Lessons 27-32

Lesson 27 - Mark 1:13 Temptations

Although Jesus experienced many temptations over the 3-1/2 years He was here on earth, we'll study the specific ones recorded in Matthew 4 and Luke 4.

Matt 4:1-4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The tempter said, "If You are the Son of God…." Notice that the first thing that the devil said was an attempt to cast doubt on what God had said just forty days before that. At the baptism of Jesus God the Father had said, "This is My beloved Son...."

Principle: It is very important to know and remember what God has said to you and not to depart from it for any reason. It's also important to know Whose you are and who you are in Christ. Read or print the following passage in Ephesians 1:3-2:22 and list all the blessings of being a child of God. Look for the key phrases: "in Christ" or "in Him." (I'll get you started by underlining the first few. As you do this, stop and thank the Lord for each blessing you find.)

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,(Dixie:: now He's going to start listing and describing those blessings) 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. 7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-in Him. 11In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. 15Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Chapter 2

1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

11Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands- 12that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

19Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Now read again what you've underlined. That's who a child of God is and the blessings that a child of God has. "God loves you." Repeat those 3 words 3 times, emphasizing a different word each time. If you ever come to truly believe those three words, you will have all the faith, strength, and comfort you need to live a victorious life in this world because you will know the Source of all you need is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

LESSON 28 - Temptations - Matthew 4:3

How many blessings did you find in the passage in Ephesians 1 and 2 in last week's lesson? There were a bunch, all of them showing how much God loves you and what He wants you to know about yourself "in Christ." These are some of the ones I found:

- As a child of God and because of what Jesus did for me,

- I am blessed with all spiritual blessings v3

- I was chosen in Christ long before I was actually born v4

- I can be holy and without blame before Him v4

- I've been adopted into the family of God v5

- I'm accepted in the Beloved (Son) v6

- I've been redeemed by His blood v7

- I have forgiveness for my sins v7

- I've experienced His grace vs 6,7

- I am lavished in His wisdom and understanding v8

- I am taught the secrets of God v9

- I am a part of a bigger picture v9

- I am in Christ, safe v10

- I have an inheritance v11 (1Peter 1:3-4 tells us it will be waiting in heaven for us.)

- I will bring God glory v12

- I've been sealed with the Holy Spirit (God's stamp of approval)v13

- I'm going to be resurrected and live forever v14

- I can receive wonderful gifts through prayer v17

Back to the lesson on the temptations Jesus experienced in the wilderness:

Sometimes the word "if" can be translated "since.” If that were true in this verse, "Since You are the Son of God, command these stones to be made bread," then the devil would be trying to boss Jesus as if he were His superior. Jesus didn't fall for that. Maybe the devil was trying to see if Jesus would respond in pride and show off His power. Jesus didn't.

The tempter said to Jesus, (remember Jesus has been doing without food during this time), "...command these stones to be made bread." In sounding as if he cared about Jesus' health, the devil tried to disguise this temptation to sin.

Principle: The devil hates you, because as a child of God, you are created in the image of God. He can't hurt God, so he wants to hurt you, one of God's children. He wants to destroy you, and steal every good thing from you. You are the one who controls whether that happens. The devil doesn't care about anyone except himself. God cares about you , loves you and wants the best for you. Which one will you honor and obey?

"...Make Yourself some bread..." - Doesn't that seem like a reasonable thing to say, since Jesus had been without anything to eat for so long? The devil may have known that after a long fast, hunger pangs come back. So he was hoping that Jesus was so hungry that Jesus would obey his command rather than trusting the Holy Spirit to provide for Him. The devil was trying to trick Jesus into doing something that was not directed by the Holy Spirit. Satan was also trying to make Jesus think that the he cared more for Jesus' well-being than His Father God did. Jesus wasn't deceived by such ploys. Jesus knew He was supposed to fast until He was told otherwise. Jesus chose to be obedient to what had already been revealed.

Principle: The devil may sound reasonable, but he is always wrong. He is a liar, a thief and a destroyer. John 8:44 Jesus said about the devil, "... He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. In John 10:10 Jesus described the devil as the thief who "comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." The devil's work is always against God and you.

Jesus refused to fall for the devil's trickery. He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, which said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that is proceeding out of the mouth of God." The use of this verse shows us several things. First, Jesus had memorized scripture, probably on a regular basis, so that when He needed it, He could quote it. Knowing the Word of God can keep us from sin, as Psalm 119:10,11 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!

Secondly, Jesus saying that "...Man does not live by bread alone...but by the Word...of God" shows that Jesus understood we need spiritual food for our souls as much as we need physical food for our bodies.

