The Temptations - This Or That? - International Christian Church Bible Talks!

This Or That? (Jeremy Ciaramella - Bible Talk) — This Or That? (Jeremy Ciaramella – Bible Talk)

(1) Physical Excuse Or Spiritual Truth?

Luke 4:1-4
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

What are the lies? What are the seeds of doubt?
- You are not really the Son of God.
- You really don’t have any power.
What kind of manipulation?
- Might as well, I mean, your fast is over, go ahead.
What kind of appeal?
- To his appetite – his flesh, his very real weakened state physically.

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”

What is the truth? Where does Jesus get faith?
- We live on the word of God, not bread.
- The bible, he quotes it in response to what? Satan’s temptation.
What else does the quoted scripture teach? What does it appeal to?
- We are sustained by God. Without God’s word, we’re dead. It is more important to eat spiritually than physically. Spiritual needs come before physical ones.

How in your life have you put physical needs before spiritual needs?

Oversleep. Get comfort from food. Use fatigue as an excuse to be grouchy, unspiritual, wicked. Justify my anger and selfishness when I am overwhelmed.
Pull back from my wife and daughter and go into my man cave.
Justify my spewing of bitterness or negative thoughts.

What will change for you if you put Spiritual needs first, like Jesus did? What impact on your relationship with God, with your spouse/roomies/bro’s sisters and your evangelism?

(2) Faithful Seeds or Financial Greed?

Luke 4:5-8
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”

What lies are being told here? What half truth (what is being left out?)
- You can be large and in charge. (But you’re going to burn in hell.)
What truth is being revealed here?
- Who has got the whole world in his hands? Satan is the ruler of the Kingdom of the Air and those that obey him…
What manipulation?
- Jesus, born dirt poor – died dirt poor. Had no possessions.

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[b]”

What truth is being told here? Why?
What does this scripture teach?
What matters to Jesus?
What matters to you?

Ephesians 2:1-3

What does it look like to give into this temptation? In your life?
- Drifting, numbness, put work before meetings of the body (Wed, Friday, Sunday).
Want the things of the world more than the things of God.
- Church and Godly things, a chore – in the way of you doing what you want to please yourself.
- Lack of evangelism, lack of good quiet times, not focused on the things of God anymore, but instead – the kingdom of the Air.

(3) Self-Justification or Obedient Application

Luke 4:9-11
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

What lies are here? What half-truth?
- God will save you even if you are reckless, go ahead and take this leap of faith! It’s God’s will!
What mockery? What truth?
- The scary truth, Satan is twisting, and will continue to twist, the bible to cause people to sin.
- How does Jesus see through this?

12 Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”