Temptation of Jesus: How He Won

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Good afternoon everyone. It is Wednesday, February twelfth, twenty twenty five. It is currently twelve thirty five pm Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here. In Abilene, Texas. Well. For the last few days, I've been asking this question, did you go to chapel service today? How is chapel service now? I'm gonna be honest with you. I didn't get anywhere near at chapel service today. I didn't even open the sermon's two point oh app. I was running way behind today, did not get to things. Things here just did not really work in favor of getting to chapel service. I know, I know, no real excuse, but I didn't make it.

0:55 If you made it great, how was it? Was it okay? And you said, what are you referring to? I'm referring to the sermons two point oh app, the sermon audio website that little tab there that says webcast, and many of the Christian colleges and Bible colleges they air their chapel services Pensacola, Bob Jones Ambassador Bible caller, Baptist College. There's a number of them that air their chapel services, and so we've been kind of joking because this week kind of started with me watching one and then immediately talking about what they said. So did you go to chapel service? If you did, what was it, how was it was it good? I have awt now I didn't make it to chapel service. I have been watching and listening to a lot of the special There's been a lot of I guess revival meetings going on, special meetings going on at a number of churches on the sermon's two point oh app I've been paying attention and listening to their messages. What's interesting is typically this is really interesting. Over the last few days, I have heard the term hypostat union used maybe three times, and it's usually a term that's not typically used. Now what's fascinating is I've heard them mention hypostatic union, and then I've almost heard them then almost promote ideas that would almost be against the hypostatic union idea, right. It would almost go with what we'll call knotic theology or a canosis heresy, and it's kind of been fascinating. They've mentioned

2:28 the actual hypostatic union. Now they've not read, you know, anything about the hypostatic union or even truly define it defined it. But I found it odd that I've heard that mentioned. I think it was at one of the revival meetings yesterday they did that. Now this morning I was watching. It was a youth rally. It was a youth rally. I'm dropping my pencil here. It was a youth rally. Now this one wasn't live. It was one that had been uploaded, and it was a youth rally and they were in Genesis twenty four and whoam no, no, no, no no. I got issues with that one. So we may have to review that because Genesis twenty four, if you know, that's the story of Abraham, Abram, Abraham finding Isaac a wife, and that story has been so it's been well, it's almost always interpreted as typology, where Abraham's God, the Father, the servant is the Holy Spirit, Rebecca's like the church. I think it gets it gets all kinds of crazy the way they do the typology there.

3:34 It turns into how you're supposed to find a wife, it turns into crazy things. So I want to correct that. I want to correct that. I want to spend a lot of time with that. So I was going to do that, but I'm like, you know what, I can't really do that. I can't. I can't. I didn't go to chapel service, so we can't talk about that. I want to talk about the hypostatic union, which we may get into a we may this what we're doing now may lead into it. I want to talk about Genesis twenty four, but we know where we have to do, right because our empty notebook kind of got filled up with Matthew chapter four this week, So we need to go back to Matthew chapter four. And remember how all of this started.

4:16 This what we've done almost two hours now on Matthew chapter four. This all started because of a what was. It a fifteen minute maybe not even fifteen minutes, a ten minute devotional that I heard on the sermons two point zero app And I cannot stress this enough. Look, listening to sermons at times can be maddening. It can almost dry. And I say this jokingly, but there's a little bit of seriousness to it, not that I will actually end up at this location. But it makes me feel this way. Sometimes listening to sermons makes me want to get in the car and drive to the liquor store because I can't take it anymore. It's maddening, it's frustrating. It's like what is going on the way the text is handled, the constant disagreement about everything, all the different interpretations you get.

5:07 It can be maddening. But what I want you. To realize is, no matter how bad the sermons are, no matter how short they are, no matter how long they are, no matter if you agree with them, no matter if you disagree with them, if you and I've got to remind myself of this. So this is I'm not even preaching to you. I'm preaching to myself. When we take this wonderful tool that we have, the sermons two point zero app with all of these sermons, you know, around five to six thousand sermons added every single week. Just try to wrap your mind around that five to six thousand sermons added a week. I can't even process that right. And many of those may drive us crazy, They may drive us to the liquor store, you know, figuratively speaking, metaphorically speaking, But if you will listen.

5:57 No matter what, no matter how it makes. You feel, if you will allow that sermon to lead you into the text, make you study the text, make you take the text apart, make you consider theology, make you consider doctrine, make you consider church history, make you consider hermeneutics. If it leads you to a deeper study, then no matter how bad it was, we should be grateful for it. Right, Like I mean this, We've been taking apart this little ten minute devotional on Matthew four, and we found the good in it. Right, it gave us. It gave us the three reasons Jesus was tempted, and those were really good. Right, Jesus was tempted to fulfill all righteousness on our behalf. Jesus was tempted to become a merciful and sympathetic high priest. Jesus was tempted to succeed where Adam failed, so he become the head of redeem humanity. He would be the second atom. We talked about it, and we broke those down into great detail.

