A Friend of God
[John 14:21, 15:14-5]
Jesus will manifest himself to those who keep his commandments. Have you ever been frustrated because you couldn’t understand what God was doing in your life? Why the trials? Why no answers? Why won’t God speak to me and Give me direction? Most often, we make it impossible for God to speak with us. God wants us just to obey. Then he will begin to show us the reasons why.
The difference between a servant and a friend is that servants must follow blindly. The master is not obligated to give them explanations. The friend is the one who you share your thoughts with. If the disciple of Christ ever wants to be his friend, he must first learn to be a servant. He must follow the Lord blindly without knowing what the result will be of the obedience. Once the Christian learns to obey, God will begin to reveal his plan in that person’s life; and he will give him the answer to his “why.”
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jas 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
2Ch 20:7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend forever?
Isa 41:8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
Abraham was considered a friend of God because he had obeyed. Was faith important? ABSOLUTLEY! That faith was necessary for Abraham to obey. The fact that Abraham obeyed proved that his faith was true. Many of us say we have faith but never step out. Our faith is not made perfect. The implication is that we are not really trusting God. If we really want the Lord to manifest himself to us, we must obey. We must start by willfully submitting ourselves to follow his commandments; then he’ll be able to call us friends and he’ll work in our lives beyond just our salvation.
1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Exo 33:11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend…
Pro 18:24 A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Pro 22:11 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Proverbs says that the pure in heart will be the King’s friend. Jesus said that the pure in heart will see God. He will manifest himself to that person who has chosen to be the King’s friend…
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
"I may be very dilligent and doing a great deal, and yet; all the time, it is more the work of human flesh than of God's Spirit. What a solemn thought that man can, without noticing it, be shunt off from the line of God's Holy Spirit; that he can be most diligent and make the most sacrifices; and yet, it is all the power of human will."-Andrew Murray [Absolute Surrender, p.85]
Thursday, October 18, 2007
...A complete vessel
"It is only when God's people stand as one body [...] that they have power to secure the blessing which they ask of God. Remember that if a vessel that ought to be one whole is cracked into many peices, it cannot be filled. You can take a potsherd, one part of a vessel, and dip out a little water with it; but if you want the vessel full, it must be whole."
-Andrew Murray (from: Absolute Surrender, p. 21)
"It is only when God's people stand as one body [...] that they have power to secure the blessing which they ask of God. Remember that if a vessel that ought to be one whole is cracked into many peices, it cannot be filled. You can take a potsherd, one part of a vessel, and dip out a little water with it; but if you want the vessel full, it must be whole."
-Andrew Murray (from: Absolute Surrender, p. 21)
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Human Effort
[Genesis 11:1-9]
V3. This verse discloses that human will conceived the idea of building the tower. Not only that, but the method of how to build the tower was cunningly devised by the human mind; what materials would be used to build and how to appropriate those materials. There would be nothing wrong with this if the purpose of the task was pure, and those involved exercised Godly wisdom for a goal to the glory of God and not their own. From the standpoint of salvation, we learn that our ideas of reaching God by our own efforts are futile; as is our ideas of what materials are necessary to accomplish that end.
[Galatians 4:22-31]
This story explains that the child of human effort is a cast away, while the child of promise was the inheritor of the covenant. This type is also found in the rending of the kingdom from Saul and giving it to David.
V4. This verse shows the true motivations of the builders: to make a name for themselves. This is what displeased the Lord. It’s the same for us in ministry. What are the motivations behind what we do? Are we seeking God’s glory, or glory for ourselves?
V5. Verse 5 shows us that God’s eyes are on all we do. He sees our hearts. The Apostle John describes Jesus as having eyes of flames of fire. We are told in the scriptures that all works that are wood, hay and stubble will be burnt.[Revelation 1:1 Corinthians 3:13]. Our works are tried by the Lord’s eyes. On judgment day, all the wood, hay and stubble we worked for will be burnt up by his very gaze.
V6. Notice the parallel between this verse and Genesis 3:22-3. In two cases, God prevented man from making the same error that Lucifer made. It was pride in himself that caused Satan’s fall. He had hoped to exalt himself above God’s throne. God prevented man from eating the tree of life; a tree that had not been previously forbade to them before the fall. Now with sin entered into the world, that tree was no longer offered to Adam and Eve at that time. In the same way, the builders of the Tower could not be left in a state where unification for evil and pride would be possible.
V7. God confounds their language. This world is blind and confused without Jesus. Our own attempts at achieving salvation by works and legalistic systems will leave us even more confused. For those who are born-again, ministry can be wrought with the same perils. If we act out of our own will with out listening to the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, we doom ourselves to failure. If the motivations are not correct, our attempts will leave us confused. Have you ever thought you and a group of people were doing something for God, but just couldn’t get on the same page? It’s something to think about. God places specific callings on our lives, and we can’t be successful unless we are obedient to what he has for us individually.
V8-9. God scatters the builders. The Church can only function as a body if we allow Christ to be the head. If Christ is not allowed to be the head, the limbs of the body will be scattered and sent to connect to another body where Christ is the head. Many Churches have broken and split up because Christ was not allowed to be the head.
[Genesis 11:1-9]
V3. This verse discloses that human will conceived the idea of building the tower. Not only that, but the method of how to build the tower was cunningly devised by the human mind; what materials would be used to build and how to appropriate those materials. There would be nothing wrong with this if the purpose of the task was pure, and those involved exercised Godly wisdom for a goal to the glory of God and not their own. From the standpoint of salvation, we learn that our ideas of reaching God by our own efforts are futile; as is our ideas of what materials are necessary to accomplish that end.
[Galatians 4:22-31]
This story explains that the child of human effort is a cast away, while the child of promise was the inheritor of the covenant. This type is also found in the rending of the kingdom from Saul and giving it to David.
V4. This verse shows the true motivations of the builders: to make a name for themselves. This is what displeased the Lord. It’s the same for us in ministry. What are the motivations behind what we do? Are we seeking God’s glory, or glory for ourselves?
V5. Verse 5 shows us that God’s eyes are on all we do. He sees our hearts. The Apostle John describes Jesus as having eyes of flames of fire. We are told in the scriptures that all works that are wood, hay and stubble will be burnt.[Revelation 1:1 Corinthians 3:13]. Our works are tried by the Lord’s eyes. On judgment day, all the wood, hay and stubble we worked for will be burnt up by his very gaze.
V6. Notice the parallel between this verse and Genesis 3:22-3. In two cases, God prevented man from making the same error that Lucifer made. It was pride in himself that caused Satan’s fall. He had hoped to exalt himself above God’s throne. God prevented man from eating the tree of life; a tree that had not been previously forbade to them before the fall. Now with sin entered into the world, that tree was no longer offered to Adam and Eve at that time. In the same way, the builders of the Tower could not be left in a state where unification for evil and pride would be possible.
V7. God confounds their language. This world is blind and confused without Jesus. Our own attempts at achieving salvation by works and legalistic systems will leave us even more confused. For those who are born-again, ministry can be wrought with the same perils. If we act out of our own will with out listening to the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, we doom ourselves to failure. If the motivations are not correct, our attempts will leave us confused. Have you ever thought you and a group of people were doing something for God, but just couldn’t get on the same page? It’s something to think about. God places specific callings on our lives, and we can’t be successful unless we are obedient to what he has for us individually.
V8-9. God scatters the builders. The Church can only function as a body if we allow Christ to be the head. If Christ is not allowed to be the head, the limbs of the body will be scattered and sent to connect to another body where Christ is the head. Many Churches have broken and split up because Christ was not allowed to be the head.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Priorities….
[Mark 2:1-5]
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t rail on these guys for the vandalism that they had just committed. I’m sure the owner of the house couldn’t have had a smile on his face as he watched his roof get destroyed. It doesn’t even appear that this paralytic’s friends asked the owner permission to tear his roof up.
