| THREE POINTS OF TEMPTATION |
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4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
LUKE 4:1-5 CHARLES RYRIE HAS THE FOLLOWING NOTE ON HEBREWS 4:14: "IT IS NOT THAT CHRIST EXPERIENCED EVERY SINGLE TEMPTATIONMAN DOES, BUT RATHER HE WAS TEMPTED IN ALL (THREE) AREAS IN WHICH MAN IS TEMPTED (THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYES, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE),AND WITH PARTICULAR TEMPTATIONS SPECIALLY SUITED TO HIM."
THIS PATTERN OF THE THREE POINTS OF TEMPTATION IS TO BE FOUND IN THE RECORDS THAT RECOUNT THE FIRST SIN ( ISAIAH 14:12-14 AND EZEKIEL 28: 12-15,17). THE PATTERN IS ALSO CLEARLY SEEN IN THE TEMPTATION OF EVE, THE MOTHER OF ALL LIVING. NOTE THE LUST OF THE FLESH(GENESIS 3:6a),THE LUST OF THE EYES (GENESIS 3:6b), AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE(GENESIS 3:6c).
JESUS WAS TEMPTED IN THESE SAME THREE AREAS-THE LUST OF THE FLESH (LUKE 4:3), THE LUST OF THE EYES(LUKE 4:5b), AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE OR SELF-PROMOTION AND SPECTACULARISM (LUKE 4:9-10).
JOHN WESLEY SAID, "I TRY NOT TO SPEND ANY MONEY THAT WOULD SATISFY THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYES, OR THE PRIDE OF LIFE!" KING DAVID'S TEMPTATION ALL FELL ALONG THE LINES OF THE THREE POINTS OF TEMPTATION. LOT'S TEMPTATIONS ALL FELL ALONG THE LINES OF THE THREE POINTS OF TEMPTATION.
IT WAS THE SAME IN THE LIVES OF ESAU, ACHAN, ABSALOM, ANANIAS, SAPHIRA, AND THE DISORDERLY MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH AT CORINTH. ALEXANDER THE GREAT, ADOLF HITLER, MAO TSE-TUNG, AND SADDAM HUSSEIN WERE TEMPTED UNDER THE SAME THREE POINTS.
IF WE ARE VICTORIOUS IN THESE THREE AREAS, WE WIN THE INTIRE BATTLE.
BY PASTOR DAVID M. ATKINSON, DYER BAPTIST CHURCH, DYER, IN. |
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