Resist Temptation

"Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' " (Matthew 4:10)

Lord Jesus in His extreme anger looked at Satan and replied him the above-mentioned scripture. If you see the scenario how Jesus was tempted by Satan, (1) he took Him to a very high mountain, (2) he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, (3) he showed Him the splendor, the glory, the wealth, the pomp, of the kingdoms, he made their glories to move before His eyes, and said (4) "All this I will give you."

Today we work hard, struggle a lot, shed our sweat as blood, strive for longer hours, why?—just to gain something in this mere world: some glory, some honor, some fame, some name, some wealth, etc. All this was offered to Jesus, but on one condition. What is that—"if you will bow down and worship me". Its a similar scenario where we too are offered all such so-called glorious prizes, but on the same one condition. Where are we heading towards? Whose words are we listening to? How are we reacting to such situations? Now, the temptation is clear. The offers are clear. The condition is also clear. But let us know look into Jesus' reply. Before answering Satan's statement, He condemned him as "Away from me, Satan!"

Discerning the Words

First, Satan in the former two temptations, tried to win Jesus with the word of God, the works of God, the attributes of God. But in his last attempt, he tried Jesus in his own deceiving words—the words that are not from the word of God. Secondly, Satan showed the riches of the world, the glories of the world, the fame of the world, the wealth of the world to Jesus when he saw Him in an abandoned state—forty days and nights of fasting, hunger and thirst, and wilderness. Finally, he wants Jesus to fall down and worship him.

Jesus discerned that the words that came from the mouth of Satan are not from the Word of God, rather they are his own mere faltery words, deceiving words. We at times forget to discern the author and source of the words we hear. But God wants us to be careful, wants our eyes and ears to be open always to temptations, to the words we hear. In addition, many a times we would have been in a state of complete wipe out, discouraged, left alone, badly wanting for some help, need some upliftment. But we have to be careful enough to things what we have been offered. The things we have been offered may be the ones we longed for a long time; those may be the ones of our expectations; our desires; our goals. But even at such times, let us have the strength to discern from whom we have been offered and in what notion.

Once Jesus discerned the words of Satan, He condemned Him. Why? He could not tolerate the words "if you will bow down and worship me", which are not the Words of God. The scene before His eyes was clear, catchy, and glorious—but how did He reacted? He immediately condemned Satan—why? It is abominable. He could not accept the very word to bow down and worship him. Why? It is just an indignation, it reflects on the honour of God the Father, to whom alone our worship is to be. The first commandment God gave to His people is "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve". Why He is the only one to be worshipped? We can give thousands of reasons why He alone is worthy of such honour. Let us see few alone so as to build our faith in Him:

• He is the God in the highest. He is the Creator, who created us in His own image and likeness, breathed His own breath and gave us life. He is the one and true God.
• He is a great and marvelous God. In order to save the people created in His own image, He sent His only begotten Son . He gave His Son as a living sacrifice to redeem us from the bondages of sin.
• He is the God soon going to come to take us to be with Him for ever and ever in eternity.
• Our very existence is to worship Him with all our hearts, soul, and mind.

Dear friends, let us not be afraid of the situations we face. Let us resist the temptations with the Word of God as Jesus did, and make Satan or the situations flee away from us when it demands something from us which is not from the Word of God. Speak out against the situation boldly with the Word of God. God reminds us that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our capacity. So let us arm ourselves with Whe word of God and resist evil. May His grace be with us!

No to Test! Yes to Taste!!

"It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test'."

(Matthew 4:7)

This is the verse Lord Jesus Christ uttered when He was taken to the holy city and was made to stand on the highest point of the temple of God by Satan. If we read the question put by Satan for which this was Jesus' reply, we can understand that Jesus neither bothered to answer Satan's question. Instead He stopped Satan to proceed further. Satan has asked Him to do or act as stated in the Word of God ("throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone'." -- v. 6). But Jesus neither he did and proved that He is the Son of God nor he replied to that particular question. Instead He replied back saying "Do not put the Lord your God to the test".

We are being questioned by many people and we also give answers to them, some appropriate and some other out of context, some accepted and some other defended. But still questions and answers are there in our day-to-day life. Here we have to know why Jesus gave Satan an altogether-different reply. Before going through that, let all of us to understand that at times we too may face such a situation where we may be asked to prove the power of God in our life. There may be circumstances where not only in our spiritual, but also in our worldly, life we may be posed with various questions. And can we take a moment to thing few questions and the replies we have made.

If we look into this context, Satan took Jesus into the holy city, and made Him to stand in the highest point. Here we have to understand that we too may be made to stand in the highest point in our life and questioned to prove. The place we stand may be the highest – but still we have to be steadfast. Replying to the questions being posed is a must, but what reply are we going to make?

Why Jesus made such a statement?

The words Satan quoted Jesus is from the Word of God, which Jesus also knows that. This is not the only promise made by our God, there are thousands and thousands of promises made to His children – and there are numerous examples that are standing as living testmonies proclaiming the power of God. Jesus too knows them and Himself is the Son of God. He very well knows that His Father who has promised is true and faithful. He too very well knows how He leads His people through promises and grace. Satan also knows that God the Father who is the only One who can save His people created in His own image is much more careful enough to save His only begotten Son who was sent to this very earth for salvation. But Satan wants to know what would be Jesus' notion to this question.

Here Jesus has been questioned to prove two things: (1) He is the Son of God and (2) the Word of God is true and God is faithful to all His promises made. Jesus would have verily done and proved these questions. But He did not. Why? What do His reply meant?

Jesus knows for sure that God the Father is the one who sent Him to the earth as a Savior. He was made to sit on the right-side of the Throne. He is the only begotten Son whom God the Father loved the most. He was with His Father when He guided His people, when He sheltered His people, when He protected His people, when He blessed His people, when He guarded His people. Jesus who knows all the ways of His Father also knows that it is not necessary to prove by actions that He is faithful in His promises. However, He knows that in real-life situations, God the Father who is filled with mercy and grace is good enough to guard us, to protect us, etc. It is not necessary for Jesus to act, make His Father to safe guard Him and to proclaim that He is faithful in keeping the promises made.

Dear beloved people of God, let us think about our thoughts when we are in such a situation, when we are being posed with a number of questions about the power of God in our life, about God's promises, about His strength; not necessarily when our life seems to be a failure. How we react to them. At times, we ourselves may feel that why nothing happened in our life though many have  been promised to us. In times of pain and sufferings, in times of temptations, we may be thrown to a situation where only a miracle will increase our faith in God. How we react in those times? Are we expecting Him to do something miraculously so as to increase our faith or to prove Himself as the only God to us and to our people? We may also been posed with questions such as "why your situations are unchanged, yet telling that you worship a true and living God?" and wonder why our God's promises are not fulfilling?

Just take a moment and understand that it is not necessary for our God to do something miraculously in our life in order to prove that He is the only God. He is able to do every thing – doing something miraculously will not help increase our faith. Take the example of Peter: He posed a question to Jesus to walk in water and he did. But was his faith got increased? No! 

So let us just wait on the Lord. Have faith on His promises. let us not ask God to prove Himself in our life, not ask God to be faithful in His promises. He is the one who promised us. He is the one who called us. He is the one who is our dear Father. He will  guide us. So let us cheer up. His grace will sustain us. He will give us the necessary grace to handle our situations. Instead let us not ask God to do miraculous signs and wonders in your life to prove Himself. He is good all the time!

So please let us not test and see God, rather taste and see that He is good. Amen!

Our Provider!

"It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

(Matthew 4:4)

This is a verse Lord Jesus uttered making a comparison between two entities: bread and the Word of God. Just having a look at the background of the scene where He told this, Jesus so as to fulfill all righteousness underwent baptism with water, saw a heavenly scene where the heavens opened, saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, lighting upon Him, heard the voice of God. Immediately after being in the beautiful presence of God, He was into a path of wilderness, fasting, and hunger. When He overcame them, we see that Angels came and ministered to Him. As a children of the living God, made in His own image, we can be assured that He prepares a table for us even in the wilderness, He is a God who provides us with manna, He is a God who satisfies us with goodness. All these Jesus knows very well -- the way God lead His people in the wilderness, the way he fed Elijah through ravens, etc. And Jesus also knows that His Father God is good enough to provide Him food even in the wilderness. He also knows that His God feeds even the birds of the air. So Jesus wants to say that let our daily bread be not a point to ponder in our life. He also knows He has to cross the path of wilderness.

