Read and Believe in Jesus.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1

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REVIEW – Last time, it seemed Jesus heard John’s announcement, ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,’ and knew it was the call for Him to begin the ministry for which He had been born. We saw Him leave Galilee and go down to the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

Late in the day, when most of the crowd had returned home, Jesus came to John to be baptized. John at first declined, but at Jesus’ words, he consented. Down Jesus went under the water and then up out of it. Immediately the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit, like a dove, descended on him – the power for ministry – and God spoke. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

It’s amazing how we saw the whole Trinity here at the beginning of Jesus’ great work of salvation. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, together in agreement.

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Matthew 4:1-3.

Up from the water and up from the Jordan, Jesus ascended. Still dripping wet, He began to walk, led (“driven,” Mark says) by the Spirit of God within him. Deep into the dry and barren wilderness, full of rocks and wild beasts, Jesus walked.

It was like Israel leaving Egypt, crossing the Red Sea and entering the barren desert. A time of testing for them. A time of testing for Jesus too.

Night came. Then day. Night, day, night, for forty days. Alone without shelter or food. And then a voice came. A whisper behind Him. Or in His mind. Malevolent and persistent. Questioning the very voice of His Father that came while He stood in the Jordan River.

“IF You ARE the Son of God … command these stones to become loaves of bread,” said the devil.

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Matthew 4:4

Jesus was the Son of God; there was no question. And perhaps that glorious voice from heaven echoed in His mind right then. “Beloved Son … well-pleased.”

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And when we are tempted to doubt our position as a child of God, we can “preach the Gospel to ourselves.” Keep those verses fresh in your mind!

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But Jesus was also hungry. He knew He had the power to do what the devil suggested. A year later, He would take five small rolls and divide them to feed 5000 men, plus women and children. Yes, Jesus was tempted to feed Himself, but He overcame by the word of God. He used that mighty two-edged sword that we also have access to, to defeat the enemy’s temptation. (See Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

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Matthew 4:5-7.

Then in His spirit or mind, the devil “took” Jesus to Jerusalem, the holy city, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.

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(NOTE: It was a long way up!! From the top to the bottom of the Kidron Valley, if He was facing eastward, there was a 450-foot drop, like a 45-story building. If He faced into the temple courtyard, there was still a 164-foot drop, or 15 stories.)

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Again, the devil tested Jesus’ confidence in who He was.

“IF you ARE the Son of God … throw yourself down from here, for it is written, (and now the devil quotes scripture too, but he twists it.)

“He will command His angels concerning you,” and “On their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike your foot against a stone.” See, Jesus, You won’t get hurt. Trust me. This will show Your power, and everyone will believe in You. No cross! No suffering!

The devil quoted Psalm 91:11 and 12, about TRUSTING God. But he – as the devil often does with us – twisted it to justify TESTING God.

Jesus responded with the severe warning from Deuteronomy 6:16. “It is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

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Matthew 4:8-10.

As he did with Adam and Eve, and as he does with us, the devil brought out his third temptation, common to all mankind. This time, he took Jesus in spirit, or in His mind, to a very high mountain.

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Perhaps this was Mount Hermon at the very northern tip of Israel, which is 9,000+ feet tall. Or perhaps it was Mt. Everest in Tibet (29,000+ feet tall. Wherever it was, the wily devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world – both then and (I believe) in the future.

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“All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship ME.”

Yes, the devil was the Prince of the Power of the Air over Earth. Perhaps this WAS a legit offer. But it was also deadly.

The devil was desperate to prevent Jesus from going to the cross, for he knew that would be the death toll for him, as God said in Genesis 3:15-16.

Jesus would accomplish salvation for all who believed. Jesus would return and rule on earth OVER ALL THESE KINGDOMS for 1,000 years, and then for eternity.

But IF the devil could persuade Him to take “the shortcut” to glory – no suffering, no cross, no humiliating death – then He could never claim ANY, let alone ALL, the kingdoms of the earth.

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But Jesus had had enough. “It is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and HIM only shall you serve.” Deuteronomy 6:13-14.

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Matthew 4:11.

I can imagine the devil growling to himself and walking away from the Son of God with his fists clenched. He had failed … but there would be another time. He had three years. Surely Jesus would fall before He got to the … cross.

And then, perhaps the devil looked back and then raged at what he glimpsed. “Angels came and were ministering to Jesus!” Grrrrr.