Not on bread alone

Not on bread alone

Scripture:

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:3-4

Observation: After 40 days fasting in the desert, Jesus was hungry, and in that weakened state, was in the most susceptible situation to fall into temptation. Precisely at that point, the tempter took the opportunity to tempt Jesus, to make use of His divine power to satisfy his immediate, pressing physical hunger. Why was it wrong for Jesus to make use of His power in that way? The fact that the devil asked that way showed that Jesus indeed could have easily done the miracle of turning the stone to bread. Nevertheless, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, and at that point in time, God had not given Jesus the green light to break His fast. Jesus’ answer showed us His conviction, that He would not break fast until God led Him to do so.

There are three main lessons we can learn here. Firstly, temptation may well strike us at our weakest moment, but there is still no excuse to fall into it. Our Lord was tempted when He was at His hungriest, yet He overcame, and so too we need to do the same.

Secondly, the Lord overcame by leaning on God’s Word. Jesus had the Word of God so ingrained in His heart that He knew the exact Word needed for that situation. God’s Word has great power to help us overcome temptation, but it is for us to be well grounded in God’s Word.

Thirdly, obeying God is more important than even our physical needs, no matter how dire they may be. Jesus came to the critical point where He had to choose who was master – God or His body. Later, in his writings, Paul speaks of those whose gods are their stomachs. God is to be first in everything, even over our physical body.

Application: Recognize that temptation may hit us even at our lowest moment, but there is no excuse. Still, we need to be humble and stay close to the Lord, aware that temptation can come at any time and in any form. Give more priority towards reading and memorizing Scripture, for in letting Scripture dwell deeply in our heart builds up our defense against temptation. Recognize that our bodies are living sacrifices to God, that we need to give Him precedence even over our physical desires sometimes.    

Prayer: Father God, blessed be Your name. You reign supreme in Heaven, Your faithfulness reaches across the skies. Have mercy on me, I pray, dear Lord. Lead me away from temptation, and give me strength and wisdom and courage when I have no choice but to face temptation. Give me a new desire O Lord to love Your Word, and to keep it deep in my heart. Let my heart realize O Lord, that You are God and first over all things even over my bodily desires. Sustain me O Lord, and help me walk in Your ways always. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Of fasting and forty days

Of fasting and forty days

Scripture:

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Matthew 4:2

Observation:

Continuing in our study of the great temptation of Jesus in the desert, we now see that the Lord proceeds to fast for 40 days and 40 nights. Fasting, which is basically abstinence from food for a spiritual purpose, has been practiced since Old Testament times. In times of great need, kings would call for a fast, where the people would abstain from food and pray to God in repentance. In Joel 2:15, the prophet declares “declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly”. Somehow, there is a great power in fasting, and God expects us to fast. In Matthew 6:17, Jesus said “When you fast”, not “if you fast”.

Still, fasting must be done with the right attitude, otherwise, it is of no effect at all. In Isaiah 58, God chides His people who fast with impure motives, showing violence and exploiting those weaker than them. Fasting should be done with great humility with an attitude to seek God’s revelation and presence. The late preacher Derek Prince lists down from Isaiah 58 10 specific rewards for those who fast God’s way - (1) Light, (2) Health, (3) Righteousness, (4) Glory, (5) Answered Prayer, (6) Continual guidance, (7) Satisfaction, (8) Strength, (9) Work that endures, (10) Restoration.

Fasting also has to be done in faith, just as it says in Hebrews that those who come to God must believe that He is and that He will diligently reward those who seek Him.

The period of 40 days and 40 nights is very significant in Scripture. It first occurred during the flood in Noah’s time when it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, purifying the earth from its evil. Later, Joseph embalmed his father Israel for 40 days. Two times, Moses went up to Mount Sinai where he spent 40 days and 40 nights with God, receiving the 10 commandments in Exodus. Later, the spies who went to Canaan spent 40 days exploring the land before they came back. Because of the Israelites believed the 10 spies bad report, they suffered 1 year of the wilderness for each of the 40 days spent exploring the land. In the time of David, Goliath stood before the Israelites 40 days before David rose up to slay him. Later, Elijah traveled for 40 days and 40 nights before reaching Horeb, the mountain of God. In Jonah’s time, he preached “40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown”. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His disciples over 40 days before ascending to Heaven. 40 days has been used to signify a time of judgment (the flood, Israelites), or prior to judgment (Goliath, Nineveh). 40 days also signifies a powerful period of time of deep communion with God and great revelation from God (Moses, Jesus in the desert, and Jesus with His disciples after His resurrection). What if we set aside a time of 40 days to seek God in fasting and prayer?

