Good morning to everyone. It's good to be in the house of the Lord with all of you. You can turn in your Bibles with me to Matthew chapter 4. Matthew chapter 4.
As you're turning there, it's good to remind ourselves occasionally to apply our minds in the act of preaching. The ancient ones would say, attend I entreat you and rouse yourselves as they brought the word to the gathered assembly. And as a thousand distractions seek to steal us away from focus upon the word of God, it's good for us as energy needs to be spent in the service of this act of worship to apply our minds to it. I'm going to read Matthew chapter 4.
Actually, the focus will be Matthew 4, 1 to 11, which is the temptation of Christ. But we're going to pick up reading in Matthew 3 at verse 13. So Matthew 3 at verse 13, this is the word of the Triune God. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
And John tried to prevent him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and you are coming to me? But Jesus answered and said to him, Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed him. When he had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water.
And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, afterward he was hungry.
Now when the tempter came to him, he said, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him up into the holy city, set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over you, and In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, it is written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God.
Again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to them, all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, away with you, Satan. For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. Amen. Well, let's go to our God in prayer asking for his blessing upon this act of worship. Let's pray.
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, we rejoice in your goodness to us. We pray, Father, that now we would appreciate the goodness in worship, the preaching of the word of God. We thank you that we have been able to pray. We thank you that we've been able to read your scriptures and to sing your word.
We do pray that you'd help us now in this act of worship, that both preacher and hearer would be lifted up by the living and true God to know your truth. We pray for the spirit of God in the ministry of this act of worship. We pray that our hearts would be cheered by a knowledge of our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that in all things we would bring you glory. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen. Well,
Introduction
we want to look here in Matthew 4, 1-11 at the champion of the howling wilderness. It's the language used by God through Moses in the book of Deuteronomy regarding the wilderness wanderings of the nation of Israel. And here in Matthew 1, 1-4, we're going to note that it is the evangelist's chief point to set forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the second Adam and as the true Israel who did what Adam could not do and what Israel could not do in the garden and in the wilderness that followed. By way of introduction, what I want to do is just acknowledge something that took place in the ancient world and in the medieval era.
There was something that was called single combat. And single combat was basically when two armies were set against each other face to face in a valley of battle. Often, not oftentimes, but occasionally what would happen is two champions would come forth from either army and would contest the war. in their own skirmish, in their own battle, rather than have the spilling of much blood and much death on the side of the opposing armies, and to set forth the spectacle of one champion victorious in vanquishing the other. And here, as it's been noted by many, we do have an instance of single combat between Jesus and the devil.
You'll recall a biblical episode of single combat, David and Goliath, when Goliath came forth for 40 days and 40 nights, blaspheming the God of Israel and taunting the nation of Israel. And finally, after those 40 days and 40 nights, David comes forth and he contests the battle without armor, slaying the giant and beheading him. Well, here we have the Lord Jesus Christ, after 40 days and 40 nights, like David, though he the greater David, coming forth and defeating the greater than Goliath, the devil, and doing so for the good and for the salvation of his people. John Calvin wrote this so many years ago with regards to this particular episode, The Temptation in the Wilderness.
It ought to be observed at the same time that the Son of God voluntarily endured the temptations which we are now considering and fought as it were in single combat with the devil that by his victory he might obtain a triumph for us. You see, this text is not given to us that we might know, it isn't given to us primarily, that is to say, that we might know how to fight against temptation, though we can arrive at ancillary and tertiary conclusions with regards to it. But it is primarily given to us that it might set forth the champion of the howling wilderness, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the one who vanquishes the devil for his people. And that's what we are to notice this morning.
We will not moralize the temptation in the wilderness, but rather set forth and cheer our hearts with the knowledge of him who is our champion and the vanquisher of evil. So
The Setting of the Temptation
three things we want to look at this morning, and that is the setting of the temptation. Secondly, excuse me, the combat in the wilderness, and thirdly, the victory of the incarnate sun. So first off, notice the setting of the temptation, and we wanna note a few things here. This setting is not random, and it contains some recognizable elements.
We are, I think, within the bounds of the divine design and intention to recognize the connection of the first atom, and Israel and others such as Elijah and David to recognize the connection between Christ and these. And in fact, it's not exaggeration to remark that the chief end of the evangelist here is to show forth Christ again as the second Adam and the true Israel who vicariously perfects obedience for his people. So
Timing: Immediately After Baptism
notice first regarding the setting, the timing, the temptation we read here at verse 1 then Jesus now we won't go through just two words at a time through the Through the exposition so don't worry, but the timing of the temptation we see here then Jesus it immediately follows his baptism There is no large gap of time between the baptism of Jesus Christ that we just read and the temptation of the wilderness but immediately upon the heels of the temptation when the spirit it descends upon the Lord Jesus Christ and That same spirit then drives the Lord Jesus Christ into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. So then Jesus gives us the immediate timing, this episode follows his baptism, and it marks his entry into public ministry. Up until this time, the Lord Jesus Christ was essentially obscure in that he did not launch upon his public ministry until the baptism, until he came to John the Baptist here at the River Jordan to be baptized, and then as he goes into the wilderness. So the Lord Jesus Christ was about the family business, was about, yes, growing in his obedience to God and learning regarding his own messianic investiture.