Thirdly, Jesus put pleasing and honoring His Father, and being obedient to the direction of the Holy Spirit, above His personal comfort and needs. Jesus knew that His Father would supply all His needs in due time. Jesus was confident that His Father would take care of Him. Later Jesus had opportunity to teach this very principle to His disciples, recorded in Matthew 6:25-33. He concluded by saying, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the things you need will be provided." (Dixie's paraphrase)

Principle: The devil will lie to you and try to get you to do things that are not honoring to God and that draw you away from God. Don't fall for it. Don't be deceived. Keep listening to what God has said, "every word that is proceeding out of the mouth of God," and that which He has written down in the scriptures. Follow the Lord Jesus' example. It is much better to trust a loving heavenly Father and to obey the Word of God than to satisfy fleshly desires that are in opposition to what God has already revealed to you in His Word.

LESSON 29 - Mark 1:13 and Matt. 4:5-7

5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Here we go again with the insinuation by the devil..."if You be the Son of God..." The devil knew Jesus was the Son of God, but he's trying to get Jesus to doubt His Father's Word and to question His relationship to the Father. Has the devil ever tried to get you to doubt the things God has said? God is the only Person Who always tells the truth. He is the truth; He cannot lie. Hebrews 6:18...it was impossible for God to lie,...1 John 1:5...God is light, and in him is no darkness at all...Deut 32:4 4He is the Rock, his work is perfect:... a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:

"Cast Yourself down" - The pinnacle mentioned in verse 5 is thought to have been about 700 feet high above a ravine.

The devil tried to get Jesus to kill Himself, implying there would be no danger in such an act, by selectively quoting a scripture from Psalm 91:11-13. (I guess the devil thought that he would show that he could use scripture too, to tempt Jesus to sin.) Satan invited Jesus to be foolhardy and reckless with His life, to risk death to prove that God would protect Him. Jesus didn't fall for that one.

Jesus knew that God's promise of protection is to those who walk in all His ways. (This would be a good time for you to read all of Psalm 91, so you can see that the protection of God is given to those who love Him, who abide with Him, and who obey Him.)

PSALM 91

Whoever goes to the Lord for safety,

whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,

2 can say to him,

"You are my defender and protector.

You are my God; in you I trust."

3 He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers

and from all deadly diseases.

4 He will cover you with his wings;

you will be safe in his care;

his faithfulness will protect and defend you.

5 You need not fear any dangers at night

or sudden attacks during the day

6 or the plagues that strike in the dark

or the evils that kill in daylight.

7 A thousand may fall dead beside you,

ten thousand all round you,

but you will not be harmed.

8 You will look and see

how the wicked are punished.

9 You have made the Lord your defender,

the Most High your protector,

10 and so no disaster will strike you,

no violence will come near your home.

God will put his angels in charge of you

to protect you wherever you go.

They will hold you up with their hands

to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones.

You will trample down lions and snakes,

fierce lions and poisonous snakes.

14 God says, "I will save those who love me

and will protect those who acknowledge me as Lord.

15 When they call to me, I will answer them;

when they are in trouble, I will be with them.

I will rescue them and honour them.

16 I will reward them with long life;I will save them."

Jesus responded to the enemy's taunts by quoting scripture from Deuteronomy 6:16, "you shall not tempt the Lord your God." Jesus would not do anything that would show disrespect to His Father. He didn't put Himself in a position of doing things the Holy Spirit had not directed Him to do. He listened to the Holy Spirit, not an unholy one like the devil.

To whom are you listening?

PRINCIPLE: God never lies. What He has said in His Word is true and you can depend on it.

LESSON 30 - Mark 1:13 and Matt. 4:8-10

The third temptation involved power, riches and timing. Matt. 4:8-10 states: 8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

The devil wanted Jesus to worship him, not God. Satan (the liar) promised that Jesus could have all the kingdoms of the world, if He would bow down to him. (The devil is always trying to get us to bow down to him, to worship and to be obedient to him. He wants to be God in our lives. Why would anyone choose a liar, a thief, a murderer and a destroyer to follow? Let's be smart like Jesus and not fall for the devil's temptations.)

Psalm 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. When Adam and Eve sinned by obeying the deceiver in the garden of Eden, they automatically gave their authority to rule to the devil.

Therefore, the devil could legitimately claim that the kingdoms of the earth were his to offer. (In John 12:31 the devil is called "the prince of this world.")

The devil was trying to get Jesus to lust after the power and the riches those kingdoms represented, and to want them right then. Now Jesus knew that one day in the future, when He defeated the devil at the cross, that His Father would give Him the rulership of this world with all its glory and riches. (Psalm 2:6,8 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.) Jesus so trusted His Father that He was willing to wait for God's perfect timing. He didn't get impatient or rush ahead of God 's will for Him.

PRINCIPLE: Wait on God for direction. Ask Him for help and then wait for the answer.

