Beyond Sunday
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the Podcast that takes you deeper into the Word of God throughout your week, with your Hosts Pastors' Lee and Jim.
It's Time to Inspire, Uplift, and dig deeper. Beyond Sunday starts now!
Beyond Sunday
Being Tested in the Wilderness
Experience the transformative power of scripture as we explore the gripping tale of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness with Pastor Lee and myself, Pastor Jim. Discover how Jesus, after His divine affirmation at baptism, was led into a time of profound testing, facing temptation at His most vulnerable. Together, we unravel the critical lesson that spiritual vigilance is essential, especially after moments of triumph. Let us guide you through how Jesus’ steadfast reliance on the Word offers a timeless blueprint for overcoming our own trials, illustrating the profound strength found in prioritizing spiritual nourishment over physical need.
In this enriching discussion, hear how Jesus skillfully wielded scripture to counter Satan's deceptive tactics, teaching us the importance of context and deep biblical understanding. We delve into the nuances of resisting the allure of immediate gratification and the peace that comes from trusting in God’s provision. As we conclude, we invite you to embrace the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in your daily life, fortifying your journey with scripture and faithful perseverance. Join us in a heartfelt prayer, seeking divine strength and inspiration as we confront life's challenges, until we meet again in our next episode.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes you deeper into the Word of God throughout your week with your hosts, pastors Lee and Jim. It's time to inspire, uplift and dig deeper. Beyond Sunday starts now. Hey, everybody, welcome back to our podcast, beyond Sunday, and if it's your first time listening, well, we're glad to have you with us.
Speaker 1:I'm Pastor Jim and, as always, I'm here with Pastor Lee. We're the pastors of Christ Family Outreach Church, amelia, virginia, coming to you today with a powerful message to study. We're going to be in the book of Matthew We'll start in chapter 4, and we're going to be looking at the verses 1 through 11. Jesus is going to be tempted here by Satan in the wilderness, and it's one of those stories that, of course, we've all heard. But there's so much depth here that can speak to our daily lives that, no matter where you are in your life right now, we can glean from the words and the text that we're going to talk about today. So we're excited that you're here with us. We're excited to get into the Word of God. I believe and we believe that it is His Word that is the most transformative thing that we can receive, and when we apply it to our lives. So, pastor Lee, you ready to get into it?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely what's going on everybody, I hope you got your Bibles with you. As Pastor Jim just mentioned, we are turning to Matthew, chapter 4, beginning with the first verse, and I'm just going to read the first four verses and then we'll break it down and we'll talk about it and we'll see how we can apply it into our own personal lives right now, today. So here we go. Then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry and the tempter came and said to him 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry and the tempter came and said to him If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. But he answered. It is written man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Speaker 2:Pastor Jim, I'd like to point out right off the bat something to our listeners. You know what happened just before this trip to the wilderness, brother. It's found in Matthew, chapter 3, 13 and 14. We see, jesus is baptized by John the Baptist and the Spirit of God descends down like a dove and rests on him and God said this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. So from that baptism, with whom I am well pleased, so from that baptism, jesus is led into the wilderness and he has fasted and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights. What a powerful moment, right? What a powerful time. And all of that has happened and taken place, and then, all of a sudden, satan shows up with temptation. So I just want to remind our listeners to always be on guard, to always be a watchman on the wall looking out, so when the enemy does decide to sneak up and attack you've seen him coming long before he got there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that you kind of completely stole all of my points there. It's awesome because that just means that we're listening to that same Holy Spirit. Amen, brother. I love reflecting and kind of illustrating out scenes that I read in the Word. And so you know, we have Jesus, the Son of God, and he's being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, and I love that it says the Holy Spirit's leading Him into a specific place. It's not a random place that he's going, right, it's this desert, it's this place of testing, it's a place of isolation, and I think that all of us can say that we have been there, right, I know that I've felt alone, I've been on an island, I've been isolated before, which makes this immediately relevant to each and every single one of us. And remember, he's been fasting now for 40 days, for 40 nights, and that's an important detail, because Jesus, in his flesh, suit right that he came down and took on as God. He's physically weak, he's hungry, he's tired, he's vulnerable, and in that moment, when he sat at his most physically drained Satan, that's when he shows up and that's when he decides to tempt him. But I think, like you said, something that's very worth considering is what had happened just before this moment was the Spirit of God was falling onto him. He heard God's voice affirming him as his son and yet, right after that incredible moment, he's led into the wilderness right away to face temptation. And that's a good reminder for all of us that even at our spiritual highs, we can expect to face these battles.
