“Then Jesus was led by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights, He became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took Him into the holy city [Jerusalem] and placed Him on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple. And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]’ and ‘They will lift you up on their hands, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’” Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and angels came and ministered to Him [bringing Him food and serving Him]” (Matthew 4:1-11 The Amplified Bible)
This morning’s subject is “The One.” While we generally think in complex way and look for something deep and bigger, “The One” is very simple and significant, in spite of venturing from our normal way of thinking and processing information.
Let’s see what we mean. We think of improving a relationship over time, but do we think about the opportunities we have in “the one” interaction, and then the next interaction after that to make the relationship better? “The one” after “the one.”
We pray for the church in general, but do we pray for each of the saints by name, “the one” by “the one?” We think of the ultimate goal of beating, assertively conquering our unique addictions, and while some fight their unique compulsion, others fail to get up ready to deal with the addiction “the one” day at a time. And, on any every given day that we are blessed to see, do we deal triumphantly with each temptation that is presented to us by the tempter, the seducer of our faith, amplified by the influence of the secular world or self, speaking of the flesh in the latter term? And by consciously doing so, do we successfully have victory over victory, over “the one” temptation and then the next and the next?
Do we think like Jesus when He was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil? Yes, you read it above. Jesus was tempted and Jesus dealt with the tempter’s various temptation, “the one” after the other.
We must be as equipped as Jesus and ready to handle “the one” temptation, one after the other. Be like Jesus and in a sequential fashion, successfully deal with “the one” satanic enticement, and the next, never yielding to temptation, for as the song says, “For yielding is sin.”. A timely reminder, as I often give you on Sundays, “Don’t forsake the assembly of the saints this morning!” This is usually “the one” day we can hear a specific message, sent specifically through the mouthpiece of “the one” chosen of God’s messengers, sent for a specific purpose, and that specific purpose is sent specifically for you. Also this is “the one” day where we can be in the special presence of the Lord, and it is “the one” day where we can encourage others, even if our message is just our quiet presence as we sit in the sanctuary, regardless of our current situation.
My, friend, enjoy service this morning, and worship “the One” true and living God, thanking Him for the Christ who died on the cross to save you. He is “the One” who bore your sins. He is “the One” who makes it possible for us to avoid eternal death and attain eternal life. Praise God! Give glory to His name! Be blessed!
“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” (Psalm 29:1-2 The English Standard Version)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King