Shortcut to Disaster

Pastor Jimmy Greer talks about the kingdoms of the world are exactly what Jesus had come for Satan is offering him a chance to have it a shortcut to avoid the pain of the cross and the plan of God, to walk on a path parallel to the plan of God, but not in the plan of God. This is the temptation to compromise my after author and theologian JD Greer. As always, I'm your host Molly that events let me ask you question when you hear the words you picture for some of it. Something along the lines of a wild party or an adulterous affair. It's watching the wrong movie or seeing one of the forbidden words, when we stuff our toe in the dark. I think it's safe to say that patients probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But today pastor Jenny explained that a lack of patience is at the root of a lot of sense.

Do you struggle with in patients many of us to select get to the bottom of this insidious quality and learn how to combat our message today is titled shortcut to disaster part of a series called the whole story.

So let's dive on Matthew 44 we pick up on the event in the life of Jesus that happened directly after his baptism, and that event is the temptation of Jesus. And while we are going to learn today from this passage is going to apply to everybody. I do agree with Andy Stanley who says that the lessons from this passage are especially pertinent to a certain kind of person, namely those who are driven I'm talking about the 13-year-old who you ask her what she wants to do with her life.

She pulled out a flowchart and she talks her for the next 15 minutes. You know, so I like that I have a man who always finds himself looking back at the end of every day to evaluate what he accomplished that day and how much he accomplished and he accomplished enough, is addicted to progress or is the woman who gave up on corporate America to be a mom but now tries to dump corporate America into her kids from these kinds of people are usually addicted to efficiency everything's gotta run on schedule because I got there they organize and take advantage of all the opportunities for progress and I don't want you messing that up. You know some of these people don't you there.

The kind of people.

Revenues schedule their downtime and they get stressed out when things don't go according to plan on their downtime because not be able to accomplish all the things in their downtime went on accomplishing on these people are usually supreme multitaskers since I began the sermon you have already sent for emails and pay three bills because you like you I do want to hear the sermon, but the introduction is usually fluffy and so I just felt like I can get some of the stuff done and I'll check back in when you get the word brother. Here's what I know about these people. A lot of times these kinds of people don't really care that much about money sort of misunderstanding people have about them what they love is creating and conquering. What's the next benchmark I can achieve what the next company I can turn around what's the next level that I can get say they feel driven almost called almost called to get to the top got you there two things that I want you to know right off the bat first. God created you that way.

I would say it's part of the image of God in you, because in many ways, God himself was like that one day God was like you know what I'm tired enough that I want to create everything and he did and when danger threatened that he could not rest until he had turned around, but second thing I want you to know the second thing I want you to know is been that way comes with some unique challenges and Jesus, who I believe in many ways was that way himself shows us in this passage how to address those particular challenges and how to overcome I'm going to walk you through this passage and then I want to show you the three specific temptations that Satan through Jesus and water especially pertinent to certain ones of us in here. I will tell you on a personal level. This is one of the most illuminating and helpful passages of Scripture because if you did not pick up on it. I am definitely included in that group that I described above in chapter 4 verse one then Jesus, then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry, then your nonstop in your Bible. I would underline that because it is probably the one key to understanding the whole thing because it is not just meaning that this happened next. Like, then this happened.

It's showing you that what happens in chapter 4 is directly connected to what happens in chapter 3, and that what happens in chapter 4 flows out of what happened to jabber three and what was that that just happened.

Well, Jesus had just been baptized and at the end of his baptism. Jabber three. Verse 17 the voice of God from heaven had declared this is my beloved son in whom I am well please now talk about a spiritual high God himself from heaven in front of everybody says you're my boy and I am proud of you and I love you and I'm really pleased with the spiritual high if there ever was one. Then the devil because he doesn't how Satan works spiritual highs followed by spiritual loans, you hear a voice from heaven that is almost always followed by a voice from hell. New levels bring new devils think of the baptism is a place of celebration and friendship and joy. There is water there a river lush vegetation it's followed by a time of isolation. In a dry, cracked and parched desert area. Jesus is wondering. It is called just Shimon, which literally met in Hebrew devastation. This would be a horrible place is been 40 days, six weeks alone without food with the devil and not even some JV demon either like El Diablo himself. Whatever God does something great in your life. Listen to this, you can count on it.

