Luke's Gospel in chapter 4, we want to consider the section we read in this chapter from verse 1 to 13. As we come to consider this part of God's Word, I want to ask you, have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are tempted? You're tempted. And it is, as it were, that you are staring into the abyss. with the horror of what has passed through your heart, what has passed through your mind. And it's not simply that, as it were, you saw these things, that you thought of those things, but that somehow your heart, your mind was somehow inclined toward that. And you think to yourself, if anybody ever knew that about me, that you were picturing, that you were imagining, that you were almost feeling. It was as though every sense was stimulated. And sometimes you might recognize what has triggered this. It's something that you saw. It's something that you heard. But other times, maybe it's apparently come from nowhere. But as it's passed through your mind or seems to settle there in your mind, in your heart, you're overwhelmed. Maybe not so much with what you've done. That's perhaps bad enough, but with what You might have done what you were inclined toward, so much so that you find yourself feeling defiled and violated. You feel guilty. It's almost as though you have done it. In fact, sometimes you're maybe not even sure. Have I transgressed? Where am I in this? You know, I ask this question. But I know the answer. I know the answer not because I'm privy to your heart. I know the answer because I'm privy to my own heart. I know the answer because I know what God's Word says. It says in 1 Corinthians 10 and 13, there is no temptation taking you but such that is common to man. But why do I ask this today? Why ask this at this point? Because I want you to listen to this part of Scripture and not to be detached. I want you to be connected, as it were, to what transpires here in the temptation of our Lord. Now, we read from chapter three, And it's not easy, necessarily, reading through genealogies. But we read from the point of our Lord's baptism. And there He is. He's presented. He appears publicly on the stage. He's identified as the Promised One. We find Him consecrated, anointed. Here is Jesus. He has made the cross. The Spirit comes upon Him. And just at this point, at the commencement of his public ministry, and the multitude are around, and there's this excitement, and there's expectation, and there's all these questions, it's as though he turns the wrong way. Instead of into Jerusalem, instead of into the temple, instead of amongst the people, he turns into the wilderness. Isn't it strange that the first aspect of his public ministry is private? And we're told that he was tempted of the devil 40 days, assailed, assaulted of the devil. The details of that are hidden from us. But we're told, in those days, he did eat nothing. And when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And then we're told of this climactical assault from the evil one, the most direct, the most brazen assault. These 40 days he has been learning dependence and devotion as he has found his satisfaction in God. You notice what it says at the end of verse two. When they were ended, that's the 40 days of fasting, he afterward hungered. He hungered not during the 40 days, but he hungered after the 40 days. Why did he hunger after and not during? Well, surely the answer to that is this, that during that 40 days fast, there was a particular focus, which strengthened, which satisfied, so that he wasn't taken up with the pangs of hunger, because he fed upon or we could say fellowship with the Father. He fed upon the Word of God, and we will think more of that in a moment. But the fast is now over. He has fulfilled the 40 days, and now he is ready to eat. And after all the exertion of what he has done, there's exhaustion. Surely there's exhaustion, and yet it's at this point this further assault comes. And as we read this passage, there's maybe many questions that you have. Why and how and why now? There are certain things we can say. The devil is not omniscient. He does not know everything. The devil is not omnipotent. He does not have all power. It would seem that previously he had no opportunity, that previously he had no permission to assault the Savior in this way. But now that Messiah is publicly revealed, and as he stands there as a sinner, remember, in his baptism, he stands as a sinner, there is a veiling of his majesty. Perhaps the devil somehow feels enabled, entitled even to approach in this realm where he holds so much sway. Did all of this take place in the wilderness? Or did they climb a mountain together? Did they go to the rooftop of the temple in Jerusalem together? were not explicitly told. Calvin says that he thinks it was probably in a form of a vision. But he also says that he cannot prove that, and that he doesn't need to know that, and he won't make any issue of it. So there's no unnecessary arguments. The reality is your own experience affirms the vivid reality of temptation that takes place through the eye of the mind. And maybe you want to say, how can Jesus be tempted? There's no sin to resonate, is there? I mean, you know temptation because the thought comes, and somehow there's this inclination that responds to that. But he is holy, he is undefiled, uncompromised. But then, so was Adam in the garden. And there's a sense in which it is a mystery. And yet we can also say this, that the temptation focused upon something which was good in