Father, we thank you so much for this morning and this opportunity to worship you and to grow in our understanding of your word that you have revealed to us. We also thank you for the moisture that you've provided. But with that, Lord, we pray for those who are traveling and will be traveling today that you would just protect them. And we thank you for our time now to open the book of Matthew and look at the important teachings that you revealed through your servant, Matthew. And we pray, Lord, that you would continue to quicken our thinking, that we'd be able to understand what you have revealed, that we'd be able to apply it to our lives and to teach others also. And so I pray for our time now. I pray that you would bless the reading and exposition of your word in Jesus name. Amen. All right, we are moving along in the book of Matthew. Are we recording, Dave? I forgot to record. OK, we're good. Hello, recording. So we are making our way through the book of Matthew. We're in chapter four, if you wanted to start opening there. And I've summarized the book of Matthew as essentially asking and answering the question, why did the king come, but not the kingdom? Now, the Old Testament is filled with prophecies about the Messiah. And when the Messiah comes with him is going to be peace and righteousness and comfort and putting away our sins. And so when the Messiah arrived, that was the expectation. Now, Jesus is the Messiah, make no mistake. But when He came, the kingdom was not established as was thought by the first century Jews living in Israel. And so, lest anybody bring an accusation against Jesus saying, well, He can't be the Messiah because there is no kingdom. Matthew writes this gospel to account for that. question or criticism and essentially answers it by saying the kingdom was not established because he was rejected by the nation of Israel. And so with that we come to the end of the first sub-setting. Here's the outline of Matthew, two major parts dealing with first the king has come and then the kingdom has not. The explanation from 13 on deals with Jesus' sharp change in his ministry. He begins to teach in parables, and we'll explore why that is. There's a purpose to it. Now, we're in that first sub-setting, the incarnation and preparation of the King. The incarnation we've looked at, the God Eternal Son took on flesh. He was born of the Virgin and was perfect, and He became fully man. And with the more recent study that we've been dealing with is the preparation of the king dealing with his baptism. And now we're going to deal with his wilderness trials. And so today we're going to look at Matthew chapter four, verses one through four. And we're going to focus on the first wilderness temptation, but really we need to understand all three go together. So it's a single unit, but we're going to focus on the first one just because of some of the introductory materials to this narrative that are important. Namely, the concept of being led by the Spirit and how I think Jesus is an example of how we can live in the same yieldedness to Him. So the three parts to this passage 1-11 is the first temptation is in verses 1-4, the second temptation 5-7, and the third temptation verses 8-11. Now we see the setting, but let me just read verses 1-4 just to get the flow. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights afterward, he was hungry. Now when the tempter came to him, he said, 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 by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." So verses 1 and 2, we see the setting to this wilderness temptation narrative. Now, we see, first of all, then Jesus was led up by the Spirit. Now, we just looked at Jesus' baptism. Now, at Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit came upon The Son, God the Son. Now, we might have issues with that, right? Well, how would they be separate? Well, when He took on flesh, apparently the baptism marked the time in which the Holy Spirit began. Jesus, beginning His earthly ministry, was then moving forward, led by the Spirit. Not to say that in the gaps of time that we're not told, the years 2 to 30, the Holy Spirit wasn't involved in His life. or the father wasn't involved in his life, but we're not told of that time, but his earthly ministry begins a time and it is said to be led by the Spirit. And so he was led up by the Spirit. Now Mark 1.12 gives us the added detail that this was immediate. Immediately following the baptism of Christ, he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. and Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 4, 1 gives us that added detail. And so I want to talk about the aspect of God the Son being filled and led by the Holy Spirit, because as I said, I think it is an example for us to follow. So it's worth our time, especially because I think it makes sense of a lot of the problem issues we have in the Gospels as to the miracles that Jesus did, the lack of knowledge as far as the times, the time of the second coming. If he's God, how could he not know that? Well, I think this provides an explanation. So I want to talk about the filling ministry of the Holy Spirit. So those who come to our Wednesday Bible study may be familiar with this. When we studied the doctrine of the Holy Spirit a few months ago, we looked at the filling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Now it comes from the word plerao, to make full or fill, the idea of complete or to fill something up. So there's a few aspects that we'll look at related to this. But first of all, the function of the spirits feeling what is his function? Why did he fill people? Well, number one for ministry enablement. This was a chief element that we looked at in our study of