Temptations: Their Lure and Their Cure (Matt. 4:1-16)

[Sung Psalm: 91]

We saw last time that the Spirit of God was poured out on Jesus at his baptism. The Spirit equips Jesus for his Messianic ministry. And now, the first thing that the Spirit does is lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted.

Just like the Spirit had led Israel into the wilderness to be tempted…

The wilderness is a place of temptation and trial. But that doesn’t mean that we should avoid the wilderness. The wilderness is a dangerous place – but sometimes the wilderness is precisely where the Spirit leads you.

Think of the Lord’s Prayer – “and lead us not into temptation…”

The Spirit leads Jesus into temptation!

Jesus taught us to pray, “lead us not into temptation.” He knew what he was talking about. The Spirit had led him into temptation. And it was not a pleasant experience!

That’s why Jesus adds, “but deliver us from evil” (or, perhaps, “from the evil one”). Again, Jesus knew what he was talking about! When we pray, “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” we are asking God either to preserve us from being tempted in the first place, or to support and deliver us when we are tempted!

But I want to encourage you with this. Because sometimes we give up in the face of temptation thinking that God has abandoned us. “Where were you God, when temptation came?” “You didn’t deliver me from the temptation!”

He brought you here to see what was in your heart – or more precisely, he brought you here so that you might see what was in your heart.