Worship
This week's study is on Luke 4:5-8:
I had planned to teach on these verses anyway this week and there was a similar message in church on Sunday so that's all the confirmation I need, I guess. These verses continue the bit from last week where Satan makes attempts to lure Jesus into serving him and Jesus isn't having it. Having been unsuccessful in getting Jesus to abuse his powers, Satan now switches to try to get Jesus to worship him.
He shows Jesus all of the power and wealth in the world and offers it to him if he will worship him. The funny thing is that stuff already belongs to Jesus anyway! It's like going to someone's house and picking something up and offering it to them if they'll do something for you. How stupid would you have to be to think that would work?? But Satan tries it anyway because he knows it would work on someone like him.
Lust for power and worship is a very satanic trait. In a way, he's the father of sociopaths. If you watch how some Hollywood stars and politicians live their lives, you can imagine a similar dialog taking place between them and the devil. ("I will give you fame and fortune, if only you'll defile yourself, become dependent on drugs, and betray everyone you've ever loved." "Great! Sign me up!") You can almost picture Satan expecting Jesus to behave the way people do, which is why Jesus' reply is so disruptive.
Jesus quotes from the law. "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." The devil's whole plan unravels with that verse. It underscores that the devil is not God. Nothing is God but God. Just stating that verse is a form of worship because of what it says about God's exclusive greatness. Our worries, fears, hopes, desires, jobs, families, and other responsibilities are not God. Only God is God. Only God deserves the highest worship. Even if he had eternity at his disposal, the devil will never measure up. Nothing else can.
But still we're faced with situations where the devil does his best. ("If you just water down the message a bit, you can really grow your church. Then you'd be rich! And famous!") Do we take his lousy offer? Do we give our obedience and worship to someone so undeserving and deny God what is rightfully his? Or do we do what Jesus did and disrupt the devil's plans with truth and worship?
When you're being given an ultimatum like Satan tried on Jesus, ask yourself who is greater than God. Is your job a greater provider than God? Are your friends more loving and nurturing than God? Is your worry something God would shy away from? Is your greatest hope or dream greater than what God could have for you? None of these things have any more lasting power than the devil has. And like his ridiculous offer to Jesus, those things already are available to us. We don't need to compromise to get what we want or need.
If you feel like you may need to cut corners to get what you need, ask yourself "Is this the very best offer I could get?" Is anything going to outdo God? If it could, it would be God! Keep that in mind and the devil won't be any more successful with you than he was with Jesus.
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
I had planned to teach on these verses anyway this week and there was a similar message in church on Sunday so that's all the confirmation I need, I guess. These verses continue the bit from last week where Satan makes attempts to lure Jesus into serving him and Jesus isn't having it. Having been unsuccessful in getting Jesus to abuse his powers, Satan now switches to try to get Jesus to worship him.
He shows Jesus all of the power and wealth in the world and offers it to him if he will worship him. The funny thing is that stuff already belongs to Jesus anyway! It's like going to someone's house and picking something up and offering it to them if they'll do something for you. How stupid would you have to be to think that would work?? But Satan tries it anyway because he knows it would work on someone like him.
Lust for power and worship is a very satanic trait. In a way, he's the father of sociopaths. If you watch how some Hollywood stars and politicians live their lives, you can imagine a similar dialog taking place between them and the devil. ("I will give you fame and fortune, if only you'll defile yourself, become dependent on drugs, and betray everyone you've ever loved." "Great! Sign me up!") You can almost picture Satan expecting Jesus to behave the way people do, which is why Jesus' reply is so disruptive.
Jesus quotes from the law. "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." The devil's whole plan unravels with that verse. It underscores that the devil is not God. Nothing is God but God. Just stating that verse is a form of worship because of what it says about God's exclusive greatness. Our worries, fears, hopes, desires, jobs, families, and other responsibilities are not God. Only God is God. Only God deserves the highest worship. Even if he had eternity at his disposal, the devil will never measure up. Nothing else can.
But still we're faced with situations where the devil does his best. ("If you just water down the message a bit, you can really grow your church. Then you'd be rich! And famous!") Do we take his lousy offer? Do we give our obedience and worship to someone so undeserving and deny God what is rightfully his? Or do we do what Jesus did and disrupt the devil's plans with truth and worship?
When you're being given an ultimatum like Satan tried on Jesus, ask yourself who is greater than God. Is your job a greater provider than God? Are your friends more loving and nurturing than God? Is your worry something God would shy away from? Is your greatest hope or dream greater than what God could have for you? None of these things have any more lasting power than the devil has. And like his ridiculous offer to Jesus, those things already are available to us. We don't need to compromise to get what we want or need.
If you feel like you may need to cut corners to get what you need, ask yourself "Is this the very best offer I could get?" Is anything going to outdo God? If it could, it would be God! Keep that in mind and the devil won't be any more successful with you than he was with Jesus.
Comments
Post a Comment