Jesus In My Life = The Temptation Of Jesus Christ

           THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST

      = www.molevministries.org = December 2021 =

Beloved in Christ, God bless you and your family.

The bible said—“Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.” Matthew:4:1-2

Beloved please the time of fasting showed that Jesus is really was the son of God able to overcome the devil and his temptations. Please a person has not shown true obedience if he or she has never had the opportunity to disobey.

The bible said—“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.” Deuteronomy:8:2

Beloved please God wanted to see whether or not His people would really obey Him, thus He led Israel into the desert to humble them and test them. Please we too will be tested because we know that testing shall surely come so we should be alert and ready for it, wherefore we should remember that our conviction are only strong if they hold up under pressure. And temptation prepares us and helps us to attain greater height in life and takes us to the highest level of desire in life after overcoming temptation.

The bible said—“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.” Luke:4:1-2

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis:3:1-5

Beloved please the devil, also called Satan, tempted Eve in the garden of Eden, and here he tempted Jesus in the desert Please note that Satan is a fallen angel and he is real and symbolic. He is constantly fighting against those who follow and obey God. Please Satan’s temptation are real, and he is always trying to get us to live his way or our way rather than God’s way.  Please remember that so many people are in pains in the hospital because of evil disease and sickness while some are now managing terminal disease because they all yielded to Satan’s temptation.

The bible said—“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke:1:31-33

“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah:9:7

Beloved please Jesus will one reign over all creation, but Satan tried to force His hand and get Him declare His kingship prematurely. If Jesus had given in, His mission on earth — to die for our sins and give us the opportunity to have eternal life — would have been lost. Please when temptation seem especially strong or when you think you can rationalize given in, consider whether Satan may be trying to block Go’s purposes for your life or for someone else’s life. Please Satan has stolen most people’s blessings through unrighteous life. Please we may feel dirty after being tempted but we should remember that temptation itself is not sin. Please we sin when we give in and disobey God. So, please remember this will help us turn away from temptation because Jesus was tempted but He never sinned.

The bible said—“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. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews:4:15-16

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1st John:2:15-16

THE FIRST TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST: MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE =  

Beloved please the devil’s first temptation focus on this: Physical need and desire.

The bible said—“And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 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:4:3-4

Beloved Please Jesus was hungry and weak after fasting for 40 days, but He chose not to use His divine power to satisfy His natural desire for food. Please food, hunger and eating are good but the timing was wrong. Jesus was in the desert to fast and not to eat. And because Jesus had given up the unlimited, independent use of His divine power in order to experience humanity, So He wouldn’t use His power to change the stones to bread. Please we also may be tempted to satisfy a perfectly normal desire in a wrong way or at the wrong time.

The bible said—“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Ephesians:6:17

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews:4:12

The bible said—“He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.” Psalm:147:15

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians:3:16

The bible said—“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua:1:8

Beloved please Jesus was able to resist the devil’s temptation because He not only know the scriptures, but He also obey it. Please the word of God is a sword to use in Spiritual battle, so knowing the bible verses is an important step in helping us resist the devil’s attacks, but we must also obey the Bible which is very very important for our Spiritual growth and good life. Please note that Satan had memorized the scriptures but he failed to obey it and that is why so many religious prostitutes and miracle seekers are being deceived by fake pastors. Please my beloved friend knowing and obeying the Bible help us follow God’s desires rather than the desires of the devil.

The bible said—“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua:1:8

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John:8:32

Beloved please the word of God gives us healing and deliverance. See Psalm 107:20. The word of God gives us length of days and long life and peace. See Proverbs 3:1-2. The word of God gives us good health and prosperity. See 3rd John 1:2. The word of God gives us peace in every aspect. See Isaiah 9:6-7. Etc. However our life must be nourished with word of God which is the spiritual food to give us abundant life which is in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The bible said—“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

THE SECOND TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST: THOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD THY GOD =

The bible said—“Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Matthew:4:5-7

Beloved please tempting God is very bad and it is very dangerous as a child of God and as a Christian.  Please God is not our magician in sky ready to perform on request, thus Jesus responded to Satan’s temptation that it is not good to tempt God.

The bible said—“Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.” Deuteronomy:6:16

Beloved please the devil used the scriptures to try to convince Jesus to sin. Please sometimes friends or close associates will present attractive and convincing reasons why you should try something you know is very very wrong. Thus they may even find bible verses that seem to support their viewpoint. Please study the bible carefully, especially the broader contexts of the verses so that you understand God’s principles for living and what He wants for your life and for your family even your community. My friend please only if you understand what the whole Bible says will you be able to recognized errors of interpretation  when people take bible verses out of context and twist them to say what they want them to say.