pneumatology is without the spirits filling Christian ministry cannot happen. Now, with that, we need to be mindful because of some charismatic teaching that seems to view baptism and filling as synonymous, where in order to basically prove your salvation, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit. You must be baptized with the Spirit. And that is not the case. They're not synonymous terms. Baptism, spirit baptism, happens the moment you believe in Christ. When you accept it as true, the facts of the gospel, you are placed into the body of Christ, eternally secure in Him. The filling of the Spirit is sporadic, for lack of a better word. It comes and it goes. You could, at any given moment, be filled with the Spirit, or not be. And I think a lot of it depends on some of the components that we're going to look at in a moment. Another function of the Spirit's filling is insight, or wisdom. Now, we need to be careful with this, because this isn't a mystical thing in that, oh, I have the Holy Spirit, and if I stand just right under the sun's rays, lightbulb's going to go on, and I'm going to be filled with insight and wisdom, and God's just going to give me a downloaded file of the Bible knowledge I need. God has given you a downloaded file, and it's right here in your Word. But, nonetheless, The spiritual things are discerned by the Spirit, right? 1 Corinthians 2 talks about these things. So our understanding of Scripture must be including the Holy Spirit's filling ministry in our lives. That's why it's important to be in fellowship with God before you study Scripture. Because we need to rely upon Him in understanding what He, by the way, revealed to us. The function of the Spirit's filling is also for leadership. Deuteronomy 34 9 talks about this. Certain leaders in history were filled by the Holy Spirit. Now, this isn't a universal thing. It doesn't mean if you're filled by the Holy Spirit, you're going to fulfill all of these functions. But these are the functions that we see in Scripture that the Holy Spirit is doing. This one does apply. Sanctifying. Now sanctify essentially is the idea of holy or to set apart. Being sanctified means we live set apart lives. And also the aspect of being set apart. There's two aspects to this that are true of the believer. One, you are positionally set apart. Number two, you are being set apart. You are being worked on by God, a work in progress as they say, and that is with the end goal that you would practice living a holy, set apart, sanctified life. prophesying, and a lot of confusion about this. Is there still prophecy today? I would say no, because prophecy is revelatory. In other words, prophecy was a gift that is communicating or relaying or revealing certain things that God is wanting to reveal. And that could be in the form of foretelling. In other words, events in the future are being spoken in the present. or forth-telling in the sense that God is speaking through a human instrument. Now, while it sounds good to say, well, shouldn't all pastors and Bible teachers be forth-telling that God is speaking through them? I would say no. God is only speaking through me when I am reading the words in this book. Now, I would like to think that my understanding, my explanations, my illustrations, are in step with what God has revealed, but the gifts of prophecy is no longer in operation. But nonetheless, we see a function of the Spirit's ministry in the prophesying ministry. We see it in leading, similar to leadership, but Luke 4.1. This is in the sense of leading someone, guiding them. the spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness as the spirit lead. I believe it was Philip translated him, raptured him from one place and brought him to another. Speaking in tongues, another gift that I believe has ceased, not because God lost His ability to provide this power for people, but simply because it no longer is useful. It had its function in the first century to demonstrate the authority of the apostles and their ministry through Christ, demonstrating with signs and wonders their authentic ministry of Christ. Fellowship. In order to achieve true fellowship, we must be in fellowship with God, to be filled with the Spirit. And I believe in some senses they are, dare I say, synonymous. To be in fellowship is to be filled with the Spirit. Control. And a fruit of the Spirit is self-control. So control is a function of the Spirit. If you are living out of control, you need to be filled with the Spirit. Now we'll talk about how to do that. Establishing. If you are questioning whether you are saved, if you are stumbling over the promises of God, if you're struggling with believing what God has said, perhaps you need a little bit of the Holy Spirit's establishing ministry, which, oh, by the way, he's doing regardless of whether you seek it or not. But he is establishing us every moment of every day in the positional truth that were true the moment we became a believer in Jesus Christ. Judging. Discernment, in other words. I believe discernment is, again, not a mystical gift in the sense that you just get that burning in the bosom, right? You get that gut feeling. Trust your instincts. Trust your gut. Perhaps, if you are one who is inclined, but I would say, really, if you are a woman, You have the gift of discernment, right? Women are very good at judging character, determining things about people, about dangerous scenarios, about potential outcomes, those sort of things. But the gift of discernment is strengthened by your knowledge of Scripture. And discernment in the biblical sense is that knowledge of Scripture applied to any scenario, knowing whether something is good or bad. whether something is right or wrong, whether you should