However, this inaugurates the Lord Jesus Christ's public ministry.
The Spirit's Role in Christ's Mission
Notice, secondly, the Spirit in the ministry of Christ. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness. So the Spirit of God descends upon the Lord Jesus Christ at His baptism, and then the Spirit drives the Lord Jesus Christ into the wilderness. The Spirit had just descended upon him as a visible pledge confirming his divine calling.
So at the baptism, this is what is taking place. Jesus Christ, of course, is not entering the waters of baptism as a signal or a symbol of the forgiveness of sins that he enjoyed because he is wholly harmless and undefiled. Jesus Christ is the sinless Savior and champion of his elect. But he goes into the waters of baptism and the Spirit descends upon him and this inaugurates his public ministry and is a visible pledge of it.
Though we ought to acknowledge here, and this is important doctrinally, that the Holy Spirit was not absent from Christ prior to the baptism and wilderness episode, but rather the Lord Jesus Christ enjoyed the ministry of the Spirit peculiarly upon him for his messianic mission. So the Holy Spirit yes does descend here in the baptism in this visible and simple Symbolic episode and then drives him into the wilderness, but the Lord Jesus Christ had the spirit from the outset of his incarnation. Our confession of faith says, regarding this particular prospect and doctrine, the Lord Jesus in his human nature, thus united to the divine in the person of the Son, was sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit above measure, having in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, in whom it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell, to the end that being wholly harmless and undefiled and full of grace and truth, he might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of mediator and surety, which office he took not upon himself, but was thereunto called by his Father, who also put all power and judgment in his hand, and gave him commandment to execute the same. We often think about two things with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ, but we ought to move our minds further to realize the blessed triune reality of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
The two things that we often think about are the facts that he is very God and very man. yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. But the Lord Jesus Christ also enjoyed in his incarnate mission the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit that he had above measure as he goes about doing good to redeem the sons of men. And so the Spirit here drives him out into the wilderness, which is the next point regarding the temptation, the setting of the temptation. Notice again the language, the Spirit drove or excuse me, then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
So
The Wilderness: Typological Location
the location of the temptation is into the wilderness. And this isn't just a haphazard thing, that that just happens to be the location where the Spirit drove him. The evangelist here is just remarking a geographical thing, or just observing something geographical. No, there is something very precious, very vital, and very glorious as we think about the revelation of God in the Holy Scriptures as it reflects redemptive history, true history, the history of Israel and Christ.
The location of the temptation is into the wilderness. First off, it's further into the wilderness beyond the site of his baptism. He was already in the wilderness, but this is going deeper and further. into the wilderness. But the blessed thing with regards to this wilderness is that it is the same wilderness as the wanderings of Israel and as Elijah's fast.
And those are two things that are in view with regards to this particular passage. The wanderings of Israel, where they were tempted by the same devil and failed in the same way, but Jesus Christ here goes into the wilderness and he vanquishes the devil as the true Israel of God. So again, nothing haphazard to this wilderness, nothing simply geographical, but something rich in typology, something rich with Christ here as the true Israel coming to do that which Israel failed to do in the wilderness. And as we'll note in a few moments, remember that Adam, was driven out of the wilderness or out into the wilderness from the Garden of Eden when he disobeyed God.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, when they fell under the sway and the guile of the tempter, they were driven from the garden out into the wilderness. Christ now, not because of disobedience, is driven out into the wilderness so that He, by His perfect obedience, might do that which Adam failed to do and bring many sons to glory. The rich biblical theology of this passage, brethren, is beyond the capabilities of this preacher to adequately communicate. But if you can bear with me for the next four hours, we'll be okay.
You'll get out of here before then. The food awaits. But this is a blessed thing to observe in this particular passage. Just one quick note here regarding the Spirit driving out the Lord Jesus Christ into the wilderness.
Mark uses that language in his epistle. Here we have led up by the Spirit. Mark uses the language of driven out or drove into the wilderness by the Spirit, that the Spirit drove Christ into the wilderness. This language of drove is used of the banishment of Adam and Eve from the garden as we just noted. and hear Jesus as the last Adam.
Remember, that is his function. Not his only function, but that is his function as the last Adam, doing that which the first was unable to do. He's driven out into the cursed wilderness, not for disobedience, but in order that through his perfect obedience, he might reverse the curse of sin and death. This is Sinclair Ferguson on that particular point.
He says, Why should Mark alone mention that Jesus was with the wild beasts? This is an interesting point. Mark remarks that Jesus was with the wild beasts in order to drive a connection back to Adam who was in the garden with the beasts. Jesus Christ came to be what Paul called the last Adam and the second man.
