This is “Jesus’ Greatest Temptation.” Your greatest temptation will come when you’ve been provoked the most. When the rest of the world would agree, “It’s about time you did something,” “I don’t blame you,” “I would’ve done the same thing,” you can guarantee you’re facing temptation. Jesus said vengeance is mine; learn to trust God to defend you.
the following program is sponsored by
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connection Kingdom connection is a
soul-winning ministry that is reaching
the world through broadcasting expansion
into new church campuses and global acts
of compassion by using the technology of
today to fulfill the Great Commission we
are able to connect with countless
people and reach hundreds of thousands
of lives our broadcasts connect with
people all around the world say that the
message speaks directly to them our
ministry exists to help build a
connection for strengthening your faith
and living out your god-given purpose
and our missions and relief work helps
connect you to desperate situations
showing the love of Christ with global
acts of compassion we feel the time is
right and God is leading us to grow and
that only happens when you partner with
us in connection partnership for as
little as a dollar a day you’ll be
helping us reach further than we ever
have before for more information on how
you can be a part of the ministry and
enjoy exclusive partner benefits go
online or call eight eight eight three
three nine zero zero four nine for more
information we can’t do everything but
together we can do something amazing
[Music]
I’ve often heard and even your Bible is
labeled when you talk about temptation
the great temptation it’s often labeled
in the word as being in matthew chapter
4 when Jesus was in the wilderness you
remember that story he’s beginning his
ministry he was just baptized in the
Jordan River
he’s led of the Spirit to the wilderness
while he’s there after fasting forty
days and forty nights stopped no food
for forty days and forty nights not in
your house sleeping in your bed I’ve
gone on a few fast you’ve gone on some
fast but we’re talking total food fast
40 days in the wilderness particularly
the area those of you been to Israel
we’ve been to that area you’ve seen it
down near the Dead Sea it’s barren it’s
dry it’s extremely hot ended under those
harsh conditions Jesus fasted and prayed
and at the end of the forty days what is
called the great temptation when the
devil shows up in himself I want to say
in the flesh but he wasn’t in the flesh
because he’s in spirit just like God is
the spirit and he shows up and he begins
to try to tempt Jesus he he says turn if
you’re the son of God turn these stones
into bread and then he says it takes him
to the pinnacle of the temple the the
temple being 240 feet high this
particular corner that he took him to
and he said John for the scripture said
this is Satan talking for the scripture
says that if you were jumping that he’ll
give his angels charge to keep you and
he added he had in these words at all
times lest at any time that’s not in the
original quote see the devil knows the
Bible and he will he will he will take
scriptures and add to them or take away
from them to make you feel justified in
anything you want to do
and he said at any time well the
original text that he’s quoting this
Jesus is quoting a scripture from Psalms
and it doesn’t say at any time but
that’s how the enemy does it’s just a
little footnote and then this is
interesting then he showed him all of
the kingdoms of the world Satan showed
Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and
I love what it said taking him high
showed him all the kingdoms of the world
look at that in a moment in other words
the best that Satan has got to offer
took one minute to show but the Bible
says of our Heavenly Father of his
kingdom there shall be no inch it’s
going to take all eternity for us to see
the greatness of his kingdom but the
best the devil has got can be shown in
one moment and Jesus resisted the
temptation to bow down to the devil as a
matter of fact as great as that
temptation was nowhere we know that the
angels came and ministered to him after
that just like they did in the Garden of
Gethsemane after the temptation an angel
came and ministered to them but notice
notice that no where did Jesus when he
was facing the devil in the wilderness
say father if it’s possible this this
temptation is so severe let this cup
pass from me he never he never prayed to
get out of it because it was so hard I’m
proposing to you that this was not the
the temptations in the wilderness was
not the greatest temptation that Jesus
ever faced
he knew that within hours he would hang
naked on a cross the pasture buyers with
MalK they would clear their throats and
