SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/14/2020
10:06 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “The
Triumph”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew 4:11
Message of the
verse: “11
Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister
to Him.”
In our last SD on this verse we
pretty much covered what Matthew wrote in it, but I mentioned that I wanted to
quote from John MacArthur had to say about how we as believers can contend with
those temptations that Satan throws at us.
And we begin by looking at 1 John 2:16 as the three temptations that
Satan threw up against Jesus are seen in this verse: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh
and the lust of the eyes
and the boastful pride of
life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
MacArthur writes “The temptation for
Jesus to turn stones into bread was to fulfill ‘the lust of the flesh’ by using
His divine powers for selfish means. The
temptation to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the Temple was to fulfill ‘the
lust of the eyes’ by showing off to the world and seeking fame through
sensationalism. The temptation to grab
immediate control of the kingdoms of the world was to satisfy the ‘boastful
pride of life’ by yielding to Satan’s power and will.
“The story is told of a man who was
trying to teach his dog obedience. He
would take a large piece of meat and put it in the middle of the floor. Each time the dog attempted to take the meat
the man would swat the dog and say, ‘No.’
Soon the dog began to associate the swatting with the word no and learned to stop simply when the
word was said. When meat was placed on
the floor the dog would not look at it but rather at his master, waiting for
his word of approval or denial.
“That is essentially the message God
teaches in this passage: ‘When
temptation comes, don’t look at the temptation but at Jesus Christ. Keep your eyes on His example and do what He
did. Look at the ways He was tempted and
at the way He resisted, and learn from Him.’
The writer of Hebrews, perhaps with Jesus’ wilderness temptations
particularly in mind, tells, ‘For we do not have a high priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as
we are, yet without sin’ (Heb. 4:15). Even
more encouraging is the earlier declaration:
‘For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is
able to come to the aid of those who are tempted’ (Heb. 2:18).
“Jesus has been there before us; He
has met the worst Satan can give and has been victorious. More than that, He is eager to share that
victory with His own people when they are tempted. ‘No temptation has overtaken you but such as
is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of
escape also, that you may be able to endure it’ (1 Cor. 10:13).
“We can have victory over
temptations only by resisting in the way that Jesus resisted—by holding with
complete obedience to God and His Word.
Jesus endured temptation to the very limit of Satan’s power, and He
resisted to that very limit. He did not
in the least degree allow temptation to develop into desire, much less into sin
(cf. James 1:13-15). He did not think
the matter over or give it any consideration.
He simply stood firmly in His Father’s will and said no!
“We find help against temptation,
just as we find help for everything else in the Christian life, by ‘fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith’ (Heb. 12:2). A hurdler soon learns that if he looks at the
hurdles as he runs, he will trip and fall.
From start to finish he looks only at the goal, and when he does that
the hurdles are cleared in stride as each one is encountered. Keeping our eyes on our Lord Jesus Christ is
our only hope of conquering temptation and faithfully running ‘with endurance
the race that is set before us’ (Heb. 12:1).”
I
have listened or read many different times about how when we are tempted in a
certain way that we are to quote the verse that goes against that particular
temptation, and I suppose that is a good idea, but if we are like the dog in
the story and keep our eyes on our Master then we will be able to resist the
temptations, and if not we will end up like what James writes “13 Let no one
say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot
be tempted by evil, and He
Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have learned things in this quotation from
MacArthur’s commentary that will help me to better deal with temptations, and
it is my desire to, by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, to put these
things in action so that my life will bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Deal with temptation like Jesus dealt with it. To remember how much God loves me, to
continue to learn humility, and to have joy as I study His Word.
2/14/2020 10:38 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment