Holy Boldness

same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. When the devil tempts God’s children, his purpose is always devious; he seeks to undermine people from entering their destinies by casting doubt upon God’s character to suggest that He cannot be trusted. “The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy…” (John 10:10a) But God uses the same occasion to perfect and confirm and often to promote His people. “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to be turned into bread.” (Matt. 4:3) The first temptation sought to exploit Jesus’ bodily weakness and to provoke Him to take matters into His own hands. It was a test that revealed Jesus’ confidence and trust in the Lord. Maybe there was the suggestion that He needed to prove Himself and even further, perhaps Satan’s challenge suggested that it was an insult to Jesus to be left so vulnerable. At the core of the temptation was the appeal to self-preservation. It goes against man’s fallen nature not to be in control. But Jesus’ response to the temptation was to submit Himself more deeply into the hands of the Father. He drew near to God instead of becoming offended with God. When Satan tempted Eve and subsequently Adam, they both walked in independence and disobedience. They had no needs so the serpent seduced them into believing that God had withheld something from them, thus producing a “need.” So they reached out and took from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Conversely, Jesus had much need after a 40 day fast and being in the wilderness, not a garden, but chose rather to trust God. The First Temptation

Biblical answers to Demonic Questions

All of Jesus’ answers during this ordeal come from the book of Deuteronomy. Jesus’ first answer to the devil is from Deuteronomy chap ter 8. “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” With this dramatic and astounding answer, Jesus did more than quote scripture as a proof text; He answered Satan’s

6 9