LESSONS FROM THE WILDERNESS - MATTHEW 4: 1-11
Notes
Transcript
MATTHEW 4: 1-11: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”,
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand 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 will give his angels orders concerning you,
and they will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.”,
7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”,
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”,
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.
BIG IDEA: DIFFICULTY TEACHES US LESSONS THAT LAST A LIFETIME.
BIG IDEA: DIFFICULTY TEACHES US LESSONS THAT LAST A LIFETIME.
ON LAST WEEK WE LEARNED THAT AS WE GO THROUGH SEASONS, WE COME OUT STRONGER FOR HIS GLORY.
TODAY CONTINUES OUR NEW SERIES: “REBIRTH.” THE PURPOSE OF REBIRTH IS TO DRAW OUR ATTENTION TO GOD’S DESIRE TO GRANT US NEWNESS - HOPE - COURAGE - ON THE OTHER SIDE OF WHAT WE’VE JUST GONE THROUGH...REBIRTH - COMING OUT - STEPPING INTO - BEING MADE NEW (FOR OUR LIVES, OUR FAMILIES, & ESPECIALLY, FOR OUR CHURCH)!
OUR WILDERNESS EXPERIENCES CAN TEACH US PROFOUND PRINCIPLES, IF WE CHOOSE TO LEARN.
IN OUR PASSAGE FOR TODAY, JESUS GOES FROM CORONATION TO TEMPTATION. FROM CELEBRATION TO DEGRADATION. FROM BEING BAPTIZED BY JOHN TO BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT…THIS VERY OCCURRENCE TEACHES US HOW SWIFT LIFE CHANGES. HOW FAST SITUATIONS SHIFT.
THE FIRST WORD OF CHAPTER 4 “THEN” SPEAKS OF IMMEDIACY...
UH, AFTER THIS “THEN” THIS...
THERE IS INTENTIONALITY TO WHAT OCCURS: “THEN JESUS WAS LED UP BY THE SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS TO BE TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL.”
YES, GOD’S SPIRIT LED GOD’S SON INTO THE WILDERNESS TO BE TEMPTED BY GOD’S ENEMY!
AWWW, BUT WE’VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE.
IN DEUTERONOMY 8:2-3 - 2 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
YES, THE LORD LED ISRAEL INTO THE WILDERNESS “TO BE TESTED” FOR FORTY YEARS...
TESTED TO DETERMINE THEIR SUBSTANCE. TESTED TO DETERMINE THEIR MATURITY.
IN THE SAME WAY, JESUS IS NOW BEING LED “INTO” TO BE TESTED...
WATCH THIS: JESUS HAD TO GO THROUGH EVEN BEFORE HE WENT THROUGH...
COME HERE BELOVED: IF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL HAD TO GO THROUGH… IF JESUS (HIMSELF) HAD TO GO THROUGH…THEN WHY ARE WE STILL SHOCKED AND CHAGRINNED WHEN WE GO THROUGH?
“GOING THROUGH” IS THE TOOL GOD USES TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF OUR FAITH!
ILLUS: THE AVERAGE STUDENT HATES TO BE TESTED. THEY’D PREFER IF THE TEACHER OR PROFESSOR JUST TOOK THEIR WORD THAT COMPREHENSION HAD BEEN MASTERED. AND EVEN BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, MOST OF US ASK OF TESTS, “WHAT’S THE POINT?” (((POINT: WE MUST BE TESTED IN ORDER FOR US AND OTHERS TO KNOW WHAT WE’RE MADE OF)))!! TESTS, THEREFORE, ARE DESIGNED TO SQUEEZE OUT OF US WHAT’S BEEN PLACED INSIDE OF US!
TESTS SQUEEZE!
DOESN’T THAT ACCURATELY DESCRIBE HOW YOU’VE FELT OVER THIS LAST YEAR: SQUEEZED?
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THINGS COULDN’T WORSEN - SQUEEZE!
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT “ALRIGHT LORD, I GET IT.” - SQUEEZE!
THE SQUEEZES OF LIFE ARE GOD SENT OR GOD ALLOWED…SO RATHER THAN WASTE TIME ASKING THE WRONG QUESTIONS, LET’S ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION: LORD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS TEST - SQUEEZE!!!
2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”,
HERE’S THE FIRST LESSON FROM THE WILDERNESS:
YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THE WORD OF GOD!
JESUS HAS BEEN FASTING (FOR FORTY DAYS), AND YET PHYSICAL FOOD WAS NOT HIS PRIMARY DESIRE - SPIRITUAL FOOD WAS.
THE TEMPTER COMES AT JESUS’ WEAKEST POINT, PROMOTING A PHYSICAL DESIRE OVER THE FATHER’S WILL....
THE SPIRIT DIDN’T LEAD JESUS TO THE WILDERNESS TO FEAST, BUT TO FAST! AND BELOVED, THAT’S WHAT THE ENEMY DESIRES FOR US: TO GET US PLACING OUR DESIRES OVER GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIVES...
FAM, IF I’VE HEARD IT ONCE, I’VE HEARD IT A THOUSAND TIMES: “WELL, FOR ME PERSONALLY, THIS IS WHAT I FEEL IS BEST!”
THIS IS WHY MANY OF US ARE STRUGGLING: WE PLACE A HIGHER PRIORITY ON OUR FEELINGS OUR DESIRES, THAN WE DO GOD AND HIS WORD!
AND BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A LOOSE GRIP ON GOD’S WORD, WE THEN TRY TO SEW ISOLATED PASSAGES TOGETHER TO JUSTIFY OUR BEHAVIOR AND CHOICES...
YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THE WORD OF GOD!
AND NOTICE THE EMPHASIS FROM DEUT. 8:3, OF WHICH JESUS IS QUOTING: EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.
EVERY WORD.
THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD.
BELOVED, IF WE HAD MORE OF GOD’S WORD, HIDDEN IN OUR HEARTS, WE’D BE MORE COMMITTED TO HIS CHURCH...
IF WE HAD MORE OF GOD’S WORD, HIDDEN IN OUR HEARTS, WE’D BE MORE WILLING TO SERVE AND TO SACRIFICE...
WE RUN OUT OF SPIRITUAL GAS, BECAUSE OUR TANKS ARE FILLED WITH NEWSFEEDS, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, AND FALSE MEDIA! WE’RE CONSUMED WITH POLITICS AND ENTERTAINMENT...
NOW ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS HAVE THEIR PLACE…HOWEVER, THE BELIEVER’S PRIMARY INTAKE CANNOT BE CNN OR FOX NEWS: IT MUST BE THE WORD OF GOD!!!
HERE’S HOW YOU KNOW IF GOD’S WORD IS PRIMARY IN YOUR LIFE: WHAT DID YOU GRAB WHEN LIFE GOT TOUGH OVER THE PAST YEAR? A CIGARETTE - CIGAWEED - A BOTTLE - A BODY? WHATEVER YOU GRABBED MAY HAVE TAKEN THE PLACE OF GOD’S WORD IN YOUR LIFE....
JESUS IS WEAK - HUNGRY (PHYSICALLY DEPLETED)...
THE ENEMY SUGGESTS HE USE HIS SPIRITUAL POWER TO MEET HIS PHYSICAL NEED. A SHORTCUT!
JESUS RESPONDS: FEEDING MY PHYSICAL HUNGER WOULD COMPROMISE MY SPIRITUAL MISSION.
READ THE WORD
FEED OFF OF THE WORD
USE THE WORD WHEN CRISIS ARISE
YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THE WORD OF GOD.
BUT THE TEXT IS MOVING:
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand 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 will give his angels orders concerning you,
and they will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.”,
7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”,
HERE’S OUR SECOND LESSON FROM THE WILDERNESS:
YOU OUGHT LIVE WITH WISDOM, MAKING GOOD CHOICES!
SATAN, ACKNOWLEDGING JESUS’ SONSHIP, IS ATTEMPTING TO PLACE A WEDGE BETWEEN THE FATHER’S WILL AND JESUS’ CHOICES...
SATAN WANTS JESUS TO BE THE SPECTACULAR LEADER THAT THE PEOPLE WANTED AND LONGED FOR. SO HE TEMPTS JESUS WITH THE LURE OF ATTENTION:
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down...
NOW WHILE JESUS COULD, IN FACT, COMMAND THAT TO COME TO PASS, IT WAS NEITHER SENSIBLE OR SPIRITUAL!
DON’T TEST GOD.
ONE WRITER HAS SAID, “TESTING IS NOT TRUSTING.”
THERE IS A DISTINCT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUMBLING AND JUMPING!
GOD IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO GET US OUT OF THE MESSES THAT WE GET OURSELVES INTO.
YOU OUGHT TO LIVE WITH WISDOM, MAKING GOOD CHOICES!