Then how does the Word of God be compared to the bread?

Lord Jesus in order to give a steadfast reply to Satan, quotes the Word of God given to His people in the wilderness (see Deut 8:3). Why our God has said that man will live by the every word that comes from the mouth of God? If you see v. 1 in the same chapter (Deut 8:1), God clearly commands His people to do all His commandments so that they will live, multiply, enter and possess the promised land. God has placed us in this world with a purpose – this we all know. And once it has been accomplished, He will take us to the land He has promised us. So Jesus wants to re-emphasize the Word of God that it is not only by bread alone but also by the Word of God which will make us to live a righteous life, a life pleasing to Him, to accomplish the purpose for which we have been planted, to do His very will; to be fruitful and multiply in all our endeavors, in all the things we do, in every thing God wants to see us – multiplying, expanding, increasing; to sum up, to be fruitful. The very living of ours before our God by His Word will help us to enter into the promised land, to eternity, to be with our Creator, to be with our Sovereign Lord, to be with our Savior, and to possess it as ours because the one who owns is our Father, our God, He has given us the privilege to call Him as "Abba, Father!" So as His heirs we have the privilege to possess the Land for ours.

Dear beloved people of God, when we see one another interesting but contrasting event happened in Peter's life, he too as like Jesus had an experience, a wonderful revelation, in the Mount of Transfiguration, where he saw Jesus transfigured, Moses and Elijah descended, His face shone like the sun, His clothes became white as light. It was really a beautiful experience. But when comes to the purpose of God, Peter failed to accept the will of God through the Word of God, rather he tried to be an obstacle because of his mortal thinking. Instead, he should have followed how Jesus overcame the situation by replying with the Word of God.

So I just want to emphasize that whatever be the situation or the circumstances, maybe we are in need of much a lot of things, just be in the presence of the Lord, hear His Word, and act accordingly. This will really help you to "live and multiply, and go in and possess the land". I am not against bread, but be know for sure that the God who feeds the birds of the air is with us. He has created us in His own image and He will look after all our needs. May He be our Jehovah Jireh!

Baptism

"Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15)

This is the first verse uttered by Jesus, the Bible records. He spoke to John the Baptist when he objects Jesus against taking baptism from him. But we can see that Christ here wantedly insists John to allow him to baptize so as "to fulfill all righteousness". If we see who this John is, we can understand that (1) he was filled with the Holy Spirit right from the womb (Luke 1:15); (2) Jesus certifies that John is greater than anyone that are born of woman (Matthew 11:11); and (3) He also certifies that John is His messenger who was sent to prepare His way (Matthew 11:10). Now, can we say that whether John the Baptist is greater than Jesus or, in other words, is it necessary for Jesus to take baptism from John (see Matthew 3:14 – John himself says this). We can, here, conclude that Jesus persuaded John to allow him to baptize just to fulfill all righteousness.

Then what righteousness needs to be fulfilled here, as mentioned by Jesus?

We may wonder how taking baptism with water, though is not under any of the laws or statutes given by God to His people, will help fulfill all righteousness. The answer is simple. To understand this, we should first know why John was giving baptism to people in River Jordan. In the gospel of John, chapter 1, he clearly says that the mission for which God has sent John as a forerunner, or a messenger, to Chirst is to prepare the way. John still continues to testify for what he has been sent as "... He who sent me to baptize with water..." So we can be assured that baptizing with water is a precept of God given as a mission to John. That is why Jesus, in order to fulfill "all" righteousness (not only the God-given laws or statues to His people, but also the wider range of righteousness), persuaded John to allow Him to be baptized.

Dear beloved of God, one of the many questions we think is that "Is it that necessary to be baptized with water?" I say that it is mandatory for us to be baptized as how Jesus underwent so as to fulfill the precept of God. One more very important eason is that Jesus himself says that "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdome of God." So if you have not yet been baptized "with water", please visit a near-by church and ask the pastor to let you know about salvation and to give you immersion baptism – "... buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life" (Romans 6:4). And to conclude it is a commandment given by our dear Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:19 as "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".