do this or do that. Scripture knowledge is crucial to that. Purity. The function of the Spirit's filling is for purity. Now I know this is somewhat in step with the idea of sanctify or holy, but it's that idea of purity. And sometimes trials are used by God to purify us. If there is something in us, perhaps a trial can purify us, or some other means to purify us. Productivity. Spiritual productivity is a function of the Spirit's filling. Now what are the conditions for Spirit filling? Now hopefully you're convinced that you need the Spirit's filling in your life as a Christian, because you do. But how do we get that? Is it just something that, again, you sit just right in the sun's rays, and you get filled by the Spirit, and then it's like a battery, you know, you gotta go recharge it every night. You read enough verses, it recharges your filling battery. None of those things. Here's the conditions for Spirit filling. Number one, being devoted. Are you offering yourself a living sacrifice unto God? Devoting yourself for His use, to Him. It is a volitional decision that Paul implores the Romans and implores all believers that we should submit ourselves to God as bondservants. In fact, the very idea of bondservant is a voluntary slave. Now you might say, well, I don't want to be a slave. Well, here's the thing. Romans makes it clear that you are a slave regardless, right? The question is, do you want to be a slave to sin or a slave to Christ? I would much rather Christ, right? Because He gives us our liberty. When we submit to Him, we are free. Now, you might think, well, free, that means I can do what I want, right? No, that means you're a slave to the things you desire. If you think you're free to sin, you're a slave to sin. That's not freedom. So the condition number one, being devoted. Have you devoted, offered yourself a living sacrifice unto God? Number two, are you walking by the Spirit? Greek word peripateo, step by step, moment by moment. Are you making that volitional decision to devote yourself to God? Are you walking by the Spirit? The idea is yielding yourself. You know, I don't know. I trust everyone here is a good driver. I don't trust everyone in this city is a good driver because I know better. But you see a yield sign and what does that mean? Let them go. That doesn't mean slow down. It means stop and make sure no one's coming. Right? Maybe they need to re-teach that at a driver's school. But yielding to the Holy Spirit means we stop our agenda, our effort, our personal devotion or self-reliance, and we give it, we give the right away, so to speak, to the Holy Spirit. We submit ourselves to Him and His power, His authority, His ruling in our lives. And by the way, what's the product of that? The fruit of the Spirit. Paul contrasts in Galatians 5 the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. When you walk by the Spirit, when you yield yourself to Him after devoting yourself to God, what happens as a natural by-product is fruit. You don't produce the fruit, you bear it. And that fruit production is wrought by God. He produces it in you. And the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Which is really when you think about the imperatives of the New Testament, which, by the way, there's more command given to Christians than there are In the Old Testament? I haven't counted, so don't test me on it. But there's just as many commandments. So, somewhat, it's a misnomer to say that we're not under law, but under grace. Under grace doesn't mean it's a free-for-all, do what thou will. We have been called to a glorious calling, haven't we not? Haven't we? And so this walking by the Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit. But when you think about all those things that we're commanded to do as believers, they're contained in the fruit of the Spirit. So really what it boils down to, are you yielded to Him or not? In fulfilling the things we're commanded to do, it really boils down to walking by the Spirit. Living spiritually. Paul goes on to say in chapter 6, he who is spiritual. Lewis Barry Chafer wrote a phenomenal book about that very concept. Who is the spiritual man or woman? It's the one who is walking by the Spirit. It's not the one who memorized more Bible verses, gives more to the church, serves harder than the rest. It's the one who walks by the Spirit. Number three, not grieve the Spirit. So the conditions for spiritual filling is to not grieve. Now these last two Just to show the last one. Not grieve the Spirit and not quench the Spirit. There is an implication in both of these. The implication is the Spirit is actively at work in you. Every moment of every day. Now, I think I knew this, but it was very much impressed upon me after studying this in our pneumatology class on Wednesday night. The Spirit is active in your life, even when you're walking away from the Lord. He's convicting you of sin. He's reminding you of the truth. He's reminding you of your position in Christ. And with that reminder, conviction, those things, you have the choice to either yield or to suppress the truth. But what's the danger of suppressing the truth and unrighteousness? you become worthless in your thinking and your foolish heart is darkened. Now, I know Paul is talking about unbelievers, but I think that is a mechanism that's true regardless. If you suppress the truth of God, you become worthless thinkers. Worthless. And sometimes we get that way as believers, right? Have you ever lived life walking away from God? Would you say that was a really smart idea? Did it lead you down a wonderful path? a worthless path, right? And so at any moment, the Holy Spirit is actively applying the very words that He revealed to the men that wrote down Scripture through the process of inspiration, applying it to your lives daily, moment by moment. And we grieve Him when we sin, when we suppress the truth, when we ignore Him, when we don't yield to Him. We grieve the Holy Spirit, which also has another implication. Do you grieve for someone you hate? No. You grieve over those you love, right? And who are walking into disaster. And so we're called in the book of Ephesians to not grieve the Holy Spirit who's actively working in us. Number four, not to quench the Spirit. The idea of quenching is, you think about a fire, right? You take a wet blanket and you throw it over the fire, what's going to happen? No more fire. Lots of smoke and you start choking, right? Your eyes start burning. No good things happen when you quench something. And this also has the implication that there is a, quote, fire, using that imagery, burning actively, moment by moment, working in your life. The Holy Spirit is a person, by the way, not a force, not an influence, not a concept or an idea. He's a person. And he's working in your life. And when you suppress the truth, when you don't yield to Him, when you live in sin, when you live out of fellowship with God, you are quenching the Holy Spirit. And if that continues to the nth degree, and only God knows what that degree is, potentially He calls His children home. That's what's meant by the sin unto death, I believe. So those are the conditions for spirit filling. What are the results of spirit filling? Becoming more like the Messiah. That's a good thing, right? We're called to do that very thing. Worship and praise. We've been talking about prayer in our Wednesday study, and we talked about the healthy cycle of believers, that joy and peace in Christ begets praise and thanksgiving. And praise and thanksgiving are the seed that we sow into the ground that produces soil of peace and joy. reproduce and produce praise and thanksgiving and then peace and joy, praise and thanksgiving, peace and joy, praise and thanksgiving. That's the cycle of life that we as believers should find ourselves in. So if you're wondering why you're not experiencing joy in Christ when you're not at peace in him, I would encourage you to count your many blessings, name them one by one. And I'm not talking about physical blessing. That's a good thing. It's a good activity that may get you to the point of peace and joy. But really reflect upon the many blessings in Christ. I've been hung up on the book of Ephesians. I'm taking intermediate Greek and we're working through the book of Ephesians. And man, that beautiful promise in chapter one. Did you know you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies? Now, I'm learning Greek, and so I'm not there, but what does every mean? Every. The believer has every spiritual blessing. And so if you're struggling with peace and joy in Christ, might I encourage you to reflect on those? If you're struggling with your sin, you're not a slave to it. Remember that, right? Remember our Roman study. You're not a slave to it. You don't have to obey it. worship and praise, submissiveness, service, liberation, Romans 8, 1-4. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation. And you're free in the Spirit. Spiritual strength. Some of us need that, right? All of us need it. Divine empowerment. That enablement idea. Witnessing. Does anyone love sharing the gospel? It's hard, right? It's scary, especially in the world we live in. People are going to make fun of us. People are going to mock us. People are going to ask questions that maybe we don't know how to answer. Maybe we should be filled with the Spirit, and none of those things will matter. Now, quick word on that. Some have said that if you're filled with the Spirit, they apply certain verses that Jesus told His disciples that don't think about what you're going to say, because in that moment, the Holy Spirit's going to give it. I believe that was applied to the apostles, and I believe it was fulfilled in their lifetime. I do not think that's true of us. I think we need to be diligent to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the word of truth. We need to be able to give a defense of God's Word. You need to know God's Word. You can't hide behind the Holy Spirit and hope that he's going to give you the answer when you're talking to someone who asks a really good question. You need to be prepared. And you know what? The best thing you could do in those moments, if they ask a really good question you don't know, that's a great question. I'd love to look into it and we could keep discussing this. But at the end of the day, hopefully you learned in Romans 1, when you're evangelizing someone, really the question is not the issue. It's not that they don't have an answer to that question, and that's why they don't believe, because you can give them the perfect, rock-solid truth of the matter, and they still won't believe. So what's the real issue? They won't believe. And so that's something to keep in mind. But being filled with the Holy Spirit is necessary for witnessing. It's the result of fellowship with God and other saints. Also progressive sanctification. Now again, sanctification has two tenses. One is presently, or two facets, we are positionally set apart in Christ, baptized, placed into his body, eternally secure, no matter what you do, anyone does, what you say, think, or do will change that. If you have believed the gospel, you are there. But then there's a practical aspect. At any given moment, are you living set apart? Or are you submitting back to your old slave master? Sin. Now I know that that was a rabbit trail, but this is what Jesus was led by. Who he was led by. And it's what we as believers are called to be led by, and so this