Visiting the Wilderness

Welcome back!

I hope you’ve had a great week. I pray that God has been helping you to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though we still have to stay in our houses. I know He’s been helping me. Having to stay at home every day can be a challenge for some.

Sometimes it’s like being in a wilderness. Have you ever visited the wilderness? A wilderness is a part of the earth were there’s no people. It’s a wild place which is what the name wilderness means.

The dictionary tells us a wilderness is a…

“a wild and uncultivated region, like a forest or desert, uninhabited (which means no people) or inhabited only by wild animals.”

When we lived in Kenya, I visited a place called the Chalbi Desert. This place is truly a wilderness. The ground is covered in rock hard salt that goes on for miles and miles and miles. It’s very hard to pass through because there is no water, no animals, nothing living at all. I don’t think God meant for us to live in the wilderness, but I do think it’s good to visit the wilderness every once in awhile. Because in the wilderness we can learn things. We can learn things about God and about ourselves. Jesus visited the wilderness when He was on earth. And we’re going to read about that visit today in the Gospel of Matthew. Because I think we can learn some very important things as we see what happened to Jesus when He visited the wilderness.

So, you ready?

Well, let’s go!

Turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew 4:1.

The Gospel of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament. It’s a book all about Jesus, just like all the Gospels. Chapter 4 is where the Apostle Matthew tells the story of Jesus visiting the wilderness. It was a very special visit because there was something very important Jesus needed to do and it could only be done in the wilderness.

Let’s read the first verse of Matthew 4 together.

Ready?

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

That’s right. Jesus had to visit this wilderness so he could be tempted by the devil. That means the Devil tried to get Jesus to sin. Isn’t that amazing?

Normally, the Bible tells us to run away from where the devil is. It tells us to flee temptation. That means if mom says no cookies, don’t sit and smell the cookie jar!

But Jesus had a reason to be in the wilderness. The fact he was tempted by the devil himself... well, that was at the heart of the reason. This is one of the most exciting stories in the Bible and one we should know very well. So let’s take a quick look at what happened. Then we’ll talk about why Jesus had to do this and what it means for us.

Let’s read verse 2.

2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

So Jesus didn’t eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. How hungry would you be if you didn’t eat anything at all for 40 days and 40 nights? You’d be really hungry. And because Jesus is 100% man, He was pretty hungry. Which is exactly what he had to be for the first of three temptations from Satan.

Read verse 3.

3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

Every time Satan tempted Jesus he was trying to get Jesus to sin. Can you imagine? Do you think Jesus could have turned the stones into bread? Sure, he was able. But he wouldn’t be trusting God to supply all his needs if he did that, now would he? Instead of sinning, Jesus answered Satan with a passage from the Bible, the word of God. Jesus did this to show Satan why it would be wrong for Jesus to do what Satan was trying to get him to do. He also did it to show Satan the source of Jesus’ strength. When the Devil told Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Here’s what Jesus told him.

Read verse 4 with me.

4 But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

This verse is from the Old Testament, the book of Deuteronomy 8:3. Jesus used it because it explains how God’s Word is more important to us than even the food we eat. It shows us how God is the one who meets all our needs. The Devil did the same thing two more times. Notice how each time Jesus would use the word of God to defeat Satan’s temptations.

Now let’s read all the way to verse 10.

Ready?

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple

6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9 And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."

10 Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

The 3rd temptation was the last one Jesus would allow. Satan demanded Jesus worship Him. The very sin the Devil first committed was to make himself out to be God so that he would be worshipped by all of creation. He failed then. He failed here in the wilderness. He failed at the cross when Jesus was crucified, even though it looked like Satan won. And he will fail one last time at the very end and be thrown into the lake of fire. Every time the Devil tries to stop God’s work, he’ll always fail no matter what. Because he’s powerless before the Son of God. As it says in that great hymn, A Mighty Fortress, “One little word shall fell him.” Jesus says, “Be gone, Satan!” and what does verse 11 say?

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

The Devil left Jesus because the accuser of the brethren must obey God, the Son, no matter what.

It’s always good for us to remember that Satan is only an angel. He’s a powerful angel but he’s only an angel. He is much stronger than us and we could never defeat him by ourselves, and we should never try. But Jesus has already defeated Satan by dying on the cross. Now, if I was the Devil and I saw that there is no way I can win this one, I think I would get out of Dodge, I would leave. But Satan is so deceived by his own sin and he thinks there’s still hope he can defeat God. Jesus showed us in the wilderness, even before the cross, that Satan could never do anything God didn’t give him permission to do.

But there’s something even more important he showed us. Listen to what it says in the book of Hebrews 2:18.

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

And then in Hebrews 4:15.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus had to be tempted just like us so that He could help us when we’re tempted. One of the ways he helps us is to bring His word into our minds when we are tempted. Think about some times you have been tempted to sin. Maybe you’re tempted to be unkind. Maybe you’re tempted to tell a lie.

Spend a few minutes right now talking about what Bible verses would help you obey God and turn away from that sin. And remember the words of our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. He told his disciples to do this important thing.

Luke 22:40.

And when he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."

Thanks for listening.