Summer 2011 Bible Study: Week 1 Day 4

Hello ladies. I am so blessed by your comments; I adore each and every one of them. As I read over them, know that I am praying for you. One of the reasons the comments don’t show up on the blog right away is because they come to my email box for approval first, and that way, I get to read and pray over each and every one before they get posted. It has to be one of my favorite parts of the last four days! Did you know we have a Jesus lover in China, studying with us while we sleep…. How cool is that! PRAISE HIM! I love that He travels the world with us! When the Lord and I were first talking about the idea of an online Bible Study, I had set out to write all the material ahead of time and just automatically post it each day, well, He had a different idea. He wanted me in this journey, everyday with you. You see, a few weeks ago I had an opportunity to travel up the Colorado Mountains with some beautiful women and hang out with Jesus for a few days and during my time there the Lord made it very clear to me that I needed to be obedient everyday and be in HIS word daily, so what better way to do that than write and host a 91 day Bible Study in 96 days, right? So, here we are, day 4. And today is a harder day for me because there have more mornings in the past few weeks, since my trip up the Colorado Mountains that my snooze button has been so tempting. But, the Lord has given me a beloved woman who sends me a text message every morning at 6:00am for accountability. I personally believe that we cannot truly show obedience if we have never had the opportunity to disobey. If we never have the opportunity to hit the snooze button on our Sweet Jesus, then obedience would merely be a habit, rather than a lifelong, life changing, life giving and growing relationship with the very giver of forgiveness. If we didn’t have the opportunity to hit the snooze button, we wouldn’t need forgiveness, and therefore we wouldn’t need Him.

Lord, I am excited to spend time with you today. Teach me Your Word, speak to me today. I know full well that I constantly do things my way, but Your Word remains in my heart. Your Word is my heritage forever, may Your grace and mercy consume me. May Your Word be the joy of my heart, teach me to understand Your son more and more. I love You Lord, I love Your Son, I praise You for His sacrifice on my behalf. Come, and spend time with me, in Your Word. Amen.

Turn with me to Matthew 4: 1-11 and take a moment and read the words of His Word.

I adore these 11 verses so much I can hardly stand it. I get excited about them. I mean, EXCITED. I get this way because these 11 verses of His Word tell me that Jesus Christ is, without a doubt, the Son of God who is far more powerful and precious than any enemy I might have, and that, gets me excited!

Not only do these 11 verses get me excited, but they serve as a warning to me. If God, the Father, would send His ONE AND ONLY Son into the desert, hungry, alone and tired to be tempted by Satan, surly, I to, will be tempted in one way or another. Notice the signs, write His Word down and hide it in your heart, because the day will come, when you do not have the Word in your hand and temptation will be starring you in face. Trust me, it has happened to me more than once!

Focus in on Matthew 4:1-4

This isn’t the first time Satan ever tempted someone. Jesus wasn’t his first attempt. Satan tempted a woman, beautiful and pure, stunning and in relationship with her Creator. She was tempted with food, from a tree, in a garden, while she was alone. Jesus wasn’t tempted within the comforts of His home, surrounded by His people, or in a pew at church, He was in the desert, alone. He had just finished fasting for forty days and forty nights, which meant the Man was HUNGRY! He was tired. He was vulnerable.

Now, I am not saying that temptations do not happen within our homes or churches or in the midst of our loved ones, because, sometimes, that is when Satan thinks he can strike the most, because he thinks our guard is down. One thing I have come to know about Satan is that he is not creative, however, he is crafty, and he will wait until we are the most vulnerable. The example that comes to my mind the quickest is the fact that as women, we have one week out of the month in which our emotions are not so normal. Things get tense, if you are anything like me, you might cry for no reason, snap at your beloved family members for no reason or just flat out enjoy the crankiness. I know that it is during that time of the month that I am emotionally vulnerable, I am often tired, I am emotional as all get out and I tend to over react a smidge.

Notice the very first temptation Satan lays before our Sweet Jesus. Matthew 4:3-4

Satan tempts our Sweet Jesus with the physical need of hunger. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, any man would be hungry. Satan was looking for the Lord’s ability to provide for His One and Only Son to be in question. Food is a basic need and Satan set out to exploit the hunger of our Sweet Jesus. And yet, what was His answer?

Turn with me to Deuteronomy 8:2-5. Read over these words carefully.

