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Sunday 3 November 2002 - "Temptation"

Engagement of Joseph Dzubha & Idah Masiya

(Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen)

Mt 4:1

1 ¶ Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Mt 6:13

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

We can so easily rattle off the Lord's prayer, but every word which Jesus spoke is of great importance and meaning. We need to earnestly pray that God would not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

There are two types of temptation:

• Satan will tempt us to the intent that we might sin and fall.
• God allows testing and trials in our lives, to the intent that we might overcome, grow thereby and prosper.

In Hebr 4:15 we read about Jesus:

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus knew temptation and therefore is able to help us completely, and we need to take careful heed of His words. We must not ignore the reality of temptation. Many make a decision for Christ, but when temptation arises, they fall. Only a few overcome and stand. Peter is a good example, when he acted in the flesh and trusted in himself to stay true to Jesus. Jesus rebuked his self-confidence, and revealed to him his weakness and dependence on God. You will never succeed in your own strength in your Christian life. You must trust in God fully. Jesus must live in you and you in Him. Does Jesus steer your life, or are you making the decisions?

Some even testify, preach and have a relationship with God, but still fail in the face of temptation. We must know that the devil goes around like a roaring lion to devour pilgrims (1 Pet 5:8). Paul understood the urgency of the matter when he wrote to the brethren that he fears that they might be deceived by the devil as Eve (2 Cor 11:3). Satan usually doesn't come in his true colours - horns, tail and the rest - but as an angel of the light - even with the Bible in his hand. We must take careful note of this, for many pilgrims have gone before us, whose white bones only remain, because they fell prey to the devil's temptations, and were deceived.

Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was very hungry when Satan tempted him to make the stones bread. Here we see how the devil analyses a situation and uses our weak spot for his attack. No wonder that his children, the communists, uses exactly the same technique when they want to sow discord in a nation or family. They will exploit the suffering of the poor in a nation for their evil purposes. In a family they will open a child's eyes to the inequality in treatment between him and his parents, or a wife between her and her husband. Soon a unified nation or family is torn apart.

1 Jn 2:15 - 17

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The first temptation Jesus faced was the lust of the flesh. However, He did not for one moment give place to sin, but resisted the temptation with God's Word, and brought his own body's desires and needs in subjection to God. He waited on God's time and God's hand to satisfy His needs. When all the temptations were finished, and He conquered, God sent His angels to minister to Jesus and prepared a heavenly meal for Him. Do you know how to bring your desires and needs to God for satisfaction, or do you satisfy yourself?

Never fall for temptation. You will regret it for the rest of your life and maybe even eternity. Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, but some today treat Him even cheaper. They simply leave God's calling on their life, and follow their own desires. However, Jesus always sought God's will for His life and did it.

Secondly, at the pinnacle of the temple, Satan tempted Jesus to jump down in glory and be instantly proclaimed as the Messiah. Again He resisted with God's Word, and refused sin. Do you know how to discern between God's voice and Satan's, or do you simply swallow whatever concoction Satan puts before you, e.g. someone gossips, or lets you read bad material, and you swallow it, like a child that puts anything into its mouth.

Thirdly, Satan tempted Jesus with the pride of life - the world and all its riches, but Jesus resisted Him again from God's Word. He knew that God sent Him to die on the cross for the sins of the world, and He remained faithful. In the end Satan had to flee defeated.

We have no idea or thought of what God has prepared for those who wait for Him and overcome, but we can lose all if we fall for Satan's temptations.

Is 64:4

4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.