Adult DCLM Search the Scripture 6 March 2022 | Lesson 10

Adult DCLM Search the Scripture 6 March 2022 | Lesson 10 | Temptation and Commencement of Christ’s Ministry

Deeper Life Search the Scripture 6 March 2022

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ADULT STS LESSON 10

TOPIC: TEMPTATION AND COMMENCEMENT OF CHRIST’S MINISTRY

MEMORY VERSE: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).

TEXT: Matthew 4:1-25; Luke 4:1-44

Adult DCLM Search the Scripture 6 March 2022 | Lesson 10 || MESSAGE

In preparation for His earthly ministry, Jesus received a public approval from God at his Baptism in river Jordan. Afterwards, He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The temptation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ foreshadows that all believers will invariably face temptations. The disciples cannot be greater than the Master (Matt 10:24). But as Christ overcame the tempter and his temptations, so too will His followers overcome if they rely on his grace. He has promised to make a way so that they may be able to bear any temptation (I Cor 10:13).

Immediately after he overcame Satan’s temptation, Christ began his public ministry by calling people to repentance. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). Thereafter, He chose disciples whom He trained and sent forth into the ministry of soul-winning. His mission was to make ordinary people extraordinary and fishermen to become “Fishers of men”. In the same vein, all believers are called unto the ministry of soul-winning.

1. CHRIST’S TEMPTATION AND VICTORY

Matt 4:1-10; Luke 4:1-13; Deut 8:3; Psalm 91:11; Deut 6:13; Heb 4:15

“Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil”. (Matt 4;1). Christ did not stray into temptation by way of enticement with the things of the world but was ‘led up of’ or permitted by the Holy Spirit to be tempted.

i. God permitted this as an example to believers that temptations or tests would come irrespective of who we are.

ii. It is proof that as Christ overcame the devil through the instrumentality of the word of God, so will believers.

iii. It is to show that our Master was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. And, though He does not have a modicum of the sinful nature in Him, He went through this experience that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God (Heb 2:17).

iv. Last, it is to affirm that temptation comes to all and sundry. Some Bible Scholars have categorized Christ’s temptation into three major areas: appetite, ambition and avarice.

A. Dwelling on Christ’s immediate need of food, Satan wanted Him to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger. “And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matt 4 :3). Jesus had fasted for forty days and was obviously hungry. In this temptation, Satan wanted Christ to doubt His sonship which was earlier confirmed by the voice of the Father from heaven when He was baptized (Matt 3:17).

The devil also wanted to use the temptation to accuse the son of God of using the gift and power of God in their lives to prove a point or indulge self, no matter how legitimately appealing. Our Lord responded to this temptation by using the scripture to counter the enemy. “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” (Matt 4:4). This was a reference to Deut 8:3.

B. The second temptation as recorded by Matthew focuses on ambition. “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 angel charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Matt 4:5,6).

The tempter wanted the Saviour to commit the sin of presumption and test the will of the Father. He instigated Him to jump from the pinnacle of the temple, hoping that the Father would send angels to protect Him. Again, our Lord perceived the evil intention of the enemy. Relying on the scripture again, He said, “…It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matt 4:7). To tempt the Lord is deliberately put ourselves in harm’s way and expect Him to protect us. It is a sin!

C. Third, Satan tempted Christ with avarice, to embrace the glory of the world thereby committing the sin of idolatry. This time he used the scripture to try to veil his mischief, albeit, incorrectly. “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” (Matt 4:8,9).

The devil assumed wrongly that he owns the wealth and glories of this world, yet the scripture says that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof (Deu 10:14; Ps 24:1). Even before Satan’s suggestion, Jesus had been promised a kingdom, but the way to possess it was divine and not as a gift from the devil. Again, Christ resisted him, this time, with a stern rebuke,

“…Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matt 4:10).

When a believer accepts power, fame, gift or other offers from the devil, it is idolatry and amounts to bowing to him. Satan brings temptations, no matter how fair or reasonable, to cause believers to sin against their God, yet he turns around to accuse and condemn them. Believers are to beware of his enticements lest he takes away heaven’s treasures from them and deny them entry. After the Lord had successfully triumphed over the temptations, “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him” (Matt 4:11).

