Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Oct 14th, 2011 Where Did They Go?

Today’s Passages – Matthew 24 & 25; Proverbs 14

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 66 – 70; Memorize – Acts 1:8)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121

Click here to view last year’s post – “Wasting Talents” from Matthew 25

“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” – (Matthew 24:40-42)

For many years I have misunderstood the above verses. On the surface these verses seem to be speaking about the rapture of the church, which is an event yet in our future, when the Lord Jesus Christ will return and take His Bride (the Church) from this earth, and bring her back to Heaven with Him. Consider the following verses that refer to the rapture of the church:

“Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” – (Acts 1:11)

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” – (John 14:1-3)

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” – (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” – (Revelation 4:1)

Note regarding the above verse in Revelation 4 – Revelation chapter 1 deals with the Apostle John’s vision of the Lord in Heaven chapters 2 & 3 are all about the Church Age. When you get to chapter 4, there is no longer a mention of the Church again. The Church (the Bride) has been brought up to Heaven (“come up hither”).

All of the above passages deal with the Rapture of the Church, but there is another wonderful picture of this event taken from the tradition of the Jewish Wedding. In Bible days when a marriage was arranged, the Groom first came to the Bride’s home and paid the price for the Bride. Then the Groom would return to his father’s home and prepare a home for himself and his new bride. When all of the preparations were finished, the Groom would return to pick up the Bride and take her to the new home. By the way, the Bride never knew when the Groom was going to come, so she had to be ready all the time. A celebration would take place for several days back at the Father’s house, and then the whole procession would return to the Bride’s parent’s home. All of this is a wonderful picture of Christ coming to earth (the Bride’s home), and paying for our sins. He is now back in Heaven preparing a place for us, and someday soon He will return for us and bring us to our new home in Heaven where we will celebrate for seven years (Marriage Supper of the Lamb). At the end of the seven years, we will return to the earth with the Lord.

There is a lot more that could be said about this event called the rapture, but I just wanted to briefly explain what it entails. However, the verses above from Matthew 24 do not deal with the rapture of the Church. The entire context of Matthew chapter 24 deals with the Tribulation Period. Now the Tribulation Period is what will take place on the earth after the church has been taken away via the Rapture. The purpose of the Tribulation Period is to awaken Israel from their spiritual slumber and have their eyes opened to the Truth about their Messiah.  Notice Matthew 24:15:

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” – (Matthew 24:15)

This is obviously a reference to the Tribulation Period.

Now this brings us back to our original text verses at the top of the page (remember them – I know it was a long time since you looked at them). I said at the beginning of this post that for many years I was confused about these verses. On the surface they certainly seem to be talking about the rapture, meaning that the people that were taken away were raptured by the Lord to go to Heaven. However, the context simply does not support this interpretation. What then do these verses refer to, and where are these folks taken to? The answer to that question can be found in Luke 17, which is a parallel passage to Matthew 24. Notice what it says in vv 31 – 37:

“Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.” – (Luke 17:30-37)

The disciples ask the Lord where they will be taken. He tells them that they will go where the eagles (vultures) are gathered together. This is a reference to Armageddon:

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.” – (Revelation 19:17-18)

I just thought that I would try to clear up a common confusion regarding these verses. I must confess that I do not understand a lot about these future events, but I think that I have the proper interpretation of these verses.

This was more of a Bible study than a devotion this morning, but that’s OK – we love to study the Bible, don’t we?

Oct 13th, 2011 Inside Then Out

Last Night’s Bible Study from Matthew 22

Today’s Passages – Matthew 22 – 23; Proverbs 13

(Second Milers also read – Psalm 61 – 65; Memorize – Acts 1:8)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6

“Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matthew 23:26)

Matthew chapter 23 contains a harsh rebuke by the Lord to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the fundamentalist of their day. They had the right doctrines. In fact Jesus admonished the disciples to do what the Pharisees taught, but He was careful to warn them not to follow their example. They were hypocrites: they portrayed on the surface a godly lifestyle, yet on the inside they were anything but godly. They were a cold and judgmental bunch. They were quick to point out the flaws of others, but they never looked within themselves to see if their own lives were right. They had all kinds of inward problems themselves, yet they focused on pointing out the flaws of others.