The bible said—“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.” 1st Corinthians:10:13

“For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.” Psalm:125:3

Beloved please I want us to understand few things about this second temptation of Jesus. Please the devil tempted Christ to prove that he was the Son of God by doing these things: 1. Christ was tempted to test God. He was tempted to do the spectacular. He was to jump off the towering pinnacle of the temple and let God to send His angels to catch Him in midair and lift Him gently to the ground. Since He was God’s only Son. God would certainly bear Him up, so the devil reasoned. What a big fool! 2. Christ was tempted to attract attention by the spectacular or something very impressive. Please the worshippers at the temple, seeing such a spectacular event, would accept and proclaim Him to be the Son of God.

Beloved please these are two things wrong with the reasoning behind this temptation. : God is not to be tested. His will. His power. His protection. His promises are not to be presumed upon or taken advantage of or misused. Please God is not to be tested or tried. God is to be trusted. His will and His word are to be trusted and obeyed just as they are laid down; all things are to done exactly as He says. 2. God is to be trusted, and not the spectacular. God want men to believe Him because they love Him as their Father in Heaven, and not because of events or happenings, whether they be spectacular or common place.

The bible said—“Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” Isaiah:43:10-11

“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Isaiah:44:8

Beloved please Christ would have failed if He had given in to this temptation. 1. He would have tempted God to misuse His power. Christ would have placed Himself in a threatening position and risk His life, expecting God to Save Him. In fact this act would have abused God’s will and misused what God had Promised. This act would have ignored what God really wanted and had really said. 2. He would have centered people’s attention on the spectacular or the impressive. Please the mission of Christ is to focus people’s attention on Faith in God — In particular, their desperate need for God and His eternal Kingdom.

The bible said—“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” Mark:11:22

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” Hebrews:10:22-23

The bible said—“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John:6:28-29

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews:11:6

Beloved please we should realize that the power of Satan is a limited power. He can only tempt but he cannot force any person to sin. He (Satan) could not push Christ off the highest point of the temple. Satan cannot push man to Sin. Please the lust or the desire of man is from within man. Please Satan temptation can only stir or arouse the desire and lust so Satan cannot cause a man to lust. Therefore if a person is living in communion with God and living in God’s Word, he will be stirred to obey God more than he is stirred to yield to the temptation. Please we should also know that Satan know the scripture even know it well. Wherefore it is possible to know the scripture and not knowing God. Please it is even possible to know the scripture and to stand against God, abusing and misusing the Word of God.

The bible said—“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James:4:7-8

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James:1:13-15

THE THIRD TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST:- THOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD THY GOD=

The bible said—"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 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:4:8-10

Beloved please this is the third temptation of Jesus Christ which is the last temptation of Jesus after fasting for forty day and forty nights in the wilderness.

The bible said—"And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred." Matthew:4:2

Beloved please the scripture said, "Thou shall worship the Lord" and the scripture said again, "Him only shall thou Serve." See Matthew 4:10 = Please Jesus Christ is very clear in this verse, "Worship God" and "Serve God only." Please every Minister of God is a great man of God and every Christian is a child of God and every church is the body of Christ but Jesus Christ said in this verse that we should worship God and serve God only and not the pastor or the church but remember your service in the church of God is to God and not man.

The bible said—"And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office." Exodus:28:1-4

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew:16:18

Beloved please in this part of the temptation of Jesus the devil have been lying about his implied power and have based his offer on the temporary control and free rein over the earth because of the humanity’s Sinfulness. Please Jesus temptation was to take the world as a political ruler right then without carrying out His plan to Save the world from Sin. Thus Satan was trying to distort Jesus’ perspective by making Him focus on worldly power and not on the plans of God. God forbid!

Beloved note that the devil offered the whole world to Jesus, if Jesus would only bow down and worship him.  And today the devil offers us the world by trying to entice us with materialism and power. Please we can resist the devil’s temptations the same way Jesus did if we will always remember what Jesus said to the devil, "Worship the Lord your God and Serve Him only."

The bible said—"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John:4:23-24

"Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen." Deuteronomy:10:20-21

The bible said—"Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth." Psalm:96:8-9

"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:" Psalm:95:6-8

Beloved please Compromise! Compromise is very bad and very dangerous, thus the devil tempted Christ to prove that He was the Son of God by compromising these: 1. Christ was tempted to compromise His ministry and His mission. Christ was tempted to secure the world without the cross, without paying the price. He was tempted to choose another way instead of God’s way, in fact, to achieve His purpose by another route. Jesus was attracted to use the wrong means for reaching the end of universal sovereignty. If Christ bowed down and worshipped the devil, the Kingdoms of the world and the loyalty of men were to be His. God forbid. 2. Christ was tempted to compromise His life and His loyalty. Christ was tempted to switch loyalties: He was offered the world and the sovereign leadership of the world if He would just do one thing: Worship the devil. Please what does this mean? It means that Christ was tempted to allow the world, including man, to remain corruptible and dying with no hope of life eternal with God. It was a temptation to allow the world to continue as it is, and to allow the devil to continue his work within the world in order to frustrate God’s eternal plan for the world.

