Introduction to The Godhead: The Temptation of Jesus | Steve Benson

've been doing a major doctrinal study

in Sunday school. So now we're going to

do it in Sunday evening message

as well. We've looked at the word of

God, what it is, where it come from, its

importance in our lives,

and we've been looking at, you know,

it's that it's the word of God. You you

guys go to the Bible church, that's not

news for you.

But some people don't know that you

can't have a Christian life without the

word of God. You can't become a

Christian without the word of God. It

plays such an important part. And then

from there, learning who God is. And

that's so important for us.

And we'll eventually get to man if the

Lord carries. And we're going to find

out just how sinful we are. But right

now we were seeing how great and

glorious God is. And we've been looking

at the Father.

We spent several messages on God the

Father. We sent spent several messages

on God the Holy Spirit.

I think the Holy Spirit gets ignored.

Um, you know, and I can be guilty of

that myself.

So, we were able to get caught up on on

the Holy Spirit. We had several messages

on him. He's a person.

God, the Godhead. From the Godhead come

the Father, the Son, and the Holy

Spirit. You know, that's who they are.

They reveal themsel to us. We don't

figure them out. And the only way we can

understand them is the provision God has

made with his word.

And it's sufficient. So, we don't need

anything else.

It's not saying that we just shut

everything else out, but when we rank

things in importance, you know, it's

what God said that matters. Yes,

>> he's a person.

That's a and and the reason we want to

say that is we're reducing God to what

we understand.

And what we understand is that is, you

know, we're we're persons. We're made in

the image of God,

you know, and your your body, soul, and

spirit as a human being. And we're going

to spend some time on on humanity and

those things, and they're important for

us to know. But when it comes to God,

the Bible says God is a spirit, but the

Bible also says God is a person.

because it's a person that has a

personality. So that's where

we see um the Godhead in represented as

the father, the son, and the holy

spirit. And there are verses that

you know I can show you a verse where it

says that the father raised Jesus from

the dead. This is this is one little

thing to help me understand some of

these things that God the Father raised

the Son. I can show you where Jesus

said, "I'll raise myself."

And I can show you where the Bible says

the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the

dead.

So God, the Godhead is made up of three

persons. The Father, Son, and the Holy

Spirit. And we did some messages on the

Trinity and we may do some more. Uh God

is just an incredible subject. There's

just so much here

and you know we've been looking at you

know Jesus

in the last few messages and we're

probably going to be on him for a while.

There's a lot here

and it's so important for us to to study

him because he he's as we said this

morning there's he's the greatest

example there ever was. He's the

greatest teacher there ever was. He's

the greatest lover of our souls as there

ever was.

and he taught his own people, you know,

and and that's where in John, we we saw

where John the Baptist handed Jesus off

to the nation of Israel and pointed and

said, "Here he is, the lamb of God that

taketh away the sin of the world."

And we saw this morning that Jesus is

sinless.

He cannot sin.

He's God.

And we talked about those things this

morning. And some of that's going to

come up tonight as well. But I'm in

Matthew chapter 4

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

and we want to rely on what the word of

God says about these things. We had the

message on the two baptisms of Jesus. We

had the one, you know, on his water

baptism. you know, why was Jesus

baptized? I mean, that's a good

question.

And Jesus is the one that answered it. I

didn't, you know, I didn't answer it for

him. He answered it right in the word of

God.

So, that's how important these things

are. I mean, there's never a greater man

and never a greater teacher

than him.

So right after his baptism, if you

familiar with your Bibles and him, then

you know here in Matthew 4 and verse one

is where we want to begin.

And Matthew lets us know

that, you know, that the devil didn't

come after Jesus or or, you know, the

Jes,

you know, find Jesus and and come after

him. He wasn't in control of this.

Jesus who is God is in control of this.

And he says here then was Jesus led up

by the spirit to the wilderness to be

tested by the devil. So that's what's

going on here. We have the son of God

who is led by the spirit. You see there

even you know the the the Holy Spirit

was in Jesus

to help him with his humanity.