In fact, I get the crazy notion that all of this pleased Jesus when he saw their faith. It’s not a notion. The scripture says as much! Jesus knows what’s important. So did this guy's friends. They forsook the trivial and temporal for the eternal. Gray areas? Exceptions to the rule? I don’t know. Your guess would be as good as mine. Sometimes there are things that are unclear in the Word just to force us to listen to his Spirit; a Spirit who is not the author of confusion (that’s the devil’s job), in whom is no variableness or shadow of change, who is the author of liberty, and who is by nature designed to be our comforter.
If I find myself one day violating some copyright law in order to print Bibles or Bible passages in some remote country, I’ll feel fine in my conscious on judgment day. God knows what is important.
[Mark 2:1-5]
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t rail on these guys for the vandalism that they had just committed. I’m sure the owner of the house couldn’t have had a smile on his face as he watched his roof get destroyed. It doesn’t even appear that this paralytic’s friends asked the owner permission to tear his roof up.
In fact, I get the crazy notion that all of this pleased Jesus when he saw their faith. It’s not a notion. The scripture says as much! Jesus knows what’s important. So did this guy's friends. They forsook the trivial and temporal for the eternal. Gray areas? Exceptions to the rule? I don’t know. Your guess would be as good as mine. Sometimes there are things that are unclear in the Word just to force us to listen to his Spirit; a Spirit who is not the author of confusion (that’s the devil’s job), in whom is no variableness or shadow of change, who is the author of liberty, and who is by nature designed to be our comforter.
If I find myself one day violating some copyright law in order to print Bibles or Bible passages in some remote country, I’ll feel fine in my conscious on judgment day. God knows what is important.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
WINE
[John 2:2-10]
V2. Jesus is invited to the wedding. No one can hear the gospel unless they are open to give it a chance. When the gospel is preached to us, we can do one of two things. We can shut our ears to it, or we can invite it to sink into our ears. We consider it, meditate on it, and if we make the right choice, accept it. The fact that Jesus’ disciples were invited with him shows that the servants of God will be accepted with him. If one has judged themselves worthy of the gospel [willing to hear], the messenger will be accepted as Christ himself. This is why Jesus tells us that what we have done for his servants, we have done for him [Matthew 25:37-40]. Wherever Jesus is invited, we are invited. Were we are not welcome, he is not welcome. This is proved in Jesus’ commission to the 70 when he sends them out. He tells them to stay where people are worthy, and shake the dust off their sandals when the house is not worthy [Matthew 10:13-5]
His first miracle is performed at a wedding. Ironic that his ministry begins at a wedding, and will end at a wedding [Revelation 19:9].
V3. They have no wine. The wine here symbolizes happiness/fulfillment/peace [Psalms 104:15, Ecclesiastes 10:19]. The fact that they ran out of wine means that there was a previous happiness with life. Finally, the things of this world no longer satisfied the inherent craving of man. The void in man can only be filled with Christ. Although one can have fun in this life and find temporary pleasure in the things of the world, true happiness and a glad heart only come from a relationship with God. Note that Mary came to Jesus with this problem. The position that Mary represents in this story knows that Christ alone can solve the problem that the human race suffers. She went to the right place.
V4. It could be assumed that Jesus’ referral to his mother as “woman,” could be disrespectful. This means a lot concerning the spiritual meaning of this miracle he is about to perform. It is true, as most teachers assert that Jesus was separating himself to his ministry with this statement. He is no longer Jesus the carpenter and son of Mary and Joseph. He is now proclaiming himself as the messiah, set apart for a unique task. He is the son of God. He is the Lord and savior of the world. However, this reference to his mother has an even deeper spiritual meaning concerning who Mary symbolizes in the course of this story. For this purpose, we are given a clue that for the rest of the verses contained in this story, we are not to look at Mary as Jesus’ mother. She represents a type in the scripture and I will explain that further at the appropriate time.
Jesus also says that his hour has not yet come. Does this mean that he must have changed his mind to perform the miracle he is about to perform? No. It is true that his hour had not yet come to accomplish what this miracle represents. The miracle itself could still be performed, but like all of Jesus’ miracles, it was prophetic. The miracle itself represents what Jesus’ overall goal was in his ministry.
V5. Mary tells the servants, “Whatever he tells you to do, do it.” Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, tells what he wants us to do. We can have pastors, mentors, teachers and elders who can give us advice and confirm God’s calling on our lives. It is not their responsibility, however, to chart our lives for us. The mark of a true mentor is that they will point us toward the one we should obey. That one is Christ. If we have the Holy Spirit, He speaks to us personally [1 John 2:27]. Once we’ve been pointed in the right direction, we are to obey God. Mary represents a good counselor. She pointed the servants to Christ, and then stepped out of the way. Jesus’ instruction from that point forward by-passed Mary and went strait to the servants.
V6. The water pots have a double meaning. For one they represent souls who have never heard the gospel. In a more Jewish context, or even a general religious context, they show the fruitlessness of religion. The water pots were to be used in the Jewish manner of purification. Religion leaves one dry. Many souls live dry lives due to their religion. Some are even officers in that religion, unable to quench the thirst of their practitioners because they are empty and dry themselves.
V7. Jesus tells the servants to fill the pots with water. We are to just obey God, and let him worry about changing the water into wine. We give the gospel and keep it simple. We can not do the Holy Spirit’s job for him. Our commission is simple. Give the gospel and let God do the rest. One of Jesus’ sower parables [Mark 4:26-9] makes this same point. The sower sows, and then rises at day and finds that the seed grew of itself, and he couldn’t understand how. Once we’ve put the water in the pots, God will change it into wine.
V8. The master of the feast represents the world that will now witness the lives of the new converts.
V9. As the master tastes the wine, he doesn’t know where it came from, but the servants knew. Tasting of the wine is the visible testimony of the believer that is witnessed by those in the world. They see a changed life but can’t really understand what it was that changed that life. We [the servants] know very well that it was Christ that changed this person’s life.
V10. “you have kept the best wine ‘til now.” This is the bringing in of the new covenant. The law was the old wine, grace is the new. This was Jesus’ ultimate calling; to usher in a new and better covenant. God saved the best for last.
[John 2:2-10]
V2. Jesus is invited to the wedding. No one can hear the gospel unless they are open to give it a chance. When the gospel is preached to us, we can do one of two things. We can shut our ears to it, or we can invite it to sink into our ears. We consider it, meditate on it, and if we make the right choice, accept it. The fact that Jesus’ disciples were invited with him shows that the servants of God will be accepted with him. If one has judged themselves worthy of the gospel [willing to hear], the messenger will be accepted as Christ himself. This is why Jesus tells us that what we have done for his servants, we have done for him [Matthew 25:37-40]. Wherever Jesus is invited, we are invited. Were we are not welcome, he is not welcome. This is proved in Jesus’ commission to the 70 when he sends them out. He tells them to stay where people are worthy, and shake the dust off their sandals when the house is not worthy [Matthew 10:13-5]
His first miracle is performed at a wedding. Ironic that his ministry begins at a wedding, and will end at a wedding [Revelation 19:9].
V3. They have no wine. The wine here symbolizes happiness/fulfillment/peace [Psalms 104:15, Ecclesiastes 10:19]. The fact that they ran out of wine means that there was a previous happiness with life. Finally, the things of this world no longer satisfied the inherent craving of man. The void in man can only be filled with Christ. Although one can have fun in this life and find temporary pleasure in the things of the world, true happiness and a glad heart only come from a relationship with God. Note that Mary came to Jesus with this problem. The position that Mary represents in this story knows that Christ alone can solve the problem that the human race suffers. She went to the right place.
V4. It could be assumed that Jesus’ referral to his mother as “woman,” could be disrespectful. This means a lot concerning the spiritual meaning of this miracle he is about to perform. It is true, as most teachers assert that Jesus was separating himself to his ministry with this statement. He is no longer Jesus the carpenter and son of Mary and Joseph. He is now proclaiming himself as the messiah, set apart for a unique task. He is the son of God. He is the Lord and savior of the world. However, this reference to his mother has an even deeper spiritual meaning concerning who Mary symbolizes in the course of this story. For this purpose, we are given a clue that for the rest of the verses contained in this story, we are not to look at Mary as Jesus’ mother. She represents a type in the scripture and I will explain that further at the appropriate time.
