Today our headings are the temptations: (The first temptation), (The second temptation), (The third temptation).
So far we have covered Chapters1, 2, and 3. It is important to follow the transition between chapters and paragraphs because it tells the story of what is being said in the Bible.
If these words were for a person who never read the Bible and was just beginning, we would try to convey some sense of connection of what has happened so far, so that the reader can maintain interest in what is being read. Chapter 1, dealt with the history of Christ's family, his lineage, and his conception. Chapter 2, dealt with the circumstances surrounding his birth and the events that occured immediately after he was born. Chapter 3, dealt with his associate, John the Baptist, who was sent here, on earth, to announce his coming.
The devil has sought to prevent Christ's coming from the very beginning. He sought to have Mary branded as an adulteress and thereby stoned to death. He sought to have him killed as an infant through the evil deeds of Herod, who killed the innocent children of Bethlehem, thinking that he would capture him in his net of death. And now in chapter 4, Satan, confronts Christ in an attempt to turn him away from God.
Immediately after his baptism, Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of being tempted by the Satan. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. I find it difficult to fast for 3 days and Christ, our savior, was fasting for 40 days. I try to imagine where one would be, mentally, from the isolation of being in the desert, alone, in the heat of the day, in the sun, in the dry climate, alone. Did he have water?? Did he have a bit of bread to eat to survive?? How long does one survive in the desert without the basic requirements of life, food and water???
And when he was hungry, at the end of the 40 days and nights, the tempter came. And he said, "If thou art the Son of God!!!" Tempt me to not know who I am. Tempt me to believe that I doubt my origin. Tempt me to believe that I am not of Godly origin. This is what Satan did with the word If. Satan did not acknowledge that Christ was the Son of God, because he wanted to tempt him to have doubts. Christ, however, knew who he was and the purpose of his being on earth. He had jsut received accolades from his Father, stating that he was his son and that he was well pleased in him. So Christ tells Satan that it is written that man does not live by bread alone. This is a solemn affirmation of who we are as human beings. We are not just flesh and skin and bones and blood. If we were then bread would be what keeps us and maintains us. No, we are more than flesh, we are spirit that lives by the words that comes from God himself. God spoke and gave us life. God breathed into the dust and gave it life to create Adam. We are spirits living in an earthly realm.
Satan, in the second temptation, tries the same tactic by attempting to create doubt with the word If. He again attempts to creat doubt by stating: "If thou art the Son of God." This time he throws in the facts that it is written that the angels shall protect Christ. Then Christ directly tells him that he will not be tempted by his tricks.
Satan, in the third temptation, takes him to the movies and offers him fame and fortune and glory. He says: "All these things will I give thee." Christ, however, does not want things, but only the one true God. He tells Satan to leave him, to depart from him with his trinkets and baubels because it is written that there is only one true God and he is the only one that we should worship and serve and not Satan.
This tells me that I shoud not worship, desire with a consumming passion, a shinney new car, or money in the bank, or fine clothes, or a big house, or any of the wordly things, that this world has to offer. Be mindful that I am of this world, so I must have need of these things to survive. But I shall not worship them. My praise and my glory should be in God and not in man. If you are the sons of God, then use the power that God has given you to create wealth. If you are the sons of God then use the power that God has given you to protect yourself from disease and sickness and from harm. All these things I will give you if you just forget that you are sons of God and worship me in this world, Satan says. Go for the gold. Go for the riches and wealth. Go for the power and lust that this world has to offer. Go for the pleasures of sex, and food, and the lust of clothes, and the lust of having a physical body defined by the norms of this day. All these things will I give you, if you worship me, says Satan. And God says, "The Lord thy God shalt thou worship and him only shalt thou serve."
So far we have covered Chapters1, 2, and 3. It is important to follow the transition between chapters and paragraphs because it tells the story of what is being said in the Bible.
If these words were for a person who never read the Bible and was just beginning, we would try to convey some sense of connection of what has happened so far, so that the reader can maintain interest in what is being read. Chapter 1, dealt with the history of Christ's family, his lineage, and his conception. Chapter 2, dealt with the circumstances surrounding his birth and the events that occured immediately after he was born. Chapter 3, dealt with his associate, John the Baptist, who was sent here, on earth, to announce his coming.
The devil has sought to prevent Christ's coming from the very beginning. He sought to have Mary branded as an adulteress and thereby stoned to death. He sought to have him killed as an infant through the evil deeds of Herod, who killed the innocent children of Bethlehem, thinking that he would capture him in his net of death. And now in chapter 4, Satan, confronts Christ in an attempt to turn him away from God.
Immediately after his baptism, Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of being tempted by the Satan. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. I find it difficult to fast for 3 days and Christ, our savior, was fasting for 40 days. I try to imagine where one would be, mentally, from the isolation of being in the desert, alone, in the heat of the day, in the sun, in the dry climate, alone. Did he have water?? Did he have a bit of bread to eat to survive?? How long does one survive in the desert without the basic requirements of life, food and water???
And when he was hungry, at the end of the 40 days and nights, the tempter came. And he said, "If thou art the Son of God!!!" Tempt me to not know who I am. Tempt me to believe that I doubt my origin. Tempt me to believe that I am not of Godly origin. This is what Satan did with the word If. Satan did not acknowledge that Christ was the Son of God, because he wanted to tempt him to have doubts. Christ, however, knew who he was and the purpose of his being on earth. He had jsut received accolades from his Father, stating that he was his son and that he was well pleased in him. So Christ tells Satan that it is written that man does not live by bread alone. This is a solemn affirmation of who we are as human beings. We are not just flesh and skin and bones and blood. If we were then bread would be what keeps us and maintains us. No, we are more than flesh, we are spirit that lives by the words that comes from God himself. God spoke and gave us life. God breathed into the dust and gave it life to create Adam. We are spirits living in an earthly realm.
Satan, in the second temptation, tries the same tactic by attempting to create doubt with the word If. He again attempts to creat doubt by stating: "If thou art the Son of God." This time he throws in the facts that it is written that the angels shall protect Christ. Then Christ directly tells him that he will not be tempted by his tricks.
Satan, in the third temptation, takes him to the movies and offers him fame and fortune and glory. He says: "All these things will I give thee." Christ, however, does not want things, but only the one true God. He tells Satan to leave him, to depart from him with his trinkets and baubels because it is written that there is only one true God and he is the only one that we should worship and serve and not Satan.
This tells me that I shoud not worship, desire with a consumming passion, a shinney new car, or money in the bank, or fine clothes, or a big house, or any of the wordly things, that this world has to offer. Be mindful that I am of this world, so I must have need of these things to survive. But I shall not worship them. My praise and my glory should be in God and not in man. If you are the sons of God, then use the power that God has given you to create wealth. If you are the sons of God then use the power that God has given you to protect yourself from disease and sickness and from harm. All these things I will give you if you just forget that you are sons of God and worship me in this world, Satan says. Go for the gold. Go for the riches and wealth. Go for the power and lust that this world has to offer. Go for the pleasures of sex, and food, and the lust of clothes, and the lust of having a physical body defined by the norms of this day. All these things will I give you, if you worship me, says Satan. And God says, "The Lord thy God shalt thou worship and him only shalt thou serve."
