The Word of God

Matthew 4:1-4

What if I told you there is something that is even more essential to life than food. Would you believe me? Would you believe Jesus?

This text (Matthew 4:1-11) is about the temptation of Christ that occurred at the beginning of His public ministry. To get an idea of His surroundings, listen to the following description:

“It is an area of yellow sand, of crumbling limestone, and of scattered shingle. It is an area of contorted strata, where the ridges run in all directions, as if they were warped and twisted. The hills are like dust heaps; the limestone is blistered and peeling; rocks are bare and jagged; often the very ground sounds hollow when the footfall or the horse’s hoof falls on it. It glows and shimmers with heat like some vast furnace. It runs right out to the Dead Sea, and then, there comes a drop of twelve hundred feet, a drop of limestone, flint and marl, through crags and corries, and precipices down to the Dead Sea. In that wilderness, one could be more alone than anywhere else in Palestine.” (Ivor Powell, Matthew’s Majestic Gospel, p. 75)

And in what way was He being tempted?

“He had every right, Satan suggested, to use His own divine powers to supply what the Father had not. The Son of God certainly was too important and dignified to have to endure such hardship and discomfort. He had been born in a stable, had to flee to Egypt for His life, spent thirty years in an obscure family in an obscure village in Galilee, and forty days and nights unattended, unrecognized, and unpitied in the wilderness. Surely that was more than enough ignominy to allow Him to identify with mankind. But now that the Father Himself had publicly declared Him to be His Son, it was time for Jesus to use some of His divine authority for His own personal benefit.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Matthew 1-7, Pgs. 90-91)

• It was temptation to act independently of His Father’s will and Word.
• The temptation was to follow the dictates of His flesh, rather than the directives of His Father’s Word.
• Food is NOT the most necessary part of life. We need scripture even more than food, according to Jesus!

To appreciate the Bible:

1. We have to know Him (Christ) personally.

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

(1 Corinthians 2:14)

(The illustration of the Rubik's Cube and the blindfold.) Understanding the scripture without knowing Christ is like trying to solve the Rubik's Cube while wearing a blindfold.

2. We have to believe the Bible literally.

• Inspiration (Verbal, Plenary) “God breathed” (2 Corinthians 3:16) -- God breathed out His Word over a period of 1500 years to approximately 40 different, chosen and prepared men. “Verbal” means that the very words of the Bible were God breathed. “Plenary” means “in total”...every word is breathed out by God.

• Inerrancy means without error throughout. Because the men were “inspired” when they wrote, the words they recorded were without error and true.

“The Bible is inerrant in that it tells the truth, and it does so without error in all parts and with all its words.” Charles Ryrie, What You Should Know About Inerrancy, p. 32

• Infallibility means that it is incapable of failing in what it says and promises. The scripture is incapable of misleading, deceiving, or disappointing.

Since the beginning of time, Satan has worked to undermine the Scripture and the Savior...calling both into question.

After abandoning journalism for the ministry, [Charles] Templeton met [Billy] Graham in 1945 at a Youth for Christ rally. They were roommates and constant companions during an adventurous tour of Europe, alternating in the pulpit as they preached at rallies...His friendship with Graham grew. “He’s one of the few men I have ever loved in my life,” Graham once told a biographer...But soon doubts began gnawing at Templeton...the skeptical Templeton, a counterpoint to the faith-filled Henrietta Mears [Christian author and educator], tugging his friend Billy Graham away from her repeated assurances that the Scriptures are trustworthy. “Billy, you’re fifty years out of date,” he [Templeton] argued. “People no longer accept the Bible as being inspired the way you do. Your faith is too simple.” Templeton seemed to be winning the tug-of-war. “If I was not exactly doubtful,” Graham would recall, “I was certainly disturbed.”

Graham searched the Scriptures for answers, he prayed, he pondered. Finally, in a heavy-hearted walk in the moonlit San Bernardino Mountains, everything came to a climax. Gripping a Bible, Graham dropped to his knees and confessed he couldn’t answer some of the philosophical and psychological questions that Templeton and others were raising. “I was trying to be on the level with God, but something remained unspoken,” he [Graham] wrote. “At last the Holy Spirit freed me to say it. ‘Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word—faith! I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be Your inspired Word.’ ” Rising from his knees, tears in his eyes, Graham said he sensed the power of God as he hadn’t felt it for months. “Not all my questions were answered, but a major bridge had been crossed,” he said. “In my heart and mind, I knew a spiritual battle in my soul had been fought and won.” For Graham, it was a pivotal moment. For Templeton, though, it was a bitterly disappointing turn of events...The emotion he felt most toward his friend was pity.

