The Path Is Established
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 5 viewsPart 3 of a 4 part series how we can walk through the wildernes walking in the footsepts of Jesus
Notes
Transcript
The Path is Established Part 3
The Path is Established Part 3
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Who likes to go for a hike? I do. It has been a while, but I love a good nature hike. A long as there are no snakes around. I remember as a child, walking a path I had not been on before. It was an adventure. How exciting. When I would come to an area that was unfamiliar to me, I would look to see which way was more worn. That is the direction I would go. Jesus has already marked out the path for us.
This is part 3 of a 4 part series. We walk through the wilderness numerous times. There are times when the wilderness seems more treacherous and dangerous. The thorns seem sharper and more painful. I can guarantee you, they are not as sharp as those. Jesus already walked the steps first. We just need to walk in his footsteps.
Jesus started His journey with fasting and prayer. Next He showed how important the Word of God is. It is our spiritual food. It is our very survival. It illuminates our feet and makes very clear what direction we should go. The third part is ‘DO NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD’. How do we tempt God? This is something we need to have very clear in our heart and mind especially when we are in the wilderness. We have numerous worries and trials. We are stressed out and path may seem a little blurry. We may have trouble seeing the Lord walk beside us. It is at these times that we need to hold to what we know is true and not tempt God.
1733 ἐκπειράζω (ekpeirazō): vb.; ≡ DBLHebr 5814; Str 1598; TDNT 6.23—1. LN 27.46 put to a test (Mt 4:7; Lk 4:12; 10:25; 1Co 10:9+); 2. LN 27.31 try to trap, incriminate (Lk 10:25), for another interpretation of this verse see prior; 3. LN 88.308 tempt, place one in a position of sin or guilt (Lk 10:25), for another interpretation see first entry
We have all heard someone say if God is real, He will do this. We must never try to put God in a box or think He is at our beckon call. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people and Christians who think they can tell God what to do. In fact, it is the complete opposite. We are at His beckon call. We were lost and dying in our depravity. We had nothing to offer the GREAT KING but a diseased and ravaged vessel cursed by sin. He loves us. Picks us up where we are and continues to lead us into righteousness. He does not give up on us even we want to give up on ourselves. Many times, we are reminded of what we were like when Jesus Christ rescued us, but it is at those times, during the journey through the wilderness, that we need the Word of God to remind us of how God sees us. We must not tempt God. To despair and try to turn God into a genie or doubt His marvelous works in our life, that is what we must never do.
It is easy to doubt in the wilderness. You may doubt what God is doing? You may doubt what you will be like when you get to the other side of the wilderness. But never doubt God’s existence. Now this is to Christians or anyone who has experienced the power of God in your life. Satan knew the existence of God. The unbeliever is searching. There are many testimonies of someone searching out God and He was found.
God Is Faithful: A Daily Invitation into the Father Heart of God May 3: Tempting God
Ancient Israel is an example. Ten times the Lord proved Himself faithful to the Israelites. After every time, however, the people asked the same question: “Is God among us or not?” God calls this “tempting Him.”
God Is Faithful: A Daily Invitation into the Father Heart of God May 3: Tempting God
As with Israel, God has already given us an entire body of evidence. First, we have in His Word multiple promises of His closeness to us. Second, we have our personal history with God—a testimony of His many past deliverances in our lives. Third, we have a Bible full of witnesses to God’s presence in past centuries.
The Bible is clear: We are to walk with God by faith and not by sight. Otherwise, we will end up like faithless Israel.
The worst place to be is to be on a journey through the wilderness and then tempt God and go your own way. The result is nothing but disaster. If you doubt that, check the history of Israel. When they wholeheartedly served the Lord, times were good, when they rebelled and went after other gods, things were disastrous. They conquered and taken to other countries.
The Lord Reigns
The Lord reigns
The Lord reigns
The Lord reigns
Let the earth rejoice
Let the earth rejoice
Let the earth rejoice
Let the people be glad That our God reigns
1 The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad!
1 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!
A fire goes before Him
And burns up all His enemies
The hills melt like wax
At the presence of the Lord
At the presence of the Lord
3 A fire goes before Him, And burns up His enemies round about.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
The heavens declare
His righteousness
The people see His glory
For You O Lord are exalted
Over all the earth
Over all the earth
6 The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples see His glory.
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
Our God reigns
Our God reigns
https://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/lindell_cooley/the_lord_reigns-lyrics-1265729.html
Conclusion:
Do you find yourself on the opposing side of God Almighty and His messiah, Jesus Christ? Well praise God, today is your day. God made it so easy. He did the hard part. He is coming back and you do not want to be caught unaware. You want to be ready. It is as simple as A,B,C
A. Acknowledge – Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
B. Believe – Acts 16:31 “So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.’”
C. Confess – Roman’s 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”