Speaker 1:The truth is, I really don't even think it takes that much to knock us off our mountains. If I'm being honest, I know for me it's day to day. One day I'm on top of the world and in the very next moment, from listening to a comment or some specific unexpected outcome, some betrayal, all of a sudden it seems like I'm just tumbling down this hill into a pile of like oh, my life stinks, but I was just on the mountain. And it's in that moment that the enemy often comes in and works his hardest on us when we're at our weakest. But I love the story that we're about to dive into, really, because it's in this wilderness that Jesus begins to teach us that this is a place that we can be refined Right. It's where we can grow closer to God and ultimately, he's teaching us how to respond. Temptation is a part of our spiritual journey, but we can avoid it. And how do we do that? It's by following his example that we're about to learn about today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, I want to take a look at this first attack on Jesus from Satan, because—and I feel like it's important, right? Because the first attack on Jesus from Satan mirrored what Satan did to Eve in the garden, which was what we talked about in our podcast last week. You know, Satan went from saying did God actually say to Eve in the garden, right? Did God actually say? And now to Jesus, he says if you are the son of God? So here Satan is trying to get those whom he is tempting to question both the plan and purpose of God in their lives, and he does the exact same thing today. And so we've got to be that watchman on the wall. We've got to be looking out for these types of attacks. But there's another play that I believe Satan is trying to make. Satan is tempting Jesus to use his divine powers, the divine power of God in flesh. Satan is tempting Jesus to use his own divine powers to provide for himself and meet his personal needs, you know. So here's what we cannot do. We do not want. We do not want to place our physical needs before our spiritual needs. If we do, it could lead us into trouble. So Jesus responds to the temptation of creating food for himself, and quotes from Deuteronomy, chapter eight and verse three, that man does not live from bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Speaker 2:So notice what the devil is doing. He has attacked his hunger, the hunger, the physical hunger of Christ, Because oftentimes and I'm just making this personal here with my own self oftentimes, when I get hungry right, I become weak, and not just physically weak, but what can happen is that we can become mentally and emotionally weak. I think this is where that term hangry comes from, right, when we're both hungry and angry. I've been hangry a time or two, Absolutely man. So we've got to be careful because, you know, we all handle it differently.
Speaker 2:And so here Satan is attacking Jesus when he's physically hungry, you know. And some people, when they become hungry, they don't lose focus, maybe right away, but eventually they're going to start to lose some focus. Other people, when they get hungry, they rush through whatever it is that they're doing until they can satisfy their desire to eat, you know. So Satan attacked his hunger. So something to consider here be careful what you hunger for, because it just might be offered to you. So think about that for a moment. Be careful what you hunger for, because it just might be made available to you.
Speaker 1:I love how he reminds Satan and really all of us, that our lives aren't just sustained by physical needs, right, we're truly sustained by God's Word, and that's how he responded to them In Deuteronomy 8.3, as you said, pastor Lee, he used God's Word to respond. It's the only thing. God's Word is the only thing that can fill us up in the deepest sense. And here's the thing. We live in a world that's constantly telling us that we need more stuff, you need more food, you need more of everything. But Jesus is showing us through an example here that true life comes from God's Word. It's not about what we can grab for ourselves, but it's about trusting God to provide what we truly need.
Speaker 1:Here's the deal. The first temptation is Satan trying to get Jesus, like you said, to use his power for personal comfort, and that could be a major struggle for all of us. How many times do we seek the comfort or seek the satisfaction in things that don't truly satisfy us? How often do we try to take matters into our own hands instead of trusting God for what we truly need? Jesus comes in and he teaches us here that the spiritual nourishment is far more important than physical nourishment, and so the word of God is our lifeline.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right, man. You know, man, I, just as you're talking right there, bro, I just want to holler out preach. You know. Like it's just so good, man, because it comes down to the word. You know what I mean. Like it just comes down to the Word. And we're going to see Pastor Jim with all three temptations. This is exactly what Jesus combats the temptation with is the Word. You know he's fighting it with the Word of God. So that brings us to the second temptation.