So Jesus wasn't interested in the devil's temptations. Jesus was determined to do what pleased His Father. He would only worship God and serve Him. Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Principle: In the decisions we make, we are choosing whom we serve and obey, either God or the devil. If you say "yes" to God, you are saying "no" to the devil. If you say "no" to God, you are saying "yes" to the devil.

In the garden of Eden, Adam had wonderful things to eat, beautiful surroundings to enjoy, yet he gave in to temptation and sinned. In the desert wilderness Jesus had no food, no green lush garden surroundings, yet He did not fall into sin.

Principle: It is not environment that makes you an overcomer. It is your love of God and your commitment to Him, no matter what.

LESSON 31 - Mark 1:13

13And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

Did you notice this verse says that there were wild beasts present with Jesus while He was in the desert? Do you think the devil brought them near Jesus to try and scare Him? If so, that would have been another temptation Jesus was confronted with--to be fearful of the animals. However, we know that Jesus was confident of His Father's will for Him. Jesus knew that He was going to die on the cross, not in the wilderness. So Jesus wasn't scared of the wild animals around Him. He wasn't fearful of them. In fact, He probably had such authority over them that they acted as they will in the kingdom age, when the Lord Jesus returns to rule as King over all the earth. This is described in Isaiah 11:6-9: Wolves and sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats. Calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them. Cows and bears will eat together, and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace. Lions will eat straw as cattle do. Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake. On Zion, God’s sacred hill, there will be nothing harmful or evil. The land will be as full of knowledge of the Lord as the seas are full of water. (The Good News Bible) This is probably the way the animals were in the garden of Eden too.

"The angels ministered unto Him" - What do you think they did? I think they brought Him some food...maybe manna, because that is described as angels' food in Psalm 78:24-25: Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 24And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. 25Man did eat angels’ food:

Maybe the angels fixed Him some power-packed food as they did the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:5-8: And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

This was the end of the temptations that Jesus endured in the wilderness. In Luke 4:13 it says, And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. James 4:7 states, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." This gives a 2 step plan for getting the devil to leave you. First, submit yourself to God, which Jesus did. That means that you humble yourself before God, surrender to His will, and choose God's way.

Then resist the devil, as Jesus did during the wilderness temptations. 1 Peter 5:9, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9Whom resist stedfast in the faith,... Resist the devil. Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ....

What does that mean? Judge every thought and idea that comes into your mind. Is it something that leads to fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life? Does it lead to love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control? Is it in the list that the Holy Spirit gave us in Philippians 4:8 about what to think on? 8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

If your thought or idea doesn't measure up to God's list, throw it out by replacing it with a godly thought. You will have train yourself to this. You will have to "get in the habit of right thinking--Christ thinking. Give yourself completely to honoring God in every way, even in your thoughts, and the devil will flee.

LESSON 32

(The devil) departed from Him (Jesus) for a season.

It sounds as if the devil came back from time to time later on. The Bible doesn't record that Jesus again was tempted by the devil in person. However, we can tell from the things that Jesus later encountered , that the devil used people to try to get Him to sin, to be afraid, to quit.

Sometimes the devil does use people to do his tempting. Look at the following verses and notice what the people are doing. Matthew 22:15-18 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle (Jesus) in his talk. 16And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Matt. 22:35 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35Then one of them, which was a lawyer( one who studied the law of Moses), asked him a question, tempting him,...

So you should not be surprised that the devil uses people to tempt you, but you should be alert, so you won't fall for such a trap. God through King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 1:10: My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

Principle: Even though temptations come, we don't have to choose the devil's way and give in to what will ultimately and always be harmful to us. We can be smart. We can follow the example of the Lord Jesus and refuse to dishonor ourselves and our heavenly Father. Ask the Lord to show you how to walk in His ways each day. He will. Read and meditate on what God has said in His Word. That will also help you to know the ways of God. Here's an example:

Psalm 119 selected verses:

V 2 Happy are those who follow his commands, who obey him with all their heart.

vs 9-12 How can young people keep their lives pure? By obeying your commands.10 With all my heart I try to serve you; keep me from disobeying your commandments. I keep your law in my heart, so that I will not sin against you. I praise you, O Lord; teach me your ways. Vs 35-37 Keep me obedient to your commandments, because in them I find happiness. Give me the desire to obey your laws rather than to get rich. Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless; v98Your commandment is with me all the time and makes me wiser than my enemies.

v101 I have avoided all evil conduct, because I want to obey your word.

vs110-112 The wicked lay a trap for me, but I have not disobeyed your commands. Your commandments are my eternal possession; they are the joy of my heart. I have decided to obey your laws until the day I die...

vs 127-128 I love your commands more than gold, more than the finest gold. And so I follow all your instructions; I hate all wrong ways.

vs 162-164 How happy I am because of your promises-as happy as someone who finds rich treasure. I hate and detest all lies,but I love your law. Seven times each day I thank you...