Key verse: At once
the Holy Spirit sent Him out into the desert.
Mark 1:12
After descending upon Him in the form of a dove at His
baptism, the Holy Spirit, the third part of the trinity, the third part of
Himself, drove Jesus out into the desert.
He was not running from responsibility.
He was not proving to man his super human powers and physical abilities.
Certainly, this became a time for Jesus to commune with the
Father and the Holy Spirit. It became a
time for Him to gain strength from His fellowship with them. It became a time for Him to learn how it
feels to be starving physically. It became
the time when He had His first face off with satan in His ministry. It also, however, became a time for us to
watch and learn and, in the words of Paul in Eph. 5:1, learn how better to become imitators of
Christ when we undergo our temptations.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul says, "No temptation has
seized you except what is common to man.
And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can
bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide
a way out so that you can stand up under it." It was right that Jesus be tempted. In this way He would further identify with
our lives here on earth. And, while you may be tempted to think that,
because it was Jesus facing these temptations, then it was probably easy for
Him to resist, Hebrews 2:18 says, "Because He Himself suffered when He was
tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted." He suffered through these temptations much as
you and I do. This was not easy for Him
either, but He was successful.
Jesus demonstrates for us the means of escape. The key is to stay focused on Him, by hiding His Word in our hearts and believing that He
will help us to overcome. Isn't it
interesting to note that when Jesus is directly tempted by satan's misquotes of
Scripture, the lies of the devil are beat back with Jesus' true use of God's
Word? It is well for us to know God's Word and use it wisely in our own
struggles. It is also wise for us to be
familiar enough with His Word to recognize when it is being misused and misapplied.
Satan is a master at abusing Scripture. We live in a day when God's Word is being
twisted and abused and we need to be able to know when this is happening so
that we will not be led astray by the deceiver.
The proper use of God's Word is to recognize that "it is living and
active. Sharper than any two edged
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Heb.4:12) Witness how
Jesus demonstrates this skill in the days to come.
In Hebrews 4:15, the Author continues, we are told that
"We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet
was without sin." This episode in
Jesus' life here on earth was to show him further identifying with what our lives
are like with temptation and sin all around us.
Yet, because of these temptations, the book of Hebrews goes on to say
that we may, "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews
4:16)
He has met our need. He
is our means of escape. We are never
tempted beyond what we can bear. Christ
was tempted, but not beyond what He could bear.
He is the shield of faith that protects us from the fiery darts of the
devil. He is the path of righteousness
that will lead us to safety. He knows
what it is to be tempted. He has gone
before you and He will see you safely through.
Do you trust Him?
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