Winning Like Jesus, Part 3

In times of trouble, where do you run? When bad things happen, where do you find comfort and assurance?

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That's 2-6-4-3-5-6 or the website ltw.org. Welcome to Leading the Way with pastor and Bible teacher, Dr. Michael Yusef. Today, Dr. Yusef continues his inspiring series, Winning Like Jesus. You'll appreciate all of the practical things that you can learn and apply from the responses of Jesus to his temptation in the past.

Listen along with me as Dr. Michael Yusef begins this episode of Leading the Way audio. I was speaking to a high school rising senior. He was discouraged, he was despondent and as I began to probe and he was not kind of forthcoming right away why he's despondent, why he's so discouraged and feeling bad and finally I got to the bottom of it and it was just simply this.

He was not what you call a great athlete and his father pressured him to play in a certain sports team at school and being not a great athlete, the coach would not put him there very often but the occasions in which the coach put him into play, he was not doing very well. But his father persisted, why can't you play like so-and-so? Why don't you succeed like so-and-so?

Why don't you watch so-and-so and imitate? Why don't you see how so-and-so gets the applause? And then in the end he said, you know, I finally figured out that my father's ambitions for me is to be popular and I can't be. I probably learned from that experience, learned from this young man that popularity at any price lingers deep in people's spirits.

There are some people long for that more than anything else in the world. It is not by accident therefore that the second temptation by Satan of Jesus has to do with popularity at any price. When Satan failed to induce Jesus to use his divine power for self-serving purposes, to serve his own needs, his own purpose and rebel against God the Father, Satan now tries to get Jesus to exchange the approval of God the Father for the approval of people. To exchange the applauds of heaven for the applauds of men.

To exchange a supernatural for the sensational. And so he tempts Jesus to go for the temporary popularity and put the Father to the test. We're right smack in the middle of the series of message I'm calling you can win like Jesus. And as we look at Matthew chapter 4 verses 1 to 11 and we looked at the other verses and now we come to verse 5. Then the devil took him to the holy city and he had him stand at 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 on their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone.

Jesus answered him, it is also written do not put the Lord your God to the test. Somehow, we don't know how, somehow Jesus and Satan end up at the pinnacle of the temple. Right there at the top of the temple.

In fact, we have a Jewish historian by the name of Josephus and one of the things Josephus tells us is that from the very top of that pinnacle of the temple to the floor of the valley, what we call the Kidron Valley, it's 450 feet. And we also know historically that Jews pushed people from the top of that pinnacle as a punishment, especially for false messiahs, false prophets, people whom they consider to be heretics, they took them up the top and they threw them down. In fact, that's exactly what they did to James, the head of the church of Jerusalem.

They threw him down from the pinnacle. What is Satan doing here by trying to get Jesus to do this? Up 450 feet, he was trying to get Jesus to force the hand of God the Father, to act contrary to the will of God the Father in his life, to presume and listen very carefully because that's exactly what he's doing to a lot of Christians today. Many a pastor are preaching this, presume on the grace of God and turn it into a license.

Force God's hand to intervene. You see, the first temptation was all about an existing need. Jesus was hungry, the need was there. In the second temptation, he manufactures the need.

He creates the need. I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand how many of you have seen things you don't need but because a commercial said you need it, you went and got it. I mean every second commercial says you need this and you need this.

I was talking to a doctor, he said I have people here come to me and they're not really sick but they said I saw this commercial of that medicine I think I need it. You don't need it. How many things do we have? We don't need them but we get them anyway. In reality, while most of these things we don't need we get, some people actually get themselves into a terrible debt, credit card debt to get things they don't need and then they have to figure out a way of paying for them. Sometimes if you tell kids you can't have this or you can't have that but I want it, I want it, I'll find it. Why do you want it? Because I need it. Look at verse 6, it says if you are the son of God, actually that can easily be translated since you are the son of God or because you are the son of God.

Either way works. Since you say you are the son of God, prove your relationship, prove your sonship, prove it as the one and only begotten son of the Father. Satan is not confused about who Jesus is.

He's not. In fact, in the first temptation when Satan failed because Jesus upheld the authority of the written word of God and trusted the Father's timing, he says okay you're trusting in your Father's timing, now the second temptation comes in and he pushes the envelope a little bit further and he said if you're really dependent on the Father, if you're really obedient to the Father, if you're really trusting in your Father, then jump this 450 feet. Prove it. Prove that the scripture promise is going to be fulfilled in you doing so. This is one of the deadliest of all.

