THE TEMPTATION (2)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
0. Introduction
a) The temptation - Matthew 4:1-11
(Place: Wilderness; Date: A.D. 26)
1. What is the text all about?
a) God is not our magician in the sky ready to perform on request. In response to Satan's temptations, Jesus said not to tempt God (put God to a test).
@1. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. (Deuteronomy 6:16 NIV)
b) We may want to ask God to do something to prove his existence or his love for us. Jesus once taught through a parable that people who don't believe what is written in the Bible won't believe even if someone were to come back from the dead to warn them.
@1. 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:31 NIV)
c) God wants us to live by faith, not by magic. Don't try to manipulate God by asking for signs.
d) The devil used Scripture to try to convince Jesus to sin! Sometimes friends or associates will present attractive and convincing reasons why we should try something we know is wrong. They may even find Bible verses that seem to support their viewpoint.
e) Study the Bible carefully, especially the broader contexts of specific verses, so that we understand God's principles for living and what he wants for our life. Only if we really understand what the whole Bible says will we be able to recognize errors of interpretation when people take verses out of context and twist them to say what they want them to say.
f) Did the devil have the power to give Jesus the kingdoms of the world? Didn't God, the creator of the world, have control over these kingdoms? The devil may have been lying about his implied power, or he may have based his offer on his temporary control and free rein over the earth because of humanity's sinfulness. Jesus' temptation was to take the world as a political ruler right then, without carrying out his plan to save the world from sin. Satan was trying to distort Jesus' perspective by making him focus on worldly power and not on God's plan.
g) The devil offered the whole world to Jesus if Jesus would only bow down and worship him. Today the devil offers us the world by trying to entice us with materialism and power. We can resist temptations the same way Jesus did. If we find ourselves craving something that the world offers, quote Jesus' words to the devil, "Worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve."
h) Angels, like these who waited on Jesus, have a significant role as God's messengers. These spiritual beings were involved in Jesus' life on earth by:
@1. announcing Jesus' birth to Mary,
@2. reassuring Joseph,
@3. naming Jesus,
@4. announcing Jesus' birth to the shepherds,
@5. protecting Jesus by sending his family to Egypt,
@6. ministering to Jesus in Gethsemane.
2. Prayer focus
a) Pray that when we are tempted, we will ask God for strength to go through it.
The End ...
0. Introductiona) The temptation - Matthew 4:1-11
(Place: Wilderness; Date: A.D. 26)
1. What is the text all about?
a) God is not our magician in the sky ready to perform on request. In response to Satan's temptations, Jesus said not to tempt God (put God to a test).
@1. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. (Deuteronomy 6:16 NIV)
b) We may want to ask God to do something to prove his existence or his love for us. Jesus once taught through a parable that people who don't believe what is written in the Bible won't believe even if someone were to come back from the dead to warn them.
@1. 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:31 NIV)
c) God wants us to live by faith, not by magic. Don't try to manipulate God by asking for signs.
d) The devil used Scripture to try to convince Jesus to sin! Sometimes friends or associates will present attractive and convincing reasons why we should try something we know is wrong. They may even find Bible verses that seem to support their viewpoint.
e) Study the Bible carefully, especially the broader contexts of specific verses, so that we understand God's principles for living and what he wants for our life. Only if we really understand what the whole Bible says will we be able to recognize errors of interpretation when people take verses out of context and twist them to say what they want them to say.
f) Did the devil have the power to give Jesus the kingdoms of the world? Didn't God, the creator of the world, have control over these kingdoms? The devil may have been lying about his implied power, or he may have based his offer on his temporary control and free rein over the earth because of humanity's sinfulness. Jesus' temptation was to take the world as a political ruler right then, without carrying out his plan to save the world from sin. Satan was trying to distort Jesus' perspective by making him focus on worldly power and not on God's plan.
g) The devil offered the whole world to Jesus if Jesus would only bow down and worship him. Today the devil offers us the world by trying to entice us with materialism and power. We can resist temptations the same way Jesus did. If we find ourselves craving something that the world offers, quote Jesus' words to the devil, "Worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve."
h) Angels, like these who waited on Jesus, have a significant role as God's messengers. These spiritual beings were involved in Jesus' life on earth by:
@1. announcing Jesus' birth to Mary,
@2. reassuring Joseph,
@3. naming Jesus,
@4. announcing Jesus' birth to the shepherds,
@5. protecting Jesus by sending his family to Egypt,
@6. ministering to Jesus in Gethsemane.
2. Prayer focus
a) Pray that when we are tempted, we will ask God for strength to go through it.
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