The life of Jesus – 6
August 3, 2014
Luke 4:4-8 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And 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. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And 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.
As we continue to look at Jesus in his temptation we find the next thing satan tempted him with was worship. The root thing satan is looking for is worship. That was his problem from the beginning. Before we were created, God was the only being that was worshipped. All the angels worshipped Him, including satan. Worship didn’t make God to be God. He is God whether he is worshipped or not. God can actually exist without our worship. Worship is an issue of the heart. Worship is the antidote against pride. The enemy fell because pride got a hold of him and he required worship. In the book of Isaiah we see what happened when satan fell.
Isaiah 14:12-16 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 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: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms.
Ezekiel 28:2-5 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches
In these two prophecies we see what happened to satan when he fell. In Ezekiel we see the pride and in Isaiah we see the five “I will” of the devil. What amazes me is that the last “I will” satan wanted is the one where he said “I will be like God.” When God created Adam and Eve He said: “Let us make man in our image and in our likeness.” When satan looked at Adam and Eve they looked more like God than he could ever wanted. That must have crushed him completely. What God was showing satan is what you become when you want to do it by yourself and what you become when God does it for you! After all if you are not a creator what do you think you will make of yourself? God who is the creator knows how to do it!
Here is the other shocking news. This is what sets God apart from man and the devil. We want to be something. God is something. Look at what Jesus says. The enemy is “I will” which means he is not that yet, Jesus is the “I am.”
When Jesus came he was man in the image of God. I think when satan saw Adam it crushed him but when he saw Jesus in the flesh it must have rubbed it in really hard. Here was a man, the last Adam, even better than the first.
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high
Jesus was the exact image of God. Here was the last Adam with the image of God showing what you will be if you live a life totally surrendered to God. A man that did not seek to do his own thing. A man that came to express the Father and not express his own ambitions! So here is what Jesus says:
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Jesus was what God intended from the beginning. Jesus was what you will be when God does it for you. Even though Jesus was this perfect, he never desired to be worshipped. His heart was to please the Father. When worship is directed towards the Father is eliminates the pride that wants to tempt us in our hearts. When satan desired worship he fell into pride. During this temptation satan was still seeking approval or justification for his pride. Jesus could never sanction such an act against God. What is your worship directed too this day. Check and see what has your heart. Worship is an heart issue.
