Matthew 4:1-11 ESV
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty
nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the
Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered,
“It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every
word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and 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 will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you
strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall
not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very
high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And
he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship
me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only
shall you serve.’”
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and
were ministering to him.
Temptation to Sin
Although God does not tempt
us to sin, he does allow us to be tempted by Satan. He does allow us to go
through trials and testing to try our faith, for our suffering produces
endurance, character and hope.
When we share in Christ’s
sufferings, we are becoming like him in his death. When we go through difficult
times which test our faith, it produces in us steadfastness of spirit and
maturity in Christ, which results in the praise and glory of God. Our trials
teach us to rely on God and not on ourselves, and they are for the purpose that
we may share in God’s holiness. Jesus learned obedience through the things
which he suffered, scripture teaches us.
(See: Jas. 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-5;
Phil. 3:7-11; 1 Pet. 1:6-7; 1 Pet. 4:12-17; 2 Co. 1:3-11; Heb. 5:7-9).
Satan likes to tempt us to
doubt God, to question his sovereignty, to question his ability to take care of
our needs, and to make us feel as though we need to take matters into our own
hands, as though God is not capable of providing for us all that we need.
He tries to make us think we
need things we don’t really need and to get our minds off the essentials and on
to what is temporal, so that we miss what is most important while we focus our
time and attention on what is passing away.
One of the biggest ways in
which Satan attacks me and my mind is through vague accusations, trying to
convince me that I am sinning against God but with no real conviction of any
specific sin. And, he tempts me to fear what others might be saying about me
behind my back or what evil my enemies may be plotting against me when I am not
present.
His goal is to defeat me in
any way that he can because I am sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and writing
devotions every day at the direction of my Lord. So, I must, too, respond to
his temptations with the truth of the Word of God, and fight off his lies and
his temptations with what I know is truth.
Matthew 4:12-17 ESV
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he
withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by
the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by
the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of
the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a
great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of
death,
on them a
light has dawned.”
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
A Light Has Dawned
There are many people today
who are living in darkness, who are walking according to the flesh, and not
according to the Spirit. Their minds are on the things of this world and not on
Jesus Christ and God’s eternal kingdom. They are lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God, some of them having the appearance of godliness, but denying its
power. They are always learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth
(2 Tim. 3:1-9).
Some of them profess to
believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, but they have not
repented of their sins nor have they turned to follow Jesus Christ with their
lives. They have not been crucified with Christ in death to sin, so they have
not been resurrected with Christ (in new birth) to newness of life, created to
be like God in true righteousness and holiness. They are still walking in sin,
so they do not have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven, although many
think that they do (See: Rom. 8:1-17).
But, they are without excuse,
because God has revealed himself to all humankind. He has made himself known to
all people through his created works.
It is not that people don’t
know about God, but that they refuse to obey him and do what they know is
right. They do not honor God for the holy God that He is nor do they thank him
for all that he has done for them. For, their minds are on the flesh and on fulfilling
their lustful desires, instead (See: Rom. 1:18-32).
And, this includes many who
claim faith in Jesus Christ, too, many of whom have much scriptural knowledge
and know right from wrong, but who choose to follow after their lusts rather than
to follow after the Spirit. For, it is not that the light has not dawned in
their lives, but that they do not want to come into the light for it will
expose their evil deeds which they are hiding in secret (See: Jn. 3:19-21).
So, the message here is that
they must repent of their sins, they must turn from them and turn to follow
Jesus Christ with their lives, in full surrender to his will for their lives.
For, if we walk according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, not have the
hope of eternal life with God (See: Gal. 5:19-21).
Matthew 4:18-22 ESV
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two
brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net
into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I
will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed
him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of
Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending
their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father
and followed him.
Following Jesus Christ
Believing in Jesus Christ to
be Lord and Savior of our lives means we leave our former lives of living for
sin and self behind us and we follow Jesus Christ with our lives, going
wherever he sends us, and doing whatever it is he commands us to do. Our faith
in him is God-given, if it is true faith, which is divinely persuaded of God as
to God’s righteousness and holiness and of our need to forsake our sins and to
live to his righteousness, for this is why Jesus died (See: 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph.
4:17-24).
Not only do we leave sin and
self behind to follow Jesus Christ with our lives, but we also live to please
our Lord, and we love others with his love. To love as God loves means to
prefer what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, good, just, kind,
tenderhearted, forgiving, honest, pure, trustworthy, and faithful, etc.
So, we will not do harm to
others, but we will do what is beneficial for others, and what will hopefully
bring them to faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, we will also be Christ’s witnesses
and his messengers in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ so that many will turn
their hearts to the Lord and will follow him with their lives in obedience to
his will for their lives. Therefore, we will put others’ good above ourselves
and our own reputations, and we will tell them the truth, in love, even if they
hate us and mistreat us in return.
My Prayer
An Original Work / May 30, 2011
“Fill me with Your Spirit;
help me to love others;
Let me know Your power;
be an overcomer.
Show me how to follow
Jesus Christ, my Savior;
Be His faithful servant
to obey Him always.
“Lead me with Your presence;
help me know the right way;
Teach me love and kindness,
generous compassion.
Give me grace and courage
to be Jesus’ witness,
Teaching His salvation
to a world who needs Him.”
Won’t you come and follow
Jesus Christ, your Savior?
He died so you’d be
free of control of your sin;
Free to follow His ways
in complete surrender;
Living sacrifices –
let His grace transform you.
Thursday, July 12, 2018 –
Thank You, Jesus, for these encouraging words. Thank you that, through faith in
You, we can combat Satan, flee from temptation, daily put on the armor of God,
and walk in the Spirit and no longer to please our sinful flesh! Amen!
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