He came to undo what Adam had done by his sin and fall. But if he was to reverse what Adam had done, he needed to enter into the world, not as Adam found it, but as Adam left it. So when he was tempted, he was not in a garden like Adam. He was not like Adam, surrounded by animals over which he had dominion.
It was in a fallen, broken, sinful, disintegrating world that Jesus faced temptation and the powers of darkness. in order to win for his people a way back to the tree of life. Do you see the folly then of only observing the temptation of Christ this episode as something as a moral instruction for Christians? We can gain that instruction from it again in an ancillary or a tertiary or a 17th application fashion. But we are to observe here with Christian eyes the glory of Jesus Christ and his victory over the devil.
Cyril of Alexandria writes, he arose therefore and helped, having taken the form of a slave and being made in the likeness of men. For so did he as one of us set himself as an avenger in our stead against that murderous and rebellious serpent who had brought sin upon us and thereby had caused corruption and death to reign over the dwellers upon the earth, that we by His means and in Him might gain the victory, that is, Jesus Christ, where as of old we were vanquished and fallen in Adam. So fourthly, we want to notice then the
Christ's Condition: Hungry and Unarmed
condition of Christ in the temptation. Notice the language as we continue to read. Notice verse 2. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, afterward he was hungry.
Now, this is yet another verse that could launch 13 sermons. because there is much to be had in this particular verse regarding the fasting for 40 days and 40 nights and the afterward he was hungry. But just very briefly, we want to then observe a couple of things. This, when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterward, he was hungry. He is, in addition to being alone in the wilderness, away from all assistance, the incarnate Son of God was without the sustentation of food.
This is for a particular reason, and it is by contrast to Adam. Adam is in a garden. and he is in the plentitude of food, in the plentitude of assistance. He's not alone in the garden, he has Eve, and he has all around him everything to eat from. Isn't that madness and folly then that they had to go eat from that tree, the only tree that God brought condemnation upon for eating from?
They had a bounty of food, a bounty of fruit, and yet they disobeyed the tempter, that serpent of old. and bit of the forbidden fruit, and ate of it. But getting back to this, in contrast to Adam, who was in the blessing of a garden, in contrast to Adam, who was in the splendor of a garden with much sustentation and with assistance, Christ is hungry, having fasted 40 days and 40 nights, and not in a garden, but in the wilderness. Not with the beasts that he had dominion over, but with the wild beasts in the wilderness, that howling wilderness. And Christ is to be contrasted and compared here as the second Adam to Adam the first.
And what we want to observe in addition is that this isn't just a factual observation on the part of the evangelist. We've already noted that. Sometimes we can read passages in Holy Scripture and perhaps not dive into the breadth and the depth and the glory of what? God through the inscripturated writers are trying Trying to convey to us what they're trying to communicate and the blessed consent of the parts of the scripture and the scope of the whole which is to bring all glory to God so this isn't just an observation that Christ fasted 40 days and 40 nights and afterward He was hungry, but we want to note at least three things here as we move along in the exposition.
This is to tie back to Israel. Israel being 40 years in the wilderness. There is a direct connection and an obvious connection. Why?
Because later when we get to it, we'll notice that Christ cites Deuteronomy and the wilderness wanderers when he answers the devil point for point. And so this 40 days and 40 nights points back to the 40 years of the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness. It also points back to Moses who fasted 40 days and 40 nights upon the mount and then came down and issued and delivered forth the law. Christ here fasts 40 days and 40 nights as the new Moses who comes down from the mountain after this and brings forth the gospel.
Also, we are to note at the end of this how the prophet Elijah fasted 40 days and 40 nights after being fed by the angels. And there's a direct comparison to that at the end of this text in verse 11. All of that to come back to this. There is much that is rich in connection in verse 2 to biblical history.
Christ is the new Adam, the last Adam. Christ is the new Moses, and this is the new Exodus. One thing we also want to note is that Christ is disarmed here. Christ, with deliberation, puts himself in such a position that he does not have the benefit and the advantage.
We, of course, know that he ultimately does, but he is not like Adam here, and he is not like those in single combat girded with armor. In fact, another connection. Remember what happened with David as he went forth in single combat against Goliath. Saul gives him his armor to put on, But he unguards the armor and he casts off the sword that he might go unarmed in essence against Goliath Yet only with those five smooth stones Christ like the better than David goes up against his Goliath unarmed as it were having fasted 40 days and 40 nights and Afterward he was hungry Gil John Gil writes this regarding this particular episode he writes I Christ, or excuse me, David, took off the helmet from his head, ungird the sword upon his armor, and stripped himself of his coat of mail, and went forth entirely unarmed.
And we are to notice the Christological connection to David against Goliath. Lancelot Andrews writes, and there's another name for anyone with child, Lancelot. You can name your son Lancelot if you have a son, it's a great name. Lancelot Andrews writes regarding this, the place, the lists, that's what they, not in the ancient world, but more the medieval and the Elizabethan era are. that sort of thing, the England area, they called it the lists where the two combatants would go into this roped off arena to fight.
