(D) Temptation three: acclamation to aim at continued.

(3) Presume on his son-ship

Once again Satan says: "If (since) you are the son of God ... ." The devil is arguing, "Since you are God's son he is bound to rescue you. You can expect special treatment. God will suspend gravity to save you."

Presumption is extremely foolish! We can presume on:

(a) God's faithfulness. The Jews presumed on their kinship with Abraham. John the Baptist told them, "I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham." Mt3v9. It has been known for the English to believe that God is on their side in the various conflicts they have been caught up in.

(b) God's grace. This is a bit like presuming on someone's good nature. I was recently in dispute with the disciplinary committee of Brockley Cricket Club over a matter of principle. I think my fellow members of the committee took the view that JR often blows his top but always comes round in the end. But this time they were wrong. After 35 years as club secretary I resigned. Some of the Christians at Corinth presumed on God's grace. They said, "Everything is permissible" to justify making use of prostitutes. See 1Cor6v12to20 and my exposition on the passage. God's grace does not make it safe for us to sin. I am afraid that from time to time I adopt this perilous attitude.

(c) God's providential care. We expect that God will always ride to our rescue even though the predicament we are in is of our own making. Sampson was like this. Some of the saddest words in the Bible are these: He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him. Judges16v20. I have had several very close shaves driving my car - all because of careless mistakes I have made. Each time I thanked God for his providential care. But I cannot presume that God will protect me for ever - I need to drive more carefully.

(d) God's provision. It is presumptuous to believe that God will invariably make good our deficiencies. In special circumstances the Holy Spirit will come to our aid. When our Good Friday speaker didn't turn up God undoubtedly helped me to speak at very short notice. However, we cannot expect God to make up for habitual lack of preparation for preaching, Sunday school teaching, the church youth club and so on. If our input is skimpy God will not make it come all right on the night.

Jonah was presumptuous. He expected the vine that God provided to shelter him from the sun in the heat of the day would last. He was very annoyed when it shrivelled and died. God in effect said to Jonah, "Why should I do anything for you when you make such a pathetic job of doing anything for me." Jonah's efforts in Nineveh were almost less than negligible. His message could not have been briefer, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." Jn3v4. The book of Jonah is unique in the Bible - it is black comedy!

(4) Put God on trial.

Satan tempted Jesus to treat God like a professional minder. The British are familiar with a TV series called, 'Minder'. It is about a tough but rather naive young man who was employed by a dodgy dealer, Arthur Daley, to protect his interests and get him out of trouble. Satan implies that God must answer to the will of Jesus. Jesus had but to jump from the temple for God to show his commitment and act.

We are inclined to react like this when we are in trouble. We think, "It is time for God to show what he is made of. I've been encouraged to believe that he is my protector well, let him protect me now." If God does not come rushing to our aid we feel entitled to dismiss him. This is what happened in the wilderness at Rephidim when the Israelites were desperately short of water. They tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" Ex17v7. This is how Satan tempted Jesus again on the cross through the religious leaders who said, "He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" Mt27v43.

Whenever I expect God to prove his love by giving me what I want I am claiming to know better than God. I exhibit lack of faith and put self-interest before God's interest. I am no better than the young man who says to his girl friend, "If you love me, you'll have sex with me."

JESUS RESISTS SATAN BY QUOTING Dt6v16: Do not put the Lord your God to the test. v12.

This is a reference to what happened in the wilderness at Rephidim. It is part of a passage of Scripture that contains the best of advice for God's people: Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. Dt6v18.

We will be helped to resist many of Satan's temptations if we hold on to this advice from Moses - to do what is right and good in God's sight in the sure and certain knowledge that all will be well in the end. Paul wrote, in faith, to the Romans: For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. AV Rom8v18.

(E) Conclusion

Jesus was victorious. Thank God he was! The consequences for us if he had succumbed to Satan do not bear thinking about. Jesus' method was quite straightforward. He determined in everything to do God's will. And how did he know God's will? It was revealed to him in Scripture.

When Christian fought with Apollyon in the Valley of Humiliation he was hard put to it. Christian defeated the foul fiend with one final desperate thrust of his sword: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Rom8v37.

We will be helped in our many skirmishes with Satan by the prayerful appeal to God's revealed will in Scripture.