they would cover him with their spittle
he knew that the blood would be pouring
for his from his face and it would be
pumping through the holes of his hands
his feet his side the scar the scars on
his back would be bleeding he knew what
horror was coming within hours when the
guards came to arrest him in the garden
of gas
the Bible said in Hebrews 12:2 that for
the joy that was set before him he
endured the cross thinking nothing of
the shame thinking nothing of the shame
in Gibbons historical count the decline
and fall of the Roman Empire he says
that a Legion is a Roman Roman army with
6,500 soldiers this is a historian who
studied the time of Christ when he lived
and he said a legion of soldiers would
be 6500 soldiers and when the guards
came to arrest Jesus and Simon Peter cut
off a man’s ear and Jesus rebuked and
healed the ear and then he made this
profound statement and he said do you
not understand that I could right now
call for 12 legions of angels which is
78,000 angels at my instant disposal all
I have to do is ask the Father now
either he was lying or he wasn’t and he
wasn’t lying I could stop this right now
I could say angels come now and they
would come and one angel killed 185
thousand people in Hezekiah day and I’m
going to tell you there’s no telling
what 78 thousand of the most mighty
angels in heaven could do the single
greatest trial was in the garden when he
had when he when he had great drops of
blood when his sweat turned to blood and
he said if it’s possible father let this
cup pass from me and the father said you
can get out of this justifiably as a
matter of fact I offer you 12 legions of
angels to step out of this and not do it
the greatest temptation that Jesus ever
faced I believe was in that moment when
he knew I don’t have to do this I’ve
never committed a sin nobody would blame
me if I don’t do this
but I know my father wants me to do this
and even though I could justify not
doing this I could come up with plenty
of reasons to I would be justified in
resist in not resisting this contagion
I’m going to not do it even though I
could justify because I know that it’s a
temptation from the enemy you could have
stopped our greatest most deepest
temptations come when you feel the most
justified when there’s no justification
for the temptation when you know is
absolute black and white and you know
exactly that that you don’t have any
justification in doing it that’s that’s
one thing but I believe the greatest
temptations the enemy brings in my life
in your life it’s when we can justify
doing wrong it’s quiet but that’s good
I’m going somewhere I’ll bring it home
right where you live in just a minute
but when you could be so justified
listen when others would pat you on the
back and say well done you did the right
thing but deep in your heart you know
you didn’t when others say I don’t blame
you when others say it’s about time you
did something you deserve to do
something in that situation those are
the moments of the greatest temptation
that’s when we must be our most careful
let me show you what I’m talking about
Abraham take your son your only son
Isaac put the wood on his back 17 years
old for three days to care it enough
wood to build a massive altar and a big
fire he carried it on his back he goes
to the top of the mountain and God says
kill the boy and he could have justified
in that moment wait a minute you have
already said in your word to the
Moabites that they were cursed for for
killing their own children for causing
their children to pass through the fire
I know you’re not into human sacrifice
therefore I don’t have to
do this but he knew that he knew God
told him to do it and he could have
justified not doing it and nobody would
have argued with him it was a beautiful
picture of Jesus hanging on the cross
and dealing with the temptation and the
divinity loved the humanity the spirit
loved the flesh and the Father loved his
son just like Abraham raised the knife
loving his son he didn’t know all of
that he didn’t know what God was going
to do but he had to trust God and the
greatest justification of not obeying
God is the greatest temptation is when
we have justification that we could say
I shouldn’t believe him I shouldn’t
trust him look at where he’s led me to
but that’s when you are being tested the
greatest the angel stopped his hand and
said now I know that you were willing to
do it you passed the test
but 71 angels stopped Abraham from
killing his son but 72,000 couldn’t stop
the father from allowing his son to die
for you and for me
I thought about Joseph if anybody
deserved to get back at somebody and
could justify being mad and bitter and
unforgiving to somebody it was Joseph I
mean you remember the story when his
when his brothers come back they come