The place, the lists, to wit, the wilderness, that so he, that is Christ, might be alone, and that there might be no fellow worker with him in the matter of our salvation. That he alone might have the treading of the winepress. So in the transfiguration in the mount he was found alone. So in the garden of Gethsemane, in his great agony, He was in effect alone, for His disciples slept all the while, that unto Him might be ascribed all the praise.
And perhaps that's the point, the main point, that Jesus Christ is alone and unarmed as He goes into the wilderness against His wicked combatant, that He alone might get all the praise. This is very significant as we move along in connection to biblical history to set forth Christ as the apple of our eye. So
The Combat in the Wilderness
let's move along then now to the combat in the wilderness. The combat in the wilderness, we find the three villainous temptations and then the three steadfast responses by the Lord Jesus Christ. As we move into this, we need to recognize, we will be recognized, that this is something of a new exodus. What happens in the first exodus, the old exodus, the exodus that we know?
Well, we have the nation of Israel coming up out of Egypt, going through water, hearing the voice of the Lord, and then going into the wilderness. With Jesus Christ, we have Him coming out of Egypt. We have Him going through the waters of baptism. We have Him hearing the voice of the Lord, You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
And then we have Him going into the wilderness. Don't miss the connection. It is not just a happy accident and a coincidence. But there is again rich connection, Christ being the new Moses, the better Moses, this being the new Exodus, the better Exodus.
So with regards to the combat in the wilderness, that serpent of old who tempted the first Adam, here tempts Adam the second. And this temptation we want to notice physically real. Before we get to the three temptations themselves, This temptation did happen, it was physically real. That is in opposition to the mytho-theological impressions that people like to press upon the scripture, that it didn't really happen.
It's just a mythological writing in order for us to be able to combat temptation in our own Christian lives. No, this did take place. 2,000 years ago, Christ was driven into the wilderness by the spirit of God to be tempted by the devil. And more to that point, or in addition, we want to observe that this isn't just an illustrative, poetic way of representing the fact that Christ only endured this psychologically. Some people have offered that up as an option. in opposition to the simple truth of Holy Scripture, that Christ endured this psychologically, these temptations, and then delivered, we have this in some sort of parable form, that as well as false, Christ endured real physical temptation by the devil.
And it is probably the case, given the other evangelistic accounts that we have in the Bible, that Christ was tempted by the devil for the 40 days and 40 nights that led up to this final temptation, this final threefold temptation. And that by words, that by whisperings, that by satanic plagues upon his mind, and now it comes to the point where the devil takes upon himself or is given the reality to take upon himself, physical form, and to be able to move the air to generate sound that the Son of God might hear these wicked temptations. Spurgeon writes this with regards to this particular episode. He writes, Oh, how wonderfully did Christ fight the tempter.
Never was there such a battle as that. It was a dual foot-to-foot, a single-handed combat when the champion lion of the pit and the mighty lion of the tribe of Judah fought together. Lamb of God, I will remember thy desert strivings when next I combat with Satan. When next I have a conflict with roaring Diabolus, I will look to him who conquered once for all and broke the dragon's head with his mighty blows.
So let's have a look then at these three temptations, the combat in the wilderness. The first temptation, we want to notice two things with each of these temptations, the villainous temptation and the steadfast response. But
First Temptation: Reject Providence
notice this first temptation, and we find it beginning at verse three. Now, when the tempter came to him, he said, if you are the son of God, command that these stones become bread. Now we'll just say it at the outset that this temptation, the temptation in view is to reject confidence in God and his divine provision. To reject confidence in God and his divine provision.
Notice the words of the devil here. If you are the son of God. I don't think we're to believe, we don't know the propositional content of the devil's mind. He's not omniscient.
He's not omnipresent. He's not omnipotent. He is not somehow a yin and yang God in opposition to the God of heaven and earth. He is a creature.
He doesn't know all things. But I think we are to take this language of if you are the son of God as since you are the son of God, command that these stones become bread, because the devil would have just heard the words, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased at the baptism of Jesus Christ. And so here, Satan, knowing something of what is going on, says, since you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. So the devil is looking upon the Savior as the Savior is struggling in the wilderness, as he is hungered after these 40 days and 40 nights, and he wants the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to reject confidence in his Father and the divine provision that his Father gives.
And this points us back to, as we'll notice in a minute, Deuteronomy 8, when the nation of Israel, when Israel, the people, the blessed people of the Exodus, when those people redeemed by God from out of Egypt, cave into the pressure and the temptation and the satanic guile to reject confidence in God and his divine provision. So we want to note here as well that there's nothing There's nothing sinful in Christ performing a miracle, and nothing sinful in Christ to satisfy his hunger, were he to do so, generally speaking. So we want to note here, if Christ was without, of course, the promptings and the insinuations and the machinations of the devil, If he was to perform a miracle or turn stones into bread, those things themselves aren't inherently wicked. But of course, following the devil's advice is.
