Jesus Was Tempted by the Devil

Luke 4:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ²  being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

In our study of how to win every day of life, we have been looking at trying times.  We began in the life of Jesus in Luke chapter 14.  We found that being filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led by that same Spirit into the wilderness.  When he returned from his time of testing it was in the power of the Spirit.  It is at this point that we begin to see Jesus move in mighty works. 

In James chapter 1 we find that we should count it all joy when we fall into diverse trials, testing or temptation.  The Greek word used here carries the meaning of all three.  Why can we count it all Joy?  Because as we set our hearts on the Lord during these things, they will result in our being complete and whole, lacking nothing.  In both scriptures we see that we end up in a stronger place than we began. 

I believe we win the day when we remember that the Holy Spirit is with us in any testing, temptation or trial.  If we are in the middle draw near to him and draw strength from him as Jesus did.  We also win the day when we refuse the condemning voice of the devil and remember that God is working something great in us.  Do not give in to despair but rejoice.  Let the force of patience that is one of the fruit of the spirit keep you consistent in the Word of God, prayer and worship.  If you lack wisdom, ask God but remember that he will show you what you need to know, not always what you want to.  The purpose of God will lead to the same release of his power that was seen in the ministry of Jesus. 

I want to go back today to the trying of Jesus in the wilderness.  Sometimes we elevate wilderness experiences to a place they do not deserve.  They are a means to an end in our lives.  They are not the point.  Wilderness, or trying, times are not meant to go on forever.  They are meant to accomplish something and then end.  Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness so that he might return from it in the power of the Spirit.  Do not romanticize the wilderness.  On the other hand there is no shortcut through it except to draw nearer to God and allow him to do what he desires in us and then get out.

When we last looked at this scripture, we focused on the fact that Jesus being led by the spirit into this time of testing.  Today I want to point out something else.  It was the devil that was testing Jesus, not the Spirit of God.  Last time we talked about this fact, but I was struck with how clear this statement is.  Jesus was “tempted 40 days by the devil.”  We will look at the end of that temptation, but he was tempted, tested and tried for 40 days in which he was fasting.  That is a long time.  It takes the sustaining power of the Spirit of God to survive that long under the constant pressure being brought against him by the devil, let alone by fasting for 40 days. 

If you are now in a time of testing, trying or temptation know this, you are not alone.  However, you must remember that you need the power of God to get through.  Draw near to him and he will draw near to you.  The tendency of most people in trying times is to drift away from God, but to get through trying times we must do just the opposite.  We must not be lax in prayer but pray more.  We must not pull away from church attendance, we must be all the more diligent to assemble with the saints.  We must lift our hearts and our hands in praise to God.  He is the same God we praise in times of blessing.  Drawing near to him will insure that the times of trying last only as long as necessary.  Drifting away from him will always extend them.

Why did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness?  What is the wilderness?  The wilderness itself is not the test, it is the place of testing.  The wilderness is the place where our weaknesses are exposed.  It is a place where we are vulnerable.  It is often a place of solitude and harshness.  It is characterized by hunger and thirst.  In Jesus case this was physical hunger and thirst, but it is also a place of spiritual hunger.  There are times when this is just an attack of the devil.  It is sometimes a place we are led to by the Spirit.  It is most effective when we allow our hunger and thirst for God to lead us in the wilderness. 

Sometimes we have a hard time when God exposes our weaknesses.  If we are not careful, we will see it as condemnation.  It is really just the opposite.  The Greek word for exhortation is from the same root as the word translated helper as referring to the Holy Spirit.  He is one called alongside us to help.  When God exhorts us, or convicts us, we are not being condemned, we are being called alongside God.  He wants to draw us near in these times to strengthen our weaknesses so that the devil will not be able to exploit them. 

I think it is important here to point out the difference between condemnation and conviction.  God never condemns us.  Our condemnation was placed upon Jesus at the cross.  God does, however, convict us.  The difference is that a condemned man or woman has no hope.  He has been tried, found guilty and there is nothing left but that the punishment be carried out.  A convicted  man or woman has been found guilty, but the sentence is not been decided.  There is hope.  The judge might give community service or probation. 

Condemnation always focuses on you and that there is something fundamentally wrong with you.  Conviction focuses on what is holding you back and always leads you to a place of overcoming and victory.  The wilderness under the control of the flesh is a place of condemnation.  The wilderness under the power of the Holy Spirit is a place of learning, growing and becoming stronger in God.  Is there any more intimate time between people than the times when we face our weaknesses together without condemning one another.  That is what God will do in our times of wilderness as the devil tests, tempts or tries us.

As we begin to look at the ways that Jesus was tried by the devil, I find it interesting that God was using the devil to work in a way that would result in the release of the power of the Holy Spirit.  We know that Jesus was not going to fall to the temptation of the devil.  Yet this comes at a time when the human part of Jesus was going to decrease and the divine is going to increase. 

In 1 Corinthians 15 Jesus is called the last Adam.  The first Adam failed to fulfill his purpose in God when he fell to the temptation of the same devil that Jesus is facing in his wilderness time.  It is not the divine in Jesus that is being tempted.  It is the human.  Where Adam failed, it was necessary for the human Jesus to succeed.  The Holy Spirit was with him, but Jesus the son of man had to go through this wilderness.  What we will look at is the end of his time of testing.  He was not condemned, and the avenue that had worked for the devil in Adam’s life had been completely put to rest.  The last Adam overcame what the first Adam did not.

We are obviously not Jesus.  Jesus was being tested for someone else’s failure, not his own.  You and I  have failed.  We are subject to the frailty of our old nature.  When we find ourselves in a testing wilderness, we have the opportunity to put to rest things that have been used by the devil to keep us bound before.  If we are in a wilderness of our own making, whether through sin, mistakes or bad choices, draw near to the one who will exhort you and strengthen you.  He will enable you to overcome whatever got you there and, eventually, put an end to that vulnerability.  If it is an attack of the devil, do the same.  The devil cannot be successful if you do. 

If God is leading you into a time of testing, he knows that you are well able to overcome in it.  He knows you are ready for this test.  That is why he led Jesus into the wilderness and, if he is the one leading you through this time, embrace him all the more.  He will comfort you and you will see the power of God released in your life in a new way.

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Knowing the Purpose of Testing, Temptation and Trials Will Lead to Winning Today

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) ²  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

In my last post we looked at the testing that Jesus endured in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry.  Jesus was led into the wilderness.  Sometimes we are led by God into trying things.  This happens for a number of reasons.  Sometimes we are in trying times because of our own bad choices and sometimes because the enemy of our souls is coming against us as a roaring lion (1 Peter 8:6-7.)  No matter the cause, we can be assured that the Holy Spirit is with us in those times.  You are never alone.

We also saw that after the trial, Jesus came back in the power of the Spirit.  He was filled with the Spirit from the beginning.  The Spirit manifested physically in the form of a dove that rested upon him.  However, after the trying time, power was released in Jesus’ ministry.  I believe we can win today in our own trials if we realize that, in the end, power for our lives and the lives of those around us will be released.  Sometimes in healing and the miraculous.  Always in the power to live godly lives and touch others with his presence.

I plan to look at the nature of the trials that Jesus faced because I believe that all testing and trials fall into these categories.  However, as I was beginning to write today, I was drawn to another scripture that I think is important if we are going to win each day.  In James 1, the writer tells us that we should count it all joy when we fall into trials.  I expect we would all find that a little difficult.  It is one of those statements that sounds very good in theory, but when we are going through a trial, it is hard to see anything to be joyful about.  As we read on, we will find the will of God for us in any and every trial.  That is why we will be joyful.

The Greek word used for trials can mean a number of things.  The King James Version uses the word temptations.  It also carries the idea of proving someone or something.  So, this word can mean temptation, trials and testing.  Every one of us has experienced all three of these things in our lives.  Although they have always been a part of our experience, I have to say that the current times are worse than any I have experienced.  The temptation to ungodliness is certainly greater today than at any time in my life.  The trials  people are facing right now are very real.  I do not need to list them; we all know what they are.  As someone who loves to study history, the potential for dangerous times is very much a possibility.  All these things are testing our faith.

The people of James’ time were certainly no stranger to difficult days.  They were constantly under threat.  Many lost everything to follow Jesus, some even their lives.  The Jewish believers were rejected by their own faith.  The gentile believers would have been classified with the Jews who were hated by many gentiles.  Governments saw Christianity as a threat.  Our trying times may be different but no less real.  We must find a way to overcome them every day.  Is this possible?  James tells us that it is. 