Hear me right. Be very careful because Satan always fights dirty and he tried to fight fire by fire. The first temptation, Jesus defeated him by upholding the authority of the written word of God. But Satan was not going to be outdone. He says you can quote the Bible. I can quote the Bible too. He knows the Bible better than you and I do.

He really does. The Bible said that he not only believed the word, he trembles at the word of God. Here's what the devil loves to do. If he cannot defeat you, he's going to join you. If he can't get you to stop praying, he will show up when you pray and he will whisper, he will whisper. How long have you been praying about this matter? God hasn't answered you, has he?

Don't get me wrong. I think it's good to pray. I'm not against prayer. God doesn't answer your prayer. He's not going to answer you. Take matters into your own hands.

That's how it works. After all, doesn't the Bible say God helps those who help themselves? If he can't get you to stop reading and feeding upon the word of God, he's going to join you and he'll be sitting down reading the scripture and he'll whisper. Can you believe all this stuff? I mean, how can a loving God allow all this carnage to take place?

I mean, don't get me wrong. I think it's good to read the Bible, but where does it say that he's going to do that for you? And if you really believe that God is your provider, why don't you quit your job and stay home and let him provide for you?

Watch that one. Or every time you attempt to witness or bring someone to church, he will show you that's a noble thing to do. Take a friend, a neighbor, a coworker to church.

I think that's good. But I think you're going to offend your friend with this happy, clappy church, don't you think? And oh my goodness, have you heard your preacher lately? I mean, he'll scare the hell out of them.

Which is true. It's the desire of my heart. I want to scare people out of hell into heaven. Amen.

Amen. You see, if he can't stop you, he'll join you. The devil not only knows the scripture, he trembles at it. He may quote the scripture. He will change its meaning. He will twist its meaning. He will misinterpret its meaning. He will take it out of context in order to defeat us and discourage us.

But you can be a winner like Jesus. Amen. Here in Matthew 4, 6, Satan quotes Psalm 91 verse 11. I want you to just watch this. Watch carefully. What is the devil doing?

He's saying, Jesus, you trust in the written word of God. Great, great. Prove it. Prove it.

Prove it by putting your faith to the test. Jump and see if he saves you. And if he does, oh man, think about the incredible sensationalism that's going to create. Just think about the instant popularity with the crowd. Think about how you're going to grab the headlines. Watch out.

CNN camera is down there. Think of this masses of people who will come, particularly around the pilgrims' time. They will eat it up. They will crown you king. They will worship you. They will bow to you. You become the hero.

It's exactly what he's doing today. He will come to you and say, think about your popularity in school or work or wherever you are in the neighborhood. When you become popular, you have great influence. When you become popular, you're witness for Christ.

See? He's concerned about your witnessing for Christ being enhanced. Think of how the world will sit and take notice of you and of course your faith.

He'll say here, look, don't be stickler for details. You know and I know that insisting on literal interpretation of the Bible is not going to make you popular. It's not going to attract people to you. It's time to lighten up. Lighten up about all the stuff about God's word is infallible, about that salvation only comes through Jesus Christ and no other way, about this living a godly life and all this is just impractical today and on and on and on. Giving people what they want, just agreeing, go along with the prevailing thought, ah, this is great.

It's going to make you popular. But don't miss what I'm going to show you right here in the scripture. Whenever the devil quotes the scripture, it is twisted. Psalm 91, 11, which he quotes here partially, goes like this. For he will command the angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Can you say that with me?

In all your ways. What does that mean? It means this is not a blank check promise. That this is not an unconditional promise. This is a promise of God's provision for those who live under the revealed will of God, under the revealed word of God. Furthermore, Psalm 19, 13, that verse you need to memorize today.

He makes it very clear. Keep your servant also from the willful or presumptive sin. Can you say presumptive? Presumptive. We don't use the word too often these days, but in other words, presumption on the grace of God is a sin.

How does this work? Listen carefully. Someone who refused to take the medicine, they said, God is going to heal me. That's a sin of presumption. Others who refused to plan their finances and live within their means and they get into terrible debt, they said, God will provide. That's a sin of presumption. When someone says, I'm going to that place where I know there is drunkenness and debauchery, but I'm not going to participate.

I'm just going to be there so I can witness. That's a sin of presumption. Running headlong, making decisions without praying and seeking the mind of God, that's a sin of presumption. Whenever you put God to the test, whenever you place yourself into a situation where you know you're not supposed to be, whenever you put yourself in a place to force God's hand to deliver you, that's a sin of presumption. When you and I sin and say, well, you know, God didn't stop me. God could have stopped me.

