Spiritual strength leads to spiritual struggle
Luke 4:1-14
The reality of spiritual struggle
Jesus led by the Spirit into the desert
Luke 3:21-22 says that after Jesus was baptised, the Holy Spirit came upon him and he was set apart as God’s Messiah. Luke 4:1-2 then says that Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil.
Tempted by the devil
Verse 2 is something of an understatement when it says Jesus ate nothing during those days and at the end of them, he was hungry. He must have been starving! At this point, the devil tempts Jesus with a smooth rock. The devil said, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus was at the end of his fast so it would not have been wrong to change the stone into bread. It would not have been wrong to eat the bread. It would have been wrong, however, to listen to the devil. Quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3 Jesus said, “We do not live on bread alone.” Life is not just about material things.
In vs.5-7, the devil led Jesus to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. He said, “I will give you all their authority and splendour, for it has been given to me.” Here, the devil offers Jesus a kingdom without redemption and thus without hope. The devil offers Jesus a temporary crown with earthly glory, and we may well ask, “Who would accept this?” Quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13 Jesus said, “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
In vs.9-11, the devil had Jesus stand on the highest point of the temple. He said, “If you are the Son of God throw yourself down from here. For it is written: He will command his angels to protect you.” Here the devil quotes from Psalm 91:11-12. Jesus did not come to specialise in the spectacular, however, and so he says, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Seeking spiritual things
Every day we are tempted to choose the physical over the spiritual; the secular over the sacred; the earthly over the heavenly. In doing this, Philippians 3:18-21 says, “Many live as enemies of Christ… their god is their stomach, and… their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” This leads from the reality of spiritual struggle to …
The reason for spiritual struggle
A spiritual struggle
Ephesians 6:12 is clear about this when it says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
The spiritually mature are tested
Spiritual conflict is particularly noticeable in those who walk in the Spirit like Jesus. Luke 4:13 says when the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Jesus until an opportune time. In other words, he would be back! Hebrews 4:15 says, “Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin.” After he was tempted, Luke 4:14 says Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. This is the outcome of spiritual struggle. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “Our struggles come so that our faith… may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ returns.” It is like an athlete going through the pain barrier to strengthen their resolve and finish the race.
Relying on the power of God
The more we are filled with God’s Spirit, the more intense will be our struggle. The further upstream we swim, the harder it becomes. This is because the devil focuses on those who walk in the Spirit rather than those who walk in the flesh. To help with this struggle, Ephesians 6:13 says we should put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to make a stand… so that we can make a stand when we are challenged psychologically, socially, and spiritually. This leads from the reality of spiritual struggle and the reason for spiritual struggle to…
The response to spiritual struggle
Responding in the Spirit
Luke 4:1 says Jesus went into the desert full of the Holy Spirit. He was then tempted by the devil. After this, v14 says he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. This is the response to spiritual struggle and why Ephesians 6:10 says, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”
Overcoming the devil
To overcome the devil, Jesus did not use human strength. In all three temptations, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy and the experience of Israel in the wilderness. Notice, however, that it was the experience of God’s people that mattered and not just the bare text. In other words, it was not a theoretical knowledge of the Bible that helped Jesus in his struggle; it was a life lived by the Word and in the Spirit. During our struggles, we need more than physical, mental, or emotional strength. During our struggles, we need to be filled with the Spirit. James 4:7 says, “Submit to God (put yourself under God). Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” This is what Jesus did, and so should we.
Be filled in, with, by Spirit
It was never God’s plan for us to live in our own strength or to walk alone in this world. This is why Ephesians 5:18-19 says, “Be filled in, with, or by the Spirit—speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” According to this passage, we are empowered when we maintain fellowship with God and his people. Temptation will remain, as it did with Jesus, but we will be better equipped to deal with it. If we go it alone, we will be devoured by the world, by the devil, and by our own fleshy desires. This is why attending church and keeping in touch with God’s people is important. Hebrews 10:25 says we should not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. We should rather encourage one another—and all the more as we see the Day approaching.
Bernard Cartledge