One final point from this verse was that Jesus was hungry. That seems like one of the greatest understatements. How hungry would we be after fasting for 40 days? Still, the hunger reminds us vividly of Jesus’ pure humanity. He is fully man just as he is fully God. He knows what we go through because He went through it Himself.

Application: Be assured that fasting is a necessary practice for every Christian and seek God’s guidance to lead you into a suitable time and method of fasting. Consider the significance of the 40 day time frame. Seek the Holy Spirit over how we may use 40 days to seek God, whether in fasting, prayer, communion or specific service. Remember that Jesus was fully human just as we are. Praise Him and thank Him that He truly understands us.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the institution of fasting that originates from You. Give me the guidance and discipline to fast according to Your will. I thank You that in Your Word You have promised to reward those who fast in Your way to seek You. Reveal more and more of Yourself to us O Lord, that we may grow deeper in You, even through this practice of fasting. Give me an inspiration to seek You for 40 days. Guide me in how I should set time aside to seek Your face. Thank You, Lord Jesus that You came to earth and felt what all humans feel, that You would truly understand us completely. Praise be to Your Holy name. In Jesus name, Amen.

Lead us not into temptation

Lead us not into temptation

Scripture:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1

Observation:

Continuing along Matthew, we now come to the great testing of Jesus which occurred directly after the Lord’s baptism. We read first that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights where He was tempted by the devil. In the first of the great temptations, the tempter tempts Jesus to use His divine power to sate his physical hunger. And the Lord answers the devil with a great quotation from Deuteronomy, stating that man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from God.

There are three principles about temptation that we can learn from this passage.

Firstly, God allows us to be tempted. Note that Jesus was led by the Spirit into that difficult period of testing and temptation. In the Lord’s prayer, He asks us to pray “lead us not into temptation”. Still, in James 1, it is written that God does not tempt anyone and in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul teaches that the Lord will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Looking at Scripture as a whole, we can conclude that God does not tempt anyone but He does allow us to be tempted. In the garden of Eden, He allowed Adam and Eve to be tempted by placing the tree of knowledge of good and evil to be accessible to them, and also allowing the snake to be there to entice them.

Secondly, there is a purpose in temptation. But what is this purpose? After Jesus emerged victorious from overcoming His temptation, He began His ministry with great effectiveness and power. Somehow, temptation is part of the human experience. It is like a test, where those who overcome will receive reward while those who fail will suffer consequences.

Thirdly, we can overcome temptation. But how do we overcome temptation? Jesus was fully human in every way, and the only way out, even for Jesus, was to depend on the power of God’s Word. Paul’s words also serve to encourage us in that “no temptation has seized us except what is common to man”, and “God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear”. The more we read and remember God’s Word, the stronger we become in resisting temptation. 

Application:

Recognize that temptation is part of life, and all of us have to face it, some way or another. No one should think he is above temptation but humbly pray, Lord, lead us not into temptation. When we are tempted, recognize that God’s purpose is in it, and when we overcome, there is reward. Being human, we fail time and again, but do not give up. Forget what is behind, press on and strain towards what is ahead. Build up our knowledge and meditation of Scripture, which is the only great defense to temptation. Remember even the Lord’s words to Peter “Do you love me more than these?” Meditating on the Lord’s love towards us and our love reciprocated to Him does well in helping us overcome.

Prayer:

Thank You, O Lord, for Your Scripture which teaches us that temptation is a necessary part of life. We humbly pray O Lord that You lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Even in the times when I am tempted, help me see O Lord, that You have a purpose in it, and that it is Your good will not to harm us but to prosper us and give us hope and a future. Pick me up O Lord, even when I fail. Let Your Word abide strongly in Me. Lead me from glory to glory even as You help me overcome. Let me remember Your love always O Lord, which will guard me from temptation. Praise be to Your Holy name. In Jesus name, Amen.

