GOD Morning! Greater Things, Matthew 4
GOD Morning! Greater Things
Matthew 4
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
Everyone has a wilderness experience at some point in their life.
God will actually lead us into our wilderness. He will allow us to be tested.
Many fail the trek through the wilderness.
Which reminds me of Gethsemane.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee [James and John], He began to be grieved and greatly distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and stay awake and keep watch with Me.”
And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:36-56 amp
We all must face our personal Gethsemane. We must say, “Yes to Your Will. Yes to Your Way. No matter where You lead me, I will go. Yes to the wilderness.”
Some go through the wilderness as children. Pain, suffering, loneliness, and abandonment.
Some reject the wilderness experience.
What happened directly after Jesus’ wilderness journey?
His ministry went crazy. “The people living in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the shadow of death, light has dawned.”
And His ministry took off. After His wilderness trial, He hit the ground running.
1. He began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
2. He made disciples.
3. He taught the good news of the kingdom.
4. He healed every disease and sickness.
5. News about Him spread all over the known world.
6. Sick folks were brought to him. They were ALL healed.
7. Large crowds from all over the surrounding area followed Him.
Which reminds me of John 14:12.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
So. God’s plan for each one of us is doing all that Jesus did while He was on earth, plus more.
How did Jesus begin His ministry? By fasting. We don’t have to fast for 40 days in one fell swoop. But we must fast regularly and consistently.
We must give ourselves wholeheartedly to God’s plan for our lives. Saying, “Not my Will, but Thine be done.”
We must pray. A lot. Jesus is our example. Praying is an exciting adventure. God’s presence changes us. God’s presence is heaven on earth.
Every morning, we must have a mini Gethsemane/Wilderness experience. We must deep clean our hearts. Ask God to reveal to us the dirty parts, and make us squeaky clean once more. Every morning, without fail. It’s not pretty, trust me. But we cannot minister with a dirty heart. Maybe our heart is simply cluttered. The clutter must be removed.
We must allow the Holy Spirit to rejuvenate us regularly.
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
Rejuvenate:
a : to make young or youthful again : give new vigor to
b : to restore to an original or new state
And then we must preach the gospel. With our lifestyle and manner of conversation. With the pure love of Jesus. At work. At home. At the grocery store. On the bus. At the stop light, when someone pulls out directly in front of us. When someone is rude to us. You get the picture.
Our eyes must be wide open at all times to the needs around us. We must prayerfully go about our day, asking God to direct us to those in need.
We will see signs, miracles and wonders. We will see folks come to God. We will make disciples. All that Jesus did, and more.
We choose. Are we willing to give ALL to Jesus? There is no limit to what God wants to do through each one of us.
“Dear Jesus, I am convicted once again this morning. I must find a place and cry out to You like never before. I must fulfill Your plan for my life. I must do the works that You did, and more. I am only a human. I can’t do this on my own. But I can do all things through Your power that is working in me. How I love You, Jesus, AMEN.”
Matthew 4
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
Everyone has a wilderness experience at some point in their life.
God will actually lead us into our wilderness. He will allow us to be tested.
Many fail the trek through the wilderness.
Which reminds me of Gethsemane.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee [James and John], He began to be grieved and greatly distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and stay awake and keep watch with Me.”
And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:36-56 amp
We all must face our personal Gethsemane. We must say, “Yes to Your Will. Yes to Your Way. No matter where You lead me, I will go. Yes to the wilderness.”
Some go through the wilderness as children. Pain, suffering, loneliness, and abandonment.
Some reject the wilderness experience.
What happened directly after Jesus’ wilderness journey?
His ministry went crazy. “The people living in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the shadow of death, light has dawned.”
And His ministry took off. After His wilderness trial, He hit the ground running.
1. He began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
2. He made disciples.
3. He taught the good news of the kingdom.
4. He healed every disease and sickness.
5. News about Him spread all over the known world.
6. Sick folks were brought to him. They were ALL healed.
7. Large crowds from all over the surrounding area followed Him.
Which reminds me of John 14:12.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
So. God’s plan for each one of us is doing all that Jesus did while He was on earth, plus more.
How did Jesus begin His ministry? By fasting. We don’t have to fast for 40 days in one fell swoop. But we must fast regularly and consistently.
We must give ourselves wholeheartedly to God’s plan for our lives. Saying, “Not my Will, but Thine be done.”
We must pray. A lot. Jesus is our example. Praying is an exciting adventure. God’s presence changes us. God’s presence is heaven on earth.
Every morning, we must have a mini Gethsemane/Wilderness experience. We must deep clean our hearts. Ask God to reveal to us the dirty parts, and make us squeaky clean once more. Every morning, without fail. It’s not pretty, trust me. But we cannot minister with a dirty heart. Maybe our heart is simply cluttered. The clutter must be removed.
We must allow the Holy Spirit to rejuvenate us regularly.
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
Rejuvenate:
a : to make young or youthful again : give new vigor to
b : to restore to an original or new state
And then we must preach the gospel. With our lifestyle and manner of conversation. With the pure love of Jesus. At work. At home. At the grocery store. On the bus. At the stop light, when someone pulls out directly in front of us. When someone is rude to us. You get the picture.
Our eyes must be wide open at all times to the needs around us. We must prayerfully go about our day, asking God to direct us to those in need.
We will see signs, miracles and wonders. We will see folks come to God. We will make disciples. All that Jesus did, and more.
We choose. Are we willing to give ALL to Jesus? There is no limit to what God wants to do through each one of us.
“Dear Jesus, I am convicted once again this morning. I must find a place and cry out to You like never before. I must fulfill Your plan for my life. I must do the works that You did, and more. I am only a human. I can’t do this on my own. But I can do all things through Your power that is working in me. How I love You, Jesus, AMEN.”
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