Today's text comes again from the fourth chapter of Matthew's gospel:
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “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 on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand 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, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, 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 things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; [Luke: Until an opportune time] and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. (Matthew 4:1-11)
Last week we looked at the first temptation. At the end of the 40-day wilderness trial, when Jesus was hungry, tired, cold – Satan challenged Him to turn the surrounding rocks into bread. “Do a miracle,” Satan taunted. “You say you’re the Son of God. Prove it.”
Now, at the outset of this message it is important to remind ourselves that Jesus was fully, 100% human – just like everyone in this room. But unlike anyone ever in eternity, He was at the same time 100% God. Again, don’t ask me to explain it. No one with a finite mind can ever hope to explain the infinite God.
Satan attacked the HUMAN Jesus, knowing the HUMAN Jesus COULD HAVE SUCCUMBED to those temptations. Here is how the Holy Spirit records it for us in Hebrews: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
In His divinity, Jesus could never be tempted to sin. But
Jesus the man could and was tempted. That is why Satan did what he did –
because if he could seduce Jesus into sin, salvation history would never have
played out as it has.
So, as we said last week, when Satan unsuccessfully challenged the MAN to turn rocks into bread, and Jesus rebuffed the Serpent with the Word of God, Satan came back with another challenge.
We should take note that Satan is not easily dissuaded from his attempts to destroy us. Undaunted by Jesus’ first rejection to work a miracle, he came back with a second challenge.
Listen, please. We should EXPECT the enemy of our souls to persistently roam about like a hungry lion, seeking to destroy anyone he can. As the Holy Spirit tells us in Luke’s account of the 40-day temptation – the devil left Jesus until an opportune time. Therefore, we should always be alert to the devil’s furtive, devious lures to sin.
And now, the Serpent’s next challenge of hurled at Jesus: Matthew records for us: “Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand 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, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” (vv. 5-6)
This is the second time Satan
challenged Jesus to do something miraculous to prove He was the son of God. We
need to stop here a few moments and talk about miracles and their relationship
to a person’s salvation.
Miracles in and of themselves save no one. Yes, a person might be attracted to
Christ by a miracle – but unless a person drawn to Christ by a miracle STAYS
with Christ in obedience, what good is the miracle? That’s probably a reason
the Holy Spirit records for us in Hebrews: “But encourage one
another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of
you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For
we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our
assurance firm until the end.” (Hebrews 3:13-14)
Many of you remember the story of the Rich Man in Hades begging Father Abraham to miraculously send Lazarus to his five brothers to warn them to change their lives, or they also will end up in the same torment. Abraham answered: ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:31)
Please hear this. It is critically, critically important that we never forget this truth: Just because a person works in miracles does NOT mean they are of God. If you have been with us in our study through Exodus, you will remember Pharaoh’s magicians who turned their wood rods into serpents and who also turned water to blood. Real blood. But they were godless false prophets. In the book of Acts we find “miracle workers’ called Simon and another named Elymas in chapters 8 and 13.
Nor must we forget that before the Lord returns to earth, the Antichrist and his false prophet will perform astonishing miracles. Here is a portion of Revelation 13: “He [the false prophet] performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Revelation 13:13-18)
So, I say it again for emphasis – just because a person works a miracle DOES NOT mean that person is of God.
So, if not miracles, then what IS IT that demonstrates we belong to God? Well, here are some examples from Scripture:
John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
1 John 2:9,11 “The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. . . . But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
Christian, listen to this word of God: There is NO PLACE for bigotry in the body of Christ. None. Whether racial bigotry, or economic or social or religious – if we hold bigotry in our hearts, if we hold hatred in our hearts, we are walking in darkness. Period.
Let me illustrate my point from my own experience. In 1976 I’d been a Christian for four years – but I’d spent those years overseas in Japan where I was stationed with the Navy. So, my only exposure to Christians of different theological persuasions was at the interdenominational base chapel where we ALL worshiped together. It was not until my discharge from the navy that I discovered just how divided Christ’s body really is.
After leaving the navy, Nancy and I arrived in Springfield, Missouri where I was to attended Central Bible College – known in town as CBC. It was an Assemblies of God Bible college, Pentecostal in theology. In the same town was another Bible college, this one called Baptist Bible College, known as BBC.
