DATE: 21ST FEBRUARY, 2021
THEME: CHRIST OUR EXAMPLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Genesis 9:8-17
1st Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:9-15
Psalter: Psalm 25:1-10
PREPARED BY: OSOFO YAW DODD
INTRODUCTION
As we continue to move through the Gospel of Mark, we are observing Jesus as He begins His earthly ministry. His coming was announced by John the Baptist, v. 7-8. Then Jesus appeared and submitted to baptism, v. 9-11. Jesus was baptized, not to cleanse Him of any sin, for He had no sin to be cleansed of. Jesus was baptized to publically accept His Father’s mission to be the Savior of the world. As soon as He was baptized, Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of God for service, and Jesus heard the voice of His Father acknowledging Him as His Son and approving of Him in every way.
Our verses today reveal even more about the preparation of Jesus Christ for His mission of service to fallen humanity. As soon as He is baptized, the Spirit of God “driveth” Jesus into the wilderness. The word “driveth” is a strong word. It means “to throw or cast out, to force out.” This word does not suggest that Jesus had to be forced to do the will of the Father; it simply means that the Spirit of God moved on Jesus in a strong manner and led Him into the wilderness to be tested.
I am interested in this passage because Jesus Christ went through a period of temptation and HE CAME out the other side victorious. Every person reading this Clue faces time of temptation as well. We need help when our times of testing come, because, unlike Jesus, we fail in this area far more often than we succeed. This passage offers some much needed HELP and HOPE when our own times of testing and temptation come. Let’s look into these verses and consider ‘Christ Our Example’.
BODY
A. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST
When Jesus presented Himself for baptism, He was making a public declaration of some important facts. Jesus was baptized to identify with John the Baptist’s ministry. Jesus came to John to place His divine seal on what John had been saying.
▪️Jesus was baptized so that John would know that Jesus was the Messiah, John 1:33; Mark 1:10.
▪️He was baptized to signal the beginning of His public ministry.
In His baptism, Jesus was willingly and publicly accepting the mission He had been given by His Father. Jesus had entered this world for the sole purpose of carrying out God’s plan to redeem sinners. Jesus came to offer the Kingdom to us and to offer His life on the cross as a ransom for sin, Mark 10:45; John 18:37. His also served to allow Him to identify with the very people He came to save. Every one of those people who came to John for baptism was looking for a new life. They were looking for forgiveness of their sins and for a relationship with God. Jesus Christ came to give those very things to lost people.
When God pronounced His approval of the Son, He was also voicing His approval of all those who are in the Son. When a person is saved, the righteousness of Jesus is “imputed” to them, Rom. 4:22-24. In other words, when God looks upon a redeemed saint of God, He does not see our vile sins and wicked ways. He sees His Son and His holiness.
- THE TIMING OF HIS TEMPTATION
The word “immediately” lets us know that the trial Jesus faced in the wilderness occurred just as His baptism was completed. There was no lag in the action. One moment Jesus was hearing the approval of the Father; receiving the anointing of the Spirit and confirming the acceptance of His mission; the next moment, He finds Himself being compelled to go into this time of temptation.
We are never more vulnerable than when we are coming out of a time of great victory. Satan loves to attack us when we think we are the strongest. This is clearly taught in the Bible, 1 Cor. 10:12.
Beware when you enjoy a great spiritual victory or get in on a good move of God. You might think that you are invincible and that you have reached a place where the devil can’t touch you. When you think like that, you are headed for a time of testing!
- THE TERRITORY OF HIS TEMPTATION
We are told that Jesus was sent into the “wilderness”. The Jews saw the wilderness as a place of DANGER, GLOOM and as the ABODE of demons. For them it represented everything that was evil and separated from God.
Jesus was sent into the wilderness to do battle with the devil on his own territory. Jesus had already invaded the devils’ territory when He was born in this world. Satan is the “god of this world”, 2 Cor. 4:4. When Jesus came into this world, He was declaring war on the devil and bringing the battle to him. In the temptation, the battle lines between Jesus and Satan were clearly drawn from the outset.
