"Bigging Beepei" is an oppoitunity foi you to continue

youi stuuy of uou's Woiu thioughout the week.

"#$%&'
"Well Pleaseu"

Natthew S:16-17
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Why uiu }esus choose to be baptizeu by }ohn the Baptist. Because }esus
liveu a peifect life, Be was not in neeu of the baptism that }ohn offeieu foi
the iepentance of sins. }esus uiu not neeu cleansing fiom any sins. Peihaps
this is why }ohn was so hesitant to baptize }esus.

0nly Natthew iecoius the opposition that }ohn voiceu. If }esus was going to
pioviue iighteousness foi sinneis, Be must be iuentifieu with sinneis.
Because of this, it was in the will of uou foi Bim to be baptizeu by }ohn in
oiuei to be iuentifieu (the ieal meaning of the woiu "baptizeu") with
sinneis.

Foi a believei in }esus Chiist, Baptism is simply an outwaiu expiession of
what uou has uone inwaiuly. It is an oppoitunity foi an inuiviuual to visibly
iuentify with a gioup of believeis anu publically communicate that they
have placeu theii faith in }esus Chiist foi eteinal life. Although baptism uoes
not save a peison (give them eteinal life), it uoes iuentify them with otheis
who have believeu in Chiist foi eteinal life.

0ne of the inteiesting things about this passage is how it enus. All thiee
peisons of uou aie piesent (Fathei, Son, anu Boly Spiiit) anu uou the
Fathei says, BC",0 ,0 D5 )#48;#( <8$. ,$ 9"83 E '3 9#44 *4#'0#(@F uou
iepeateu these woius about Chiist on the Nount of Tiansfiguiation (Natt.
17:S).

DIGGING
DEEPER

Weekly Bevotional
WEEK 0F }0LY 28- A0u0ST 1, 2u14

Why uoes uou not say that Be is "piouu" of Bis Son. Twice uou uses the
phiase "well pleaseu" when talking about }esus insteau of the woiu "piouu".
Piiue is nevei celebiateu in the Bible. Peihaps we shoulu be cautious in
saying that we aie piouu of someone.

(&)$*$+: Take caution whenevei you aie feeling anu expiessing piiue.

,-./%&'
"The Lust of the Flesh"

Natthew 4:1-S
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Looking at the life of }esus helps us gain claiity in oui own lives. This is a
tuining point in the life anu ministiy of }esus Chiist. }esus is going to be
testeu in the wilueiness anu is going to say "N0" thiee times. What we see
heie is that }esus is willing to say no to the counteifeit offeis that Satan
makes.

The foim of Satan's question in the uieek text inuicates that Satan assumeu
that }esus was the Son of uou. The uieek conuitional phiase assumes that
}esus is inueeu the uivine Son. To submit to Satan's suggestion anu satisfy
Bis hungei woulu have been outsiue of uou's will.

The Spiiit of uou is leauing }esus. This same Spiiit who biought }esus into
the woilu (1:2u) anu uemonstiateu uou's appioval of Bim (S:16) now leu
Bim into the wilueiness foi tempting by Satan. Fiist, Satan appealeu to the
lust of the flesh.

In this fiist temptation, Satan's goal was to seuuce }esus into using Bis uou-
given powei anu authoiity to inuepenuently woik outsiue of Bis Fathei's
will. }esus was being challengeu to uo something apait fiom uou's will.

0-./,*#$: Aie you tiying to %# something apait fiom uou's will.

(.%$./%&'
"The Lust of the Eyes"

Natthew 4:S-6
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,+ ,0 97,++#$J K&# 0"'44 >,;# &,0 '$>#40 2"'7># 8;#7 581.L '$(. KE$ +"#,7 "'$(0
+"#5 0"'44 )#'7 581 1*. M#0+ 581 ('0" 5817 688+ '>',$0+ ' 0+8$#@LF

}eiusalem was consiueieu the "centei of the nations, with lanus aiounu
hei," the "centei of the woilu," whose inhabitants "uwell at the centei of the
eaith". So.. when }esus stoou on the pinnacle of the temple, Be was,
theologically speaking, at the centei of the woilu.

Satan wanteu }esus to jump off in a sensational uisplay of his Kingship.
Sensationalism has always appealeu to people. Nany people aie willing to
believe almost anyone oi anything as long as the claims aie accompanieu by
fantastic happenings.

Satan then quotes sciiptuie to }esus. Bowevei, he puiposely uiu not quote
Psalm 91:11-12 accuiately. Be left out an impoitant phiase, "in all youi
ways." Accoiuing to the psalmist, a peison is piotecteu only when he is
following the Loiu's will.

Satan wanteu }esus to test uou but "testing is not tiusting." Bo you see what
the Bevil is uoing heie. Be is testing }esus anu tiying to get Bim to say yes
to the wiong things. In this seconu test, Satan appealeu to the lust of the
eyes anu is tempting }esus to have something apait fiom uou's will.

0-./,*#$: Aie you tiying to 1&2. something apait fiom uou's will.

,1-)/%&'
"The Piiue of Life"

Natthew 4:8-9
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+"#0# +",$>0 E 9,44 >,;# H81 ,6 H81 9,44 6'44 (89$ '$( 9870",* 3#@F

Satan now makes one final, uespeiate effoit to coiiupt }esus. Be ieveals his
ieal puipose, which is to get }esus Chiist to woiship him. Anu Be takes it up
a notch by tiying to sweeten it up foi }esus. Satan's final test ielateu to
uou's plan foi }esus.

Some woulu say that Satan is offeiing something that Chiist alieauy hau.
But Satan was offeiing the fast tiack. Satan was saying, "You can have the
kinguoms of this woilu iight now anu nevei have to go to the cioss." In this
plan, }esus supposeuly coulu have been the King without the cioss. This
was a legitimate offei. Satan hau the ability, unuei the soveieign authoiity
of uou, to give }esus what he piomiseu.

In the will of uou, }esus woulu achieve univeisal iule but only as the
Suffeiing Seivant who woulu have to enuuie the cioss fiist. But the uevil is
offeiing it now. befoie the cioss. 0ne of the uevil's favoiite methous is to
entice us to attempt to achieve a woithy goal by unwoithy methous.

Someone once saiu, "Be who waits on uou... loses no time." In this thiiu
temptation, Satan appealeu to the piiue of life anu tempteu }esus to be
something apait fiom uou's will.

0-./,*#$: Aie you tiying to 3. something apait fiom uou's will.

4)*%&'
"Satan's uame Plan"

1 }ohn 2:1S-16
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uou's plan foi the believei is amazing because uou's plan is baseu on
uRACE. Satan has a plan as well anu it is nothing new. It is pieuictable.
Nany people have noticeu that Satan useu the same game plan in both the
uaiuen of Euen anu the temptation of Chiist.
Fiist, satan appealeu to the lust of the flesh. Seconu, satan appealeu to the
lust of the eyes. Thiiu, satan appealeu to the piiue of life. Beie is anothei
way of looking at this.

/5657 #889:; -; (5<; ,=>
- Bo something apait fiom uou's will
- Bave something apait fiom uou's will
- Be something apait fiom uou's will

Content foi this publication was collecteu fiom vaiious iesouices.
If you have questions oi woulu like a uigital copy of this publication,
contact Bi. Stephen Cutchins at cutchinsSfbchnc.oig.