What did Jesus Teach: Do not put the Lord your God to the test

  • Feb 15, 2009
  • Series: What did Jesus Teach

Matt 4:5-7

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  6 ‘‘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.'" 7 Jesus answered him, ‘‘It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

The Devil had just failed to tempt Jesus to use His divine power to feed Himself and so to rebel against the plans of God.  Then he took Jesus to the Holy City and had Him stand on the top of the temple.

Satan used the same tactic to start his next temptation. He says again ‘If you are the son of God, then....".  As I said before he used a manipulative statement to try and draw Jesus in to proving that He is the Son of God.

Satan was trying to tempt Jesus to prove that He is the Son of God by doing something miraculous.

There were many people who claimed to be the Messiah in those days.

  • There was a man called Theudas who lead a group of people from the Temple to the Jordan River, promising to split the waters. After He failed, no one listened to him anymore.
  • An Egyptian pretender claimed he would lay flat the walls of Jerusalem, which, of course he could not do.
  • Tradition says that Simon the sorcerer, of whom we read in Acts 8:9 tried to prove that he is the messiah by jumping of the Temple - for which he lost his life and all the people who followed him.

People love sensational stuff. If we could invent something different and sensational we will have a church full of spectators.

In our day and age a good Bible preaching pastor is not anointed, he must be able to do something sensational in order to proof his anointing.

Jesus warned us in

Matt 24:24

24 For false Christ's and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible.

Dramatic signs and wonders strengthen the faith of those who believe but it also often hardens the hearts of unbelievers. Jesus miracles hardened the hearts of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matt 12:39

39 He answered, ‘‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah

The sign of Jonah was that He was going to go to the grave and would rise up again after 3 days.

Jesus refused to give into the demand for a miraculous sign to prove His Messiahship. Those who commended Jesus only because of His miracles and impressive words later turned against Him.

Many people today come into the Church environment but have not come to Christ. They come into the church environment because of some sensational, healing or a prosperity message or thru friendship but they have not come to the father through Christ. These people are the first ones to leave or give up the faith when the "sensational" reason why they have come to the church, fails. The door to the father is through repentance and faith in Christ. People who have come through this door will not easily fall away.

Let me give you some reason why Jesus warned us not to put God to the test.

Definition:

The word test can be translated - to experiment, analyze, to check, to assess.

The word tempt - can be translated - to Lure, entice, persuade, convince.

1. People are never satisfied.

They always want one more sign, one more miracle, one more show. If Jesus wanted to maintain His influence over the people that followed Him, He would have had to produce greater and greater sensations. Because the natural carnal heart always wants something more sensational, we are never satisfied. This year's miracle becomes next years bore. Many People are followers of sensations and are not lovers of God.

More of God -  what do we mean by that ?

To the sensationalist it means some manifestation or even a visible gift.

More of God to the Bible believing Christian means - Lord make me more like You. Change my character. Stop me from being so aggressive or from lying or from backbiting or from criticism or from cheating on my taxes. More of you Lord please make me more like Jesus.

2. Putting God to the test brings him into submission to our wishes and our desires.

It makes God lower than us and it puts us in charge. God becomes someone we control or steer instead of the other way around.

3. Jesus warned us not to test God because test God is to doubt God.

Asking for miraculous signs is not evidence of faith but of doubt.

James 1:6

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

4. Our need is not to prove God's faithfulness but to prove our own.

When we prove our faithfulness, by doing everything we need to we can rest confidently in His provision.

Matt 6:33

28 ‘‘And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?'  32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We cry out to God more in the area of physical needs than any other in our lives.

Seek His Kingdom first.

When we put God to the test we are in fact saying "let's see if you work for me."

God has nothing to prove to us he has already proven everything he needs to prove. If we get what we deserve we will burn in Hell for eternity.

Do not test God but live a life of faith in Him.

Trust that He will do what needs to be done for your best.

Rom 8:28

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.