And that's what would be sinful. To follow the devil's advice, to question the foundation of the faith and the love of God, And also what would be sinful is the allure of vainglory. Kids, that means perhaps a modern word for that would be swagger. To put on something of pomp and show.
Those things would certainly be sinful. To follow devilish advice, to question the foundation of faith and love of God, and also to cave into the allure of vainglory. But the chief temptation here is to put off confidence in divine providence. That's what we are to observe here.
The grand sin, the grand thing in view that the devil is trying to tempt unto is exactly that, to put off confidence in divine providence. Notice something of the same language in Matthew 27. You can turn there with me. Matthew 27 in verse 40.
This is the scene of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we see at verse 39, Matthew 27 and verse 39, And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. You see the same satanic language to cast off divine care, to cast off the love and faithfulness of God, to cast off divine providence, and to save oneself over and against the provision of God. Here, getting back to the temptation, the devil, before that cross instance, uses that same language.
If you are, or since you are, the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. And notice our Savior's steadfast response. Verse 4, But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Our champion, responds with the Word of God.
And this is a legitimate and a pressing application that in all temptations we are to oppose with the Word of God. We are to reply, to retort, to answer with the Word of God, which is why it is so important to arm ourselves with the knowledge of the Word of God. We are to be filled with and we are to seek after a knowledge of the will of God. We are to follow after our Savior, not by so much imitation because we can't be Him, nor can we do the things He does, but as those who are the blessed recipients of He our exemplar, we are to employ the word of God as we oppose the flesh, the world, and the devil.
But our Savior responds with the Word of God, and he engages in comfortable dependence upon the providential care of God. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Please turn with me to Deuteronomy. As we noted while we were introducing, and while we were talking about the setting of the temptation, in Deuteronomy 8, we have the text that Jesus Christ is referring to, and we want to see the context so that if nothing else, we might glory in the blessed biblical connection that God through Matthew is drawing between Israel of old and Christ, the true Israel of God.
Notice in Deuteronomy 8, beginning at verse 11. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments. We're just going to stop there for a moment. We need to realize here and emphasize that Christ in this temptation episode is perfecting obedience vicariously.
He's perfecting obedience in the place of all those whom the Father had given to Him. He's perfecting obedience in the stead of his people. And so in that temptation episode, Christ is engaging in a display of perfect obedience so that as he engages in the inaugural event episode of his work, he might show forth the fact that he is the obedient one who brings righteousness to his people. So Deuteronomy 8, getting back there, verse 11, beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today.
Lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, when your heart is lifted up and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage, who led you through that great and terrible wilderness in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water. who brought water for you out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and that he might test you to do you good in the end, then you say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth. Hopefully you see some of what we were talking about with regards to connection. We have the wilderness, we have a call to obedience, we have In contrast here, we have language with regards to the filling of food and plentifulness contrasted with Christ, who was with nothing alone in the wilderness. But similar here, the Israelites were in the wilderness with fiery serpents, Christ in the wilderness with that chief and fiery and serpent of old, the devil himself.
He's led into the wilderness, verse 16, and it is for the case of testing. Notice right at the end of verse 16, that he might test you. This is very vital language because what Christ is going through here is less properly a temptation and more properly a test. A test of his messianic metal, a test that he is the perfectly obedient one, a test that he is the second and last Adam, that he is truly the true Israel.
And so, getting back to our text, the Lord Jesus Christ answers, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And this is not Christ, the Lord Jesus here, asserting that as our physical bodies live by bread, so our souls are vivified by the word of God, the scriptures. Though that is obviously the case. Though that is obviously the case.
This is certainly, or this upholds, or excuse me, what is going on here is that Christ is stating that insofar as God upholds all things by the word of his power and upholds his servants the same, he is faithful to preserve by the means he pleases. There's an important distinction here because obviously our souls are vivified by the word of God, but here Christ is answering by pressing the need to rely upon God's promises insofar as his providential upholding. Notice the language here of John Gill that God in satisfying man's hunger and in supporting and preserving his life is not tied to bread only but can make use of other means and Order whatever he pleases to answer these ends as by raining manna from heaven Which is mentioned in the passage cited and Calvin the word does not mean doctrine That is when Christ says by every word the word does not mean doctrine But the purpose which God has made known with regard to preserving the order of nature and the lives of of his creatures. And so Christ was not to reject the provision of divine providence, but rather was to rest in it, to rely upon it, and to remain steadfast in his God.
There's some passages in Exodus 14. You can turn there with me if your fingers are at the ready and you're ready to flip around pages. In Exodus 14, we have a passage there that touches upon this testing of Christ in the wilderness. Notice in Exodus 14, at verse 12, Isn't this amazing?
The people of Israel have been saved from out of bondage in Israel. The burdens that were pressed upon the people of God in their bondage in Egypt was heavy, it was weighty, it was gross, it was maniacal. And they're asking here, because they're hungry in the wilderness, to go back to that bondage. But hopefully you see the connection here.