and of itself. It was the means to achieve that which were illegitimate. He had real hunger. And to eat for strength, to live and to serve is necessary and is vital. He will receive the kingdoms of this world. The Father will prove his word and uphold him in all his ways. And then again, maybe you ask, is the devil entitled to give him the kingdoms? Well, he claimed them. He presumed the right to them as he was permitted some license over them for a time. But the devil is also a liar, and he has been a liar from the beginning. Not all questions are answered. But it's important that we recognize that our Savior condescends to permit this. He accepts the assault, we might say. That doesn't lessen the reality. That doesn't lessen the violence. And why? Why does he condescend to experience this? In part, it's preparation, as he suffers being tempted. But in part, is to prove to you His suitability as a Savior. Now, we read from chapter 3, not simply to bring in the experience of our Lord's baptism, but that genealogy. Because Scripture must be understood in context. And it's interesting, the genealogy that we have in Luke, that it is different from Matthew in the direction it takes. Matthew begins in the past and he comes forward to Jesus. But Luke begins with the Lord and he goes back in time. It's a reverse genealogy. Why? I think the answer to that is so that we end with Adam. It takes us to Adam, before God, there in the garden. And that's helpful in our understanding of what we have here. Because Jesus, we're told in 1 Corinthians, is the second Adam, the last Adam. And there is a parallel, or a contrast even we might say, between the Savior, this last Adam, and our first father, Adam. But what do we learn in this passage? What are we shown? Firstly, we are shown this, Jesus stands. And that's in contrast to Adam in Eden, who fell. Jesus stands. He did not fall. Adam is in the garden. He is in the garden with every advantage. He is in the garden which is full. He is in the garden and he is fed. He is in the garden and he is satisfied and nothing hinders him and he is tempted and he falls. But here is the Savior and he's in the wilderness. and he has fasted 40 days and he hungers. You maybe know what it is to go the best part of a day and not eat and to hunger. But can you imagine the strength of that appetite? How his body was crying out for food. Adam was full and satisfied. Jesus is hungry and is suffering. He's deprived, as it were, of everything. At his baptism, he is declared to be the Son of God. And then the devil comes and says, well, since you are the Son of God, command these stones to be made into bread. Take, take what is yours to take. It's not so much suggesting that he's not the son of God, but rather saying that because you are the son of God, simply speak, act, control, order, perform. Maybe. If you spend a little time thinking about this, you might speculate and say, would it not have been legitimate for the Savior to make the stones into bread that he would eat, so that he would live, so that he would be able to serve? Would it not be legitimate for the Savior to do that, the Son of God? But friends, he stands here as the last Adam. He stands here as the mediator, the one who has been made under the law. And he will not act independently, but rather he has submitted to creaturely dependence. He will not act independently. He is submitted to creaturely dependence. And therefore, he will wait upon God. He will wait upon God. His love for the Father is revealed. It is proven by his trusting. the goodness of the father. Surely that's an implication of the temptation that the father has failed to provide, doesn't care, keeps back what is good from the hungry son. We find him denying himself rather than denying his father. And then He is showing all the kingdoms of the world. In a moment of time, and all the power and all the glory of Him is offered to Him, is promised to Him. But you know, He will take up His cross rather than compromise. He will attempt no shortcut to the crown. The crown follows the cross. Gethsemane gives us the clearest insight into the horror of the reality that lay before him. With open eyes, he knows what lies before him, and yet he will not turn from it. He stands. The third temptation, to cast himself from the roof, from the high point of the temple, because of the words that are quoted from Psalm 91. And the temptation there is for him to compel the father to prove himself. And her Savior is content to walk by faith and not by sight. He will depend upon the Father. He will not demand of the Father. He will not tempt God, but will trust God. And so, As we look at this passage with the temptation of our Savior, what we see is that He stands. He stands uncompromised. He stands unsullied. He stands spotless. He stands sinless. He does not fall. And to be the sin bearer, He must be innocent. He must be perfect, but He cannot bear sin because He would be bearing His own sin. to satisfy what Adam has failed to perform as our covenant head, this second last Adam. He will stand. He stands where Adam didn't. He stands where you can't. Jesus stands. And so the structure of Luke's gospel, the context of this passage, this genealogy, it helps us to understand this contrast, this parallel with Adam. But this experience in the wilderness, there is a second parallel, isn't there? 40 days in the wilderness, does that sound like children? 