But you will survive. Because he doesn’t do it. Your arms and knees will feel weak. That makes it so wonderful. On the one hand, I have experienced the power and the outpouring of the Spirit; yet on the other, I have experienced the power and the presence of the Enemy who is quite capable of oppressing you physically. 8. Hire your own architect to design it, and I will build it for you.”. The parallel verse, Matthew 4:8, says that the Devil took Jesus to a “very high mountain,” giving him a mountaintop experience. Before we examine the second principle of temptation, let us first grasp Satan’s fundamental approach. Then I will slip away, for once the kingdoms have been handed over to you, they are no longer mine.”. I know people with doctorates who are preaching in near-empty churches. In that case, you will go for a Ph.D., right? That’s meaningless. Matthew 4:1 gives us the answer: “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Of all the things that our Lord could have done after His baptism, He undertook a grueling temptation by Satan in the wilderness. That is still possible. What does it mean to feed on God’s Word? Seek the power of the Spirit. Lampe of Cambridge, who draws a deep connection between baptism and the Holy Spirit in The Seal of the Spirit: A Study in the Doctrine of Baptism (1951). I will buy you a church building free of charge!” I was suspicious of her soft approach, so I said, “What strings are attached?”, “None whatsoever! God allowed it to happen to him in order to give us an example to follow, since we too are the children of God. We will examine Luke 4:1-4 also from the angle of Jesus’ suffering which in 1 Peter 2:21 is depicted as being deeply relevant to our lives: “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” These are spiritual principles that we, and those who have just been baptized, can apply to our daily lives. Baptism and Freedom: Let My People Go! Note the words, “Satan took Jesus up.” Do you want an uplifting experience? You would grasp this if you had understood my previous point, that Satan tempts you through your flesh. I would like to pick up from where we left off last week on the topic of baptism and the Holy Spirit. That is what I call the man-centered religion of Satan. Our Lord’s baptism and temptation have many practical implications and applications to Christians today. His victory in the midst of His temptations is … After I graduated, I said to myself, “I don’t know what God wants me to do. To be sure, it is common sense. ), “No? This is the second point to keep in mind, that after baptism comes temptation. What is the difference between you and me? You are ready for him because you are trained to anticipate his moves. New Testament scholarship is well aware of the vital connection of baptism and the Spirit as for example in the final volume of Dictionary of New Testament Theology (ed. I only want to explain what the word of God says. If you ever hear someone say, “God takes care of those who take care of themselves,” you can tell him that this comes straight from Satan. Did He even say it? This woman had lots of resources, lots of money, lots of houses. All along I have had authority over all the kingdoms of the world. Last week I pointed out that the temptation took place right after Jesus’ baptism, indeed right after his being anointed with the Spirit. I was preaching the gospel because I had been invited to. Have you ever seen a million people march? 1:9) near Bethabara, east of the Jordan (Jn. I am not saying that the person who is not preaching the gospel is materialistic. There are many reasons for this, but above all that you may be strengthened and learn obedience through suffering. This statement has brainwashed and indoctrinated us. But God said “No,” so I submitted to His will. It was not because of any personal need that Jesus went through the temptation. I must be the fool here!” Then they will say to me, “It is because you are dedicated to God.” But why can’t they be dedicated? I say to you who have been baptized: God might lead you to do a Master’s or a doctorate, or He might not. I don’t want to lose you! But when it is over and they go back home, they start wondering, “What was that all about?”. When she approached me, she thought she could crush me by sheer force, only to find herself getting crushed. Fasting is not something that is understood in the weak, woolly, and undisciplined church today. What is one house out of a dozen? The undisciplined flesh is Satan’s surest weapon to knock out the Christian. God protects His people, but not by way of sheltering them from exposure to temptation and difficulties. I could have said to myself, “What am I doing here? The Lord here stresses the importance of water: we cannot enter the kingdom unless we are born of water and the Spirit. This is the kind of assurance that you need in a competitive world. You are not just a body but also a spirit. I said to myself, “Why can’t I be a university lecturer and serve God at the same time? It meant nothing to me. Then I will hand everything over to you. Hence it is fitting for us to study the temptation of Jesus in today’s message, for it was right after he had been baptized that he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Satan then counterquotes Scripture with the exact same words, “It is written” (v.10), this time quoting from Psalm 91:11-12, and accurately at that. St. Augustine wrote in On The Trinity, that Christ endured the temptation “that He might be our Mediator in overcoming temptation, not only by helping us, but also by giving us an example.” If it never happened, Christ could not be an example. What was Christ’s first act? So be realistic. I receive all kinds of Christian journals and magazines, and I recently received one which says, “Pastor Required”. I anticipated this new life to be easy, never realizing it was actually the beginning of a battle to walk faithfully with the Lord. The words could be better translated, “Since you are the Son of God,” a rendering that brings out the basis of Satan’s proposal to Jesus. Whether the answer is “yes” or “no” depends on your relationship with God. God officially announced that … Is a degree worldly? So what exactly do you learn in judo or boxing academies? It is wonderful to be born spiritually, but if you are going to survive spiritually, you will have to feed on God’s Word: “Like newborn babies, long for the pure spiritual milk” (1Peter 2:2), which is the Word of God. We then asked, When does one receive the Holy Spirit in the specific sense of an anointing, a seal, and a pledge? And after the conference, our small church back in London exploded in numbers! Satan goes on to say to Jesus, “Command this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3). You don’t live spiritually unless you live by God’s Word. In China I used to carry a flag for our secondary school in a marching band. Today we continue our study of the temptation of Jesus, going deeper into its meaning. Jesus' third trial: testing God. You can also jog, cycle, or do light weightlifting to discipline your body, to get your body under control. But it is the common sense of the natural man who reasons as follows: If you look after yourself, God will look after you. Montreal, April 1, 1979. After all, I did agree to leave the old life behind and die to old sinful ways. Jesus speaks of him as “the ruler of this world” or “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). If you want the kingdoms of the world, I will give them to you. In the wilderness, our Lord’s fitness for such a mission is tested. It is clear from Scripture that you need both baptisms to enter the kingdom of God. Learn to bring your flesh under control. To excel in boxing, how important is it to get some training? Read the Bible every day. In His care for you, God may allow you to get your arms twisted a bit in order to be trained in spiritual warfare, but He won’t let you get destroyed. To use Paul’s concept, if you are to run the spiritual race as an athlete, you must discipline your body as an athlete (1Cor.9:24-27). Note “legitimate”. That is most frightening! Maybe I can do a doctorate.” I applied to Switzerland for doctoral studies and was accepted. On one of the prayer days, the presence of the Enemy—Satan—was so thick in the building that we felt physically suffocated! So in this respect, you are better than I. The history of our Lord's temptation ought never to be contemplated apart from that of His baptism. The phrase “in a moment of time” (v.5) is to be understood as “in one flash” or “in a vision”. Feeding on God’s Word means applying it, not just reading it. The greatest task ever to be accomplished in this world lay before him, and he needed divine strength. If you don’t follow God’s way, but allow your personal, material, worldly, and fleshly desires to get the better of you, you will fall for Satan’s temptations. God may have His own reasons for you to have this particular academic qualification. Scholars are well aware of the church, but above all that you start with forty days and nights preparing... The minority why is the second principle of temptation by Satan in the world and invests in. 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