2-12-2022 Seventh Day BAPTIST Edgewater FL Pastor Keith “TEMPTATION’ Matthew 4;1-11

[MizKJVOnly]

2-12-2022 Seventh Day BAPTIST Edgewater FL Pastor Keith “TEMPTATION’ Matthew 4;1-11

 

The devil is like a fisherman with his tackle box. He has different types of lures and baits to catch different types of fish because not all baits work on all fish. The common thing about all the fisherman’s lures and baits is that they all have a hook to catch the fish. This is the same with the devil and his different lures, baits and temptations. They all have a hook to catch us by temptation into sin.

Temptation is a risky business and its part of life. It is seeing something we really want and should not have. Jesus went to the wilderness to fast after His baptism. The devil wasted no time in coming to Jesus with the temptations. It’s always the same for us too. When we come from church or a religious event, the devil comes at us with the temptation. God had a purpose for allowing the temptation of Jesus. God wanted to prove Jesus’s faithfulness. Jesus faced temptations to prove that He could not sin. If we want to follow someone then we will want to know that this person can stand the test.

Jesus’s first temptation was about making the stone bread and feeding the flesh. Jesus was fasting at this time. Jesus quoted scripture to fight the devil by saying that man cannot live by bread alone but can live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Jesus’s second temptation was for Jesus to jump off the roof of the temple because God would protect Him. The devil, Satan used part of the Psalm 91 scripture to tempt Jesus to jump. Some people use scripture taken out of context to tempt us too. Jesus quoted scripture again to fight the devil and said we are not to test God. We cannot test God by making stupid decisions and then say “oh well God will take care of me”.

The third temptation is when the devil offered Jesus power over all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship the devil. Jesus had come to be King anyway but the devil was offering it without the Cross. The devil, Satan tempts us in the same way and the price is too high because we lose our own souls. Jesus quoted scripture to fight the devil and said we are to serve God only and for the devil to get out of His face. The devil left Jesus alone for a while.

Jesus Christ can relate to us because He fought temptations just like we do. What can we do to stop temptations? Stay out of the places of temptations. Keep away from activities, people and things that will lead us back to sin.  Avoid the people, the places and the things. Don’t believe the devil’s, Satan’s two major lies: Doing it once won’t hurt us. And once we sin that we have ruined our life and God won’t forgive us.

How to fight temptations?

1.     Do what Jesus did. Fight temptations with the Word of God.

2.     Have someone you can share your struggles, sins and burdens with. This will help you stay on track

Following Jesus is a team sport. Going to Bible study to study the Word of God together is good. Thank God for the Word, the truth and that we can look to God for help.

 

AMEN

[Prycejosh1987]

Temptation is always going to be there, we all came from old lives where we enjoyed fleshly desires. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.