We have been going through the book of Revelation on Sunday and this past week we ended the message by comparing the antichrist and Jesus Christ. The enemy is going to do all that he can to thwart God’s plan and get a foothold in our lives as believers. If he is going to tempt Jesus, then he will definitely try to tempt each one of us and try to throw us off course.
In Matthew 4:1-10 we find the temptation of Jesus. First, we will note that it looks like it was God’s idea for his Son to be tempted. It says, “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” Matthew 4:1. This reminds us that God was not on the defense but on the offense. He was reminding the devil that His Son was more powerful because of the foundation of his heart and life. Jesus was the “second man” or “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47). We read about the first Adam in the garden found in Genesis 3. He gave in to Satan after his temptation and the end result was expulsion from the garden. It not only impacted him, but it included mankind. We were sentenced to a “wilderness” with no spiritual nourishment or relationship with God. The last Adam, Jesus Christ, went into the wilderness to defeat Satan in order to escort us back into the garden. The devil has been watching Jesus go without food, so he naturally begins to test Jesus with bread. As we see, he is no match for Jesus. It is interesting that the living Word used the written Word to deal with the enemy of the Word. That gives us a good tactic in resisting the tempter and being victorious on the other side. The fact that we are being tempted should not discourage you. Having the Word at our fingertips should encourage you to saturate. Tonight, we begin our Midweek Boost Sessions. There are many to choose from. I hope you come and be intentional at preparing for your next opportunity to put the devil in his place. Whether you are new to our church, have been here forever, are young or old – there is a place for you tonight from 6:45pm – 8:00pm. May the Lord help you to do whatever it takes to be victorious this week. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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