He didn't. That's putting God to the test. That's putting God to the test. Please listen very carefully. When you put God to the test, you are placing yourself at the superior position to God. You say, how can that be?

Listen carefully. At school tomorrow morning, who's going to test whom? Are the students going to come and say, okay, teacher, get your pencil and pen ready, test time. It doesn't work, right? And if the student insists on it, they might get kicked out of school.

Why? The superior always tests the inferior. The student cannot test the teacher.

The teacher can test the student. Question. Had Jesus jumped and he become an instant sensation and man immediately becomes popular. How long would that lasted? Two days? Two weeks? Two months?

Another question. Would that temporary popularity have redeemed them or us? Would that temporary popularity, this sensationalism, have convicted people of their sins and caused them to repent? Would that temporary popularity have led them to humble themselves before God? Would that temporary popularity have assured them of forgiveness of sins and return the life in heaven with Jesus? No, and a million no's.

But, now you can answer these questions. Would this popularity have created a buzz all over the city? Yes. Would that temporary popularity have grabbed the headline news? Everyone from the Jerusalem Post or the rest of it? Headline.

Man jumps 450 feet and no home. Would this act have bedazzled people? Yes. These things are always short-lived. These things never lasting. These things never save people from their sins. Had Jesus opted for popularity at any price, listen to me.

The whole plan of God for salvation would have been foiled and you and I would not be here today. How did Jesus win over temptation? How can you and I win over temptation today? Regardless of age, regardless of circumstances, it is written. It is written.

It is written accurately in context. Furthermore, God has given us many promises in the scripture. Many promises, promises that we need to memorize and promises we need to claim on the regular basis, especially in times of temptation. Let me give you just a small sample in the scripture.

I'm sure you can make a whole bigger list than mine, but this is enough to help you memorize and you become a winner like Jesus. Isaiah 54 and we sing it all the time, verse 17, no weapon forged against you will prevail. In 1 John 4, 4, the one who's in us is greater than he is in the world. In 1 Corinthians 15, 57, but thanks be to God who gives us victory through the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2 Corinthians 2, 14, but thanks be to God who always, can you say, always with me, always, always leads us in a triumphal procession.

In 1 Corinthians 10, 13, God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted he will provide the way out so that you can stand under it. See God promised victory. God wants us to be victorious.

He really does. God promised his power and strength to be winners like Jesus. When you flee to him, there's one last thing that I left all the way to the end that I need to share with you and that's when Jesus quoted the scripture to Satan. He quoted it accurately and Jesus quoted the scripture, verse 7, when he said to him it is also written that you shall not put the Lord your God to the test. See these are the words that came from the lips of Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 16. When Moses said those words, he was speaking to that new generation of Israelites before they went into the promised land and he was saying that your ancestors, that your forebearers after they saw the hand of God like very few people on the face of the earth ever seen the hand of God, where they saw his hand provide for them supernaturally with the plagues in Egypt, opening the Red Sea and get them through and then close it again and drown the Egyptian army, the mightiest army at that time. They saw the hand of God working supernaturally providing manna for them and God kept giving them blessing after blessing after blessing and yet all they can do is they complain and they're murmured and they moaned and they sulk and they soured. And Moses is saying to them, don't do what your forebears did in Massa when they put God to the test again and again and God was so patient with them but in the end when his patience ran out he said that generation will die in the desert it's not going to go to the promised land.

Even his servant Moses. One of the greatest lessons that I'm learning and I keep on learning till the day I close my eyes in death is that gratitude and thanksgiving is not only contagious, it's uplifting. Let me ask you this, whatever you are, whatever your circumstances might be, I certainly don't know, only you do. Are you going through a situation where you're feeling sorry for yourself right now? If you are, begin to count God's past blessings. Are you sulking about something, some circumstances you're in? Remember that he did not redeem you with gold and silver and perishable things but with the precious blood of his one and only son.

How could he not care about every detail in your life? Are you tempted to seek the approval of people? Ask God to fill you with a vision of your reward in heaven. Whatever situation you're in now, begin with thanksgiving then continue in thanksgiving. Day in and day out, moment by moment, continue in thanksgiving.

Reflect on the blessings of God, reflect on the promises of God and that will take you out of it in a hurry. Thank you for joining listeners worldwide for Leading the Way, pastor and author, Dr. Michael Yussa. Now if you missed any of today's episode or other parts of this series, Winning Like Jesus, you can visit ltw.org. That's where you can listen and watch this and all of Dr. Yussa's content and on a variety of topics. You can learn about the many ways to connect. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yussa, passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth.