Powerful the Word of God　Luke 4: 1-15（Bible）

15 January 2022

The devil is invisible but real. The devil is about to destroy our lives. Jesus has won the devil with the Word of God, but we can also win the devil like Jesus. The secret to victory lies in the Word of God. Because the Word of God has power.

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” ⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” ⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you  to guard you carefully; ¹¹ they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ¹² Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.  (Luke 4: 1-15)

From the overseas drama version of ” THE BIBLE“

Here are three attempts by the devil. It was all an attempt to make the Lord Jesus the Savior without the cross. This went on and he met the attempt even after he was crucified.

³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”(Matthew 27: 39-43)

It is the essence of Jesus’ attempt to test whether he continue to trust God the Father. Jesus paid attention to the Will of God, not his own thoughts and powers, and used the Word to win. It is our example.

Let’s take a look at the devil’s attempt.

1) “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” (verse 3).

Jesus had the power to do this miracle. If Jesus can’t, this isn’t a temptation. The devil knew that Jesus could do this miracle. That is why he tried. “You are a child of God. You will be hungry after fasting for 40 days. Bread the stones lying here and you will be able to satisfy your hunger. You can help the poor by turning the stone into bread, and many will be delighted through the miracle, and people will worship you as a savior. Now, make this stone bread. “

This was a test of trusting in God’s fulfillment of what he needed. The Israelites were forced to live without food in the wilderness for 40 years. God promised to give such people mana from heaven, and in fact God fulfilled that promise. God required the Israelites to trust in His promises.

“The Temptation of Christ” / by Juan de Flandes / Around 1500
Jesus on the mountain (third temptation) on the upper left and Jesus on the temple on the far right (second temptation).

2)“I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” (Verse 6, 7)

Again, the devil provided the way to become the Savior, the ruler of the world, without going through the cross. The essence of the devil’s temptation is to try to get what God is trying to give by a different route than God’s plan. “If you become the king of the world, the world will obey you. You can get it just by worshiping me, and you can easily move the world as a ruler.”

The glory of this world is temporary. But the glory that God gives is eternal. We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.(2 Corinthians 4:18)  ” Even if one gets the whole world, what is the benefit of damaging the true life? ” (Matthew 16:26)

“Trial of Christ” / Sandro Botticelli / 1480-1482 / Vatican Sistine Chapel Collection
Jesus and the Devil on the temple in the center. A devil with a stone in the upper left corner. On the far right is a devil who can be rejected on the mountain.

3)“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you  to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”  (Verse 9-11)

The devil also quotes the Bible. Do not remove it from the Bible and add it to the Bible to change the text at our convenience or interpret it on our own. The Bible needs to be read from the whole context. Otherwise, we will be deceived by the devil.

The devil seduces Jesus again. “If you jump off the temple, everyone will be surprised and you will be a hero. It’s time for worship, so a lot of people are gathering. Many people are paying attention and everyone recognizes you as a savior. “

The devil also tempts us to say that this is more attractive. Eve’s failure was to start a discussion with the devil. The devil is a liar. The devil said, “If you eat this fruit, you can be like a God.” He tried to make Eve doubt God’s love. The same is true today. The devil works to lie and doubt God’s love. We must not argue with the devil like Eve. If we argue, we will lose.

Jesus quotes the Word of Deuteronomy of the Old Testament three times in response to the Devil’s three attempts. Jesus did not argue with the devil. In response to the devil’s attempt, Jesus used the stored Word to repel the devil. Jesus is the victor. We too can be victors. How would we like it? It is to store the Words of the Bible. And through proclaiming the Words of the Bible. The Word of the Bible, the Word of God has power.

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