05/10/14 "A Melody Without a Harmony" (The 3rd Temptation of Jesus)
Change: Your Circumstances, Criteria & Credentials. Change your Connection. “Join me!”
Element of Fear in each Temptation: Provision & Protection. T3 Fear later.
Lessons: “Do something! Exercise YOUR will. Satisfy your SELF & desire. TRUST issue.
Lessons: Acceptance & Approval based on pleasing others instead of knowing you are “pleasing” to your Father. Being a 'sign' instead of a son; loving ministry & mission more than God. Testing God's love for you. WORTH issue.
T1: To act apart from Father, to base Father's Love for us on circumstances; to change stone to bread to consume for myself, rather than BE the Bread of Life to be consumed.
T2: To prove to others He is 'with' US, to test Him to 'prove' His Love beyond the Cross, to turn trusting Him into a test, to doubt the indwelling Holy Spirit, i.e., He is somewhere else.
Jesus refers to the Wilderness: Bread & Water. Satan tempting Sons & Temples.
T1 Satan 'came', T2 'took Him up' [Grk wd 'to associate one's self with'], T3 the same as T2.
Disassociation with the enemy. You cannot get out of your 'flesh', but you can Jas 4:7!
Lk 4:5, “an instant”. Element of supernatural + Subtlety of a 'quick' decision.
Matt 4:10 + 16:23 are the same words, “Get behind me!”, where He is obviously not looking.
3rd Temptation: No “If”. Be a KING like 'other' kings, who rule 'over' not 'with' and 'under' [Eph 2].
Read Jn 1:14, “among us”. The Romans, an Empire:
Matt's Easter: Empire & Kingdom. Empire has an Emperor, rules over many countries, by conquest, non-relational, rules countries. Impersonal Rulership, non-relational.
T1 & T2 question Relationship with Father. T3 perverts Relationships with Others! You do not need Community. Lucifer's “I” [Isa 14] vs the Dance of the Trinity (“Let Us … Our”).
Read Matt 20:25-28. This King is a Servant, “Jesus OF Nazareth” (21 times!). See Acts 10:38 & 22:8. Inclusion, not exclusion. With, not apart. To serve, not be served.
Change your Commitment (to) & Commissioning (from). Read Jn 12:24.
Above: Disassociation (“Resist”), 'snap' decisions, looking back (direction) instead of forward.
Escapism – a kind of diversion from reality, to an “exceedingly high mountain”.
Isolationism – keeping one's self at a distance.
Being 'independent' instead of inter-dependent
Dismiss people, “write them off”
A “one up” mentality that 'elevates' you, puts you in opposition to/contention with others
Categorize people – call them a 'forest' instead of trees rooted in the same 'root system'/ground, grass instead of 'blades', seashore instead of 'grains' of sand, stars instead of 'by name' (Psa 147)
Egocentric position – Lord over, Control & Manipulate people [religious leaders]; Judgmental, being a Judge, 'over them, not among them'.
UNnatural – assuming authority 'over' instead of 'with', i.e., Father/Son, Husband/Wife, etc.
Protecting yourself by setting yourself apart on “an exceedingly high mountain”; a melody without harmony, a pitcher without a baseball team (or ball, for that matter!).
All of the above: DIVISION, Satan's oldest plan [Isa 14, Gen 3-4, 1 Chron 21]
To Jesus, “Divorce Your Bride)!” Father, “Cast 'em out!” To us as His Body?
Attack on Community, Marriage, Family, etc. I am not as concerned about 'socialism' as a form of civil gov't as much 'anti-socialism' as a 'position' for social order.
Jesus quotes Deut 6:13 in reply to Satan's demand for Worship [Isa 14:13-14]: This is a Heart Issue.
“GIVE ME YOUR HEART! LOVE ME!”, which means “fall”, place yourself 'under my judgment' [all the Layers above]. “WORSHIP ME!”
Satan presents Visible [seen kingdoms] vs Invisible, Earthly vs Heavenly Affections [Col 3].
Jesus: The Ladder. There is no 'here' & 'there' in Christ. NOW. I AM!
Note: Satan offers “all these things”. Read Matt 11:27. Satan tries to convince us we are NOT who our Father says we are and we HAVE NOT what we've already been given. 1 Cor 3:21!
Most importantly, he suggests: Worshiping God is a waste of time. “Look at what I have to offer. Payback NOW!” Remember Esau in Gen 25:32, “What good is this birthright?!”
Fears: T1 = No Provision, Bread, Word.
T2 = No Protection, that He will “Be There” [Psa 91/Ex 17], Water, the Spirit
T3 – No Progress, Worship in Vain. POWER now!
The Wilderness of Israel & Jesus is a matter of knowing your Free (Jn 8)! You do not need to be afraid. Satan only suggests. We are free to choose if we will submit (Jas 4:7, again).
Returning to 1 Cor 10, Paul's warnings about “our fathers”, would help a bit with this last temptation.
Read 1 Cor 10:6-7. Idolatry & Worship of Ex 32. Read vss 6-8, 15-18.
Worshiping food, drink, and 'play' (Grk wd 'sport'), “all these things”.
Ultimately, Dancing & Singing without God. God tells Moses this is 'corruption' of self, made in His image, meant to sing and dance with Him, not 'for' Him or each other.
Read Matt 15:8-9, “... their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me”, like Psa 2 – read vss 1-2, 7-8!
Sons, Temples, Kings & Priests are Servants!
See Ex 19:6, Isa 61:6, 1 Pet 2:5-9, Rev 1:6
Jesus met all 3 Temptations as a Human Being, like us. No special assistance. “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Then Jesus returned in the power (Acts 1:8 dunamis) of the Spirit to Galilee” (Lk 4:13-14)