And when he had fasted 40 days and 40

nights, he was hungry. And when the

tempter came to him,

you know, notice who initiated this.

Jesus was led by the spirit into the

wilderness to be tested by the devil. It

doesn't say the devil come to test Jesus

and, you know, got him unawares or

anything like that.

I mean, Jesus is in absolute control of

himself

and what's going on here. And he goes

into the wilderness

to let the devil come and test him.

And the devil is the tempter. And he

came to him and he said, "If you be the

son of God, command that these stones be

made to bread." So the tempter comes and

the tempter tempts. And Jesus is in the

wilderness. Now turn back to Job chapter

Job 1 · chapter mention

1

because this is something we need to

know

about the devil. You know some people

think that you know the devil is God's

equal

or you know he's not.

God's the creator Satan is a creature

and he his demise we can find in the

Bible. The Bible has nothing good to say

about Satan.

And here in Job, we can see here sort of

what's going on with Jesus.

And in Job chapter 1

Job 1 · chapter mention

and verse uh six, the days were come

when God came and presented themselves

before the Lord and Satan came among

them.

He was a he's a fallen angel.

Um, he initiated sin in the universe.

That's the only thing we can give him

credit for.

He's done nothing else.

And verse four, and the Lord said to

Satan, don't try to talk to him, but God

can.

From which do you come? And Satan

answered, Lord, from going to and fro

throughout the earth and walking up and

down in it. So, it's clear here that

he's on the earth. Um, he's been kicked

out of heaven and took a third of the

angels with him, but we're looking at

his tempting Jesus. And, and his

tempting Job here will help us

understand what's going on with Jesus.

And Satan answered the Lord and said,

"Does Job fear God for nothing? Hast

thou not made a hedge about him,

about his house, about all that he has

on every side, that thou may bless the

work of his hands, and the substance

of the land, and put forth your hand

now, touch all that he has, and uh he

will curse thee to your face." And the

Lord said to Satan, "Behold all that he

has and is in your power. only let upon

himself

put not forth thine hand and Satan went

from the presence of the Lord. Now this

is the book of Job is the oldest book in

the Bible and and this was in ancient

times. This was after the fall and Satan

got kicked out of heaven. We know more

about Satan now because of the New

Testament,

who he is and what he's doing. But here

you got to see that he can do nothing

unless God lets him.

So Satan is not God's equal any in any

way. He's a creature. Satan is a fallen

sinful creature, evil creature. God is

holy, just, and good.

And here we see God taking care of Job.

And there's a hedge about him. I like

that. There's a hedge about him. So the

devil can do nothing to Job unless God

oes it.

That's important for our theology.

You know, we just the Psalm 23, I will

fear no evil.

So don't fear evil. Don't fear the

devil. Don't fear him. Jesus said, I'll

tell you who you should fear. It's God.

And he was talking about

his father. So turn back to Matthew. So

in a similar way,

you know, God permitted the testing of

Job. God permits the testing of his son.

And that's what we see going on here. So

Jesus is led by the spirit. He's full of

the Holy Spirit.

And he has reached the age of maturity.

He We saw his earlier ministries this

morning. we saw some of the things he

was involved with. But when he comes to

to to John to be baptized,

it's it's told us in the scripture that

he was 30 years old.

So, you know, we think of maturity maybe

at 18

and I don't not so sure about that. I

didn't do very well in my 20s.

That's okay. It brought me to the Lord.

But Jesus is fully matured. He's a

physically, mentally, spiritually,

um, he is the son of God, the holy son

of God. And, you know, we've seen

leading up to this, how everyone knew

that, you know, he he didn't come and

live on Gilligan's Island. As I said

this morning, he come to Jerusalem. He

lived among the Jews. the very rules

that he made up

and he lived them to a per to

perfection.

And we saw in chapter 2 that this was

fulfilled, fulfilled, fulfilled.

So everybody knew who Jesus was. Herod

tried to kill him.