- THE TRIALS OF HIS TEMPTATION
Mark’s description of these events is very brief, but we can see some important truths here.
a. The Leadership – The temptation was all about Jesus doing battle with the devil. But, Mark is quick to tell us that the “Spirit” of God is the One Who caused Jesus to go into the wilderness. When temptations to evil come, they never come from the hand of God, James 1:13. God never leads people into sin. He is in the business of leading us away from evil, 1 Cor. 10:13. However, He will send us into periods of testing. He does this, not to cause us to fail, but to help us grow. He knows that we do our best growing when the pressure is on. Just ask Joseph about why he ended up in that pit, Gen. 37; Gen. 50:20.
b. The Loneliness – In that wilderness place, Jesus was cut off from friends and family. He was shut off for a time so that He might be tested. His only companions where “the wild beasts”, “the angels” and “the devil”.
There are times when it feels like we are walking through the hard places of life all alone. It seems that the only one around is the devil. He comes around to do to us just what he did to Jesus. He comes to mock our faith and challenge our resolve to truth in the Lord.
Even when it seems you are all alone, you are not! The Lord’s angels are there ministering to you in ways that you will not know until you get to Heaven, Heb. 1:14; Heb. 13:2. The Lord Himself is there!
c. The Length – This time of testing lasted forty days. The number forty in the Bible is used for “times of testing, times of probation; and times of preparation”.
▪️Israel spent forty years in the wilderness.
▪️Moses spent forty years on the backside of the desert in training.
▪️The spies spent forty days spying out Canaan.
▪️The rains were upon the earth forty days and nights during the flood.
So, the number forty is a number associated with TESTING.
We are told by Matthew that Jesus fasted those forty days, Matt. 4:2. He also spent that time in close communion with His Father. He was preparing Himself spiritually for the showdown that was coming when Satan unleashed his temptations. Jesus was getting ready for battle.
To understand what Jesus faced and what it teaches us, we need to look at Matthew’s account of these events.
- The First Temptation – Matt. 4:3-4 – In this temptation, Satan questions the Son’s relationship with the Father. No doubt, Satan had heard the Father’s declaration in Mark 1:11. Now, Satan calls that relationship into question. Now, there is no question that Jesus could have turned the stones to bread has He wanted to. He had the power to do so. And, it is not a sin to want to meet a legitimate need. But, to use His power in that way at this time would have shown a LACK OF FAITH in the Father. The temptation here is for Jesus to act INDEPENDENTLY of the Father and the Spirit. The devil wants Jesus to do His Own thing.
Christ’s answer to the devil showed the condition of His heart. He would rather starve to death than be out of His Father’s will! Being in the center of the Father’s will meant more to Jesus than food or life.
- The Second Temptation – Matt. 4:5-7 – Here, Satan tries to get Jesus to perform the miraculous apart from the will of the Father. Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple. This spot was said to be 450 feet high. Satan misquotes Psalm 91:11-12. Satan left out the phrase that says “to keep thee in all thy ways”. This is God’s promise to protect the Messiah as He carried out the Father’s will.
Again, Jesus responded in the proper way. His response was one of faith. Jesus is saying, “It is never right to operate contrary to God’s will regardless of the outcome.” God honors obedience, not outcomes. - The Third Temptation – Matt. 4:8-10 – Here, Satan, as the god of this world, offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world. Satan is attempting to get Jesus to take the CROWN and bypass the CROSS. For a simple bow to the limited sovereignty of Satan, Jesus could skip the pain of Calvary and have the world fall at His feet.
Jesus responds in a way that honors God once again. He reminds Satan that only God is worthy of worship.
- THE TESTIMONY OF THE TEMPTATION
Luke says, “and when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season,” Luke 4:13. This would certainly not be the last encounter Jesus would have with the devil. He would ultimately defeat Satan forever when He died on the cross. But, here, in His temptation, Jesus won a great victory over Satan.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
PRECIOUS ONE! Jesus overcame because He was sinless. We fall because we are sinful. How can we obtain victory in our own battle with sin? Watching Jesus in His trial can help us through ours. There are two things we need to take note of. First, He was filled with the Spirit, Mark 1:10. Second, He was filled with the Word of God. ENJOY THE SERVICE. Stay Blessed.
PREPARED BY
OSOFO YAW DODD
CALVARY METHODIST CHURCH
ADABRAKA-ACCRA
