Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. Luke 4:9-10
Of all of the temptations and sins we may struggle with, pride is perhaps the sneakiest. We may not even realize that pride is an issue even when it has taken root in our lives. You see, pride is very difficult to see in ourselves and can quickly take over if we let it. Satan often tempts us to give in to pride, which leads to even more sin. Therefore, we must be keenly aware of pride and when it tempts us if we want to live humbly.
We have been studying Luke chapter 4, specifically looking at three different ways Satan tempted Jesus in this passage of Scripture. Today we are looking at Satan’s last recorded temptation of Jesus, a temptation to give in to pride and test God the Father. For this specific temptation, Satan took Jesus “to the highest point of the temple” and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone’” (Luke 4:9-11). Satan was challenging and tempting Jesus to prove that He was the son of God by jumping off the temple and proving His sonship. This was both a challenge to Jesus to give in to pride by proving Himself and also to test Scripture. Once again, Jesus refused to give in to temptation and quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, saying, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God’” (verse 12). He refused to give in to pride or test God. Jesus was the Son of God and the King of Kings. He, of all people, could have been prideful. Instead, He chose humility.
Pride is easy to give in to, but it is not how God calls us to live. There is a better way, and that is the way of humility. If Jesus can live a lifestyle of humility, we can also. When we choose humility, we recognize that we are not the stars of the show. He is the one who is in control.
One of the best pictures of humility that can be found in Scripture is Paul’s description of Jesus in Philippians 2:1-11. Take some time to read these verses and write down on a note card or the notes section on your phone a list of what humility is based on these verses. Then, pull this list out frequently and ask God to develop these attributes of humility in you.
Deuteronomy 6:10-25 (NLT)
“The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. 11 The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. 13 You must fear the Lord your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name.
14 “You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, 15 for the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth. 16 You must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah. 17 You must diligently obey the commands of the Lord your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to give your ancestors. 19 You will drive out all the enemies living in the land, just as the Lord said you would.
20 “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?’
21 “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. 22 The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. 23 He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. 24 And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. 25 For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.’"
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