For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. The devil is tempting Christ in a similar way here. While he is hungered, he is pressing upon Christ the reality that you're the Son of God. Why don't you call these stones to become bread?
But Christ is resolute in the determination and in the knowledge, knowing that His God can provide whatever He may need. His God will provide whatever He needs. And the same thing extends to His people, that God will provide whatever we need. In an hour of temptation, in that hour where the tempter may come to us, and he will.
I think in our modern landscape, we've sort of bought into the secular idea that there is no real devil, that the devil is just perhaps the psychosis or the psychological weight and impact in our own minds. Somehow, maybe partially bought into that, the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And so we need to be on guard with the reality that he will come attempting. And when he does, we can be resolute, like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, not like him, but in a manner of following the chief exemplar, we can learn from Christ that we rest upon the providence of God and not upon the devil's devising. However he might twist it, even using the word of God in his machinations, which brings us to the second temptation.
Second Temptation: Presume on Divine Care
Making our way back to Matthew, notice the second temptation we have in verse five. The devil ups his opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the devil took him up into the holy city, set him on the pinnacle. This is verse five.
Set him on the pinnacle. of the temple, and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." You see what the devil is doing here in his villainous temptation. He has failed in the wilderness, and he now takes Christ, not by force, to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem. So he realizes, not realizes, but he has noticed in his back and forth with the Lord Jesus Christ, that the Lord Christ has answered with the use of the Scriptures, and here he then ups his game by citing the Scriptures himself.
It is a wicked thing to employ the Scriptures in the service of evil. Many throughout the history of, many throughout church history have sought to do this through the use of the scriptures, through the twisted use of the scriptures to deceive men. It is very important that we understand as Christians taught and stable in the word of God, that it is not the bare words that we are to attend to, but the divine meeting that comes with the words. The words are clad with divine meaning.
The devil uses them here, unclad with divine meaning, to apply them in his wicked game. And the Lord Jesus Christ will, as we see, reply in turn, gloriously. We want to notice here that there would be, or there is nothing sinful in availing of divine care. The devil is using the text here from Psalm 91, he shall give you charge, his angels charge over you, in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
He's calling upon the Son of God to throw himself down. Now there is nothing sinful in availing of divine care, is there? We all ought to avail of divine care and pray that in whatever way it happens, God would catch us up when we fall down. But there is everything sinful in presuming upon a notion of divine care and testing it.
You see the difference there? A veiling of divine care, but presuming upon divine care and seeking to test it in our own power, or more to the point, wickedly upon the inciting of the devil. And so there is everything sinful in that. We are not to cast ourselves into danger that providence may fetch us off.
That's Thomas Manton. We are not to cast ourselves into danger that providence may fetch us off. The tempter here ups his assault by repeating the appeal to Christ's divine sonship and then employing the word of God in his ploy. Manton would go on to write these words, and it's helpful for us to understand this in what's going on in this second temptation.
The Apostle telleth us that Satan is sometimes transformed into an angel of light, and we read that once he took the habit and guise of a prophet, and indeed he deceiveth more by the voice of Samuel than by the voice of the dragon. We read We read of the depths of Satan in Revelation 2.24. Here he cometh like a divine, with the Bible in his hand, and turneth to the place. Here the enemy of God cometh with the word of God, and disguiseth the worst of actions with the best of words, opposeth God to God, and turneth his truth to countenance a lie.
Being refuted by scripture, he will bring scripture too, and pretendeth to reverence that which he chiefly hateth. Christians you have not to do with a foolish devil who will appear to us in his own colors and ugly shape But with a devout devil who for his own turn can pretend to be godly We need to fear that in our Christian walk. The devil will not, as he said, appear to us in his ugly colors, with his ugly shape, but under many forms and under many guises and disguises to steal us away from our grip upon Christ and our true knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Notice then that there is a blessed, steadfast response on the part of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ answers again, resolutely, with the Word of God and the proper meaning. Notice how Christ responds here. Jesus said to him, it is written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. There are two ways we could approach this particular text here, where the Lord Jesus Christ gloriously responds, it is written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God.
Some have taken that to mean that the Lord Jesus Christ as God, as the Son of God, the blessed of the holy triune God, the second person, that he is saying, Satan, do not tempt me as God. Now, there is obviously truth to that. Satan is not to tempt God, and insofar as Christ is God, Satan is not to tempt him. But we are to draw that Jesus Christ as man, as the second Adam, as the true Israel of God, as the mediator between God and man, who is in this context and in the context of his entire life perfecting obedience, that he is answering, pointing the devil back to, the wilderness wanderings of Israel, and pressing that he is, in this new exodus, the better Moses and the better Israel who will not fail.
It is written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Deuteronomy chapter 6, you can turn there quickly with me. Deuteronomy 6 and verse 16. Notice the connection to the wilderness generation of Israel, you shall not, verse 16, you shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massa.
You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies and His statutes, which He has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to cast out all your enemies from before you as the Lord has spoken." So you see this blessed connection here and I want to press an emphasis at verse 17 after the text that the Lord Christ quotes, we read, you shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. The Lord Jesus Christ is drawing the devil back to the point and the evangelist is showing forth Christians the point that the Lord Jesus Christ will most surely be obedient to the Lord's commands. and that in the perfection of the response to the covenant of redemption. As the Lord Jesus Christ goes about his incarnate work, as the Lord Jesus Christ goes about his messianic work, it is in conformity to the covenant of redemption, that eternal compact before the foundation of the world where the three persons of the blessed Trinity covenanted together to save the elect by virtue of the perfect work of Jesus Christ.
And here in the context, Christ is setting forth that reality, that the devil is not to tempt the Lord your God, that in the context, the people, the true Israel of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, shall not presume upon divine providence, because in order to execute the task of the Messiah, he is to rest upon divine providence and not test it. He is to work in the timing of God as the Messiah and the Savior of men and bringing forth the reality of blessed salvation. So Christ answers steadfastly. He sets his trust upon his Father for the provision of care. and for the vindication of his sonship.
The execution of covenantal faithfulness on the part of the Savior, in contrast to Old Covenant Israel, is clearly in view. Don't believe any so-called Christian who tells you that it is the Christian's responsibility to be covenantally faithful in order to enjoy saving blessings. That is a lie from the pit. There has been one in the history of the world who has been covenantally faithful, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
And it is in Him alone that we have salvation. We're saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. And this Christ goes alone in the wilderness that unto Him might be all praise. The third temptation then.
Third Temptation: Worship the Devil
We want to observe here the third and final temptation. As we move towards an end, notice what we have in this third temptation in verse 8. Again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to them, all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.
So this is the villainous final temptation. The devil now transports Christ to an exceedingly high mountain. Now, when the devil transported Christ to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem, that's what the holy city here refers to as Jerusalem. when he transports Christ there, and when he transports Christ to this exceedingly high mountain, he is doing so not by force, but by the permission-granting reality that the Son of God has to go along with the divine plan to effect salvation. And it is a real transportation.
Some have held that it's just a a visionary experience that the Lord Jesus Christ is subject to these devilish temptations by Satan sort of projecting, if you will, in this case, all the kingdoms of the world. No, I believe it is a transportation really to an exceedingly high mountain, and this may have been the same mountain, Mount Pisgah, that God took Moses to when he showed him the land of Canaan. You see the connection consistently being demonstrated here in this passage. The evangelist God, through the evangelist, wants us to see Christ as the new and better Moses, as the true Israel, as the second Adam.
But this mountain, this I think is just a wonderful thing to behold, that this mountain is most likely the same mountain that God showed Moses the land of Canaan upon. Notice in Deuteronomy 34. If you can turn there with me, Deuteronomy 34. This is the particular scene just mentioned in Deuteronomy 34, beginning in verse 1.
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo. to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the south and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.
So if we move back to the passage and read it again, again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory. You see the connection here. The devil is assuming to himself the posture and the station of God himself. It is only God who is to show the kingdoms of the world to the sons of men in such a way.
It is only God who can rightfully give these things to the sons of men. in that proper way. And the devil assumes to himself, upon the same mountain, the same sort of power to give to the Lord Jesus Christ the kingdoms of the world. Probably it was not so far that he, upon the mountain in a visionary experience, showed throughout the passage of time all the kingdoms of the world. but casting or bringing the Lord's attention upon the valley, upon the expanse beyond the mountain, looking upon that same breadth of land that Moses looked upon, the devil is whispering in his ear and by word speaking about the kingdoms of the world and their glory and prompting the Lord Jesus Christ to fall down and worship him." What madness for the devil himself, a creature, to call upon God himself, the Son of God, the second of the triune God, fully God, to bow down and worship a creature. It's absolute madness.
With regards to this particular scene, we want to see the connection with Him, all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and the Pisgah display by God to Moses. The tempter seeks to claim to himself that which can only be given by God, and which was Christ's already by virtue of promise. was Christ's already by virtue of promise. Now we know that the Lord Jesus Christ here in a moment answers well. But imagine the scene and the presumption of the devil that Christ will bow down to one to receive things from him, a creature no less, when he has already been promised by God the Father that he will receive the inheritance of the nations.
In fact, what's probably or what is in view thematically is the language of Psalm 2 and verse 8. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. Do you see as we move towards food, as the preacher finishes up in two minutes and 47 seconds, do you see the connection here? The father speaking, ask of me to the son and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.
The devil here in this wilderness testing is in essence saying the same thing that the father promised to the son. But notice how the Son responds. We have this strong and final response by our champion of the howling wilderness. Notice the response.
Then Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. A wonderful response by the Savior. The Lord Christ here ups his response as well. The devil has added words to his response.