The wise men came through and you know

they they brought him gifts. They

worshiped him. So Jesus didn't become

God. He's always been God. He was God

when he was in heaven. He was God for

all eternity past and he he became a man

come to earth. A perfect man,

a sinless man, a holy man.

So what is Satan's goal here?

You know the the

you know he knows

he knows who he is.

Herod knew who Jesus was. The chief

priests knew who Jesus was. The Jews

knew who Jesus was. Mary knew who Jesus

was. Joseph knew who Jesus was.

So, you know, and then, you know, John

the Baptist at the age of 30, then John

hands it off. Remember, John said, "I

must decrease and he must increase." And

that's how

this happened because you know once he's

once Jesus is baptized and he begins his

ministry

and the answer to why Jesus was baptized

is there in verse 17

to please his father.

That's why Jesus was baptized

to please his father. And we're going to

talk about that tonight. that was, you

know, what he set out to do when he left

heaven.

Um, we had plenty of verses on that. And

turn back to Psalm

2

and this is what we there's numerous

verses that we could turn to, but we're

going to turn to this one.

Help us see

You know, God,

he's a great planner. We're going to

we're going to have a message on the on

the decrees of God.

They're incredible.

God is a great planner.

And you know, nothing takes God by

surprise. He knows everything. He's He's

not learned anything.

But here in Psalm two, this sort of

helps us see, you know, the big picture.

You know, Satan decided to rebel in sin

and take a bunch of the angels with him.

Well, well, God has a plan

to take back the universe.

And here it is in verse two or excuse me

verse one he says why do the nations

rage the people imagine a vain thing.

The kings of earth shut themselves and

the rulers take counsel together against

the Lord and against his anointing

anointing. The world still hates God.

The world still hates Christ.

You know that's proof that he's the real

God.

And he they say, "Let us break their

bands of sunder and cast away their

cords from us." Well, men are saying

that I think that was they must have got

it from the devil cuz he he was sort of

the ring leader and the initiator of

this rebellion against God.

I guess you think God's nervous. What am

I going to do? He already has a plan and

he executes it perfectly.

And he who sets in the heavens shall

laugh, and the Lord will have them in

derision.

Then shall he speak unto them in his

wrath. He'll vex them in his great

displeasure. There's hell in the Old

Testament, way before Jesus ever come to

earth. Yet have I set who my king

upon my holy hill in Zion. This is a

messianic psalm. It's just incredible

everything this says.

And I will declare the decree.

And the Lord said to me, "Thou art my

son. This day have I begotten thee."

Here in the Old Testament, God says, "I

I've got a son and I'm going to send him

to earth. He's going to be begotten."

And then he's going to say, "This is the

son, the king, the anointed one, the

Christ, the Messiah."

He says, "Ask of me, and I will give

thee the nations for your inheritance,

and the uttermost parts of the earth

for your possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of

iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces

like a potter's vessel."

This is God.

God has a, you know, holy side. God God

is gracious. God is kind. God is

merciful. But but God is also holy. He

just can't look away

from iniquity.

So be wise.

Get to know this God while you have

time.

And Jesus said, "Learn of me."

And and this the same person, God don't

God doesn't have to send two or three

different people here, you know, God, we

didn't God the Father didn't have to

become a human. The Holy Spirit didn't

have to become a human, but Jesus did.

And that's enough. He'll fix all this.

That's what this psalm is about.

Oh you kings, be instructed, you judges

of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoicing

and trembling and kiss the sun. You know

that's you know that this is this says

uh there's more to this

than a kiss. I mean that's you know

that's the way we should think of it.

But we're face to face with with Jesus.

Jesus is the face of God. You know,

there are other psalms and other verses

that say that

he's God.

So when he's born in Bethlehem, he

doesn't become God. He's already God.

He's already the son. He's already the

one who is going to do his father's

will.

Look in verse eight. He remember he

said, "Ask of me and I'll give you thee

the nations back."

