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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends around the world.
This is our second day of following the footsteps of Jesus from His baptism in the Jordan river, to His Easter weekend crucifixion and resurrection, which the whole world will soon be celebrating. As the Coronavirus ‘pandemic of fear’ continues to spread around the world, it is my prayer many people are finding calm, hope and confidence in God, God’s Word and the power of a relationship with the resurrected Jesus Christ.
Yesterday we considered the remarkable moment of Jesus’ baptism and the audible voice of God which proclaimed “This is My Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17.)
As Jesus walked up out of that Jordan river, we can imagine all eyes of those present were upon Him. Both Matthew and Luke tell us Jesus was then led by the Holy Spirit of God directly into the desert, we presume east of the Jordan river, for an extended time… 40 days, and for a very specific reason.
Friends, join me in considering today WHY Jesus went into that desert, WHAT He did there, and what DIFFERENCE it has made for our world since then.
As we will see in these next days of following Jesus, He often sought solitude, away from the crowds, and even His disciples and friends. Why? Noise distracts us. Noise can distort our thinking. Noise even drowns out the quieter voice of reflective wisdom.
Jesus was surrounded so often by the noise of busy people living busy lives, just like us.
Jesus prioritized occasional solitude and quiet so He could meet with His heavenly Father, Almighty God. It was critical to His mission accomplishment that Jesus stayed fully aligned with His Father. Do you understand what that means, my friends? Is your heart aligned with the heart of God, what about your mind in alignment with the thoughts of God? Especially in these days when the ‘news noise’ is so troubling regarding the ripple effects of the Coronavirus affecting so many aspects of global life.
Jesus often spoke of the very specific mission for which Almighty God had sent Him to earth: it was to accomplish the redemption of the human race through the defeat of Satan and sin’s power which held every human in fear, bondage and condemnation to death. I see that in Romans 3:23; 6:23 and Hebrews 2:14,15 among many other Scriptures. Here’s one example of Jesus expressing His God given mission, in Mark 10:45 “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.”
While Jesus tried to maintain His focus on His God given mission and its accomplishment, He was constantly surrounded by the demands and expectations of people, many of whom had entirely different agendas for Jesus. I wonder if you sometimes find yourselves being pulled in many directions by the expectations of people who have specific ideas for how you should live your life? Jesus faced that every day!
Also, the great enemy of God, Satan, was determined to oppose Jesus and do all he could to prevent Jesus from accomplishing His God given mission. Frequently, as we follow Jesus in these next days, we’ll see evidence of the spiritual war for the human race, which raged between Jesus and Satan. Today let’s look at this in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13.
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert, 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.” (Luke 4:1,2) Did you notice Jesus was empowered, filled with, and led by, the Holy Spirit of God, from His baptism and commissioning experience in the Jordan river, directly into the desert for a 40 day period. WHY is a fair question. May I offer two reasons, one is identified clearly, and one is implied.
First, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to meet with God, His heavenly Father. Throughout the Bible Fasting is understood as a time of intense prayer and intentional abstaining from food for the purpose of promoting an unusual hunger for and reliance upon God. Is fasting, even for a short period of time, something you have attempted my friends, as a means of sharpening your spiritual focus?
Do you see fasting is a double initiative… intentional abstention from something and increased, focused prayer & worship during that time of abstaining. It’s a powerful experience which has been significant in the lives of many people through history, including myself. Here we see Jesus beginning His earthly mission with a 40 day fasting and prayer experience.
The devil, Satan, was waiting for Jesus and ready to attack Him through temptation. The Holy Spirit knew this, and led Jesus into the desert arena for this battle! Jesus’ redemption mission was about to encounter its first, powerful opposition!
Do you remember some other times 40 days were significant in Bible history my friends? Three times Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God for 40 days (Ex. 24:15-18; 34:27, 28; Deut. 9:18, 19). Each time God was doing something very specific with Moses, which was significant in the covenant relationship God had with His people, Israel. Each time Moses miraculously abstained from food & water, sustained by the power of Almighty God in these prolonged, holy encounters.
Elijah traveled 40 days from the place where the ‘angel of the LORD’ had nourished him after his battle with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, all the way to Mount Horeb, where Elijah then met with God. (I Kings 19)
Here’s one other significant 40 day experience: Moses sent 12 leaders of Israel into the Promise Land as ‘spies’ to check out the new land and bring back a report, remember? (Numbers 13) In this case there is no evidence they fasted.
