Day 3
Matthew 4:1-11
Today we are going to move from Genesis to Matthew. Yesterday in our highlighted passage from Genesis we saw that through Adam and Eve’s direct disobedience to God sin entered the world. But we, also, saw that God had a plan to redeem and restore the brokenness of the both the world and humanity. Which is where everything that we have read in Matthew’s gospel so far comes in to play. Up to this point in Matthew’s gospel we have seen that Jesus is a direct descendent of King David and that he was born of a woman. And now today we come to the most important part of Matthew’s gospel, up to this point. Today we see the temptation of Jesus. But why is Satan’s temptation of Jesus so important? If you remember from yesterday we saw that sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s temptation and their inability to overcome that temptation. But today we see the beginning of God’s promised plan to bring about the redemption of mankind and the sinful world that we live in. But again the question is still why is this so important?
In Matthew 4:1-11 we see that Satan tempted Jesus in an attempt to draw him away from the path of perfect obedience to God’s will (his plan, desires, purposes and ways). Which is exactly what Satan succeed in doing to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We, also, see that all of Satan’s efforts appealed to the human desire to satisfy or lift up self, and that in each temptation, Jesus, relied on and submitted himself to the authority of God’s written Word rather than yielding to the suggestions of Satan. Since all believers are tempted in the same way, there is much we can learn from the temptation of Christ:
(1) Satan is our greatest enemy. Therefore, we must constantly be aware that we are engaged in spiritual warfare with unseen but very real powers of evil. And these powers want to change the course of God’s plan, destroy lives and make sure that we remain in spiritual darkness and are condemned for eternity.
(2) Without the Holy Spirit and the proper use of God’s Word, we cannot consistently overcome sin and temptation. However, there are things we can do to help us learn how to use God’s Word in overcoming temptation: Realize that through the Word you have the power to resist any appeal Satan can make. Get the word of God into your heart and make it active in your live by constantly meditating (reading and pondering over and over what it means and how it can apply to specific situations in your life). Fill your mind with God’s Word by memorizing as much of it is as possible. Quote memorized passages to yourself and to God the instant you are tempted. Recognize and respond to the Holy Spirit as he inspires you to obey God’s Word. And pray for God’s help and understanding.
Now let’s go back to Genesis 3 for just a few minutes and image what might have happened if Adam and Eve had taken the time to really think about the lies that Satan was telling them. And you should be able to see that in the difference between the “first Adam” we read about yesterday and the “second Adam” we see today. And we need to hold on that difference for a little while until we get to Romans, which we will explore this idea of a “first Adam” and a “second Adam:” in even more detail.
Tomorrows Bible Reading
Genesis 8-10, Matthew 4:12-25, Psalm 4:1-8 and Proverbs 1:20-23