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The Book of Luke, The Second Temptation of Jesus, Part II – Lesson 39
Luke 4:5-8, And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
In this passage we are informed by Luke that Satan led Jesus up into an high mountain.
Matthew tells us in chapter 4 verse 8 that it was an exceedingly high mountain but Matthew does not use the phrase in “a moment of time” as Luke does here.
And from that high mountain and in that moment of time Satan projected, in some fashion unknown to us, “all the kingdoms of the world”.
It probably was the most compelling of advertising presentations ever done in this world.
Somehow Satan was able to show Jesus Christ a dramatic presentation of all the kingdoms of the world in a very brief time, Luke says “in a moment of time”.
One thing we should consider here is that the presentation was from the height of a mountain and if you have ever looked out of the window of an high airplane everything from that height looks beautiful.
But dive down to the surface and take in the details and everything is not beautiful.
So knowing that it was from the height of an exceedingly high mountain and the fact that it was a very brief presentation tells us that Satan was not about to show the details, to show the truth of the kingdoms that he claimed to own.
Satan is a liar and the father of lies and his presentation was a lie for it only showed the façade, it only showed the whited sepulcher without showing the dead men’s bones within.
He is like the dishonest used car salesman that only shows the shine of the car and never the true condition of the important parts or inards of the car.
That is Satan’s way, he always shows the surface, he is impressed with the outward appearance and cares nothing about the heart.
That is how the world system is, as long as the outward is presentable who cares about the inward?
But God cares about the inward, God cares about the heart.
So being a liar and the father of lies the kingdoms of this world were never shown in their true light.
They were shown with the lights and the glitter, they were shown from a high mountain.
But God knows their true light and they will be destroyed by God so that the kingdom of God will be established on the earth.
Satan is a desperate creature. He aspires to be like the most high God.
Satan’s problem was that the coming of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom meant the doom of any power and control of any kingdom Satan might have.
Satan’s goal is to sabotage the establishment of the kingdom of God, to derail the rule of Christ on the earth.
Satan has, from the Garden of Eden, desired to be the god of this earth.
Satan’s goal was to somehow persuade the Son of God to become his ally, rather than his arch-enemy, who would only destroy him and his kingdom.
It is an interesting characteristic of human nature that if you have a certain weakness you think that others also have that weakness.
If you can be bought or bribed then you think that any man can be brought or bribed.
You think that any man has his price because there is a price where you can be bought.
If you yield to the lust of the flesh in a particular matter then you think that anyone will yield to the lust of the flesh in that matter.
This characteristic is a characteristic of Satan and it came to man with sin.
Satan was motivated by the lust for power and control and he supposed that any man would also be likewise motivated.
Satan saw the Lord as he saw himself.
Satan expected Jesus Christ to yield to the same things he would yield to.
He expected that the same things which appealed to him would appeal to the Son of God. One of Satan’s primary ambitions is to “be in control, to exercise power over God’s creation.”
The account of his fall in Isaiah 14 show that he was impressed with his position and power, but that he wanted more, to be like the most high.
Isaiah 14:10, For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Satan is not content until he can be in full control.
And Satan expected Jesus Christ to have the same desires that he had and he makes an offer of a kingdom to Jesus Christ which in his mind was too tempting to refuse.
The Bible says that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts nor are God’s ways our ways.
The devil’s thoughts are not Jesus Christ thoughts nor are his ways the devil’s ways.
We can get a picture of the mind of Christ by reading Philipians 2:5-11.
Philippians 2:5-11, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is the mind that Satan faced as he made this kingdom offer to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ left behind in heaven the glories of heaven.
In order to return to the glories of heaven he would now have to face the cross.
Satan had a way around the cross and that way included the so called glories of the kingdoms of this earth.
Satan’s approach was to offer the Son of God the kingdoms of the earth, in place of the kingdom of God, which is not of this world as we learn in John 18:36.
Why go through all that pain and suffering when there is an easier way?
One of Satan’s operating principles is that he always provides an easier way.
And this easier way was a very small surrender on the part of Jesus Christ, just bow the knee to Satan in worship.
No one needs to see the act, just yield to Satan.
What great benefit could come from such a small act.
This is typical of Satan’s temptations for they require so little for so much, so he says.
All Eve had to do was eat a little fruit and she would be like gods.
But what a great price was paid and is still being paid for such a little thing.
Satan’s message is always, So little to give for so much to get!
Doing little for much is usually of the Devil and should be carefully considered in any transaction.
If it is too good to be true it is not!
But Jesus Christ knows the implications of doing so little for so much.
He knows that worship is an act which acknowledges that the person or thing bowed down to is greater than the worshipper.
That which is worshipped is of greater worth, and has greater power and authority than the worshipper. The fact is that one who worships another must also serve him.
Whatever we worship we are obligated to serve.
Worship establishes who is in control.
Most people of this world worship the world and the world is in control of their lives.
But John tells us in: 1 John 2:15, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
But what ever you worship, you also serve.
The words of Christ, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve, connects these two things, worship and service.
Jesus Christ knew that an act of worship would have made Him a servant of Satan and would therefore prolong Satan’s kingdom.
Jesus Christ knew that he had a kingdom, not of this world.
He knew that his kingdom was opposed to Satan’s kingdom and the world system of Satan, based upon rebellion against God.
The kingdom of Jesus Christ will only be established by the defeat of Satan and his forces, not by submission to him through an act of worship.
The kingdoms of this world have to be set aside before God’s kingdom can be established.
The kingdom of Jesus Christ is not “of this world” according to and cannot co-exist with the kingdoms of this world.
The kingdoms of this world are not going to bring in the kingdom of Jesus Christ for they are of two different qualities and cannot be joined.
Jesus Christ knew that the cross was the way in which he would defeat Satan and make ready for his kingdom.
Without the cross Satan’s kingdom would continue because Satan’s kingdom depends upon sin and death.
Without sin and death there is no kingdom for Satan.
Christ defeated sin and death because he willingly went to the cross.
1 Cor 15:55-57, Oh, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we said last week Satan desires to change God’s order for God’s order is that the cross is the only path to the crown.
Satan offered a “crown” without a cross.
God’s way was to establish His throne, His kingdom by means of the cross of Calvary.
In God’s order of things suffering is the pathway to glory.
Peter reminds us of that in:
1 Peter 4:12, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
After this temptation Jesus Christ spelled out clearly the difference between his kingdom and Satan’s kingdom as he preached thoughout Israel.
The Sermon on the mount clearly shows a kingdom vastly different than anything on this earth.
We will see as we continue our study of Luke that Jesus Christ on many occasions had to correct the thinking of his disciples because they thought in line with Satan’s kingdom.
Paul’s letters to the churches continue that instruction to us for so much of our thinking is in line with Satan’s thinking and Satan’s program.
Paul in Philipians 2:5 wrote, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Romans 12:2, And be not conformed to this world (the kingdom of Satan): but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
One of the marks of a growing Christian is to think along the lines of the kingdom of God rather than continuing to think along the natural line of a sinner, the line of the kingdoms of this world.
Repentance has in it a yielding to God of the mind in order to let the mind of Christ be in you.
Repentance is coming to the conclusion that Satan’s program, that which occupies the sinner’s mind, is wrong and must be replaced in the mind by God’s program, the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
And we can only do that by doing what Jesus Christ told Satan “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” |