“Matthew 6
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Luke 4
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, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
”
You rarely sin just for the purpose of sinning. You sin with a goal in mind. You want to free yourself from a sticky situation and so you lie. You don’t lie to lie. You lie to free yourself from that sticky situation.
You want this boy to commit to you and so you cross some lines that you said you would never cross before marriage. You don’t cross those lines just to cross lines. You cross those lines because you want commitment.
You want some peace of mind and so you get drunk. You don’t get drunk just to get drunk. You get drunk because, for a moment, it makes you forget about your problems.
You rarely sin just for the purpose of sinning. You usually sin with a goal in mind. You have an end in mind. You want to believe the end justifies the means.
The man who lies to free himself from a sticky situation thinks the end justifies the means—freedom from his situation justifies his lie. The young lady who crosses a line with her boyfriend thinks that the end justifies the means. The older man who gets drunk to quiet his conscience thinks that the end justifies the means—peace of mind justifies drunkenness.
This morning we see Satan tell Jesus that the end will justify the means. This is part of our study of the final clause of the Lord’s Prayer, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” You need deliverance from the evil one. He tempts you to believe that the end will justify the means. He tempts you to do what you know is wrong to get something you know is right.
Jesus doesn’t want you to fall for that temptation. He knows that you won’t get what you want. Lying won’t free you from sticky situations. Crossing lines won’t produce commitment. Drunkenness takes more peace of mind than it gives.
Jesus shows you a better way. He shows you a more satisfying way. He shows you how to live with the best end in sight.
Satan says the end will justify the means. Jesus says your means will fit your end. That is the claim of this sermon: Satan says the end will justify the means. Jesus says your means will fit your end.
We will see this in two points. First: the end will justify the means. Second: the chief end of man. We see Satan telling Jesus that the end justifies the means in verses 5-7. We hear Jesus tell Satan about the chief end of man in verse 8.
First: the end will justify the means. In our last study we saw that Jesus became like us in temptation. “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus was tempted by Satan because you are tempted by Satan. Jesus identified with you.
You were asked if you’ve identified with him. He took on flesh to identify with you. Do you identify with him by what you do in the flesh? He took up his cross for your sake. Do you take up your cross for his sake?
Satan tempted Jesus again and again Jesus shows you how to respond. Verse 5, “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.”
This wasn’t a literal mountain top because there is no single mountain from which you could see the then known world. Rather Satan showed Jesus a vision of the entire known world. Maybe he showed him city after city. Maybe he showed him every man, woman, and child. Satan showed Jesus the world God loved. “God loved the world in this way, that He sent His one and only Son that whoever believed in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Satan showed Jesus the world he came to save.
Satan offered Jesus what he came for. “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.”
Jesus came for the nations. We saw that in Psalm 2, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance; the ends of the earth your possession.” Jesus came for people.
I want you to think about the people of this church. Think about the little children who will be running around after this worship service. Think about the men and women who have been so diligently working in the fields these past weeks. Think about the loveliness of the image of God within each of them. Imagine that you cared for each and every one of them as you care for your own children, if you have them. What would you give to save these people from hell? What would you give to save these people from the tyranny of Satan?
Imagine the faces of orphans in India, widows in nursing homes, once strong men beaten down by decades of work; imagine all of those faces. What are you willing to do for them? If you had the chance to make it all better in a moment, would you? “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.”
Satan does have authority in this dark world; that much is clear in Scripture. 1 John 5:19, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” Ephesians 2:2, “following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” 2 Corinthians 2:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers.” The rabbis referred to Satan as the, “lord of this world.” If you have the courage to see the sorrow of this world, you see the power of Satan.
Satan offered to give up his claim on the world. He offered to relinquish what Jesus came to take. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Satan offered to surrender it, if only Jesus would worship him. “If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Satan offered a wonderful end—the salvation of every man, woman, and child. If anything would justify sin, it would be this. You and I justify our own sin with far less glorious ends: freedom from sticky situations, romantic commitment, peace of mind. If ever the end would justify the means, it was there in the wilderness.
