Week:07, Season:1,
2013
Posted on Saturday by PCT
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Jesus Is Tested
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Scripture:《
Luke 4:1-13
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4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 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. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 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. 9 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: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
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Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’4 Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone.”’ 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.’8 Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”’ 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: ‘“He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”’ 12 Jesus answered, ‘It is said: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ 13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
It is written in the books of Luke and Matthew that Jesus was tested by the devil after he was baptised and before he started to preach in Galilee. This means the temptation occurred before Jesus started his professional teaching of the good news. It is said in the Bible that after he had been baptised, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit took him into the wilderness. Jesus was tested by devil in the wilderness for 40 days. When the Holy Spirit works, the devil works too.
Jesus was tested by the devil
Fasting in the wilderness for 40 days, Jesus was hungry. Food is the basic need of human beings. People often eat whatever they can get when in extreme hunger. They fight for food by all means possible. This is one of the reasons that people sin against the Lord. In the test, Jesus firstly faced the challenge of basic human demand. The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” But Jesus overcame the temptation of materials. Similar temptations surround us. We often compromise a lot for food, for money, for a place to live, and are even willing to sell our soul to achieve these. Brothers and sisters become enemies for fighting over property. Parents and children quarrel about tiny things. Jesus answered the devil with words in the Bible, “Man shall not live on bread alone.” This is a sharp reminder to us.
The devil then led Jesus up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. The devil promised Jesus all their authority and splendour – as long as he would worship him. But Jesus answered, “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” When the basic demands are fulfilled, people begin to pursue fame and wealth. People in higher places see the world beneath them and wield more authority. People who have authority own wealth and feelings of achievement. People who have power believe they are movers and shakers who can control everything. Little do they know that all people are weak and small. As in the Book of James says, “You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
When the devil saw that temptations did not work, he took Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple saying, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘“He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”’ The highest point of the temple is the place closet to God, which also symbolises the place of highest status and authority; thus leading people into complacent pride. The devil quoted from the Scripture and wished Jesus would be arrogant enough to expect miracles from God. Isn’t this a common temptation we have? Are there times that we too have concentrated on pursuing our own fame and wealth, and thus ignored God’s authority? We even randomly quote the Bible “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” and say to God, “I will worship you if you give me more authority and fortune.”
Christians also are tested in the wilderness
Christians also face times in which they are tested in the wilderness. After the Sunday service, we feel that God is with us as we receive his words and are filled by the Spirit. We leave the church carrying this confidence to our family and work; just as Jesus was filled by the Spirit when he entered the wilderness. But we too face many challenging temptations, just as Jesus did in the wilderness, including the temptations of money, materials, jobs, authority and challenges to our faith. Why do Christians have broken relationships, unemployment and suffering? Why are Christians not promoted in their workplace? Why not ask for miracles from God? After all, Christians are ordinary humans, but we will obey God’s commandment if we answer as Jesus answered the devil, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Too many temptations exist in the modern life. They often lead people to drift. We do not keep the practice of the Sabbath; we forgot God’s words; we think Christians don’t have to insist on justice and holiness; we abandon the truth and follow the world’s values. We do not realise that we are pushing our own lives over a cliff! Bear in mind that when Jesus was tested by the devil, he was not moved by the temptations of materials, fame or wealth. He only looked upon God. He did not request miracles presumptuously. When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. During the Lent, we should reflect carefully about what this Bible passage tells us.
Distinguish between the words of God and devil
The Devil has the power to draw people away from God. Jesus quoted, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” The Bible is the Word of God and we should obey it. It is written by Paul in 2 Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The word from Satan is powerless. Christians should attend church services often to receive teaching. Christians should read Bible and pray as often as possible to keep the Word of God in mind, so to distinguish between the words of God and the tricks of Satan. Let us be triumphant Christians!
Modern parents value their parent-child relationships a lot. They also care a great deal about their children’s academic performance. Many children tend to stop attending church events when entering high school and gradually leave church life and God behind. This is such an unfortunate decision. My child was successfully enrolled on a course run by the National Science Council, and the National Cheng Kung University specialised in those high school students with an excellent academic performance in physics. My child was excited and really wanted to attend this course. However the course was scheduled on Sundays. I told my child, “We should always put our God first. Worshipping God is far more important than attending this course.” To me and my child it is a better decision that we can worship God on Sundays! Holding our faith and the grace of God tight is better than holding this course, as school training is temporary but faith is the everlasting gift and blessing.
Rely on the Word of God and overcome our tests
Jesus is quoted the Bible as saying, “Man shall not live on bread alone.” How often do we ignore our relationship with God to pursue a better material life, job and salary? Yet we will not have a better material life through sacrificing our faith; indeed, we may lose more. The relationships with our children and our partners may also slip as we only focus on earning money. We may become the fishermen who work for the whole night without any reward. We work more, but our family relationships become weaker; we make more money but our minds will be full of sorrow. We should learn from Jesus, “Man shall not live on bread alone.” We should rely on the words of God to live.
Relying on the words of God will help us to overcome the temptations of the devil in the wilderness and be victorious Christians.
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For discussion:
1. How can we distinguish the words of God from the temptations of the devil?
2. Have you ever experienced temptations in life or in faith? How did you overcome these tests?
Please pray for:
1. During Lent, pray for yourself and the whole church. Ask God to quieten our hearts, clean and revive our church.
2. Pray for those leaders with authority to lead our country with justice and keep the wholeness of Taiwan’s sovereignty. May God help them lead our country towards justice and peace and make people’s lives better. Pray for our public servants and representatives. May God give them the wisdom to keep personal integrity and work on the people’s behalf to solve economic and environmental issues.
Prayer:
Merciful Father, we worship you and only keep our eyes on you! Please give us the wisdom to understand your purpose for us. Help us to distinguish the voice of the devil. Please forgive our sins and keep us walking with you in your purpose. Whenever we face temptations, help us to overcome them by relying on your words. Whenever we are weak, make us strong with your presence. Send your abundant blessings to us. I want to learn from Jesus and be the one to witness his beauty. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Something you can do:
1. We may compete with our colleagues for promotions at work. This may lead to broken relationships. Ask God’s help to solve this problem for us. Try to bring our faith into work and be wonderful witnesses for God.
2. Try to think about the Bible passage we read today whenever you are tested in your life.
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