Today, we are going to look at something that I often neglect in my thoughts about what Jesus experienced when he was on earth. We are going to look at how He was tempted by Satan right after hIs baptism and before hIs earthly ministry began.

Today we are going to start with His example and finish with worship. We are going to look at how Jesus was emptied and see how it relates to how we are tempted. First off I want to define temptation for us all, because it is possible to be tempted to sin, but not actually follow through with the sin. Sometimes it may seem like Jesus was able to resist temptation because He had some type of superpower, but the truth is that He was fully God, and fully man, and it says he was tempted, it means that He had before him an opportunity that his flesh wanted to take.

So, definition of temptation: a desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise.

Lets read the text and see what it has to say to us.

1.All Temptation begins with a Desire: Temptations are a desire to do something, and they start from within. James 1:14-15 says that “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire, then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” When we think of temptation, we most likely want to think of an outside force, but, we see here in James and also in our text that temptation begins with a desire.

a. the desire isn’t always the thing that is sinful, the temptation is that we want to fulfill that desire in an un Godly way. Look at verse 2-4…

b. Satan’s role here was to exploit a weakness, and provide an unholy shortcut to God’s best.

2. There is always a way out of Temptation:1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” In this story we see how Jesus resisted temptation. Jesus fought temptation because He was Full of the Holy Spirit and the Word. Understanding how our God given desires are meant to be carried out is important to fighting temptation. In order to do that we need to know the word, to study, memorize, and hide it in our hearts. We also need to allow the Holy Spirit to bring to our minds the things that we have studied, so that we are able to fight temptation when it arises. Jesus had just been baptized and the trinity was on full display at His baptism, the Father spoke from Heaven, the spirit descended like a dove, and rested on the Son, who was flesh. For Christians, when you accept Christ and His atoning work for you on the cross, the Holy Spirit begins to indwell your heart. He does the work of changing your heart of stone into a heart of flesh. If you are no a Christian, this power is not available to you to fight temptation. If you are in a struggle, and are not a Christian, one of the primary tools you need to fight temptation is not there for you.

3. Jesus Resisted the temptation for us: this is called the active obedience of Christ…