6:58 We almost spent an hour doing that. So we applauded the good, but the bad is it went from here are the reasons Jesus was tempted to here is how Jesus overcame. And immediately I felt that this throws up some concerns. And while we have been talking about it, not only that, guess what. This ten minute devotional got us. Into a lengthy discussion about should Matthew four be interpreted as descriptive or prescriptive. And I made the argument. I made the case that we have to look at Matthew four as descriptive. Matthew four is a how is showing you that Jesus was tempted like we were, but yet without sin, and as a result he fulfilled the law.

7:48 And it was demonstrating that he would fulfill the law, he would fulfill all righteousness on your behalf. The sermon on the temptation of Jesus is not showing us that we can overcome sin. By imitating Jesus. It's showing that we overcome of sin by being in Jesus, by being united with him, because he did it for us. He's not showing us how we can do it. It's showing us he did it so that in him, his righteousness and obedience is imputed to my account. So I think that was a. Look whether we agree or disagree with the ten minute devotional, look at all the things that have come from it, and we're not even done.

8:29 We're just we still have more to do. So what I'm going to do here? And I hope you just see that that And I look, it's difficult for me. Sometimes I'll listen to a sermon like I don't ever want to listen to another sermon. Again, I give up. But you know what, if I listen to a sermon, even if I disagree with it, if it gets us into the text, then it's worth it, right, It's worth it. So I'm hoping. Look, I've got to remind myself of that. Maybe I'm preaching to myself. But on one hand, I look at all that this wonderful tool that we have, which is just you know, the sermon's two point oh out, the entire sermona audio platform, thousands upon thousands of sermons being added a week. We have all of this content, all right, how can I better use it? But then sometimes when I start using it, I get frustrated by it.

9:20 But then I got to think, you know what, that frustration sometimes leads me to actually challenging myself with the text, and that is a positive thing. So I hope you I hope you realize that and you're you still utilize it as much as possible. But now we've got to get to some frustration. Well, do you hear that. I don't know if you hear it, that's that next door neighbors their dog is just barking and barking and barking and barking. If you hear that during this broadcast, just remember it because I may try to utilize that as a uh as an important illustration here, hopefully I can you just hear it's just barking and barking and barking and barking.

10:02 Okay, just keep If. You hear that in the background, I'm aware of it. There's nothing I can do about it. I could go over there and try to talk to the dog. I don't think it's going to understand. Just let's just remember it because I may try to use this in an illustration. But here's what we need to do. We're going to go back to this little devotional that I heard. We've talked about the first part of the devotional where they explained why Jesus was tempted. We are in complete agreement with it, we expounded upon it, we expanded it, and I thought it was a great conversation, a great discussion, and I think it was good. But now we have and at the same time, then we. Got into a discussion about Matthew four being a descriptive not prescriptive, and we talked about all of that.

10:43 You need to go back and listen if you didn't. But now we got to get to the how how did Jesus overcome temptation? How did he win the battle? How did he do? This? Is this teaching us? Now I've already clearly, I've already made up I've already made it very very clear my perspective. This is descriptive. It's not prescriptive. It's not prescribing how I overcome sin other than showing me Jesus did. And then I know I can only overcome sin and Jesus and my position. And my practice. I will never overcome sin because I'm in a perpetual state of sin. Now, you can try to pretend that you overcome sin by pointing to a specific one or specific things, but you can have one hundred things on your list that you don't do.

11:28 You're still in sin. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Christians never want to acknowledge this, but this is just true from any reasonable understanding of the command to be perfect as God is perfect, You're never going to be that. So you're in a perpetual state of sin. So when we look at this, how did Jesus overcome we're just going to allow this to start, and then we're going to get into breaking this down and how we should understand this and what things we should avoid. So let's go back and listen to just what maybe a minute here, This is going to go by really quick. He just says and and in fact, when I start this audio, he's basically saying something.

12:08 And then immediately he's just gonna say, and how did he do it? And how did he do it? And then he just briefly goes through how what he perceives is the way Jesus overcame temptation. He's gonna get even saying that way I think is syllo logically flaws. How did Jesus do it? Well? Because of this, and because of this, he ignores the obvious reason he didn't send But okay, well, well we'll get into that. Are you ready? Here? We go. Just listen quickly. It's gonna go by fast. It's gonna be the volume is lower than my volume, because for some reason churches always record everything as such low volumes. But just listen. Quickly, or yeah, it's gonna go by quickly, So you got to listen quickly. I don't. Can you listen quickly? Just pay attention.

12:50 Here we go, thus fixing Adam's fall by reversing the curse of the Garden of Eden. And how did he do it? As are Messiah who was fully maned. Jesus overcame Satan's temptation by reliance on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Jesus, Now, please, did you hear the key elements there? How did he do it? Are Messiah fully human? What does he stress? He ignores the deity of Christ. He stresses his humanity. And how did he do it? By relying on the Holy Spirit and by scripture? Just know he emphasized the humanity of Christ and the reliance of the Holy Spirit and scripture. Now he's going to say just a couple more things here.