To fulfill all righteousness

To fulfill all righteousness

Scripture:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

Matthew 3:13-15

Observation:

Straight after Matthew talks about John, he now focuses on the entry of Jesus just as He was about to begin His ministry. The Lord comes from Galilee in the North down to the Jordan River. John the Baptist, full of the Spirit, immediately recognizes Jesus and at first refuses to baptize Him. The Lord convinces John that it is proper to fulfill all righteousness and John consents.

In these few verses, we can already learn at least three great lessons. Firstly, we see the humility of Jesus. John the Baptist recognized the Lord’s purity and sinlessness and knew he was totally unworthy as a corrupted human being to baptize Jesus. Still, the Lord insisted that John do it. The Lord, fully knowing who He was and where He came from was not afraid at all of humbling Himself before a weak mortal man. His focus was not on His own pride but solely on fulfilling God’s will. How much indeed can we learn from the Lord’s amazing humility.

Secondly, Jesus purposely included John in this sacred declaration before God. If He wanted, Jesus could have “baptized” Himself on the pretext that there was no one worthy enough to do it for Him. However, that was never God’s intent. It is God’s will to include us together in the work that He wants to do. God does not need us to tell others about Him. He could be far more effective by blazing His message in fire across the skies. However, God wants to involve us. We have a narrow view of love sometimes, thinking that love is only about giving and receiving. A deep part of love and a meaningful relationship is doing things together, and God wants us to work with Him to fulfill His purposes.

Thirdly, by being baptized, Jesus set the pattern for all His disciples to follow. The act of baptism symbolizes the death of the sinful, old man, and the resurrection of the new man in Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ case, He had no sin, but when He was immersed in the water, He was symbolizing His death by carrying not His sins, but the sins of the whole world so that He could fulfill all righteousness by His death and sacrifice. When Jesus came up out of the water, symbolizing His new life, He was symbolizing the new life available to all who would follow Him. Every time we see or think of baptism, we should constantly remind ourselves in faith “the new has come, the old has gone”.

Application:

Ask God to help us to be humble. Who are we to think we are better than others when our Lord humbled Himself before mortal men. Thank God that it is His will to include us in His plans and purposes. Ask God to lead us to join Him where He is at work. Remember the baptism, the act of dying to our old self, and letting our new man live in Christ. Remember the words “the old has gone, the new has come”.

Prayer:

Father God, forgive me for my times of pride, when I have often thought myself better than others. Help me be humble O Lord, even to consider others better than myself. Thank You, Lord God, that it is Your good will to include us in Your plans and purposes. Open my eyes and heart O Lord to see where You are working and help me join you there, that I might make a difference, living according to Your will. Help me remember O Lord, that the old has gone and the new has come. Give me the faith to believe this truth, and even to see its application become reality in my life. Praise You, O Lord, for Your great love to us. In Jesus name, Amen.

With the Holy Spirit and fire

With the Holy Spirit and fire

Scripture:

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12

Observation:

In John the Baptist’s next few verses, he now focuses on the coming Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. He begins by distinguishing his baptism, which was a baptism for repentance, and the Messiah’s baptism, which would be with the Holy Spirit and fire. John’s further description of the Messiah is like a farmer with a winnowing fork who is clearing his threshing floor, separating the wheat which will be stored in the barn from the chaff which will be burned up.

The Greek word “baptizo” from which we get baptize is literally translated “to dip”.  The picture we get then of someone being baptized is to be dipped, or immersed into the water. Another picture of this is like going under a waterfall. John’s baptism was with water and for repentance, which means “changing of the mind” in Greek. The meaning here does not refer to a flippant change of the mind like deciding to eat chicken rice instead of char kway teow for lunch, but a deep, complete turn-around of one’s thinking. The Hebrew Word for repent means “to turn around”. Those without God are primarily concerned with their own selfish wants and desires. They do not realize they are sinners or perhaps even don’t care if they sin. Those who recognize they are sinners begin a road to redemption. They realize that sin will only lead them to death, and so turn from sin and instead begin seeking for redemption, which they will find in fullness in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The baptism of Jesus is with the Holy Spirit and fire. In the book of Acts, this event was first shown as the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on Pentecost in the form of tongues of fire, and they began speaking in foreign languages. Today, Jesus continues to baptize those who ask Him with the Holy Spirit, who speak out in new tongues. Today, the baptism of the Holy Spirit still remains an issue of contention for some of the conservative churches who believe that speaking in tongues was only for that time in history. However, there is massive growth of the Pentecostal churches in the world in the last century, and the church at large is recognizing that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is just as relevant and powerful today as it was 2,000 years ago. Still, as the late Derek Prince pointed out, a tongue-speaking Christian is no better than a non-tongue speaking Christian. However, if a devoted Christian were to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, his effectiveness in God’s service would be magnified to even higher levels. Derek Prince likens the difference as if changing from using a watering bucket to using a hose when watering the plants.