And that's what he's done.

now that he's died and he's paid for our

sins. So, you know, this is his first

test from Satan. Um, go to Psalm 145.

Psalm 145

and verse 16.

This,

you know,

Jesus dependence upon his father. It's

amazing.

It's absolutely amazing.

And you know, that's what Satan is

after,

that loyalty

to God the Father.

And here the Psalm says, you open your

hand, you satisfy the desire of every

living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways,

holy in all of his works. And that's

concludes Jesus. That is Jesus. So both

of them are holy. The father, the son,

and the holy spirit. Spirit obviously.

Now let's go look at Luke's account of

this. Luke 4.

So we have in heaven and we have in

eternity past a god who has planned this

out sending his son as our redeemer

and everybody all the humans knew who he

was when he got here and the devil did

too.

James tells us that about the devil. The

devil believes in God. He's not an

atheist.

And here we have in Luke in chapter 4

in verse one,

similar to what Matthew said.

And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit

returned from the Jordan and he was led

by the spirit into the wilderness. So

he's in control of this, not the devil.

He's the sovereign Lord, not the devil.

He's here to do his father's will,

not listen to the devil.

And that's the test here. So 40 days.

And by the way, the word the word

tested, I mean, we have the word

tempted,

you know, and it's, you know, I'm

tempted

dead fly. So when I, you know, we're

tempted to do things that we ought not

do. So we know what that is. and and you

know, we we either pass or fail. You

know, it's pretty simple. We're humans

and there's a lot of failure, but we can

we can pass if we look to Jesus. And

that's what we have in the word of God

is him

um there to help us

and 40 days being tested by the devil.

So, this is a month and 10 days.

Jesus ate nothing.

I've never went that long without food.

Um, but I can imagine how hungry as a

man he was.

And when it ended, he afterwards was

hungry.

And the devil said to him, then notice

what the devil said.

He didn't say, "Are you hungry?" That's

obvious. His question is if you be the

son of God. That's his question.

That's his attack. That's his tempting.

That's his testing is to get Jesus the

man to depart

from Jesus the divine being and join the

earth and join the sinners and join the

fallen angels and join in the evil

that he has led.

Why don't you just turn this stone and

make it bread?

Jesus could have done that without even

blinking.

But that's the devil's temp temptation

here. That's the devil's testing of him

here. Why don't you just, you know, it's

just bread. Well, it's not just bread.

If he does this, he's the son of God.

He's going to be leaving his father's

will.

And we know Jesus said, "I do always

those things that please my father."

This would not have pleased his father.

And if we go back to his baptism,

remember in his baptism, that's what he

said. I did this to please my father.

I'm in the ministry to please my father.

I'm in Israel to please my father.

So any question we have about Jesus

ministry, you know me, it's like why is

it three and a half years? What you know

is there some what am I missing? I'm not

missing anything. It's to please the

father. Jesus ministry began to please

the father. Jesus ministry ended to

please the father. That's his two

baptisms, the water and then his

crucifixion

that we looked at already.

So here the devil is testing, you know,

the messiah or the the messiah to use

his divinity to help his humanity.

That's the test and that is not the

father's will.

The father's will is that he goes

hungry. The father's will is that he

trusts him. We shall not. And then

notice how Jesus responds.

What was Satan's question?

Are you the son of God? What's Jesus

answer? Man shall not live by bread

alone, but by every word of God or every

word that comes from God, literally.

So Jesus has his priorities right and

and this indeed will please his father.

And now we come to the second test.

Um

and that is here as well. And the devil

taking him up into the mountain he

showed unto him the kingdoms

of the world in a moment of time. So

this is supernatural.

This is, you know, above us and beyond

us.

And the devil said to him, "All this

authority will I give thee, and the

glory of them, for that has been

delivered to me to give to whomsoever I

want." Wow, man. You want to know why

the world's so wicked? There's there's

good reason why.

And the devil was tempting the son of

God to leave the kingdom of God here

like he has been booted out.

