Short articles of the, "Yes Jesus" Book on prayer. # 79.

 

Repeat after Jesus

“Our Father who art in Heaven.”

“Your Kingdom come.”

 

The third temptation is progressively stronger than the first two temptations Satan cast as Jesus. 

It does not simply target a personal need, like hunger, in the hopes of producing doubt in God as Father. Nor does it seek solely to discredit the name of God through a suicidal testing of God’s Word such a jumping from the top of the temple would have been.

This last temptation is an all out attack against the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that should come by the perfect will of God through the world of atonement by Jesus upon the Cross in his suffering, death, and subsequent resurrection.

Satan takes Jesus to the highest mountain of the world, and as the prince of that fallen world Satan offers to Jesus all for which he came to redeem. “No need of the Cross.” That is a painfully cruel temptation to Jesus, doubly painful and cruel when offered to one tired and weakened by hunger.

Satan seems to be saying, “Deal or no Deal?”    

The offer is tremendous, the whole fallen human race. “I will give you all this if you bow down and worship me.” Oh what would Satan not give to have that which is of God only even for one minute of glory?

The price was too high: It would be the death of Jesus without the resurrection. Worship is the giving up of self totally to the object of worship. So, what is salvation from hell and from the hands of Satan and an existence in Heaven without Jesus? Nothing. So Jesus said, “No!” So we must also say no and renounce self and pick up our cross and follow the Jesus who by love did not renounce the Cross and stood up for us. We must pray, “Your Kingdom come.” This kingdom brought by and through Jesus and to be established finally and totally and consummately at his second coming.

 

This is the teaching elder on duty in matters of Prayer.

 

Gerry Gutierrez.