The copper era and Morenci leader., 1922-10-20
LESSON FOR OCTOBER 22
JESUS TEMPTED

LESSON TEXT-Luke 4I-l3
 GOLDEN TEXT-For in that He Him. self hath suffered being tempted. He Ia able to succor them that are tempted Heb. 2:1S.
 REFERENCE MATERIAL-Phil. 2:5-ll; Heb. 2:14-1S; 4:14-16.
 PRIMARY TOPIC-Jesus Overcomss Temptation.
 JUNIOR TOPIC-Jesus Tempted to Dc
 Wrong
 INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC Overcoming Temptation.
 YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC What Christs Victory Means to Us
 l. The Place of (v. 1.).
 The wilderness of Judea. The first man, Adam, was tempted in a garden With the most pleasant surroundings. The second man, Jesus Christ. was tempted in barren wilderness sur rounded by wild beasts (Mark :1S).
 II. The Purpose of (y. D. He was led into q wilderness by the Spirit I Christ S temptation was MeSsianic. Though He was tempted in all points like as We are" we are not tempted as He was in this instance, but the >aine methods are employed on us. During the eighteen years of retire ment Satan surely tempted Christ Ss he temptS us. Satan, no doubt, would have gladly escaped this hour, but the time had come for the Redeemer to enter upon His mediatorlal work therefore He went from the place of an0inting and heavenly recognition as
 he Son of God to meet and tiespoli the arch enemy (Heb. ? :4).
 l. It was not a preparation for His
 work, but rather its first conflict. In baptism we have the symbolic act uf dedication of himself to the work Or redemption through the cross-tke making full righteousness. In the temptation, the strong man Is spOll- ing the enemy.
 2. It was not to see if Christ would stand fast-would fail under the most crucial test. Christ could not fail To so postulate would make Gods scheme of redemption to have been Unsettled until after this temptation and would have made God guilty of setting forth a scheme of redemption on tie basis of < possible overthrow. it NdS tO SIiON NfiIi>l dS 6u OIl- ject upon which we may rest our faith with unshaken confidence. He came as the second Man, the head of a new race, it's very source and life It was demonstration of the inseparahle- ness of the divine and human natures in the incarnation.
 III. The Method of (vv. 2-I2). Christ as the worlds Redeemer sustained threefold relation-Son cf Man; Son of God; and Messiah. there fore Satan made each one q ground of attack.
 l. As Son of Man (vv. 2-D. Satan made his first assault upon Him as l man by appealing to the instinct of hunger. Satan urged Him to use His .livine power and convert a stone in to bread. Hunger is natural and sin jess. The temptation was in satis- flying right hunger in wrong way. To have yielded in this case would have been to renounce the human i'm ;tations which tie had taken for our >alles.. To use divine power to satisfy human needs would have heen to fan as Saviour and Redeemer. .. As Messiah (vv. J-S). Here the temptation was to grasp His right iul dominion by false means. The devil offered to surrender unto Him the world if He would worship him The force of this temptation was iR the fact that the kingdoms of the world are ChriSt's by Gods covenant with Him. Gods method by which Ip.:Itc v-.,S Ia pnSSasS tho NpnrlI v-aSs tie cross. The temptation Satan Is pressing upon the church today Is 10 set possession ofa the world hy other means than the cross.
 3, As Son of God (vv. 9-12). Here satan tries tn induce Christ to pre- Stil.le upon Gods care. He quotes a Mrs~iaRic Psalm to induce Him to so act. To do the spectacular thing in | order to get notice is to fall into Sa- tan> temptation. For Jesus to have placed himself in danger in order tO set Gods special help in delivering Him would have been to sin. To put ones self in moral and spiritual peril ill order to test Gods faithfulneSS Is to sin. satan is never quite SO dan erous as when he quotes Scripture.
 ". christ's Defense (vv. |. s. l2l. It was the Word uf Gni He met and repulsed the enemy with Tt Is written" Our defense is Gods Word. May every Sunday school teacher know how to use it
 V. The Issue (v l3).
 Satan is vanquished. If We will but trust God and use His Word We too ran overcome.