Daily Devotions
April 25th, 2012 by Pastor SolleyMatt 4:1-10
4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
We have been looking at the temptation of Christ in our Wednesday prayer service for a few weeks now. This evening we are going to focus in how Jesus withstood the temptations of Satan. Jesus as God could have responded to Satan in several ways. Jesus could have simply sent Satan away. After all the winds, the seas, the demons and yes Satan as well are all subject unto Him. Jesus could have vanished and appeared someplace else, He is God. Jesus could have called upon the angels to surround and protect Him. Jesus could have banished Satan forever to hell. Jesus could have responded to the temptation of Satan in several ways. But what Jesus did was to answer with the Word of God. Jesus had been in uninterrupted communion with the Father for forty days, had been in prayer and meditation on spiritual things. When the tempter came Jesus then answered him with the Word of God. Jesus answered Satan with the very same weapons we can use in our spiritual battle with him today. With the Word, with prayer and communion with the Father. The spiritual fight we are in is a fierce one. A war in which many fall to Satan. But it is also a battle each child of God can win if we follow the example of Christ. We don’t need to plead the angels, run for cover, cry out in despair. All we need is to proclaim and follow the Word of God. Be in prayer and communion with the Father through the Son each day. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, (Verse 1 of our text.) and obey as well as answer with the Word of God.