Jesus also says that his hour has not yet come. Does this mean that he must have changed his mind to perform the miracle he is about to perform? No. It is true that his hour had not yet come to accomplish what this miracle represents. The miracle itself could still be performed, but like all of Jesus’ miracles, it was prophetic. The miracle itself represents what Jesus’ overall goal was in his ministry.
V5. Mary tells the servants, “Whatever he tells you to do, do it.” Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, tells what he wants us to do. We can have pastors, mentors, teachers and elders who can give us advice and confirm God’s calling on our lives. It is not their responsibility, however, to chart our lives for us. The mark of a true mentor is that they will point us toward the one we should obey. That one is Christ. If we have the Holy Spirit, He speaks to us personally [1 John 2:27]. Once we’ve been pointed in the right direction, we are to obey God. Mary represents a good counselor. She pointed the servants to Christ, and then stepped out of the way. Jesus’ instruction from that point forward by-passed Mary and went strait to the servants.
V6. The water pots have a double meaning. For one they represent souls who have never heard the gospel. In a more Jewish context, or even a general religious context, they show the fruitlessness of religion. The water pots were to be used in the Jewish manner of purification. Religion leaves one dry. Many souls live dry lives due to their religion. Some are even officers in that religion, unable to quench the thirst of their practitioners because they are empty and dry themselves.
V7. Jesus tells the servants to fill the pots with water. We are to just obey God, and let him worry about changing the water into wine. We give the gospel and keep it simple. We can not do the Holy Spirit’s job for him. Our commission is simple. Give the gospel and let God do the rest. One of Jesus’ sower parables [Mark 4:26-9] makes this same point. The sower sows, and then rises at day and finds that the seed grew of itself, and he couldn’t understand how. Once we’ve put the water in the pots, God will change it into wine.
V8. The master of the feast represents the world that will now witness the lives of the new converts.
V9. As the master tastes the wine, he doesn’t know where it came from, but the servants knew. Tasting of the wine is the visible testimony of the believer that is witnessed by those in the world. They see a changed life but can’t really understand what it was that changed that life. We [the servants] know very well that it was Christ that changed this person’s life.
V10. “you have kept the best wine ‘til now.” This is the bringing in of the new covenant. The law was the old wine, grace is the new. This was Jesus’ ultimate calling; to usher in a new and better covenant. God saved the best for last.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
TEMPTATION
[Matthew 4:1-11]
V1. Note that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. This stands in contrast to what the Lord taught us to pray for ourselves, “lead us not into temptation.” Why the contradiction? The answer is substitution. Christ was not only our substitution as payment for our sin on the cross; but he substituted for us in every aspect of our lives. His substitution counts for our sin [Romans 3:25], our sorrow [Isaiah 53:4], our sickness [Isaiah 53:5] and even the temptations that confront us day to day. We can trust in his substitution that he forgives us of sin [1 John 1:9], will grant healing when we ask for it in faith, give us joy in times of sorrow [Romans 14:17], and deliver us from temptation. It’s one thing to ask God to forgive us after we have sinned; but Christ’s substitution goes so far that it gives us the right to call on his name for deliverance from temptation even before sin is committed! He is our refuge.
V2. There is a parallel between Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness. Forty years/days has throughout the Bible been a symbolic period of testing/purifying/or establishing. In Israel’s case, many died in the wilderness and weren’t allowed into the promised land because of unbelief [Hebrews 3:17-8]. Those who were allowed to enter were a purified, set apart people. Those who did believe and were counted righteous [Genesis 15:6], still had to go through their 40 years of wilderness. In Christ’s case, he was holy and righteous from the beginning; but still had to endure the temptation for the sake of being the perfect sacrifice. The ability to remain sinless through temptation was the validation of his identity.
The story tells us that Jesus was hungry. This represents the empty void in our lives. We try to fill that void with the things of this world and never quite find satisfaction. Christ chose [as we should…] to fill that void with the Word of God rather than bread [the things of this world].
V3. Satan’s first challenge was an attempt to make Jesus doubt his identity. Jesus [although God] was in a human body with a human brain; a brain in which memory can recall experience according to things seen, heard, smelt, tasted and touched within the duration of the brain’s existence. I don’t believe Jesus had a recollection of creating the world or walking with Adam in the cool of the day. His knowledge of his own identity came from the inborn truth given to him by the Father; not to mention the countless prophecies about himself that his understanding was no doubt opened to [see Luke 4:18-21]. I will qualify this by saying that this is only my theory and no formal doctrine taught by orthodox Christianity. This is an aspect of Christ that most do not ponder. I’m persuaded to believe that it must be this way if we are to claim that Jesus was completely human. Satan’s first word to Jesus was “if.’ This was an attempt to spark doubt. This was the same tactic that he used with Eve in the Garden of Eden [Genesis 3:1]. Doubt is one of Satan’s favorite tools. He wants us to doubt our salvation. He wants us to doubt the truthfulness of the Bible. He wants us to doubt the existence of God. He wants us to doubt our identity as children of God.
The first temptation was two-fold. If the Devil couldn’t get Jesus to doubt his identity, maybe he could get Jesus to act without waiting any longer on the Father. “Command these stones to be made bread.” In trials, it’s always best to wait on the Lord. Sometimes we may see a way of escape that seems perfectly logical. We must request the Lord’s counsel or we may be putting ourselves into an even worse situation. It would have been easy for Jesus to turn those stones into bread and eat, but he preferred to wait on deliverance from his Father. There is also a component here that shows another aspect of Jesus’ Character. Jesus never did anything for himself. His power was always used for others.
V4. Jesus used the scriptures to combat the devil. The devil had no choice but to desist from the attack and choose another approach.
V6. Satan will also use God’s Word; but remember that he is the Father of lies [John 8:44], and he corrupts the Word. He will use bits and pieces taken out of context, omitting words and phrases in an attempt to manipulate and distort. If he can’t use doubt in a frontal attack, he’ll start with confusion, then lead a person into doubt. It is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to learn and become grounded in the Word! Verse 6 is a great example of how Satan uses this device. He quotes from Psalms 91:11-2. The phrase, “to keep you in all your ways,” is conveniently left out by Satan. This changes the meaning of the scripture in a dramatic way. The left out phrase would divulge that God promises his protection as someone ministers or goes about their business as normal. It excludes a person who has gone out of their way to tempt God. A good juxtaposition to demonstrate this would be a comparison between Paul gathering firewood on the island of Malta and the practice of snake handling in some Appalachian Churches. Paul was gathering wood to build a fire; a perfectly normal routine for anyone shipwrecked on an island. Paul was simply about his business, or “[in] his way.” He was bitten by a poisonous viper, but was supernaturally protected by God. The Maltese thought he was a god. This obviously gave Paul the credibility he needed to preach a Gospel to them that would be readily received. It turned out for God’s glory. The snake handlers [in accordance with their interpretation of Mark 16:18], on the other hand, engage in their practice to prove their faith or their spirituality. Although they may be sincere, they are unwittingly tempting God. In fact, many have died from snake bites. Satan knows the Bible very well. His use, however, is contra-contextual and manipulative. What’s even more dangerous is that he energizes false prophets with unholy power. He bestows evil gifts, such as supernatural influence and mind-manipulation ability on his servants. David Koresh, Jim Jones and Adolf Hitler are a few examples of people who through the power of Satan were able to manipulate and persuade masses to do the unconceivable [2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, Ephesians 2:2-3, 1 John 4:3]. The same spirit that will give the Antichrist his power is in the world today. How important it is to know God’s Word!
V7. Once again, Jesus fights temptation with scripture and wins!
V8. To this point, the devil has tested the Lord with doubt, carnality [physical rather than spiritual bread], and testing the Father [one who has faith doesn’t need to test God]. Now, finally, he tempts Jesus with wealth and power.
V9. Note that the fall of man to a desire for wealth/power always involves the worship of something other than God. One can have doubt and still be a worshiper of God. One can temporarily fall to a carnal temptation in the moment and still be a worshiper of God at heart [look at David]. I think all of us have put God to the test. It’s not right, but God always proves himself. However, when one compromises his principles and convictions for wealth [1 Timothy 6:10] or earthly power, they have made the object of that desire their god. From this verse, I am almost persuaded to believe that the worship of anyone or anything besides God, is the worship of Satan himself. God help us.
V10. As always, Jesus uses the scriptures to ward off Satan’s attack. Each and every temptation was defended against using God’s Word! How important it is to diligently study the scriptures [2 Timothy 3:16]. The devil had no choice but to leave at this point. The 40 days were over and Christ had suffered all temptation necessary to be our perfect substitution.
Conclusion:
I believe that the most important theme that the Holy Spirit wants to establish behind this study is the importance of knowing God’s Word. It is the weapon he has given us to battle temptation. To the new Christian, I have two pieces of advice:
1. Commit totally to learning from the Word. Read the Bible everyday. Pray for God’s help to understand it, and wisdom to know how to apply it to every situation. READ!!
2. In the meantime, hold to foundational verses such as 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 [We’ve been given the power to take our thoughts captive], and James 4:7.
These are a couple of good passages for a new Christian to start out with as memory verses.
[Matthew 4:1-11]
V1. Note that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. This stands in contrast to what the Lord taught us to pray for ourselves, “lead us not into temptation.” Why the contradiction? The answer is substitution. Christ was not only our substitution as payment for our sin on the cross; but he substituted for us in every aspect of our lives. His substitution counts for our sin [Romans 3:25], our sorrow [Isaiah 53:4], our sickness [Isaiah 53:5] and even the temptations that confront us day to day. We can trust in his substitution that he forgives us of sin [1 John 1:9], will grant healing when we ask for it in faith, give us joy in times of sorrow [Romans 14:17], and deliver us from temptation. It’s one thing to ask God to forgive us after we have sinned; but Christ’s substitution goes so far that it gives us the right to call on his name for deliverance from temptation even before sin is committed! He is our refuge.
V2. There is a parallel between Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness. Forty years/days has throughout the Bible been a symbolic period of testing/purifying/or establishing. In Israel’s case, many died in the wilderness and weren’t allowed into the promised land because of unbelief [Hebrews 3:17-8]. Those who were allowed to enter were a purified, set apart people. Those who did believe and were counted righteous [Genesis 15:6], still had to go through their 40 years of wilderness. In Christ’s case, he was holy and righteous from the beginning; but still had to endure the temptation for the sake of being the perfect sacrifice. The ability to remain sinless through temptation was the validation of his identity.
The story tells us that Jesus was hungry. This represents the empty void in our lives. We try to fill that void with the things of this world and never quite find satisfaction. Christ chose [as we should…] to fill that void with the Word of God rather than bread [the things of this world].
V3. Satan’s first challenge was an attempt to make Jesus doubt his identity. Jesus [although God] was in a human body with a human brain; a brain in which memory can recall experience according to things seen, heard, smelt, tasted and touched within the duration of the brain’s existence. I don’t believe Jesus had a recollection of creating the world or walking with Adam in the cool of the day. His knowledge of his own identity came from the inborn truth given to him by the Father; not to mention the countless prophecies about himself that his understanding was no doubt opened to [see Luke 4:18-21]. I will qualify this by saying that this is only my theory and no formal doctrine taught by orthodox Christianity. This is an aspect of Christ that most do not ponder. I’m persuaded to believe that it must be this way if we are to claim that Jesus was completely human. Satan’s first word to Jesus was “if.’ This was an attempt to spark doubt. This was the same tactic that he used with Eve in the Garden of Eden [Genesis 3:1]. Doubt is one of Satan’s favorite tools. He wants us to doubt our salvation. He wants us to doubt the truthfulness of the Bible. He wants us to doubt the existence of God. He wants us to doubt our identity as children of God.
