“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” [1]
“Jesus endured temptation both so that He could identify with us, and to demonstrate His own holy, sinless character.” [2]
“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” [3]
“It isn’t that Jesus refused supernatural help in feeding Himself; He was more than happy to eat what the angels brought Him when the time of testing was over. It wasn’t a matter of refusing supernatural help; it was a matter of submitting to His Father’s timing and will in all things.” [4]
“Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down...’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” [5]
“Satan tempted Jesus to ‘force’ the Father into a supernatural event. Satan appealed to the desire within every man to sense approval from God and to have that approval publicly demonstrated.” “This warns us against demanding something spectacular from God to prove His love or concern for us. He has already given the ultimate demonstration of His love for us at the cross, and He can do nothing more “spectacular” than that.” [6]
“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.” [7]
Many kingdoms are under the devil’s power because they are deceived. Some worship false gods invented by the devil. Some have been influenced by the devil to become addicts of sinful pleasures: sex, drugs, alcohol, ego, etc. Those who oppose faith alone in God are many. They come against the man or woman, boy or girl who follows Christ. The devil tempted Jesus to join his gang. Why not enjoy the social welfare of the devil instead of the pain of social conflict that comes with following Christ?
“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” [8]
Jesus calls those caught in the devil’s web of lies and fearmongering to repent. Repent of the sinful pleasures that the devil’s has you addicted to. Repent of the unbelief in Christ that he’s feeding you. God’s kingdom is at hand. The time to get right with God is now. When Christ returns, it will be too late. You will be excluded from His everlasting kingdom of glory unless you repent and surrender your life to Christ! Surrender to Christ as your Lord and King. He will save you from this evil world and bring you into His everlasting kingdom where righteousness, peace, and joy reign.
[1] Matthew 4:1
[2] Enduring Word Commentary with references to Hebrews 2:18; 4:15
[3] Matthew 4:3-4
[4] Enduring Word Commentary with reference to Matthew 4:11
[5] Matthew 4:5-7
[6] Enduring Word Commentary with reference to Romans 5:8
[7] Matthew 4:8-11
[8] Matthew 4:17
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