The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:1-13 (day four)

Jesus had just returned from His baptism.  A voice from heaven had proclaimed God’s pleasure with Him.  Now, as He returned from the Jordan, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Certainly, this had been a mountain-top experience.  We’ve all had them…experiences that draw us near to God and bring blessings overflowing.

What happens to Jesus next?  Often times, following a mountain-top experience, we face some of the greatest tests of our lives.  Jesus faced a grueling round of temptations that challenged Him to choose any way but God’s to move forward in His ministry.  Spiritual highs can prepare us to face those lows of temptation.  Guard yourself against the wiles of Satan…when you least expect it, he is poised to spring the trap!  We are lulled into carelessness with those feelings of euphoria after being in the presence of God.  Be vigilant…stand strong…Satan prowls about like a hungry lion, seeking those whom he may devour.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:1-13  (day three)

“[The devil] left him until an opportune time.”  You know those things that catch your eye, get your goat, tick you off, push your buttons, turn you on? Yeah, Jesus could have listed those things as well. Whenever you finally admit to the Lord how difficult the struggle really is, he responds by saying, “That was my struggle too.” The Bible says he’s sympathetic, not unsympathetic, because our temptations were his temptations. Believe it. This wilderness encounter was only the beginning of what the devil had planned for Jesus. The devil even showed up in his friend Peter’s counsel for crying out loud. To face temptation well, we must learn from Jesus to struggle like he struggled before we can learn to resist sin like Jesus resisted sin. Pay attention.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:1-13  (day two) And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. vs. 2b

Sometimes I think Dr. Luke is the king of understatement. I am sure that Jesus was indeed hungry at the end of the 40 days. What strikes me is the mystery of fasting. Earlier in the verse Luke writes that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit.” No food in his belly, but full to overflowing with the Spirit. On the surface you would think that anyone would be at their weakest and most defenseless at the end of a fast like that. While I am not advocating the neglect of our health, I am struck by the clarity of Jesus’ responses to Satan. It was his hunger that Satan first addresses, but Jesus’ dependence and sustenance were found in God alone.

There is so much to discover about Jesus in this passage. If we empty ourselves of stuff, and fill ourselves with the Spirit of God doesn’t it stand to reason that we, too, we have a clearer picture of the purpose of God is in our lives?

Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:1-13 (day one) 

“He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”–Hebrews 4:15.

As a man, our Lord endured all the pressures, disappointments and hardships that characterize the human condition.  Are you tired?  So was He.  Unfairly accused?  Misunderstood?  Him too.

As a human, Christ was also tempted.  Offered false information.  Encouraged toward disobedient choices with disastrous outcomes.

Very subtle.  Nothing cruel or outwardly immoral is suggested.  Small concessions.  Nudged toward a life that is “a reasonable version of God’s will”.

Notice the Savior’s use of Scripture.  Three temptations.  Three thoughtful moments to consider God’s written word.

Here is humanity as it was designed to be!  Here is the perfect man!  In fellowship with God.  Confidence in God’s word.  Obedient heart.

Merry Christmas, everyone!  “For those whom God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His dear Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”–Romans 8:29

Re:Verse reading–Luke 3:1-20  (day seven)

Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ (Luke 3:15)

John the Baptist’s ministry was filled with a unique authority.  He called people a brood of vipers, he told people they were about to be thrown into an unquenchable fire, and he told people, even the politicians, what to do.  He spoke boldly, and people just kept coming, uninvited, they surrounded him pleading for baptism.

John the Baptist’s work was so uniquely holy and powerful that people even started to wonder if he was God.  He was so close to God that people were confused where John the Baptist ended and where God began.

I wonder what that kind of faith and calling would look like today.  Is it possible for us to draw near enough to God by Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit that God unequivocally shines through us?  And just as importantly, can our church be such a place that San Antonians catch a glimpse of heaven every time they walk into our doors?  I pray that many will be confused, not knowing where we end and God begins.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 3:1-20  (day five) What is an indicator of a repentant and forgiven heart?  What evidence is there for a soul and life that claims to follow Christ and His Word?  It has been the same throughout scripture.  FRUIT.  Look at John the Baptist’s words, “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance“.   In the Old Testament, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”  Jesus’ teaches later, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit”.

John the Baptist gives a good description (evidence) of what fruit looks like: love and kindness (vs. 11),  honesty and integrity (vs. 13),  respect/regard for authority, and contentment (vs. 14).  Can we point to fruit in our lives of repentance and forgiveness?

Re:Verse reading–Luke 3:1-20  (day four)

V. 8 – “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance,”

No one wants to be called ‘judgmental’.  In today’s politically correct environment, that would be disaster.  Was John judging others?  He was teaching that the actions of our life should be in line with the words of our mouth.  Our lives should give evidence of the character and principles of God, if we claim a relationship with Him.  God’s Word judges us.  If the fruits of our lives do not agree with His Word, we are judged.  As believers we must learn to recognize ‘fruits that are in keeping with repentance’.

Most of all, we need to examine our lives, to make sure we are producing the right fruit.  Can people see in us the character of Christ?  As the different people came to John for baptism, they asked how this relationship of repentance looked like in their lives.  It’s a good question for each of us to ask…what does a relationship with Christ look like in my life?

Re:Verse reading–Luke 3:1-20  (day three) 

“But one more powerful than I will come.” When the people asked John what they should do to escape destruction by the wrath of God, he did not wax systematically theological. He simply gave them a picture of what the world looks like when it’s set right: Live generously, conduct business honestly, treat people with integrity, work hard without complaining. No one was excluded—not the military, not the government, not the average joe. That is exactly the kind of world his hearers were longing for. Once that picture is in the air, the next question is, “How do we get that kind of world?” And that’s when all eyes turn to Christ. Evangelism efforts could learn from this pattern: Set the vision before people, then introduce them to the only one who can lead them there.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 3:1-20  (day two) 

John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. vs. 16

Most of us have been to concerts that feature a group that plays prior to the main act. This opener or warm-up group is typically a young, relatively unknown, band that is trying to establish a following. Generally they will tour with an established artist in the genre they are trying to build a following with.

John was so much more than an opening act for Jesus. His message was new and ancient. His was a lone voice crying to the world about the coming promise. Unlike a band trying to be the next great thing, John was getting the world ready for the Messiah. His best efforts would never accomplish what Jesus would, and he was desperate to prepare people to meet this savior.

It is not likely that we will be called in to the wilderness to eat locusts, but we do have the commission to tell others about Jesus. Let’s do it with abandon, just like John.