Unfortunately, today we see far too often Christians who we thought had “all of their ducks in a row”, only to discover that they are hiding some dark sin in their lives. They looked good on the outside, but they were filthy on the inside. Don’t misunderstand, we all struggle with sin, but we must be careful that we come clean with the Lord through confession, and then do our best to forsake the things that displease Him. God forgives and cleanses from sin. More importantly though, we must not try to appear to others in a self-righteous way.  As fundamental Christians today, we must be very careful that while we take our stand for all of the right doctrines, and as we preach the truth about sin; that we make sure that we don’t portray ourselves as above sin. We are sinners just like everyone else. While we try to live our lives as righteously and separated as we can, we are still a people who struggle with sin ourselves. Most importantly, we must not think ourselves to be any better than those that are without. If it wasn’t for the grace of God we could certainly find ourselves involved in some of the vilest sins. We must have a genuine compassion for people who are struggling. We must never compromise the truth, but we should preach the truth with a tear in our eye.

Jesus was very hard on the religious crowd, the ones that didn’t think that they needed any help. However, you will find that though He never once compromised in either His living or His preaching, He always treated the lost sinner with compassion. He loved them to Himself. We must do the same thing. While we strive to live a holy, separated life let us also demonstrate love and compassion to the lost world around us. If they get upset with us for our position, so be it; but let them never be able to find fault with our disposition.

Oct 12th, 2011 The Ministry – Not What I Expected

Today’s Passages – Matthew 19 – 21; Proverbs 12

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 56 – 60; Memorize – Acts 1:8)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1

“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” – (Matthew 20:26-28)

If you were to ask me 22 years ago, at the time of my salvation, what the ministry entailed, I would have told you that it involved preaching from the pulpit, and perhaps visiting some sick folks in the hospitals. Oh, and I guess that even back then I knew that the minister had to do a few weddings and funerals along the way. Boy, was I wrong. I wish somebody would have showed me passages like this in the Bible so I could have better understood what to expect. It seems that the sons of Zebedee also misunderstood what the ministry was all about. The ministry is all about being a servant. In fact, the word “minister” here in our text comes from the same Greek word that is also translated into the English word “deacon” in other passages. The word “servant” here literally means to be a slave. It is funny that we often picture the minister to be someone who is lifted up; someone who is praised, and even served by others; but we do not commonly view the minister as a servant. My eyes were certainly opened to what ministry was really all about; and it is all about serving people.

I remember when I was in Bible College, I worked a bus route picking up boys and girls for church from the city of Texarkana, Texas.  We had a young man on that route that was profoundly handicapped, and one time he had gotten sick at the church and made a mess all over (and inside of) his clothes. We had to clean him up, and then go to the “clothes closet” and get a whole new outfit for him, and help him get dressed. It was a very humbling experience. That situation taught me a very great lesson, perhaps greater than any lesson that I learned in the classroom. I learned that day that true minister of God will be willing to do whatever needs to be done in order to serve the people that God has given him. God used that experience, and others like it, to train me for the ministry that I serve in today. I have had to do every type of menial task imaginable since I have been a pastor, but these things have never bothered me. In fact, I have gotten to the place where I rather enjoy serving behind the scenes, doing things that others might not want to do.

There is an interesting account from the life of Missionary Hudson Taylor that illustrates this point very well. The following was taken from Paul Chappell’s book, Guided by Grace.

An account of missionary statesman Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary to inland China, mentions two young missionaries newly arrived on the field. To their dismay, there was a backup of the sewer line on the mission compound where they lived, and the problem was becoming serious. The two younger missionaries stood over the pit, looking at the refuse and arguing with one another. The first man pointed to his credentials to excuse him from the dirty task, while the other tried to pull rank, citing that he was older. Their contention grew as they armed themselves with increased reasons why they should not descend into the pit of sewage to remedy the problem, which was becoming worse with each passing moment.

In their preoccupation with themselves and their rights, they didn’t notice when Hudson Taylor himself climbed into the pit of sewage and removed the matter that had created the problem. He then climbed out and went back to work. This account illustrates well that immature leaders will rationalize to excuse themselves from hard ministry, while mature leaders see the need and then take the lead.

