MATTHEW 4:1-17 - Skip Heitzig

[Music] welcome to expound our weekly worship and verse by verse study of the Bible our goal is to expand your knowledge of the truth of God by explaining the Word of God in a way that is interactive enjoyable and congregational we call this a textual community let's rejoice and learn God's Word in an interactive and enjoyable new way Lord we do consider the reading the explanation of and the understanding of Scripture to be part of our worship it shows that not only are we interested in telling you some things when we sing or when we pray but hearing some things from you that we love you enough to listen as your word is being proclaimed because we see it we believe it to be your voice for us today Lord as limited and as imperfect and as flawed as this instrument this teaching instrument is tonight we pray that your Holy Spirit would override and be able to speak truth into our lives and into our hearts I thank you for a church that is solidly built upon the exposition of and the continuance in the scripture and I pray Lord that as you are a reward er of those who diligently seek you would you lavishly reward those who have sought and studied in advance in Jesus name Amen please have a seat I will say right up front that speaking about the devil is not my favorite subject it's my least favorite subject I'd rather not have to tell you about him but we all have to deal with him Jesus even had to deal with him and since the Bible says we're not ignorant of his devices it's sometimes good to be refreshed on his devices so as to not be ignorant of his devices we're not ignorant but sometimes we just sort of forget and we go oh yeah that's right he does do that kind of weird stuff doesn't he I had a brush with the dark side with Satan before I was saved really not knowing what it was all about but inviting spirits to inhabit my body and inviting spirits to speak to me and to speak through me and I just thought it was cool I just thought I'm a kid I'm experimental I'm interested in the spiritual realm and I found it to be very very powerful but I remember that evening when I had a thought I thought if there's this much power on the wrong side how much power must there be on the right side and that's what got me interested in searching out and being open to the right side God's side now we have a dynamic that is happening in Chapter four actually began in Chapter three continues in Chapter four so it's good we're going through the Bible like this it helps us really understand it here's the dynamic in Chapter three Jesus came to the Jordan River where John the Baptizer hosted his ministry to the people who would come from Jerusalem Judea and the surrounding region and his message was simple repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand those were his words when people would come to him he would baptize them for the remission of sins he said when the scribes and the Pharisees came john the baptist's message turned a little bit because he doubted their motives he thought they're really not here to be baptized they're here to just scope it out check it out see if it's gonna create any problems with the establishment in Jerusalem so John's sermon to them was a little more unique he said brood of slimy snakes who has warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come and don't you start thinking within yourselves that just because we're Abraham's descendants were off the hook because God can raise up out of these rocks sons of Abraham so he created a little bit of friction with that group but one day to his surprise Jesus came down to the Jordan River and he walked into the waters to be baptized and John like did a double-take he like blew a fuse it didn't compute he thought oh wait wait wait wait I should be baptized by you you certainly don't need to be baptized by me Jesus said John I want you to let this one go I want you to permit this to be so for now to fulfill all righteousness so Jesus was baptized to identify with sinful people that's why he had come to identify with us take our sins and that baptism was a pre figure of that now it says when Jesus was baptized that the heavens were opened the heavens were opened it was an action from God to show to prove God's favor on this moment the Holy Spirit alighted upon Jesus like a dove the Father Son and the Spirit the Trinity were involved and the father said this is my beloved son I am well pleased with him that was chapter 3 the heavens were opened in chapter 3 now we're in chapter for we find a different dynamic as the heavens were opened in chapter 3 now hell is opened in chapter 4 the doors of heaven are opened one minute the doors of Hell are opened the next minute now I just want you to realize that cogitate with me upon that thought for just a moment because there's a principle there it's actually a principle you learned as a kid it's true in the physical realm as well as the spiritual realm your teachers taught it to you it comes from Isaac Newton who actually coined the phrase when I say it I know you're gonna be able to finish it every action brings an equal and opposite reaction see I knew that you knew it we all know it it's a fact of life it's a fact of life physically it's also a fact of life spiritually every action of God brings a reaction from God's enemy every action in heaven brings a reaction in hell so as heaven was open now hell is opened you could illustrate this principle actually you could illustrate it tonight if you go home and your light your porch light is not on go turn it on and then go back in 10 minutes and see if there's any difference this is what you'll notice as soon as you turn it on you just see a light but leave it shining in the darkness to permeate the darkness and bring light and after a while bugs will surround that light and some of them are nasty gnarly looking bugs and in some parts of the country I mean they're they could carry your kids away when God turns his light on the bugs come to surround the light when that