Sermon Tone Analysis

Pre-Introduction:

At this time, we invite any children who desire to join my dear wife for a children’s service to follow her where you can hear a wonderful bible lesson and sing some uplifting songs about Jesus.

For those joining us online, you’re listening to the Services of the Broomfield Baptist Church.

This is the Pastor bringing the Sunday Morning message entitled "In the Mountain of Temptation.”

We invite you to follow along with us in your Bible in the Book of Matthew, chapter 4, and verses 1-11.

Introduction:

[Start Low]

A. Get Attention-

Mark says that the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, and Matthew adds, to be tempted by the devil.

The temptation was not therefore an accident, but was a conscious grappling of the two leaders in the struggle for man.

The devil had overcome Adam and Eve and was keenly alive to the importance of defeating the Second Adam.

The Hope of the race was on trial now.

Satan knew who Jesus was and accepts him as the Son of God, but dares to tempt even him.

He tries him by the doors of hunger, nervous recklessness and ambition.

Jesus meets the devil with the Word of God and routs him for the time being.

He will make no compromise with Satan by recognizing his rule of ruin.

If one wonders how the Son of God could be tempted, he may reflect that he would not have been a real man otherwise.

The victory of Jesus offers hope to every tempted man who has the example, sympathy and power of Christ to help him.

The devil disputes the path with every man who endeavors to work for God.

He claims the world as his realm and fights for every inch of ground.

[A.

T. Robertson, Studies in the New Testament (A.

T. Robertson) (Nashville, TN: Sunday School Board Southern Baptist Convention, 1915), 81.]

     Striking Statement-

It may be needful for us to be tempted—

For test.

Sincerity, faith, love, patience, are thus put to proof.

For growth.

Temptation develops and increases our graces.

For usefulness.

We become able to comfort and warn others.

For victory.

How glorious to overcome the arch-enemy!

For God’s glory.

He vanquishes Satan by feeble men.

[C.

H. Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes & 4: Matthew to Revelation, vol. 3 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 9.]

B. Raise Need-

We need to see Jesus the way the Bible presents Him, as the only one who could ever please the Father fully.

C. State Purpose-

By looking to Jesus’ suffering in this temptation experience, it should make a difference in how we approach our own trials.

D. Orient Theme- 

This passage points us to God’s Anointed One in our weakened state of depravity to be the One who can make us who we ought to be in God by His grace and righteous life.

Main Thought:

Jesus did what I could never do, so that I can now do all things through Him that strengthens me.

Sub-introduction:

Describe how that Jesus is everything that both Adam and Israel failed to be.

“Just as God led Israel out of Egypt and through the waters and into the desert (Num 20.5; 1 Bas 12.6; Ps 80.1 LXX; etc., all using anagein [‘to lead up’]), so does the Spirit of God lead Jesus into the desert after he is baptized.”178

[178 178.

W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, 1:354.]

[Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Mt 4:1.]

Body:

I. Through the Spirit’s Power, You Can Rely on God for Your Every Need (Matt.

4:1-4)

[Go Slow]

   A.

Following the Leading of the Spirit (Matt.

4:1-2)

There are two things that we may notice before our Lord is tempted of the devil.

The first is, that He is most emphatically recognized as the Son of God by His Father; secondly, that He is anointed as man by the Holy Ghost.

[William Kelly, Lectures on the Gospel of Matthew (London; Glasgow: G. Morrish; R. L. Allan, 1868), 44.]

   B.

Facing Temptations in Weakness (Matt.

4:3-4)

From the point of view of the devil and his purpose, the temptation was evil, for it was an attempt to get Jesus to question God’s word, misuse God’s promises in Scripture, and try to win the world for himself by linking up with Satan rather than by going to the cross.

[James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 54.]

If you are full of grace, then you may expect the arch-adversary to come and attack you.

When old Farmer Jones went home on Friday evening, nobody went to watch for him on the road.

But it was on a market night, when he had been selling wheat, and some fellow had seen him on the Exchange taking money, it was then that the robber stopped him and robbed him of his gold.

The devil knows when you are getting rich and full of the Holy Spirit.

Now he thinks there is something worth his time and trouble, and so he speeds with dragon wings to the place where this rich child of God is, and he waylays him so that he may attack him and cast him down.286

[286 C. H. Spurgeon, “ ‘Tempted of the Devil,’ ” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol.

52 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1906), 354.] [ Charles Spurgeon, 300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon, ed.

Elliot Ritzema and Lynnea Smoyer (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017).]

He adapted the temptation to the circumstances: he tempted a hungry man with bread.

He put it very cunningly.

Only one single word, and the hard stone of the desert would be biscuit: let him undertake to be his own provider, and use his miraculous power as “Son of God” to spread a table for himself.

The tempter begins his suggestion with an “if”, an “if” about his Sonship: this is his usual fashion.

[C.

H. Spurgeon, The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Book of Matthew (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1893), 14–15.]

What force there is often in a single monosyllable!

What force, for instance, in the monosyllable “If,” with which this artful address begins!

It was employed by Satan, for the purpose of insinuating into the Saviour’s mind a doubt of his being in reality the special object of his Father’s care, and it was pronounced by him, as we may well suppose, with a cunning and malignant emphasis.

How different is the use which Jesus makes of this word “if” in those lessons of Divine instruction and heavenly consolation, which he so frequently delivered to his disciples when he was on earth!

He always employed it to inspire confidence; never to excite distrust.

Take a single instance of this:—“If God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”

What a contrast between this divine remonstrance and the malicious insinuation of the great enemy of God and man! --Daniel Bagot.

[C.

H. Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes & 4: Matthew to Revelation, vol. 3 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 11.]

Out flashed the sword of the Spirit: our Lord will fight with no other weapon.

He could have spoken new revelations, but he chose to say, “It is written.”

There is a power in the Word of God which even the devil cannot deny.

[C.

H. Spurgeon, The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Book of Matthew (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1893), 15.]

but.

That is, as Dr. Campbell renders, ‘by every thing which God is pleased to appoint;’ for ρημα, which generally signifies a word, is, by a Hebraism, here taken for a thing, like davar, in Hebrew.

[B.

Blayney, Thomas Scott, and R.A. Torrey with John Canne, Browne, The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, vol. 2 (London: Samuel Bagster and Sons, n.d.), 2.]

Application: Jesus has overcome the lust of the flesh (the Flesh/”good for food”) that caused both Adam, Israel and me to fall from God’s favor.

A Real and Powerful Enemy

First, let us learn what a real and powerful enemy we have in the devil.

He is not afraid to assault even the Lord Jesus himself.

Three times he attacks God’s own Son: our Saviour was “tempted by the devil” (verse 1).

It was the devil who brought sin into the world at the beginning.