Speaker 2:So we're going to dig a little deeper with our listeners here into the second temptation, from Satan to Jesus. And it's found in Matthew, chapter four, verses five through seven, and this is what the word says. Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are the son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, he will command his angels concerning you and on their hands they will bear you up. And so see, with the first temptation, jesus fought back with Scripture. So now, in the second temptation, we see Satan starting the temptation, starting the fight. And he's starting the fight with what Scripture.
Speaker 2:You know what a dirty devil he is, man Of all the things to use as his weapon of choice. The devil is using the word of God In the garden. As I referenced earlier, he simply twisted the word to make his point, but now we see him quoting the word. He's using the word of God, but using it in an effort to pull Christ away from the plan that God has for him while he's here on this earth. So, pastor Jim, this is why it's so important we, as Christians, study the Word of God, stay connected to God through prayer, so we know when someone is taking the Word of God out of context or trying to pull us away from the path that God's Word has us on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, see, satan's temptation here is to get Jesus to demand that he prove himself or that God proves himself. It's almost as if Satan's saying if you really trust God, make him prove it. And Jesus says no, no, no, no, no. That's not how this works. No way, I will not test God. I trust him completely. And how many of us do this right? We've all been in those situations where we want to force God's hand. God is if you really love me, you'll do this for me. But God is not a genie in a bottle. I don't know how many times I've said that to people in my lifetime. But he doesn't operate on our timetable. He doesn't operate by our demands. Jesus shows us that faith means trusting God even when we don't have all the answers. And it's not just about testing God to prove his faithfulness, it's about trusting that he is faithful no matter what. Yeah, that's right man.
Speaker 2:That's right. This is going to lead us into the third temptation, right? And so when we get into the third temptation in the wilderness, we're going to pick up reading together, my friends, in Matthew, chapter 4, beginning with the eighth verse, running through the 11th verse, and this is what it says Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him all these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him be gone, satan, for it is written you shall worship the Lord, your God. In him only shall you serve. Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Speaker 2:Man, you know like, look at the devil, right he? He's kicked out of heaven. He's kicked out of heaven because he wanted to be greater than God. And here we see Satan wanting Jesus, god in flesh, to bow down before him and worship him. You know, it's like here's a newsflash, folks. Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed. Satan still wants the people of this world following after him and away from God.
Speaker 1:I think it's silly that he even thought he had the power, or he didn't. I know he didn't think he had the power, but he offered it anyway. Where he said here, Jesus, here's all the kingdoms of the world, I'm going to give them to you if you would fall down and worship me. All Satan's trying to do here is offer Jesus power and glory, one that he already has, but then two a shortcut to the crown. Basically, what he's saying is you could do all of this without having to go to the cross. But Jesus says no, no, no, no, no. Be gone, Satan, for it is written you shall worship the Lord, your God, and him only should you serve.
Speaker 1:Here's the heart of the matter. Satan offers Jesus a way out of suffering, the suffering that lies ahead. He's offering him an easy path to victory. Jesus knows that worshiping anything other than God is not an option, and we got to know that, too. The path to glory. Jesus knows that worshiping anything other than God is not an option, and we got to know that, too. The path to glory is through the obedience of the Father, even if it means the cross. Jesus is teaching us that nothing is worth more than our allegiance to God.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, look at the devil man. It's just like you know. If you're taking notes, write these two words down dirty devil. I mean, that's what he is, bro. You know he's a dirty devil man, you know. And look at what he's scheming up, pastor Jim. He's trying to destroy the plan of God by offering Jesus and this is what you had spoke of a moment ago by offering Jesus that quick path to the crown. You are so right, pastor Jim, offering Jesus that quick path to the crown. You are so right, pastor Jim.