powerful force to permeate the darkness is unleashed released Satan and his minions and his demons will react and that's the principle that's a principle in your life the more business you do with God the more business you will do with the devil it's a fact of life don't let that scare you it's just a fact of life nothing promotes the activity of the devil more than your proximity to God the closer you get to god I'm gonna seek the Lord I want to live close to God don't think that Satan is going to give you a standing ovation with that one don't think that the minions of hell are gonna go yes let's cheer that commitment on they're gonna go oh really well let's see what we can do about that and I commend to you if you've never read CS Lewis's great book the Screwtape Letters he gives tremendous insight into how the devil thinks and how he strategizes and plans the attack against us in fact CS Lewis said I almost couldn't finish writing this book to to constantly place myself in the position as being the devil and to think like he thinks so malevolently for a long period of time as to undo God's work was very difficult he said for him so every action brings an equal and opposite reaction there is a mistake that many people make regarding the devil actually there's several mistakes but two of them that stand out one mistake I find among Christians who make too much of the devil and they see him everywhere and everything and it's always you know almost like they're they either go crazy loving to cast you know it's like where's the devil worth oh let me Adam you know almost a fascination with evil that is unhealthy the other is to deny his existence altogether that's the other mistake that's the polar opposite idea it's a mistake to dismiss the work of the devil and not believe that he's a literal being it's a mistake a lot of people may call you know it's just a figment of one's imagination it's a figure of speech he's not a literal person now that's exactly what the devil wants you to believe because you see there's no enemy as powerful as one you don't believe exists if you're fighting a battle and you can't see where the enemy is and you're out there on the battlefield and there's a real enemy he's got his guns pointed at you and your camp if you're after going boy I don't I don't see the enemy oh he probably doesn't even exist and you just start walking out in the open field you're dead meat so it's a mistake to not believe in the existence of the devil Charlie Charles Finney who was a revivalist and an evangelist in our country years ago on the eastern seaboard he was having a conversation with the man and the man said to Finney I don't believe in the existence of any devil and Finney smiled and said you do battle with him for a while and you will he knew from first-hand experience what it was like as did Martin Luther who was purported to have thrown an inkwell at the devil when he appeared to him at the castle and Vaart board Germany Finney knew what that was like Peter put it this way be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and if you're not watching and vigilant you can get eaten up so heaven is opened and now in Chapter four we're gonna see how hell is open now let me just frame something for you and here's what it's good about the but we have been in two Old Testament books Genesis then Exodus and now Matthew because we're a little more fresh off of the Genesis bandwagon I mean okay it's been a while but I don't know if it's a year or two but but still it's not ten years removed you may remember something and when you remember you go oh well that makes sense and because here's what I want to say this shouldn't surprise us this whole temptation thing this whole Satan coming of Jesus shouldn't surprise us in fact we should have been anticipating it all along because there was a promise made back in Genesis 3 where God said to the devil in the Garden of Eden he said I will put enmity between you Satan and the woman between your seed and her seed he will bruise or crush your head and you will bruise his heel so there was a prediction made early on that in the human lineage born of a woman will be one who will come to destroy the work of Satan to crush his head to take away his powerful Authority was the first messianic prophecy ever spoken so we're not surprised when that seed Jesus is eventually born to see the kind of animosity against him like with Herod killing all the babies around Bethlehem or as soon as Jesus begins his public ministry which is here for Satan to come at him this is that seed this is that one here he is so we're not surprised we anticipated then verse 1 Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil now stop right there the Spirit is clearly in control the Holy Spirit that is alighted upon Jesus his whole life is spirit led he is not driven he is led by the spirit and the spirit in control brings him to a place where he must face his opponent but notice when Satan comes at him notice and there's three temptations by the way we're going to cover notice when the attack comes first of all after Jesus is baptized what a what a glorious moment God speaks from heaven Wow the Holy Spirit shows up in symbolic form wow the heavens are open Wow miraculous glorious and then after such a wonderful glorious blast event the devil shows up now just remember that why does he show up after such an event because he wants to steal the blessing God gave that's why we're not ignorant of his devices so don't be ignorant when you receive a tremendous blessing just just wait wait for it wait for it and don't be surprised if the enemy the devil isn't there to hijack the blessing the children of Israel were miraculously delivered out of Egypt and brought into the wilderness to the Red Sea and right right there after that miraculous deliverance after the night of the firstborn judgment upon Egypt and there they are they start to be cared for by God in the bosom of his care which was the the wilderness as they get to the Red Sea then