Identity Secured (Matthew 3-4)

In Sermons, The Whole Story, Year 2024 by harvest.admin

Resource by Peter Park

Identity Verification – PW, Fingerprint, Face. This morning, we’re in Matt. 3-4. Turn there in your bibles. Jesus’ identity is questioned. We’re going to briefly go over Jesus’ baptism again from last weekend because it sets up our main text. Jesus hasn’t started his ministry yet – only after his baptism and temptation.

Text: Mt. 3 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching … 11 “… he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. … 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 

As Ps. Eric mentioned last week, John realized that the roles were reversed, that he should be the one being baptized by the Savior of the world.

Quick overview of baptism in the Bible because baptism wasn’t a new concept with John the Baptist and Jesus. There is a water element in every major movement of God in the Scriptures…

-Creation – Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 

-Flood (Ge. 6-9) – Everything and everyone, except one family and animals according to their kind, died in a worldwide catastrophic flood.

-Exodus – Red Sea – Salvation and Deliverance, Giving of the Law.

-Promise Land – Jordan River. Rest and blessing.

-Jesus’ Baptism

-Pentecost – Holy Spirit – Living Water

-The Church – Our baptism

-Revelation – There is no more sea. (21:1)

Sea/Waters often symbolized/represented chaos, in the water – die, stay dry – you’re good.

15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Here’s what you need to know about baptism: Baptism is about identity. In this Trinitarian moment, God the Spirit is descending on God the Son, while God the Father is declaring over him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” That’s who Jesus is. He’s God the Son, who has the love and approval of his Heavenly Father and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

“Like a dove” – Important detail (Tim Keller): Just like the Spirit “hovered/fluttered” over the waters at creation, Noah sent out the dove after the flood – A new creation would begin with Jesus. (This is so good. Not my sermon. Word.)

So Jesus goes from this high of God’s love and pleasure declared over him on earth as he has known and experienced for all eternity, to a low… (Often the pattern: Spiritual high/victory followed by hardship.)

Mt. 4 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, (I love this…as you could have guessed…) he was hungry. 

First, notice that it’s the Spirit that led Jesus to be tempted by the devil. Why would he do that? Does the Spirit not like Jesus? No. It’s because Jesus is going to do battle with Satan! To have his faith tried and to see how good of a son he was. Would he misuse or despise his sonship? Or would he be faithful to his Father and honor his Father fully?

So he’s led to the wilderness – empty and barren. And after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, no cut corners, Jesus is hungry – His full humanity is on display. Imagine how physically weak he must have been. Though fully God, he emptied himself by taking on human flesh, and was further fully deprived from all physical sustenance. (Snickers commercial. If I even delay one meal…Weddings. Grace. Snack.)

And from this completely weakened state, Jesus would be tempted and tried 3x and they all have to do with his identity as the Son of God.

Identity Verification Test 1: Goodness and Provision

3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 

(I know we just read one verse, but let’s stop here for a moment because…) What do you mean, “If”? “If you are the Son of God…” You see what the devil is doing here? He’s questioning God ‘s word and Jesus’ identity. God has already declared that Jesus is his beloved Son as a fact. Just like in Ge. 3 – “Did God really say?”, the devil is the deceiver, who takes what God has said and questions it. This is Satan’s tactic – to twist what God has said and to make you doubt God’s word.

He wants to make you question/doubt who you are despite what God has already said about you. So you build your identity on something else other than God, other than truth. 

So don’t question what God has declared to be true of you. Don’t let the devil put a question mark where God has put a period. (IDK Origin) You don’t need to have an identity crisis when it comes to God. He’s made very clear who you are if you’ve trusted in his Son Jesus.

-You are forgiven, washed clean. He doesn’t remember your sins.

-You are loved and delighted in. Nothing can separate you from his love.

-His presence is always with you. He will never leave or forsake you.

-You are a Son/Daughter of the Most High God and Coheir with Christ.

One of my favorite verses in all the Bible…1Jn. 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; And that’s where most people think the verse ends, and if it did, it’d be still be a great verse. But you know how the verse actually ends? and so we are. And so we are! It’s not a question. It is a declaration.

If you’re questioning yourself or basing your identity and self worth on what you think or how you feel, you have to lay that down. Cause what you think is not nearly as reliable to what God says. And he doesn’t ever lie to make you feel better. And anytime you are tempted to believe that you are anything lesser in value or different than what he has already declared over you to be true, it is a lie straight from the devil. 

4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

Now, could Jesus have turned the stones to bread? Sure. And it would have met a real felt need that Jesus had. He was at the end of his fasting and was hungry. (Good point. Don’t mind if I do. I’ve completed my fast.) Satan makes a point about the physical desire and need for food but Jesus’ response is spiritual…

For Jesus, fasting from physical food wasn’t just to starve himself, it was to feast on the spiritual, to fill himself up with who God is and what he’s said. And was Jesus fasting for the approval of the Father? No. He already fully had it. 

Jesus understands that it’s not really about the physical. Satan was just using the physical to tempt Jesus to question God’s goodness and provision to him as a Son. Is God truly good? Will he provide? So the temptation offered was for Jesus to find a way outside of the Father.

But Jesus resisted this temptation, having saturated himself with God’s every word, including, “You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus grounded his identity and his actions not based on his circumstances but in God’s word and his trust in the goodness and provision of his heavenly Father. Because if he’s a beloved Son, then goodness and provision are his. God won’t withhold it from him.

Test 1: Pass.

Identity Verification Test 2: Power and Protection

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, (again, he’s questioning Jesus’ identity) throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Satan thinks he has Jesus cornered, in a gotcha moment…because this time, did you catch that the devil himself actually quotes scripture? (Not fully, or correctly, or in context. But to twist and manipulate.) Does that surprise you? Our enemy knows Scripture. That shouldn’t scare us but I think we can take two things away from this:

1. Warning: Like Satan, it is possible for us to misinterpret, misuse, and misapply the Word of God. Many heresies throughout the church’s history have been birthed by wrong interpretations of Scripture. Both intentional and unintentional. Just because we think we have a chapter and verse doesn’t always mean that’s what the chapter and verse is saying. And there are lots of crazy people out there who are “teaching” the Bible and speak with great confidence and authority but have no idea what they’re talking about. So…

2. Encouragement: Study and know the Word of God deeply. Jesus corrected Satan’s misuse of Scripture by putting it back into context with other Scripture. God is not confused nor does he contradict himself. When reading and interpreting Scripture, context is critical. Developing a fully formed biblical theology – sermons, sg bible studies, personal study. What does the entirety of Scripture say? That’s the most important. Then…What has the church historically and traditionally taught? What is the church today saying? Our goal: What is God saying, not what do we want it to say.

Pastor JD (Written in my Bible): We can’t just think about Scripture, we have to think Scripture. Difference between head knowledge vs. so deeply ingrained that it’s who you are and how you think. “You are what you eat.” If you consume the junk of this world, that’s what you become – youtube, tiktok, etc. It may seem good for consumption but it’s teaching you a counter theology that is anti biblical. 

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

Satan wants Jesus to test God’s power and protection for no good reason, just to see what happens, but ultimately to force God’s hand. “Prove you are beloved. God said…” Again, Satan is trying to manipulate Jesus into his proving identity as a beloved Son. He wants Jesus to believe that God’s word is not good enough.

And that’s a temptation that we often face…to think that if God doesn’t do x according to what we think/feel, or answer a prayer the way we want, then, maybe he doesn’t really love me. Maybe he’s not for me or with me. And we think these things not only against what God has said but what he’s clearly shown to us through his deeds. More on this…

I mean, it would have been pretty cool right for Jesus to jump and have angels descend from heaven in a spectacular show? If Jesus did all sorts of crazy things like flying around…I bet he could have gotten a huge crowd. But wouldn’t have served the purpose for which he came. All the miracles Jesus did were purposeful. To show he was God, Savior, and Redeemer.

Note: Don’t do something crazy or foolish just to test God – Ex: If you were to jump out of a plane from 35,000ft, could God save you? Yes, he could. But what would you be trying to prove? What would be your motivation? Empty, meaningless. God gave us realities and common sense as our normal mode of operation. And this does not mean that God is bound by them. (Ge. 1 God created the heavens and the earth, the universe, out of nothing with just words. Not like Legos.) Now if God told you to jump out of a plane, should you do it? You should first check with other godly people if that’s really what God wants from you.

Test 2: Pass

Identity Verification Test 3: Purpose and Promise (All P’s. So close.)

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Now this one would be tempting for a lot of us. Because is what the devil offering Jesus something that he is eventually going to get anyways? Yes. It is rightfully his. The end result is the same. But the problem is that it’s a character compromising shortcut. What would Jesus have avoided? Suffering. The cross. The very purpose the Father sent him. So would Jesus trust the Father’s promise that the nations would be his inheritance. Satan – “Why go through all the trouble and suffer? And can you really trust God that he will keep his word?”

Have you ever been in this position? You told yourself, I’m just going to cut a few corners until I make it. Cheat a little bit here and there. Compromise on my word and my integrity. And when I’m comfortable and in a better financial and life situation, then I’ll commit fully to God’s way. It’s the easy way. But it doesn’t lead to life. It’s better to suffer righteously than prosper wickedly.

The journey of faithfulness is just as important and the destination. Faithfulness is just as important as the fruit. And just because you reached the destination doesn’t mean you did it the right way. Just because you have the appearance of success doesn’t mean you have honored God or that he is honoring you. Outward signs are not a guarantee of the heart. But the right heart and faithfulness always produce the outward fruit and arrival at the final destination.