There is much we can learn from this section of scripture.  The first thing I want to point out is that James reveals the will of God for you no matter what you are facing.  Whether trial, temptation or the testing of your faith, the ultimate will of God for you is the same.  James says to count the kind of days we live in as joy because, if we continue to trust God, we will end up perfect and entire, lacking nothing.  That is God’s will for you in these days and in the specific trying time you are facing right now. 

One of the things that makes it difficult to win every day, specifically in trying times, is the thought that we will not overcome.  My wife and I have often preached on the goodness of God by pointing out that “what if” has never happened to us.  “What if we can’t pay the bills?”  “What if we don’t get better?”  “What if we get overwhelmed this time?”  The list goes on and on.  We can honestly say that “what if” never actually happened.  I am sure there were times when things did not work out as we thought they would, but we have always overcome in the end. 

That said, I can also assure you that there were many times when we thought the what ifs of a situation were going to happen.  There have been trials, testing and temptations in the 50 plus years we have been serving God, and they were not pleasant.  Things usually looked worse before they got better.  There are two things we must realize.  First, when things look bad and you are wavering, do no give in to the temptation to feel that you are somehow unworthy, bad, or just not good enough and that is why you are being tried.  You are being tested, tempted or tried because you are a human believer living in the world. 

The second thing we must put to rest is the idea that the trial we face is the will of God for us.  There are times when the will of God requires we go through things, but the pressure is not from God.  It is from the devil, the situation and often from our own emotions.  The testing is an opportunity for the will of God to come to pass.  What is the will of God in these times of testing, tempting and trying?  We already said it but it bears repeating.  The will of God in your current situation is that you end up perfect and complete lacking nothing.  That is something to rejoice over.

How do we get from testing, tempting or trial to perfect and complete lacking nothing?  We must remember that we are not alone in this situation.  Just as the Holy Spirit was with Jesus in his trying time, so he will be with you in yours.  He is with you right now.  The next thing we see is that the trying of our faith puts to work patience.  What is patience?  It is not just putting up with whatever comes our way without complaining.  In the fourth chapter of this letter the same James tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from you.  If patience here meant just put up with the trial, why would he say later to resist?  Patience is resisting. 

Patience is not just putting up with something.  It is maintaining consistency in the trial.  It is continuing to praise and trust God that he is doing something that will lead to us lacking nothing in the area of the trial.  The Word translated perfect here means complete growth in terms of mental and moral character.  The word translated complete is similar in meaning, but it also means whole.  I believe wholeness is one of the most important things God wants for us.  What does it mean to be whole?  It means that in every area of life we are what God wants us to be.  The end result will be that we lack nothing we may need or truly want.

The way to get there is through the tempting, testing or trial.  We must not give in to doubt and despair.  I know that is often easier said than done, but the Holy Spirit is there to help you.  There is another thing that is available to us that will help us win every day.  James says that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God.  Many times, we just do not understand what is happening or why.  I cannot tell you that you will always get the answers you want, but you will get the answers you need.  James says that when we ask, God will not upbraid us.  He is not going to rebuke you for asking.  He knows our need for understanding.  What he will give is not just information but wisdom.  Wisdom is insight into the true nature of things.  God will reveal what is really going on when we need to know.  He will give us what we need to get to the end of the trial. 

Count these days as days of Joy.  God is doing something.  He is with you and leading you to a place of completeness and wholeness.  It is your faith in him that is really being tried.  Continue to thank him and believe in his goodness.  You will come to a place of completeness, wholeness and power just as Jesus did in his day of trying.

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How to Respond to Trying Times

Luke 4:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ²  being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

Luke 4:14-15 (NKJV) ¹⁴  Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

As I began to pray about 2023, I felt the Lord say to me that we need to learn how to win the day every day.  Jesus, in Matthew chapter six tells us that the Father knows what we need.  If we will seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, all we need will be provided.  He then says that we should not worry about tomorrow because today has enough to overcome. 

In my last post I shared some things that I believe help us win today.  As you go back and read through them you will see that they involve attitudes we need to develop more than a focus on the results we need.  God knows what we need.  Many things will not happen immediately, but if we continue to win each day we will find that we eventually win every battle and God will provide every need in every area of life.

As I was praying about what to share next, I ran across and outline in my notes titled, “How to Respond to Trying Times.”  As I looked it over I realized that it is another example from the life of Jesus on how to win every day.  In Luke 4 we read of 3 temptations Jesus faced at the very beginning of his ministry.  This was a trying or testing time in his life.  I believe he was facing the same basic tests Adam failed in the Garden of Eden.  Jesus is called the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15.  Where the first Adam failed, the last Adam would not.