SO SATAN TEMPTS JESUS WITH A CHALLENGE TO TEST THE FATHER...
AND AS I READ THIS SECTION, I REALIZE THAT WE (BELIEVERS) DO THIS ALL TOO OFTEN:
WE MAKE CHOICES WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH GOD, AND THEN CRY OUT TO GOD TO GET US OUT OF WHAT WE GOT INTO...
RELATIONSHIPS
DEBT
FIGHTS
FAILURE
TROUBLE...
JESUS TOLD HIM, “IT IS ALSO WRITTEN: DO NOT TEST THE LORD YOUR GOD.”
STOP TESTING GOD, AND START TRUSTING HIM.
SEEK HIS WILL THROUGH HIS WORD.
STAND STILL BEFORE STEPPING INTO MESS.
YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THE WORD OF GOD.
YOU OUGHT LIVE WITH WISDOM, MAKING GOOD CHOICES...
FINALLY,
YOU MUST LIVE IN LIGHT OF THE CROSS!
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”,
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.
THE TEMPTING TESTS ARE INTENSIFYING!
NOW SATAN OFFERS WHAT IS ((ACTUALLY)) HIS TO OFFER: THE KINGDOMS OF THIS FALLEN WORLD.
BUT SATAN ALWAYS MAKES OFFERS THAT REQUIRE A SHORTCUT - A BYPASS:
CONVENIENCE OVER RIGHTEOUSNESS...
PLEASURE OVER PURPOSE...
EXPEDIENCE OVER OBEDIENCE! SHORTCUTS!
SATAN’S OFFER (WHILE MAJOR), HAD A HIDDEN AGENDA:
HE CONTINUES TO LONG FOR GOD’S ATTENTION AND MAJESTY. THIS IS WHAT GOT HIM KICKED OUT OF HEAVEN IN THE FIRST PLACE… HE DESIRES THE WORSHIP THAT IS ONLY DUE OUR HEAVENLY FATHER… “FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME...”
ULTIMATELY, HIS OFFER WOULD HAVE GIVEN JESUS WHAT HE WAS ALREADY ENTITLED TO, BUT WITHOUT PASSING BY THE CALVARLY’S CROSS!!!
AND THERE IT IS: SATAN’S WANTS US TO BYPASS FATHER’S WILL, SO THAT HE CAN GIVE US WHAT THE FATHER ALREADY PLANS TO GIVE US...
YOU MUST LIVE IN LIGHT OF THE CROSS, BELOVED!!!
WHEN WE BY PASS THE CROSS, WE’RE STILL DEAD IN OUR SINS...
WHEN WE BY-PASS THE CROSS, WE’RE STILL SEPARATED FROM THE FATHER...
WHEN WE BY-PASS THE CROSS, WE’LL FIND OURSELVES IN A PLACE WHERE GOD HAS WITHDRAWN HIS PRESENCE...
THIS IS WHY WE HAD TO “GO THROUGH” WHAT WE ALL “WENT THROUGH” ON LAST YEAR…IT WAS OUR TEST TO REVEAL WHO WE ARE AND WHOSE WE ARE!!!
AND EVERY TIME WE FOUND OURSELVES DEFEATED, ALL WE NEEDED TO DO WAS TO REMEMBER THE CROSS...
REMEMBER HOW JESUS CLIMBED THAT CROSS...
REMEMBER HOW HE WAS BEATEN UPON THAT CROSS...
REMEMBER HOW HE DIED UPON THAT CROSS....
BUT THAT’S NOT HOW THE STORY ENDS: ON THE THIRD DAY, HE ROSE AGAIN!!!
THE CROSS BRINGS OUR VICTORY OVER DEATH - HELL & THE GRAVE!!!
WHEN THE WORLD ATTEMPTS TO GET US TO BYPASS THE CROSS OR DIMINISH THE CROSS OR IGNORE THE CROSS, WE MUST RESIST!!!
DON’T GIVE THE ENEMY YOUR BEST (WE GIVE THE CHURCH OUR LEFTOVERS)…
PUT THE ENEMY IN HIS PLACE (BEHIND YOU)
WORSHIP THE LORD MOMENT BY MOMENT… (LIFESTYLE WORSHIP)
AT THE CROSS - AT THE CROSS - WHERE I FIRST SAW THE LIGHT, WHERE THE BURDEN OF OUR HEARTS ROLLED AWAY…IT WAS THERE BY Faith, I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!