Only Jesus Knows the Full Force of Temptation

Audio Transcript

Jesus was sinless. “He committed no sin, neither was deceit observed in his mouth,” claims Peter (1 Peter 2:22). And he stays sinless right now. “In him there is no sin,” says John (1 John 3:5). This superb real truth varieties the foundation of his substitutionary atoning perform for sinners. But his sinlessness also forms the basis of why he is experienced to sympathize with us as sinners. And on that place comes a controversy. If Jesus is sinless, does not that necessarily mean he never ever actually tasted the power of temptation? How can a best man who in no way sinned — a male who by no means struggled to get free from a sin behavior — how can he truly really feel the electricity of temptation?

This line of wondering is incorrect. It’s wrong because you are not battling with sin if you’re regularly supplying in to sin. In other words, the force of temptation is felt most strongly by individuals who most earnestly resist providing in to the sin. And if that position seems familiar, it should. We included that theme a number of times on the podcast by now, specifically in episodes on lust like APJ episodes 291, 804, and 963. The pressure of temptation is felt most strongly by these who most earnestly resist offering in to the sin. Pastor John describes in this clip, from a 1996 sermon.

I apologize for about a minute of static in the middle of it. But the clip is too superior, and the place too crucial, not to share right here on the podcast. Here’s Pastor John, 25 years ago, preaching on Hebrews 4:15, a text that tells us our high priest can sympathize with our weakness, mainly because he by no means sinned.

Now, glance at verse 15. In spite of the actuality that verse 14 provides a spectacular and lofty fantastic significant priest, verse 15 describes him in an additional way.

We do not have a higher priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every single respect has been tempted as we are, nevertheless devoid of sin.

See three items: (1) he was tempted like you are (2) he never gave into temptation, under no circumstances sinned and (3) he is quite sympathetic with us in our weaknesses.

Temptation’s Complete Drive

Fifty many years in the past, C.S. Lewis was pondering this text, and he heard an objection lifted by a scoffer, and the objection went like this: “If Jesus in no way sinned, he just cannot know what authentic temptation is like. He just cannot sympathize, he just cannot empathize with me due to the fact he’s hardly ever tasted the total power of temptation.” And this is what C.S. Lewis wrote in reaction:

A foolish notion is recent that excellent people do not know what temptation signifies. This is an obvious lie. Only these who check out to resist temptation know how robust it is. . . . A guy who provides in to temptation just after 5 minutes basically does not know what it would have been like an hour later on.

And I may possibly incorporate: or a life time afterwards — like hanging in there with a difficult marriage and resisting the temptation to bail out, or hanging in there against sexual temptation and resisting the temptation, not just 5 minutes or just one hour, but calendar year in and 12 months out, ten years in and 10 years out, until Jesus arrives or calls. Discuss about understanding the power and electric power of temptation — only people who do that know the whole force. Lewis carries on,

That is why poor people today in just one sense know really minor about badness. They have lived a sheltered everyday living by always supplying in. . . . Christ, due to the fact He was the only gentleman who under no circumstances yielded to temptation, is also the only male who is familiar with to the complete what temptation signifies — the only full realist. (Mere Christianity, 142)

“Jesus was ‘tempted as we are, nonetheless without having sin,’ and therefore he appreciates the entire pressure of what it is to be tempted.”

Really don’t you at any time believe that since you have lived a life of sin that you know more about temptation than the godly human being who has walked that razor’s edge of the straight and narrow, gritting his enamel in the ability of the Holy Spirit and stating, “No, no, no, no, no,” and fighting his way via every working day with righteousness, and laying his head down, and sensation the force of evil on him working day after day after day, and triumphing more than it in God. Really do not you ever consider that you know additional of evil than that individual, or that you know extra of evil than Jesus Christ. Jesus was “tempted as we are, still devoid of sin,” and hence he is aware of the full drive of what it is to be tempted.

In Each individual Way as We Are

Allow me illustrate for you.

Jesus was tempted to lie to conserve his life. Would you not, surrounded by troopers, spears, a cross in the corner, nails on the floor, hammers around there, obtaining seen what it was like when they questioned you, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the residing God?” be tempted to lie?

He was tempted to steal to assistance his mother when his father died, I do not doubt. There were at least five young children in that family. Widows do not make it simple. Joseph disappears off the scene early. Jesus was tempted to steal. Jesus was tempted to covet all these matters, individuals wonderful issues that Zacchaeus had. Even just after he gave away half his products, he was a abundant guy, and Jesus walked out possessing nothing at all. Do you feel he was not tempted to covet a dwelling for himself, a put to lay his head down every night time?

