Without any question, without any question at all, the biggest problem that Christians have is temptation. By far, it’s the biggest problem. If you can eliminate temptation, you can eliminate sin.

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Temptation is a very common problem for all of us; and, perhaps, victory over temptation is not so common. The problem is we entertain ourselves by looking at the temptation rather than staring into the Master’s face, that of Jesus Christ.

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The only way to overcome temptation is to look at Jesus Christ; it’s the only way. Get your eyes off of temptation and get them on Jesus.

 

Hebrews 2:18 says this: “For in that He Himself was tempted, He is able to help those that are tempted.”

He’s been there. And so in the midst of temptation we’re to fix our eyes upon Jesus Christ, not only for sympathetic understanding, but for victory, for He knows the victory.

 

And the apostle Paul said, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

 

You’re never tempted above that you’re able, never, not one time in your whole life after Christ, not one time.

 

We want to look at Jesus Christ. If you have trouble focusing on Jesus Christ in the midst of temptation, you haven’t learned how to live the Christian life. The Christian life is nothing more than practicing the conscious presence of Jesus Christ, that’s all it is. Just constantly practicing the presence of Christ.

It’s never taking my eyes off Him.

 

Jesus' temptation can be found in Matthew 4:1-11:

“Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward hungry. And when the tempter came to Him ...”

 

The first event in our Lord’s ministry, which Matthew records after His baptism, is His temptation. Immediately after Christ’s baptism, which you remember was a declaration of His ministry. The Spirit of God descended like a dove anointing Him. God’s voice came out of heaven saying, “Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

And Christ began His ministry, and immediately after his exaltation and the anointing at His baptism, He immediately went into direct confrontation with Satan.

 

And it’s an interesting thing that is a very common experience of men. The times of special spiritual endowment or exaltation are followed immediately by occasions of special temptation.

That’s exactly what the Bible means when it says in one sense, “Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall.” Satan knows that when we are at the highest pinnacle, we are most easily deflated.

 

The most dangerous period for a civilization is when it think it’s safe and no longer needs to face further challenges. Same thing is true of an individual. Same thing is true of Christians who have experienced some spiritual victory, and they’re misled to think that they can bask in that spiritual victory for an undefined amount of time. They cannot.

 

The Christian life is lived one moment at a time with focus upon Jesus Christ. And just because you have reached a point of spiritual victory at one time doesn’t guarantee your spiritual victory, even for the next moment. In fact, it almost always assures you that Satan’s going to hit harder than he has before. It’s the very precise point when we think we stand that we have to evaluate ourselves, lest we fall.

 

We just get up to the top, and all of a sudden Satan starts firing away, and we just come crumbling down.
That’s the way he works. He likes to find us in the moment of glory when our defenses are down.
You see, that’s why Jesus said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

Don’t ever take your eyes off the adversary.

 

We have no right to assert that during the first thirty years of His ministry He was never tempted, because He was. Matthew 16:23, He says, “Get thee behind Me, Satan!” He evidentially recognized Satan. He understood what Satan was doing.

 

Luke 22:28, He says, “Ye are they who have continued with Me in My temptations.”

Satan worked on Christ for a long time. He said,“You are the ones who’ve been with Me in My temptations.” And they weren’t up there in this place when He was tempted.

 

The temptation of Jesus can be divided in three parts: the preparation, the temptation and the triumph.

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The preparation, chapter 4, verse 1, through the first part of verse 3:
“Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. And when He had
fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward hungry. And when the tempter came to Him ...”
 

The temptation beginning in verse 3: “And when the tempter came to him, he said, ‘If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”’”

God determines whether you live or die, not bread.

 

The second temptation and how he builds it on the first one. The second temptation comes in verses 5, 6, and 7: “Then the devil taketh Him up into a holy city” – Jerusalem – “setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, ‘If Thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, “He shall give His angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.”’

Jesus said unto him, ‘It is written again, “Thou shalt not put the Lord thy God to the test.”’”

 

The devil comes back and the devil is sharp. He is really sharp. He is the second sharpest. He knows what he’s doing, and he comes back with this very subtle approach.

 

Jesus would be tempting God. He would be putting Himself in a position where God had to get Him out of there, and that is the gross kind of sin. The psalmist prayed, “Lord, keep me back from presumptuous sins.” Don’t ever test God. Don’t ever test God. This is the sin of presuming on God.
Don’t ever push God into a corner and say, “Now, God, You’ve got to get me out of this.” Don’t tempt
God.

 

So many times as Christians, we do that. We go someplace where we don’t have any business being. We say, “Well, I’m here, God. Could You get me out of this mess?” What are you doing there in the first place?
“Well, God, I’ve really been going down the drain. Here I am down here at the bottom level of the drain. God, will You get me out of here?” Well, what are you doing down there to start with? You’re doubly sinning, not only in the sin, but in the presumption that you put yourself in that place willingly, and then with the thing in mind, “Well, God will get me out of this.” Don’t presume on God. God is not your utilitarian genie.

 

Satan tried a third temptation, verses 8 and 9: “Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, ‘All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.’”
 

Verse 10: “Then saith Jesus unto him, ‘Be gone, Satan, get out of here; for it is written, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”’”

Jesus wouldn’t take any shortcut to the kingdom, none at all.

 

He refuses an alliance with Satan, chooses obedience and loyalty to God whatever the cost may be.

 

So Jesus dismisses Satan. He’s defeated, but not destroyed; he’ll be back, he’ll be back.

 

The Bible says, “Watch and pray.” Not only watch for Satan, but be in communion with God all the time prior to Satan’s temptations.

 

The greatest enemy of the Christian is spiritual unpreparedness. It’s a failure to be ready for temptation. That’s our greatest enemy; we’re just not ready for it. We’re not ready for it, because we’re not watching for it. And,
secondly, we’re not praying; we’re not in constant communion with God.

 

Peter illustrates this graphically, so perfectly. Peter was just a tremendous apostle, and he loved to be where Jesus was.

But when he got removed from the presence of Christ, he faltered and fell and stumbled and denied Him.

And the same thing is true with us. As long as we’re focusing on Jesus Christ, there’s resource. But as soon as we stop praying – that is we stop that constant communion with Him – we are vulnerable.

 

A believer’s watchfulness is like a soldier. A soldier’s on the sentinel, let’s say, and he’s outside and he’s watching the enemy; and the enemy’s coming toward the fort. What does the guard do? Does he stand out there and fight the whole army?

Not if he’s smart he doesn’t. He runs inside and reports to the Commanding Officer.
 

 

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