The Teachings of Jesus Christ. Pt. 2 Blessings from the Son's Suffering and Obedience

Good Morning to all!   It is a windy, brisk day where we live.  My hope is that as we study the Word of God together we are all being built up in our faith and resolve to love God and love others. 

The church pictured below is a good reminder about our need to gather together in worship to our Lord and for hearing from Him as the Word is preached. 



We took the quick plunge into study the baptism of Christ because His temptations occurred right after He was baptized.  The perfection of Jesus Christ

Now we can move into the temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ so that we can see the significance of Christ passing the tests and His use of the powerful Word to defeat the devil. 


Matthew 4:1-4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 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.

The Spirit of God led Christ out into a wilderness.

The text above tells us what happened immediately after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.  Jesus was led up by the Holy Spirit.  The phrase "led up" means to sail forth or to go out. 

The Gospel of Mark adds some key details about this event.  The text says the Spirit "driveth" him into the wilderness.  This word means to eject, cast forth or expel and so this gives us an idea of the power of God at work in the testing of the Son of God.  

Mark also tells us that there were wild beasts and that angels ministered to Christ during this time.  He does not tell us what kind of animals were there or what specific ministry the angels performed for Jesus. 

Mark 1:12-13  And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.


40 Days of Fasting and Prayer were preparation for the temptations to follow. 

Fasting is refraining from eating food.  The normal fast involves the total abstinence of food.  Luke 4:2 reveals that Jesus “ate nothing”; afterwards “He was hungry.”  Jesus abstained from food but not from water. 

Fasting in the Bible is usually a time where a person is seeking to know the Lord in a more dynamic and deeper relationship.  Some of the Biblical purposes of fasting are listed below. 

The fasting of Jesus Christ would have been for the purpose of seeking closer communion with the Father and seeking that heavenly meat which sustains the soul. 

• Fasting is for seeking help to pray better. (Ezra 8:23)
• Fasting is for seeking God's guidance. (Judges 20:26)
• Fasting is for expressing our grief. (2 Samuel 1:12)
• Fasting is for confession and returning to God. (1 Samuel 7:6)
• Fasting is for humbling of self before God. (1 Kings 21:27-29) 

40 days of fasting is also noteworthy.  The 40 day period figures prominently in the Bible.  The number 40 represents a period of trial and testing, purifying or probation. 

The 40 days of fasting and preparation of Jesus proves again that He is God in the flesh and it proves His sinlessness.  Jesus did not demand food or other comforts during this time.  He wanted to exercise total dependency upon the Father in heaven.  He wanted His mind and body focused upon spiritual realities not worldly distractions. 

• 40 days of rain brought in the flood. (Genesis 8:6-7)
• Elijah fasted for 40 days. (1 Kings 19:8)
• Moses fasted for 40 days. (Exodus 24:18; 34:28; Dt. 9:9; 25)
• Spies sent to the promised land for 40 days. (Num 13:25)
• Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days. (Jonah 3:4)

The Father in heaven was glorified by the obedience of His Son on the earth. 

Jesus was God in the flesh and during the 40 days of testing He offered up prayers, supplication and "strong crying and tears" to the Father.  Though He was the Son of God, Jesus learned obedience through His sufferings.  He proved His perfection under the law of God and became the Author of eternal salvation. 

Hebrews 5:5-9  So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.  As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Jesus suffered much but passed the test on our behalf.

The first part of the test was 40 rigorous days of fasting in the wilderness with no food eaten by Jesus.  All of the 40 days of testing lead up to Christ being tempted by the Devil.

• Jesus prayed and offered supplications.
• Jesus had strong crying and tears.
• Jesus suffered during this time of testing.
• Jesus was heard by His Father in Heaven.
• Jesus' obedience was perfect in all respects.
• Through the obedience of Christ we can become children of God. 

In our next post we will see how Satan tempted Jesus Christ to disobey His Father and how Jesus used the blessed Word of God to defeat His great enemy.  All of this has eternal implications for you and me and what Christ endured for us is part of His victory over sin, death, hell and the devil!

Please share these truths with people that you know. There are so many unsaved souls that need to hear from God in Heaven. 

Bob

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