Historians estimate the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem was 60 feet high. The devil takes him to the pinnacle of the temple and tempts him to leap. What a spectacular entrance for the messiah. Talk about creating a sensational event. Start out with a bang! Doesn’t this speak to “look at me, how important I am?” Let the Kardashians try that one for attention!
Temptation originates in lust. The devil uses lust to gain an advantage over us. God doesn’t use lust to test us. God tests our faith using choices. In Genesis CH 2 and 3 Adam had a choice between the Tree of Life OR the tree of knowledge of good and evil. DO YOU BELIEVE GOD? God does not test us until we are ready.
All of us have an Abraham moment and a Moses moment. God speaks to us! When we say YES to Jesus, our Wilderness Journey begins. We have many wilderness experiences throughout our lives, so God can perfect our faith.
Everybody has a little of Paul in them. Paul doesn’t whitewash his past. He points the finger squarely at himself. He says, “I did it.” He owes up to a past he was not proud of. He was NOT a nice guy.
I will reintroduce myself to you. I was born in log cabin. When I was a kid I walked 5 miles to school and back uphill every day. I taught myself to read in front of the fireplace
EVERYBODY THINKS THEY HAVE TIME. Young people think they’ll live forever. Mortality is lost on the young. That is why young people do stupid things. I did a lot of stupid things when I was young.
Some people give the devil too much credit for sin and evil. James blames the person for sin, not the devil. Let’s explore this a little deeper. Paul begins with the Law. Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
How would you like to live where Satan has his residence? The question is: how can you fight something you cannot see? Paul answers this question is 2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Evil is all around us. More-so than we can imagine. People talk about evil but WHAT is evil? Is it a force? Is it a person or being? Is it a mental illness? Is it in the water or the air? Is it contagious? The scripture reading in Ephesians 6 clearly defines evil. Jesus unmasks the source of evil.
You may have watched the TV show Seconds from Disaster, or Mayday, or Airplane Crash Investigation. These programs re-counts how disasters unfolded. If you have ever watched Air Crash Investigations, you learn the number one rule ingrained in every pilot is to keep flying the aircraft.