Jesus Measured – Satan’s Second Temptation

Satan has tempted Jesus for forty days and after those days of testing, Scripture outlines three specific temptations that become the climax of this entire trial period.

We have witnessed how first Satan tempted Jesus in the desert of despair.  The evil one focused upon Jesus’ hunger in an attempt to produce doubt in His Son-ship and God’s care.   Jesus, however, did not fall victim to this temptation.  He utilized the power of the Word, the dominance of His humility, and a great decisiveness to defeat Satan’s presentation.

Although Satan’s first temptation was unsuccessful, the tempter did not give up or surrender.  He did not accept defeat or even feel defeated.  He regrouped and came up with a new PLACE from which to level his next enticement.  A place that was high and holy.  One could say his tempting environment has gone from the desert of despair, to Jesus’ place of strength – the Temple.
This temptation contains a revised PROPOSAL.  Satan now wants Jesus to prove what He does not need to prove and engage in the sensational to produce a popularity which will never serve His eternal purpose.

Lastly, the tempter will pervert the very PROMISE of God.  He will misapply Scripture in an attempt to lead Jesus down a path of sinfulness.  Such has always been his practice (used the same with Adam and Eve – Gen. 3:1-5) and such has always been his purpose.  He loves it when those longing to claim God’s promises attempt to do so without meeting the conditions of those promises.  He cherishes every believer who abstains from obedience, yet lives with the expectation of God’s responsibility to fulfil His promises.

The tactics Satan uses upon Jesus in this second trial, reveal much about his current tactics within the world and in today’s high place – the church.  Click on the “Play” button on the video below to listen to this lesson.