And and again the devil was you know

talking to him as the son of God.

And notice Jesus answered, "Get thee

behind me, Satan,

for it is written, Thou shalt worship

the Lord thy God, and him only shalt

thou serve."

So Jesus was tempted

to serve the world. Jesus is tempted to

serve the devil. Jesus is tempted to do

anything but but uh serve his father.

And

Jesus said, "No, thank you, devil. I

think I'll continue

to serve the Lord my God."

So again, Jesus responds with a verse

and a good one. And then we come to the

third test here in verse 9. And he

brought him up to Jerusalem and set him

on a pinnacle of the temple. Again, this

is supernatural. We don't have all the

details of this,

but we just have what what the what the

writers obviously they weren't there.

You know, none of these guys were there.

They, you know, Jesus must have told him

this

and been part of his teaching. And and

and notice

Jerusalem here. And he set him on a

pinnacle of the temple.

And he said, "If you're the son of God,

oh, you want to serve God? Here, try

this.

So, he is tempted

to cast himself down here to basically

to commit suicide as a man.

Well, you just commit suicide. God's

your father.

And verse 10, for it is written, he

shall give his angels charge over thee.

The devil says, "Oh, you want to quote

scripture? I can do that, too.

I can find a verse and then tear it out

of his context.

But he can't fool Jesus. He's God.

He wrote the word.

And in their hands they shall bury thee

up, lest at any time you dash your foot

against a stone. And Jesus said, "It is

written, thou shalt not put the Lord thy

God to the test."

That's what the devil's doing to the son

of God. He's testing him. And Jesus

said, "You shouldn't be doing this,

devil.

There's commandments against this."

And he responded that way. And when the

devil had ended all these testings,

he departed from him for a season. A

disappointed devil. So now we have the

son of God having gone through these

things. But notice all three times he

said, "If you're the son of God, we're

since you're the son of God, then do

this, you know, leave the father's

will."

Jesus said no to every single one of

them.

So,

you know, he didn't use his deity to

overcome his humanity

either. I mean, that that's in here.

Turn back to Matthew chapter 4 where we

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

were.

Matthew 4

and verse 7

is is written that thou shalt not put

the Lord thy God to the test.

And that's uh be gone Satan

in verse 10. And the devil left him.

And Matthew adds, "The angels came

and ministered unto him." You think he's

a man, just a man who who could possibly

sin? No. The angels are worshiping him.

This started in his This started in

Bethlehem.

He didn't become God. He's always been

God. He became a man. the only begotten

son of God. Um, as Psalm 2 talks about,

turn to Hebrews.

Uh, let's start in chapter 2. Got some

verses in Hebrews.

I hope I

Hebrews chapter 2

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

and begin in verse 17.

And wherefore in all things it behooved

him to be made like

his brethren.

That's us.

Jesus didn't, as I said this morning, I

guess I'm going to have to find a

different line. Jesus didn't, you know,

wash up on Gilligan's Island

as the Messiah.

No, he came to the very place to the

very people

that God said, "I I will make you a

great nation. I'll make you a great

people. You'll bless the earth." Well,

the greatest blessing is to have a

savior and a redeemer.

So, that's what happened. We've got

through the Jewish nation this wonderful

savior, this wonderful redeemer who is

the son of God who cannot sin,

who will not sin.

And here in Hebrews,

uh, and we talked about the sinlessness

of Jesus this morning,

and indeed

he is sinless. And here in Hebrews

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 and verse 17,

wherefore in all things that behooved

him to be made like his brethren, that's

us, not just the Jews, but humanity.

You know, there were people that were

saved before the Jews. Abraham was just

the first man to become a Jew,

and then the nation come from him. But

remember, he was like everybody else. He

was out there in the in the sticks like

all of us.

And here's why.

That he might be a merciful and faithful

high priest in all things pertaining

to God. So Jesus knows firsthand

what it's like to be tempted and tested

by the greatest being on this earth.