Oct 11th, 2011 The Coin Is In The Fish’s Mouth

Today’s Passages – Matthew 16 – 18; Proverbs 11

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 51 – 55; Memorize – Acts 1:8)

“Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” – (Matthew 17:27)

There are so many great truths in these passages that it is hard to decide what to write about, but I have chosen to share a few thoughts from Matthew 17:24 – 27. In this story, Jesus is returning to Capernaum with His disciples, and the tax collectors asked Peter if the Lord paid taxes. Peter immediately told the men that the Lord did pay taxes, but later the Lord pulled Peter aside and had a talk with him about it. He asked Peter if the children of kings were required to pay taxes. Of course, in these Bible days, the King’s family was certainly exempted from paying any kind of tribute money. Jesus is not only the “King of Kings”, but He is also the Son of God, and should surely also not be asked to pay any taxes. After all, all of the silver and gold belong to Him anyway. However, Jesus agreed to pay the tax so as not to “offend” the tax collectors. There is a lesson to be learned here in that it is better to yield sometimes, especially when it comes to disputes regarding money. People get into a lot of trouble fighting over money. Jesus wasn’t going to fight about it.

My main thought this morning, though, is about the source for the tax money. Jesus told Peter to go fishing, and that he would find a coin in the first fish’s mouth. Jesus miraculously provided the money His own and Peter’s taxes through a fish. Fishing in the Bible is symbolic of soul winning. Jesus told the disciples, “…Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” – (Matthew 4:19).  I believe Jesus is trying to teach us a great lesson here. If we want to be blessed of God financially, we must be about the Father’s business of fishing for men. The coins that we need are also in the fishes’ mouths; only the fish that we are after are the souls of men. Jesus wants to see people saved. He has given us the commission of winning souls and training soul winners. It is His business. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost”. He is still seeking lost souls through us, and He will gladly finance our efforts. I believe that God will financially prosper both the church and the individual Christian that is busy winning folks to Christ. Are you struggling financially? Why don’t you try going fishing.

Oct 10th, 2011 Thankful For The Crumbs

Today’s Passages – Matthew 14 – 15; Proverbs 10

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 46 – 50; Memorize – Acts 1:8)

This morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17

Message Preached Sunday Morning at Jersey Shore Baptist Church

Message Preached Sunday Night at Jersey Shore Baptist Church

“But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” – (Matthew 15:26-28)

What a great truth from the Scripture this morning. While Jesus was walking with His disciples in the area of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile woman persistently begged the Lord for help with her devil-possessed daughter. Jesus at first ignored the woman, and then told her and the disciples that he was sent only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. The woman would not give up, but continued to seek the Lord’s help. He finally told her that it wasn’t meet (suitable, right) to take the children’s (meaning the Jews) meat and cast it to the dogs (meaning the Gentiles). The woman then made a remarkable statement. She basically told the Lord that she recognized that she was totally unworthy of His help, but she knew that it would be a very small thing for an all powerful God to slip a scrap of help under the table. Jesus commented on the woman’s great faith. There was another similar incident in the Bible, where another Gentile (the Centurion in Matthew 8 and Luke 7) recognized the power of the Lord. The Lord also remarked about his faith, saying that it was greater than any He had seen in Israel. It is very interesting that these strangers to the faith of Israel could see something that many of the Jews could not.

I would like to pull a couple of thoughts about this woman’s faith. First, I like the fact that she recognized her unworthiness. The Lord actually called her a dog. I do not think that the Lord was trying to hurt this woman. He knew exactly what He was doing, and He knew exactly what the woman would do. He was using this event to teach the disciples and us a very important lesson. This woman gets an A for Humility 101. She recognized her unworthiness. The fact of the matter is that the disciples were also totally unworthy and undeserving of all that the Lord had done for them; and we are also undeserving. It is amazing to me how pompous we are. We think that we somehow are entitled to all that we have. The truth is that we really deserve Hell and nothing more. It is only by the grace of God that we are blessed the way we are.

The other thought that I want to bring out is that because this humble woman recognized how small she was, she was able to see how big Jesus is. Until we deflate our egos, we will never fully understand the power and magnificence of God. This woman knew that she was asking the Lord to something miraculous, but she also understood that the miracle that she was asking for would be nothing for an omnipotent God to perform. How big is your God? What problem do you have that only God can fix? Why not make yourself small, and come to a big God and ask him to throw down a few crumbs from His table.

Oct 9th, 2011 Good Ground

Message Preached Sunday Morning at Jersey Shore Baptist Church

Message Preached Sunday Night at Jersey Shore Baptist Church

Today’s Passages – Matthew 12 – 13; Proverbs 9

(Second Milers also read – Psalm 41 – 45)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8

Read “Small Seeds Bear A Big Harvest” by Dr. Paul Chappell

“But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” – (Matthew 13:8)

I have always enjoyed studying these parables in Matthew 13. The Parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3 – 9; 18 – 23) in particular has helped me to understand many things about the nature of people. I have been a Christian now for a long time, and I have observed many people come and go through the years. It grieves me when people fizzle out spiritually; some even turning their backs completely on the Lord. This parable sheds a lot of light as to why that happens.