We are sure of heaven’s support when we resist the devil and refuse to yield to temptation. The scripture provides a solid weapon against temptations. Those who would defeat the devil each time he comes must be conversant with the provisions of the word of God. In each case, Jesus resisted the temptation by quoting directly from the scriptures.

Adult DCLM Search the Scripture 6 March 2022 | Lesson 10

2. COMMENCEMENT OF CHRIST’S EARTHLY MINISTRY

Luke 4:14-44; Matt 4:12-17,23-25; Acts 2:38; 10:38; Pro 28:13; John 3:19

“And Jesus returned in the power of the spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about” (Luke 4:14).

After successfully overcoming the temptations, Christ’s began His public ministry which was proceeded by the anointing of the Holy Spirit during His water baptism. Genuine salvation, sanctification, baptism in the Holy Ghost and water baptism are compulsory Christian experiences for all believers who wants to excel in the gospel ministry.

Without the Holy Spirit, our ministry will lack unction, power and courage to declare the whole counsel of God. As the Lord began His ministry, His practice was to go to places where people gathered. Since the Jews regarded attending the synagogue on the Sabbath day as a sacred duty, the Lord resorted thither regularly to preach and teach. In the synagogue at Nazareth where He was brought up, He was offered the opportunity to read the scripture for the day, which coincidentally spoke of His mission and ministry.

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18,19).

The passage defines the totality of Christ’s ministry and He labored throughout His earthly ministry to fulfill it. Christ’s public ministry was threefold – teaching, preaching and healing. He was anointed to call men and women to repentance from sin and dead works to faith towards God. “From that time Jesus begun to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17).

Believers should emphasize repentance in their preaching outreaches. Ministering and preaching to sinners should be done with the motive of bringing them to repentance so that they can turn from darkness to light (Matt 3:2; Acts 2:38). There is a promise of forgiveness for those who respond and turn from their wicked ways (Pro 28:13; Ps 32:3). Though Christ, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light sprung up” (Matt4:16).

Rejecting Him amounts to discarding the light of the world and remaining in darkness.

Unfortunately, many of the people who heard Him rejected the call to repentance. “And [they]
rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong” (Luke 4:29). But He escaped from their midst because His time to die had not come. As He was rejected at His birthplace of Nazareth, Christ came to Capernaum and there continued His ministry. The healing of a man with an unclean spirit crying with a loud voice as He was preaching and teaching on the Sabbath day brought Him to limelight.

“And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who art thou; the Holy one of God, And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him out” (Luke 4:33-35).

The miracles revealed Christ as the anointed One who had come to destroy all the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). What the Lord did before, He is still doing today; those who trust Him for healing will receive divine touch.

Adult DCLM Search the Scripture 6 March 2022 | Lesson 10

3. THE CALL OF CHRIST’’S DISCIPLES

Matt 4:18-22; 10:2-4; John 1:40,41; 1 Cor 1:26-29

“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called peter, and
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto
them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their
nets, and followed him” (Matt 4:18-20).

These brethren’s response to Christ’s invitation is instructive. The Lord expects prompt response to the gospel call. People who linger before becoming committed disciples of Christ risk missing the plan of God for their lives. Two, they willingly submitted everything to be transformed from being fishermen to “Fishers of men”. No treasure should be too great or relationship too dear to sever in order to answer the Master’s call. “Leaving all”, “selling all” and “forsaking all” are familiar scriptural terms and basic requirements to follow Christ as disciples. The early disciples were common men the world would not have reckoned with but were called by Jesus Christ.

“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Cor 1:26,27).

Three, the disciples’ call included the ministry of soul-winning, fishing men and bringing them
to the Lord. “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner
of disease among the people” (Matt 4:23). Christ operated a holistic and balanced ministry
which provided solutions to the spiritual and physical; needs of people. As we join the ministry
of soul-winning, let us seek the grace and gift to meet the needs of the people, physically and
spiritually. By so doing, we shall haul multitudes of souls into God’s kingdom.

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW:

1. Why should a believer expect to be tempted by the devil?
2. How can a believer overcome temptations?
3. What is the most potent weapon against temptations?
4. Why did Christ accompany His teaching and preaching ministry with miracles?
5. What can we learn from Jesus’ call of fishermen to be apostles in the early church?
6. How can we answer Christ’s call to discipleship?
7. How did the disciples respond to Christ’s call?

Adult DCLM Search the Scripture 6 March 2022 | Lesson 10