text
stringlengths
7
443
[551.18 --> 556.64] Why would God let Jesus or lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted?
[557.02 --> 559.06] And then flip that around for ourselves.
[559.76 --> 563.40] Why would God let us be tempted and tested?
[564.26 --> 566.90] In the prayer that Jesus himself teaches us,
[567.14 --> 568.82] He says to pray like this,
[569.22 --> 573.16] Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
[573.48 --> 577.10] So if that's our prayer, if that is our desperate desire,
[577.10 --> 580.60] Then how come we are still tested and tempted?
[583.26 --> 588.30] My hope this morning is that the answer is found as we faithfully witness
[588.30 --> 591.46] To the temptations that Jesus himself faced,
[591.82 --> 595.16] And more importantly, how he responded to these temptations.
[595.94 --> 599.76] And so before expanding on that and answering the question here explicitly,
[600.18 --> 601.76] Allow me to leave you in suspense.
[602.02 --> 604.12] Because I promise you, based on God's Word,
[604.42 --> 605.66] It is good news for us.
[605.66 --> 608.60] So the first temptation,
[609.34 --> 612.36] The tempter tests Jesus through a weak spot.
[613.42 --> 613.88] His hunger.
[614.96 --> 616.02] Very real human.
[616.36 --> 617.60] Came to be tested like us,
[617.64 --> 618.94] And he fasted for 40 days.
[619.14 --> 619.98] Now he's hungry.
[620.44 --> 623.24] And so Satan pokes at that weakness,
[623.58 --> 626.66] And challenges Jesus' own identity.
[627.18 --> 628.32] So what does he say here?
[628.62 --> 629.02] He says,
[629.36 --> 630.84] If you are the Son of God,
[631.24 --> 633.74] Or another translation, you could even say it like this,
[633.74 --> 636.58] Since you are the Son of God,
[637.16 --> 638.00] Feed yourself.
[640.00 --> 643.90] He's not saying here that you are not the Son of God, Jesus.
[644.64 --> 645.90] That's not his deception.
[646.26 --> 646.82] He's saying,
[647.46 --> 648.62] You are the Son of God.
[648.74 --> 649.98] I know that you believe,
[650.06 --> 651.52] You think you are the Son of God.
[651.68 --> 652.74] So prove it.
[653.50 --> 654.58] Prove it for yourself.
[655.54 --> 657.12] You've now just been baptized,
[657.46 --> 659.82] Anointed as the Messiah to save the whole world.
[659.82 --> 662.76] Making stones into bread should be nothing.
[662.90 --> 664.50] I mean, you did it with the water into wine.
[665.46 --> 666.72] This should be nothing for you.
[667.06 --> 667.78] So prove it.
[667.96 --> 668.82] Prove your identity.
[671.18 --> 672.66] It's a twisting of the truth.
[673.06 --> 676.36] Challenging Jesus' true identity as the Son of God.
[676.74 --> 679.22] Do something spectacular so you know for sure.
[680.40 --> 681.80] That's the temptation here.
[682.66 --> 684.04] This might be a silly example,
[684.16 --> 685.68] But as I was reflecting on this,
[685.68 --> 686.64] It occurred to me,
[686.76 --> 689.64] It would be like asking Lionel Messi,
[689.78 --> 691.50] Like one of the greatest soccer players in the world.
[691.74 --> 693.72] It would be like going and asking him
[693.72 --> 694.88] To score a goal,
[695.10 --> 696.68] Playing against a whole bunch of kids.
[697.06 --> 698.48] Which sometimes it feels that way,
[698.60 --> 699.64] Him playing in the MLS.
[700.02 --> 700.68] No offense.
[701.12 --> 701.34] But,
[702.06 --> 704.10] It's like asking him to go score a goal,
[704.30 --> 706.84] To prove that you're one of the greatest soccer players in the world.
[708.28 --> 709.42] That's a silly question.
[709.76 --> 712.20] Because Messi doesn't have to go score a goal,
[712.20 --> 716.38] Playing against kids to prove his identity as a good soccer player.
[717.04 --> 717.96] Unless what?
[719.44 --> 721.02] Unless he doubts it.
[722.04 --> 724.46] Unless he doubts his identity.
[725.22 --> 726.98] And now turn this around on ourselves.
[727.60 --> 731.88] If we doubt our own self-identity as God's children,
[732.74 --> 737.22] We may be faced with temptations to try and prove our identity.
[737.22 --> 740.04] Do something spectacular,
[740.58 --> 744.22] So that you know for sure that you are really God's child.
[746.72 --> 747.28] So,
[747.58 --> 748.04] For me,
[748.28 --> 749.88] Simply thinking about this,
[749.96 --> 751.16] It was this simple phrase,
[751.66 --> 754.28] Instead of loving because we are loved,
[754.82 --> 757.34] Which would be to live out our God-given identity.
[757.86 --> 758.00] So,
[758.36 --> 761.12] Instead of loving because we are first loved,
[761.56 --> 765.18] It would be like loving to be loved by God.
[765.50 --> 766.94] Trying to prove that identity.
[767.22 --> 769.80] So,
[769.80 --> 771.00] So now we turn to our Savior.
[771.86 --> 774.28] How does Jesus respond in the face of doubt?
[775.18 --> 775.94] Well, first of all,
[776.26 --> 777.80] In all three temptations,
[778.20 --> 780.84] Jesus uses the only weapon that he has,
[781.10 --> 782.30] The sword of the Spirit,
[782.46 --> 783.62] Which is the word of God.
[784.14 --> 785.46] That's very important to note.
[785.86 --> 788.02] Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy,
[788.10 --> 789.58] A part of the passage that reads,
[790.22 --> 791.18] He humbled you,
[791.68 --> 792.80] Causing you to hunger,
[793.02 --> 794.40] And then feeding you with manna,
[794.40 --> 797.42] Which neither you nor your ancestors had known,
[797.96 --> 799.70] To teach you that man,