A few days after arriving in town, I needed an antibiotic prescription filled at a local pharmacy. I gave the druggist my name, address, and the school I attended – CBC – as my insurance provider. When I returned later that day to pick up my prescription. The pharmacist confirmed insurance coverage by BBC.
When I corrected him and told him I attended CBC, he blushed, and stuttered his apology. “I’m so sorry. I thought you’d told me you are a student at BBC.”
I shrugged my shoulders and told him it wasn’t a problem. I paid for my prescription and left the store wondering why he was so apoplectic and apologetic over a simple mistake. It was not until a few weeks later that I learned how many students in each school had nothing good to say about those in the other school.
The perplexing thing about that division in Springfield is this: Both groups believe the Bible is the fully inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Both groups believe Jesus has always existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit as one God in three persons, each with His own nature. Both groups believe Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, He suffered and died a torturous and substitutionary death on the cross to pay for our sins. They both believed He rose again on the third day from death, and that He will return for His Church, which is His mystical Body.
BOTH groups believed the essential truths leading to eternal life. Where Pentecostals and Baptists disagreed, they disagreed about things NOT essential to believe for salvation, such as are the gifts of the Holy Spirit operative today? Or can a Christian lose his or her salvation? But believing or rejecting either of those doctrines has no effect whatever on the eternal destiny of the person. None.
The Lord Jesus warned us in Matthew 12: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” (Matthew 12:25)
Christian! Satan also knows that unerring Bible truth. And it doesn’t require a PhD in history to recognize how deftly he has used that principle of division since the earliest days of the church.
So, again, what demonstrates a person is from God, or not? Their love for one
another, biblical love, love that speaks truth to each other. Not a wishy-washy
sentimental love that tolerates sin, that preaches, “I’m okay, you’re okay, but
one that speaks truth even if it is unwelcome and offensive to the godless.
While we are on this subject of Satan’s second temptation of Jesus to prove He
is the Son of God, another tactic Satan routinely employs to discourage a
Christian – especially those who diligently try to please their Lord – Satan
will accuse us, either in our thoughts or through what others say to us (especially
family members) about our sins. It usually follows along the lines of: “If you
were a Christian you wouldn’t say (or do) something like that.”
And often times they will have made a good point because everyone knows how
Christians should act. So, when we don’t act that way, they mock us or try to
make us feel guilty.
What is the proper response to someone who rightly accuses us of saying or doing wrong? What’s the proper response? That’s an easy question to answer: Admit that you’re wrong and ask for forgiveness. Consider it an opportunity to demonstrate your Christian integrity, even if the other person wants to make you feel guilty. And remember what St Paul wrote to the Christians at Philippi: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
And Jude 1:24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
No Christian likes to sin. But we also know that sin sometimes still gets the upper hand in our lives. All we can do is confess our failures, our limitations, and seek God's help to be better next time – and the next time – and the next time at overcoming.
THAT is what demonstrates whether we are a child of God – not that we are super-dooper people, but that we are striving to hear from His lips that He is well-pleased with us.
One final word about this second temptation. Satan quoted to Jesus from Psalm 91 – but his quote (not surprisingly) is out of context. Here is what Satan quoted: “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12).
BUT here is the rest of that text which the Serpent of the Garden of Eden omitted: “You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down. (Psalm 91:11-13)
Satan knows the Bible backward and forward. Do not be surprised when he quotes texts out of context, for he does so to confuse and seduce the unwary. That is likely why Jesus said what He did to the Serpent’s first temptation – man must live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Throughout history, to this present hours, false teachers and their missionaries knock on doors all over the country bringing their brand of heresies based on texts taken out of context. Their teaching – just like Satan’s selective text from Psalm 91 – is meant to delude, confuse, and seduce the unwary and the Biblically illiterate away from the only gospel that can save us.
You and I must continually seek refuge in the word of God as has been taught unchanged by authentic Christians since the days of the apostles.
In these last two weeks we’ve looked briefly at the first two of Satan’s three challenges to Jesus. He tried to trick Jesus into proving He is God's Son by miraculously feeding His empty stomach with stones-turned-to-bread. Then he challenged the Lord to jump off the roof of the Temple because – if He truly was God's Son – angels would miraculously save Him.
Next week we examine the last of the three wilderness temptations – the temptation of Jesus the MAN to attain unequaled authority. All He would have to do is worship the creature, rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever and ever.
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