Matthew 4

Notes for BSF

SATAN TEMPTS JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS (Matthew 4:1-11)

Satan tempted Jesus at His weakest moment (Matthew 4:2)
Satan didn't tempt Jesus at the beginning of His fast. No. Instead, Satan came at Jesus' most vulnerable moment, when He was hungry, tired, and weak. The reason is simple: Why fight us when we are strong? We are much easier to be taken advantage of when we are exhausted and too fatigued to fight!

Jesus, as man, resisted the temptations of Satan by relying on the Word of God (Matthew 4:3-11)
Each time Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus would speak the Word of God to deter the temptations.

Why is SPEAKING the Word so critical?

First, the sword is one of the two offensive weapons we have in the Armor of God to battle against Satan and his demons (Ephesians 6). (The other is prayer.)

Hebrews 4:12, NKJV
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Second, when God spoke His Word the first time, He created the first edge of the sword. When we speak his Word, we create that second edge! This is why when we SPEAK OUT the Word of God, there is POWER in those words, enough power to defeat Satan!

What might happen if we go up against Satan's temptations without the Word of God?

One biblical example is Adam and Eve. Both caved into Satan’s temptation when they chose to rely on their own reasoning rather than trusting in God's wisdom.

Jesus, on the other hand, relied not on His own thoughts -- especially when He was physically weak -- but on the Word of God. Every time Satan offered Jesus something, Jesus would faithfully look to God's Word for guidance and support.

We, too, can resist Satan's temptations by relying on the Word of God (Hebrews 2:14-18) 
Jesus defeated Satan's temptations not because He was God. Jesus defeated Satan's temptations while He was fully man who relied on God's Word for guidance and strength.

Knowing the above, Hebrews 2:18 makes so much sense:
"Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

When we are weak, we need to be aware that Satan is just around the corner, ready to take advantage of us. Yet, even though we are weak, we should have great faith, that if we depend on God's Word, we, too, can overcome any temptation.

Satan KNEW Jesus as the Son of God 
Satan challenged Jesus by repeating this phrase, "If you are the Son of God" (Matthew 11:3, 6). 

We learn two important details from this simple passage.

1) Jesus never corrected Satan's statement
2) Satan knows who Jesus is

What is the significance of these details?

For one, Jesus states that He is the Son of God. This statement is either true or false. For the believers among us, we obviously know it to be true.

For the non-believers among us, it is worth consider that if it is NOT true, that would make Jesus either a liar (in which case, He would know that it's not true but claim it's true anyway) or a lunatic (in which case, He would truly think He is God but really isn't). Take a look at the amount of evidence available and think this through, friends. Think of the implications of this fact because nothing else impacts our eternity more.

Second, while humans struggle about the God-hood of Jesus, Satan and his demons have no such struggle. They always recognize Jesus from miles away -- They need no convincing. Why not? Because they have witnessed His God-hood from the beginning of their existence.

What does this mean for us?

James 2:19, NKJV
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble!

What is James' point? It is not enough for us to just recognize God is God. It is not enough for us to just acknowledge God is God -- because even the demons have this knowledge and look where they are fated! What we choose to do with this knowledge is key.

Many people misunderstand the Book of James and believe he proposes that we are saved by our works, in contrast to what Paul proposes, which is that we are saved by faith. However, there is no discrepancy between their teachings. Paul preached heavily on faith, whereas James focused on the NEXT step. Our faith should be reflected in our walk. If we claim we know God, and yet, we behave as if we don't, how are we any different than Satan and the rest of the fallen angels? As always, it's a heart thing. If our heart is with God, we will live a life that shows it.

Satan tried to tempt Jesus to circumvent the Cross
Why would Satan tempt Jesus?

The following is speculation, since it cannot be proven, but I do believe it to be a valuable brain exercise, so I thank you for indulging me.

Satan recognizes Jesus as the Son of God. Satan knows the Bible well enough to distort it and misquote it. Satan may not know God's complete plan for humanity, but he knows enough to know about the prophecies detailed in the Bible:

1) Satan knows Israelites are God's people, and he's never stopped going after them. If he could corrupt the bloodline, then the Messiah couldn't be born (Genesis 6). Alas, God intervened, and the bloodline of His people was preserved, bringing Jesus into the world.