You may recall two of them, Joshua & Caleb, brought a good report challenging the people to trust God and move forward in claiming the land God had promised Abraham. 10 of these leaders, however, brought a fearful report and panic swept through the camp and the people refused the opportunity God had placed before them! You may remember the people paid a high price for their fearful doubt of God and refusal to trust Him! Those 10 spies died on the spot, as soon as they finished their skeptical report, and the faithless people wandered for 40 years in the desert until that entire generation had died! (Numbers 14)
I wonder friends if you can see some similarities between these five 40 day experiences with God, and Jesus’ 40 days in the desert immediately following His baptism and commissioning to the mission God had entrusted to Him?
There may have been many times that Satan tempted Jesus in those 40 days, but in both Matt. 4 & Luke 4 we find three specific attacks. Let’s look at them:
1. The first temptation attacked Jesus at His human point of hunger, at the end of His 40 day fast. “The tempter (Satan) came to Jesus and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:3,4)
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:1-3 where Moses was reminding the Hebrews that during the 40 years they wandered in the desert, God provided a special food sent from heaven each morning called ‘Manna’ to sustain them. It was a symbol of God’s provision for all He knows we, human beings He has made, will ever need. But more, Moses challenged the people to understand that the food we eat with our mouths satisfies a physical hunger for a few hours. The spiritual food we eat, God’s Word, nourishes our souls for a lifetime! Do you remember every verses of Psalm 119 speaks of the power and importance of the Scriptures, the Word of God!!
2. The second attack we see in Matthew 4:5-7 “Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written, ‘do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
I wonder what you see in this temptation my friends? Do you see Satan quoting Scripture and using it to bait Jesus into acting in a dishonorable way by challenging God to protect Jesus even if He did a very foolish thing and jumped off a high pinnacle? Do you sometimes feel manipulated by the words, even the taunts of people, trying to draw you into doing things you know are wrong?
3. Finally, the third temptation: “…the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give You, if You will bow down and worship me.’ And Jesus said ‘away from me Satan. For it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” (Matt. 4:8-10)
What do you think Satan was trying to accomplish with this third temptation friends? This is his ultimate objective always… that he, Satan, would be worshiped, not God. Satan will do anything to draw our hearts, our allegiance, our worship away from Almighty, Holy God and to anything, anyone, even ourselves, but ultimately to him.
Friends, do you notice Jesus rebuked Satan each time with only the Word of God? Satan must submit to the authority of the Bible, for it is God’s Word! Learn that well friends, for you and I can battle with the devil in the same way… quoting Scripture! That’s why it’s so important we learn it well.
Now in closing, notice the closing verse of the battle: “Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came and attended Him.” (Matt. 4:11). Luke adds this important warning: “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Jesus until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13)
What do you hear in these two statements my friends? Do you see God the Father sending angels from heaven to help Jesus in His time of need, and do you see the devil leaving, but with a plan to attack again, at another time, a more opportune time?
As you and I find ourselves in spiritual battles, let’s remember that friends. Jesus won the battle here, and God is ready to help you and me with His powerful Word, His angels, His Holy Spirit and the victorious, risen Jesus Himself! Also, please note that the battle will continue to rage until the end of time, when finally Satan will be bound in the lake of fire forever. (Rev. 20:10)
Satan is a defeated foe because Jesus was victorious in that desert battle, but even more because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross and in His victorious resurrection! Satan knows he is ultimately defeated. He knows the eternal torment which awaits him in hell, which is why he and his demons are so determined to work hard to hold in bondage every person who has not yet been delivered by Jesus. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
But Satan is also determined to oppose every follower of Jesus and try to find ways to draw us out of alignment with Jesus and turn our allegiance from Jesus to other things or even to ourselves. (Ephesians 4:27,30)
Jesus invites us to walk with Him, the ONLY one who has ultimate authority and power of Satan, sin and death… and the fear associated with them. Oh I urge you to spend a few moments right now talking to Jesus, thanking Him for His victory over Satan and His love for you.
Oh Jesus we praise You for Your victory. . .
Click to read today’s chapters: Matthew 4; Luke 4. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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