Jesus would remain steadfast in his faith in God and inherit the nations not by worshiping Satan but by snatching them out of and delivering the nations from his power. The Son would remain loyal to the Father.

Test 3: Pass

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

I wonder what that looked like. (When I’m sick and weak, with no life in my body, my wife just tells me to man up and vacuum the house. She only did that once in our 17yrs of marriage, today! Regretting. But in all fairness to her, the house did need to be vacuumed.) 

Jesus passes all three temptations confident in the person and promises of the Father, clinging to his every word, and using it to combat Satan. Everything Jesus needs, he trusts God to provide. He doesn’t need to take matters into his own hands and scheme to make something happen. Why would he? He’s the Son of his Heavenly Father and everything that is his Father’s is his. This is how Adam and Eve in Ge. 3 and Israel in the wilderness were supposed to trust but failed.

Jesus passed the test of sonship that we all failed. So we lost the presence of God and our relationship with him. The Gospel: Man substituted himself for God but in salvation God substituted himself for man. Jesus went into the water to get baptized showing that he was going to be baptized into the death we deserved. He didn’t do it for himself, he didn’t need to. He did it for us.

And then he was tempted in every way just as we are. So we have a great high priest who is able to sympathize with us in our weakness. He rejected Satan’s lies, fully confident in God’s word. And if he were to have failed at any of these tests, he would not only have dishonored the Father, he would not have been qualified to rescue us from our sin because he wouldn’t have been sinless. (ESV Study Bible) 

And on the cross, the Father made him, who knew no sin, to be sin. The Son would become rejected, so that we who were rejected, could become sons and daughters who have God’s presence again. 

JTB: Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire…

-Fire – Could represent judgment but it also represents cleansing and God’s presence to his people while they were in the wilderness.

-Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down, there were what looked like little flames on top of people’s heads, again, representing the presence of God. (Acts 2:3) But this time, it wouldn’t just be the representation, the very presence of God would dwell with and within man again. The same Spirit by which Jesus was able to overcome temptation, the same Spirit by which Jesus overcame the grave is in us! The Holy Spirit gives us power over sin, over temptation, over the grave, over our old ways.

In rising to life again, he defeated the grave, he defeated the deceiver once and for all. So our identity before God can never be taken from us. Because we had nothing to do with our salvation in the first place. It’s not dependent on what we do or don’t do. It’s always been and will always be about Jesus’ finished work for us. Jesus’ perfect righteousness is the record we are given, so his goodness, his provision, his power, his protection, his purpose, his promises to us are secure.

Let me quickly give you a few thoughts on our identity, temptation, and resisting temptation…

1. Your given identity is only as good as the person who gives it to you. If some random person comes up to you and says you’re…It might initially hurt your feelings. But that person doesn’t know you. Now if your spouse or your best friend says something, that’s different. It carries a different weight. So your identity, who God says you are, is really about who God is and the legitimacy of their word. And God’s word is always true and it never fails. Your identity is secured.

2. The presence of temptation is not an indicator of your godliness. How do I know? Because Jesus was tempted. It’s what you do when you’re tempted, and if you fall, how you respond. The righteous man falls seven times…and gets back up. He receives God’s grace and forgiveness. You and I sin because we are sinners at heart. But because we are now saved as sons and daughters, we should act according to our new identity.

Thinking: “Well what do I do with my sin and the feelings of guilt I have? How do I know if it’s Satan or if God is convicting me?” PJD – “Satan starts with what you did and tears down who you are; the Holy Spirit starts with who you are in Christ and repairs what you did.”

See, Satan will make you question your identity and point out all the sin in your life to tear you down – shame and guilt. God on the other hand, will convict you of sin to build you up – forgiveness and grace. He reminds you of your identity, he doesn’t question it. 

3. Believe Scripture – You’re not just going to outsmart Satan. That’s a losing battle. But you can withstand and overpower him through your belief in scripture. Cling to every word and employ it as a weapon. Satan doesn’t stand a chance against God’s word.

4. Stand firm in your identity in God. That you make it so exhausting for Satan that he gives up on you. For every temptation, a way out is given. There is no temptation that will be so great that it will overcome us. Jesus won the battle against Satan in the wilderness. He won the victory over Satan when he rose from the grave. He will have his final victory in the future when he comes back again. And that’s the victory you and I stand in today.

This will help with every other temptation (lust, envy, covetousness, self doubt, self worth) because they’re all based on this temptation to question and act differently than your identity. They all question who you are and who God is.

The most important thing is what God says about who you are. There’s bad news and good news.

Bad news – God’s declaration over you about who you are is not good. You are a sinner, dead in your sin, under his wrath, and separated from him. And there’s nothing you can do about it.

Good News – God made a way for you to hear “This is my beloved son/daughter, with whom I am well pleased.” Free gift purchased by Christ for you.

Baptism – Your next step. To publicly identify that you belong to Jesus, that he has saved you.

Other videos in this series: