Matthew 4:1-11 Part 2
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Next Sunday March 27 after church we are having our first potluck. So please bring your favorite dish!!!
Revelation Bible Study Thursday March 24 6:30pm with Kevin
Women’s Tea and Light Lunch Saturday April 2 at noon.
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome to FCC, where we worship God in Spirit and in Truth, one verse at a a time, one book at a time.
We have come as far as Matthew 4, so let us open our Bibles there
Read Matthew 4:1-17
Read Matthew 4:1-17
Prayer
Prayer
Review
Review
In looking back we discovered that in verse 1 of chapter 4 the word then points back to the ending of chapter 3.
Jesus was baptized by John and Mark writes that he was immediately led (driven) by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
This is where heaven and hell collide church.
John the Baptist, the greatest man that ever lived just Baptized Jesus so that all of righteousness would be fulfilled and then the Father says, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
Then right after, Jesus had this amazing experience with John, The Father and the Holy Spirit empowering him for ministry the devil showed up
It is important church for us to get this! Jesus just had a spiritual experience with the Lord church, He was just empowered for ministry and John the Baptist basically handed him the baton to carry on and he was tempted.
Much of the time after we hit a spiritual high or have a tremendous blessing come our way, the devil shows up and throws temptation our way.
He seeks to derail us and get our eyes of Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Do you see that walketh there in this text?
Depending on the context of words ending in eth in the KJV they can mean continual.
Here we have a verb that is in the present continual tense.
Therefore, church, the devil is always walking about seeking prey...
He is seeking to devour church and if we are not armored up and focused upon Jesus guess what?
He will pounce!
It is said that a person traveling in tiger country will not be attacked if he sees the tiger before the tiger sees him. Tigers attack from behind in order to surprise their victims, and therefore one of the best defenses against that vicious animal is to face it.
The story is told of four high school boys who couldn’t resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each had been smitten with a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, “Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper.” Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions.
Then she said, “First question—which tire was flat?”
How were you tempted this week?
5. Jesus had fasted 40 days and 40 nights and we learned that he was on the verge of death.
Physiologists tell us that when one fasts for that length of time, he loses his appetite completely. His hunger returns only when he is on the verge of death.
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Last week we ended right here, Jesus was on the verge of death and the tempter came.
Church, let us not be fooled into thinking that that the tempter only comes we we are fasting.
He comes in all shapes and sizes, on all occasions so be vigilant, be sober!
When Peter said Be sober and Be vigilant, he was giving his readers two imperatives to follow>>>
What is an imperative in the Greek church?
It is not something you can think about doing, it is something that we must do or we will fall victim to the wicked one.
Sober-nēphō (nay'-fo)-to be sober, to be calm and collected in spirit, to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect...
It can also mean to be free from intoxicants, but here it is talking about self- control in the KJV it is the word temperance...
to get self-control ⇔ sober up v. — to curb the controlling influence of inordinate emotions or desires (and therefore become reasonable); conceived of as sobering up from the influence of alcohol.
It means to restrain, to restrict, to deny, to guard oneself, to bridle, to curb ones passions, desires and appetites
I share this church, because last week I shared that Satan tempted Jesus with three things.
Do you remember what they are?
Satan tempts us to doubt God’s provision!
and We see this here isn verses 3 and 4:
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 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.’ ”
It is important to note and connect 1 Peter 5:8 here because Satan not only tempted Jesus to doubt God’s provision, but he attacked him in his appetites and desires church.
It is also important to note that God does not tempt, but he does test us!
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
The devil tempted Jesus to doubt God’s provision, but he also was tempting his in the arena of his appetites and desires church.
This is a very important teaching here.
What does tempt mean would be our first question here?
Tempt- (pi-rad'-zo)-to try to trap, to entice to sin.
Our second question is what it mean to be drawn away or enticed?
Church, no temptation appears as temptation; it always seems more alluring than it really is.
James used two illustrations or word pictures from the world that he lived in.
Drawn away carries with it the idea of the baiting of a trap; and enticed in the original Greek means “to bait a hook.” The hunter and the fisherman have to use bait to attract and catch their prey. No animal is deliberately going to step into a trap and no fish will knowingly bite at a naked hook. The idea is to hide the trap and the hook.
Temptation always carries with it some bait that appeals to our natural desires.
The bait not only attracts us, but it also hides the fact that yielding to the desire will eventually bring sorrow and punishment.
It is the bait that is the exciting thing.
Lot would never have moved toward Sodom had he not seen the “well-watered plains of Jordan” (Gen. 13:10ff). When David looked on his neighbor’s wife, he would never have committed adultery had he seen the tragic consequences: the death of a baby (Bathsheba’s son), the murder of a brave soldier (Uriah), the violation of a daughter (Tamar).
Church, The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of sin.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He always dealt with the temptation on the basis of the Word of God.
Three times in the text that we are in He said, “It is written.”
From the human point of view, turning stones into bread to satisfy hunger is a sensible thing to do; but not from God’s point of view.
When you know the Bible, you can detect the bait and deal with it decisively that is what Jesus did!
This is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Desire
Discipline
Delight
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.’ ”
Every Word, if we do not know our Bibles then how are we going to know how to fight!
We will be defenseless against the whiles of the devil.
It is important to note here, that the devil only speaks in the word of God three times.
In the Garden of Eden to Eve
To Job
And here to Jesus
Jesus was quoting from one of his favorite books church:
“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
Did you see that the Lord tested?