And this was a supernatural thing. And

the devil was trying to get him to

depart from the will of his father.

And he says here and this, you know,

Jesus accomplishing,

you know, that's why we, you know, we

have comfort and assurance, you know,

and knowing God's holy, just, good. He,

he hates sin. All those things we know,

but we see how God miraculously

and supernaturally

dealt with our sin.

Verse 18, for in that he himself

has suffered being tempted. When was

that?

Well, from the time he got on this

earth, as we saw this morning,

this earth knew he was the son of God.

The Jews knew it. Herod knew it. That's

why Jesus had Mary and Joseph had to go

to to to Egypt. But there was a verse

for that even

to to come and to be tested by the

devil.

He didn't come to set up a kingdom.

He come to pay for our sin.

Then he will set up his kingdom. Just

like Psalm 2 says.

And he suffered being tempted. What? I'm

the one that should be suffering. I'm

I'm the sinner.

He's the sinless one.

But he suffered as he was tempted. He

was he went 40 days without food.

Many other things. You know, the the

devil wasn't the only person to test

Jesus.

There were many others and we saw some

of them this morning. But what this says

here is just the greatness of his mercy.

You know, he he come to earth, spent 30

day 33 years on the earth, and he said,

"You humans are in big trouble and and

uh I hate you and I hate your sin.

You're going to all go to hell." No, he

did not. This is all about his mercy.

You want to see mercy, then follow

Jesus. He was merciful to everybody. He

was kind to everyone. He loved everyone.

He wasn't biased. He wasn't a hypocrite

like we are. He was holy, just, and

good. And he lived his life in front of

these men. Go to Hebrews chapter 4.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 4

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

and verse 15.

Let's start in 14.

Seeing then

that we have a great high priest. You

know that's what the Bible wants us to

see

is that God come to earth. God paid for

our sins

and you know we have been we have been

made alive by him. We have eternal life

now. We have what we needed. We have it.

The mercy of God, we have it. The grace

of God, we have it. The love of God, we

have it. God did all that in his

wonderful son.

So, here is something else. Talk about

God planning,

you know, think about it, you know,

okay, you you got saved, God wiped out

all your sins, now go and sin no more. I

mean, that's no remedy,

you know. So, God through his son made a

great high priest

for us. Now, he's been to earth. He

knows what it looks like down here. He

knows what's going on. He knows how

powerful the devil is in the world is

all these things, how sinful it is. And

he was here for a visit

of 33 years. Him. There it is. Jesus the

son of God. He was the son of God when

he was born. He's the son of God when

the devil tested him. He's still the son

of God in heaven

making intercession

for us. So let us hold back to our our

our confession, our profession which is

him and and what he has done.

We have not a high priest who cannot be

touched with the feelings of our

infirmities. There is not one thing you

can go through

that Jesus didn't go through as well.

As God, he suffered. That's God. He was

tempted and tested

yet, oh, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Like we yet without sin. He He's just

above it. He's beyond it. Is our great

high priest. Let us therefore come

boldly

to the throne of

wrath

and the throne of grace

that we might obtain mercy and find help

in the time of need. That's why

God the father let his son be tested

by the devil was so that as a man he can

learn and relate what it is to be a man.

Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 12

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

and verse

3.

You know, the Bible says the son of God

just I mean he's a member of the

trinity, the holy trinity. Isaiah

um talks about that holiness

and and and all three the holy God uh

the holy father, the holy son, the holy

spirit

and there the son volunteers to come to

earth

and to become a man and to redeem back

this lost humanity, this lost uh group

of sinners. So

from eternity past, he has always been

the sinless son of God.

And we got to see it. I didn't get to

see it. We're but others did. And and we

can see him and meet him and follow him

in his word.

But he's able to help us. And he and he

is still holy, just,

and merciful. And then verse three says

here,

"For consider him who?" Jesus is the

author and finisher of our faith. Do you

think you would just naturally find God?

No.