The people this portion of scripture talks about wandered in the dessert for 40 YEARS and did not need new clothing nor did their feet swell up. The Lord humbled them, causing them to be hungry, only to feed them and provide for them. The Lord humbled these people to teach them that HE was the provider of their every need.

And we see in Matthew 4:4, that Jesus’ response to Satan is just that, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on the every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus might have been hungry, physically, but He knew His purpose of being in the desert was to fast, it was to be without food. He did not steal bread from stones to satisfy His immediate need. Not only did our Sweet Jesus know the Word, He obeyed it. He knew it so well that it could not be separated from Him.

But then, Satan steps it up a bit. Focus in on Matthew 4:5-7

This is a very important warning sign, that I pray doesn’t go unnoticed. I have this written down on Sticky Notes and placed in several places in my house, car and purse… SATAN KNOWS THE WORD!

This portion of Scripture tells me that not only does Satan know the Word, he used the temple as his temptation spot. I find it interesting that there is only ONE Word of the Lord and yet there are so many “opinions” on what the Word really means. Churches separate, marriages end in divorce, friendships end, families fight, people passionately disagree on what the Word really says. And this portion of scripture makes it very clear that Satan will take scripture, the very WORD of the Lord and twist it and attempt to use it for his advantage. Beware my beloved Summer Bible Study friends, he is crafty!

And, I find myself more in love with Jesus after reading His response to Satan in verse 7. Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament once again; He is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16.

Take a minute at read over Deuteronomy 6:6-16.

In Deuteronomy Moses knew that the people would face many difficult situations in the Promised Land in which they would be tempted to doubt God’s sovereignty and care. He reminded them of the experience of their fathers at Rephidim (Exodus 17:1-7) where there was no water for them to drink. Rather than trusting in God, who had parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:13-31) and miraculously made bitter waters sweet at Marah (Exodus 15:22-26), the people grumbled against Moses. When they came to a place with no water they quickly forgot the God who had delivered them by parting an entire sea of water. Instead of trusting God, they put the Lord to the test by making their obedience to Him contingent on His meeting their demands. Moses warned the people to not put the Lord to the test as they did at Rephidim. The place near Rephidim where Moses struck the rock was named Massah [test] and Meribah [quarrel] in commemoration of the people’s lack of faith in God.

I can relate to the people in Deuteronomy, I am convicted by the words of my Sweet Jesus “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”, I have attempted to negotiate my obedience with the Lord. At times, I thought I had been successful, only to later find out that I was not. I have come to learn the HARD WAY that my obedience to Him is far better than sacrifice. I would rather give my money than my time. I would rather give my clothing or food to assist another than give my Sweet Jesus the wee hours of the morning.

And yet, our passage isn’t over. Satan isn’t done. Look closely at Matthew 4:8-11.

Satan is not only crafty but he is cocky! Satan has an ego problem! He actually offered the Son of the CREATOR, the whole world. Which, I might want to point out, wasn’t his to give in the first place. Satan was lying about the power he actually had. He did it to Eve in the garden and he did it here to Jesus, the SON OF GOD THE FATHER!

Satan can do the very same thing to us, He can tempt us with the need to feel significant or loved. I fell into the trap of Satan over and over in my dating relationships, he promised love and significance and I gave in, only to be heartbroken at the end.

Jesus’ response is once again out of Deuteronomy, He quotes Deuteronomy 6: 13. Worship the Lord my GOD and serve him only. Those words ring in my heart so deeply, and yet, I fail to do just that.

I find it comforting to know that my Sweet Jesus endured temptation. I find security in knowing that He could not be tempted, bribed or threatened into leaving His Father, the Creator. You see, Sweet Jesus was tempted, but the difference between Him and me, is that He didn’t sin. And because He didn’t sin, He remained obedient to the end, so that my sins could be covered in the very blood that poured out as His arms remained outstretch on that cross on that one day that forever changed me.

Before we close in prayer, leave a comment today, which area of Jesus’ temptation do you relate to the most?

Lord, forgive me for the times I fail to serve You, to worship You and You alone. Forgive me for the times I have tested You. Forgive me for wanting more and more and not realizing the very things You have already given me. Thank you for your outpouring of blood, so I might be able to do better tomorrow. I love You, I serve You alone and I want to know YOU, all of You.