Satan didn’t minimize the means to this end. He was upfront about what humanity would cost Jesus; “if you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Satan wasn’t just asking for one act of worship. Darrel Bock is right, “Satan’s condition is that the Son renounce his allegiance to the Father. He is to bow down and worship Satan, an act that would not require just a momentary action, but that would change his life.”
Jesus could save humanity, but it would cost him himself. That sounds like sacrificial love, doesn’t it? Jesus sacrifices himself to Satan and saves every man, woman, and child. Is the life of the Son of God really worth more than the lives of everyone else?
If you can read this passage without feeling the power of this temptation, you don’t grasp the temptation. Satan wouldn’t make this offer unless it was incredibly appealing.
Jesus could either follow the Father’s plan and be crucified for only those the Father chose to save, or he could follow Satan’s plan and avoid the cross while saving everyone from Satan. The Father’s plan only saves the elect and it requires the cross. Satan’s plan saves everyone without the cross. Which plan sounds more attractive? Which plan sounds more attractive if you don’t want to die naked, nailed to planks of wood? Which plan sounds more attractive if you don’t want to be rejected by your own people? Which plan sounds more attractive if you are fully human?
If you are a child of God, you know how badly you want the end to justify the means. You know that because Satan usually tempts you with good ends. He doesn’t tell you that temptation will bring sorrow. He tells you temptation will bring happiness.
He tells you that gossip will bring friends. Now friendship is a wonderful thing. I count my friends as incalculable gifts from God and I hope you do the same. Imagine that you are a teenage girl who has just moved to town. These other girls have known each other for years. They aren’t rude to you, but they aren’t looking for new friends. You’ve noticed the hushed silence that comes over girls when one of them has a secret about someone else. You’ve noticed how these secrets breed closeness. You want that closeness. You want someone to listen to what you have to say with hushed silence. Will you gossip to make friends? Will you let the end justify the means?
Imagine that you are a parent. You have two kids in junior high. Both you and your spouse have jobs that you enjoy but those jobs keep you busy. You are both involved in the community and in church. Your kids are involved in sports and are also taking piano lessons. You are all doing many good things, but you never have enough family time. Family time is a very good thing. Sunday is the only day that works for family time. You decide to make Sunday ‘Family Day,’ but soon Family Day swallows up the Lord’s Day. You rightly want time with your family, but does that justify neglecting the worship of God? Does the end justify the means?
You can come up with your own examples. You know the questions you’ve asked yourself. You know how tempting it is to believe that your difficulty can all go away if only you lie, or turn a blind eye, or give in just this once. Jesus knew that temptation too.
When Jesus was tempted to let the end justify the means, he reminded Satan of the chief end of man. He reminded Satan of the reason we exist. That is our second point: the chief end of man.
As he did last time, Jesus responded with Scripture. “It is written.” He turned to inspiration, not speculation.
We humans love speculation. We love to ask questions that confuse morality. If a baby will be born with a disease that gives him constant pain, would it be better to terminate that pregnancy? What is worse—burning in lust or sexual immorality? What is worse—a loveless marriage or giving up on a marriage? What is worse—hurting someone’s feelings or lying? We love to speculate.
Satan wanted Jesus to speculate. He wanted him to compare the value of his own soul with that of humanity. Jesus didn’t turn to speculatoin. He turned to inspiration. He turned to what is written.
I don’t know how to evaluate the quality of life of a baby born in constant pain compared with the quality of my life. I don’t know what metric to use. I do know that it is written, “do not murder.” I don’t know how to compare the pain of a loveless marriage with that of divorce. That is idle speculation. I do know the Bible gives guidance on marriage and divorce. Speculation will confuse you. What is written will guide you.
Jesus listened to what was written. “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
Satan offered Jesus every man, woman, and child. That glorious end didn’t matter to Jesus because the means to that end were sinful. Jesus had been told to worship God and serve Him only and that was the end of the conversation. He didn’t need any justification for his decision other than, “it is written.”
