IT IS WRITTEN
Nick Pace
In Matthew 4, Jesus is tempted by
Satan on 3 separate occasions. Jesus was tempted the first time, just after
fasting for 40 days and nights. Jesus must have been extremely hungry after
fasting for this period of time. Satan
tempted Jesus to turn stones into loaves of bread. I am pretty certain that
Jesus would have had no problem changing stones into bread, but Jesus was
focused on something bigger. Something bigger than the physical hunger he was
facing that very moment.
In order to stay focused, Jesus
knew that He needed to focus on God’s Word. Thus we see in Matthew 4:4 Jesus
responds to Satan’s
temptation with “It
is written” and
then quoted a passage from Moses’ law. Jesus used God’s Word to overcome
the temptation that was put before Him by Satan. He used this same strategy in
Matthew 4:7, 10 on the second and third temptations by Satan.
But how do we often deal with
temptations in our lives? We often turn
to popular opinion,
the latest trendy
pick, friends, family, social
media, Hollywood, and
many other things. What we ought
to be doing is doing the same thing Jesus did to overcome Satan’s temptations.
That is going to scripture and using our knowledge in His Word to deal with the
issues presented before us.
We should remember that there is
a connection between loving God and loving His Word. In John 14:15 Jesus says
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” If we make the claim that we
are Christians and that we love God, we must study, know His Word, & obey
His Word.
When we fail to love and respect
God’s Word, we will soon forget God and disrespect His Word. In Deuteronomy 8
Moses warns the Israelites not to forget God’s Word. But we know as time
passed, they forgot, and began disobeying/disrespecting God’s Word. When we
forget God’s Word, we tend to replace it with man’s teachings or traditions.
We must continue to cling to God
and His Word even through troubles and trials we face. Jesus
passed these 3 temptations
in Matthew 4 by
relying on God’s
Word. We need God in our lives,
especially through the tough trials and temptations we face. We have a much
deeper need than just physical needs. We need God in our lives.
_______________
IN OUR PRAYERS- SHUT-IN: Levi Towater (skilled care in Mount Juliet), Jerry
Young (Lakeside in McKenzie), and
Kay Miles (at home). ONGOING: Hank Rook, David Spain, Ernest Thorne, Randy Hatch, Laverne Hatch, Charles Sisson, Jerry Massey, Matt Martin, Vickie Cox, Dwight
Bullington, Ross & Darnell Cole,
and Mercedes Gibbons. UPDATES:
Mary Lou Christian (will return to Atlanta for another treatment) Jill Shomaker (in Vanderbilt Hospital),
Gaye Massey (sick at home), Jason Duke (Jackson Hospital), and Margie Martin (recuperating at home
following surgery).
SYMPATHY: Our sincere sympathy is extended
to our sister Patti Hill and all her family on the death of her husband, Donald Hill, this past Tuesday.
BUSINESS MEETING: Today following afternoon services.
CONGRATULATIONS! To Dawn
Sloan on her graduation from Bethel University on December 5th
with an MBA. Great work!
WEDNESDAY DEVOTIONALS: We will have brief devotionals on December 23rd
and 30th instead of our regular classes.
HOLIDAY FELLOWSHIP: We will have soup and sandwiches following
morning services next Sunday, December 20th. All come!
SCHOOL ITEM: Antibacterial Wipes. We need 19 more.