Beloved please there are things wrong with the reasoning behind this temptation: 1. Compromise with the devil and the world is not God’s way. Please God’s way is to conquer the corruption and death of this world. 2. God alone is to be worshipped, and not the devil nor the world and its power..

Beloved please if Christ had given in to this temptation He would have failed for this reasons: 1. He would have secured the Kingdoms of this world through compromise and not by God’s hand. For God had promised Christ the world and the loyalty of its Citizens but it was to come by way of the Cross. The way of God was far better, for the Kingdom promised by God were to be eternal. 2. He would have switched His loyalty from God to the devil. He would have forsaken God for this world and it Prince — Satan.

The Bible said—“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” Ephesians:2:2

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew:16:26

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans:12:2

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” 2nd Timothy:2:3-4

“And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.” John:2:15-16

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” Titus:2:11-12

THE TEMPTATION AND THE CONCLUSION: = THE DEFEAT OF THE DEVIL:

The bible said—“Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” Matthew:4:11

Beloved please Angels like these who waited on Jesus have a significant role as God’s messengers. Please angels are spiritual beings created by God who help carry out His work on earth. Please I would like us to know the roles of Angels with reference to scriptures. Please Angels brings the message of God to people. See Luke 1:21. They protect God’s people. See Daniel 6:22. They offer encouragement. See Genesis 16:7-12. They give guidance. See Exodus 14:19. They carry out punishment. See 2nd Samuel 24:16. They patrol the earth. See Zechariah 1:9-14. And they fight the forces of evil. See 2nd Kings 6:16-18 & Revelation 20:1-2. Please there are both good and bad angels. See Revelation 12:7, but because bad angels are allied with the devil called Satan, they have considerably less powers and authority than good angels. Eventually the main role of angels will be to offer continuous praise to God. See Revelation 7:11-12.

Beloved please Angels are spiritual beings that God is using for our good on earth and for us to enjoy the services of these angels we must have a good relationship with God, we must live a righteous life for the angels of God to work in our favour on earth. Please these spiritual being were involved in the life of Jesus on earth by: 1. Announcing Jesus birth to Mary. 2. Reassuring Joseph. 3. Naming Jesus. 4. Announcing Jesus birth to the Shepherds. 5. Protecting Jesus by sending his family to Egypt. 6. Ministering to Jesus in Gethsemane. Please that is how God has been using the good angels for our good on earth because of the love of God upon us and our family.

Beloved in Christ please temptation was conquered and there was triumphant for every believer through the power of Jesus Christ so everyone who want to defeat the devil and overcome temptations must have Jesus Christ and believe in the name of Jesus Christ to achieve good success and peace and prosperity in every aspect of life. Please Christ resisted the temptation the only way He could by doing exactly what the Word of God said. He simply obeyed God; therefore, He never get out of the will of God. The devil was defeated, and the temptation and sin were conquered. Please for us to defeat the devil which is Satan  and conquer temptation and sin in our life we must obey the voice of God which is the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Please always know that the devil is  a Conquered enemy.

The bible said—“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians:2:15

“And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Hebrews:2:15

Beloved please always remember that there is an escape from temptations. God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation.

The bible said—“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.” 1st Corinthians:10:13

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” 2nd Peter:2:9

Beloved please when temptation is resisted, the devil flees, the devil runs away and the believer is relieved for a while, just like the devil left Jesus Christ after Satan was defeated.

The bible said—“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James:4:7-8

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes:12:13-14

The bible said—“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” Deuteronomy:10:12-13

The bible said—“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John:14:6. Please repent now and come to Jesus Christ and accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. And God shall bless you exceedingly. God loves you. Jesus! = Evangelist Oliver U. Onyeoziri (JP) = The Missionary Bishop = Mount Olivet Evangelical Ministries = www.molevministries.org = Jesus Christ Is The Lord! === Please Note: All Scriptures are taken from KJV. = For Offering To God = Zenith Bank Of Nigeria Plc = Acct Name: Mount Olivet Evangelical Ministries = Acct No: 1012232357 = Or Western Union Money Transfer. But Inform The Bishop After Bank Transaction = Please all rights reserved otherwise written permission must be secured from Mount Olivet Evangelical Ministries = www.molevministries.org = Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!

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