Pastor Rene's Bible studies
 

The Gospel of Luke-- Chap 4:5-8

The lust of the eyes and senses

The devil appeals to the lust of our flesh, causing us to complain and to distrust our Heavenly Father. 
This week, we'll look at the nature of Jesus' second temptation. 
  • The Son of God is the true heir of the world
  • Throughout the Gospel, you see Jesus' authority over evil spirit
  • The best answer to Was satan really the possessor of all the kingdoms? can be found in John 8:44
  •  There are 2 lies in the devil's offer:

    • 1. Power and glory was at his disposal 
    2. He could invest Christ with full possession of the world's glory. 
  • Some observations on the manner of this temptation
  • It was presented in a manner grateful: (I will give you) and pleasing: (their authority and splendor)
  • Notice that he presented the glory, not the burdens, the troubles, the cares, jalousy, envy, violence...(Beer and cigarettes advertisement)
  • He showed him a the tempting object before he maketh his demand: (All these things I will give you) 
  • It's the promise before the condition.He offered the benefit before he required the service.
  • (Watch out) The promise is for the future, but the requirement is now. He required a present act. You can see the fraud of the tempter. 
  • He promise us something he will not give - for a sin that we should commit now. 
  • What a contrast with Jesus' way who always present the cross first. (Matt 16:24)
  • He does not only use words, but the sight of the object itself because he knows that seeing the object moves the senses and senses draw away the mind.

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  • In a moment time: Temptations come quickly. They takes us by surprise. Suddenly under pressures, we do not have time to consider... the outcome, the price to paid...
  • At first sight, the devil's requirement only seemed as a little act of external adoration, easy to perform.He knows that if he can get us to compromise a little, he shall get us for more.
  • Observe the phrase "Again the devil took him". Not once but again and again, temptation will be presented to us under many disguises (forms). Be careful, it's often after many great achievements that many great men of God fell toward the end of their lives.
  • satan can make fair promises but cannot keep them. He fills the mind of those he ensnared with vain hopes. They end in shameful disappointment and find their ruin in which they sought their exaltation.
  • The world is the bait by which the devil would deceive us and steal us away from God.
  • He fills us with worries and with the cares of this world, and with the deceitfulness of wealth. This cannot never satisfy.
  • We are tempted by satan, encouraged to sin by the example of the world, but inclined to sin by our own flesh.
  • The world is an enemy of our salvation as well as the devil and our own flesh.
  • Where there is a lot of the world, there is a neglect of God and heaven:EXAMPLE:
  • Just as he used the world's glory to tempt Christ to idolatry, with the pleasures of the world, he tempted Demas to depart from the faith:

    • 2Tim 4:10 (NIV) for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me... 
  • He does it by his instruments just as Balak promised great rewards and honour to Balaam if he did for him what he requested of him. (Numners 22:17)
  • In what sense was it a temptation to Christ?
  • Jesus knew well the purpose of his mission, of his coming on earth as a man.
  • He knew he had to drink the cup of suffering Luke 12:50 (Look at his agony in Gethsemane only a few hours before he was to face his trial and death...) He was tempted through worldy success, politics and fame.
  • Here satan is suggesting to Jesus  to obtain the crown without enduring the cross. He could use compromise with the devil not to fulfill the mission God had assigned him: THE REDEMPTION OF MANKIND through his sufferings and death on the cross. God had laid upon him the chastisement of us all. 
  • Jesus did not lose his focus. He discerned the devil's intention to deduce him away from the only solution to the true problem of men, that is SIN.
  • Jesus' answer was inspired partly from Deuteronomy 6:13, "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only". 
  • Let's look at Deuteronomy 6:13, 5:9, and 1 Samuel 7:3 to better understand the principles Jesus is laying out before us. This is a very essential principle to understand and apply to our life if we are to serve God with our life in serve God in any ministry.
    • There are 2 words in Hebrew that are translated as worship:  
  • The 1st one pronounced "Shaw-Khaw" means to bow down, or to prostrate in hommage before a superior. See Deut 5:9
  • The 2nd one pronounced "Aw-bad" means serve, do work, to work (with levetical service), and worshippers. See Deut 5:9.

    • We learn that these two words are related both to our concept of God and to our service unto God. 
    Now let's look back at satan's offer for a compromise. Look at the sequence of Jesus' answer: 

    The term used by the devil in Greek is "Proskuneo". In the NT To kneel down or to prostrate,  in order to express obedience, respect or to make supplication. 
    What was the devil's wish? 
    How did Jesus answered?  
  • We need to fill our mind with God's principles of wisdom and discernment.
  • Through prayer and the word, we need to nourish our faith and we need to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to discern and to resist.
  • We need to grow in the knowledge of God so we will revere him (fear) and make Him the only and highest authority of our lives.
  • We need to Commit ourselves to love and obey him only.
  • We must fix our eyes on the reward.- Heaven.
  • We need to know the reality of the bitterness and desillusion that await of those who compromise (a little act easy to perform in order to obtain bright promises of success from the devil.
  • Ps 37:1-2

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