The devil tempts us to do what is not lawful, to sin, while the Lord tests us.
But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
The issue is here in Matthew 4:3-4 is not that is wrong to hunger and eat, but rather who you go to to have your needs met.
Jesus said, “is not the material realm. More important than physical food is the spiritual food I find in God’s Word.”
Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 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.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
Again Jesus quotes form one of his favorite books Duet 6:16, his other favorite book I believe is Isaiah.
The holy city is Jerusalem here church and he set him on the Pinnacle of the Temple.
The pinnacle of the temple was about 450’ from the top the pinnacle down to the Kidron Valley church on the east side
The ancient Jewish historian Josephus wrote about this lofty point of the temple. He said that it was so high, and that the Kedron Valley it overlooked was - from that vantage point - so deep, that if anyone stood at that point and looked down, "he would be giddy, while his sight could not reach to such an immense depth."
Obviously Jesus did not jump, but some scholars say that Jesus half brother James who wrote the book of James was thrown off here and lived and then stoned to death...
Satan is quoting scripture church here, but is missing a valuable part of Psalm 91:
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Satan had left out the second part of verse 11 that says to guard you, to protect you, to keep you in all your ways church.
Satan and his demons know scripture church, but like many false teachers of today they twist the text to show you only what they want you to know. In fact, the Bible says that the demons believe and shudder...
>>>>Jesus’ defense again is the word of God.<<<<
>>>>Jesus’ defense again is the word of God.<<<<
We saw that Satan tempted Jesus in the arena of his appetites and he tempted him to doubt God’s provision in Matthew 4:3-4
Here is verses 5-7 we see Satan tempt Jesus to doubt God’s protection.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
“Do You believe Your Father will really protect You, Jesus?
Satan says, Prove it! Prove it to Yourself, prove it to me, and prove it to all of Israel. Go to the pinnacle of the temple and jump down...
And he does the same thing to us...
Go ahead, go ahead jump, jump into this or that, God has your back! And he did the same thing to EVE church.
Thou shall surely not die!!! Take the plunge, take a hit, its ok to hang out with the old people, places, and playgrounds.
The devil omitted part of the verse church and unfortunately there are many preachers today that take verses out of context to make a pretext, therefore, you can have the Bible just about say anything you want.
Like the health and wealth preachers, or the blab it and grab preachers, attempt to use the knock , ask, and receive Scriptures to say that God will give you want you want.
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
They use this verse and then let their listeners know they need to raise 3 million dollars by a specific deadline and guess what, people send in money.
They use the Scriptures to manipulate people church.
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
The demons not only believe there is a God, but they know his Word church.
The problem is that the twist the Word, that is what demons and false teachers of our day do..
Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
The Father will provide for Me,
and the Father will protect Me,
but I’m not going to test Him in order to satisfy you or anyone else. Scripture says, Satan, that I am not to test God.”
Don’t take Scripture out of context. Don’t test God church!
Jesus is quoting Deut. 6:16
(Deu 6:16 NKJV) "You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
This is a reference to a situation in Exodus 17, again a time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness. The people “tempted” or “tested” God’s patience. Their situation had to do with water, but Jesus saw a principle at work.
This is a reference to a situation in Exodus 17, again a time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness. The people “tempted” or “tested” God’s patience. Their situation had to do with water, but Jesus saw a principle at work.
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 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.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
We see the devil taking Jesus up higher and higher and higher and now he is high upon a new mountain top experience.
Three times here we see Jesus say it is written, it is written, it is written church!
Like Jesus, we must not only know the Word of God, but we must know how to apply it!
Like Jesus, we must not only know the Word of God, but we must know how to apply it!
For wisdom is the application of knowledge church!
So far we have seen the devil tempt Jesus to deny or doubt the Lord’s provision.
We have seen the devil tempt Jesus to deny or doubt the Lord’ protection.
Here we see the devil tempt Jesus to deny or doubt the promises of God.
Satan questions the Father’s promise. The Father had promised all things to His Son. But Satan came to Jesus saying, “The world is mine to give You if You worship me.”
How did Satan gain control of the world?
Originally, God gave man dominion over the earth, but when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he turned the title deed of planet earth over to Satan. Satan, therefore, had the right to say to Jesus, “I’ll give You the whole world right now. You don’t have to go the way of the Cross.
In our lives church the devil seeks to do the exact same thing he attempts to get us to deny or doubt Gods provision, his protection, and his promises.
His promises are Yes and Amen Church!
One scholar says there is over 8000 promises in the Word!
How are you be tempted church? What is your remedy church?
Let us remember church:
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
No temptation church!
God promises that not only will we not be tempted beyond what we can handle
But God who is rich in mercy will give us the WAY of escape
And we can bear up under the temptation which means to endure the pressure that it might bring church
These are all promises of God church and the devil is trying to get Jesus to doubt them and he does the same to us!
There ARE OVER 8000 promises in the Word of God and yet even with all these they devil will tempt us to not believe what the Lord has written..
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
When God says he will never leave us or forsake us, he means it.
The devil tempted Jesus to doubt and even deny God’s provision, His protection, and His promises...
The devil tempted Jesus to doubt and even deny God’s provision, His protection, and His promises...
And he does the same to us today.
Jesus used the Word church, how much more should we?
Prayer
Prayer
Benediction
Benediction
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
THE LORD BLESS YOU!
YOUR MISSION STARTS NOW!