the Pharaoh dispatches his army to destroy them right after that wonderful blessing of deliverance here we go God's in charge then the enemy comes from behind to it attack and destroy to steal the blessing here's another example king hezekiah of judah decides let's get spiritual man let's get right with God let's reinstitute the Passover let's dig our deep our roots deep into spiritual truths and get into the reading of the word of God and let's celebrate a Passover that hasn't been celebrated in hundreds of years in our land it was a tremendous spiritual revival and a tremendous spiritual blessing as soon as they celebrated Passover it was then that the Assyrian armies surrounded Jerusalem and threatened to destroy Judah after the blessing Satan dare to rip it up and of course he prayed and Isaiah said man don't sweat the small stuff God will take care of them but the threat was there nonetheless when Jesus takes his three boys Peter James and John up on a high mountain and he's transfigured before them you know that story in Matthew chapter 17 beautiful story we'll get to it by God's grace and they saw the miracle of the glowing shining transfigured Jesus with the head of the law Moses the most prominent prophet Elijah and they're checking this out going man I'm dead they're going it doesn't get any better than this right that's what they're looking at each other saying Peter it doesn't get any better than this does it Noah this is awesome hold on I got to say something right Andy interrupts it and you know how that goes well as wonderful as that was what was waiting for them when they got down the mountain a demon-possessed kid that they couldn't deal with I asked her disciples they couldn't handle this so the threat to the blessing so God seeks to bless Satan is a thief he seeks to rob the blessing steal kill destroy bishop JC rile of Liverpool used to say the devil is never more active than in a church it's an interesting statement and you that have been believers for a long time you go yeah yep you come and God meet you and he unlocks truth and you get blessed and then church is over you get in your car still on a high Oh Lord you've spoke to my heart you're dealing with my I love it and then you get on the road and you're gonna pull up the Starbucks on the way home and somebody going way too fast passes you by squeeze you out and pulls right in front of you and and gets the space that you should have had and and now your joy is gone it's shot all the victory all the joy just because some selfish we know that kind of stuff happens now I will say again that's just a spiritual principle it's a fact just like after the baptism after the blessing comes the thief still you don't have to be afraid of him your enemy you're dealing with a defeated enemy you're you're fighting not for victory you're fighting from victory you have the victory in Christ and greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world so rather than you trying to just embolden yourself I'm gonna fight the devil why don't you just have Jesus do it when Satan knocks on the door to say Jesus would you answer that he's a lot better at it than you are he's defeated him as as we'll see here so it was after the baptism and the spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to to be tempted by the devil you've heard about Murphy's Law right you know how that goes anything that can go wrong will go wrong there's also Lucifer's law anything that the devil can ruin he will ruin so he's trying to ruin something it's he's not going to succeed it says verse 2 and when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterward he was hungry stop right there I know we're going slowly but we've got till the Lord comes back because once we're once we finished the book all the way to Revelation we're going to do it again so might as well just really enjoy it as we can we we did the Bible from 30,000 feet and we went really fast and now we can dig our roots down I asked you a question and then we answered a part way when did Satan attack Jesus number one after the blessing after the baptism number two he attacked him when he was the weakest he had fasted forty days and forty nights and then the Bible says and he was hungry let me first tell you a little bit about fasting and then let me tell you a little bit about this 40 days thing you've read about if you've read your Bible or you've heard Christians talk about fasting let me tell you what it's not first of all it's not a sanctified diet it's not a spiritual way to lose weight oh that sounds fast I'll try the Bible diet includes a little bit of fasting and that'll be chic and cool and I can wear that size that's what it's about it's not a sanctified diet nor is fasting a way to manipulate God to get what you want and I've been praying for this thing and I haven't got it so now I'm gonna fast and that'll really twist God's arm just a little more and I'll get what I want no it's not fasting is a means by which you deny your body you deny your flesh whatever it is you're denying it food in this case so that here's the second part so that you can focus upon spiritual things and we don't have time to look it up but just on your own go and read through Isaiah chapter 58 and glean those principles about godly fasting and that will help as to what it was about what what it was for okay so Jesus has been fasting 40 days and 40 nights so did most when he went up to receive the law on Mount Sinai we read it in our last book he fasted 40 days and 40 nights so did Elijah interesting how Jesus Moses and Elijah share many things together Elijah the greatest of the Old Testament prophets after that contest on Mount Carmel in first Kings chapter 18 with Jezebel and King Ahab her husband he hightails it down toward Mount Sinai where Moses received the law and there on Mount Horeb just one of those little mountains next to Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights Elijah fasted I have read that when a person begins to fast for a prolonged period of time at first you're very hungry it's very difficult to fast having done it a few times if you've done it you know what it's like you know you do it it's like for the first day it's like it gets killer the second day it's like intolerable but I'm told though I've never made it this far but I'm told that if you keep fasting and withhold food from your body for a prolonged period of time you eventually get to a place where you're not hungry at all and you can deal with it your stomach is shrunk your your body's feeding off of itself essentially but you don't have that deep-seated hunger like you did at first but when the hunger reimburses like you did here with jesus it's an indication that you're at starvation level that you're literally starving to death Jesus was starving to death after 40 days and 40 nights now it says he's hungry the hunger is reimbursed he's starving to death when does Satan attack him not just after the blessing but when he is most vulnerable when he is at his weakest level physically now I've learned something about the devil and about temptation and about attack when you're a weak and vulnerable physically you are often weak and vulnerable emotionally and spiritually they seem to be so tied together it's difficult to to separate them and that's why a person who is dealing with some physical issues can be prone to depression Elijah was he fasted 40 days and 40 nights he was depressed he wanted to kill himself he went from the spiritual high to the spirit so low when we are most vulnerable and at our weakest points he Satan has studied human nature for thousands of years he knows what makes people tick and when we are most vulnerable he knows that we'll do almost anything to get relief in that vulnerability so Jesus is now starving to death and Satan comes to him gives three temptations Oh something else Jesus fasting no doubt accompanied with praying he's seeking to get alone with his father and Satan comes down blessed by God in a vulnerable state seeking to be alone with his father have you noticed when you have your quiet time or you try to the phone made not a rung in your house for two days suddenly freeing and then you get it you got to deal with it and then put it down five minutes later it rings again you thinking why why is it when I have my quiet time that I get all of these distractions or my mind goes crazy and is flooded with all of those distracting thoughts why is it simple Satan hates quiet time hates when you're alone with God he knows that that's the secret of your strength you're tapping into it that's why and so Jesus alone with his father he had fasted forty days and forty nights and afterward he was hungry now when the tempter came to him and I mentioned there's three temptations here's the first one the devil questions God's provision it's a questioning of God's provision for Jesus notice the tempter said to him if you are the son of God command that these Stones become bread now your translation and mind says if right you may have another translation that's more accurate and it would be best translated as some translated I think the NASB but I'm not sure says since you are the son of God that's a that's a more accurate translation since see it's not it's not a supposition it's an affirmation the we strands Latian puts it this way in view of the fact that you are God's Son I know that you are the son of God I'm not disputing that and since you are he says command that these Stones become bread he is suggesting that the father is allowing his son to starve boy your father doesn't take great care of you doesn't really provide for you does he it's a slam on the love of God and a temptation for Jesus to do for himself what God the Father has obviously not done he hasn't taken good care of you you're out here in the desert no provision the Spirit leads you out here for what now you're starving to death it's a slam on the love of God and it's a questioning of the provision of God you've seen this before in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were first hanging around and there was the tree in the midst of the garden the devil came in Genesis chapter 3 and said has God said to you you shall not eat of the trees of the garden to see that question as has God denied his love to you look it here you are in a garden and God told you don't eat anything so Eve starts having a conversation with the devil never a good thing to do because well he really didn't say that he just said you can't have that one tree in the midst of the garden hands off of that one but but the rest we can freely eat God God said we can't eat that one because because you know if we do that it's wrong and and it's a sin we're gonna surely die she said that's what God said we're gonna die the devil immediately they said you won't die you won't surely die God knows that in the day that you eat thereof your eyes will be open and you'll you'll be wise like he is so again same same same questioning the provision of God the love of God for his children and providing for them so it was with that Abraham and Sarah they wanted to have a child God said don't worry you'll have a child it because I believe you God years went by he's getting older she's getting older don't worry you're gonna have a child I believe you God she's going here I'm not so sure I mean they're getting really really old like even older than I am one day Sarah said sweetie that's a nice little thing that God said that we're gonna have a kid it's just a wonderful thought but it's ain't gonna happen look at us have you looked at yourself lately Abe have you looked at me lately I had this young girl named Hagar just do for yourself what God has not done for you same temptation doubting the provision doubting the love of God take Hagar and they had Ishmael there's been problems ever since over in the Middle East so doubting the provision of God verse 4 but he answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone quoting Deuteronomy