13:38 Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit and he quoted Scripture to the devil using the sword of the Spirit to fight the enemy. Now, think about this. If Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit and the scriptures, how foolish would we be to try to face Satan's temptations in our own wisdom, to think that we could help smart him more outreason him. We must depend upon the Holy Spirit, and we must use the word of God, just as Jesus did. Well, now that's all he says about the how. But notice didn't notice he emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, And did you hear it? He needed the Holy Spirit, he needed the scriptures like he needed this in order not to sin. He needed this in order to overcome sin.

14:28 I got a million thiological problems with the way this has stated. I got a million problems here, all right. And so we've already talked about this, and then of course immediately he turns it into see this as being prescriptive. This is prescribing how we are to overcome sin. Rely on the Holy Spirit and quote Scripture to the devil, and then we can overcome sin just like Jesus. That's what's being implied. See, Jesus did it this way, Now you do it this way, and you'll get similar results. Well, if that's the case, all I had to do is rely on the Holy Spirit quote scripture, and I should be perfect because well Jesus was perfect. Well no, no, I'm not saying you'll do it perfectly. Well wait a minute.

15:08 Either I can do it or I can't do it. Either this leads to the same conclusion or it doesn't. If it doesn't, then what are you saying, Well, you can rely on the Holy Spirit quote scripture, but you still can't be perfect. Okay, well, then so does it help me win or does it Well, it helps you win some, but not win. Then it becomes this all discombobulated, convoluted mess. And again you're making the passage prescriptive. It's not. It's descriptive. So let's take this apart. Now we've gone through all of this, I'm gonna I'm I'm skipping down on all of these notes. I'm not gonna go back and review everything because. I think I think there's to me.

15:49 I think there are legitimate concerns, legitimate concerns, and I believe they highlight significant theological and interpretive issues. When we handle Matthew four more in a prescriptive way, than a descriptive way. So I'm just gonna go through a number of things here. Some of these things will be somewhat repeating what we've already discussed. Some of these will be adding to it, because I want to build on this and I want to try to get us away from handling Matthew four like most sermons handle it. I think most sermons handle Matthew four. It's a travesty. It's spiritual malpractice. It's wrong, all right. So let's look at the problem of turning jesus temptation into a prescriptive formula. That's why it almost always happens. You want to know how to overcome sin, We'll open your Bibles to Matthew chapter four, and we're gonna learn the formula. We're gonna learn the way to overcome sin because all we gotta do is do what Jesus did and we'll get similar results.

16:49 I think that's absolutely nonsensical. Ridiculous, illogical, theologically in error. I think it's crazy, okay, And that's just a positive things I have to say. Many sermons and Bible studies I've got, I've got books all around me. I could pull up books and just look you've got the. Sermons two point oh app today. Look you know what you do today? Just start listening to sermons on Matthew four. Go tell me what you've find. You tell me what you find. Don't take my word for it. Go listen and see what you find. I believe many Bible studies, sermons, books, commentaries, they typically present the victory of Jesus over temptation as a step by step method. For you and I, it will go something like this, how do you overcome temptation?

17:35 How do you overcome sin? How can you resist the devil? Number one? Be filled with the Holy Spirit? Now, in the charismatic world, that means be filled with the Holy Spirit. How do you know you're filled with the Holy Spirit? While the evidence of. That is speaking in tongues? Okay, and I completely reject that. They believe that being filled with the Holy Spirit is something that happens after salvation. And maybe it may work somewhat, you know, at the same time, but you can be saved and then receive the Holy Spirit later. We can get into that all discussion. Of course, I reject everything charismatic say all the way around. For us, we. Believe that we are filled with the Holy Spirit at salvation. So be saved, be filled with the Holy Spirit. Okay, Now some Christians will say, well, you're saved and you have the Holy Spirit, you have to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And that's not the Holy Spirit getting more of you. That that's not you getting more of the Holy Spirit. That's the Holy Spirit getting more of you.

18:26 I means you have to surrender to the Holy Spirit so that you can be filled with the Holy Spirit. And you have to do this and this and this in order to be filled by the Holy Spirit, which means I have to do these things apart from the power of the Holy Spirit in order to be filled, so that I can then have the power of the Holy Spirit. But if I can do all of these things, surrendering and doing all of this in order to be filled, then I don't need the Holy Spirit after I'm filled because I was able to do it. Okay, then it gets. All convoluted and complicated again. All right, But the idea is, you got to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You have to memorize scripture, so you got to be like Jesus. When temptation comes, you can just quote scripture. You can just quote You don't have to look it up. You don't have a Bible app you're not opening. You can just quote it right. Number three.

