Temptations Series Part 3 - Aug. 30-Sept. 3
9-11 For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?”
12 “Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’”
13 That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.
Luke 4:9-13 NIV
The devil was getting frustrated at this point. He couldn’t target his identity, or his integrity, so he tries a new one. He targets his impulse.
Now impulse means: a sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act.
Look at how the devil tempts him, it’s the simplest one yet.
“If you are God’s Son, jump.”
This one is seen as the emotional test because oftentimes our emotions will ignore logic and jump into whatever impulse we have. It’s where the saying, “love is blind,“ comes from. Love isn’t a bad thing, obviously. But when it’s left to only impulses, it can be very destructive.
We love God, and we know that God loves us.
But there’s no point in testing that love, there’s no point in chasing impulses to see who cares. There’s no point in harming ourselves to see who will save us. (If you’re a twilight fan, you know more about this than most, #bellaistoxic.)
Impulses are not a bad thing, some impulses are good, they can save someone’s life crossing a street or get you to take on new challenges. It’s why we jump out of planes with a parachute or join last minute missions trips, these are good impulses.
But testing God’s love is silly. It’s the easiest one to dismiss, because if the devil can’t target your identity, he’ll target your integrity, and if he can’t target either one, he’ll tempt you to be reckless, and lack self-control.
Here are 5 Takeaways from these lessons:
No one is exempt from temptation.
Temptation is not the same as sin.
Respond to temptation with God’s word.
Resist the devil in the power of the Spirit.
Pursue the will of God.