Matthew 4:1-11 Temptation

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of  God.'"  Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 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, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your  God, and serve Him only.'"  Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. [Matthew 4:1-11]

 It is written, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." [Hebrews 4:15 NASB] Jesus had to deal with more than just these three temptations. According to Luke's account, Jesus was being tempted by the devil for the full forty days, culminating in these three temptations. And He, no doubt, faced temptations throughout His life.

Jesus' temptation was extraordinary in that He was being tempted by the devil. I know many people who claim that every temptation they face is from the devil, or is an attack by Satan. But James says, "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust." [James 1:14 NASB]

Most of the time we don't need the devil to tempt us because our own fallen nature is sufficient. Even though we are born again in spirit, our flesh (the fallen nature) remains, and is at odds with our spirit for as long as we are in these bodies.

Before we begin spiritual warfare, we must first overcome our own flesh. "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." [Galatians 5:16 NASB]

Having said that, there are spiritual forces that are arrayed against all believers. Paul tells us, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." [Ephesians 6:12 NASB] And Peter says, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." [1 Peter 5:8 NASB]

We stand against these powers by taking up the armor of God, which is truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God. [Ephesian 6:14-17] The goal of spiritual warfare is not to "storm the gates of hell," but to "stand firm." [Ephesians 6:13]

Jesus had the authority to rebuke Satan, commanding him to leave. [Matthew 4:10]. Jesus gave us authority over demons, but we are told in Jude, "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these men revile the things which they do not understand." [Jude 1:9-10 NASB] Don't become arrogant in spiritual warfare. It may seem spiritual to stand and shout at the devil, giving him commands, but heed Jude's warning. Remember, our duty is to "stand firm", not to attack.

Satan has authority in this world for now. In His temptation, Jesus didn't defeat the devil and take away his authority. Instead he stood firm against the temptation.

When Jesus was tempted, He was tempted as a man. As God incarnate, He had the power to blast the devil, and avoid all temptation. Instead, he rightly used the word of God as His defense. He did this so that He could identify with men's temptations, and also as an example to us.

It is important that every believer know the scriptures, within their context. False teachers quote scripture, taken out of context, to prove whatever point they want to make. It is up to us as believers to discern the truth, and not be led astray, either by false teachers or by our own imaginings.