God's Word for Me Today
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Focus: Our Mission: Equipping Christians in Western Pennsylvania
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I know that I am engaged in a spiritual struggle every day of my life. Satan seeks to turn me away from you and against my brothers and sisters in the body of Jesus. I pray that You would bind his influence in my life this day and cast him out of my presence in Jesus’ name. I pray that you would, indeed, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from all evil and from the Evil One. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
God's Word for Me Today: Luke 4:1-13
1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit to go out into the wilderness, 2 where the Devil tempted him for forty days. He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry. 3 Then the Devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, change this stone into a loaf of bread." 4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People need more than bread for their life.' " 5 Then the Devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The Devil told him, "I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them – because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will bow down and worship me." 8 Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him. " 9 Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say, 'He orders his angels to protect and guard you. 11 And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.' " 12 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'Do not test the Lord your God.' " 13 When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Questions for Reflection
When has the Devil presented the most serious threat to your commitment to Jesus?
What is your typical response to temptation in your life?
Questions for Exploration
What are the three temptations the Devil sets before Jesus? (4:1-13)
What does Jesus use to respond to the Devil’s temptations? (4:1-13)
For how long does the Devil leave Jesus at the end of this period of temptation? (4:13)
Questions for Understanding
Why do you suppose that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for forty days of fasting immediately after He was baptized?
Why do you suppose that the Devil tempted Jesus with these three sins before Jesus had started His earthly ministry?
What do we learn from this narrative of Jesus’ fasting and overcoming temptation in the wilderness?
Questions for Application
Temptation comes to every Christian. Pray the Lord’s Prayer and focus on Jesus words, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
What area do you struggle with the most in seeking to be faithful to Jesus? Turn to the Lord in prayer right now, and each time you are tempted in this area, and ask God to empower you to overcome!
The Role of Temptation in Our Lives
After Jesus was baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit and given the verbal approval of His heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit sent Him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. The temptation took place after forty days of fasting. On the one hand, Jesus must have been weakened by this long period without food. On the other hand, Jesus must have been immensely strengthened by the long period focusing on His Heavenly Father, and on His mission on earth. When the Devil came and tempted Jesus, it was undoubtedly because the Devil thought he would find Jesus in a weakened condition as a result of the extended fast. Exactly the opposite proved true. One of the important realities of this experience in Jesus’ life is that the Devil was always and was the only one at risk in this exchange. Jesus had the power of God, was full of the Holy Spirit, and had just invested 40 days in a fast to zero in on what lay ahead during the next three years. The Devil really chose the wrong time to show up!
What about us? When the temptations of the Devil come to us do they weaken us, do they force us to sin? Absolutely not! The Devil only has the power over us that we give him. Jesus has already conquered him. God cast Satan out of heaven eons ago. Jesus’ death on the cross defeated the power of Satan on the earth, and we believe that while Jesus was dead he descended to hell and conquered death and hell and all the powers of Satan. So, Satan is defeated above the earth, on the earth, and under the earth. Then why is there still so much evil in the world? Because, we don’t avail ourselves of the resources Jesus did. We forget that “greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world”—that the Holy Spirit is ALWAYS more powerful that the Devil and his demons. The role temptation plays in our lives is to give us the opportunity to demonstrate the power of God. Satan tempted Jesus and lost, because Jesus relied on the Spirit and God’s Word. We have those very same weapons of spiritual warfare available to us. Part of being equipped for ministry is recognizing that temptation’s roles is to drive us to rely completely on God!
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