In this series we have examined which emotions the Bible documents Jesus felt while limiting Himself to a human body with physical needs, a geographical location and a point in time. We looked at the situations where Jesus felt agony, anger, bearing with others, compassion, constraint, grief, forsaken, hunger and thirst, spurned love, loving someone who wanted Him to be other than Who He is, loving someone who wanted Him to do other than what He did, sighing, sorrow, weeping.

Did Jesus ever feel tempted to sin? We know that Jesus was not born in the image of Adam, with a sin nature. He was born like the first Adam’s original state with God as His Father. We know that He was in the wilderness to be tempted.

Definition

Tempted= enticed or allured to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.

Situation

Matthew 4:¹ Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

²And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

³And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

⁴But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

⁵Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

⁶And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

⁷Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

⁸Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

⁹And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

¹⁰Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

¹¹Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

We see that Jesus was exactly where God wanted Him to be.

We see the tempter tried to entice Him with physical needs, questions on God’s faithfulness, the allure of power and prestige.

For each temptation, Jesus was ready, armed with the Word of God.

We do not read that Jesus ever felt like submitting to the temptation to do wrong.

We do not read that Jesus struggled with the decision whether or not to submit to the temptation.

But we see that Jesus faced the temptations successfully. He knows what we are up against.

He knows the allure of temptations of needs, trust, power and prestige

He knows He loves you. He cares for you. He stands ready to help you. You don’t need to explain anything to Him. Jesus completely understands you.

Jesus is our great High Priest

Hebrews 4:¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

¹⁵For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

¹⁶Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

When you consider the emotion of Jesus, can you relate how He must have felt to what you feel in your situation?  Can you see how this experience of Jesus enables Him to fully understand how you feel?

Where is our great High Priest?  in Heaven, He passed to there

Who is our great High Priest? Jesus, the Son of God

What is special about our great High Priest?

He can be moved with the feeling of our infirmities

He was tempted like we are but did not sin!

Our High Priest sits on a throne of grace not judgement!

Our High Priest invites us to come boldly for grace and mercy

Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve

Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve

Isn’t Jesus a great High Priest?

Focus – Hebrews 12:¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Challenge -Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love; has uniquely designed and created only one you; has a good plan for your life; runs with you; and will         accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run being yoked to Emmanuel!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when together you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti