05-29-2022 – “Satan Fails to Tempt Jesus”

Bible Text: Luke 4:1-13 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

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May 29, 2022
“Satan Fails to Tempt Jesus”
Luke 4:1-13

Read Luke 4:1-2…

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan
and was led around 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 had ended, He
became hungry.

After His baptism, Jesus was led [compelled] by the

Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted by the

devil [diabolos = accuser, slanderer], i.e., by Satan [adversary],

who was originally called Lucifer [meaning bearer of light,

morning star,

Isaiah 14:12].

12 “How you have fallen from heaven,

O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth,

You who have weakened the nations!

Ezekiel 28:12,

12b “You had the seal of perfection,

Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13a “You were in Eden, the garden of God;

Every precious stone was your covering:

Ezekiel 28:15,

15 “You were blameless in your ways

From the day you were created

Until unrighteousness was found in you.

There are other names in Scripture for Satan,

or the devil:

(John 12:31;

31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this
world will be cast out.

John 14:30;

30 I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of
the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;

John 16:11)

11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this
world has been judged.

the ruler of this world;

(Ephesians 2:2)

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
of the spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience.

the prince of the power of the air;

(2Corinthians 4:4)

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the
minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image
of God.

the god of this world,;

(Revelation 9:11)

11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss;
his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has
the name Apollyon.

angel of the abyss;

(Revelation 12:9)

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of
old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the
whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his
angels were thrown down with him.

the great dragon, the serpent of old, the devil and Satan.

Satan’s plan is to try to destroy the work and plan of God,

that being, to provide forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

Satan attempts to thwart the mission and ministry of Christ

by trying to deceive Him into performing for the devil, as if

the devil could dissuade the Son of God from God’s purpose

and plan.

Read Luke 4:3-4…

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God,
tell this stone to become bread.”

4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL
NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

The word translated “If,” here in

Luke 4:3,

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God,
tell this stone to become bread.”

is better translated “since,” i.e., “Since You are the
Son of God,” and you are very hungry after 40 days
without food, the Father wouldn’t want you to remain
hungry; so go ahead, turn the stones into bread, after
all, Your Father would want you to eat.

The thing is, Jesus had willfully set aside His own majesty to put on the flesh of a man

(Philippians 2:5-7),

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ
Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not
regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men.

Jesus was in full submission to the Father, and He knew very well that the Holy Spirit would care for Him and provide what He needs. Notice Jesus’ response to the devil

(Luke 4:4;

4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL
NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

pp Deuteronomy 8:3),

3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you
with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers
know, that He might make you understand that man does
not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that
proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

The rest of that verse

(from Deuteronomy 8:3)

tells us clearly that it is not physical food that sustains

spiritual or eternal life, “but man lives by everything that

proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”

Christ’s most important work was to do what pleased

the Father, to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth

(Matthew 6:31-33),

31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or
‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’

32 For the Gentiles [Pagans, unbelievers] eagerly seek
all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you
need all these things.

33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and
all these things will be added to you.

At a later time, Jesus reiterates this truth to His disciples

(John 4:34),

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him
who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

1John 5:5,

5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1John 5:11-13,

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you
have eternal life.

(Matthew 6:10),

10 ‘Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

for “God’s will to be done on earth, as it already is

being done in heaven.” Only then will we know true

happiness and fulfillment in this life.

Read Luke 4:5-8…

5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of
the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this
domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me,
and I give it to whomever I wish.

7 Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be
Yours.”

8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL
WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”

Satan now leads Jesus up onto a high mountain and points out the kingdoms of the world, saying he will give all these to Jesus if Jesus will worship him, because all of this “has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” Really?

Concerning the Messiah God says

(Psalm 2:7-8),

7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:

He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.

8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your
inheritance,

And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

Daniel 7:14,

14 “And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations and men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

Everything belongs to God, the Creator, Sustainer,

and Judge over All. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is

God the Son

(Colossians 1:16),

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the
heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things
have been created through Him and for Him.

(Colossians 2:9),

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

Jesus forcefully rejects Satan’s blasphemous

suggestion by quoting

Deuteronomy 6:13,

13 You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall
worship Him and swear by His name.

Scripture refers to Satan as the spirit of those who

disobey God, and as the god/ruler of this world, meaning

the evil world system that rejects God’s Son and God’s

Word, in order to serve the desires of the flesh.

In Ephesians 2:2-3,

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
of the spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience.

3 Among them we too all formerly lived… …indulging the
desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath, even as the rest.

Satan is referred to as, “the prince of the power

of the air, the spirit that is now working in the

sons of disobedience. Among them we also formerly

lived… …indulging the desires of the flesh and of the

mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the

rest.”

God declares judgement on Satan and all who follow

him; also declaring enmity between all those who

reject Christ (following Satan) and all those who follow

Christ

(Genesis 3:15),

15 “And I will put enmity between you [Satan] and

the woman [Eve], and between your seed [offspring]

and her seed [offspring]. He [Christ] shall crush your

[Satan’s] head [authority or power], and you [Satan]

shall bruise him [Jesus] on the heel.”

Jesus Christ is the “seed” [offspring] through

whom all the blessings of Abraham will be realized

(Galatians 3:16),

16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his
seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to
many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is,
Christ.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem to offer Himself

up as full and final payment for our sins, He said to

His disciples

(John 12:23-24),

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has
come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls
into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it
bears much fruit.

(John 12:31-32),

31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this
world will be cast out.

32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men to Myself.”

(John 3:14-15),

14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up;

15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

(2Corinthians 4:4),

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the
minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image
of God.

Satan was thrown out of heaven along with the rest

of the angels who rebelled against God’s authority

(Isaiah 14:13-14),

13 “But you said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God,

And I will sit on the mount of assembly…

14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.’

Satan was kicked out of heaven and so he came

to earth, in the form of a beautiful serpent, where

he beguiled and deceived Eve into distrusting and

disobeying God; thus bringing sin’s curse upon all

mankind.

Read Genesis 3:1-6…

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the
field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the
woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from
any tree of the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the
trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of
the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or
touch it, or you will die.’”

4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes
will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good
and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree
was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit
and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and
he ate.

Notice in

Genesis 3:6,

good for food, delight to the eyes, desirable to make

one wise. Satan’s deception worked.

In Genesis 3:7-19,

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they
knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together and made themselves loin coverings.

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife
hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him,
“Where are you?”

10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and
I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you
not to eat?”

12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with
me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this
you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent
deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

Cursed are you more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you will go,

And dust you will eat

All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

16 To the woman He said,

“I will greatly multiply

Your pain in childbirth,

In pain you will bring forth children;

Yet your desire will be for your husband,

And he will rule over you.”

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to
the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree
about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat
from it’;

Cursed is the ground because of you;

In toil you will eat of it

All the days of your life.

18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;

And you will eat the plants of the field;

19 By the sweat of your face

You will eat bread,

Till you return to the ground,

Because from it you were taken;

For you are dust,

And to dust you shall return.”

God’s curse comes upon all the living, starting with

the serpent [Satan incarnate], then upon Eve, then

upon Adam, and then upon all life; there would be

no hope for mankind except that which would come

through the seed [offspring] of Eve [the mother of al

l the living].

Eve’s future offspring, a descendant through the

womb of Mary, would be God’s Son, Jesus Christ

, the One through Whom all God’s blessings are realized,

but only to those who believe in Him.

Read Luke 4:9-13…

9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand 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,

SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A
STONE.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘YOU
SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left
Him until an opportune time.

Satan has twice attempted to deceive, even to entice

Jesus to not trust in God’s provisions. Now Satan moves

to his final attempt, taking Jesus to the highest point of

the temple, he says, “If [since] You are the Son of God,

throw Yourself down from here.” [They are probably standing

on the pinnacle, at the southeast corner of the temple,

overlooking the Kidron Valley, which is several hundred feet

below them.]

Notice that Satan now quotes the Bible, saying,

“It is written,” just as Jesus had done in His two

previous responses to the devil’s attempts to trick

Him. Satan quotes from

Psalm 91:11-12,

11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you,

To guard you in all your ways.

12 They will bear you up in their hands,

That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

This is clearly from God’s Word, but the devil has

twisted its meaning, taking it out of context; for

we know God’s Word never contradicts itself.

Jesus brings clarification by countering Satan’s

quote, with a quote from

Deuteronomy 6:16,

16 “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as
you tested Him at Massah.

Luke tells us

(Luke 4:13),

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left
Him until an opportune time.

Satan would, at a later time, in fact, at the Last Supper,

make his final attack. Jesus warns His disciples

(John 13:21),

31 Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me,

(John 13:25-27),

John asks, “‘Lord, who is it?’ to which Jesus answered, ‘It is

the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.’

So when He had dipped the morsel, He gave it to Judas, after

[which], Satan entered into him [Judas].to whom Jesus then

said, ‘What you do, do quickly,’”

(John 13:31),

31 Therefore when he [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now

is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him,’

2Corinthians 5:21,

21 He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on

our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him.

1Corinthians 10:13,

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is
common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow
you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with
the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so
that you will be able to endure it.

Jesus is our example of how to handle temptation

Hebrews 4:15,

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been
tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

(Hebrews 12:2),

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of
faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God.