No one would. None of us would. I mean,

you take out that chain, the election,

predestination, the foreign knowledge of

God. If it weren't for all of those, we

would not be believers. Just electing us

is not enough. we need to call,

you know. So, all those things are

individually are true, but they all go

together and without all of them, we

don't find God.

We're like all the rest of this world.

And verse three says, "Consider him."

That's Jesus. Jesus said, "If you know

me, you know my father." He said, "If

you know me, you have eternal life.

He says, "If you know me, you'll never

thirst again."

That's the Jesus I know. That's the

Jesus of the Bible. The one he's talked

about here in Hebrews, looking unto

Jesus, the author and finisher of our

faith. Who for the joy.

Now, this this is incredible. The joy

that was set before him.

Jesus said it was a Jesus the son of God

said it was a joy for him to finish the

work and do his father's will.

We don't see that there, do we? What?

Man, that's it has to be painful. That

has to be incredible thing to go through

all that and and those that's all true.

But Jesus volunteered to do it and he

fulfilled his father's will and he did

all these things and he is the finisher

of our faith. uh who is the joy that was

set before him endured the cross

despising the shame and he is set down

at the right hand of the throne of God.

So when we think of Jesus, we want to

think of him there.

You know, he's not in Hollywood starring

in a movie.

He's in heaven. He's at the right hand

of the father. He he was victorious

while he was on the earth.

But he, what did he do? He come came

come down here and and he he walked with

sinners. He walked with evil men and

never sinned, know not one.

So he he goes on to say, "Lest you be

wearied and faint in your mind that you

have not resisted unto blood striving

against sin." Jesus did.

The hate that was poured out on him.

Um

even his own apostles betrayed him.

Not just Judas. It says they all ran

ahead. I think the women were the only

ones brave enough to stick around

in a society that hated women.

But once you meet this man, you can't

leave this man.

And that's who Jesus is. You know, he's

this the the sinless son of God. He It's

not that I said this morning. It's not

that he, you know, he could have sinned,

but he didn't. There's no way he could

sin. He's God. That's what James says.

Go on over to to James

in chapter one

was if there was ever the Bible says the

wages of sin is death. That's why we

die. That's why everyone's a sinner.

You're not going to escape death.

Unless the rapture happens

and we're holding out for that. I don't

like the more joy. I don't like the

cemetery.

I want to be alive when he comes back.

But it's okay if I'm not

because I know him. I know he's going to

keep every one of his promises. He's

going to bring me out of the grave.

And he's going to bring you out of the

grave as well if you believed in him.

That's how important faith is. It's what

God wants. He doesn't want our works.

They're filthy rags.

No one can be saved by works. We must be

saved by faith. And faith in this son of

God.

And and we're here in James.

It's interesting. The book of James is

where he says the devil, you know, the

devil believes in God.

you know, so don't just say you believe

in God. You know, make uh you know, your

your faith should produce obedience,

not the other way around. Obedience

cannot produce faith. Only faith can

produce obedience. And that's what God

wants, faith in his son, his holy

righteous son. And that's the incredible

thing, you know, I'm looking forward to

looking at Jesus life and seeing, you

know, all these things that he did that

we have in the word of God and comparing

what Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have

to say about Jesus. They were with him

and

they have a lot to say. But here James

uh verse 13,

chapter 1, James chapter 1

James 1 · chapter mention

and verse 13. Let no man say

when he is tempted, I am tempted of God.

For God cannot be tempted with any evil,

neither tempt he any man. So it's not

God that test tempts us. God tests us.

But God doesn't tempt temp tempt us to

do evil.

And that's what this says. But every man

is tempted.

Turn too many pages. And when he is

drawn away after his own lust and

enticed, Jesus never had a sin nature.

He he never had to battle with the sin

nature

like the rest of humanity.

We're all sinners. We're all born

sinners. We got it from Adam and then we

take control and then we do our own

sinning.

And that's what sin does.

That's going away from God. Sin's going

away from God.

And when lust

has conceived, it brings forth sin.

So thoughts are sin.

