“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith”

 

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 4:1-13:

Here in the beginning of this chapter, Luke records the temptation of Jesus by the great tempter himself (The two other accounts are found in – Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12 -13 ). In the original temptation story presented in Genesis 3 , Satan is victorious in his efforts to cause the special creation of God to stumble (sin entering the world through Adam). Here, Jesus as the second Adam ( Romans 5:12 -21 ; I Corinthians 15:20 -23 – in the flesh), will overcome the tempter in life and finally bring him down in death.

During the life of the Lord, He will overcome the temptations of Satan both here and the remainder of His physical life. This victory will not only stand as a testimony to the fact that we may also overcome, but also put our Savior in a position to sympathize with exactly what it is we face in the flesh, note:

Hebrews 2:17-18 “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Text #1 – The Prologue:

Luke 4:1-2 “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.”

Filled and Led by the Spirit: When John the Baptist witnessed the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus, it not only stood as a sign to Him that Jesus was in fact the Messiah ( John 1:33-34 ), John would also testify that Jesus had received the Spirit without Measure, note:

John 3:34-35 “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.”

The fact that the Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted indicates that God intended for this confrontation to occur in this fashion.

Fasted Forty Days: The temptation of the Lord came after the end of this fast when the pangs of hunger were at their greatest.

This is not the only interesting tidbit concerning this particular fast of the Lord. There were two other significant figures in the history of the scriptures that also fasted for the same length of time; Moses ( Deuteronomy 9:9 - when Moses went up to receive the tablets of the Law), and Elijah ( I Kings 19:8 – as he traveled toward Horeb where the word of God would come to him). These two were also presented at the transfiguration of Jesus, where God would pronounce His superiority over these symbols of the Law and the Prophets ( Matthew 17:1-13 ).

Satan – Devil: The word devil used here in the text is from the Greek word, ‘ diabolos ' and is used to describe a false accuser or slanderer. The word in the writings of the Bible is particularly used in conjunction with Satan. He is the father of such behavior and far worse, note:

John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Temptation: To tempt is to solicit to sin; to inflict evils upon one in order to test his character and steadfastness.

Text #2 – The Lust of the Flesh:

Luke 4:3-4 “And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' "

If You are the Son of God: Satan knew that the great issue at stake was the divinity of Christ, thus the suggested challenge was to prove this claim. Jesus never used His divine power on His own behalf, He was here to provide an example to His followers of self denial, the ability to overcome the flesh that wars against us ( I Peter 2:11 ).

It Is Written: In quoting the statement in Deuteronomy 8:3 , Jesus showed His respect for the inspired word of God and set a worthy example for us. He ignored the challenging portion of Satan's temptation and established that physical satisfaction is not the only thing that should interest a person in this life.

Text #3 – The Lust of the Eyes:

Luke 4:5-8 “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the L ord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "

The wilderness mentioned in verse one is on the western side of the Jordan River and is commonly thought to be Guarantania, a mountain west of Jericho.

I Will Give You: Here Jesus does not deny that it is within Satan's grasp to give the things he claims to offer. This seems to also be the testimony of these passages of scripture, note:

John 14:30 “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.”

John 16:11 “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

Ephesians 2:2 “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,”

Although we know that God rules the kingdoms of men ( Daniel 4:26 ), there is a sense in which Satan rules here on earth. Since this statement comes in arrogance and boastful lying, we see that this is the realm of Satan and his true control. The earthly evil things of this life, anything that can be used to tempt man from his designed purpose (fear God and keep His commandments – Ecclesiastes 12:13 -14 ), and anything that causes men to hurt and inflict suffering on their fellow men are the realm of Satan's control.

If You Worship Me: Satan knew that there is only one God and He is a jealous God, thus there could be no more contemptible suggestion than the Son of God to worship the adversary of man.

It Is Written: Whether true or false, Jesus ignored the promise of the adversary and again honored the word of God by quoting that God and God only was to be worshipped ( Deuteronomy 6:13 ).

Text #4 – The Pride of Life:

Luke 4:9-13 “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,'

11 "and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' " 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”

Jesus would accompany Satan to a point on the temple in Jerusalem high enough that if you were to fall from that point, death was a certainty.

If You Are The Son of God: Again the challenge of Satan is directed to the divinity of Jesus. Likewise Satan would also twist scripture attempting to use God's word for his own purpose. Satan is attempting to test the Lord with the pride of His Deity and His power over death.

As is often the case when misusing a passage of scripture, Satan would omit that the passages he quotes concerning the care of the angels, also said, “To keep you in all your ways” ( Psalms 91:11-12 ) and had nothing to do with Jesus using them for His own purposes (and was not a Messianic passage as many others are). However, the text was given to strengthen all those who abide under the shadow of the Almighty ( Psalms 91:1 ).

You Shall Not Tempt: Note the entire passage that Jesus quotes from:

Deuteronomy 6:16 "You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.”

This refers to Exodus 17:1-7 , where the people complained because of their thirst and questioned if the Lord was among them. This tried on the patience of God to hear such attacks upon His power and goodness (a form of temptation). God will not suffer being approached in the spirit of challenge just to see if He can or is willing to gratify their disrespectful curiosity.

In the face of Satan misusing scripture for his own purpose, the Lord would correctly use scripture and rely on it when strength was needed.

When the Devil had Ended: Jesus having overcome the three primary weapons of the great adversary (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – I John 2:16 ), Satan withdrew. The battle won, however, the war was yet to be won. Satan would return to attack the Lord in the guise of those who do his bidding. These attacks would continue until not only would the Lord defeat them all, but finally win the war when He would provide every man the opportunity to overcome the death that sin creates.

1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”

Next: “ Jesus Begins His Ministry ”