Most people are familiar with the tragic account of Adam and Eve’s yielding to temptation in the Garden of Eden, thereby bringing sin and misery into God’s perfect world. If not for the loving mercy and amazing grace of God, all mankind would have perished in sin. What a devastating legacy for Adam!
But have you heard about the other Adam?
The Bible describes Jesus Christ as the “last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:22: “The first man Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
Like Adam in the Garden, Jesus too was tempted by the devil—this time not in a lush paradise, but in the barren wilderness, after a forty-day fast. And the tactics used against him were the same old strategies the devil has always employed: the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Whereas the first Adam failed in all three ways and plunged the human race into ruin, the second Adam—Jesus Christ—stood firm. He beat the devil at every turn. He obeyed where Adam disobeyed. He overcame where Adam fell. He proved himself victorious and invincible!
In this sermon, we will learn how the triumph of the second Adam brings salvation, hope, and eternal redemption to a fallen world.
Read the full sermon transcript below!
This morning, we advance to the third sermon in our recently begun series from the Gospel of Mark. Previously, we learned about John the Baptist, the last Old Covenant prophet, who was sent by God to announce the arrival of the long-anticipated hope of the Jews and of the world, the promised Messiah. The Hebrew word for messiah—mashiach—has for its Greek equivalent the word christos—Christ—and it means “anointed.”
In our second sermon we saw confirmation from the Father in Heaven and the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Christ. It was verified at his baptism when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. All three persons of the Trinity were active in that phenomenal event. God the Holy Spirit came from heaven and anointed Jesus—God the Son—for his ministry as Messiah. The voice of God the Father came from heaven announcing his approval of Jesus to be the Messiah and Savior of the world, saying, “You are my beloved Son; in whom I am well pleased.”
Today, we are going to learn what happened immediately after Jesus’ baptism with water and the Holy Spirit. Whenever good things are being done in God’s name, you can expect the enemy of God’s kingdom and his people to be at work. He tries to destroy and wreck what is done in God’s name and to stop any forward movement of God’s church and her members. But even though he sometimes gets the upper hand in some battles, he will inevitably lose the war.
This morning’s sermon explains why. It is because whereas the first Adam failed miserably, the second Adam, Jesus, triumphed over the devil in a forty-day battle in the lonely desert wilderness. This morning’s theme is the second Adam: triumphant and invincible.
As with our sermon last Lord’s Day, once again, Mark’s Gospel narrative is very succinct, so we will gain additional information from Luke’s record. Mark’s account of the temptation of Jesus, following his baptism, consists of only two verses (vv. 12-13): 12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
Praise the Lord that Mark recorded our Savior’s wilderness temptation for all the world to read until our Lord’s return to this world from heaven! Praise the Lord that our Savior victoriously endured Satan’s best attempt at overcoming him! Jesus’ conquest of the enemy that day helps secure our own salvation and the redemption of the world.
The Victorious and Invincible Second Adam
The record of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is found in Luke 4:1-13. Immediately preceding his account of our Lord’s battle against the forces of hell in the wilderness, Luke supplies a genealogy of Jesus as a human being descended from Adam. After tracing that human ancestry through the millennia, Luke’s genealogy concludes with these words about Seth and Adam (Luke 3:38): Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
It is very important to understand that Jesus, being conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, is the fully divine Son of God. It is equally important to know that he is also fully human. He is a descendant of Adam, just like us, except for sin. It was impossible for Jesus to sin because he was, and is, the Son of God. He is fully human and fully God—two distinct natures in one person forever. In leading up to our Lord’s wilderness battle, let us discuss for a moment the importance of our divine Savior’s humanity.
Those last words of Luke’s genealogy of Jesus are very important. Referring to Adam, he describes him as the son of God. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, begotten not made, as our Westminster Standards describe. Adam, too, is described by Luke as the son of God. Adam came directly from God’s hand at creation. He is created but not begotten.
Man, as man stands, unlike any other creature, in a unique relationship to God, in whose image we are made. The first man’s relationship to God was exceptionally unique. Philip Ryken offers a good summary in his commentary, explaining that Adam was not born into this world but was made by a direct act of creation. Since he was created in God’s image, Adam bore the family likeness of God. He was God’s son.
But something terrible happened. Adam’s relationship with his Father became marred, broken, and separated, along with his wife Eve’s, because Adam, the created son of God, rebelled against his Creator by sinful disobedience. That sin corrupted the whole family line, all of humanity who are descended from Adam by ordinary generation—that includes all of us.
Somehow, Adam and his fallen human offspring had to be rescued, or they/we would remain separated from God by the guilt of sin forever. There had to be a new beginning. There had to be a new Adam. There had to be someone who could once again be called ‘the son of God’, but this time without sin, so that he could redeem the broken sonship and family line of mankind. That reconciling person is, of course, God’s begotten Son, Jesus.
Like the first Adam—the one who failed—the new Adam had his life’s beginning not in the usual way. His Father is God. He arrived in this world with a new and perfect sonship, conceived by God. His humanity is of the utmost importance because he was born as a member of the very humanity he came to save. In his manhood, he relates to the whole human race; he is one of us. He became one of us in order to be our human representative before God.
The first Adam was the representative of all humanity in the world. When the first Adam failed, all whom he represented went down with him. The new Adam came to represent all among humanity whom God had deemed to save. If the second Adam succeeded, then all whom he represented would be redeemed by God from the failure of the first Adam. The Bible explains it in Romans 5:12, 18-19:
Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned… through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Praise God, he did not fail! When the same tempter who tricked the first Adam came into the wilderness to try it again with the second Adam, things were very different. That foul enemy was no match for the invincible Son of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us learn about it.
The Second Adam in the Wilderness
People tell the account of the temptation of Christ as if the devil had Jesus backed into a corner. No! It was the other way around! Jesus took the fight to the devil. Luke explains (v. 1) that Jesus was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” Jesus was the aggressor. He was in control. The devil was forced into trying to defend his alleged turf, and he lost.
The new Adam, following his baptism and inauguration as God’s Messiah, went out into the wilderness to seek out, confront, and defeat that ancient adversary who was trying to steal his sheep. He went after the thief—the one who had first introduced sin into God’s world and caused all the misery of humanity—that old wicked serpent, Satan, the devil.
1 John 2:16 provides a threefold description of the essential nature of sin. All sin contains one or all of these features: For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
The desires of the flesh…the desires of the eyes…the prideful desire for self-fulfillment… These are three ways human beings seek to fulfill their lust for autonomy—self-rule apart from God’s authority. All three of these features of sin were present and working in the Garden of Eden when the first Adam cast this world into ruin.
As for the lust of the flesh: As the woman Eve considered the beguiling words of the serpent in the Garden, she was enticed by the forbidden fruit of the tree. Genesis 3:6 says the woman saw that the tree was good for food. That forbidden fruit appeared to be so luscious and delicious, surely her sensual desires would be fulfilled by its fine, delectable taste – the lust of the flesh.
Next, the lust of the eyes: The enticing voice of the serpent appealed to the woman’s physical senses, and as she gazed so longingly at the forbidden tree, the Bible says she saw that it was pleasant to the eyes. It looked so gorgeously good.
Also, the pride of life: The serpent promised the woman that the fruit of this tree could make her and her husband independent from God and his demands. The serpent insisted that the beneficial fruit was being wrongfully withheld from them by God. That it was their right to have it. That Adam and his wife were being oppressed. That they should be free to exercise their whole human potential. Thus hissed the serpent, “God knows that in the day you eat of this tree your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…”
The pride of life—the desire for self-gratification, self-promotion, self-fulfillment, self-rule, independent from God and his law. To live as one desires, that is the essential longing of the sinful human nature that is actively alive within every naturally born descendant of Adam. It must be overcome, and it can be because of what the new Adam did out there in the wilderness to save and redeem his people. How did it happen?
The Bible tells us in Luke 4:1 that following his baptism, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and power and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he would engage in cosmic combat with the one who is the very epitome of evil. The Bible provides a historical record of one part of the greatest cosmic warfare in world history.
On a battlefield called Earth unfolded the opening engagement of a bloody spiritual war that would culminate three years later, as, just when it appeared the evil one had conquered, the true victor would rise triumphantly from the dead. Then he would take his rightful place on the throne of his power, ruling forever over all the world, with the devil as a defeated foe.
Out there on that desert battlefield, Jesus underwent an arduous time of spiritual preparation—forty days of fasting. Nothing to eat, wandering and sleeping outside in the harsh elements of that lonely region. A weak man could not have done it. God sent his angels to sustain Jesus in that most grueling trial.
The devil, the most wickedly crafty of God’s creatures, waited till the opportune time, when Jesus was physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. Then he unleashed his best tactical weapons, the ones that had worked against the first Adam and has harmed all the children of man in world history: the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. Let us see how that same age-old vehicle of deception was presented to Jesus.
First, the desires of the flesh (Luke 4:3): And the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” It was the same trap that worked so well in Eden. Tempt him to fulfill his sensual desires for pleasure, even a basic human need, for the body. Food. After forty days of hunger, what could be more enticing?
Later in his ministry, Jesus told his disciples (John 4:32), “I have food to eat you know not of. My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish the work.”
Jesus’ perfect and complete desire to follow the will of his Father was greater than anything otherwise that life had to offer. He countered the devil’s challenge with the words of Scripture: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
The devil failed at tricking Jesus through the desires of the flesh, so he would try another tactic: the desires of the eyes (vv. 5-7): Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
Humans lust for power. People desire power so they can use it over others to get anything and everything they want. At times in our lives, we all have been the victims of abusive power. Satan offered Jesus all the power of all the kingdoms of the world. Imagine that! All he had to do was bow the knee to the devil, and it would all be his, or so he was told by the one whom the Bible calls the father of lies.
And what a contrived lie that was. None of this world belongs to the devil. It all belongs to God and his Son Jesus. The Bible says of Jesus, all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. Jesus had come to run the devil out of God’s kingdom and to reclaim it for himself! Nothing could be more preposterous than that lie of the enemy. Jesus countered once again with the Word of God (v. 8): “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve’.”
That old serpent had failed again, but he was not ready to give up. He still had one more trick, one more weapon at his disposal—the pride of life. The Bible explains that the devil brought Jesus to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple. The enemy challenged Jesus, this time even quoting Scripture, saying (vv. 9-11), “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you, and, in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone’.”
In other words, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. The angels will catch you.” And furthermore, by implication, “If people see you accomplish a feat like that, why, you will be famous instantly. Everybody will see and know that you truly are God’s son.”
Once again, Jesus unsheathed the two-edged sword that slashes even the devil, the word of God: Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said [it is written in God’s word], ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
By God’s own words, Satan was shown that he had no authority over Jesus; rather, Jesus has authority over him. The devil, having used all his ammunition and being duly defeated, was left with no option but to leave Jesus’ presence and hope for a better time to try again. The second Adam had accomplished what the first Adam could not. He defeated that foul enemy of God and man, the devil.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as Philip Ryken comments, here we see the truth of God’s promise: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). That promise is true for you, for me, for all of God’s people. The apostle John assures us: greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
It is often said that ‘you can’t beat a man at his own game.’ But, Christian, you can beat the devil at his own game. You can resist temptation without giving into it. You can endure the trials of life without yielding to sin because, if you are one of Christ’s redeemed people, sin no longer has dominion over you. Furthermore, if you are Christ’s, he himself lives in you by his Holy Spirit. He who lives in you has defeated the devil, and he in you can do it in any circumstance. He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world.
We are sometimes tempted to doubt God’s love for us, aren’t we? We show that we really don’t appreciate the genuineness of his fatherly love and care whenever we choose to gratify the desires of the fallen nature rather than submit to God’s will for us. We are often tempted to put our physical desires ahead of our obedience to God. It may be through the abuse of food, drink, sex, entertainment, leisure, and pleasures of all sorts.
None of these can truly satisfy. Man cannot live by bread alone—a way of saying that the physical urges might be fulfilled, but what about the soul? What about your spiritual relationship with God? Compromising our communion and fellowship with God for the sake of temporary physical gratification. If we could only see such an exchange as it really is, we would be repulsed at the sheer hideousness and foolishness of it.
The lust of the eyes? We see what we want. It looks so enticing. It looks so good. Surely it will bring me pleasure, we think. And we set out devising a plan to have for ourselves what God’s will, as revealed in his law, forbids us. What are we doing at that point? Worshipping an idol of the heart. Bowing down to another god, a god of our own making, an empty cistern that can hold no water.
The hard question is, of course, just what are you willing to sacrifice to your self-made god? Your relationship with your spouse? Your children? Your church? Your relationship with God? Whatever sacrifice your idol would require of you, be assured, it isn’t worth it. You can never win by turning away from the true and living God. Once idols have your devotion, they will destroy you and anything you hold dear. God alone is the giver of life, and through Jesus alone can you have everlasting life and pardon of sin.
What about the pride of life? Gaining all the power, prestige, money, pleasure, and temporary enjoyments of this world? Having it all for yourself? Being the envy of your so-called friends? But what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
The temptations of life are many indeed, more than can be numbered. They all promise gratification and satisfaction. The way may seem right, but remember that the end thereof is death.
Jesus resisted all temptation, and he shows us how to do the same. He even equips us with his own powerful Spirit to withstand all the flaming arrows of the wicked one. And he equips us with wisdom from God’s own Holy Word.
These are great truths indeed. But, as true as all these things are and as practical and needful as they can be in our Christian life, none of them is the main point of this passage of Scripture. Did you know that? Regarding the historical event of Jesus’ confrontation with the devil in the wilderness, the real main point is often overlooked. It is a point we made earlier in our discussion.
Jesus Christ, the redeemer and creator, came into this world to redeem and to re-create a new humanity and world. Jesus Christ, who is fully man and fully God, the second Adam, stood alone against Satan and defeated him. He withstood all the arsenal at the devil’s disposal and overcame where the first Adam had failed.
It is only because Jesus stood firm in the wilderness, defeated the enemy, and established himself as the one and only perfectly righteous man who did not and could not sin… Only because of this truth was he able to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice on the cross to save us—the fallen sons of the first Adam—from our sins and to make us the redeemed sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven. Jesus saved fallen humanity by creating a new humanity.
1 Corinthians 15:45, Romans 8:14-17: So it is written, The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Benediction: Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. And to the people of God’s saving mercy, may you enjoy the immense richness of his blessings. Amen.