Now on different paths, their lives began to diverge. History knows what would happen to Graham in the succeeding years. He would become the most persuasive and effective evangelist of modern times and one of the most admired men in the world. But what would happen to Templeton? Decimated by doubts, he resigned from the ministry and moved back to Canada, where he became a commentator and novelist. (Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith, Locs. 114-136)

Dr. Packer holds a PhD. from Oxford University: “What scripture says, God says; for, in a manner comparable only to the deeper mystery of the Incarnation, the Bible is both fully human and fully divine. So all its manifold contents--histories, prophecies, poems, songs, wisdom, writings, sermons, statistics, letters, and whatever else--should be received as God’s authoritative instruction. Christians should be grateful to God for the gift of his written Word, and conscientious in basing their faith and life entirely and exclusively upon it. Otherwise, we cannot ever honor or please him as he calls us to do.” (J.I. Packer, Concise Theology, p. 5)

You have to make the choice: will you trust human reasoning or divine revelation?

3. We have to read the Scripture regularly. (1 Peter 2:1-2)

As newborn babies desire milk every day, so we are to desire regular feedings from God’s Word. Why? “...Because man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

I think most doctors would concur...there is something wrong when a baby doesn’t want to be fed.

As we grow in our faith we begin to desire more solid foods...the deeper teachings of Scripture.

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” (Hebrews 5:12)

“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

4. We have to follow the Word faithfully.

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25)

“Magic mirror on the Wall, who is the fairest one of all?” Does anybody know where that question comes from? (ANSWER: Snow White). The Queen was happy when the mirror told her she was the fairest of them all. But when it told her that someone else was fairer than her...she got angry and jealous.

That’s the thing about GOOD mirrors...they always tell the truth about us, even if we don’t like what we see!

God calls us to look into the mirror of His Word and do what it says!

Charles Swindoll tells the following story in his book, Improving Your Serve. "To make the value of obedience just a practical as possible, let’s play ’Let’s Pretend.’ Let’s pretend that you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly. I’m the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas. To pull this off, I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until a new branch office gets established. I make all the arrangements to take my family and move to Europe for six to eight months. And I leave you in charge of the busy stateside organization. I tell you that I will write you regularly and give you directions and instructions. I leave and you stay. Months pass. A flow of letters are mailed from Europe and received by you at the national headquarters. I spell out all my expectations. Finally, I return. Soon after my arrival, I drive down to the office and I am stunned. Grass and weeds have grown up high. A few windows along the street are broken. I walk into the Receptionist’s room. She is doing her nails, chewing gum and listening to her favorite disco station. I look around and notice the wastebaskets are overflowing. The carpet hasn’t been vacuumed for weeks, and nobody seems concerned that the owner has returned. I asked about your whereabouts and someone in the crowded lounge area points down the hall and yells, ‘I think he’s down there.’

“Disturbed, I move in that direction and bump into you as you are finishing a chess game with our sales manager. I ask you to step into my office, which has been temporarily turned into a television room for watching afternoon soap operas. ‘What in the world is going on, man?’ ‘What do you mean, Chuck?’ ‘Well, look at this place!’

“‘Didn’t you get any of my letters?’ ‘Letters? Oh yes! Sure! I got every one of them. As a matter of fact, Chuck, we have had a letter study every Friday night since you left. We have even divided the personnel into small groups to discuss many of the things you wrote. Some of the things were really interesting. You will be pleased to know that a few of us have actually committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two - Great stuff in those letters.’ ‘OK. You got my letters. You studied them and meditated on them; discussed and even memorized them. But what did you do about them?’ ‘Do? We didn’t do anything about them.’”

6. We have to teach the Truth diligently.

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

Moses introduces a systematic teaching process that persists until the core truth is understood and applicable in the lives of our children.

• We need to teach our children the truths of scripture.
• Explain the reasoning behind those truths.
• Show them illustrations of how the truth applies to life.
• Encourage their consistency in following those truths.

Tithing: Giving Back to God

Selected Scriptures

Probably when you were raising your children they sometimes asked the question, “Why?”, when you told them to do something. The instruction you gave them, though direct, possibly didn’t explain the reason for it and they were curious about its need. Or, it could reflect a well-known childish stall tactic used to challenge parental authority. Either way, I’m sure there were times when the only explanation needed was that you were the parent and obedience was expected, not requested.

Really, that’s all we need to know about God’s command that we give back to Him out of our financial resources. Simply put...we should do it because He says so!

However, God graciously gives us several underlying reasons to be obedient to Him in this significant area of our lives. Actually, to withhold your generosity, in light of these biblical explanations, is akin to shooting yourself in the foot. You’re not wounding God when you fail to honor Him with your resources. After all, the entire wealth of the world belongs to Him, anyway. He isn’t poor! The one you are hurting by your disobedience is really yourself.

Since God has given us these biblical motivations for giving monetarily to His work, let’s consider some of them to learn why we should tithe.

1. Because tithing acknowledges our stewardship.

Let’s look deeper into the matter of tithing...which means giving 10% of your income to God. It has been said that, “Tithing was commenced by Abraham (Genesis 14:20), continued by Jacob (Genesis 28:22), codified by Moses (Leviticus 27:30-31), commanded by Malachi (Malachi 3:10), commended by Jesus (Matthew 23:23), and consecrated by Paul (1 Corinthians 16:2).” If that’s the case, who are we to cancel it?

The Jewish nation actually gave three tithes to the Lord, in addition to other free-will offerings. There was a tithe to support the priests and Levites (Numbers 18:21). Another tenth was given for the worship ceremonies and festivals (Deut. 12:11, 17; 14:23). And, a third tithe was received every three years to support the poor, orphans and widows (Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12-13). That means the Israelites were actually giving approximately 23% of their income each year back to the Lord. As I mentioned earlier, none of these tithes takes into account any other free-will offerings they also gave to God.

What this tells us is that the Jewish nation practiced a deliberate generosity with God. For them...tithing was the floor, not the ceiling. It was the place to begin, not the place to end.

John Ortberg refers to tithing as, “...  [the] training wheels when it comes to giving. It’s intended to help you get started, but not recommended for the Tour de France.”

Some argue that since tithing was under the Law and grace removes us from the Law, it’s no longer necessary to give the tithe. Stop and think about that assumption for a moment. Do you really think first-century Christians thought to themselves, “Isn’t this great? Now we’re free from the Law so let’s give less than the Law required?” Such reasoning makes no sense at all in light of the incredible grace they had experienced through Jesus Christ.

I think instead the early church was so overjoyed by God’s grace that they wanted their giving to far exceed what they gave under the Law.

And, let’s not make the mistake of thinking that Israel’s tithes were just a way to fund their religious system and feed the needy. It was also their way of acknowledging God’s ownership of everything and their stewardship of those resources.

Why should we tithe? Because God has been so gracious in saving us from our sin that we want to give back to Him as an expression of our gratefulness. And, to acknowledge that we recognize everything that remains belongs to Him, also, to be managed by us for His glory.

Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2; cf. Luke 16:1-10)

2. Because Heaven becomes our priority.

When it comes to crime, they sometimes say, “follow the money” because it will eventually lead you right to the criminal. It’s also true that if you “follow the money” you’ll soon find out what people really love in life.

In our materialistic society, I think we should periodically be asking ourselves, “How much do we really need in life and when is enough going to be enough? Most people agree that it’s wise for a person/couple to save six months of basic expenses in case of an emergency. It’s also wise to save for your eventual retirement and toward your kids’ college education. The Bible indicates that God is also committed to providing our basic necessities of daily life. But, unless we intentionally prioritize God in all our expenditures, He’ll always be considered last...if at all.

You might be surprised how creative some people get when it comes to finding supposed loopholes in giving back to God. One man said, “If my kids are really the Lord’s, then I can count the money I spend on their food and clothing and college tuition as falling into the ‘good steward’ category. If I use my home for hospitality and hosting small group, then the same goes for furniture acquisition and home makeovers. I use my computer for Bible study and my phone to store worship songs, so those items are stewardologically deductible, too.” What he really means is...I’m not giving anything to the Lord’s work, at all.

Dr. Adrian Rogers once said: “a faith that hasn’t reached your wallet, probably hasn’t reached your heart.”

It shouldn’t surprise you when people get upset when you talk about tithing! The fact is, you’re speaking about the things they hold most dear. If your heart is fix on Heaven, you have no problem being challenged to invest in eternity. It’s what you love most...it’s where your heart is. But, if you have to rearrange your financial priorities to give to God, then it’s evidence your heart is fixed elsewhere. That creates a conflict within you that usually spills over onto others when someone talks about the biblical use of money.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, 33; cf. Colossians 3:1-2; 1 John 2:15)

“Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.” --Augustine

3. Because giving expresses our trust.

Imagine being on a beach as you begin to make an elaborate sandcastle. Now, think of this sandcastle as your life: your job, your accomplishments, your achievements, your bank account, your stocks, your home, etc. As you finish, you step back to look at your beautiful creation and the life you have built for yourself. Just as you do, the waves begin to lap at the base of your castle. Soon they are systematically destroying it, as you watch all you’ve worked for, all you’ve poured your life into, completely leveled. You cry out, "Stop. That’s my castle" and try to stop the waves. But, the ocean is way too powerful and persistent.

Sandcastles illustrate well the temptation that faces all of us today. We fall into the belief that our sandcastles, built on the shores of this life, will last forever, only to discover that in a moment they can be undermined or destroyed. If we’re not careful, we’ll start trusting in the things themselves, rather than the powerful God that gives us all things.

It’s been said, "Money will buy you a bed but not sleep. It will buy you books but not intelligence, food but not an appetite, a house but not a home, medicine but not health, amusement but not happiness, religion but not salvation--[money will buy you] a passport to anywhere in the world...except to heaven."

Is there an antidote for the temptation of trusting in “uncertain riches?”  Absolutely! It is to be generous in your giving to God so your trust will be in Him and not in your “sandcastles.”

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19; cf. 1 Timothy 6:10; Luke 12:16-21)

4. Because generosity assures our blessing.

The most common objection I hear from people that have never or seldom tithed is, “I just don’t have enough money to tithe.” They’ve either been told or wrongly led to believe that giving means losing what they give away to God. But, the scripture is clear that when we give to God, He returns the blessing by giving back to us.

It’s hard for me to watch as people procrastinate about giving to God because they think they won’t have enough left if they give to His work. Doesn’t everyone know the most basic law of the harvest? We only reap from what we’ve sown. What we keep to ourselves can never bring a return. This is one of the primary reasons I believe God challenged His people to “try” Him in the realm of tithing.

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; “And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:8-12)

I once read the remarks of a couple who decided to trust God with their tithe. The man said, "I heard about (tithing) but we decided we couldn’t afford it. Then as time went on and our troubles grew, we talked it over, prayed about it and decided to try it. Now a couple of years later we agree it was the best thing we could have possibly done. We are out of our problems and glad we began tithing. God seemed to bless and prosper us."

Pay careful attention to what Luke 6:38 says. Unless you give, it can’t be given back to you.

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

“Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10)

“I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess.” --Martin Luther

5. Because scripture commands our obedience.

Ok, Ok! If you don’t get any of the other points, if for no other reason, you ought to tithe simply because God says so. Listen to Jesus’ words, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) He doesn’t have to give us any other reason to tithe, except that He’s our Father and we’re His children. How foolish it is for us to talk about loving God when we don’t obey His commands. You’re the only person that loses in that equation!

Here’s an important truth for all of us to remember: what we give away for the cause of Christ, we keep forever. What we hoard for ourselves, we lose forever.

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7; cf. 1 Corinthians 16:2)

A Wycliff Bible Translators publication tells the story of a missionary named Sadie Sieker, who served for many years as a house-parent for missionaries’ children in the Philippines. Sadie loved books. Though she gladly loaned out some, others she treasured in a footlocker under her bed. Once, in the quiet of the night, Sadie heard a faint gnawing sound. After searching all around her room, she discovered that the noise was coming from her footlocker. When she opened it, she found nothing but an enormous pile of dust. All the books she had kept to herself had been lost to termites.

Don’t miss the truth of this story...it’s what you give away that you keep and what you keep that you lose! Only what you invest in the Kingdom of God will be “laid up” in eternity.