Thoughts on the Kingdom of God – Part 1
Mathew 4: 2 – 4 “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
Here the King is showing by example how life on this earth is to be lived in the Kingdom. Notice that Satan is free to attack those in the Kingdom. In this instance Satan is tempting our King to do Jesus’ own will rather than wait on God’s will. The act of turning stones into bread, which Jesus could have easily done, was not evil in itself. (Later Jesus creates bread to feed two separate crowds of people.) The temptation is to turn away from the will of the Father in Heaven. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8: 3 in response. This shows us what Jesus is thinking. Our King is not focusing on whether or not to make bread. He’s not praying, “Father, help me not to make this bread.” Jesus is not resisting the temptation; He’s resisting Satan.
The Devil’s implied lie is that when my will conflicts with God’s will, it is sometimes okay to do my will. Jesus quotes a verse which says that neither my basic needs (bread) nor my own life is more important than God’s Word and His will. If my needs must be set aside or even if my life must be sacrificed in order for me to “fulfill all righteousness”, i.e. doing God’s will, then that is what should occur. I believe this is the attitude of a child of the King.
Blessings in Christ,
Alan W. Harris
This is a really good point. I like the words you chose.
I thought about your statement, “Jesus is not resisting the temptation; He’s resisting Satan.” At first I didn’t necessarily agree with it, but I looked at the text closely and looked at other passages of Scripture – and I came to the same conclusion you did.
James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Jesus resisted the devil with the words of God in Matthew 4. We’ve got to know and understand how to use the words of the King to resist the devil.
1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” Philippians 1:29 says, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake… .” 1 Peter 4:1 says, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.” The child of the King will submit himself to suffer for the King by the grace and power of King for the glory of the King.
Adam submitted to the devil, took a bite out of an apple and sinned against God (the devil’s lie, “it’s sometimes okay to do my will”). The consequence is physical and spiritual death. Meditating on who God is as revealed in Scripture, I think we gain clearer understanding about the gravity of our choices when we weigh them in relationship to who He is. God sets the standard. We should learn from this example concerning Adam (and the Adam choices we have each made) that it is no small offense to disobey God at any level. Sin is not insignificant or inconsequential. All sin results in death. The Son of God had to die on a cross to pay our penalty of sin which is death.
Philippians 2:5-8 says, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
A child of the King will display this same attitude.