Lastly, the image of Jesus as a farmer on the threshing floor reminds us of the great Separation that will happen at the end of the age when the Lord will separate out those who belong to Him from those who don’t. In another parable, He warns that not everybody who thinks they know Him actually do. This is a warning for all of us to check our faith, to see if our heart is devoted to the Lord or whether we are actually devoted to our own self and the world.

Application:

Think of the word repentance. What is the condition of our mind? What we think about show us what we believe. Is our Lord and righteousness and love a priority in our minds, or are our minds filled with other worldly things. We need to change and renew our minds to be set on God’s kingdom and His righteousness.  Ask God for more of His Spirit in Jesus name. Picture ourselves immersed under the Holy Spirit like a waterfall. Open wide our mouths and let God fill it, as the Psalmist writes. Speak forth in new tongues and praise the Lord, with great joy! Finally, even in our times of silence, remember the Lord’s day is coming, and seek Him even more. He will separate the wheat from the chaff! Let us put our entire trust in Him and seek to follow Him and live by His Holy Spirit

Prayer:

Change my mind and heart O Lord, that I might be wholly devoted to you. Let the things of the earth fade away, and lead me in Your ways everlasting. Set my mind and heart O Lord, on Your kingdom and righteousness. Give me more of Your Holy Spirit O Lord, so much more. Wash over me like a waterfall, O Holy Spirit. I open my mouth, and ask that You fill it, O Lord. Let me speak forth with fountains of joy welling from inside me. Praise be to Your Holy name! Guard me and protect my heart always O Lord I pray. Preserve me and keep me save, even till the day of Your coming! In Jesus name, Amen.

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance

Scripture:

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Observation:

After introducing John the Baptist and his ministry, Matthew now focuses our attention on some of his famous words. He calls the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers, and calls them to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance”. Then John declares that being in the physical genealogy of Abraham is of no use to them and warns them that if they don’t produce good fruit, they will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Then John declares forth his prophecy of the coming Messiah, who is far more powerful than Him, and gives us the image of a farmer at the threshing floor, separating the wheat and the chaff.

There are many lessons even in these few words of John, but we will focus on three. Firstly, consider the words “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”. John preached “repent, for the kingdom of God is near”, and later Jesus said the same thing. What does it mean for the kingdom of God to come near? It is not good news for unrepentant sinners, who can only expect wrath from God. Recognizing this, people went out to John the Baptist and repented (changed their mind) not to continue in sinful ways.

Secondly, John preached that we are to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. What does it mean to keep with repentance? It means to continue in that new direction we have taken, away from sin and towards holiness. As we move that way, we will produce good fruit along the way and bless others. However, there are some who will not keep with repentance but turn back to sinful lives and therein is the warning for them that they risk being thrown into the fire.

Thirdly, John declared that out of the stones, God could raise up children of Abraham. Later, when He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus famously declared  “Even if they (the children) keep quiet, even the stones will cry out (Luke 19). Later in Peter, he likens believers like living stones, being built into a spiritual house. In Galatians, Paul explained that it is not so much those physically descended from Abraham who are children of Abraham but those who have faith like Abraham. In Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26, the prophet prophesies about God removing our hearts of stone and giving us hearts of flesh. When we put our faith in Jesus, our dead hearts of stone become flesh, alive!

Application:

Remember firstly, that we repent because we are fleeing from the coming wrath, which is for unrepentant sinners. Then, check ourselves to see if we are keeping with repentance, walking in the path towards righteousness in the Lord. Faith without works is dead. What are our deeds for God? Are we showing love and kindness to others, or mainly concerned about ourselves? Pray to our Lord, to remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. The condition of our heart is an important thing, whether our heart is open to God or closed because of sin.