2) Since Satan couldn't prevent Jesus' birth, the next best thing is to have Him killed (Matthew 2:16). Alas, God intervened and helped Joseph and Mary to take Jesus into safe country.

Now what? Satan keeps trying.

As Jesus prepares to start His ministry, here comes Satan, ready to thwart God's plan again. If Satan could prevent Jesus from fulfilling the prophecy of dying on the Cross, then he would have succeeded in breaking God's promise.

By offering Jesus all that glory (Matthew 4:9), Satan was really offering Jesus a way around the Cross. His temptation was essentially asking Jesus, "Why die and be tortured? You can have all this kingdom right here, without suffering." If Jesus had fallen prey to this temptation, humanity would not have any way to salvation!

The key here is that there is no way around the Cross. Jesus' blood is the only agent that can free us from our sins. Additionally, we learn that the Word of God is our eternal source of food and support, that we should not test God, and that we should worship God and only God.

Satan fell from Heaven because he wanted to be worshiped like God. And here, even as he tempted Jesus, he still sought to be worshiped. From Jesus’ responses, we learn that by using God’s Word, we can overcome Satan’s temptations and remain firm that we worship God and only God.

It may be tempting to say, "Well, of course, Jesus could resist Satan's temptation. He is God!" However, we do need to bear in mind that when Jesus was man on Earth, He was fully man and did not live as "God trapped in a man's body," so to speak. He battles all that we battle. And so, we ought to realize that Satan will always be there to offer us the easy way out -- especially when we are at our weakest, ready to give up. Hang in there, hang on to God's Word!


JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY AND CALLS HIS DISCIPLES (Matthew 4:12-25)

Jesus fulfilled the following prophecies

Isaiah 9:1-2
Jesus is the light that shines on His people, who will lead His people.

Isaiah 11:1-3
Jesus is a direct descendant of Jesse.

The following is also true of Jesus: The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

Jesus' disciples left their lives to follow Jesus 
When called, Jesus' disciples immediately dropped what they were doing and followed Him. These disciples were uneducated and relied on the only skills they have to make a living: fishing. Jesus comes and tells them that He would make them fishers of men. They trusted Jesus enough to let go of the only thing they know, to let go of what they know is comfortable, and to step into the unknown with Him. They didn't just leave their way of leaving -- They also left their families.

Matthew 10:35-37, NKJV
For I have come to "set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law"... He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Why would Jesus say that?

Romans 1:1-4, NKJV
The Gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to e the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Understand this: Jesus came to bring us Light, to bring us the Truth. Jesus came as Truth, the Word. Jesus also comes to bring us the Good News, that through Him, we receive eternal salvation. This Truth is so significant, it literally dictates whether we spend our eternity with God or without God (the definition of Hell).

So, do we follow Jesus or not?

When placed in a vacuum, it is not hard to make this decision. Follow Jesus, eternal life. Reject Jesus, eternal condemnation. Not very hard. BUT. We do not live in a vacuum. We live in a world where we are constantly exposed to Satan's temptations -- one of which is our ties to this world. Satan will use whatever he can get his hands on to keep us tied to his world, be it money, power, or people -- or more specifically, loved ones.

Jesus is not telling us to go against people. Instead, He is using this message to make a very strong point: Anything we hold more dear than God is the thing that will rip us away from God and put us right into the palm of Satan's hands.

We shouldn't hear Jesus' message and think, "Why is Jesus making me choose between loved ones and Him?" But instead, we should see the bigger picture: If we cannot stand strong with Jesus to secure our salvation, how can we go and preach the Good News to loved ones and make sure they also accept salvation through Jesus? Focus on the eternal, and Jesus' message becomes very clear. Our love for the people around us has no real value if it costs our eternal life in God. We have to love them so much that we are able to see past the material, to keep fighting the demons that blind their eyes until... until they are saved!

Do we have that kind of commitment? Doesn't our loved ones deserve that kind of commitment? If we truly know Jesus, doesn't He at least deserve that kind of commitment?