The Worship of Satan, Part 1

All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9 NIV)

The third temptation stood as the last ditch effort of Satan to deter Christ from His mission. But it was also his most intense temptation — though it came to…

The Worship of Satan, Part 2

“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9 NIV)

“I will give you,” might have hung in the air in Christ’s mind. It was not just an offer of cooperation, but a promise to return what was stolen in Eden. It…

The Limits of Satan’s Power

Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will…

Putting God to the Test

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:7 ESV)

In response to the second temptation Christ quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, commanding that we not seek to test the Lord. He tests us, but we do not test Him.

Sin Crouching at the Door

(Before we go on and finish the study on Christ’s temptations, I think it is good to do a brief study on the nature of sin. It is important for us to know that when we sin as Christians, that there is a means given to us to find inner cleansing of our souls. We need to know that we…

The Third Temptation

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (Matthew 4:8 ESV)

The third temptation built on the first two and was climactic. The first two focused more on immediate results and more narrow needs —…

The Remarkable Heart-obedience of Christ

Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)

We have already examined the meaning of this verse. In the original Hebrew (Deuteronomy 8:3) the word “word” did not appear, rather…

Service or Leadership?

Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and…

That Men Pray

I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. (1 Tim 2:8 NKJV)

These words come from Paul’s heart, expressing not a theologically laid out strategy but rather a personal longing. It is good to have a balanced and biblical…

Turn These Stones to Bread

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (Matthew 4:3 KJV)

There is a depth to this first temptation that we cannot fully grasp. The nature of temptation is to strike us at our weakest…