40-something in the wilderness, the children of Israel in 40 years in the wilderness. He stands. Not only the last Adam, but he stands, the faithful Israelite. That takes us to the second major point. Not only does Jesus stand, but Jesus submits. He submits. not only to the providential care and the love of his father, not only to the cup of suffering upon the cross, not only to trust and to obey the word, but in the responses that he gives to these temptations, you see that he submits to scripture. Because all three answers, they come from scripture. They are direct quotations from scripture. He submits to the Scripture, and it's an informed understanding of the Scripture. He rejects the misapplication of Psalm 91. It's interesting, isn't it, that the devil can quote Scripture? You know, almost anything can be justified, as it were, by twisting Scripture out of context. Think of the liberal church. Think of all the different cults. Think of so many false religions who say that they believe the Word of God, and yet they twist the Word of God to justify their position, to justify their abomination. But Jesus submits to the Word of God. How important it is, friends, that when we read Scripture, that we read it in context. How important it is that we do not twist it. How important it is that we don't read it looking for exceptions, looking for allowances, looking for excuses, looking for ways to justify ourselves. But we must treat God's Word honestly. We must allow God's Word to speak. Jesus admits to Scripture. The three answers that he gives to each of these temptations, they come from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter six and Deuteronomy chapter eight. It's interesting, isn't it? That the three responses come from one concise part of the scripture, a concise part of the scripture which was given to the children of Israel during their wilderness experience. At the climax of their 40 years in the wilderness, Moses gave the law again, Deuteronomy, the second law, Deuteronomy, which tells them how to live in a land of promise. Deuteronomy, which sets out all the blessings and the curses of the covenant. Here is the Savior at the commencement of His public ministry, and what's He been meditating upon? The book of the law, specifically, Deuteronomy. The covenant blessing, the covenant curses. You know, when the prophets in the Old Testament come and prosecute Israel's unfaithfulness, it's Deuteronomy that's their key text. You have failed to honor God, and therefore this trouble has come upon you. Or you have failed to honor God, and this trouble is coming upon you. And here is the Savior, the faithful Israelite. And while he is fasting, he is feeding. While he is fasting, he is feeding upon God's Word. He's meditating upon his covenant responsibility, not only to avoid sin, but to fulfill all righteousness. to fulfill all obligation placed upon him. Here is the faith for Israelite, the one who has not fallen, the one who alone stands, and yet he will endure the curse. He will endure all the curses of the covenant so that the blessings of the covenant might be enjoyed. Jesus stands. Jesus submits. He submits to fulfill the covenant. He submits to stand in your place. Your covenant head, your covenant representative. And isn't it interesting that when he responds to temptation, as he deals with the devil, that he fights with the same weapon which is given to you. It's a sword of the Spirit. It's dependence upon the Word of God. In this passage, friends, we see that Jesus stands. We see that Jesus submits. But we can also see that Jesus sympathizes. He sympathizes. I asked you earlier if you ever stand And as it were, look into the abyss as you consider how you've been tempted and how that leaves you utterly broken. Jesus sympathizes. He sympathizes with you. I know that sometimes you might be intimidated by those who are very competent. It's not easy, is it, to be with somebody who's got it all right and who easily gets things right. And you know that you don't get things right. And so you feel inadequate. And you kind of pull back from that person. You pull back from that person because often, the person who is just naturally good at things takes it for granted. And unwittingly or not, it leaves you feeling inadequate. But here is Jesus Christ. And he is fully competent. He is the one who is able to stand. He is the one who is faithful in all his ways. He is the one who will take on all the obligation of the covenant. And yet, We do not fear to come to him, do we? Remember how it's expressed for us in Hebrews, and it's put negatively so as to express, as it were, and explicitly dismiss any doubt. In Hebrews, it says, we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. In this respect, it's the suffering of the Savior more than the success of the Savior, which encourages us to come to him, isn't it? That we have a high priest who has been touched with a feeling of our infirmity. We have a high priest who has been tempted and knows what it is to be overwhelmed in that temptation, who knows what it is to have these things brought before him, which are chilling in the ugliness, in the subtle ugliness of it. You know, he knows what he's talking about when he says to you, come unto me, all you that labor on our heavy laden. For you may find yourself crushed under the burdens that you bear, but he knows about these burdens. That's why Peter says, cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you. Jesus sympathizes. Remember, later on in his public ministry, when he fed 5,000, he had compassion on them, didn't he? He had compassion on them, for they'd been three days without food, and he would not send them away to faint in the way. He sympathized with them in that, didn't he? Where were they? They were in the wilderness. Where were they? They were in the wilderness without anything to eat. And Jesus had compassion because Jesus sympathizes. Well, you might say three days, 40 days. There's no comparison. You might say that. But what do you see? You see the sympathy of the Savior who understands the experience of the people. and his compassion and his mercy. And he does not exercise his power to feed himself, but what does he do when he's confronted with the people's need and their agonies? He cries unto his father and he takes his loaves and his fish and he breaks and gives to the disciples and the disciples give to the multitude and they have an abundance. Jesus' sympathy. For in that he himself suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. He is able to strengthen you in the midst of temptation. He is able to uphold you because he knows what you need, because he has been there. He's experienced that. Jesus stands, Jesus submits, and Jesus sympathizes. Maybe today, you maybe feel so overwhelmed with temptation. Maybe you feel so violated. It's so tangible that it feels like you've sinned already, and you feel as though resistance is futile. You can't keep going. You can't endure this. It's like the storm from the other night. It felt like it would never end. And so you're at the point of giving up hope. There's no point battling any longer. Maybe you're haunted by past failure and you're ready to bow to inevitable failure. He is able to succor those who are tempted. He's able to sympathize and he will not fail you, but will rather give grace and needed strength Maybe you're at the point where you're ready to withdraw and bitter. And bitter because it's taken you beyond all that you thought it would take you through. It's demanded too much from you. The cost is too high. He is able to have compassion. He does have compassion. And he's revealed here as the perfect Savior, your Savior. There you are, you're weary and you're worn down. And you're tempted to say, I can no longer go on with the rigor of discipleship. He says, call upon me in a day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Do you realize that? Do you remember that? Will you do that? Will you call upon him in the day of trouble, the one who stands? The One who stood, the One who stands for all eternity, and because He stands, you stand in Him. The One who submitted to bear all the demands of the covenant, that you might enjoy the blessing of the covenant. The One who understands you, friend. Oh, it's hard because sometimes you've had such a day and somebody says to you, how are you? And you can't even begin to express it. And there's no point even going there. In fact, maybe you just avoid people. So you're not asked that question. So you don't have to try to express. You just withdraw into a corner. But he understands you. You can come. And you can just say, Lord, it's too much. Lord, it's too hard. Lord, I can't even say it. He understands you. And he says, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. It's interesting, isn't it? The beginning of the chapter, following the baptism, it says, Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Did you notice that, that this was God's way? It's not the way that we anticipated. We anticipated going straight into triumph. But this was God's way, proving Him, preparing Him. You know, when trouble comes, it doesn't mean you're in the wrong place. When trouble comes, it doesn't mean that you're necessarily in the wrong place. Sometimes it does. Sometimes you bring trouble upon yourself because you go to the wrong place. You go to the wrong place in the wrong company. You go to the wrong place in the wrong attitude. You go to the wrong place for the wrong reasons and trouble comes. And of course, it's you, you brought it upon yourself. It's a mess of your own making. But often in a Christian life, trouble comes not because you're in the wrong place, but it comes because it will come anyway. So if temptation and trouble will come anyway, it's not better to meet with it in the way rather than out of the way. It's not better to meet with it in the way rather than out of the way. Distant from God, grieving his spirit, hardening your own heart, hiding in the corners of sin. If trouble will come, and it will come, Meet with that trouble in a way. Meet with that trouble in the presence of the Lord who walks that way with you. Meet that trouble in the presence of the one who stands and who submits and who sympathizes so that by his grace, you overcome that trouble and you press on and you press on. to that glorious end which is before us. And you know, he calls today, not only to those who are in the way, to continue in the way, but he calls to you who are out of the way. He calls to you who are in a broad way. He calls to you who are going far away. And he says, come unto me. Come unto me, and I will give you rest. And he knows what he's talking about. And he knows who he's talking to. There's no reason to hold back. There's no reason to doubt. There's no reason to fear unless you will defy him. Oh, you have no strength. Oh, you have no ability. But confess that. Maybe you've got even no clarity in your thinking, but confess that. Call upon Him in the day of trouble, and He will deliver you, and you will glorify Him. Amen.