but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God notice that Jesus quotes scripture in this first temptation and the devil verse 5 took him up to a holy place and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are the son of God or since you are in view of the fact that you are the of God throw yourself down for it is written notice now the devil says oh I can quote scripture too he will give his angels charge over you and quotes another one in their hands they will bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone according to the Jews the center of the world is Jerusalem you know why that is first of all there's a scripture verse that essentially says that he's Ezekiel chapter 5 verse 5 God says see I have set Jerusalem in the midst of all the nations round about her right in the middle it's the center of it that's why Jerusalem is often called the navel of the earth and because of that verse other verses in Jewish literature like the Talmud were written the rabbi's used to say Israel is the center of the world Jerusalem is the center of the Land of Israel and the temple is the center of the city of Jerusalem so if you're at the temple you're in the very epicenter of the earth so because of that Satan took Jesus to the center of the earth where Messiah is supposed to come Messiah is going to come to Jerusalem now there was a belief by the rabbi's that when the Messiah comes to redeem Israel he's going to appear on the holy the roof of the holy place of the temple you know why they believe that because there's a verse in Malachi chapter 3 we quoted it last week about the messenger the forerunner but it says the Lord will suddenly come to his temple appear at his temple on the rabbi said he's good when he comes to his temple after the forerunner he's going to appear on the roof so everybody can see him so he's taken to the very center of the earth theologically and the devil says since you are the son of God throw yourself down for it is written now throw yourself down you know how far down is the the pinnacle of the temple is believed to be that little corner of the building of the porch of Solomon which sat atop the Temple Mount it sits on the southeast corner facing the Mount of Olives you some of you been to Israel and you know what it's like when you stand in the Mount of Olives and you look across and you see the Temple Mount and you see a little corner jetting out at you and you have to imagine you're seeing the base of it you have to imagine that on top of that was a huge building called the porch of Solomon and the roof of that porch of Solomon from that point on down to the bottom of the Kidron Valley is 450 feet now you're looking at the pinnacle of this building is 30 feet 450 feet so now Satan in the second temptation is questioning God's protection hey I can quote the Bible to Jesus and there's Bible verses that say if you jump God will protect you you won't even stub your toe so prove it that God your father is going to protect you now he's questioning not God's provision but God's protection prove it jump let's see if that scripture verse is really true let's see if God will protect you jesus said to him verse 7 it is written again you shall not tempt the Lord your God now it has been noted that Satan quotes the Bible Jesus quoted it first the devil quoted it second just just a little heads up on that when the cultist comes to your door and knocks and smiles whether he bicycles or he walks and he tries to sell you a false gospel and tell you that Jesus is not what the Bible says he is and they start quoting scripture to you and you go wow man that's powerful they really know their Bibles it must be right because they quoted the scripture just remember you're not ignorant of his devices keep in mind that the devil knows the Bible better than any of us he knows it better than I do right it's been around a long time he studied every passage of it he has been theologically trained in the best seminary in the universe in heaven he was the worship leader in heaven the Bible tells us so he he knows God's ways he knows how man acts and he knows the Bible so he pulls out very astutely very shrewdly a couple verses of Scripture and quotes them Jesus immediately comes back with it is written again in other words those scripture verses may be true and they are true but I don't need to prove that they're true any more than you say well you know if God's gonna predict me I'm just gonna go lay out in the freeway yeah okay well you know God's gonna protect me I help protect you by taking you to heaven maybe through that episode now the third temptation begins in verse 8 again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and he said to him all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship Me the two other synoptic Gospels being mark and Luke add a little bit of extra to that they're left out here for the purposes of Matthew's focus in writing one of them says where the devil says all of these kingdoms I will give you for they are mine and I can give them to whomsoever I will he acknowledged that's a very bold statement very powerful statement he acknowledged that he was the god of this world that back in the garden Satan was given the title deed of the earth by the fall of Adam and Eve and essentially the world that was meant to be inhabited by godly people was given over to the domain of Satan so that he became the god of this world by default and that's why in Revelation 5 Jesus the Lamb takes the title deed back having shed his blood for the earth he he buys it back he takes back the title deed of the earth you know in a real real estate transaction we just don't have time to to go through it but here's st. making a very bold statement showing him all the kingdoms of the world saying all of these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me and Jesus said him away with you Satan for it is written you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve this third temptation is I believe was the hardest of all for Jesus now Satan