We are facing some trying times in 2023.  Although I do not believe I have seen anything quite as bad or as dangerous as what we face today, the type of trial really has not changed over time.  I remember becoming a teenager and young adult during the 1960’s and 1970’s.  We had racial tension, political upheaval, inflation, dangerous international strife, and tension between generations.  Everything was being challenged, especially Christianity.  I think we could say much of the same about today.  It is more intense in many ways, but this is because the coming of the Lord is getting closer and closer.  Whenever something is going to be born, the birth pangs get more intense the closer you get to the birth.  This will be the birth of a new age between God and man. 

As Jesus was also about to enter a new age in the relationship between God and man, we see that the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness.  This was just after Jesus had been baptized by John in the Jordan river.  As he was being baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form as a dove.  In Luke 4:1 says that he entered the Wilderness “full of the Spirit of God.”  So we see two important things.  He was led into the wilderness, but he was full of the Holy Spirit at the time.

In order to win the day, we must realize that there are times when the Lord will lead us into trying situations.  He does not do this as punishment or to see if you make it.  He leads us into trying times because he knows we are filled with the Holy Spirit and well able to be successful in the trial.  I believe he often leads us into trials in order to prepare us for the next step. 

He has something for you and I to do in the day in which we live.  We were born for such a time as this, just as Esther was in the Old Testament and, indeed, Jesus was in his day.  Sometimes we have to go through something because it is the way we need to get to where we must go.  Sometimes it is to face a lessor trial to prepare us for something else.  It will almost certainly lead us to a place where we can help others overcome in there lives.  If I remember that I am here because I am filled with the Spirit and therefore, empowered by him, I can thank God that with each day of a trying time, I am closer to the victory God has prepared for me.

In the next scripture quoted above, we see that Jesus came back from his trying season in the power of the Holy Spirit.  He was filled with the spirit from the beginning.  As we look deeper into this time in Jesus’ life, we see that the Holy Spirit was with him every step of the way.  Jesus resisted the Satanic temptation with the Word of God.  However, it was the Holy Spirit that brought the scripture to his mind and it was the same Spirit that strengthened him personally so he could overcome whatever the devil brought to him.  I do not believe there was a moment’s hesitation in Jesus’ resistance.  In the end Jesus won his day convincingly. 

If we understand that he is with us in any trying time, we will be able to have the same kind of personal victory that Jesus did.  However, there was more to it.  He came out of the temptation in the power of the Holy Spirit.  When he returned to his home, he began by declaring what the power of the spirit was upon him to do.

Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV) ¹⁸  “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; ¹⁹  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

He was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor and heal the brokenhearted.  He was anointed to proclaim liberty to the captive and the recovery of sight to the blind.  He was anointed to set free those who were held captive by the enemy.  Finally, he was anointed to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.  The Jewish people understood that to mean the year of Jubilee when all debts were forgiven and all that was lost was restored to the Israelites.  What Jesus was anointed to proclaim was far more than that and it was to all people. 

As we read on in the story, the people were offended by what he said and tried to kill him.  He could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief, but he did begin to do mighty works.  He went on to Capernaum and began to teach.  The people were so astounded at his teaching that they marveled.  He cast a demon out of a man in the synagogue.  He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever and in the evening the townspeople brought to him many who were sick and demon possessed.  In the power of the Holy Spirit he healed and delivered every one of them.

Another way we can win today is to remember that the power of God will be released when we face trials and temptations filled with the spirit.  God is still God.  What he did through Jesus he will do through us.  When we win each day as he won in each temptation, the power of the Holy Spirit will be released in our lives.  We may not do all that Jesus did in this chapter every day.  I do believe we can expect supernatural power to be available to preach the gospel.  I think we need to believe for people to be healed and set free as we go forth in the power of the spirit. 

As we come to the end of each of our trying days, give glory to God and believe that the power of the spirit is being worked in our lives.  As that power helps us win our days, it will begin to spring forth to win for others as well.  We will see God move in a great and mighty way as we move through transition into a new time with God.  It may not be the last transition before Jesus comes or it might.  Either way we will find a place of victory that will affect the world. 

You and I winning every day is an important part of bringing about what God wants to do next in the earth. 

For Audio Messages Visit: https://anchor.fm/bill-kiefer or search Practical Wisdom from the Word of God or Bill Kiefer on Spotify or where you listen to podcasts.