19:09 Then not only do you memorize it so you can quote it number three, you have to quote it when you're tempted. You got to quote Scripture. Whatever the temptation is, you quote it, whatever that whatever it is, you got to quote it right. So for example, now the dog's not barking, but if the dog starts barking again, the dog is irritating me. It's frustrating me because I'm trying to do teaching and it's barking. So you know what, do all things without complaining and grumbling? Do all things without complaining and grumbling? All right? So does that fix it? Well, some will take the idea that it does. All right. There I sneezed, okay, I apologize for that. So that frustrates me. So now that now I'm irritating. Oh, do all things without grumbling and complaining? Do all things without do not get irritated, do not be okay?

19:56 All right? And then guess what will happen? So fulfilled with the Holy Spirit womor scripture, we quote Scripture. Victory over sin will follow. That's what you have to do. Right. So I should not be frustrated. I should not be irritated, right because, and I should not be complaining. I should not be grumbling. Right So, even though the dog is barking, even though I had to sneeze in the middle of a broadcast, which is irritating, all right, hopefully I got it muted. No, no, no, no, don't be filled with anxiety, worry, frustration. Okay, So if I just quote it, then it should all work, right. Now, Let's be honest.

20:36 This practical, the practical application of this. This sounds appilling, doesn't it doesn't it sound appealing. When I was a young. Christian, I would love this. I would love Oh yes, give me the step step one, step two, step three, step four, step five, because I'm a teenager and I struggle with this and I want to do this and I want to do this. Okay, I just need these steps. Okay, Okay, what do I do? What do I do do? Okay, I do this. I do this. I would read every I remember. In fact, I have the book. I think it's downstairs. Let me see. I'm looking. I'm looking. Make sure I don't have a copy up here. I think it's downstairs.

21:19 It's written by Charles Stanley, An Overcoming Temptation Man. I had that book marked up so much as a teenager. I'm like, Okay, I'm going to follow all of these steps, and I would get this book and get this book and this book and this book. That's why books sell so well, especially a lot of times. Amongst I've told you before. I'll just give you an example. I know, I cut myself off there. One of the most successful things we ever offered as I offered a PDF file that was about to help men overcome porn porn addiction. That was the most requested thing. We gave away Bible dictionaries, we gave away Bible handbooks, we gave away commentaries.

21:59 No, no, no, no no. The thing that was requested the most of everything we've ever offered was a PDF book on how to overcome porn addiction. Hmm, that's interesting. I wonder why, well, one that would show that there's a whole lot of Christian men struggling with porn. Okay, oh wait, wait wait, that shouldn't be possible. But see, but every the main thing I want you to take from it is it it's because it offered a formula. Oh oh, this will give me the steps. Everybody wants the steps. Everybody wants that formula. Oh do this, I do this, I do and I get this. It's like a recipe. At a little of this, at a little of this, at a little of this, put it in the oven, bake for you know, for what you know, one hour and boom. Look at how perfect it is.

22:48 The Only problem is all of these formulas don't typically work, and I believe the Matthew four formula doesn't work either. But it sounds good. Now. I think this creates several philological and experiential problems. Number one, here's just a couple of the problems I think this creates. Scripture does not promise that using these steps guarantees victory over sin. There's no guarantee. Matthew four is just a descriptive passage of what Jesus did. It's not telling me, hey, if you do this, this will work. I don't think that that's an accurate thing, because guess what, two thousand years of Church history has demonstrated Believers pray, Believers try to rely on the spirit. Believers quote scripture after scripture after scripture, not only do they continue to struggle with sin, they continue to sin. Let me give you an example. All right, I'm going to rely on the Holy Spirit. I'm gonna memorize be Ye Holy as He is Holy, And every single time I am tempted to do anything, I'm going to quote be Holy as He is Holy. You know what, I Am never going to be holy as He is Who, no matter how many times I memorize that scripture, no matter how many times I quote it, no matter if I have it written on the refrigerator, the bathroom mirror, the rear view.

24:08 Mirror, and the car. It doesn't matter if I have it written on it doesn't matter where I write it. I Am never gonna be holy as God is Holy. So I can rely on the Holy Spirit. I can memorize that scripture, I can quote that scripture. I will never obey that scripture, never, never, never, So already from just a I mean, there is an experiential test that you can do knowing that something's already wrong. I'm following the formula. I will never be holy as God is holy. Now, how can I ever be holy as God is holy? Well? I can't practically, but guess what. Let me read the Bible. Oh, here's this person named Jesus. Look at him. He was born of a virgin. He was with the Word.

24:51 I mean, he was with God and he was God. Oh wait, wait, that means Jesus. Oh wait, Jesus is. The eternal son of God, second person of the Trinity. Because the Word was with God and the Word was God. Okay, you get the idea what I'm quoting here. Okay, he was with God, he was God, all right, So Jesus is the eternal son of God. And then look, he's tempted and all points as we are. Yet without sin, he was perfect, he was holy, he was righteous. Oh, and guess what. Happens when I put my faith in him? His righteousness is imputed to my account. So in him I am perfect. But see that means Matthew four is not. Giving me a formula and how I can overcome sin and practice. It's demonstrating Jesus is. The one who overcame it, and by putting my faith in him, his overcoming, his obedience then is accredited.

25:34 To my account. It's not a formula. It's showing what Jesus did and that we can get there. Another issue is I think I think another problem is ultimately, when we go with this formula minded, prescriptive mindset, it places the burden of overcoming sin on human effort. It suggests that, hey, if you'll just do what Jesus did, you basically can achieve sin lessness. You can do it. Go ahead and think that you can't, and now the burden and everything becomes about you and about what you can do. No, the whole point is, it's what Jesus did.

26:18 Another problem with all of this it does not align with real human experience. See Christians who. Try to approach this and the way that most pastors teach it. Well, you're gonna fall, and you're gonna be left feeling guilty, and you know what, ultimately you'll be left with You'll doubt your self, fation, You'll be filled with worry, You'll be filled with anxiety, fear, dread, discouragement, disillusionment. So how should we approach Matthew for Jesus' victory in the wilderness. Jesus victory in this temptation is primarily a model for.

27:02 Us, is not? I mean, we stated it this way, we stated this way. Jesus victory in the wilderness. Jesus victory over temptation is not a model for us. It's not a model, it's not a formula. It is a unique event tied to his mission as the second Adam and the Messiah. I'll just reference some scriptures Romans eight thirteen. For God has done what the law. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do, by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. Jesus does what we can't do. Jesus does what the law.

27:45 He fulfilled the law, because the law would never change us or transform us, It only condemns us. Jesus did something in his temptation in life that we could never do. He had perfect obedience and place of our perfect disobedience. We could quote Galatians two twenty. I have been crucified with Christ. This is no longer I who live, but Christ, who lives in me. Your ultimate victory over sin isn't following a method, but it is being united to Christ, who's already conquered it. On your behalf. I die. I am found in Christ, Christ, Righteousness, Christ obedience now becomes my righteousness and my obedience and my positional reality.

28:31 My practical reality is one of sin. Those are all Look, those are some problems, and that's a biblical response to all of this. Right, this is the whole problem of turning jesus temptation into a prescriptive formula. And this is kind of the way we should approach it. We should understand this is not a model, it's not a formula. It's showing us what Jesus did on our behalf. Now, another issue with all of this, and I'm just going through different concepts here talking about it, is that typically the way pastors handle Matthew four is they ignore the divine nature of Christ and they ignore the fact that he was sinless.

29:17 When you look at Matthew four and we turn this and oh, we can do it, we can do it. We can do it. We just do the same thing. We rely on the Holy Spirit, we quote scripture, we memorize scripture. When you turn it into that, you've. Missed the whole point, because this is something different. You cannot ignore the fact that Jesus was God, and you cannot ignore the fact that he did not even he did not have a sinful nature. He is sinless in nature, in thought, he is sinless. We are sinful. He is divine, we are human. You can't take a model of what Jesus did. But you know why they do this because they didn't ignore his divinity. Just like we heard in that Divi, he was fully maned. They stressed the humanity part, ignoring the sinless part and the deity part. Many teachings emphasize when they get to Matthew four, the humanity of Jesus and the temptation, and they almost completely ignore or at least separate it from his divinity. And this should be a red flag to everyone whenever I hear Matthew four talked about.

30:33 And it stresses Jesus was a man. Jesus was a man. Jesus was a man. And here's how we do it. Here is how he did it. Now you go do it the same way. Every red siren, red flag, red alert, every warning signal in the world should go off in your mind. You should be like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. At least I need to pay close attention here because this has the potential of sliding over into a major philological heresy. See when we consider biblical christology, who is Jesus. Jesus is fully God and fully man. This is the hypostatic union.

31:19 You have to have both. Right, he is fully God and fully man, John chapter one. I'll I'm just going to read John chapter one and John chapter one, verse fourteen. And the beginning was the word. The word was with God, and the word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, John chapter one, verse one. In John chapter one, verse fourteen gives you both sides of it. He was with God, he was God, and he became flesh Colossians two nine. For in him, that's in Christ. The whole fullness of the deity dwells bodily. Jesus never cease being God. Even in his humanity. He never ceased being God, he said, when you say, well, in his temptation, he was fully man. He never stopped being fully God.

32:15 Not only that Jesus did not have a sinful nature. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. That's Hebrews four fifteen Luke one thirty five. The child to be born will be called Holy, the son of God. Jesus humanity was real, but it was unfallen. He did not have a corrupt nature, and we have that nature even after salvation. So immediately we're already in a categorically different perspective. He is God, he is sin less, no sinful nature. Now you're gonna hand me a formula that's somehow going to help me overcome sin.

33:00 Because Jesus overcame, he could not sin. He was God right that you're missing the point? He said, well so, people said, well, so was the temptation real? Was the temptation not real? The point was he did not sin. He came and kept the law as a representative of you, so that his obedience could be accredited to your account. Many sermons treat Jesus temptation as if he faced it in the same exact way we do, ignoring that he.

33:41 Is the sinless son of God. His divine nature wasn't just magically turned off while he faced real human temptation. He was never internally drawn to sin as you and I are. His experience is unique. It was not just a personal struggle, but it was part of his role as the second atom, overcoming where Adam fell. So what are so this is the theological error that this can lead to and what we have to. Be careful of. This is known as the knotic heresy or canosis. See, some people almost teach even those who would argue, they're not for the canotic kerose, they're they're against cainnosis.

34:27 They're they're they're they're they're. Against that whole concept, they still at least almost imply that Jesus emptied himself of his divine attributes when he became man. And they that they take this from Philippians two five through seven, and Philippians two five through seven does not are six through seven does not mean Jesus stopped being God, only that he humbled himself in taking on a servant's role. He didn't stop being God. He could not have sinned because he was God. He didn't. Well, he did it as a man, and he relied on the spirit. Well, whatever you mean by relying on the spirit, it's not like, well, if I rely on the spirit, I'll get similar same results, because I'm not going to get similar the same results.

35:18 For two reasons. He was still God. So therefore he could not sin, and he did not have a sinful nature. If I take the formula and apply it to me, I'm not gonna get anywhere near similar results because I'm not God. I'm sinful even before I do an act. My sinfulness flows from my. Nature, and I have a sinful nature. We have to acknowledge the reality of human sinfulness versus Jesus' sinlessness. Let me state that again, we have to acknowledge the reality of our sinful versus the reality of the sinlessness of Jesus.

36:08 We continue to sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Even in Romans seven twenty one through twenty five, Paul maintains that he could he let me stay it this way, Paul not maintains the truth and the reality that even as a mature believer, we struggle with ongoing sin. Unlike Jesus, we have a sinful nature. Even after salvation. We have an internal inclination towards sin. Jesus did not. We are not able to perfectly resist temptation Jesus did. Even so called spirit filled believers struggle with sin. If merely quoting scripture and relying on the spirit led to sinlessness, then all mature Christians would be sinless, which we are not. Matthew four is not a prescriptive formula. It is a descriptive truth, as a descriptive proclamation that Jesus did what nobody else could, and we should celebrate that and say I am not.

37:28 This is not a formula. This is not for me to follow the example. This is for me to celebrate and put my trust in the one who is sinless, because his sinlessness is a credit to my account. His obedience is accredited to my account. If we teach that quoting scripture and relying on the spirit enables believers to basically resist sin like Jesus did, we will mislead people into thinking sin should be easily avoidable. We will create spiritual discouragement for those who still struggle, and we fail to emphasize that our victory comes from christ finished work, not from our efforts. Let me state that again.

38:08 If you handle Matthew four wrong, you're going to mislead people into thinking sin should be easily avoidable. Number two, you're going to create spiritual discouragement for those who still struggle and number three, you're going to fail to emphasize that our victory comes from Christ finish work, not for what we do or don't do. If you want true comfort from Matthew four, it's not a formula to beat sin. It basically is this, Jesus perfectly obeyed on our behalf because we never could. His victory is our victory, not because we copy his actions, but because we are in him. Our hope is in his righteousness, not our ability to resist sin. I want you to if you don't write anything things down, write these three things down.

38:53 Matthew four teaches. Jesus perfectly obeyed on our behalf because we never could. Adam couldn't, Israel couldn't. We can't. In fact, that's why there's so many similarities between the temptation of Jesus and the temptation of Adam and Eve, the temptation of Jesus and the temptation. Of Israel in the wilderness. He's recapt He's showing everyone else failed in similar or like situations or in some ways different situations. Right that Adam they had everything, and Jesus was in the wilderness without food, but Jesus still overcame. So I want you to write these three things down.

39:34 You ready. Jesus perfectly obeyed on our behalf because we never could. Let me state that again, Jesus perfectly obeyed on our behalf because we never could. Jesus perfectly obeyed on our behalf because we never could. Number two, his victory is our victory not because we copy it, not because we copy his actions, but because. We are in him. His victory is our victory, not because we copy his actions, but because. We are in him. Number Three, our hope is in his righteousness. Not our ability to resist sin. All right? Did you get those three?

40:25 Jesus perfectly obeyed on our behalf because we never could. No one could. His victory is our victory, not because we copy it, but because we are in him. Number three, our hope is in his righteousness, not our own ability. So my issue with the way Matthew Chapter four is typically taught by most sermons is that it turns jesus victory into a prescriptive method for overcoming sin. Yet the reality is we all remain in sin, all right. So it's not a victory. It's not victory into a prescriptive method. It's victory because Jesus was victorious, and his victory is imputed to me. But no, the common interpretation turns jesus victory into a prescriptive method for overcoming sin. Yet we remain sinful.

