Please join our Church Fast January 16th -20th and click to use this helpful prayer and fasting guide.
Luke 4:1-15
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
The purpose of fasting:
1) Humbling ourselves
2) Acknowledging dependence on God
3) Believing for breakthrough
In the new year, you will have the same temptations face you as did Jesus.
Temptation #1:
The devil attacked Jesus' identity (If you are the son of God...) and ability (command this stone to become bread), appealing to His carnal appetites.
Have you ever said: I work so hard, I deserve this sin pleasure, break from obedience, etc.?
What are the carnal pleasures offered in the city?
Will I allow the simple, carnal pleasures of life to satisfy me or will I allow God to draw me into intimacy with Himself, provoking me into the most good for humanity, this city and the world?
You may lay hold of that which you can make with your own hands - see, taste, touch, etc., while inwardly you wither.
There's nothing wrong with enjoying the things God designed us to need in life - you should, just as God says to eat to live physically. (Plan trips with your family/brothers and sisters in Christ, enjoy events in the city, discover new eateries, but always remember: Man does not live on bread alone (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Will my focus be solely working for my daily bread, or will I live on the Word of God which orders my steps and feeds my soul for the eternal purposes of God?
Temptation #2:
The devil tempted Jesus with power and honor.
"I will give you the world's authority, glory, acclaim, popularity..."
Worshiping the devil can be outright, but it can also be more subtle - cutting corners and breaking the commands of God to get ahead.
Appealing to the ways of the world in dress, speech or what you promote to be seen.
Worship also means "service."
Where is the lion's share of your energy going and what is it building?
Can you see the touch of Christ on it and would He value it (Luke 16:15)?
(I.e. - making money to provide generously for kingdom endeavors and strengthening the poor, medicine appeals to the heart of God the healer, education to Christ the Rabbi and a good teacher, working construction or doing real estate to His creativity and cultivating the earth....) But what is the end of it? What does it lead to?
Do not work for promotion, your career and power at the expense of Christ's kingdom, because in it you find your identity.
Worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. (see Deuteronomy 6:13/Luke 4:8 ESV)
Temptation #3:
The devil tempted Jesus with an improper appropriation of God's Word.
You shall not put the Lord Your God to the test.
How do we do this?
"Oh, we can sin when we want, in drunkenness, lust, pornography, harsh words to our spouses, backbiting at work, exasperating our children - because it says God will forgive me...."
Do not take the Lord for granted. You will reap what you sow this year.
After his defeat, the devil left (I Peter 5:9-11) until an opportune time. It is a cycle and we must be prepared. Fasting and prayer puts us in such a place as we set our hearts and minds on God, His word and His eternal ends.
The goal is to return to the city in the power of the Spirit, just like Christ, to see souls saved, disciples made and a city rebuilt to His glory.
1 Corinthians 1:28-31
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Second City Church: Let's Go Sermon Series 2017