Do you live by what is written? If something is prohibited in Scripture is that the end of conversation for you? Or is what is prohibited, prohibited unless it would be worth it? Another way of asking that is, ‘what is your price?’ Would you sin grievously for $300 million? Would you do it for $30 million? For $3 million? For $300,000? For $30,000? How about for $3? Do you have a price?
Your soul was not valuable enough for Jesus to sin. I do not have incalculable worth to Jesus. He would not sin for my soul. He wouldn’t sin to save your soul.
I hope you see that as good news. You do not want a Savior who will put you first. You do not want a spouse who will put you first. If your spouse puts you before God, you have a shaky marriage. You do not want a parent who will put you before God. If your dad or mom puts you before God, you have a shaky authority in your life. If you have a Savior who puts you in front of God, you have a shaky salvation.
Jesus rejected Satan’s means. He wouldn’t worship Satan. He also rejected Satan’s end. Jesus knew the salvation of humanity was a good thing, but he didn’t think it was the best thing. The chief end of man is not to love his neighbor as himself—even loving him by saving his soul. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Jesus responded by telling Satan why humanity exists. Please turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 6, which is found on page 284.
The quotation comes from verse 13, but we will start with verse 4. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Fear the Lord your God, serve him only,” that’s Jesus’ line in the wilderness, “and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you from the face of the land.”
We exist to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength. We exist for the sake of God. Solomon put it this way, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” The Westminster divines put it this way, “the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
Jesus wasn’t just rejecting Satanic worship. He was rejecting putting your salvation ahead of God. Jesus kept first things first. He put loving God before loving you.
Do you know your chief end? Your chief end is not friendship, or commitment, or peace of mind, or family. Your chief end is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The love of God will never ask you to justify sin. If you are tempted to justify sin, you are no longer living for God. If you are sinning, you have put something else in the place of God. It can be something good, just like Satan offered Jesus the salvation of humanity, but something good cannot take the place of God.
Ironically, if Jesus put you before God, you would not be saved. Darrel Bock is right, “Satan’s offer is at best characterized as an oversell and at worst it is a lie.”
If Jesus chose to worship Satan to save you from him, you would never be saved. That’s how this temptation works. The girl who justifies sex for the sake of commitment doesn’t get commitment. She just gets sex. The man who lies to escape a sticky situation does not escape the sticky situation. He just lies. If you listen to Satan and try to justify your sin, you will only wind up sin.
Jesus came to save you from that fool’s bargain. He followed the Father’s plan. He chose the way of the cross. He chose to die naked, nailed to planks of wood. He did it for the Father. The Father sent him for you. “God loved the world this way: He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
If you believe in the Son, follow him. Put the Father first. Love Him with all you are. You will fail. You will sin. You will find that you’ve put something else in His place without even knowing it. You will find that you’ve justified sin because you wanted what Satan promised and you didn’t even know you were being tempted. You will find that you’ve justified sin for what you thought was a good end while Jesus refused to sin for a glorious end.
You will recognize anew that the Son of God became like you, but he is not like you. He is better than us. He is perfect. What is remarkable is that he never points that out. He never comes to you when you’ve sinned and says, ‘I wouldn’t do that. What is your problem?’ He never says, ‘I didn’t sin for the salvation of humanity and you sinned for ten seconds of pleasure?’ He is better than us, but he will never say, ‘I’m better than you.’ He is humble. He has no interest in comparing you with himself.
You make those comparisons all the time. You compare yourself with others, with people who justify sins which you firmly believe you could never commit, with people who fall for temptations you know you would withstand. You compare yourself favorable and say in your heart what Jesus never says. You say, ‘I’m better than you.’
You do that because you think life is about you. I do that because I think life is about me. Jesus doesn’t do that because he actually knows who life is about. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength… Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”
That is the life for which you were created. That is the life that Jesus came to not only show but offer. Is that the life you want? Or are you going to settle for something less? Are you going to settle for something other than God? Satan would love it if you would. In the end you will you will give yourself to him or the Father. Who will it be? Amen.