This is temptation- the choice offered

Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.


Jesus suffered.
He didn't only suffer pain from being physically abused, Jesus suffered being tempted.
Suffered.
What does the word suffer mean to you? Have you suffered being tempted? In today's world we are forever invoking the right to pursue happiness equating that with the right to NOT suffer, but rather indulge in our temptations because those temptations once realized bring us pleasure, they bring us the happiness we believe we have a right to possess. We do not like to suffer in any way, shape, or form, it's abhorrent to us. Alleviating our suffering of whatever sort is one of our main goals in life. Being told to suffer temptation- to ENDURE temptation isn't something we want to hear.


Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.


Jesus suffered being tempted in ALL points. There is NO temptation Jesus doesn't understand, not a single one. You say impossible, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of internet depravity, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of designer drugs, Jesus didn't live with the temptation of our modern existence so there is NO way Jesus suffered being tempted like we are today.


What we need to understand is the nature of temptation, not the nitpicking of every sin in the world. The nature of temptation is being given a choice to sin or not sin.


Read that again…
The nature of temptation is having the choice to sin or not to sin.


The nature of the sin isn't important- all sin warrants death- the greatest sin and the least sin.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death...

It doesn't say for the wages of the horrible sins is death.


Sin or not to sin - this is temptation - the choice offered.


The choice.


We are daily faced with choices between doing good and bad, and sometimes all day long, other days not so much but the choices we make every day to sin or not sin - make up the sum of our lives.


Being tempted is how Eve sinned from the beginning. The choice Eve made to sin is repeated by us all the time. The Devil tempts and will not stop tempting us, if we live to 100 he'll keep on tempting us. It doesn't matter if the temptation to sin is in getting drunk on wine back in Jesus' day, or the temptation indulge in narcotics today - it is still the offering of sin and a choice to either indulge or resist, endure. There are many forms of sinning, many, but in the end sin is sin and it's a disobeying of God's laws- we are to have NO other God before God; the god of alcohol, the god of drugs, cannot be our gods- they cannot be worshipped above God. We cannot be our own gods and yet many, very many are worshipping themselves.


Temptation- the opportunity to sin.


Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.


Every man is tempted.

Every man is drawn away of his own lust.

Every man is enticed.


Jesus was tempted.

Jesus was drawn away of his own lust.

Jesus was enticed.


The LUST in our Savior was NEVER conceived! Therein lies His perfection!


We are tempted when we are presented with something we lust for- something we desire. Not giving in to that lust, not letting that lust bear fruit keeps us from sinning.


Jesus was tempted by Satan to sin, tempted one on one, tempted face to face. The powerful, supernatural fallen angel who had succeeded in tempting Eve into sin had to try all he could to tempt God's HUMAN Son into sinning. His tempting worked with Eve and subsequently all of mankind. Surely the Spirit who became Jesus, God's Son, who took on that WEAKENED flesh nature with it's full propensity towards sinning would mean an easy victory for the Evil One. None could resist Satan, none, all humans had succumbed to temptation, Jesus would be the same- and yet He wasn't! Jesus SUFFERED, Jesus understood the LUST pull to sin, Jesus felt the enticement to sin yet He NEVER for a single moment separated Himself from the love of God the Father. NO conceived lust could ever replace the love of His Father and He knew this. God the Father was EVERYTHING to Jesus, everything and He would never risk separation, never! Life without God the Father leading Him would be nothing- it would be living death.


JESUS SUFFERED TEMPTATION!


Do not believe for one moment He did not suffer. The victory of our Savior is all but beyond our comprehension.


The very real Satan, the very real hatred, the very real evil force wanted to destroy Jesus and unable to prevent His birth, His childhood, His early adulthood- Satan was now allowed to confront Jesus with the severest of temptations possible just as Jesus was at His most vulnerable.


Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Luk 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.


Remember temptation is being enticed, it's being drawn away by something we desired. Sustained for 40 days and 40 nights, enduring endless tempting from Satan, FINALLY the evil one sensed what He perceived to be a weakness in our Savior. Jesus suffering hunger, noticeably suffering. Jesus desired to eat. Now there's nothing wrong with eating when we are hungry, right? Being hungry isn't a sin, it isn't a lust as we like to think of lusts. Why would it be wrong for Jesus to eat? It wouldn't be wrong right? If ever anyone had a right to eat it would be someone who hasn't eaten for 40 days and nights. Eating wouldn't be wrong at all, eating wouldn't be a sin in any way- it was the fact that there was NOTHING available to eat, nothing. Satan didn't tempt Jesus with food- he tempted Him with stones- he tempted him to use His POWER to change those stones- he tempted Him to use SUPERNATURAL power- he tempted Jesus to forsake His humanity- he tempted Jesus to DISOBEY God the Father! It was God the Father's will that Jesus NEVER use His supernatural powers for any SELFISH act. The pain of hunger was real to Jesus, the desire to eat- to satisfy that hunger was real- yet Jesus knew that it was more important to follow the will of His Father than to eat.


Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luk 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God


When Satan tempted Jesus to change stones into bread he did so by saying this first- IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD.


Jesus knew who He was, He knew He was God's Son, He had nothing to prove to Satan. That Satan was there tempting Him was proof enough.


Satan was using Jesus' hunger but he didn't do so by holding up a loaf of bread in front of Jesus. No, Satan was trying to use Jesus' desire to eat to get Him to throw off His humanity. If Jesus used His supernatural power selfishly, if Jesus used His supernatural power at a time not directed to do so by God the Father- it would be sin.


Jesus answered Satan by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy-


Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.


God provided MANNA- food from heaven. God would give Jesus manna as well if He wanted Him to eat. God knew Jesus was hungry, just as God knew His people journeying to the promised land were hungry and needed food. Would His people trust Him? Did His people believe that He held their lives in His hands? God humbled His people. God allowed His people to hunger so they would realize God would provide for them. If they had all the food they wanted but lacked God they would die eternal death. They had food in Egypt but they were in bondage. They'd been freed to worship God and the God who freed them would also provide for them. It would be better to die from hunger than to disobey God. Obeying God is life.


Jesus obeyed God the Father. Jesus chose to endure temptation.


Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.


Jesus received the crown of life- God the Father raised Him from death to life everlasting. All praise, all glory, all honor to our King! By His love!


Amen