Prayer:

Praise You, Lord Jesus, for Your great love for us. You came to save us, that we might escape the wrath due to us for our sins. Help us produce fruit in keeping with repentance, even as we seek to follow You. Remove our hearts of stone, and give us hearts of flesh, living hearts open to You. Forgive our sins O Lord, and lead us in Your righteous ways. In Jesus name, Amen.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus

SIBKL/Paul Estabrooks/13/10/12

The Scripture says that you are blessed when men persecute you, reject you, or exclude you. However, just like Indian curry, where you have mild, medium and hot, persecution can be just the same. People ask me if I get depressed hearing all these sad stories, but when we go to them, we are the ones getting encouraged. There is a saying that Christians are like nails – the harder you hit them, the deeper they go. In China, they say Christians are like bamboo – the faster you cut them down, the faster they grow back. In another country, they are described like rubber balls – the harder you throw them, the higher they bounce. Christians are also like flowers, the more you crush them, the more fragrant their smell. In India, they say Christians are like coffee, - you don’t know how strong they are until they get in hot water. There is much that we benefit from interacting with them.

The letter of Hebrews was written mainly to Jews who had become Christians, turning their back on their old religion, and thus having to endure severe persecution. Some of them were considering giving up and returning to Judaism because of the pressure. The writer of Hebrews wrote to convince them that Jesus is better than any other faith. As said in Hebrews 12:2, because Jesus if the greatest, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. That is the main message of Hebrews.

In Vietnam under the communist regime, there was a pastor who was blind. When authorities arrested him and beat him up, it was all the more difficult because he didn’t know from which directions the blows would come. Years later, the pastor was asked “how do you remain strong?” Incredibly, the blind man replied “I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus”. Hebrews 13:1 says “Keep on loving one another”. Jesus commanded that we should love one another and our joy will be full. Love is not something you do once or outwardly, but repeatedly.

Hebrews 13:2 says “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” What do we do when stranger come into our fellowship, are we kind to them like father Abraham?

North Korea tops the list for persecuted Christians. There was a Christian doctor named Dr.Park who built a hospital near the border, took the North Korean authorities to the hospital and told them he would build one just like that in North Korea. After raising as many funds as he could, he needed just USD 15000 more and time was running out. As he sat in his office, the nurse told him that there was a dirty looking gentlemen waiting to see him. He looked like he had slept in the streets. Dr.Park decided to see him, and to his surprise, the man said “I heard you have a problem”, and when Dr.Park said yes, he handed over an envelope and left. To his great surprise, Dr.Park found exactly USD15,000 in that envelope. Thinking back, he concluded that the dirty looking man had been an angel from God sent to meet his need.

Hebrews 13:3 says “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” None of us wants to go to prison. Yet in prison, a pastor led 95 people to Christ. Brothers and sisters have enough opportunity for witnessing inside as well as outside. What would be your concerns if you were in prison? You would want your family taken care of. You would want people to pray for you.

There is a little country east of Ethopia called Eritrea. The government declared all Protestant churches to be illegal. Orthodox and Catholic churches were allowed but if there was a Protestant gathering, the entire group would be arrested and interrogated until they found out who the leaders were and they were put in prison. Today, there are 2,000 Christians in prison in Eritrea. They could easily get out if they signed a paper saying they will stop going to church and following Jesus.

As they don’t have enough proper Christian cells, so many prisoners are kept in old shipping containers where there is no light and ventilation. Its hot during the day and cold during the night. There are hundreds of our brothers and sisters in these kinds of prisons. All they ask if that we pray for them. The most we can do is to pray for them.

One of them is a young lady, called Helen Berhane who produced a Christian music CD to encourage the young Christian people in her land. She was put in prison and led many people to faith there. In her book, she related how she was summoned to the prison office and questioned why she was preaching to the guards. She said “Jesus wants me to tell the guards too. I am not afraid of you. You can do all that you want to me, but you can never take my spirit”. She finally led so many people to faith in prison that they had to release her.

Iran is the nation with the fastest growing Christian population today, at a rate of 20% every year, but they have to meet in secret. Two Christian women were caught and put in prison where they were interrogated and tortured. They remained in prison for almost the whole year under brutal conditions. Christians all over the world wrote letters to them. They never received any, but they knew because the guards told them. Some of the guards who read the letters were even impacted by the Bible verses written therein.

Christians all over the world who are persecuted endure with courage because they fix their eyes on Jesus. And that is what we also must do.