Wednesday: “Worship Me”
Read Luke 4:5-8. Why would Satan want Jesus to worship him? What crucial issue was at stake here?
Image © Standard Publishing from GoodSalt.com
Worship is the sole prerogative of God. It is the one factor that forever separates the creature from the Creator. One of the issues in Lucifer’s rebellion against God in heaven is that of worship. Lucifer’s ambition was well summarized by Isaiah 14:13-14: to ascend to heaven, to exalt his throne above the stars of heaven, to be like the Most High. It was an attempt to usurp the authority that belongs only to the Creator and never to any creature, no matter how exalted.
In this context we can better understand what is happening in this temptation. When Jesus was about to set out on His mission to redeem the world back to God’s ownership and authority, Satan took Him to the top of a mountain, provided a panoramic view of all the kingdoms, and offered them to Him for a simple act: If You will worship before me, all will be Yours
(Luke 4:7, NKJV).
Satan was trying to divert Christ’s perspective from His divine priority and to entice Him with pomp and glory for no greater price than just a bow. He was trying to get here, again, the authority and worship that he failed to get in heaven.
Notice how Christ dismissed the tempter with utter contempt. Get behind Me, Satan!
(Luke 4:8, NKJV). Worship, and the service that goes with it, belong to the Creator God alone. Here again the Word of the Lord comes to His help. Did not Inspiration say through Moses, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God . . . You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him
(Deut. 6:4-5, Deut. 6:13, NKJV)? Absolutely resolving to follow God in faith and obedience is the ultimate answer to Satan’s lies and tricks.
Any of us can face temptations to compromise our faith, even in small ways.
Your job, your passing of a university examination, your promotion, demands a compromise in regard to Sabbath. At what point can you make a deal? When, if ever, is the price right?
(30)
am really satisfied and learned many things from your posts .so God bless you all.
I've heard this story growing up so many times and it just occurred to me. Satan tells Jesus "I will give you all their authority and splendor..." Why would Satan tell Christ he would give him the kingdoms of the world when the kingdoms already belong to Christ?
We must also be mindful of the circumstances surrounding the temptation of our Lord. This temptation came upon Him when He was at His weakest physical point. His body is craving nourishment and His emotions wants comfort and company, keeping in mind that He is 100 percent human but at the same time He was 100 percent divine. These temptations were strong because Jesus had the power and authority to perform them but we are told that HE never, even to satisfy His own needs did Jesus use His powers. His gifts were for the uplifting of fallen humanity but He must look to the mountain whence cometh His help. Yes the world and the kingdoms were already His, but Satan's aim was to make Jesus just for a moment forget about His mission to satisfy His own needs. We often times allow ourselves to indulge into a self gratifying act and put Gods calling away for maybe an hour (to watch our favorite TV show, or to visit a worldly website) thus using that which is within our power to control to a selfish end. When we do this we are turning stones into bread, jumping off the cliff and expecting God to save us and ultimately bowing down and worshiping Satan.
We should spend at least 1 hour (mark 14:37) early each day to prepare our hearts for a days conflict, and be filled with God's Spirit to empower us for the days mission. Praying the Lords prayer in faith.
Thank you for your post. I do have one question, however. You wrote, "These temptations were strong because Jesus had the power and authority to perform them but we are told that HE never, even to satisfy His own needs did Jesus use His powers". How did He not use His divine powers with all the healings he performed? How did He just "disappear" through an angry crowd, determined to kill Him, without them even noticing (Luke 4:28-30)? What about the feeding of the multitudes of 4,000 and 5,000 or changing water into wine? I can understand Jesus not using His divine nature for His own benefit, but how is it that He did not use it at all? If Jesus was only relying on strength from the Father, does that mean that all those things that He did, we can do them, too (John 14:12)? So I guess my bigger question is: Why aren't we?
Well, Marie Payne, just the same as Peter did not use his "Own Power" to raise Dorcas from the dead, or hide himself from the soldiers in escaping from the prison, or healing the man at the temple who was lame from his mother's womb. He was in subjection to God - to the Holy Spirit. It was the power of God working in both Peter and Jesus. Not their own innate power.
Thanks for relying to my post, Dan; your examples make perfect sense. I guess my big question still remains, though: Since Jesus and others used the power of God and not their own innate power to perform healings and miracles, why aren't we doing the same now? Not healing through the use of technology or medical devices, I mean healing through speaking a Word or touching someone. Is it just that many Christians (myself definitely included)just don't subject ourselves to the Holy Spirit and don't have a tight enough connection with God?