Satan will be right behind him to pull up the seeds that God has planted some of you are going through that right now some of you are about to go through it and I want you to recognize it for what it is so that you don't panic. What happens when you will guide you seem so close. Your voice was so clear what is it all an illusion. No, no, it's that times of Revelation are always followed by times of testing the voice from heaven is followed by then the devil. The fact that you go through a time of temptation and struggle got meaner bad Christian doesn't mean that what you experience of the baptism wasn't real after all Jesus was tempted severely right after this spiritual high and so will you be when God starts to do something in your life you can count on it.

Then the devil so far were you I would take out a pen, you have a gun already and I would*that word circlet. You have a payment to ballistic in spirit prick your finger debit and blood whatever it takes you to understand that these kind of spiritual highs are immediately followed up with times of spiritual drought and attack and him coming after you with everything within him. Second, notice the reality of Satan. Many people in our culture think it is na�ve or unsophisticated to believe in Satan like serious man with the horns of a pitchfork in the red spandex really believe and I got no not the horns and the end of the red spandex, but a supernatural being that works in the world for evil and destruction. Think about it, if we believe there's a God, the idea that there is a supernatural being that also works for evil. It's not that much of a stretch. Jesus certainly did not think it was na�ve to believe in a devil. Neither did Peter or Paul or John Satan is mentioned. In fact, 250 times in the New Testament which works out to almost once per chapter. I would say that it's actually na�ve not to believe in Satan.

If you think that all that was behind the Holocaust was simply Hitler or all that was behind slavery was just economics and racism.

I think your na�ve if you think that the primary factor in your problem with pornography is that you just got some issues with self-control. I think your na�ve if you think all the distractions are working, your family and that that make it hard for you guys to keep God at the center and for you to stay involved in a local church that all result from a demanding schedule in a very fast-moving culture. I think your na�ve if you think all that's at work and the discord in your small group, or the trouble in your marriage is simply conflict between difficult personalities. I think your na�ve if you think the bitterness creeping up in your soul. You just come from the frustration of being misunderstood.

I would say your na�ve because there is an enemy. Jesus said, whose sole goal is to kill, steal and destroy that he literally prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour both of you don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and you don't know who your fight against not really going to modify Satan care if you believe in him or not, your most vulnerable to an enemy when you won't even acknowledge the existence of that enemy. Jesus understood it, which affected how he approached the situation watch with the enemy does first verse three the tempter came and said to him, if you are the son of God. Now if what had just happened at the baptism of the baptism and chapter 3 verse 17 this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased about things like if that's true right this down. Satan put question marks in your life where God is put various Satan's goal is go to tactic is to break the hold of the word of God over you. You can see that from the very beginning right very first situation in regard to be part of Satan open up the situation did God really say that I sure got bad.

Your best interest at heart.

I think I might behold not on you Jesus told a story about a farmer went out to scatter some seed to see representing the word of God and he said that some of the sepals on soil before can take root.

This bird comes along. The bird represents Satan and picks up the decedent gets rid of it before can actually take root in your heart and what he is saying is that Satan is as much in the distractions that he gives you the word of God as he is making you doubt it you seek and sometimes not make it outage makes you forget about it.

What that means is that is not always that the big difficult question. Sometimes it's just like to get you to think about something else by his whole goal is just to keep you separated from the word of God and will do that in whatever way possible doubt distraction or ignorance that a matter to him. Verse three for the son of God command these stones to become loaves of bread. Now at last we get to the specific temptations or go number one but he answered his written man shall not live by bread alone bye-bye everywhere they come from out of God dictation number one is to prioritize the gifts of God over God himself to prioritize the gifts of God over God himself was nothing wrong with bread. God created Redbridge good thing but it was simply not God's will for Jesus at this time because God had led Jesus the spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to fast. I cannot tell you how significant it is that the first temptation of Satan is not to do something blatantly immoral is simply to get Jesus to go after something good that is not in God's plan yet Satan is not out there in the words of Jim Keller tempting Jesus was with boozer breast. He's choosing bread Satan's primary strategy is to take a good thing a good thing like red or job or marriage or companionship, or children, or respect and to make it so important that it drives all your decisions because you think I've got to have this more than anything so you think what I can be single can be happy being single and God is just not working fast and also I'm in have to take matters into my own hands. We just can't have more money in our family cannot really be happy with this level of income. I got to get ahead in God you're moving too slowly.