He's moved from not citing scripture to citing scripture. He's strengthened his opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ, but with every reply, the Lord Jesus Christ is the better champion, of course. Remember the scene with David and Goliath? One of the things that took place in single combat instances, and we have it with the David and Goliath episode, is that one champion would speak what we would call trash talk to the other champion, and the other champion would reply with more trash talk. sort of combat rhetoric.
We see the giant Goliath saying that, that he will kill David with sword and spear and leave his body for the beasts of the field, for the wild beasts. And David responds that he is going to, without spear and without sword, but by the power of the living God, remove the head of Goliath and give his flesh for the beasts of the field and the birds of the air." You see, here the Lord Jesus Christ is doing the same thing to the devil. There is, if you will, trash talk on the part of the devil, but blessed and glorious speak from the Lord Jesus Christ, who replies in kind, once, twice, thrice. And he responds, Away with you, Satan!
For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. He engages in some righteous indignation and banishes the devil. Away with you, Satan! Our champion responds to the tempter's final temptation with a rebuke.
Away with you, Satan! And the Savior is righteously indignant in the face of opposition to the glory of God. Just like David so many decades and centuries before Christ. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
Christ here, away with you, Satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God. and Him only you shall serve." A blessed response, pointing back to Deuteronomy 6.13 and Deuteronomy 10.20, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. This furnishes proof of the necessity of the Son's assumption of our human nature. Because Adam failed, because Israel failed in the wilderness wanderings, we needed a champion. and even God himself to assume to himself man's nature with all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof and yet without sin.
Man isn't that boring creedal language. No, it's blessed creedal language that the Lord Jesus Christ assumed our humanity. He came down into our lower ignominy and shame. He took upon himself man's nature without sin in order that he might be the true champion for God's elect.
Blessed truth Manton closes something of this something of this section with the following words He writes therefore the Son of God who interposed on our behalf and undertook the rescue of sinners did assume the nature of man that he might conquer Satan in the nature that was conquered and also offer himself as a sacrifice in the same nature as for the demonstration of the justice of God. First, Christ must overcome by obedience, tried to the uttermost by temptations, and then he must also overcome by sufferings.
Victory of the Incarnate Son
The passage closes with the victory of the incarnate Son of God. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. There's much in this passage that we can't say because we need to eat. But there's blessed language here, then the devil left him.
This punctuates the victory of the Son of God in this wilderness episode. Christ Jesus, unlike Adam before him, unlike the nation of Israel before him, now perfects obedience. for His people. This was not just a perfection of obedience, generally speaking, but it was a perfection of obedience, substitutionarily speaking, vicariously speaking. He did this for us.
He did this for His people. Blessed Christ, blessed tomb, blessed cross, blessed obedience, blessed Savior. He is the champion. Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came ministered to him.
What did these angels do? They gloried in his triumph, and they fed him bread. He hungered after these 40 days and 40 nights, but it wasn't until he was victorious over the devil that he could avail of divine provision and divine providence. It wasn't until in this episode he perfected obedience that that he could be fed, that he could receive the sustentation from the angelic company, and that he could go forth and then proclaim that, repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Blessed Savior, blessed Christ. And you know what? The Lord Jesus Christ receives all that he didn't avail of were he to cave to the devil's temptations. He receives bread.
He receives the visitation of angels, temptation number three, or number two. And then with regards to three, being obedient to God, he goes forth, and with respect to kingdom, he says, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He didn't own the kingdom's offer to him by the father of lies, but much rather, he had a kingdom for his people. that he was to secure by the perfection of his work and by the shedding of his own blood.
Application: Believe in the Champion
Sinner believe in this savior. What a colossally fallacious and just miserably ignorant thing to reject the king of kings and lord of lords, the champion of the howling wilderness. You're either with the champion who prevailed and vanquished the devil or you're with the devil who was vanquished. Close with Christ.
He is the obedient one. He is the one who perfected obedience for his people. He is the one who died as a substitutionary sacrifice for his people. Believe on him and you will be saved.
And Christian, rejoice in him. We can learn lessons about facing temptation by this particular episode, but the chief design by God through the evangelist is to show forth Christ as our blessed king, as our blessed champion. as the one that we are to believe in with faith upon faith. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your holy word. We thank you for this episode, the Lord Jesus Christ, our champion vanquishing the devil in this testing episode. We thank you that he is our blessed substitute, that we are not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done, but we're saved by the deeds of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, his doing, his dying, and his rising again. We do pray that You'd go with us into the rest of this Lord's Day.
We pray, Lord God, that You would help us to hold true Your day, to hold fast to Your Word, to glory in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we do pray that by the Spirit and by the Word, You would bring sinners to salvation from the darkness of sin to life and light in Jesus Christ our Savior. And it's in His name we pray. Amen.
We can stand. Are we singing the doxology? We are singing the doxology. Let's stand and sing the doxology.
It's 568 in your hymn books if you do need to turn there. is is Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you what is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Please be seated. We'll have a brief time of prayer.
When the piano is finished, I will come up and I will say a prayer for the food as we go into the luncheon.