Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Oct 27th, 2023 For a Season

Today’s Passage – Luke 4 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8

Read the “1027 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Let’s Go Fishing,“ and “A Hospital for Sinners.”

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 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. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 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. 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: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” (Luke 4:1-13)

One of the things that I enjoy about living up here in the northeast is the changing of the seasons. Right now, we are enjoying the mild temperatures and beautiful colors of fall, but I know that soon those leaves will drop along with the temperatures and winter will be upon us. I must confess, that my least favorite season is winter, although I do enjoy the beauty of that first snowfall. Winter seems to be longer around here, but that is only because our springs tend to stay chilly in New Jersey almost up to the time of summer. None of these seasons last long, however. Things are always changing, and the change is what makes things interesting.

In our passage today from Luke 4, Jesus was driven into the wilderness (Mark 1:12) by the Spirit of God to be tempted of the Devil. By the way, it is good to allow the Spirit to be in the driver’s seat:) Anyway, there is a lot that we could talk about regarding these three attempts by Satan to get Jesus to sin. It was certainly not a pleasant experience for Him, but He came through it with flying colors, proving that He was Who He claimed to be – God incarnate.

My thought for this post, however, is the fact that the temptation only lasted for a season and then Satan departed, again for a season. He would be back again. You may be going through a difficult time in your life right now, but it is likely not going to last forever. There may be some exceptions to this principle, but for the most part, the difficult trials that we experience in life are typically only temporary. Jesus endured the fasting in the wilderness for forty days and then the temptation, but then Satan left Him alone for a while. Life includes extreme low points, or valleys, but it also is full of wonderful experiences and great days. The good times, however, are also only for a season. If you think about it, we can only fully enjoy the good days when they are given in contrast to the bad. If you went to Disneyland every day, it would soon lose its magic. The seasons that we experience is what makes life full. Jesus experienced it all (Hebrews 4:15), and so will we. Solomon expressed these mountaintops and valleys in life:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

If you are on top of the world right now, then praise the Lord. Enjoy it! But know, that it will not last forever. The Devil will be back. If you are going through a very difficult season at this moment, then learn what you can from it, maintain your testimony and your joy through it, knowing that God is in control, and He is going through this ordeal with you. He will never leave you or forsake you, and He will get you to the other side of it. Trust that all these seasons are working together for your good and His glory. It will not last forever, there will be a respite, an escape. Even if does continue through this life, you can be sure it will not follow you in Heaven. Of course, that only applies to those of us who are saved – those that “love God, and who are the called according to His purpose.”

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“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)