I got have the approval of my friends. I've got to be the best I've got to be recognized and that desire is almost always a good desire. He begins to dominate your emotions and it begins to control your behavior. What is Jesus's response after 40 days of no bread" of Berbers from the book of Deuteronomy man shall not live by bread alone, but by the word of God. In other words, there's something more important to me than even bread that is fellowship with God. Physical bread is good, but my soul finds its completeness in God. There something more sustaining to me that even physical food and that is God's declaration over me that I am his beloved son. Yes I love bread and at some point I will go back to bread. But right now in this time-I had to choose between bread and God I'll take God because God's word is more sustaining to my soul. Even than physical bread temptation.

Number one is to prioritize the gifts of God a good thing over God himself to turn a good thing into an ultimate thing to do a God thing and replace God with it know to be really personal.

I told you before that I knew Satan wants me to be driven once me to be driven by being a good preacher successful pastor nothing wrong with me wanted to be good at what I do, but I knew that that means a sometimes he's the first one when I come down off the stage to tell me how good of a sermon that I just reached now if you give me encouragement afterwards among to call you Satan. So understand that there's nothing wrong with encouragement.

We ought to give it to them back and forth to each other but see he wants me to base my happiness and my identity on how successful I am as a pastor.

He wants you to base your identity on how good of a mother you are. How other people look at you or how good you are. Your job and it's a trap because he knows that the next time I preach if I don't do as well or just not enough people tell me how good it was. Then I will feel unsettled and unhappy, which will make me vulnerable.

All the other temptations. See if you live by success.

That means you also died by success because success cannot sustain you.

Success is not read for the everlasting soul but if you have you live by fellowship with the father. That means when you're in a wilderness when you're in a time of plenty.

Your joy will not change because you have a source of joy in life that is never-ending and is so much better than physical bread to the first temptation is replace the giver with the gift verse five we go to the second one than the devil to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple verse six and said to him, if you're the son of God, there it is again, there's the doubt, throw yourself down as it's written he will command his angels concerning you as a verse from Psalms whole and one more and on their hands they will bear you up lets you strike your foot against a stone.

That's a verse from another song. Satan one Scripture listing all the noses verses and he knows exactly how to use him so could I just stop here and say this reply get the second temptation just because you find a verse for something, doesn't mean you're using the Bible right people have given me over the years, the most jacked up interpretations of Scripture. You could ever imagine. Well, you know the Bible says it was. Maybe having somewhere and this marriage is not making you happy, so clearly it's God's will for me to leave his marriage and go after somebody else and don't argue with me about anxieties about it.

Sorry I can't I just quit my job and liquidated my retirement and put it all into this magic being business because Philippians 413 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me poor.

Philippians 413, that verse could come alive when you get to heaven. It's going to just like be taken rear ends and taken that verse has been more abuse you see two wrestlers about the wrestle each other have Philippians 413 tattoo did her back, now this is interesting, the power Jesus was the power Jesus as I get to go down. That's not what that person. He's is that you can make all your foul shots or even score a touchdown every time one of the reasons we encourage you to be in small groups here is that you're much less likely to interpret Scripture wrongly when you read in community when other people can say pretty.

Not sure that's not whatever's means the last thing that you wanted to end up being Satan to somebody else because you read the Bible in a lazy way right so you gotta know what it means things and not just that you incorporate verse seven Jesus said to him after your two scriptures and I'll raise you want, but I'll interpret it correctly. You shall not put the Lord your God to the test by what's going on here. I think the key word here is the word tests. Satan is tempting Jesus to test God for God to prove that God will take care of it. The logic goes like this you know Jesus, if you really are the son of God. If that's true then then if you did this over here that he would take care of so why don't you do this over here to see if he takes care of you because if he does then you'll actually know that you're his beloved son, and what is Jesus respond with. Why would I need God to prove what he has already declared temptation. Number two is to interpret God to your circumstances rather than his word is so easy to succumb to this one. When life goes good. We think we must have the pleasure of God. But when life goes bad. We think will God must be angry at me if he existed all you find yourself looking to heaven for God. You said you love me in this horrible resort think I would've done wrong and why are you punishing me sometimes on them. Nine that even sure if you exist is if you're paying them back for your disbelief go look at Jesus.

