January 17 - Jesus Refuses to Test God - Devotional

GracetoYou.org ^ | 2008 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

“Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple” (Matthew 4:5).

In confronting our Lord Jesus Christ, Satan persisted in trying to undermine or destroy the Son’s relationship to His Father. This time he goaded Jesus with this statement: “If You are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” To fortify his challenge and make it more plausible, the adversary— with a subtle and clever twist—quoted Scripture: “For it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone’” (from Ps. 91:11–12).

Now Satan surely had Christ backed into a corner, he likely reasoned, using his misguided and evil sense of logic. “If the Messiah lives only according to the Word of God, then I should confront Him with something from that Word.” If Jesus wouldn’t use His own power to help Himself and meet His immediate needs, maybe He would let God work on His behalf—after all, this was a “scriptural test,” according to Satan. Jesus could thus let God fulfill a promise from Psalms and prove to others that He was indeed God’s Son and Messiah.

But no matter how persuasive Satan’s argument—undergirded with a proof text—may have sounded, Jesus did not agree to it, not wanting to presumptuously test God or jump ahead of the divine timetable for the Savior’s redemptive ministry.

Ask Yourself

Yes, Scripture can be turned and twisted to suit anyone’s ends. What safeguards do you have in place against misusing the Word of God, while still maintaining a bold, believing faith in its sense of direction? Ask the Spirit to guide you into its truth. That’s His job (John 16:13).

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[Bob434]

Read something interesting this morning. God is obligated to care for the things he created. Zn old proverb is “if he makes the mouths, it is his business to feed them”

But it’s important o note that “care for” does not mean “protect against every evil” (ie, keep,people free fro disease, strife, evil people etc), it means that he will provide a way of salvation, and for those saved, they are assured of eternity in heaven if evil,or disease etc should cut them off early in life. He will help his own though the evils thst they encounter, not exempt them from it. He is always available for that spiritual help to those who seek it, regardless the circumstances of their lives. (Takes a great faith for an abused person, or starving person. Or whatever to keep,their eyes fixed on God, and trusting I. Him, and to be able to say along with job “though he slay me, yet Wil, I trust him”

[Bob434]

Lot of religions today do twist the word so bad that they end up creating a God in THEIR OWN image. They don’t worship,the God of the Bible anymore, they “worship” z God of their own inventions, mu hmthe way the Israelite did with the golden calf- they mixed the Jewish religion into pagan religions. God ismjust as displeased today as he was back then with the Israelites. His word hasn’t changed.

Good study this morning. Thanks for posting these

[Bob434]

Sorry just one more... Maclaren portrays an absolutely faithful God thst can be depended upon by the faithful

“His past binds Him to certain conduct in His future. We can lay hold on the former manifestation, and we can plead it with Him. ‘Thou hast been, and therefore Thou must be.’ ‘Thou hast taught me to trust in Thee; vindicate and warrant my trust by Thy unchangeableness.’”

We can actually pray znd declare that as hid has been consistent I. The past, so too shall he be today, and we can depend on it znd hold him to,it znd he gladly does so because of his nature which can not lie, znd is he happy to be true to his word on our behalf.

[metmom]

That sure makes sense.

I have been praying that as God is pouring out His judgment on this world for its sin, that He would also do what He did for Israel in Egypt, and that is, make a distinction between His people and not His people.