This morning, we look at the temptation of Jesus in Luke 4:1–13, where Jesus faces three key temptations—comfort, power, and safety—right after His baptism and just before starting His public ministry. Each temptation challenges His mission and identity, but Jesus resists by leaning on Scripture, staying rooted in truth, and trusting the Father. The big takeaway is this: even Jesus was tempted, so we shouldn’t be surprised when we are too. But temptation isn’t sin—how we respond to it matters. Like Jesus, we can resist by staying grounded in God’s Word, prayer, and community. The good news? We’re not alone. Jesus has been there, and He gives us strength to stand firm.

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Good morning!
It’s good to be with you on this Thursday morning as we continue together in our time in Luke’s Gospel.

Today, we’re reading from Luke chapter 4, the temptation account of Jesus. Earlier this year during Lent, I preached on each of the three temptations individually. Each one has so much depth that we could easily spend a day on each. But for today, we’ll look at the whole passage and reflect on it together.

Let’s read Luke 4:1–13:

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished…
(continues through verse 13)

This passage closely mirrors the Matthew version of the temptation. In fact, when I’ve preached on this before, I’ve used Matthew’s account, since, as you know, I really like Matthew’s Gospel. But the flow and the meaning in both accounts are similar, and the themes are powerful.

Let’s reflect for a moment on the first temptation—to turn stones into bread.
There’s nothing inherently sinful about bread. After all, God brought water from a rock during the Exodus. So why is this a temptation?

Well, notice what Luke tells us: Jesus had been fasting for forty days and was famished. The devil says, essentially, “If you’re the Son of God, make yourself a sandwich.” The temptation here isn’t just about bread—it’s about comfort. Jesus is being tempted to opt out of suffering, to avoid the hard road the Father has laid before him.

Right before this, Jesus was baptized. Then we get the genealogy. And immediately after this passage, Jesus begins his public ministry. So the order is: baptism → wilderness temptation → public ministry.
Jesus is about to walk a very hard road. His ministry will be marked not by ease, but by rejection, hardship, and ultimately, the cross.

The first temptation is: Will you take the easy way? Or will you walk the hard way of obedience?

The second temptation is about power. The devil claims he can give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world—if Jesus will bow down and worship him. But that’s a lie. The devil doesn’t have that authority. Temptation always lies.
Remember that.
If you can get that truth lodged deep in your heart, it will help you resist: temptation always promises what it cannot truly deliver.

Jesus refuses the offer of worldly power and instead chooses the path of the Father. He says, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”

Then comes the third temptation—safety. The devil takes Jesus to the temple’s pinnacle and tells him to jump, quoting Scripture to say God will send angels to catch him. But Jesus refuses to test God.

So we have:

• Bread → comfort
• Kingdoms → power
• Protection → safety

And all three test the core of what Jesus is about to face in his public ministry: sacrifice, humility, and risk.

And here’s the beautiful truth: Jesus resisted. He leaned into his relationship with the Father. He quoted Scripture. He stayed grounded in who he was.

So now here’s the big takeaway for us:

Jesus is awesome.
He’s the Son of God. The visible image of the invisible God. The second person of the Trinity. The Lamb who was slain. The one who came, and who will come again to make all things right. He is sinless. He is perfect. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And Jesus was tempted.

Let that sink in.

If Jesus—sinless, holy, divine—was tempted, why would we think we won’t be?

Temptation is not sin. Scripture is clear: Jesus was tempted, but he did not sin. So we learn that temptation in itself is not sinful. It becomes sin when we entertain it, when we dwell on it, when we let it take root in our minds and hearts.

So what do we do when we’re tempted?

We do what Jesus did:

• Quote Scripture.
• Cling to the Father.
• Stay rooted in truth.
• Resist quickly—don’t entertain it or let it linger.

Friends, we will be tempted—by pride, by power, by fear, by comfort, by so many things. And those temptations will always lie to us. They’ll promise something good, but in the end, they’ll lead to destruction.

But the good news is this:

Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.
You don’t face temptation alone.
Jesus has been there.
He knows what you face.
And He will give you the strength to resist.

So be ready.
Stay connected to Scripture.
Stay in prayer.
Stay with God’s people.
Fast.
Confess.
Walk closely with Jesus.

Jesus defeated temptation.
And through Him—you can too.

Thanks for being with us today.
Tomorrow, we’ll pick up with the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Spoiler alert: his first sermon doesn’t go over too well! We’ll talk about that in Luke chapter 4.

See you then.