Power To Resist: The Temptation of Jesus (11AM)

Temptation is something you want to have or to do, even though you know you shouldn't. That bag of peanut butter cups on top of your fridge might be an example of a temptation. The thing that you want despite knowing it's not good for you — like the cool sneakers you really can't afford — is a temptation.

In the Bible, temptation is the intentional enticement of a person, by some bait—usually pride, always self-gratifying—to disobey God’s revealed Word. The predicate may be demonic or fleshly, but the object is always the distortion of God’s world and the defiance of God’s mission in the world.

Temptation is as old as, well, the Garden of Eden. The devil, in the form of the serpent, tempted our first parents, Adam and Eve. They fell for the lie, which flattered them, and were led into the trap of death and loss. The rest of the Bible unfurls the redemptive plan of God in Christ.

When we face temptation, we need to rely on two things. The Holy Spirit and God's Word. In this lesson we will see how Jesus modeled this for us. He can provide a way for us to escape its clutches and to continue down the paths of righteousness.