25 October 2021 – 3 Life Principles

Matthew 4: The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.”

7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, You must not test the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 6: 16)

8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” (Deuteronomy 6: 13)

11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Yeshua responded to the temptation/attack by referring to the commandments/guidance provided to the Israelites in Deuteronomy. It therefore provides us with the 3 life principles.

a) The word of God – reading the word of God and fellowship with God (the bible is your source and the Holy Spirit will guide you)

b) Do not test God - refer to Exodus 17 :7 (water from the rock – lack of faith, arguing and questioning if the Lord is with us)

c) Worship and Serve God only (not idols)

Whether you are facing a challenge or not, the above 3 principles will serve you well in life. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out (Deuteronomy 28:6).