Message Notes

INTRODUCTION

1. The scenario of the Temptation of the Lord Jesus was quite negative

a) The Wilderness

b) The Devil himself would test the Lord Jesus

c) Forty days and nights fasting

2. What did the Lord have to fall back on?

a) The Holy Spirit

b) His faith in God the Father

c) His Calling to be a Servant of God

d) His knowledge of the Scriptures

THE FIRST TEMPTATION

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
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.’ ”
Matthew 4:1-4

1. The Cunningness of the Devil

a) He chose the time to offer his first temptation

b) Features he sought to take advantage:

i) After fasting for 40 days and nights

ii) He knew that the Lord Jesus would be very hungry

2. The Cruelty of the Devil

a) He tempted the Lord Jesus with reference to His physical state of hunger

b) He banked on the vulnerability of the Lord Jesus in His humanity

3. The Crookedness of the Devil

a) He said

His statement had two parts.
“If You are the Son of God” Matthew 4:3a
(This is called “the Protasis” or the “If” clause)

i) This is not an expression of doubt

ii) This is his attempt to persuade the Lord Jesus to use His privilege of being the Son of God

a) He followed through with the second part of his statement

“Command that these stones become bread.” Matthew 4:3b
(This is called “the Apodosis” or the “Then” clause)

i) Can the Son of God command stones to become bread?

ii) Should the Son of God command stones to become bread?

iii) On what basis could the Son of God command stones to become bread?

b) What the Devil counted on to cause the Lord Jesus to be tempted

i) His extreme hunger

ii) His humanity

iii) His cleverly disguised show of concern about the hunger of the Lord Jesus

iv) He was not concerned about the Lord Jesus at all

v) All he wanted the Lord Jesus to do was to take the bait

THE PERSON OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

1. He was filled with the Spirit of God

a) Therein is great power

b) There is also great discernment and wisdom

2. He was filled with the knowledge of His Calling as the Servant of God

a) As a Servant of God, He cannot wield the power given for personal benefit

b) If God had not spoken about turning stones into bread, then He will not do so

3. He may have been Man

a) But He is a Man without Sin

b) He came from Heaven not to do His own will

c) He was far stronger than the Devil thought He was

THE RESPONSE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

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.’ ”
Matthew 4:4

1. The Lord Jesus had an answer for the Devil

2. His answer came from the Word of God

a) It is written

i) This is a reference to the Written Scriptures

ii) God had given to His people the Bible to guide them

b) Knowledge of the Scriptures

i) The Lord Jesus had a deep and thorough knowledge of the Scriptures

ii) He knew exactly what to cite from the Scriptures

3. “Man shall not live by bread alone”

a) How should Man live?

b) Should he live by bread alone?

4. The full context of what the Lord Jesus should be studied

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3

a) The LORD had allowed Israel to experience hunger

b) He had an important lesson for Israel to learn

i) That man should not live by bread alone

ii) Man must learn to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD

5. The Application of this word of God

a) The Lord Jesus was to experience hunger too

b) The lesson He must learn is not to focus on overcoming hunger

c) The focus of life is to live by the word of God that is given

6. The Word of God is central to a believer

a) He lives by what God teaches and commands

b) He does not live just to satisfy hunger

7. The Lord Jesus was not at all tempted by the Devil!

CONCLUSION

1. What do we live by?

2. Is the Word of God central in our life?

3. How well do we really know the Scriptures?