gets very practical. And so where was he led? Into the wilderness. Now at a glance, this is an unassuming location. but perhaps there is significance to this location. And then it says, to be tempted by the devil. Now, to be tempted is perastheni. It's an aorist passive infinitive, for those who care. And those who don't care, it's an infinitive of purpose. In other words, he was led into the wilderness for the purpose to be tempted. Now why would the Holy Spirit do that? Aren't we to pray, lead us not into temptation? but to deliver us from evil. I think it's in step with what Jesus said to John to fulfill all righteousness. He must be tested. And I think there's some undertones here of the temptation of Adam and Eve. How did they do in that test? Failed, right? How did Jesus do? Didn't fail. I would argue he couldn't fail, but that's a discussion for another day. by the devil, literally the slanderer, Diablos, Diablos for the Spanish, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterward, he was hungry. Thanks, Matthew. I would have never thought that he would have been hungry, but I'm glad you have that detail. The 40 days of fasting took place before the temptation. So that's important to note. The result that Jesus was hungry. Pretty straightforward, right? Now it seems like a silly understatement for Matthew to say this and the other Gospel writers to state this, but it's necessary because I think all of the Gospel writers are making a point. He was hungry and he did not give in to his fleshly desires. Think about Esau, right? What happened when Esau was hungry? He sold his birthright and he's used by New Testament writers to show that impulsiveness. That One who is led by their stomach, right? Paul makes their God as their belly. That's what that means. They give in to their cravings, their appetite, their lust. That's what drives them. That's what leads them. And Christ got to that point. In other words, the point Matthew is making is He was at His all-time weakest. Now I thought He was the God. I thought He was God. How could He be weak? Because He was also man. fully man. He didn't just appear as man. He wasn't just a mirage. He was flesh and blood, just like you and me. Now, isn't that encouraging when it says that he's able to sympathize with our weaknesses? Now, we might think, well, if he wasn't capable of sinning, how could he truly sympathize? Well, when we're tempted, at some point, we might give in, right? But think, if you were incapable of sin, that temptation would run to infinity, right? So in ways, he's able to sympathize far more than any human being in history. He knows the ins and outs of temptation, of sin, of desire, and yet he never gave in. At this point, remember the number 40 and remember the note about the wilderness. What would Jesus preoccupy himself with for 40 days? Now, I know January's gone by really fast, but 40 days is a long time, agreed? And eating, you know, I don't know the statistics, but if you eat three times a day, that spends a good chunk of your time. But if you're not eating anything, And you're out in the wilderness, you know, no TV, no shows, no any of those things. What would you do for 40 days? And nights, by the way. You think you'd think? Meditate on scripture? I think that's exactly what Jesus is doing. And this is the groundwork that I'm laying, that we'll focus in on next time. What was his preoccupation during those 40 days? And I have a theory, but I'm becoming more and more convinced. I think it was the book of Deuteronomy. Because every single response that he issues to the devil is quoted from what book, do you think? Deuteronomy. Do you think it was on his mind? Does Deuteronomy have any consequence for the context of Matthew? Every consequence. So that's the setting. And then the temptation, verse three, if you are the son of God, command that these stones become bread. Now, is that a temptation? Have you ever been hungry? And I mean hungry. It's almost unbearable, right? 40 days and 40 nights. And you have the ability to turn the stones into bread, right? Let's not forget, he is God, and he is the God who in the very, not the same wilderness, but in the wilderness, fed the Israelites with manna from heaven. Do you think he could do the same? Absolutely. But then we see his resistance. But he answered and said, notice no self-reliance. What does he go to? It is written. Do you think the word is important in resisting temptation? It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Now, at a glance, it seems kind of superficial, like, oh, Jesus is just one of those Jesus lovers, right? The holier than thou. He thinks he's better than anyone. That's not his heart, right? And again, if we look at the context, of Deuteronomy 8.3, which is where this comes from. I think it makes sense. So why does he quote from there? We'll go to Deuteronomy, if you will. And we'll close looking at this. Deuteronomy chapter eight, it's always good to get the context of Old Testament passages when they're quoted by New Testament authors, because there's a reason for it. So we see number one, the law observance Every commandment which I command you today, you must be careful to observe that you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. Now, I know I've been beating this horse until it's good and dead, but the Book of Deuteronomy was a renter's agreement, if you will. It was a land covenant between the nation of Israel and God. The land is unconditionally theirs, promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But whether or not they dwell in that land and are blessed in that land and protected in that land is conditioned upon their obedience to the Mosaic Law. And the book of Deuteronomy spells this out. We see the wilderness testing, verses 2-3. Now verse 3, remember, is the one Jesus quotes. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness, Now notice this, to, that's a purpose word. To humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. So he humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Do you see why Jesus might have this on his mind? And so with this temptation, the hunger, again, it's so much deeper than he was hungry and Satan tempted him with food. He was hungry and he was weak and Satan tried to shift him to operate by his fleshly desires. Now, would it have been wrong for him to eat? No, but there's a reason he was led by the Spirit to the wilderness. He was being tempted. Moving forward, at the beginning of His ministry, is He going to be led by the flesh, or led by the Spirit? And what's on His mind is, man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Now jump to verse 7, the context of the land inheritance. 4, the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs that flow out of valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you. Now think about that. We know Deuteronomy was at least on his mind. Maybe other books as well. But think about Jesus thinking about this passage when he's starting to feel the hunger pains during his trials. And what's the focus here? The kingdom. When they enter the land and God is pouring forth his blessings. He's developing this deep yearning in the flesh, I think, obviously as God, he had this yearning to establish the kingdom, but he's focused on that fulfillment of the promise. Now jump to verse 18. We see full reliance upon God to fulfill his covenant. And you shall remember the love your God Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant, which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And then the warning in verses 19 and 20. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyed you, destroys before you so you shall perish because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God. So I believe Jesus went out to the wilderness to humble himself to fully depend on the power of God the Spirit and God the Father and he relied fully upon them. So to summarize and apply, this verse in context speaks of the testing that the Israelites underwent that had a two-fold purpose. First, to humble them. Second, to remember God and to follow Him only. To be fully and wholly devoted to God. Jesus followed this same type of testing with a 40-day fast. Now, this is just speculation. You don't want to read too much into this. But perhaps one day for every year. interesting comparison. But nonetheless, he fasted was tested for 40 days to learn the same lesson, but also to fulfill what is that he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. For Jesus to turn the rocks into bread would nullify the test and to also be led by the flesh rather than God. And again, thinking of Esau, compulsiveness, Following the baptism, Jesus was led by and filled by the Holy Spirit. This will be important moving forward in the gospel. Everything Jesus does is at the guidance of God the Father and God the Spirit. The Eternal Son became incarnate and became fully man, yet he remained fully God. For the time of his earthly ministry, Jesus subjected his divine attributes to the other persons of the Godhead. He set aside his individual use of his divine attributes. The technical word, for those who deeply want to know, is kenosis. This is the kenosis theory. What happened when he took on flesh? Did he stop being God? Did he shave off a part of his deity? Did he put his deity on the shelf? None of those things. He was fully God. Yet he became fully man, while retaining full deity. However, he did set aside the individual use of his divine attributes, subjecting them to the Father and to the Spirit. We think of Philippians, and we'll go and close here. I know I said that about Deuteronomy, but this time I mean it. Philippians chapter 2 verse 5, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Now those are all great things, right? The humility of Christ. But what did Paul start with? Let this mind be in you. Do we have this mind in us? This servant heart, this service, this idea of I submit not only to God, but I submit myself to other believers. I put other people's needs before my own. Can we say that? And if we have a good day and we could say it for that day, are we going to do it the next day and the next day and the next day and the next day? No, but let this mind be in us. Are we scripturally grounded? Here's another application from this text. Obviously, Jesus was scripturally grounded, right? But he also used scripture. Don't listen to those people that say scripture is not relevant. It is intensely relevant. And if you don't think it's relevant, you're showing your ignorance. Do we resist temptation? 1 Corinthians 10, 13. No temptation that has come to man has overtaken you. And so do we have this mind? Are we relying upon the Spirit? If Christ did it, shouldn't we? Are we better than he? Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this passage and the example set forth by Christ of humbling himself His full devotion and full reliance upon you. And Lord, I pray, even though we will not accomplish the same degree of success, but might we pursue that? Might we pursue perfection only to the extent of our yieldedness to the Holy Spirit who is seeking the same? I pray, Lord, that we would learn to trust in you and not our self-effort. I pray that we would stop trying to be good enough and rest in what you have accomplished. We thank you, Lord, for this time in your word, and we pray that you would continue to teach us and guide us this week as we reflect upon these things. In Jesus name, Amen.