back to they come to Egypt and they’re
in a famine and they stagger in their
famish they’re starving to death they
don’t know it’s Joseph he’s disguised
himself and he calls for them and when
the brothers hear that the mighty
assistent king of Israel or Egypt has
called them before his throne this is
what the Bible said one of the boys
spoke up and and he heard him Joseph
heard him one of the brothers said God
is getting us back for what we did to
our brother 20 years ago this is the
Vengeance of God and the Bible said
watch
watch that Joseph got up off of the
throne and walked behind the curtain and
well bitterly he was weeping why was he
weeping I believe the closest that he
came the greatest temptation was when he
would have been most justified in paying
those brothers back and given them what
they did to him just like with you the
times that you’re being tested the most
is when you can justify being ugly to
somebody you can justify giving it to
them as good as they gave it to you you
can justify feeling sorry for yourself
and being down and out and hopeless and
helpless because of all the stuff you
can justify being a victim the rest of
your life and nobody would blame you
that is the time when you’re in the
greatest temptation and if you pass the
test God is going to bless you in ways
you never thought of or dreamed of I
promise you it’s just a fist a greatest
temptations our greatest trials come
when we’ve been provoked the most when
we feel justified in our actions David’s
greatest temptation was not bathsheba
naked on a roof taking a bath that was
his greatest weakness that was his
greatest failure but that was not his
greatest temptation his greatest
temptation was when King Saul who had
made his life a living hell
King saw the man that he had to he had
fought Wars for the man that he had
fought a giant for the man that he had
risked his life for that same man took a
javelin and became jealous and tried to
kill him and chase him like a dog like
an animal until he was homeless living
in a cave and one day while Saul was
chasing him he says I’m going in this
case to one of his assistants and his
whole army he says wait here
going to go in here and relieve myself
and he goes in the caves and in the most
vulnerable position guess who’s in the
shadows of the cave hiding David – I and
Joab two mighty men one of them killed
800 and the other one killed a giant
that had six fingers and six has six
fingers and six toes they were both
mighty men not to speak of how mighty
David was he killed Goliath and the
Bible said that that a bhishan Joab
started whispering in David’s ear listen
to the justification Kelly this is the
prophecy God listen to listen to God has
it read the story God has delivered your
enemy into your hand kill him while he’s
doing his business
killing don’t you know that was his
greatest temptation because all of
heaven was watching all of it and he
remembered that only that old dusty
scripture that he had put down in him
somewhere from the Old Testament that
said touch not my anointed vengeance is
mine saith the Lord and I will repay it
but I could do it and be justified I
could do it and everybody would clap and
we would have a big party by the night
in Jerusalem but God said don’t touch it
I am the one two things belong to God
folks the tithe and vengeance both of
them he said the table is mine and
vengeance is mine and in both places he
says I will repay by the way press down
shaken together running over if you’ll
let the Lord fight your battles that you
feel justified given giving it as good
as they gave you if you’ll let the lost
he’ll give it back press down shaken he
knows how to get vengeance
[Music]
he could have killed that man with one
swing of the sword and the crown would
have been on his head the David said no
no there’s a there’s a verse that said
touch not my anointed I can’t get it out
of my brain God said don’t do it
college ladies and gentlemen checks our
heart our mind our soul our spirit he
watches our attitudes you can fool
people you can disguise bad attitudes
and spirits and anger and bitterness
with all kinds of spiritual cloaks and
all kinds of one big sayings and you
know even quoting scriptures and all
cuss but when you know God no God gets
down to the nitty-gritty of our soul
[Applause]
[Music]
when you could be justified the most
well my wife ain’t treatin me right if
she is the woman she’s supposed to be I
wouldn’t be tempted by the girl at the
office no if you were the man you were
supposed to be it doesn’t matter how she
treats you you can’t go blame and
everything and here’s my point when you
feel justified the most that’s when
you’re being given your greatest
temptation well I’ve been single and I
waited and I waited and I waited and I
waited and I feel justified even though
he’s not saved she’s but even
I gave and nothing good happen I didn’t
get a miracle in the mail so I’m done
with tithing I’m justified or I’m going
through hell and I’ve always been
faithful to God and it feels like the
bottom has dropped down I don’t think
I’m going to go to church and raise my
hands and praise the Lord anymore and
there are some who would tell you I
don’t blame you honey
your greatest temptation will come with
your greatest justification but what you
don’t see is that the greater the
temptation and the greater the
justification if you pass that test the
greater the manifestation of what God
will do in your life
I dare you right now to lift your hands
and say I will bless the Lord at all
times his praise will continually be in
my mouth I’m going to pass this test I’m
almost done I’m almost done I’m almost
done you can justify about anything
preacher a friend of mine you know an
old preacher he was with five or six
young preachers they were going on a
trip overseas actually they were coming
home and they’ve been away from their
wives for about seven days all of them
all these young preachers don’t matter
as much with the old preachers but too
young preachers let’s keep moving
thank God but they said they he said he
said honestly the most striking
beautiful woman dressed in an outfit
that was extremely tight well right on
the airplane here’s these six young
preachers in this old preacher and here
she comes right down our number three or
whatever it was on the airplane all
these preachers I will tell you I don’t
care how holy you are we’re not deaf
dumb and blind we can see you know what
this old preacher said it’s so wise I
love him
you know what he said right as she was
walking by and all those guys are just
oh my god he said good job Jesus
[Applause]
now you ought to remember that next time
you attempt to do it just like just take
a piece and say good job Jesus and turn
your face and get your Bible out its
your Bible out and go live good job
Jesus that was worth coming for just
that right there
[Applause]
you justify all kinds of crazy stuff you
can justify getting a divorce in
justifying being bitter and mad never
speaking to people again you justify
crazy stuff I don’t mean it’s right your
greatest temptations will come when you
feel you have the greatest justification
this make sense to anybody you better
check yourself you better check I said
you better check yourself so what are
you justified in right now what do you
feel like you have justification for
right now and yet you keep hearing that
gnawing little voice of the Holy Spirit
saying that’s not right you better
listen to that voice you better forgive
you better release you better love you
better write it off you better say
vengeance is mine you better let it go
you better quit justifying being
perpetually depressed and hopeless and
defeated I don’t care what’s happened to
you there’s nothing that’s happened to
you that God can’t make work out for you
if you’ll put it in his hand stand your
feet all over the room and let’s praise
God for take a praise breaking for the
next 30 seconds lift your hand and open
your mouth and praise God
[Music]
hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah
hallelujah I drebber please God I’d
rather have Jesus than all the wealth
and all the riches but I’m gonna tell
you something God is no man’s debtor and
if you give up anything to please him
he’s going to bless you
Kingdom connection is a soul-winning
ministry that is reaching the world
through broadcasting expansion into new
church campuses and global acts of
compassion by using the technology of
today to fulfill the Great Commission we
are able to connect with countless
people and reach hundreds of thousands
live our broadcasts connect with people
all around the world you say that the
message of speaks directly to them our
ministry exists to help build a
connection for strengthening your faith
and living out your god-given purpose
and our missions and relief work helps
connect you to desperate situations
showing the love of Christ through
global acts of compassion we feel the
time is right and God is leading us to
grow and that only happens when you
partner with us in connection
partnership for as little as a dollar a
day you’ll be helping us reach further
than you ever have before for more
information on how you can be a part of
the ministry and enjoy exclusive partner
benefit go online or call eight eight
eight three three nine zero zero or nine
for more information we can’t do
everything but together we can do
something amazing
[Music]
we hope you’ve enjoyed this teaching by
Jenson Franklin and thank you for your
continued support of this ministry your
prayers and financial support make these
programs possible
[Music]