Title: Jesus Tempted
Contents
Jesus being tempted (Matthew 4:1-11)
According to the article “Test” by Hyejeong Um, who was selected as the best work in the 'My 20th Century' experience record contest co-hosted by the JoongAng Ilbo and the Korea Institute of Spiritual Culture in November 1999, he was It is recorded that 410 various exams were taken.
If you ask not only the students but also the adults what they hated the most in school, most of them would answer 'exams'.
The same is true in the life of faith. We work hard in our faith life, but when such and such ‘tests’ come, we become discouraged and frustrated. So, it can be said that living a good life of faith means overcoming temptations well. The reason is that the life of faith itself can be said to be a confrontation with temptation.
Above all, temptation is not unique to anyone, but only to those who have experienced regeneration and become children of God.
The text is an event we know all too well. This is the story of Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit and subjected to three temptations by the devil.
Through today's text, God is telling us why trials come to us who are living the life of faith, and how to overcome and overcome the trials that have come to us.
1. When I was full of grace, I was tested.
Verse 1 says, “Then Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” “At that time” here means immediately after the immersion of Christ. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he was armed with fasting and prayer in the wilderness for 40 days.
He was spiritually fully armed and prepared for devotion.
If you do this, you are fully spiritually prepared. If you are armed like this, Satan will get tired of you and will not be able to approach him, but Satan used it as a golden opportunity to tempt Jesus. Often, believers tend to think that if they lack faith, there will be many trials, and if they have good faith, there will be no trials.
But, saints, the truth is often the opposite.
In other words, if there is little faith, there will be few trials, and there will be no trials for unbelievers who have absolutely no faith. Because Satan does not feel the need to test unbelievers at all. Therefore, temptation does not come only when we are weak because we are not filled with the Holy Spirit. Temptation does not come only when we are in idleness without prayer.
We need to know that temptation can come even when we are at our peak spiritually.
1 Corinthians 10:12 says, “Therefore, let him who thinks he is standing take heed lest he fall.” Because Jesus was the Messiah, he had to pass a more severe test.
Therefore, you must remember that the size of the mission is proportional to the size of the test.
If there are many trials that come to me, I have to admit that it is not bad luck, but that God is refining to use me to a greater extent.
I hope that you will overcome the trials with greater faith and joy, and grow day by day into vessels that God uses greatly.
2. You have overcome with the Word.
How did the Lord resist Satan's temptations?
First, in verse 4, it says, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
This is the word recorded in Deuteronomy 8:3 in response to the Lord's response to Satan's temptation to tempt him with bread.
Also, to Satan's temptation in verse 6, "If you are the Son of God, jump down," the Lord answered with the words of Deuteronomy 6:16, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
And about Satan's final temptation in verses 9 and 10, Jesus clearly declared that he would worship and serve only God with the firm words, “Go away, Satan” (verse 10).
Dear saints, the Lord did not engage in unnecessary conversation with Satan, and used only the written word as a shield to oppose Satan.
Therefore, in order to overcome Satan's temptations and win the spiritual warfare, we must not rely on our hasty thoughts or experiences, but only use the Word of God as our shield.
We must be armed only with the Word of God and resist Satan with the Word. Rely on the Word of God that lives and works as a powerful movement force today (Hebrews 4:12). If you do this, I believe you will be able to overcome the temptations of Satan and enjoy the joy of victory.
3. An angel came to the Lord and ministered to him.
The first half of verse 11 says, “Then the devil departed from Jesus.” In other words, the devil tempted Jesus three times, but when Jesus resisted with the word, he could not do anything more and retreated.
This suggests that Satan's temptations and temptations do not always go on. The devil can never do anything to the saints who are armed with the Word of God.
Also, in the second half of verse 11, it says, “Angels came and ministered to me.” God does not leave His people alone when they are tempted, but sends helpers to win the battle with Satan. That's right.
Our God never leaves His people alone when they are fighting a spiritual battle against Satan. This can also be confirmed through the biblical record that angels helped Christ, who was struggling with blood and sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43).
It also says that God sends angels to serve not only for Jesus Christ but also for our believers (Hebrews 1:14).
Therefore, brothers and sisters, when Satan's temptations and hardships come on this earth, never become weak or heartbroken.
Remember that God is with you, the Holy Spirit is guiding you, and even the angels are helping you.
Beloved, today's text is the exhilarating record of Jesus Christ's victory over Satan's temptations and temptations.
Through the text, the fact that our members were tested while living their faith is a good proof that I have become a child of God, and the better I do in my life of faith, the more I am tested. You need to know that it is the evidence that proves it.
Jesus Christ in the text completely defeated this with the Word without any wavering. And this victory is not only a victory for Jesus Christ, but also a promise and guarantee for the victory of our saints today.
Therefore, whenever Satan's temptations and temptations come, I hope that you will be victorious with the word just like the Lord through the words of this text, and become good soldiers of Christ who receive God's comfort and reward abundantly.