He's the beloved son.

He is completely pleasing to God. He is completely in step with the Spirit is exactly where he is supposed to be yet he is not shielded from pain is in a desert.

Jesus said that for those who follow him.

The cross would be the center of their lives. Cross is not mean you were little gold organ around your neck or you have it tattooed your ankle with the cross means is a means misunderstanding means betrayal by your friends. It means suffering, often unjust suffering and sacrifice. Jesus said the servants are better than the master of the master about whether the cross and you can expect to also we Jesus said, follow me. He wasn't Becky Mattis, beckoning us to a barefoot walk through a meadow filled with snuggles and rainbows he was calling us to pick up the cross where he had gone. When that happens when that happens, and it surely will happen when the spirit of God takes you into the desert of financial hardship. The desert of the betrayal by a friend.

The desert of an uncooperative spouse, the desert of disrespect or of unappreciative children for loneliness. What are you going to believe about God in that desert are you going to interpret God to your circumstances or you can see your circumstances to the promise of God's word because you listen we got some but even better than Jesus.

All the Old Testament prophets that they had the promises of God's word and the prophets. We have the demonstration of God's love at the cross John Doe within the Puritan writer used to say the greatest insult you can ever give to God. After the cross is to doubt his love for you what else we have to do to show his steadfast love for you and then you turn around and think I need something else beyond that reminds me of him.

We something when I was a kid and I don't think using it anymore is going is good returns to admit, I need no other argument I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. I'm not for me, that Jesus saves, that ends my fear and doubt a simple soul.

I came to him he did not cast me out.

I need no other argument I be no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me when we sing now that's more current. When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt was an upward. I look and see in their maiden and all my sin. In other words, I am sure a short of the steadfast love of God, not only because he declared it, which should be enough but also he demonstrated through the cross so that I know that whatever Valley I'm walking through if he didn't leave me there when it was my sin that was crucified the life out of him. He's not gonna leave you now and if God raised Jesus from the dead. He is certainly working in my circumstance in front of me also to the third temptation.

Again, the devil took him a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

And he said to him, all these will I give to you if you will fall down and worship me. And Jesus said to him, be gone.

Satan, for its written, you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. Temptation number three is to pursue a good thing in the wrong way. Let me tell you why this temptation was so powerful. The kingdoms of the world are exactly what Jesus had come for they are what God had promised to Jesus and they are what Jesus believed that he was entitled to. Satan is offering him a chance to habit through a shortcut to avoid the pain of the cross and the plan of God, to walk on a path parallel to the plan of God, but not in the plan of God. This is the temptation to compromise you really, really, really want to get here and here is a is a good place you think it's what God wants. But God doesn't seem to be getting you here fast enough so I think I got a get there. My own where the community at one time say Se�or for years and I was a get operator night God give me a bicycle and I figured out the God and all his infinite wisdom wasn't going to work that way. And so I do still like and asked for forgiveness. That's the temptation to compromise the temptation to take a shortcut the things that you believe you are entitled to the good things that the temptation for example to sacrifice your integrity or your family responsibilities so that you can get to that next level, your wife or your husband tells you you are working too much in your family suffering. The kids need their dad or their mom and you're like a understand but I really need us to get there. There is such a good place once for failure. There will be so much easier and is not like when I get there be an atheist.

I can readopt all my values, I can realign my life and I can get my priorities back in line will be in such a much better financial position life stable and I'll be able to give more money so I'm shortcut right now my morality or my responsibilities. My family or my involvement. The local church is a little bit, but it's good to get me there are and there is a good way when you say that you are him and referencing all things have got me in for so we have to fill her mind with biblical truth on a daily basis to help us choose wisely.

A cautionary message from Pastor JD Greer on Senate life this year we've emphasized Bible reading and Bible verse memorization inner resources in our new resource will actually help you type together were calling them the books of the Bible card set of cards will help you as you read to make connections with the context of the original. You're welcome to request the Cartesian AK to support his ministry.

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Katie