41:08 So there's already a problem. So that's the first problem. Number two, it separates Jesus humanity from his divinity, ignoring that he was truly fully God even even as. He was tempted. Or I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna rephrase the way I put that. It separates Jesus humanity from his divinity and ignores that not only was he fully God, he was sinless with no sinful nature, even as he was tempted. I know, I just added a lot to that. But the common teaching separates Jesus humanity from his divinity, ignores that he was fully God, and it ignores that he was sinless. Just like that devotional did. It just emphasized his humanity. It didn't speak of his deity or the fact that he was sinless. I think I'll just go with those two. I think I'll go with those two.

42:03 I have more here, but I'm gonna skip it. So typically, the problems I have with most teaching is. The common interpretation turns jesus victory into a prescriptive method for overcoming sin, and we know the reality is we are still in sin. It separates jesus humanity from his divinity and ignores that not only was he fully God, that he had a sinless nature and those things were there even as he was tempted. All right, there we have it.

42:48 When we talk about Jesus taking on a human nature, did he have some limitations as humans do? We can't deny that. We know he did that, right, I was gonna. I had written some things down here that Yes, he got hungry, he got tired, like there was there we see the reality of his humanity there, we see that. But by taking on the form of a servant right in many cases, in some situations, he laid aside his glory, or maybe we could say he lay aside the use of certain power. I mean because he walked places. He didn't just show up somewhere, right, So sometimes he limited himself, but that did not ever stop him from being God.

43:33 His deity always remained. He did not lay aside his deity. He did not turn off his deity. Right, and I got a lot more here, but I think we can get that. So we have to avoid that or we end up in the I know, I know pastors don't want to end up in the Kenosis heresy, but it's just weird. They'll say the hypostatic union. Well, that means he was truly man as well. Well, so now we're gonna take this and just focus completely, like almost separate it, like, Okay, he's truly God, he's truly man. Now we're just gonna focus on the fact that he was truly man and then look at all of this in light of how Jesus handled it as a man. But you're still forgetting he's still God. It's like you can't just separate the two.

44:24 It's a hypostatic union. They are both present. You can't so separate them. He was truly man, but he was truly God, and he never stopped being truly God, and even in his humanity, still sinless, still without a sinful nature. We just we like to make everything about us, and we cannot do that now. I know some of this was somewhat repetitive to what we've talked about, and I've got a lot more. I've got more notes here that we can get into we get we may get and more into knosis. Uh, the heresy of canotic theology and and and the whole canosis concept and all of that that problem.

45:21 We may we may do that a little bit more. I need to find the sermon that mentioned the hypostatic union, because once again. They mentioned it, and I'm like, what do you what? What? What do you go? Where are you going with this? So here's what I would say. Christianity at large is obsessed. With this idea that when we become a Christian we become morally superior to everyone else. We become good little boys and girls, and we do everything right, and we become better, and we become trends formed and we're different.

46:01 And it's so it almost becomes a moralism. It becomes this theistic moral moralism is what it becomes. It's about morality, morality, morality, do this, don't do this, do this, don't do this, And it seems to completely have lost what it's originally about. The whole concept of Christianity from a non Catholic perspective, Remember, Catholicism says you become saved and you're infused with righteousness, you're infused with it right. Well, now that does something. Our whole concept from a non Catholic perspective is the law reveals how messed up we are and reveals our incapability of keeping it. But then the Gospel.

46:42 Shows us that Christ did everything the law demanded, fulfilled it in every way possible. He fulfilled all righteousness. Not one jot or tittle was not fulfilled. He's fulfilled it all. And by my faith in him, his obedience, passive and active, is imputed to my account. Imputed mean. It doesn't make me righteous practically, it makes me righteous positionally. Positionally, I am perfect. I am holy and righteous. The practical reality of your Christian life, from the moment of your conversion all the way until the moment of glorification will be you will remain a sinner. You live your life in perpetual sin. I don't care how much you want to deny that. I don't care how much you want to pretend that you're better than everyone else.

47:33 I don't care how self righteous you. Want to be. I don't care if you want to stand on a mountain and say. I think the God that I'm not like that guy on the Theology Central podcast, I go to church. I tithe. I don't do this, I don't do that. I don't do that. I'm better than everyone else. You sit there and pound your chest telling everyone how good you are. But I know the reality and you know the reality. We're all messed up sinners. How do I know this? Because the command is be holy as He is holy. You're never that, not for one second of one day are you ever as holy as He is holy? So you're in a perpetual state of sin. If you break one law, you're guilty of all of it.

48:26 Oh I know. I hate to say this to some of you. You're an adulterer. Oh no, I'm not. Yes, you are, because if you break one point of the law, you're guilty of all of it. You're an idolator, you're covetous, you're a thief, you're a murderer. You're a liar, just like I am. So what's my hope Not in following some prescriptive formula that I impose on the text. My hope is, look what Jesus did it. He did it, he defeated Satan, he didn't sin. Well, why is that good news?