is questioning the promise of God you see there were promises and one of them that comes to mind is in Psalm 2 where God promised his son the Messiah all the kingdoms of this world ask of me it says and I will give you the nation's for your inheritance and the kingdoms of the earth - you ask me it they're yours you will rule them with a rod of iron it's a beautiful messianic song but Jesus the son knew why he had come to the earth that he will rule and reign one day in the Messianic kingdom in the kingdom age in the Millennial Kingdom but first first he has come to die on a cross and that he must act the part of the suffering servant before he becomes the glorious Lord reigning in glory yes he has come to purchase salvation and one day all the kingdoms of the earth will be given to him but he knows that first of all there must be suffering first of all there must be a cross there's a period of pain before I get the glory in the blessing that's why this temptation I say was the hardest of all of them because Satan in effect is saying you know I know there's those promises but how do we know those promises are ever gonna be fulfilled tell you what Jesus I know why you've come you've come to purchase the world back to God you don't have to go to the cross I'll give it to you right now they're yours you can have them you don't have to go the hard way you don't have to go the way of the cross you don't have to suffer I'll give them to you I just want one thing I want you the Son of God to fall down and worship me just for a moment of satisfaction how often does Satan try to get you to question the promises of God yeah I know the Bible says that but what God hadn't been taking care of you has he why don't you do for yourself what God has never done for you in fact why should you wait for that and patience and endurance you can have it now you can have prosperity now you can I'll give it to you now no waiting no suffering jesus said away with you Satan you know I was reading an article who's in the Los Angeles Times I believe it was some time ago where a group of Satan worshipers were highlighted in an article and and one I forget the guys name but he was being interviewed they showed his picture on the cover or on the cover of that section and the paper and this what he said he goes I think quote I think Satan is a cool dude and then he went on to explain why he thought Satan was a cool dude now I read this with interest because there was a time I kind of thought Satan was a cool dude then I found out he was a loser posing as a cool dude so he was a poser and a loser but he said Satan is a cool dude because he goes God God doesn't let you do what you want to do Satan lets you do whatever you want to do so his conclusion is if I get to do what I want to do whoever lets me do what I want to do is a cool dude that was his thinking good luck trying to live your life that way but he was trying to live his life that way God restricts me Satan lets me do what I want sure the Titanic is sinking go go play pool for free have fun have all the drinks you want on me whoo-hoo captains great boo boo boo boo boo boo captain of a sinking ship man god of this world going down so you want it you want the kingdom of this world they're yours okay just a note just a note it says he was taken to an exceedingly high mountain if you go to Israel today there's a little mountain outside of Jericho in the middle of the desert way down there that they call the Mount of temptation and there's a monastery there and it's a holy place and they said that's where Jesus was tempted of course we don't have photographs so we don't know the mountain Jesus was tempted on but the fact that it says it was an exceedingly high mountain sort of rules that one out for me because right across the Jordan River is Mount Nebo from where Moses could spy out the land and you can see all the way to the Mediterranean now that's an exceedingly high mountain but because Luke adds this listen carefully Satan took him to a mountain and showed him all of the kingdoms of this world in a moment of time seems to indicate to me that they're traveling vision airily not physically they're spiritually being able to have this conversation and be shown be seen all of the kingdoms of this world not like well there's Jericho and if you follow the road there's Jerusalem because there really there's really you can't see anything except one city from there so I tend to see this as a spiritual vision rather than being transported physically to these places while they're out there in the desert verse 11 says then the devil left him now the other Synoptics say Satan left him for a time he'll be back like the ex Governor of California used to say I would be back so does Satan looks for an opportune time the Bible says and that's when he'll be back and he'll be back in Jesus life before it's all over it says the angels came and ministered to him now we begin in the few minutes we have left we begin the public ministry of Jesus John the Baptist is off the scene he's the forerunner he's gone now the public ministry of Jesus begins something about Matthew Matthew and his gospel focuses on some of the long discourses messages sermons that Jesus gives and the first will be in Matthew chapter five and six and seven called the Sermon on the Mount I'll tell you why that's not a good title when we're there next time but what he does now since he's he's gonna go right into the Sermon on the Mount he's gonna spend a few verses preparing us for the Sermon on the mountain giving us a little resume of Jesus ministry and a summary of Jesus ministry before launching into the Sermon on the Mount verse 12 now when G Jesus had heard that John had been put into prison he departed to Galilee why did John get put into prison well it's because John was not very politically correct to be honest with you there was a guy named Herod Antipas who had a liking for his brother Herod Philips wife named Herodias and this guy was married and his brother was married but