In this passage, Jesus uses soil to illustrate the four different kinds of life situations that the seed of the gospel comes in contact with. My goal in this short devotional thought is not to discuss in detail each of these different types of lives that is impacted by the gospel seed; but I would like to make some observations about the “good ground”. After all it is the good ground that produces the most fruit, isn’t it? So what are the characteristics of good ground?

1  Good ground is well watered and fertilized. It contains all of the nutrition that it needs in order to be healthy. I have never been a gardener, but I have heard many say that when they fortify the soil with plant food (like Miracle Gro), the plants will produce much more fruit, and the overall appearance of the plant will be that of health. Christians need to be nourished and watered daily by spending time with God in His Word. The spiritual nutrition that we receive from the Word of God will yield much fruit in our lives. We will starve to death spiritually without it.

2  Good ground does not contain a lot of rocks and debrit that will hinder the root system. Rocks will also hinder the retention of water. Jesus says that this illustrates the person who never allows the Word of God to take root in his life. Many Christians make professions of faith, but never get grounded in the Word through a a discipeship program in a good local church. As a result, they never develop a strong root system that will help them get established. They do well for a while, but they cannot survive any stress that may come their way.

3  Good ground is weeded regularly. Now, I do know a little something about weeds. This year, all of the flower beds at the church were overrun with weeds. It became a huge project to dig them all up. Weeds will steal all of the nutrition and water that the plant needs to survive. This scenario pictures the Christian who allows a lot of the world’s distractions to get into his life. He becomes too busy, and often too carnal to produce fruit anymore in his life.

As you can see from this passage, there is not a lot that we can do to change the fact that some people will continue to grow and produce fruit throughout their life; and some simply will fizzle out, or fall away completely. However, we can do something about the soil of our own hearts. We can make sure that we are maintaining the “good ground” by keeping well-watered and fertilized with the Word of God; by removing anything rocks or impediments that will hinder our root system; and by removing any weeds (distractions, weights) that may steal away the nutrition that is necessary for a healthy and fruitful life.

Oct 7th, 2011 What Is Your House Built Upon?

Today’s Passages – Matthew 7 – 9; Proverbs 7

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 31 – 35; Memorize Mark 16:15)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105

Read last year’s post on this passage – “What Do You See?”

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” – (Matthew 7:24-27)

I so enjoy reading these familiar passages from the New Testament. Frankly, there are so many great truths contained in these passages that I have a tough time deciding what to write about. I opted this morning to jot down some thoughts about the concluding verses in “The Sermon on the Mount”, where Jesus likens the wise man to a man that builds his house upon a rock. He goes on to explain that a foolish man will build his house upon the sand.

The simple principle being taught here by the Lord is that we need to build our lives and our families upon the solid principles found in the Word of God. God knows what is best for us. When we listen to Him, and yield our lives to His will and His Word, we will live fruitful, blessed, and abundant lives; enjoying the marvelous protection and provision that only He can give. There are so many other Scriptures in the Bible that support this truth, but I will just share one other passage with you:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” – (Psalm 1:1-6)

Why is it that so many of God’s people don’t ever get a hold of this truth? I am not talking now about lost people: they don’t know any better. But, why is it that so many Christians choose to build their lives on the sinking sand produced by the philosophies of this world? Years ago, when my wife and I first started out in our Christian life, we determined that we were going to do the best that we could to build our home according to the principles found in the Word of God. Many of our friends thought that we were a little extreme with some of the things that we did, but I can honestly say that we have no regrets. As the song says, God has blessed our lives “beyond measure”. In fact my only regrets are that there were times that we could have followed the Lord a little more closely.

How about you? Are you building your house upon the rock of the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you daily tuning in to the broadcast from Heaven; or are you content to listen to all of the babble coming from the talking-heads of this sin cursed world? I choose God. He has never done me wrong yet; and I know that I can trust Him to keep my house standing until until I have finished all that He has for me to do here on the earth.

