And the devil said unto him, If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over Thee, to keep Thee: And in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Luke 4:3-4, 6-12)
The devil tempted Jesus to satisfy the needs of the flesh through His power and will instead of obeying the Word of God. The devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms and glory of this world, which were his to give, but are temporary, and Jesus countered with Scripture once again and the command to worship God alone. Satan tempted Jesus, this time with the Scriptures, to show Himself as God and the protection and providence of God the Father, but once again Scripture held the counter defense and Jesus wielding the Sword of the Spirit properly parried the attack of the devil.
The devil came at Jesus with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, yet Jesus answered each time with the Scriptures. Satan even quoted, but misapplied, Scripture to tempt Jesus away from the Cross of Calvary and to achieve His goals His way instead of the will of the Father, yet Jesus was steadfast and unmovable. The devil offered Jesus power over nature, which He already has, but in this case to meet His own needs instead of trusting God, Jesus countered with reliance on the Word of God. He offered Him all the kingdoms of this world, which are his right now, but Jesus knew that through the Cross He will be glorified and when all is done, He as King of the universe, will rule all the kingdoms. Finally, the devil, twisting Scripture to appeal to Jesus to force God’s hand was rebuked, for Jesus knew that God was protecting Him and He had no need to force God to do anything and the short term miracle would fade and distract from the Cross. After this testing in the wilderness, the devil left for a time, but as he often does, he did not remain away from attempting to steer Christ from the will of the Father.
Whatever comes our way to tempt us away from the will of the Father and from the victory we have in Jesus and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary in our place, can be answered from the Scriptures. God’s Word, for those who are His, is a sword and shield, to those who trust in Him. Relying on the Spirit of God to wield it properly and to give a defense of that which we believe, we can answer whatever the devil brings our way, not in our own strength, but in submission to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who is King of kings and Lord of lords, and who cares for us. We ought not to satisfy our own needs and wants in our time and our way, for God already knows what we need and will provide all good things. We are not to seek our own glory, for God alone is God and all glory belongs to Him who alone is worthy of all praise. We should not attempt to accomplish His will our way, for He alone is Lord and Master of all those who have repented of their sins and surrendered to Jesus Christ on His terms, but let Him who is the Head of the Church direct and lead His people. The flesh, the devil, and this world may tempt us to look to ourselves, but prayer and the Scriptures through the Spirit of God will give us victory.
God has sent those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
The devil came at Jesus with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, yet Jesus answered each time with the Scriptures. Satan even quoted, but misapplied, Scripture to tempt Jesus away from the Cross of Calvary and to achieve His goals His way instead of the will of the Father, yet Jesus was steadfast and unmovable. The devil offered Jesus power over nature, which He already has, but in this case to meet His own needs instead of trusting God, Jesus countered with reliance on the Word of God. He offered Him all the kingdoms of this world, which are his right now, but Jesus knew that through the Cross He will be glorified and when all is done, He as King of the universe, will rule all the kingdoms. Finally, the devil, twisting Scripture to appeal to Jesus to force God’s hand was rebuked, for Jesus knew that God was protecting Him and He had no need to force God to do anything and the short term miracle would fade and distract from the Cross. After this testing in the wilderness, the devil left for a time, but as he often does, he did not remain away from attempting to steer Christ from the will of the Father.
Whatever comes our way to tempt us away from the will of the Father and from the victory we have in Jesus and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary in our place, can be answered from the Scriptures. God’s Word, for those who are His, is a sword and shield, to those who trust in Him. Relying on the Spirit of God to wield it properly and to give a defense of that which we believe, we can answer whatever the devil brings our way, not in our own strength, but in submission to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who is King of kings and Lord of lords, and who cares for us. We ought not to satisfy our own needs and wants in our time and our way, for God already knows what we need and will provide all good things. We are not to seek our own glory, for God alone is God and all glory belongs to Him who alone is worthy of all praise. We should not attempt to accomplish His will our way, for He alone is Lord and Master of all those who have repented of their sins and surrendered to Jesus Christ on His terms, but let Him who is the Head of the Church direct and lead His people. The flesh, the devil, and this world may tempt us to look to ourselves, but prayer and the Scriptures through the Spirit of God will give us victory.
God has sent those of us who are His saints and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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