The
Text: Luke 3:21-23; Luke 4:1-13 NLT
The
Clues:
Chapter
3 vs. 21-22
To discover more about
Jesus’ baptism, read Matthew 3 and Mark 1:9-11. John the Baptist came to the
Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins
and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” He taught people they
should be baptized to show that they had turned to God. Therefore, he was
baptizing people in the Jordan River when Jesus showed up and wanted to be
baptized. Jesus had no sins to repent of. Why did he want to be baptized? The
Holy Spirit visibly descended upon Jesus so that all could see and God spoke in
an audible voice so all could hear. Why?
Chapter 3:23
After 30 years of
relative obscurity, the time had come. Jesus began his public ministry.
Chapter 4:1-2
Jesus returned from the
Jordan River to begin his ministry. The first thing God led him to do was go
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It was no accident or coincidence
that Jesus ended up in the wilderness. The devil didn’t ambush him, as Jesus
was en route to do something else. God led Jesus into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil. Why do you suppose God did that? The word “tempt” is the
word used to describe the process the devil uses to get anyone to go against
God’s will. Jesus was in the wilderness forty days, during which time he
fasted. I’m assuming he prayed with fasting. Why do you think Jesus was praying
with fasting? Do you think the timing of this temptation was strategic on the
part of the devil? If so, how?
Chapter 4:3-4
The devil wanted Jesus
to use his power to turn stones into bread. Jesus apparently saw this as the
wrong thing to do. How could that be wrong? Jesus responded by quoting a verse
of the Bible, Deuteronomy 8:3. In essence, what did Jesus say to the Devil?
Chapter 4:5-8
The devil offered Jesus
a position of authority over all the kingdoms of the world. He told Jesus,
“These kingdoms are mine to give to anyone I please.” Is that true? Are
positions of power the devil’s to give to anyone as he pleases? It appears to
me that the devil is trying to buy Jesus off so he wouldn’t follow through with
God’s plan. Do you think the devil still does that? Does he attempt to buy us
off to keep us from following God? If so, how? According to the devil, all Jesus
had to do was worship him. Which means the devil wanted Jesus to submit to his
authority and follow him. Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13. In
essence, what did Jesus say to the devil?
Chapter 4:9-12
The devil attempted to
get Jesus to act presumptuously and jump from the Temple. To get him to do
this, the devil actually quotes two verses from the Bible, Psalm 91:11-12.
Here’s a frightening truth: The devil knows the Bible, and he knows it well.
Why? The devil has become familiar with the Bible so he can use it to mislead
people. Jesus responded to the devil by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. In essence,
what did Jesus say to the devil?
Chapter 4:13
Jesus withstood the
test. He refused to yield to temptation. What can we learn from Jesus about
resisting temptation? The devil left Jesus alone…for a while.
Okay, you’ve read the
text and considered the clues. Now, it’s time to make your discoveries.
1.
What did you learn about Jesus in these verses?
2.
What practical lessons did you learn in this
story?
3. In
light of what you’ve learned, what step of action should you take?
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