Speaker 2:He's trying to erase Jesus going to the cross. So let's take it a step further, right? Because if Jesus doesn't go to the cross, then you and I are lost, bro. That's right. Like man, what do we put our hope in, man, you know?
Speaker 2:Like so, satan is trying to terminate that plan, that gospel plan that God has for us, and I just want to remind the listeners today I want to point this out to those that maybe do not know it as well the devil is still hard at work, trying to do the same thing. Jesus has already been to the cross, so we know that Satan can't change that. Amen, what's done is done, it's finished. Jesus says it is finished when he was on the cross and therefore it is. But what the devil is so slick to do today is to try to, since he can no longer disqualify Christ going to the cross because he already has, he tries to keep us from looking to the fact that Christ has already gone to the cross.
Speaker 2:The Bible tells us that, because of what Jesus did on the cross, that the devil has already been disarmed. He's already been disarmed of his power, you know, which means the only power that the enemy has over my life and in my life, and over my ministry and within my ministry. The only power the enemy has over all of that is that which I choose to surrender to him in my weak moments, you know. So. This is why it's so important to be a watchman on the wall, to remain strong and to remember that Christ yes, he went to the cross, he lived for us, he died for us, he defeated death for us, he rose for us and, pastor Jim, the good news is he's coming back for us. He defeated death for us, he rose for us and, pastor Jim, the good news is he's coming back for us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Well, that dirty devil, right, is trying to do back then is separate us from the Father. Yeah, and he could not succeed because Jesus came and fulfilled it and that we have victory. But that doesn't mean that the devil stopped trying, right, he's still trying to separate us today. That's right. And this last temptation that we just talked about it speaks directly to our modern world. We're constantly offered shortcuts to success and power, but Jesus, he shows us that true greatness is found in service, not selfishness. We're called to worship God alone, not the things of the world.
Speaker 1:So something I really want to point out in this is that these temptations weren't just about Jesus in the moment. They certainly were about Him, but they're also about us. How do we face the same trials, how do we face the same temptations in our lives? Jesus certainly showed us how to do it and he fulfilled it perfectly. But we have to face them the same way Jesus did by knowing the Word of God, by trusting in God's provision and by resisting all of these shortcuts and remembering that true worship belongs to God alone shortcuts and remembering that true worship belongs to God alone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, it's a great, great point and it is the common thread through this entire passage of Scripture Jesus is going to God's Word. He gets tempted back to God's Word, gets tempted back to God's Word, tempted a third time, right Back to God's Word. And, man, I want that to be all of our go-to move. You know, when we get tempted back to God's word, what did I read this morning that's going to help me get through today? You know so that as I go through my day and I come across temptation, I want to be able to stand on whatever it was in the Word that I received earlier that morning, and that's why, to me, my quiet time with the Lord in the Word and studying that's why it is so important. I need it in order to thrive and survive successfully.
Speaker 2:And, folks, I hope you have seen it along with us as you've listened to this podcast. You know that the importance of studying the Word of God is for many, many different reasons in our lives, but today we've simply chosen to look at reason being to fight when it's time to stand against the evil one, and so that you know the direction of God's will for your life. And see, that's how Jesus, god in flesh, he's not going to get knocked off course, pastor Jim, because he knows the word right, he is the living word and he knows the plan of action, he knows the course that he's supposed to be on.
Speaker 1:And that's the good news, right? Because Jesus has already faced these temptations and he's overcome them. And because he did, we can have victory over our temptations too. So, as you go through your week, remember that Jesus has already won the battle. We got to lean into his word, we got to trust his timing and worship him alone. Well, we want to thank you for tuning in to this episode of Beyond Sunday. We hope that this episode has encouraged you to walk boldly in your faith.
Speaker 1:Let's pray, father. I'm so grateful for an opportunity to be able to read your Word every single day. Father, I'm grateful that your Word teaches us and the Holy Spirit will guide us through these things. And, father, as we go throughout our day and as our listeners go throughout our day, father, we just ask that you would remind them of this when they reach temptations or when they are being tested. Father, that they would lean into you and your word. And, father, that they would follow your example. And, father, just keep them strengthened throughout their week and we look forward to seeing them next time. And it is in your name that we pray, amen.