49:10 Because by faith. In him his righteousness is imputed in my account. So in Christ, I'm a new creature. Old things have passed away, All things are new. Positionally in Christ. I'm perfect in Christ. I'm obedient in Christ. I've defeated the devil. In Christ, I am absolutely without sin. You say, what does that mean? Practically means I still have to rely on that imputed righteousness and that grace. Am I excusing any sin? I'm not excusing any But again, it's such a subjective game we play. Well, you shouldn't do this, and you shouldn't do this. Well, congratulations, we shouldn't. I completely agree with you. We should fight against it. Just remember you can put fifty things on that list that you don't do. Oh, I don't do this, and I don't do that, and I don't do this, and I don't do that. And you can sound all self righteous, you still don't meet the command. Be holy as He is holy, be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. Love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. Love your neighbor as yourself, love your enemy, turn the other cheek, do all things without complaining and grumbling. We've taken a passage about what Christ has done, and we turn it into what we should do, which is the very essence of

50:42 what's wrong with so much of preaching. We take a passage about what Christ has done that's gospel, and we preach it and teach it as if it's law. Let me state again that law gospel distinction, which has been a. Part of church history. I know when I talk about it people look at me like I'm seeing some foreign concept. This goes back to the entire Protestant Reformation. Ladies and gentlemen, a proper distinction between law and gospel. When I read a passage about what Jesus has done, I don't find in that what I should do. I find in that what Jesus has done, and that's beautiful, and I should find refreshing, refreshment and peace and.

51:23 Joy from that because Jesus did it for me. And whenever I find a passage that tells me what I should do, I should be broken and crushed and humiliated by it because I see my failure. And then I run back to what Christ has done, and I find peace and refreshment and joy. Matthew four is about what Jesus did. How did we turn that into what we should do? I will never know. He did it because I can't. Adam couldn't, Israel couldn't. David couldn't, Abraham couldn't, Solomon could count, Paul couldn't, Peter couldn't.

52:04 No one can. Why don't we want to believe that we can't? Look. I would love. I hope everyone understands this. I would love so much. I would love so much. That I could just take a simple, prescriptive formula, follow it, and never sin again. I would love that I was perfect in my thinking. I would love if I was perfect in my desire.

52:45 I would love. But I am. I am a messed up, twisted, degenerate, is. What I am. I'm a vile, horrible, sinful human being. I don't deserve to breathe another breath. I deserve to be in hell. Paul says he's the chief of sinners. It's always funny Paul can say I'm the chief of sinners, and I'm like, well, he was just very sensitive, and we don't believe that he was actually committing any sin. I wish sometimes we could find out all the sins Paul was actually committing, because people would probably be shocked. He knew he was a sinner. I know I'm a sinner. You know you're a sinner. Now you may have a list of the sins you don't commit, and you know what, I am glad you don't because usually there's major practical implications when you commit certain sins, Usually bad things happen.

53:46 We can all agree with that, right. Scandal, you know, shame, humiliation, pain, brokenness, We know all the difficult difficulties that can come from come from it. I know that, and I'm glad that I don't commit those. But for whatever sins I'm not committing. For whatever sins I'm not committing, there's plenty of others I am committing. I think that's the point. Even if you're not committing those that you can feel so good about, like. Well, I didn't do this and I didn't do that. Well, congratulations. It is good from a practical standpoint. It may be good for relationships, it may be good for your life. Great, feel good about yourself. I am glad for you. But from a philological perspective, just turn around and go, okay, oh wait, I'm still a sinner.

54:35 I'm still a sinner. I'm still a sinner. That's no fun. We have the sinful nature inside of us, like that barking dog, and it just keeps barking and it never stops, and it keeps. It desires sin, it wants sin. It corrupts at our motives. It makes us sinful because that's why we are sinful. We do sinful things because we are sinner. We don't become sinners by sinning. We send because we're sinners. That you can't take what Matthew four and turn it into some like four step program to fix everything, because you're taking what Jesus did. And do you not understand the categorical difference. He was divine, he was sinless. You're human and you're sinful. So it's a descriptive passage, not a prescriptive passage. Now I think we've covered that. I know that was somewhat repetitive. I know I'm going to get the emails. I know some of you are going to complain, well, you didn't need to do that third message because you already covered it in first two. I know that I'm aware of that. But at the same time, my justification for doing this will be go listen to matt all sermons on Matthew four and when you hear how many times this is handled in a completely opposite way that I presented to you.

55:59 Then I believe my being repetitive is necessary. Now I wanted to get more into the canotic heresy. We could get into the idea, Well, did Jesus rely on the Holy Spirit? What did that mean? What does that not mean? I just know whatever it means, it doesn't mean he stopped being God and that his deity was not present. And I think it also means it does not mean that. Well, if Jesus relied on the Holy spirits as quote unquote in his humanity, I can rely on it and get the same results. No, you're talking completely different situation. All right, I'll stop there. Man, I wish this would have gone a little differently. I apologize, But that's okay, that's okay.

56:41 It's all important. It's all important, So thanks for listening. I wish I could say something profound here now to make it all worth it. I can't. So if I haven't said anything profound in fifty six minutes, I'm not going to say anything profound in fifty seven minutes. So everyone have a great day. God bless