Text: Luke 4:1-13

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil.   And in those days he did eat nothing:  and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.   3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.   4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.   5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.   6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them:  for that is delivered unto me;  and to whomsoever I will I give it.   7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.   8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan:  for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.   9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:  10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:  11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.   12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.   13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.  

Saturday, 10^th February 2024

THE SNARE OF A CHALLENGED IDENTITY

Text: Luke 4:1-13

Memory verse: Mark 1: 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

Our text gives an insight to several whiles of the devil. Satan came against Jesus to tempt Him in the wilderness. On two different occasions, Satan began his temptations with these words: “If you are the Son of God.” Satan knew exactly who Jesus was. Jesus was there when Satan fell “like lightning from heaven” Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Significantly, the devil chose a time when Jesus was physically weak and hungry to attack His identity. Satan does the same with us. To make his wiles more effective, he hits us during a crisis or a spiritual struggle and suggests, “If you were a child of God, this wouldn’t happen. If you were a Christian, God would help you now.” Again, we need the “helmet of salvation” firmly in place to withstand such attacks against our identity and God’s character.

Another of the wiles the devil used against Jesus was to quote the bible, but with a twist. In Luke 4:10-11, Satan quotes Psalm 91:11–12 to persuade Jesus to act in the flesh rather than follow the Spirit. But Satan failed to complete the thought of the psalm. The next verse, Psalms 91:13 that says, “You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.” Those animal references are metaphors for fierce and dangerous enemies and the devil is likened to both a lion and a serpent in:

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Revelation 20:2 and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. 

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

The true meaning of the passage in Psalm 91 is that God will protect and empower His servants as they overcome the enemy, Satan. One of the wiles of the devil is to leave out key parts of the bible to twist its meaning and to fit his agenda.

CGDS HYMN 46: SS & S 585: 

JESUS CHRIST, GROW THOU IN ME

1. Jesus Christ, grow Thou in me,

And all things else recede !

My heart be daily nearer Thee,

From sin be daily freed.

2. Each day let Thy supporting might

My weakness still embrace;

My darkness vanish in Thy light,

Thy life my death efface.

3. In Thy bright beams which on me fall

Fade every evil thought ;

That I am nothing, Thou art all,

I would be daily taught.

4. More of Thy glory let me see,

Thou Holy, Wise, and True !

I would Thy living image be,

In joy and sorrow too.

5. Fill me with gladness from above,

Hold me by strength Divine :

Lord, let the glow of Thy great love

Through my whole being shine.

6. Make this poor self grow less and less,

Be Thou my life and aim ;

Oh, make me daily through Thy grace

More meet to bear Thy name !

   Prayers:  

1.  Lord Jesus, give me a clear picture of my identity in You.

2.  LORD God Almighty, help me to see myself the way You see me and make me always act according to my position in You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.    

3.  Pray for others in this regard.