Title: Wilderness/Matthew 4:1-11
Contents Wilderness/Matt 4:1-11
1. The test of the lusts of the flesh
Let's look at Adam's case first. What was the first test Adam felt when he saw the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? It was a test of "good enough". For Jesus in the text, it was a temptation to turn stones into bread. In today's terms, it means to make a dala. Invest in stones and reap in dollars. How plausible was the news of the bread to Jesus, who fasted for 40 days and hunger? Of course, Jesus overcame this temptation. How did you win? “It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God” (verse 4). He had the absolute criterion of life, the written Word of God. And he held firmly to the importance of the spiritual asset of the Word rather than the material of bread. But today, how many people are selling their souls and consciences to the devil without resisting the temptations of unfair speculation, investment, and unjust bribes?
How can I prepare well for the exam? There is no other way. We must internalize the values of the written Bible so that we can say, “It is written,” like Jesus. The failures of today's saints appear in the church, but the values we hold on to are not the biblical values, but the secular ones. If we truly have internalized biblical values, we will be able to say “no” firmly to the temptations of the world and the temptations of the devil. With it, we should be able to prove that we are lovers of the Lord, not lovers of the world. If it is still difficult, listen to the voice of the Father who spoke to Jesus from the Jordan River as we resisted the temptations of the world. <You are indeed my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased>.
2. The test of the pride of this life
For the first man, Adam, this test was a test of 'wisely covetousness'. When it comes to being as wise and as capable as anyone else, it is “as much as God”. In other words, <You will become God>. For Jesus, this temptation comes as a temptation to “jump down from the highest peak of the temple” (verses 5-6). “After that, if an angel lifts up your feet before your feet touch the ground, you will be famous from tomorrow.” This is the so-called test of honor or test of popularity. In English, it is ‘pride of life’. There are not a few of us who live a life that is really struggling to make a name for ourselves. Are you saying that's a bad thing? Didn't the Bible say, "Fame is preferred over much riches, and grace over silver or gold" (Proverbs 221)?
3. The test of the lust of the eyes
For Adam, the first man, it was a test of “preferred job title”. It is a test that comes to us through the eyes. Let's look at verse 8. “The devil also took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms under the heavens and their glory.” However, it should be noted that these words do not end with a demonstration. See next verse 9. “All these things will be given to me, if you will fall down and worship me.” In the end, the vision of the visible world is to worship Satan as a bait. That is the temptation of idolatry. It is a kind of pleasure test. Idols change the Creator and the creature. When the pleasures of the world seem more beautiful than the seat of faith, when the career of stepping on and dominating a neighbor is more captivating than a life of service, when my possessions make me more beautiful than my existence in Christ When I am comforting, I am already becoming a slave to my eyes.
Perhaps the devil at that time deceived Jesus by setting him up at the Mt. Quarantal (Greek Orthodox monastery) opposite Jericho, where the city of Jericho, the city of palm trees, was the most splendid city in the Near East at the time. If you bow down to me, the culture of this city, its pleasures, and its glory will all be yours. What was the victory response that brought victory to Jesus? Verse 10. “Go away, Satan. It is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” What do you mean? What does it mean to serve only God and worship only God? I confess that my comfort, my joy, my worth, and my satisfaction are in God alone. Our Sunday worship is to confirm and refine this confession. Every time we worship, we say, “Lord, you are my comfort. You are my joy too. You are my peace.” “I do not seek my satisfaction in the world.”
However, do not misunderstand this saying that you have to live with your back on the culture of the world. To some extent the Lord has given His children the privilege of enjoying this world. However, we must enjoy the world and not fall into the illusion that this world is our ultimate place of life. No matter how beautiful the world is, it will eventually pass. Let's recall 1 John 2:15 again. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Read verse 17. “The world and its lusts pass away, but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
The writings of Bob Foster, whom I read early in my life of faith, left a profound impact on me. This man was originally a successful young businessman. However, in the middle of my life, when people around me suddenly died in succession due to illness, everything felt futile. At that point, he asks the question, <What is eternal?>. To answer that question, I started reading and studying the Bible. As he studies the Bible, everything passes, but he discovers that only three things are recorded as eternal in the Bible. First, God is eternal; second, God's word is eternal (1 Peter 1:24 - All flesh is like grass, and all their glory is like the flower of the grass, but the word of the Lord endures forever), and thirdly, the day of the week. 2:17 says that those who do the will of God are eternal. So he finds it as a calling for the rest of his life to raise up people who will fulfill God's will in the eternal Word of God for the eternal God.