The God Who Experienced Human Weakness
A. The weaknesses Satan targeted
1) Our physical bodies (1-4) (Deut. 8:3)
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
2) Our desire to become a king (5-8) (Deut. 6:13)
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
3) Our attempts to surpass God (9-13) (Deut. 6:16)
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
B. We can overcome our weaknesses through Jesus
(Hebrew 4:14-16) 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Summary
Jesus is a God who took on human form. While he has always had dominion over everything, he also experienced the limitations that come with inhabiting a human body. Jesus experienced weakness though he was without sin. God loved us so much that he took on our sins and our weakness in order to restore our relationship with him.
For Discussion
1) How was Jesus tempted by Satan?
2) How can we overcome our temptations?