Tag: Luke 4
“It is written”
Scripture reading for March 7: Luke 4
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, He was hungry. The devil said to him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.'” Luke 4:1-4
Immediately after Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended on Him and God confirmed His Sonship and pleasure. The Holy Spirit then led Jesus into the wilderness for a forty day period of testing. These forty days mirrored the forty years of Israel’s testing in that same wilderness and the forty days of taunting by Goliath. During these forty days of isolation in the Judean wilderness, Jesus ate no food. He voluntarily fasted and purposely drew near to His Father and meditated on His Word. The power and comfort of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual manna of God’s Word provided all that was needed for Jesus to maintain strength and health.
It is recorded that after the forty days, Jesus was hungry. At this point, the devil called out to Him with a taunt: “If You are the Son of God . . .”. The devil was tempting Jesus to use His position and supernatural power to meet His need in contradiction to God’s Word: “Man shall not live by bread alone.” (“but by every Word that comes from God’s mouth.” Deuteronomy 8:3) Jesus chose to live by God’s Word and refuse the devil’s suggestion. Unlike the Israelites, Jesus did not succumb to Satan’s temptation. Unlike the Israelites who cowered for forty days because of Goliath’s taunts, Jesus stood on God’s Truth. Jesus’ world view put God first and not His own needs or desires. His fasting and focus brought God’s Word out of His mouth.
Have you or are you currently going through a time of testing? Are you currently filled with the Holy Spirit or just depending on your own strength? What priority does God’s Word have in your handling of this testing? How does this passage give you tools to help you overcome all temptations and fear?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for testing our faith and trust in You and Your Word. Thank You for the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Father’s Gift, to empower each person to draw near to God and meditate on His Word. Bring overcoming power to each one going through testing that they may declare: “It is written!” Amen!
The necessity of preaching!
Scripture reading for March 9th: Luke 4
Key scriptures for over-comers: Luke 4:42-43 “At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for Him and when they came to where He was, they tried to keep Him from leaving them. But He said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.“”
Jesus based all His ministry on prayer. He often withdrew from the crowd and His own disciples to seek the Father’s will and direction. People were motivated by His ministry to seek Jesus out. They tried to keep Him with them and begged Him to stay with them longer.
But Jesus had a good grasp on the mission given Him by the Father. He must seek out and save lost people and give all a chance to see and hear about the kingdom of God and the good news of repentance and forgiveness of sins. (Luke 19:10) He did not let crowd pressure determine His agenda, but followed the Father’s plan to reach out to all men. He set an example for all His followers and for us today! God chose the foolishness of preaching to save those who would believe! (1st Corinthians 1:21)
Observations for over-comers: We must be careful of crowd pressure and the desire to please men. Prayer and obedience to God’s call to preach the good news must always take precedence! “”. . .but let the one who has My word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. “Is not My word like a fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:28-29)
“If You are the Son of God,”
Scripture reading for March 9th: Luke 4
“Now 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. The devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live on bread alone.'” (Luke 4:1-4) Jesus had heard the Father declare that He was His Son, whom He loved. (Luke 3:22) Now His faith in His Father was tested by the Spirit leading Him. Forty days without food brought an extreme hunger and the devil tried to entice Jesus to use His power for personal fulfillment. Jesus turned to God’s Word (Deuteronomy 8:3) and blocked this temptation!
Next, the devil took Jesus to a high place and offered Him all the kingdoms of this world if He would worship him. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:13, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” The devil is a liar and usurper of God’s rightful place and has offered material gain and power to Adam and his descendants. Jesus refused his offer as we must as well!
The last temptation of Jesus during this forty days involved jumping off the temple and saving Himself. The devil wanted Jesus to do something spectacular that would use His power to impress people. Jesus would have none of it, and quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Jesus was the Son of God and lived by God’s Word here on earth. He perfectly obeyed the Father and followed the Spirit in doing God’s will. With the Holy Spirit, we can boldly live by God’s word!