he liked his wife better than his own wife so he kicked out his wife and he stole Herod Philips wife Herodias away from him and they hooked up john the baptist's heard about it and denounced him called him a sinner said god's gonna judge you for that again not very politically correct as a favor to Herodias Herod had him locked into prison when Herod had him locked into prison to Jesus this was a sign it's time to go public my 4runners ministry is over he's gonna be in prison till he gets his head chopped off so this was the indication that it's time now to launch into public ministry and he does that remember what John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus he said he must increase I must decrease we've quoted that we know it we it's a lovely it's a lovely idea when John said that I don't think he knew what that meant the way he would decrease is by being arrested rotting in prison and getting his head chopped off God's gonna remove him God's done with him God brought him on this earth filled with the holy spirit from his womb to introduce Jesus now your time's up John you're a young man but your ministry is over I'm taking you with me your reward I'm taking I'm taking you to heaven with me man early you know after wait you don't have to wait and get all those diseases and get old you just come on let's go to heaven you're gonna decrease here you'll increase there but it's time for my Sun to shine and so Jesus the Sun is now coming up the sun is shining Jesus heard that John had been put into prison he departed to Galilee and leaving Nazareth which is part of Galilee he came and dwelt in Capernaum which is by the sea in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet saying the land of Zebulun the land of Naphtali in the way by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan the galilee of the gentiles the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who sat in the region of the shadow of death the light has dawned from that time Jesus began to preach and to say repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand Capernaum the town of Peter it's where Peter lived it's where his brother Andrew lived it's where the Zebedee boys lived James and John it's where Matthew lived the tax collector you can go to Israel today and I can show you the mile marker where the Roman government used to collect taxes in Capernaum for the government and it's one of the places I can point to and say Matthew stood by that marker because that's where tax collector stood when Jesus called once at Matthew follow me was in Capernaum so Jesus moves from Nazareth and he goes to Capernaum now after seeing Nazareth and sing Capernaum I get it Nazareth is okay but when you see Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee it's like okay that's a cool place for headquarters right there right on the shore awesome Butte Sea of Galilee is one of my favorite places to visit and it's pretty much unchanged that's the most amazing thing when you go to Israel you're on to see if God you go yeah where's like the words like the hope big hotels there's a few of them in Tiberias but in that whole northwestern shore you think where's that you know if this were America to be like casinos there and like you know Disneyland built Disneyland Galilee it's just real rural now notice it's to fulfill a prophecy given by Isaiah in chapter 9 and notice what is called the galilee of the gentiles galilea tone ëthe known is the greek word now earth known ethnos sounds like ethnic right ethnic comes from ethnos ëthe known it means literally the galilee of the nations and one of the beautiful things i see here is a prefiguring that jesus would just be the Jewish Messiah but that he had come for all the nations come for all the world that his ministry would have a worldwide scope they had come to be the savior of the world all the nations are involved and it says the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death the light has dawned did you know that Galilee was known by the Jews in Jerusalem as the region of death because that northern section of Israel the Galilee region had seen more Wars enemies would come in from the north and infiltrate the land and because the Assyrians had come that way and the Babylonians had come that way Galilee was more of a mixed multitude mixed marriages not the pure bred like down in Jerusalem the Galileans the Jerusalemite said were the Hicks they had the funny accents of the land and they did they you could hear in Jerusalem when when Peter was speaking after Jesus was arrested and member the servant girl of the high priests she goes I can hear by the way you're speaking you're one of his disciples aren't you it was his speech that gave it away it was his Galilean accent and they down south and Jerusalem didn't take kindly to those Galilee it was the place of death it was the region of death it's where the Gentiles influenced the world of the Jews here's what I love Jesus sets up his headquarters in the place that was the off scoring that was the scourge that was the outcasts of the land the place of darkness hey I'm gonna set up my headquarters were the people talk funny where all the outcasts live were the people who are on the periphery and not not recognized by the crowd to me there's a beautiful message there you might be that person you felt like I'm an outcast my whole life I've always been pushed to the edge to the per three I'm sort of like not in the inner groove in the light and sort of in the darkness in the shadows it's your heart especially that Jesus wants to put his headquarters in he wants to do a change in in the shadow of darkness in your life in your heart that he loves that he didn't go I'm going to Jerusalem and that's the cool place guys take Galilee Nazareth and then Capernaum from that time Jesus began to preach to notice verse 17 if you were here last week it's the same exact message as John the Baptist repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand John the Baptist said that Jesus