He was tempted to dishonor his dad and mom when they had been rough on him and advised him what was proper and incorrect and set restrictions, potentially additional than the other boys in Nazareth. He was tempted to get revenge when he was wrongly accused. So normally they mentioned lies about him. And with 1 term, he could have created fools out of them.

He was tempted to lust when Mary knelt down, leaned above, and wiped his feet with her hair. He was tempted to murmur at God’s sovereignty when his mate and colleague and brother, John the Baptist, was beheaded at the whim of a dancing lady. “Where are you, God?” He was tempted to gloat more than his accusers when they could not remedy his inquiries.

He knew the fight, individuals, and he triumphed around that monster just about every day, all day, for 30-three years. And when it crescendoed at the conclude, he in no way ever gave in.

Who Will Aid the Helpless?

Now, enable me near by pointing you to verse 16. The summary that we attract from all of this — that we have a fantastic superior priest, that he is the Son of God, that he has handed by means of the heavens with God, that he is sympathetic with us — the summary to attract is that we can attract around to God for grace.

Allow me pose a difficulty, as we near, that has saved many persons away from Jesus. And I want to make guaranteed no person falls for this, for the reason that there are so a lot of persons — I have talked to so numerous. I’ve read of so lots of who get to the disaster level of whether to embrace Christ as their large priest, their Savior, their Lord, their King, their manual, their mate, and they thrust it away.

Here’s why lots of of them do: all people in this space understands that you have to have support.

• We will need assist with our bodies.
• We want assistance with our minds.
• We require aid with our careers.
• We want assistance with our spouses.
• We need enable with our youngsters.
• We require assist with our funds.
• We want support with our selections.

All people understands we have to have aid. And there’s a 2nd matter all people in this home is aware of in your most truthful times: you never have earned help. John Piper does not are entitled to any support from anybody. Why? I’m a sinner. I ought to have just one thing: judgment. I never are entitled to enable. So listed here I am. I require aid to live my everyday living and cope with eternity, and I do not should have assist.

Grace for the Least Deserving

Now, what are you heading to do? This is the entice that keeps lots of men and women away from Christ. You have bought maybe three or 4 options.

1. You can deny it all and say, “I’ll be a superman or superwoman and increase higher than my have to have for aid.” And that may previous a calendar year, a decade, and then you’d break.

2. Or you could say, “I can’t deny it all, but I can drown it all,” and you toss your daily life into a pool of sensual satisfaction.” That is a chance.

3. The 3rd possibility is really widespread. It’s seeking listed here: “I require support with my lifestyle. My daily life doesn’t work. I’m not in manage. I particularly can’t take care of my sin and my eternity.” And in excess of listed here: “I never should have help. No one owes me anything, for the reason that I’m a sinner. I have wrecked points so numerous periods, and my frame of mind stinks, and I don’t appreciate God the way I ought to.” Paralysis and hopelessness. And when you existing the gospel to a particular person like that, if they really do not have ears to hear, they just say, “There’s no way. There is no hope for me.”

4. But now there is a fourth option. And that is what the Bible is about, that is what the historical past of Israel is about, which is what this textual content is about. And the possibility is this: There is a substantial priest who is the Son of God, who usually takes the blood of his personal loss of life into the existence of God. And he allows us to say, “Yes, I need assistance — and indeed, I never have earned it. But no, I will not be paralyzed, since there is a mediator, and Jesus arrived to give the undeserving support.”

“The throne of grace is God assembly the need of undeserving individuals.”

What do you simply call that? The throne of grace. The throne of grace is God conference the will need of undeserving people today. You have bought to hear that now. I want you to choose that out of in this article in about a single moment. Grace will come into your lifestyle when you are paralyzed with the sense that you have to have enable and you really don’t ought to have aid, and thus, you experience hopeless, and you are both likely to superman it out or drown it out or be paralyzed with depression.

And grace comes in and states, “Yes, you’ve analyzed that rightly: you require support. Sure, you’ve analyzed that rightly: you do not are worthy of a factor from God. But no, you don’t require to be a superman. No, you really don’t want to drown it. And no, you don’t require to be paralyzed. The fourth alternative is this: “I paid for that sin, and even though you do not are worthy of any aid, God will give you assistance if you come by a superior priest.”