The first temptation was two-fold. If the Devil couldn’t get Jesus to doubt his identity, maybe he could get Jesus to act without waiting any longer on the Father. “Command these stones to be made bread.” In trials, it’s always best to wait on the Lord. Sometimes we may see a way of escape that seems perfectly logical. We must request the Lord’s counsel or we may be putting ourselves into an even worse situation. It would have been easy for Jesus to turn those stones into bread and eat, but he preferred to wait on deliverance from his Father. There is also a component here that shows another aspect of Jesus’ Character. Jesus never did anything for himself. His power was always used for others.
V4. Jesus used the scriptures to combat the devil. The devil had no choice but to desist from the attack and choose another approach.
V6. Satan will also use God’s Word; but remember that he is the Father of lies [John 8:44], and he corrupts the Word. He will use bits and pieces taken out of context, omitting words and phrases in an attempt to manipulate and distort. If he can’t use doubt in a frontal attack, he’ll start with confusion, then lead a person into doubt. It is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to learn and become grounded in the Word! Verse 6 is a great example of how Satan uses this device. He quotes from Psalms 91:11-2. The phrase, “to keep you in all your ways,” is conveniently left out by Satan. This changes the meaning of the scripture in a dramatic way. The left out phrase would divulge that God promises his protection as someone ministers or goes about their business as normal. It excludes a person who has gone out of their way to tempt God. A good juxtaposition to demonstrate this would be a comparison between Paul gathering firewood on the island of Malta and the practice of snake handling in some Appalachian Churches. Paul was gathering wood to build a fire; a perfectly normal routine for anyone shipwrecked on an island. Paul was simply about his business, or “[in] his way.” He was bitten by a poisonous viper, but was supernaturally protected by God. The Maltese thought he was a god. This obviously gave Paul the credibility he needed to preach a Gospel to them that would be readily received. It turned out for God’s glory. The snake handlers [in accordance with their interpretation of Mark 16:18], on the other hand, engage in their practice to prove their faith or their spirituality. Although they may be sincere, they are unwittingly tempting God. In fact, many have died from snake bites. Satan knows the Bible very well. His use, however, is contra-contextual and manipulative. What’s even more dangerous is that he energizes false prophets with unholy power. He bestows evil gifts, such as supernatural influence and mind-manipulation ability on his servants. David Koresh, Jim Jones and Adolf Hitler are a few examples of people who through the power of Satan were able to manipulate and persuade masses to do the unconceivable [2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, Ephesians 2:2-3, 1 John 4:3]. The same spirit that will give the Antichrist his power is in the world today. How important it is to know God’s Word!
V7. Once again, Jesus fights temptation with scripture and wins!
V8. To this point, the devil has tested the Lord with doubt, carnality [physical rather than spiritual bread], and testing the Father [one who has faith doesn’t need to test God]. Now, finally, he tempts Jesus with wealth and power.
V9. Note that the fall of man to a desire for wealth/power always involves the worship of something other than God. One can have doubt and still be a worshiper of God. One can temporarily fall to a carnal temptation in the moment and still be a worshiper of God at heart [look at David]. I think all of us have put God to the test. It’s not right, but God always proves himself. However, when one compromises his principles and convictions for wealth [1 Timothy 6:10] or earthly power, they have made the object of that desire their god. From this verse, I am almost persuaded to believe that the worship of anyone or anything besides God, is the worship of Satan himself. God help us.
V10. As always, Jesus uses the scriptures to ward off Satan’s attack. Each and every temptation was defended against using God’s Word! How important it is to diligently study the scriptures [2 Timothy 3:16]. The devil had no choice but to leave at this point. The 40 days were over and Christ had suffered all temptation necessary to be our perfect substitution.
Conclusion:
I believe that the most important theme that the Holy Spirit wants to establish behind this study is the importance of knowing God’s Word. It is the weapon he has given us to battle temptation. To the new Christian, I have two pieces of advice:
1. Commit totally to learning from the Word. Read the Bible everyday. Pray for God’s help to understand it, and wisdom to know how to apply it to every situation. READ!!
2. In the meantime, hold to foundational verses such as 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 [We’ve been given the power to take our thoughts captive], and James 4:7.
These are a couple of good passages for a new Christian to start out with as memory verses.
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