By definition, miracles are extraordinary events. God gave us natural means of healing, and He usually works through those.
However, when the need arises, He still performs miracles of healing. When my husband preached in the Ukraine about 20 years ago, a woman came to his sister, a medical doctor, with an illness she could have treated successfully in the United States. However, she had used up all her medication, and there was none available in that country. The people knew that the hospitals were places to die. There was no cure to be had, except by a miracle. So they prayed for the woman, and she was cured - as she came back to tell them and thank them the next day. Our extremity is God's opportunity, and He still works miracles when we ask in such circumstances.
On the other hand, it would be presumption to ask for healing for diabetes or other chronic lifestyle diseases when a change in lifestyle is what is needed.
Robin you must remember that at Creation God gave Dominion to Adam. However Adam (and Eve) by default relinquished that dominion when they effectively chose Satan as their leader in the first temptation. Satan then appeared as the representative from Earth "from walking up and down in it..." (Job 1:7)
The plan of salvation was to bring reconciliation - to put thing back the way they were in the beginning. Jesus came to purchase the right to give us eternal life and to redeem the Earth and all that are therein. So, Satan, in that sense, could rightly say," Bow down and worship me and I will give it back to you because I won it fair and square.
This is put in simple terms but I hope you get the idea.
Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He will claim what is not his.
I have read this so many times, but the light has really shined on me after reading this text this week. Why would Satan offer something to Jesus that He already own. This is like offering my shoes to me when they already belong to me. Satan was using a trick question/statement during a weak fleshly moment for Jesus. (hunger & thirst after 40 days in the wilderness)
Thank you. Paul Motu for that wonderful comment you explained that in such a way that any child would inderstand.
Praise be to God, Audrey.
Here are few more points that may help in regards to Mr Robins question.
Q. "Why would Satan tell Christ he would give him the kingdoms of the world when the kingdoms already belong to Christ?"
The kingdom that Satan was offering Jesus was the 'kingdom of sin', to be part of that kingdom our Lord must sin but praise God that our blessed Lord was sinless- "...for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." John 14:30 (KJV).
Satan still has power and dominion over the 'kingdoms of sin' but Christ bids us to "Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33)
The kingdom of Christ is not of this world (John 18:36) and it is an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:14 (KJV)).
Summary: Satan was offering Jesus the 'Kingdoms of Sin' which does not belong to our Lord. Jesus came to save sinners from the kingdom of sin and offers them the kingdom of righteousness where He is King.
The concept of obey is really a crucial one, often we humans tend to think just beyond our feet I like it especially in vs 5 the last part when it emphasizes the devils tricks he uses daily to tricky us "in a moment of time" just within a blink of an eye the devils can utterly use us and win us IF we are not attentive, because Jesus answered by saying " The scriptures say"... We ought to do same too and refer back to him when we are tested and He will remind us and uplift us in the doom we are to be trapped in by the evil one.
God help me in ways I dont understand but I thank him 4 that
There is a point that I have not seen in discussions on this issue.
Satan says "worship me", some commentators seem to view it as 'just bow down before me this once'
However if I worship the LORD I am acknowledging him as my Ruler, so I believe Satan was saying to Jesus acknowledge me as your ruler and I will give you this world. This is much more than a simple bow or a moment spent doing your own pleasure this is the most pivotal moment in a person's life - who do you acknowledge as the Ruler of your life!
If Jesus had taken the easy way of getting the world back He would have been denying His divinity by worshiping Satan and it would have been no victory at all. The first temptation was "IF you are the Son of God" I believe this temptation is "Is the Word - God" see John 1:1
EGW tells that part of the war in heaven was because Satan thought himself equal to the pre-incarnate Jesus.
Time and again the devil has spoken on our ears "If you do this, this will be your portion; if you just compromise only once, you will be rich, you'll be just ok. Doing just once won't make a difference." Friends we should realize that the devil is not someone to give a chance in your life because the moment you do that, he will definitely win you. Let our reply be like Jesus 'Get behind me satan'. Let this be your prayer too.
Hello.
It is my understanding that looking to the mountains was more a question. The worshippers of Baal worshipped in those mountains. Therefore we cannot find answers there. But..."Psalm: 121. 2. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth."
Kazval,
I guess your comment is in response to my first comment which say "His gifts were for the uplifting of fallen humanity but He must look to the mountain whence cometh His help."
You quoted psalms 121:2 that says that we must look to the Lord who made heaven and earth,but I paraphrased verse 1 of the same chapter where David says,
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."
