Text: Luke 4:1-30
Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in all ways; He was tempted with the lust of the flesh (v.3), He was tempted with the lust of eyes (vv.5-7) and He was tempted with the lust of pride of life (vv. 9-11). God is never an agent of temptation (James 1:13); but He can use satanic tempting to serve His purpose. This was not the end of Satan’s tempting of Christ (v. 13). The devil continued to show up, sometimes in a subtle manner (Heb. 4:15) until in Gethsemane. Note that temptation is not a sin; but when you yield to temptation, you sin.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, after defending Himself against the devil, Jesus now takes on the offensive against the devils’ work. His message was accepted and He became popular in Galilee (v.14). It was, however, sad that in Nazareth, a place where He grew up, He was rejected (v.28). At some point, the audience was filled with wrath when Jesus Christ suggested that God can extend His divine grace to Gentiles, and withdraw it from the Jews (v.28). The widow in Zarephath and Naaman (vv.25-27) were Gentiles. Be on guard, like in the case of Jesus Christ, the devil is ever near you, he will always, sometimes in a subtle manner attempt to attack you (1 Peter 5:8).
Meditate on verse 8. How are you going to apply it to your life?
Almighty and heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray that You give me the understanding of all the schemes of the devil, so that I will be victorious over every temptation. Amen.