Jesus' victory over Satan in the wilderness
(Matthew 4) must be seen in the broader context of His work of
salvation. This was more than just a personal victory - a victory for
Jesus. It was a victory for us. Jesus won the victory for us. He walked
in the way of victory so that we might live in the power of His victory.
After Jesus had won the victory over Satan, He called His disciples to
Him - "Come, follow Me!" - and He sent them out from Him, empowered by
Him, to be witnesses for Him - "fishers
of men" (Matthew 4:19). His victory was more than a victory for His
first disciples. It was a victory for all would become believers through
their witness. This includes all of us, since each one of us has come
to faith in Christ through the testimony of His apostles. When Jesus
sent them out, He did more than send them. He showed them what they were
to do (Matthew 4:23-25).
"Be careful! Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" (Matthew 17:6),. even after there us divine revelation (Matthew 16:17), the influence of evil can be felt (Matthew 16:23), The warning - "Be careful! Watch out ... !" must never be forgotten. Satan is looking for an opportunity to leads us away from the Lord. We must hear what Jesus is saying to us about discipleship (Matthew 16:24), and we must commit ourselves to Him (Matthew 16:25). There is nothing more important than this (Matthew 16:26). If we are to be true followers of Jesus, we must learn to live our lives in the light of eternity (Matthew 16:27). We are to seek revelations of God's eternal Kingdom, revelations which will send us back, from the mountain-top, to live each day for Jesus.
Comments
Post a Comment