It was not a literal hill that David was referring to but to God the creator.
Our blessed Lord when on earth would even find the mountains a place of deep communion with His father, "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." Luke 6:12 (KJV)
In prophecy, God's kingdom is even cut out of the mountain, "Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands..." Dan 2:45 (KJV).
I hope that this reply would have clarified the misunderstanding concerning the "mountain" that may have risen. But this has taught me a good lesson to always use bible texts in support of my thoughts on bible discussions. God bless
What the psalmist says here is . Will I lift my eyes to the mountains for help ? Will my help come from the mountains ? No my help comes from the one who created the heaven and earth.
Uhm! Satan trying to convert Jesus into a devilworshiper. What a cursed pulpit atempt for He came to do the will of HIM who sent.
The creatures worship to creator. Who is the creature, and who is the Creator? It is the question...
"JUST bow down to me" Satan says, "and all this would be yours". BUT sin is never as simple as "JUST" bowing down. It's never as simple as just eating a fruit. There is always a fine print we fail to read. What Satan attempts to make seem simple has disastrous consequences.
We may sometimes rationalize our own darling sins as "JUST _______" (you fill in the blank: bad tempter I inherited, bad habit, slip up, my weakness ...) but it is worshiping another power apart from God.
The important message is in verse 6, satan can't give what he does not control or have power over even to Christ. Satan controls all the world governments.
Sin is a disease like leprosy, it physically distorts the mind. It took the perfect mind of Lucifer and changed it to what it is today. He actually believes he is omnipotent. He believes he is greater than his Creator. He believes he will win in the end.
If sin can do that to a perfect Angel, think what it can do to imperfect humans.
Jesus our Savior was showing us how to overcome the temptations of satin. He wasn't in control, His Father was in control. This is why He was our example. He had no advantage over the fallen humans, because He relinquished His powers to be like us, to show us how we can overcome.
Best post ever by William Earnhardt, on Modern Technology. Love it. It is true.
It is only natural that in our situation that we should think in terms of what the temptations mean to us. While I will not argue against that kind of thinking because we have a battle that no one else in the universe is presently having. Because no one except sinful man has to battle against a propensity to rebel against authority which has become our nature. No one outside of earth has to put up with Satan's constant arguments and temptations. So we have a perfect right to be concerned with our relationship to those temptations that Christ faced and to learn how we can deal with the same issues.
What I do think we need to do though is to go beyond seeing those temptations solely as a model and example to us. What is so difficult for us to see from our very narrow cloistered point of view is the cosmic struggle involved in those temptations. What we are dealing with here is a lot of politics, a subtle power grab for control of the entire universe.
It all started in Heaven when Satan began to entertain the idea that he had a better way of doing things than God and a better government than God had. Now seeking a better way is not in and of itself a bad thing but dwelling on the idea that you have something better than the creator of the universe can easily escalate into a growing antagonism that culminates in the thought that the one in control must go and be replaced by the something better. That is the struggle we see in the cat and mouse game that was played throughout Christ's life on earth and especially in the wilderness and again in Gethsemane.
God created everything to work in a particular way and when everything does the theoretical maximum is obtained. Satan's government that is so clearly manifest on earth is anything but that - it is an obvious path to self destruction. When the universe saw what its main principle was at the cross and saw the distinct difference between objectives and outcomes Satan lost the war - big time - and is now trying to postpone the inevitable, the eradication of all traces of his grand plan of something better including the one who is trying to enforce it.
"Satan
offers to men the
kingdoms of the world if
they will yield to him the
supremacy. Many do this
and sacrifice heaven. It is
better to die than to sin;
better to want than to
defraud; better to hunger
than to lie." — Ellen G.
White, Testimonies for the
Church, vol. 4, p. 495.
"Choose poverty,
reproach, separation from
friends, or any suffering
rather than to defile the
soul with sin. Death before
dishonor or the
transgression of God’s law
should be the motto of
every Christian. As a
people professing to be
reformers, treasuring the
most solemn, purifying
truths of God’s word, we
must elevate the standard
far higher than it is at the
present time." — Ellen G.
White, Testimonies for the
Church , vol. 5, p. 147.
Satan needs very little chance and uses physical attractive to conquer our faith,surprisingly enough how can Satan give something already in hand?. let us be courageous that with Jesus we become Victorian.the only weapon we have is script.all the times replay"it is written" to defeat Satan
Enjoyed your comments. Thanks so much