LEARNING FROM CHRIST’S EXPERIENCE WITH TEMPTATION
Temptations which are experienced as we live out our everyday lives, have a way of revealing a great deal about who we are and who we are becoming. They have a way of forcing us to crystalize our value system as we respond.
As Jesus lived out His life here on earth, He too, was allowed to undergo examination and experience temptation by Satan. As we study the temptations presented to Jesus and observe how He handled them, we can learn many helpful lessons.
Perhaps, one of the first lessons to be observed is that some of your most crucial temptations will follow immediately on the heels of a “spiritual high point.” Everything seems to be going along just fine. You are enjoying all the wonderful things afforded by the close walk with the Lord, and you are confident that life from this point forward will go on like this forever. Then. . . crash, bang! Another test.
I suppose that should not come to us as a total shock. For it is interesting to note that Christ’s period of great temptation followed a very observable “high point” in His life. It came immediately after the Holy Spirit visually descended upon Him and an audible announcement from the voice of God rang out from heaven saying:
This Is My Beloved Son, In Whom I Am Well Pleased. (Matt. 3:17 KJV)
That’s about as high a spiritual tide as you could imagine to catch and ride. But it was directly on the heels of that experience that Jesus was thrust onto His great testing ordeal. So, too, it is likely to be with us.
Another great lesson we can learn from Christ’s experience with temptation is that temptations come to us on different functional levels. They do not always appeal to the same areas of response. Satan appealed to Christ on three different levels of His existence.
THE PHYSICAL
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “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 on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4:1-4 NASB)
Just from observation, it seems that Satan nearly always appeals on the level of the physical desires first. Such would be the case in the lives of Eve, Lot, Esau, King David, etc. If Satan can trip you up on this fundamental level, he needs go no further.
Satan appealed first to Christ on the physical (body) level. Christ was hungry: “Command that these stones become bread.”
The physical level is a very common level of temptation and often results in conflict in the Born-Again Christian’s life. Imagine every area of physical need that you might have and that is a potential area for temptation. The appeal is to satisfy the legitimate physical needs, such as physical appearance, sexual fulfillment, recreation, food, drink, cars, houses, etc., with an out-of-balance or perverted means.
THE PSYCHICAL
The second level of appeal targeted is the psychical level, i.e., the areas of the mind, emotions and the will:
Then the devil took Him into the Holy City; and he stood 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 will give His angels charge concerning you; and on their hands they will bear Thee up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” (Matt. 4:5-7 NASB)
Satan here is appealing to Christ’s psychical function, e.g., he “reasoned” with Him by actually quoting Scripture to Christ. Satan also was trying to persuade Jesus, through His emotions to do the “spectacular” – be a miracle worker – “jump off the roof!”
Satan secondly appealed to the psychical (soul) function of Christ, i.e., His mind, emotions, and will.
Satan, in this situation, is also trying to manipulate Christ into doubting God’s character. Today, Satan may appeal to you by selling you on the idea that, “since you belong to the Lord, nothing bad can happen to you.” That sets you up for drawing the conclusion when you do meet up with difficult situations that, obviously, God is not who He says He is and cannot be counted on to meet your expectations.
It is interesting to note here, that Christ lived His life here on earth in total obedience to God and never once required God to prove Himself.
Today, as in Christ’s time, the masses are hungry for mystery, miracle, and someone with charisma and a sense of authority to feed their longing for the “sensational.” The psychical level is very vulnerable to temptation from Satan.
THE SPIRITUAL
As you have learned previously in this study, you worship in Spirit and in Truth. Your spiritual is your heart function. You worship with your heart. Observe next, how Satan subtly heads with his temptation, directly toward the “control room” – the heart, as he tempts Christ:
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. (Matt. 4:8-11 NASB) Satan wanted Jesus to worship him.
In the third temptation, Satan went directly after the spiritual (heart) function: “Worship me
This temptation for “misdirected worship” is the most subtle for every Christian alive. Even the most seasoned saint is susceptible at this point, for it deals with spiritual attitudes and intentions of the individual.
The old saint may not be bothered with illicit sexual gratification but watch out when he does not get his way on the church planning committee or does not get elected to the prestigious position.
This area of temptation deals with doing the “right” things for just the “wrong” reasons. It is an area where spiritual attitudes may manifest themselves in a vast array of varied forms – from self-pity all the way to spiritual pride. It is an area where we are forced to ask ourselves, “Why am I doing the things I am doing?”
The temptations of Christ, which we find recorded in the gospels, are included there for our personal instruction. We can learn from Christ’s responses and attitudes. We can likewise learn that we can expect to be tempted according to the different functional levels of our physical, psychical, and spiritual characteristics.
Another great insight that we can adopt is that Christ never answered Satan in any of His temptations with a single “no” answer that might have left the nagging temptation unrelieved. But rather, by the use of God’s Word, He gave a triumphant positive that totally swallowed up the negative. That technique and power is available for us to use today as we encounter our own temptations.
After dealing with the subject of the “necessity of temptation” you just might be tempted, yourself, to say – “Well now, if temptation is so necessary for growth in my life. . . if temptation is so good – then perhaps, I should go out and find some!” But Christ gives a very clear warning at this point when he makes the admonition to pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” He also, specifically warns that we, “Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”
Temptation is not to be fooled with or taken lightly – much less with an unwise spirit of bravado. In dealing with temptation on any level, you must recognize the source of your strength and victory.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
In this session on temptation, you have learned that confrontation is the facing of moral alternatives and that temptation is an endeavor to persuade you to actively select a certain alternative by means of argument and influence. You have also learned that temptation is: (1) Natural, (2) Neutral, and (3) Necessary.
Between you and the next level of spiritual maturation that God has designed for you, stands a situation that, of necessity, includes temptation.
When you have faced that real life and death struggle, one where the facts on the one hand, look so sweet, so sensible, and so secure – yet – on the other hand, there is an awareness of the simple, consistent “oughtness” of God’s persuasion – and when you have come through that situation having chosen what you know to be “right” – then, you move from a position of theory and “simple lip service to God,” to a position of whole-hearted willingness to obey Him regardless of the personal cost. “Confrontation” . . . yes. “Temptation” . . . yes. “Obedience. . . yes. “Conflict” . . . NO!
Next Week: Stewardship of Life Part 1: Does God have an economy?