Word himself. He is the Word of God.

Incarnate and.

Yet he quotes the Word of God in Scripture. Every word he spoke was the Word of God. Yet even he memorized and quoted Scripture three times he was tempted and three times he responded it is written. If even the Word of God incarnate use the Word of God in Scripture to fend off temptations.

How much more do we need to do so. So we need to be diligent readers students of our Bibles we live by every Word of God we don't unhitch from any part of it. We don't neglect any part of it. We live by every part of it and the word is the sword of the Spirit.

It's our principal weapon. That's the word is a lamp to our feet. It's our guide to stay on the narrow way to life. It's not good enough just to have Have the book or have the app on your phone whatever and bring it to church.

We must actually read it. We must listen to it. Sing it helps recite it. Meditate on it. That means think about it. Pray it pray over it must have the Word of Christ dwell dwell means I live constantly in us richly and That comes by regular daily attention To what it says and this is especially important when we remember that here that Satan quotes scripture, too.

He's a Bible student. The devil knows the Bible and can use it to deceive. Hopefully not deceive you. Colts and false teachers will usually use the Bible use it quite a lot. Quoting it to justify whatever false doctrine they're trying to foist on to you to lead even you astray if they can.

So if you're not regularly in the word you're studying it you're learning how to read it properly.

Then.

You could you can be liable to be deceived by a misuse of Scripture. Satan will come to you with the natural appealing thought you know what's in it for me and His false teachers will come playing on that.

To lead you astray lots of examples. Until we've seen past what the world takes for granted that life is not all about what's in it for me. Until we see that to live life with that question What's in it for me?

What's to my advantage? What am I getting out of this? That question is the loudest thing ringing in our ears. Always looking at every relationship every institution everything. We're a part of every offer everything driven by that question what's in it for me.

And Until we see that that is the most satanic way to live. Then we cannot understand the Christian life. We can even think well, okay. I'll sacrifice some. I'll give some money give my time to study to pray.

Maybe go 40 days without any food. But if we're still doing that for ourselves. We're doing it for the glory that we will bring to ourselves. We're doing like Rocky going through his training montage for the championship at the end.