Jesus never had a bad thought. Not one.

No, not one.

So, what a mind he had.

What a mind we don't have. But guess

what? Now we've got the mind of Jesus.

So, we don't have to sin. We don't have

to listen to the devil. We don't have to

listen to our sin nature. We don't have

to listen to these things.

And in verse 17, every good gift and

every perfect gift is from above.

Satan did nothing like this.

I mean, he's a taker. He's a tempter.

He's evil.

But God is good.

And not only is God good, he is a good

giver. He's a generous giver. And he

gave he gave us his son, his only

begotten son to come down from the

father of lights with whom there is no

variableness

neither shadow

of turning.

Here you go. Of his own will begott he

us with the word of truth. Who saved us?

We didn't save ourselves. Oh, we might

have read a verse and and said, "Lord,

save me." Like Peter did.

Or, you know, other men and women that

we have accounts of in the Bible.

But we all come the same way. How's

that? We're born again with the word of

truth

that we should be the kind of first

fruits of his creatures.

So God wants us to know we're saved and

to be assured of that that we might go

on and serve God and not stop. That's

why we're here. That's why he's given us

this life that we have um and to do

these things, these wonderful things for

him.

And turn over. Let's look at that verse

while we're here where

James talked about the devil.

It's right there in in verse 14.

>> Oh, I'm sorry, two. James 2:14. Thank

James 2:14

you.

So, we get our testing.

You know, we're not like Jesus. We're

not

one of the, you know, we we are quite

able with sinning.

That's about the best thing we do is

sin.

But God made a provision.

And here is the test of good works. Do

we have them?

You know, faith comes by hearing and

hearing by the word of God as he said

over there.

And then what does faith do? Faith obeys

God.

and the word of God. And James says,

"What does it profit my brethren? Though

a man say he has faith and he doesn't

have work to faith save him.

And if a brother or sister is naked and

destitute of any food, and one of you

say unto them, depart in peace,

be warmed and filled, notwithstanding,

you have given them those things that

they are needful of." The body was the

profit.

I mean, that's that's what God says. You

know, if I

humans, we just scratch each other's

back, right? It's a it's a eye for an

eye and a tooth for tooth. You scratch

my back, I'll scratch your back kind of

thing. But with God, it's not that way.

There's nothing we could do to save

ourselves. Nothing.

And God took action

and he's made it possible through faith.

The whole book of Hebrews chapter 11,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

the hall of fame of faith, all those

people were tested

and and they come forth from their

testing

and we're all tested. I mean, that's

where the word testimony comes from.

And that's what you know, you know,

thank God that that we have this or or

we'd be right back where we come from.

I don't want to go back where I came

from.

Wasn't good. I want to stay here. I want

to follow the son of God. He is an

amazing

man. He's an amazing God.

I want to do what I can for him.

That's what James is saying.

And then verse 17, even so faith, if it

has not works, is dead being alone.

Yet a man says, "You will have faith, I

will have works, I say, show me your

faith without your works, and I will

show you my faith by my works." You

believe that there is one God? See,

they're the Trinity. Wait a minute. I

thought God was three persons.

Oh, he is.

But he's also one. You do well. The

demons believe and tremble. Satan knows

who he is, the son of God.

So verse 20 says, "But will you know, oh

vain man, that faith without works is

dead?" And then he talks about Abraham,

what Abraham did.

And that's how we see our faith. I can't

see your heart, you know. I can only

see, you know, what you do.

and the fact that you're following this

wonderful Jesus that we have in the word

of God.

Oh, does anyone have a question?

Good. I thought John was going to ask me

one. He put his hand up.

Don't stmp me, John.

If he was 100% God, he was 100% saint.

He would have

he couldn't the lamb of God

because

it's impossible

to be the sacrifice

of the world.

You know, it's crazy to me that the

devil

do that kind of stuff.

>> Yeah.

>> Trusting you more.

May the power of your love and the light

of your word shine

to a sin darkened world as we go from

this