said that and and here's a side note 32 times in Matthew that phrase kingdom of heaven will appear some of you are gonna before you text me because I don't have time to answer it tonight I'm gonna say what's the difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God that's for another study we have one minute left Jesus verse 18 walking by the Sea of Galilee saw two brothers Simon Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen and then he said to them follow me and I will make you fishers of men and they immediately left their nets and followed him going on from there he saw two other brothers James son of Zebedee and John his brother in the boat was epidemia nets he called them immediately they left the boat and their dad their father and followed him and Jesus went all about Galilee teaching in their synagogues preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of disease among the people then his fame went throughout all Syria and they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments and those who were demon-possessed epileptics paralytics and he healed them great multitudes followed him from Galilee from Decapolis from Jerusalem from Judea and from beyond the Jordan I want to finish the chapter we'll go back and make comment more on it next week before we get into the Sermon on the Mount but that last verse draws a hundred-mile perimeter Jesus Fame is growing throughout the northern regions of Syria and all around so get this people what they didn't have cars they didn't have tour buses they didn't have trains they would walk and his fame caused people to walk for some of them a hundred miles to see Jesus think about that next time you're all bummed out that you have to drive to church that's a long distance couldn't resist getting that one in but I want to end on this note the place of the rejects the region of darkness the Galilee of the nations those who aren't of us the pure breaded people of God that's where Jesus sets up his headquarters he'd love to change your life he'd love to deliver you from darkness it might be the darkness of the occult it might be the darkness of an addiction it might be the darkness of your religion darkness is darkness if you don't know Jesus you're in darkness he loved to set up shop to set up HQ headquarters in your heart by redemption if you'd let him let's pray father we thank you for the last hour and a half of being together in song in commissioning people overseas and then having a meal in your word Lord as I'm praying for this I'm thinking of a couple who is presently in China who wrote to me this week remarking on the fact that they were so blessed to be able to tune in on the computer and catch the services live the midweek in the weekend we thank you Father that all over the world you have your people and you have your plan just like Jesus foreshadowed that when he went to the Galilee of the nation's the Gentiles the region of Darkness the outcasts the funny talkers the people on the edge the people that nobody really wanted to associate with and you love to set up shop and lives just like that you have chosen the foolish things of this world Paul says lord I pray for anyone who might feel that they just they've lived that kind of a life they've been sort of outcast or they lived in darkness and it could be the darkness of any of those things that we have just mentioned but they want to come into the light tonight pray that you'd rescue them we're praying right now and we're asking God to do works in lives even beyond just feeding us his word may be a work of salvation maybe you're here tonight and you've never given your life to Jesus or you've walked away from him and you're not living in obedience to him or you grew up in a church and you've been religiously involved but you've never made a personal decisive commitment to Christ if any of those things describe you and you're willing to give your life to Jesus to come home to him tonight I want you to raise your hand up in the air as we're praying right now just say here's my hand just raise it up so I can see it god bless you man and heal right in the middle anyone else raise that hand out in the back on my left side up front on the left way in the back in the corner way in the back on my right side way in the back road and in the back again father were so grateful and we pray as these come into a relationship with you even as Jesus said to those disciples follow me and they left everything immediately and they followed him I pray that would be the case here tonight in Jesus name Amen would you stand up as we sing this final song I saw lots of hands to go up I want you to quickly find the nearest aisle and walk the aisle right up front I'm going to lead you in a prayer right now to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior you made that decision to raise your hands good on you now make the decision to follow that with your feet and come stand right up here as we sing [Applause] that need we can woo [Applause] [Music] [Applause] ah isn't that just so awesome to see I love it surrender abandonment to God I'd love the opportunity now to lead those of you who have walked forward in a prayer I'm gonna pray out loud and I'm gonna ask you to pray out loud after me from your heart say these words to God okay ready I'll say it out loud let's pray lord I give you my life I know I'm a sinner please forgive me I believe in Jesus that he died on the cross that He shed his blood for me and that he rose from the dead I turn from my sin I turn to you as my savior I want to live for you as my lord help me fill me with your spirit in Jesus name Amen thank you lord congratulations congratulations every one of you

Channel: Calvary Church with Skip Heitzig

Views: 11,137

Rating: 4.8012424 out of 5

Keywords: devil, Satan, temptation, spiritual warfare, battle, Calvary, Albuquerque, Skip, Heitzig, Sermon, Matthew, Calvary Church

Id: c7UGIU0hRbo

Length: 63min 47sec (3827 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 11 2018