This passage is a really interesting one to me, and has actually been the source of some great comfort in tough times for me through the years. I'll explain a little later.
But first, let's talk about Jesus' baptism! Wow! I must say, it was pretty impressive. After Jesus convinces John to baptize Him (could you imagine being asked to baptize the Son of God?), Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens open up, a dove (representing the Holy Spirit) alights on Jesus, and then if that wasn't enough, the very voice of God Himself booms from heaven saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." That's some pretty cool stuff. I'd have to say that probably outdoes my baptism on the coolness scale.
But then in the midst of this awesome experience comes the very next verse in Matthew 4:1: "Then (as in immediately following the events of Jesus' baptism) Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil."
That phrase "led by the Spirit" has been one of incredible hope to me in some dark times. You see, even in the midst of a really cool moment in the life of Jesus, what was God's next step? Testing. In the midst of a spiritual high point in the life of Jesus, God the Father sends Jesus out into the desert where He knows that Jesus will be tempted by the devil.
Someone once told me that temptation means you're doing something right. It shows that Satan wants to attack you because you're doing the right thing. Maybe you've seen this in your life. I know I have in mine. Let me explain.
Back in January of this year I accepted the responsibility of being the Worship Pastor for our new Highland Campus which will launch in the fall (so crazy to think it's soon going to be here!). But it just seems like in my life, thing after thing has come against me to make things difficult. First, it was my parents, who were initially dissatisfied to say the least with my decision. Then, it was school... for a while it was seemingly impossible to arrange to do classes in Cincinnati to hopefully graduate next spring. Then, after that, I experienced (and I still think am experiencing) something that I can't explain any better than just a crushing temptation to turn away from God and do my own thing in my own power on my own terms. Along the way, I saw several thousand dollars in car repairs unexpectedly come my way, and then if that wasn't enough, I've been going through some health difficulties over the past month or so that have made it really difficult to focus my attention on God and doing the work that needs to be done at the Highland Campus. Seemingly, just one thing after another has come against me to try and distract or deter me from God's will for my life.
And no doubt that's what Jesus is experiencing here. Satan is coming against Him, trying to stop Him from living the life God has asked Him to (actually, it's a huge deal, because if Jesus sins, then He is no longer the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and that means no grace and forgiveness for us!). But in the midst of temptation from Satan, what does Jesus do? He turns to Scripture. He turns to what He knows to be absolutely true about God. And that is enough to sustain Him under incredible pressure to turn from what God has for Him. And that is enough for us, too.
So don't be afraid when you feel temptation come against you. It's actually a good sign, I think. Just continue to trust what you know to be true about God and stand firm on those promises.
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