Within your Bible is the most interesting story personally told by Jesus in a total of 13 verses. Now, unlike other stories told by Jesus, this isn’t a parable. This isn’t a made up story to illustrate a point. No, when Jesus uses a parable, he always clearly states it is a just a story. But what Jesus is about to tell us here isn’t a made up story, this is for real. It happened. And it not only happened, but only Jesus could tell about it.

This is the temptation of Jesus. Over the next few days, we’re going to look at all 13 verses and learn some absolutely life changing lessons from Jesus’ encounter with the temptation of Satan. Oh, it’s going to be so good. You should see these 2 pages of my Bible highlighted in 4 different colors, filled with ah-ha moments written down. I’m so excited to share this with you!

Let’s begin in Luke 4: 1-2, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.”

So, Jesus is coming from the Jordan River. What happened at the Jordan River? He had just been baptized by John the Baptist. And when he was baptized, the Holy Spirit had descended on him like a dove. And there was a loud voice coming from heaven that said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Oh, what a highlight day! That’s some rainbows and glitter and fluffy kittens kinda happy stuff right there! All the feel goods! All the happiness! YAY JESUS!

And he went from that to the wilderness. Dang.

Have you ever been in a wilderness in your life? It’s the place where nothing is growing, everything is ridiculously hard, and you feel absolutely lost. Maybe that’s where you’re at right now. What got you there?

It’s easy to blame the devil for the wilderness in our life, but we give his evil far more credit than he deserves. Sometimes GOD HIMSELF leads us to the wilderness. How do I know? Because Jesus came back and told this story himself and he made it very clear it was the Holy Spirit that led him there. And I know this much, Jesus wasn’t confused. Sometimes we get confused about the voice of God. Sometimes we twist what we hear to fit our feelings, but that’s not what happened here. Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. He was intentionally put in this place of hardship, this place of nothingness, this place of loneliness.

And it happened right after all the good feelings of being baptized and hearing God declare his delight in his son. Then, BOOM … hardship.

Why? Because God chose to identify Jesus with our sinful human struggles in every way.

Think about this, when Jesus was 8 days old, he was brought to the Temple and circumcised. Circumcision was part of the law of cleansing from sin. Jesus didn’t need to be cleansed from sin, therefore, he really did not need to be circumcised. He was perfect, spotless, and blameless. He could have been spared from that painful tradition of the law. But, God chose to identify him with the sinners of the world from the very beginning. He would face everything his beloved creation faced, and do it perfectly.

Ultimately, this led Jesus to a cross.

We think of a cross today as a symbol of salvation and hope, but please understand, there wasn’t a single person wearing a cross around their neck or hanging a cross on the wall of their fireplace. Then, a cross was a symbol of one thing … execution in the most brutal form. The cross was an instrument of death for sinners.

And this is where God destined his perfect son to go. He was perfect, spotless and blameless, yet he was to be identified with the sinners of the world and die the sinners death in our place. On a despised cross.

So, this is why God’s Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness. Because all God’s people find themselves in a wilderness at some point. And this is why Jesus would be personally tempted by the devil, because we are all targets of the powers of Hell. Jesus willingly went to the wilderness where he knew he would be tempted by the devil for 40 days because temptation is what we all go through and Jesus didn’t dismiss himself from it. No, he subjected himself to temptation for us.

Hebrews 5:15, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” And just in case you’re confused, that’s Jesus.

What are you being tempted with? Maybe you’ve fallen victim to that temptation and it now has it’s claws in you. Yes, claws that hold you back from living in the freedom and fullness of life Jesus came to offer you. Maybe that temptation is a constant battle for you. It’s always there. Some days you win and some days you lose. And on the days you lose, you really beat yourself up. You hate yourself when you do that, but you can’t seem to make yourself stop.

Jesus understands. He faced that too. He faced all of it. In his 40 days in the wilderness, the devil thew every temptation at him. He went through it all so that no matter what your battle is, he can personally say to you, “I understand. I faced it too and I can show you the way out.”

My sister, there’s a way out of this temptation. The thing that is constantly tripping you up, holding you back, making you question, creating guilt and shame in your life … Jesus has the way out of that for you. He endured it too so he could identify with you and help you.

Wow. Can we just take a moment to recognize how absolutely amazing our Jesus is. I’ve known for a long time now that he hung on that cross with me on his mind and that’s infinitely HUGE, but it’s even more than that. He willingly endured the temptation of the very things that trigger me and trip me up just so he could say, “My girl, I understand how hard that is. I understand why you do what you do. I don’t hate you for it. I love you so much, I want to show you the way out of that.” How can Jesus show you the way out? Because HE MADE THE WAY OUT!

That’s what he was doing there in the wilderness with the devil. He was making the way out of every single temptation that would ever come knocking on your door.

1 Corinthians 10:13, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Yes, he can show you the way out because Jesus first endured that temptation for you and HE MADE THE WAY OUT ahead of you.

It’s easy to believe the temptations we face today in the 21st century are nothing like the temptations of over 2,000 years ago. You’re wrong. They’re all the same because sin hasn’t changed. Sexual immorality … still the same sin today. Jealousy … still the same. Deceit … still the same. Envy, pride, wickedness, foolishness … still the same. Yes, a whole lot of it is now done on a screen, but at the core, it’s still the same. Jesus faced all of that so he could make a way out of it for you.

And my friend, THERE IS A WAY OUT. When you are facing temptation, there’s a really powerful prayer to pray. Try this: “Lord, show me the way out and help me take it.” I absolutely guarantee you he will show you the off button. He will show you the trash can. He will show you the door. He will show you the exit. I pray you would feel his supernatural strength to TAKE IT.

The way out of that temptation is there for you because Jesus willingly followed the lead of the Holy Spirit to the wilderness to encounter every temptation of the devil so he could understand all you would really go through.

Now, I have a little challenge for you before we meet again and continue our study on the temptation of Jesus. I want you to personally read the story. For real, read it first for yourself. Luke 4: 1-13. It will take you less than 3 minutes to read.

Don’t rely on me to read God’s word for you … You put that in for yourself. His word is living. It is alive and it is sharp enough to cut through every single thing that has been holding you back.

Maybe you have a print Bible. Open it up.

If you don’t have an actual Bible, use your phone. You can use the Bible app, or just google Luke 4. I would recommend reading this in the New International Version or the New Living Translation.

As you read, remember, this is a real story of what happened to Jesus, what he went through for you, and what he came back and told his disciples so it would be recorded in God’s word for you to read now. It’s there for a purpose. That purpose is to help you right where you are with what you are facing, so you can move toward everything God has for you next.

Temptation. The way out. Take it.

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