Dear Friends,
Today we are reading Luke 4 in our month-long journey through this glorious gospel written by Dr. Luke. You may notice that Luke gives us more insight into the ministry of the Holy Spirit than the other gospel writers.
At Jesus baptism in 3:21-22 we discover all three Persons of the Godhead present. The Son was being baptized by John, the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove and the Father spoke of His approval of Jesus, His Son. This moment must have been a highlight of joy for our Savior as he began his public ministry on earth at the age of thirty.
The next event in the chronology of Jesus life is His temptation by Satan after 40 days in the wilderness. What is striking to me is that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into this testing!
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 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.
NIVO Luke 4:1-2
I am so naïve that I have believed that the Spirit only leads me into pleasant places. Surely, if I face a trial or temptation it is my lack of faith or following His lead. But this is not always true. There are countless illustrations in Scripture and in our lives when God is leading us into a hard season of life. He may be permitting hardships or sorrow to come. He may be showing us new depths of faith that are revealed in the testing. Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Faith expressed is faith discovered!” It is certainly true.
The word translated temptation is found thirty-eight times in the New Testament. It can be translated testing or temptation depending on the context. It carries with it the idea that the outcome will reveal the true character of the one tested. So, for instance, when gold is purified in fire it emerges more valuable because impurities have been removed. This should encourage us. Our God knows us better than we know ourselves. He may lead us into difficulties that after testing will reveal His gracious work in our lives to enlarge our trust in Him.
When Jesus was tempted, he was hungry after forty days of fasting the wilderness. Satan always knows just when and how to tempt us! Jesus rebukes Satan by quoting Scriptures that come from Deuteronomy. In the context of the Deuteronomy passage, Moses is describing the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel. It seems likely to me that Jesus was meditating on those Scriptures as He was wandering in the desert. It is almost like He was reliving that experience.
Satan has no power over a child of God that has not been permitted by our Savior. We are confident that our Lord draws near to us in our seasons of testing and temptation. As we draw near to the Lord, He draws near to us! Be confident in Him in all circumstances! And if the devil is seeking to deceive you, quote the Holy Scriptures in defense. Satan has no power against the double-edged sword of God’s word. This is one reason why it is wise to memorize the Word of God.
How can a young man keep his way pure?
NIVO Psalm 119:9
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
As you read on in this chapter, you will notice that Jesus was not warmly welcomed in His hometown of Nazareth. The crowd began the day by praising Him but tried to kill him in the evening. How fickle public opinion can be! Jesus just walked through the crowd and continued to serve His Father and us! This is a good strategy for each of us when we are confronted by unjust criticism.
Tomorrow is Sunday and I hope many of you will be attending a worship service. We will continue our study in Luke 5.
Until then – live in peace as you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life!
Pastor Rick