“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:13 NIV
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A familiar story in the New Testament of the Bible is the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Notably the devil offered up three temptations that are recorded in Scripture. It can be assumed that these were the only temptations the devil threw at Jesus but can we be sure. In our text today in Luke 4:2 it says, ‘where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.’ (niv) That language in all translations points to on-going temptations throughout the forty days. We are not told what the temptations were, but they were there. At the end of the forty days Scripture records that Jesus was hungry having fasted the entire time and Satan saw an opportune time to employ a few more temptations on Jesus.
The evil one tempts us at our weakness moments. Jesus was tempted in His weakest physical moment when wandering in the wilderness for forty days and not eating. At the completion of the forty days the first recorded temptation by Satan was “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” (Lk.4:3 niv) Certainly a weak moment for Jesus. His answer, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” (Lk.4:4 niv) Jesus resisted the temptation at His weakness moment. At the conclusion of the last two temptations Scripture tells us the devil left him until an opportune time.
Satan did not give up on Jesus but looked for another opportunity to tempt Him or trap Him through the schemes of the Pharisees. As Satan waited for an opportune time to tempt Jesus, he waits for just the right time to tempt us, usually in our weakest moment. We need to have our guard up at all times. The devil will not give up. He will wait for the weakest moment. Peter warns us “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1Pt.5:8 niv) Don’t give the devil an opportune time.
Simply put, the art of persuasion is to convince someone or a group of people to change their thinking. There have been books published, classes taught, and videos produced explaining the techniques available to enhance your ability to master the art of persuasion. Persuading others can have both positive and negative effects. People can be persuaded to do good or bad, even Christians.
Some of our best friends practice the art of persuasion. They may have the best of intentions in what they are trying to convince us to do or be part of, but it may not be the best thing, or worse contrary to Scripture. As Jesus says we are to ‘be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.’ (Mt.10:16) There has been a blending of the modern-day culture with the church and Christianity in general for the last few decades. Activities we would have never considered engaging in some time ago, we now accept and participate with a little persuasion.
Solomon says in the book of Proverbs, “My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!” (Pr.1:10 nlt) It may be difficult referring to our friends as sinners, but the Bible says all are sinners, and that includes you and me. (Ro.3:23) Christians need to pray for discernment when tempted to participation in something the Lord would disapprove of. An old anti-drug slogan simply said, ‘just say no.’ An anti-enticement slogan could be ‘it’s OK to turn your back on them.’
There are many resources to teach us the art of persuasion including the Word of God. The Holy Spirit guiding us through the Bible will teach us the art of knowing right from wrong, convicting us of our sin and our need of a savior showing us the way of salvation. Then we too can use the art of persuasion on our friends.
‘“The time promised by God has come at last!’ he announced. ‘The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!’” Mark 1:15 NLT
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The first week of our study in the book of Mark we were introduced to John the Baptist whose mission was to introduce us to the Messiah, Jesus, the Son of God. He encouraged those in his day to clear the road and ‘prepare the way for the LORD’s coming!’ This week we begin to follow Jesus as He began His ministry in 27 A.D. when he was 30 years old. “One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River.” (Mk.1:9 nlt)
The question is automatically asked, ‘Why did Jesus get baptized?’ It was His deliberate act of identification with us. Jesus identified with us in all ways as human, except for sin. He was sinless. Therefore, Jesus will bear our sins on the cross at Calvary. The triune God is on displayed in Jesus’ baptism proving His deity. The Father speaks from heaven, the Son is baptized, and the Holy Spirit appears as a dove anointing Jesus for His ministry. (Mk. 1:10-11) The symbol of a dove represents gentleness and purity, which describes Jesus, our meek and mild savior.
Very often when we have a high moment, a mountaintop experience, we’re brought down to reality. The sin of this world and the luring of Satan and his demons drags us down and tempts us. After Jesus had His high moment at His baptism, the Bible says the Spirit compelled (drove) Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. This was a divine action and necessary for us as Jesus suffered the same temptations we face every day. He knows what we go through and can help us in our time of temptation. “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Heb.2:18 esv)
Jesus’ ministry now begins after defeating Satan by not succumbing to any of the temptations he offered up. This was Jesus’ first step in overthrowing Satan. Jesus then went into Galilee, the northern most region in Palestine, and started preaching God’s Good News, the Good News of salvation. Jesus announced, “The time promised by God has come at last! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mk.1:15 nlt) Dr. John MacArthur notes, ‘It was time for decisive action on God’s part. An era of God dealing with men had come.’ (1) And Dr. Charles Ryrie comments, ‘The rule of Messiah on earth, promised in the OT and earnestly longed for by the Jewish people, was near, for the Messiah has now come.’ (2) John the Baptist preached a message of repentance, now Jesus adds to it by believing the Good News. The Messiah is here, and He will save you from your sins.
Jesus now calls His first disciples along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, a body of water 700 ft below sea level, 14 miles long and 6 miles wide. It was fed by the waters of the upper Jordan River. Jesus saw Simon and his brother Andrew working at their craft for they were fishermen. Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist. It is possible that Simon had been also, and they both went back to work fishing after John’s arrest. Jesus calls them to follow Him and be the first Evangelists, fishers of men. They immediately drop what they were doing, making the commitment to follow Jesus.
Further up the shoreline, Jesus and His first two recruits run into fellow fishermen James and John. Fishing was a main source of income for people in the Galilean region. James and John followed suit when Jesus called them to follow Him, leaving their father and co-workers in the boat.
Take note Jesus didn’t look for those to be His disciples from the religious elites, or those with references from well-respected Rabbis, and He didn’t recruit from intellectual scholars of the first century, but He chose ordinary people who fished for a living to carry out the greatest message the world has ever known. With these four and others who will come in time, including you and me, the gospel message will go forth, right up to our current day, for the promised time has come.
MacArther, John. The MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997. Pg. 1458
Ryrie, Charles. The Ryrie Study Bible. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2012. Pg. 1226
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 ESV
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The image of a baby boy in a manger is precious in our sight during the Christmas season. As Christmas Eve draws closer, the thought of that silent night fills our hearts and minds with great anticipation. The sounds of ‘Away in the Manger, ‘Silent Night,’ and ‘O Holy Night’ fill the air. Little thought is given to the image of the Christ child 33 years later suffering on the cross at Calvary. But that is why Christ came, and why He came as flesh and blood.
The writer of the book of Hebrews says that it was through Christ death on the cross that He destroyed Satan who has the power of death. Jesus conquered death by His resurrection three days later. He could only do that if He became like us and took on our physical nature of flesh and blood. Jesus not only conquered death, but He satisfied God’s required payment for our sins by His death. The apostle John tells us “He is the propitiation (appeasement or satisfaction) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1Jn.2:2 esv) “For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” (Heb.9:22b nlt)
A third reason why Christ came as flesh and blood is He can help us in our time of need when tempted. “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Heb.2:18 esv) It is hard for us to imagine how Jesus was tempted in the same way we are today, but Scripture records it. We need to take it by faith. Matthew records Satan tempted Jesus with ‘the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.’ (Mt.4:1-11) And Jesus withstood the temptations. By coming in the flesh and taking on our physical nature Jesus can sympathize with our struggles and is there to help us through the Holy Spirit.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb.4:15 esv)
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 NLT
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NLT
Dr. Erwin Lutzer in his book ‘The Church in Babylon’ wrote the following, “Maintaining mental and spiritual purity while surrounded by the temptations of technology thrusts us into a new level of satanic warfare…….Satan has marked technology as his territory. He says, ‘This is mine; here I rule.’” Living in the 21st century without the use of technology is, for all practical purposes, impossible. So what’s a Christian to do?
Centuries ago King Solomon gave us the answer in one of his many proverbs. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Pr. 4:23) But how is one to guard their heart when even the prophet Jeremiah said, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jer. 17:9) On our own we cannot accomplish this, but through Jesus Christ and His Spirit within us, all things are possible. All things have become new for the Christian, but we still have the sin nature. Our sin nature will continually try to draw us away from mental and spiritual purity if we let our guard down.
Keeping our guard up involves being aware of everything that is able to distract us by keeping us away from the things of God. Today’s technology in all its forms is most likely the biggest culprit with our smartphones at the top of the list. For most of us, myself included, our smartphones have become our hearts (determining the course of our life). How well do we guard our smartphones? Are we using them as the necessity of life in our modern times or are we allowing them to become a distraction to all that is important? Are we using them for God’s glory or our own pleasure? Are we aware of the tendencies of Satan prowling around the internet and social media looking to devour us?
May we continue to look to God thanking Him for the usefulness in the gains of technology to better our lives and promote the gospel, and may we continue to ask Him to help us guard our hearts by guarding our smartphones.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:13 KJV
Our Lord’s final example in praying is often misunderstood by many. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray ‘And lead us not into temptation,’ He was not referring to being tempted to sin by God. God does not tempt anyone to sin. The book of James says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” (Ja. 1:13) The word ‘temptation’ is better translated ‘a trying, or testing,’ and there are several examples of testing in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus Himself was tested (tempted) by Satan in the wilderness, Abraham was tested by God when told to offer his son as a sacrifice, and Job was severely tested when accused by Satan.
There are occasions when God will test us, or ‘put us to the test’ to test our faith in Him. There may be trials brought upon us by Satan permitted by God in order to prove and test our faith as in the case of Job and the apostle Paul. When we pray, ‘lead us not into temptation’ we are actually praying ‘don’t put us to the test, protect us from the test, and from Satan, the evil one.’ Our Lord does not lead us into any testing or trial in which He is not there and has not made a way of escape for us to bear it. Paul writing to the church in Corinth says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13)
Jesus teaches after praying not to be put to the test, we are to ask to be delivered from evil. This is not evil in general but from the evil one, Satan. Many versions of Scripture do reference it as the ‘evil one.’ We are to pray to be delivered from Satan’s schemes, his temptations, and his accusations against us.
It is important to note that not all temptations (testing), trials or troubles are evil in and of itself. It was noted Jesus Himself was tempted by Satan. Our Lord passed the test and is our example in our troubled times. Abraham and Job also passed the test and were blessed for it. But when Paul asked the Lord to remove the thorn in the flesh from Satan three times, the Lord did not, but said, ’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ And Paul responded ‘Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor. 12:9) Paul also passed the test and serves as an example for us to follow.
We are to pray that we be delivered from Satan’s evil temptations and not fall into sin. Jesus prayed for His disciples in His High Priestly prayer in John 17:15, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” A. W. Pink is quoted as saying, “To be kept from the evil of sin is a far greater mercy than deliverance from the trouble of temptation.” We may pray not to be put to the test, but the more concerning prayer is ‘deliver us from evil,’ Satan, the evil one.
2 Samuel 11:1 NASB — Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.
“Then it happened” Have you ever had a “then it happened” moment. Everything is going well. Health, finances, personal relationships, friends and family are having the best of times. In fact it couldn’t be better. Life is good, and “then it happened.” Something out of blue disrupts your life and those around you. It comes along unexpectedly when you least expect it and it happens. Some “then it happened” moments you have no control over, but there are some fortunately you do have control over. These controllable “then it happened” moments never need to see the light of day if you are where you are supposed to be, doing what you are to be doing, rather than being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
King David had a “then it happened” moment. The Lord had protected David from the hand of King Saul who was determined to kill him. After the death of Saul, David became King of Israel. The kingdom was securely in his hand. The Lord had continually blessed David, and then it happened. David was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although he was in the comforts of his own home, he was not where the King of Israel needed to be at that time. David was to be out with Israel’s army in the battlefield, but David sent Joab and his servants as he stayed home.
As the story unfolds, David was on the rooftop of his house late in the evening, perhaps he couldn’t sleep or he had nothing else to do and was bored. He noticed a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, bathing in the privacy of her own home from a distance. There’s an old saying, “idle minds are the devil’s workshop,” and here an idle king fell into the devil’s trap. Inquiring about the woman, David sent for her and the two had relations resulting in a pregnancy. If the story ended here it would be bad enough, but it gets much worse. Cover up and conspiracy leading to the murder of Bathsheba’s husband is the fallout from this sin of adultery. 2 Samuel 11:27 says, “…..But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.”
Temptation has been around since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Temptation was obviously around in David’s time, and you can be sure it is around today. How do you avoid temptation? One way is avoid any situation that could possibly lead you in the direction of temptation and sin. Along with that, remain faithful in your responsibilities to be where you are to be at any given time, and not in the wrong place at the wrong time.
As you go through life be obedient to God and His Word, following His lead, and you will never need to worry about having that “Then It Happened” moment.
Word for the Soul 