Thought on This Chapter
MT 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
The temptation of Jesus was not happenstance.
Jesus was led by the Spirit to the wilderness for the reason of being tempted.
God had a purpose for it.
MT 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty
nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights before the
temptation. His human body was about as weak as is possible. This
also had a purpose.
The purpose of the Temptation was not to see if Jesus
would fall. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is God manifested in the
flesh. It was impossible for Jesus to fall. His divine nature would
not allow it. With God there is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning. Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for
ever. There never was any danger of Jesus falling into sin!
The purpose of the Temptation was to show to us that
Jesus was the sinless Son of God. The temptation showed us that even after
not eating for 40 days that He could not be tempted with bread. Jesus'
public ministry started with His baptism. And then He went straight to the
temptation to show us that sin and temptation has zero hold upon Him.
The temptation shows that there is a great difference
between the first Adam and Jesus. By Adam sin entered into the world.
Jesus came to take away sin. By Adam the world fell. Jesus came to
seek and to save that which was lost.
Adam fell to the temptation of Satan. How better
to show the difference between Adam and Jesus than to have a direct
confrontation with the same wicked Satan. Adam had a garden full of food
and fell. Jesus went 40 days without food and won. Adam fell with no
hunger. Jesus resisted with incredible hunger. Adam was only offered
the knowledge of sin and he fell. Jesus was offered all the kingdoms of
the world and did not fall. Adam ignored the Word of God and fell.
Jesus used the Word of God and won. Adam disobeyed God and lost.
Jesus was obedient by following the Spirit's leading to the temptation and won.
What a vivid picture to start His public ministry of
who Jesus is. The sinless Son of God.
Thought On This Chapter
MT 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to
say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
From the start of His public preaching Jesus preached
repent. Repentance is something that is not preached as much as it should
be. Many preachers never mention it at all. They are not following
the example of the one they claim to follow. They are also not following
His command.
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Preachers of the gospel are to preach repentance.
Repentance is NOT works, and it is NOT reformation. Repentance is a change
of mind; a real change of mind that leads to a change of action.
Repentance is a turning from and a turning to. It is to truly feel sorry
for your sin and you confess it and turn from it and turn to Jesus. God
does all the saving. It is a free gift, but God resists the proud and
gives grace to the humble. You cannot pray with a proud unrepentant heart
and get saved. It does not work that way.
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that
your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord;
You have to have a repentant heart to be converted.
A good example of this is the Pharisee and the publican. Only one of them
was saved - Only one of them was repentant.
Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the
one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with
himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of
all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would
not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast,
saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be
abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
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King James Bible Main Index:
MT 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
MT 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
MT 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
MT 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
MT 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
MT 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
MT 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
MT 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
MT 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
MT 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
MT 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
MT 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
MT 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
MT 4:14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
MT 4:15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
MT 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
MT 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
MT 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
MT 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
MT 4:20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
MT 4:21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
MT 4:22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
MT 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
MT 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
MT 4:25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
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General Information About the Book of Matthew.
"So Since Matthew was slanted particularly
to Jews, and since the kingdom is to be a Jewish kingdom in that it will be in
Palestine (Jewish land) and on David's throne (a Jewish king) as clearly
prophesied in the Old Testament Jewish Scriptures, it seems reasonable that
Christ should speak of the kingdom of Heaven in Matthew, though that term is not
used in other Gospels." John R. Rice
Outline of Matthew
Ch. 4
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I. Preparation for Christ's ministry cont. from ch.
3
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C. Jesus temped by the devil
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1. Fasted 40 days
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2. Satan temps Jesus' flesh
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a. Satan tempted Jesus to satisfy His
hunger
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b. Jesus answers with The Word of God
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3. Satan temps Jesus' divinity
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a. He ask if thou be the Son of God
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b. Jesus answers with The Word of God
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4. Satan temps Jesus' Lordship
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a. Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of
the world if He will bow to him
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b. Jesus answers with The Word of God
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5. Satan leaves
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6. Angels minister to Jesus
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I. Jesus starts his public ministry in Galilee
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A. Jesus travels to Zabulon, which
fulfulled prophecy
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B. Jesus begins to preach Repent for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand
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C. Jesus talks to Peter and Andrew
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1. He tells them to follow Him
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2. He tells them He will make them fishers of
men
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3. They straightway follow Jesus
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D. Jesus talks to James and John
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1. They were mending their nets
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2. Jesus calls them
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3. Immediately they follow Jesus
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E. Jesus travels all Galilee
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1. Teaching
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2. Preaching the gospel
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3. Healing
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4. Jesus' fame spreads
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a. Sick people brought to Him
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b. Possessed people brought to Him.
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c. Crazy people brought to Him
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F. Great multitudes followed Jesus
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1. From Galilee
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2. From Decapolis
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3. From Jerusalem
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4. From Judaea
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5. From beyond Jordan
If Jesus used the Word of God to defend against the
temptations of the Devil, then we should to. How can we
effectively use the Word of God against the temptations of the Devil if we do
not have any of it memorized? When Jesus asked Peter,
Andrew, James, and John to leave everything and follow Him, they obeyed
immediately. A lot more would be done for Christ if we would follow their
example. |
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