Oct 6th, 2011 Chip Off The Old Block

Phil Jr. and Jaxon

Today’s Passages – Matthew 5 – 6; Proverbs 6

(Second Milers also read – Psalm 26 – 30; Memorize Mark 16:15)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121

Listen to last night’s Bible Study from Matthew 22 – “Don’t Take The King’s Invitation Lightly”

View last year’s post on this passage.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” – (Matthew 5:44-45)

Yesterday, my wife and I were listening to my daughter Hannah singing very loudly in another room. She wasn’t just singing, she was making all kinds of strange noises; just acting silly. My wife made the comment, “she is exactly like you”. She is a chip off the old block, so to speak. In fact, I can see myself and my wife in all of my children. Unfortunately, however, I can see some of my bad attributes in my children as well.

In our passage today, Jesus is telling the disciples in this famous “Sermon on the Mount” to love their enemies; and even to go beyond just loving them in thought or word, but actually going the extra mile of praying for them and being a blessing to them. Jesus goes on to say that by doing so we will be the children of our Father which is in heaven. Now, He was not saying that we become the children of God by loving our enemies. The Scripture teaches very plainly that we become the children of God by receiving Christ as our Saviour. (see John 1:12) What Jesus was saying is that we will resemble our Heavenly Father when we love our enemies, just like an earthly child might resemble his earthly father in appearance or in actions.

Our job on earth is to represent the Father (and the Son) to this lost world around us. According to 2 Corinthians 5, we are His ambassadors. In the flesh, we may want to be bitter, and even hateful to those who do not love us; but by doing so, we are really just being a representative of this fallen human race. If we want to be a good representative of the Father, however, we had better take our love up another notch. Do you want people to see God in you? Then you had better start loving, not just your friends, but your enemies as well.

By the way, we are also supposed to love our brothers and sisters in Christ; and by doing so we also demonstrate that we are disciples of Christ:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” – (John 13:34-35)

Oct 5th, 2011 It Is Written

Today’s Passages – Matthew 1 – 4; Proverbs 5

(Second Milers also read Psalm 21 – 25; Memorize Mark 16:15)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 34

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” – (Matthew 4:4)

“Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” – (Matthew 4:7)

“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” – (Matthew 4:10)

In our reading passage today in chapter 4, we have the account of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. The devil made three attempts here to get Jesus to yield to his will, but Jesus stood strong through all that the devil threw at him. Jesus proved that He is Who He claimed to be by resisting the devil. Theologians have argued through the years about whether this was a genuine temptation. In other words, they say that since Jesus is God He cannot be tempted. I guess that is true, but it didn’t stop Satan from making the attempt. I once heard an analogy that illustrates this point pretty well: it is possible for a rowboat to attack a naval fleet; the attack would be real, but the probability of success is not very great. Satan’s attempt to seduce Jesus was real, but because Jesus is the omnipotent God, Satan could not possibly win. Consider what God said through the writer to the Hebrews:

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” – (Hebrews 4:15)

The thing that I find very interesting about this account is that Jesus quoted from the Word of God each time that He was tempted by the devil. Now I hasten to say that everything that came from the mouth of Jesus was the Word of God, because He is God. However, in our passage, Jesus quotes from something He previously said in the Old Testament: something that was already recorded in the Scripture. I believe the main reason that Jesus did this was because He was giving us the formula; the secret to resisting temptation, which is memorizing and quoting Scripture. Consider these verses:

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” – (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Notice the phrase, “a way to escape”. God’s way to escape is quoting Scripture. And you cannot quote Scripture unless you have it in your heart:

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” – (Psalm 119:11)

This is why it is absolutely critical for us to be in the Word of God all of the time. We need to saturate our minds with the Scripture through our daily reading, writing, studying, meditation, and memorization of the Bible. We are now even learning how to sing the Scripture (see Scripture Memory Songs), which also helps us to keep God’s Word in our heart and mind.

The sad truth, however, is that most believers do not know enough Scripture to resist the devil’s tempation. What a shame. There is no excuse for it. I believe that this is one of the greatest needs for the people of our church today. We need to strengthened and fortified by the Word of God so that when the flesh, the world, or the devil try to get us to yield, we can stay inside the perfect will of God.

One final thought. You will notice from this passage that Satan also said, “It is written”, but it is important to note that while Satan “quoted” the Scripture, he conveniently left out part of the O.T. verse. He is still using that same method today by re-writing the Word of God in all of these modern versions. He changes words, and leaves out words as it suits his purposes. Stick with the old King James!