Tuesday, August 8, 2017

I. INTRODUCTION
      - Welcome to MBST. It is a wonderful beginning of school year 2017-18.
  • My life as a former seminary student in MBST
  • MBST is a training ground to equip the servants of God
  • MBST is also the battleground where the devil makes the temptation to creep in
  • It is a must to overcome the temptation.

Title: Overcoming Temptation

II. BODY
Background
  • Chapters 3 and 4 are all about the preparation of Jesus's ministry
    • John the Baptizer is the one who cries out in the wilderness who prepares the way of the Lord-Jesus
    • Jesus' baptism inaugurates his earthly ministry
    • The voice of the Father "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" is a proclamation that Jesus is the Son of God
    • Matthew used the idea of Jesus being the Son of God in the next passage which is the Temptation of Jesus

Scene 1: Leading to Wilderness
  • The Spirit was the one led Jesus in the wilderness
    • In John Stott book, The Incomparable Christ, he emphasized that the gospel of Matthew is the gospel of fulfillment.
      • Fulfillment of prophecies, law and Israel
      • Jesus is the antitype of Israel - Israel is just the shadow of the one who will fulfill that they failed to do.
      • In baptism of Jesus, the word "SON" is emphasized there. God called Israel, son because of being the type of Jesus
    • The point is that Jesus was led into the wilderness as Israel experienced the life there in the wilderness.
  • The Purpose of Leading in the wilderness
    • To be tempted by the devil
      • The Greek word of "to tempt" is peirazw which also means to test.
      • God does not tempt His people, but He does test them.
        • To test is to reveal what the person is and not make the person who he is
          • Testing cannot change the fake gold to genuine gold or a genuine gold to fake gold, rather to prove the real identity.
      • On contrary, the devil does not test God's people, rather, he does the tempting.
        • To tempt is to drag the person through his lustful desires in order to commit sin.
      • Conclusion: In a single event, God test the person on one hand, and the devil tempt the person on the other hand.
        • What had happened to Job is a test - God proved who Job was. On the other hand, Satan tempted him.
    • This is the same thing that happened to Israel in wilderness and to Jesus in this passage.

Scene 2 - The Temptation
  • This scene is right after forty days and forty nights of fasting.
    • Jesus was so hungry and weak

3 General Temptations of the Enemy

1. Turn the Stones to Loaves of Bread (v3)
  • The reply of Jesus is a quote from Deuteronomy 8:3 pertaining to "Manna," which is found in Exodus 16:1-36
    • Man shall not live by bread alone but from every word that comes from the mouth of God
  • Temptation: Doing things based on his own will rather God's will
  • Purpose of Temptation: Satan wants Jesus disobey God's word
  • We trust our capability than God's word
    • That's why we sin because we did something that we are capable of, but not according to His word
    • Remember that apart from Jesus we can do nothing, we  cannot bear fruit, nor please God.
Challenge: Let us do our ministry according to God's word.
Main Point: To do according to our ability is disobey the word of God
Transition: The devil found out that Jesus trust the Word of God so the next temptation

2. Throw Yourself Down ….He will command his angels concerning you.
  • The quotation of Satan from Psalm 91:11-12 (God is the refuge and the fortress)
  • The reply of Jesus is a quote from Deuteronomy 6:16 pertaining to the event at "Massah," which is found in Exodus 17:1-7
    • You shall not put the Lord your God to the test if God is on your side or not.
  • Temptation: Putting God on a test by obliging God to Act
  • Purpose of Temptation: Satan wants Jesus to distrust God.
  • We put God into obligation to prove of His being God is to distrust God
    • I remember Bro. Eddie Villanueva during his campaign for presidency the second time around in 2010.
      •  
    • Prosperity preachers and other so called Christians put God into test, obliging God to make them wealthy so that others may come tot their church.
    • Healing and other performance in the church to prove that God is in their church.
    • I am so upset with the testimony of those people who became wealthy when they get into church. How about the poor Christians mentioned in the book of James? Is God away from them because they were poor?
  • God can make you wealth, make your business blooms, make you healed, but the testimony that we should testify is the testimony of apostles, martyrs, John Newton, wherein once they were blind and lost but now can see and found. The change inwardly because of the grace given to them from sinners to saints.
  • Read the BEATITUDES if you find one that God the blessed.
Challenge: Let us not put God in to a test to prove His being as God.
Main Point: To put God to a test, is to distrust the being of God
Transition: Satan was not able to make Jesus to commit sin, what he did is to

3. Worship Me….I will give you all the kingdoms of the world
  • The reply of Jesus is quoted from Deuteronomy 6:13
    • You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve
  • Temptation: Allurement of Kingdoms of all the Earth the easy way
  • Purpose of Temptation: Satan wants Jesus to dishonor God
    • All kingdoms will be given to Jesus. Any authorities. But he must suffer first
    • Satan allures him of the kingdoms of the world in easy way without suffering just to commit idolatry.
  • Many Christian are allured by worldly desires
    • Many pastors went out of the ministry because their needs are not met.
    • There are pastors stay in the ministry because ministry for them is an opportunity to be prosperous.
Challenge: Let us consider the ministry as a privilege to worship God and not an opportunity of fulfilling the worldly desires.
Main Point: To give in what Satan offers is to dishonor God

CIS: TO BE AWARE GOD IS TO BE AWARE OF DEVIL'S SNARE

III. CONCLUSION

We are all ministers here. Remember that temptations are everywhere. Beware of the devil's scheme. The devil will tempt us to disobey, to distrust, to dishonor God using different kinds of temptations. Let us be aware of God by obeying, trusting, and honoring God in order to stand against the devil's snare


MBST-Chapel Hour

08/08/17
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