Drew Boswell

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The Third Temptation of Christ; Matthew 4:8 (Selfishness)


Matthew 4:8 “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

The taking of Jesus by the devil and going to various places was supernatural – so that Jesus can see the vast numbers of people. What is Satan trying to accomplish by showing Jesus the multitudes and “ethne” of people?  What is the temptation for Christ? As a man he had only seen those people in his geographic region. So now he sees the “multitudes” (Matthew 28:17 ff.) We see the short cut (avoid the cross) here in the beginning of the book, and we see the real plan in the end of the book (the horror of the cross).

Satan has the temporary authority to possess the nations; to give them away or to keep them as the “ruler of this world” [1] and “the whole world lies on the power of the evil one.”  The world has believed the Father of lies and its’ own glory would have been worshipping false gods, and all sorts of wicked and evil things. Were all these evil and wicked people worth Him dying a cruel and horrific death on a cross? Jesus saw it all and still died for it anyway.

Romans 5:8 “. . . God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus saw a world in need of a Savior. Satan intended to tempt Christ by showing Him the multitudes (in sinful rebellion) but it only reinforces the mission that the Father has sent Him on – to redeem all of the world. All of His creation desperately needed a Savior, a Redeemer.

That redemption would come at a price. Since the beginning, something/someone would have to die, and His blood must be shed. [2] Satan knows that Jesus, in order to redeem the world has to die under the wrath of the Father. He had an idea of what the Father’s wrath will be like – he will himself experience it one day.

The temptation for Jesus is selfishness; for him to save himself the pain of the cross and to hell with everyone else.

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Satan knows his time is limited, and that the Father’s wrath is coming – therefore because Satan hates the Father his desire is to take the multitudes (the ones who the Father desperately loves) with him.

For Jesus to worship Satan would be a shortcut around the cross. He would save the world and Himself the pain only momentarily. God’s wrath would still be stored up against mankind, and the sin problem would not have been dealt with. The world would still be in need of a Savior – and now the only One who could have saved them would have sinned in selfishness, [3] a Holy God would still be separated from sinful creation. No restoration would have taken place, and no intimacy regained. Nothing but time would have been gained. Man does not need more time to destroy himself with sin, nor does he need more time separated from His Creator who infinity loves him.

If Jesus had worshipped Satan and avoided the cross, it would have meant doom for mankind. Spiritual shortcuts never accomplish what faithful obedience eventually does. If you are tempted to take the spiritual shortcut, let me point you to Jesus and allow Him to illustrate why this is true. You cannot do what God has created you to do if you constantly take spiritual shortcuts and try to live this life by your own rules. If you have failed this temptation, I am right there with you. I have been selfish time and time again. But let’s journey this next distance of road together knowing that it doesn’t work.

Matthew 20:27-28 “. . . and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. Thank you Jesus for being selfless and faithful.

 

[1] Jn. 12:31; 1 Jn. 5:19.

[2] Genesis 3:20

[3] Romans 2:5, 5:9

The First Temptation of Christ; Matthew 4 (Trust)

When we journey through the book of Matthew we land in chapter four where we discover that Jesus is led (by God) into the wilderness for the expressed purpose to be tempted.

Matthew 4: 1-3 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

First, why does Jesus need to be alone during this temptation? We see later that He will be strengthened through this time (even as he has fasted for forty-days and forty-nights.) But when we face temptation, it is a completely solitary event. Surrounded by thousands of people, when we face temptation, it is completely between us a our Creator in how we deal with it. Temptations are extremely private affairs. The consequences may be public, but at the moment of temptation, there are just two people present (the Creator and his creation).

Why does Jesus need to fast during this time (so that we follow His example? So that He would be weakened?) We see that He is again fulfilling Scripture as he went through this time of temptation. Just as the Israelites had been in the wilderness for forty years, Jesus’ fasting pushes us back to ancient Hebrew history.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

Whereas God’s people had failed and rebelled in the wilderness, Jesus would remain faithful and would follow God where ever He led Him.  God led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. God led the Israelites into the wilderness in order to take them to the Promised Land, and to teach them to rely upon Him (to test their heart). The first generation did neither, but the second Adam [1] would always do both. Whereas other men and generations had failed, Jesus would not.

Having some time to think about how he would tempt Christ (about thirty years), The Accuser (i.e. the devil) began by saying, “If you are the Son of God. . .” Does Jesus feel like He needs to show others who He is? Sure He does, he has just been baptized and God spoke from heaven. The cats out of the bag, so to speak. Why not turn the stones to bread and fill his stomach. He would perform miracles later in to order to show others who he was (the promised Messiah). Why not now? Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Why doesn’t  the tempter say, “Since you are the Son of God, . . .” It is because he is trying to get Jesus to show others who he is (even if He is alone) on Satan’s timetable. To do what seems right at the time, apart from God’s guidance. The Israelites failed the test because they did not believe that God would feed them. Jesus knew that in order to pass the test (the right way) he had to trust God to feed Him as well (not himself). Trusting God, and not trusting himself. Man that’s a big one, I think it’s worth repeating. . . . .trusting God, and not trusting myself.

So we see Jesus’ response in verse four, “But he [Jesus] answered, “It is written,“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” [2] God would speak to Him, and tell Him what to do next. So for now, he waits — forty days or so. God seems to take us to our limits before showing us the way. After all, who needs to trust God when our stomachs are full?

There will be times when you know that God has called you be be something, or to do something. Jesus was called to be the Savior of the world. Satan will try to get you to doubt this calling. Or the Tempter may try to draw you to prove to others that you have been called to do this, by displaying your “greatness” (in pride and apart from God).

You fill in the blank: “If you are a _____________ (preacher, man of God, daddy, children’s pastor), then show others your greatness and prove that you are great! Show them how wonderful you really are! If we were to boil these verses into one word, it would be trust. Who do you depend upon? Are we to make our own plans and ask God to bless it? Or do we wait, and wait, and wait (40 days for Jesus) to hear what our next move should be.

God will reveal His will (and perfect plan) in time. He will receive the glory. Don’t worry if you failed the test (again). I sure have. Jesus passed this temptation, and because of Him and His greatness, I am standing to face another day, and an eventual timeless eternity.

[1] 1 Corinthians 15

[2] Deuteronomy 8:3 “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.“

Background Checks and Security in the Church; Part Two

1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be self controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

This passage directs us to be “self controlled” and “alert.” Both of these terms carries the idea of vigilance. Believers are to stay alert and vigilant because Satan seeks to destroy their faith. The devil “roars” to induce fear within them. In the early church it was persecution, and Christians were tortured to persuade them to deny Christ.

So if we understand that Satan seeks to make Christians fearful, let’s not do so with this topic of security in the church. We are to live by faith, and not in fear. We must take measures to protect our children, but not to create within the church (or the children) a sense of fear or dread.  So I encourage you to understand this topic in terms of “being alert” to the dangers and taking precautionary actions against it.

We have to be alert to the dangers around us.  We must also understand that predators are prowling around looking for a child that they may devour.  How can we then resist him?  How can we defend ourselves against predators?

Christian Ministry Resources, which specializes in legal and risk management for churches reported that in 2000, one in 100 churches across the country contended with allegations of sexual misconduct involving children. The organization found in its surveys of more than 1,100 congregations that the number of incidents jumped to 1 in 25 for fellowship with more than 1,000 members.  There is not one “test” that will identify a molester.  A predator can wait months, even years as he/she befriends parents, children, and the church.  Once he/she is trusted, the slow seduction begins.

There are two types of molesters; the “pedophile,” who prefers children sexually and the adult who has had a sexual encounter with a child or children because of availability or a close relationship that develops.  In any case, the relationship is criminal, immoral, and harmful to the child.

False accusations are as real a threat to churches as actual victimization.  In either case the church is liable for damages if it is proven that common sense preventive measures were not in place.  In civil court, victimization does not have to be proven, only the opportunity.  Often, civil suits are filed 20 to 30 years after the alleged incident, costing churches millions of dollars, when it is proven that church leaders did nothing.

Example: A child’s family comes forward to say a church worker touched him/her inappropriately.  There is not enough evidence to prosecute or at trial the worker was found not guilty.  The child’s family sues the church in civil court.  The pastor or church leader is placed on the witness stand.  He is simply asked if the church had any safety plans in place for workers to follow.  If the answer is no, the church can very well be out of millions.

Civil court will look at whether the abuse could have happened. It just takes one accusation to lead to the complete destruction of a church. Not having a prevention program in place leaves the church open for financial ruin, and it leaves its most precious treasure, the children, vulnerable to the devastation of emotional, physical, and spiritual wounds from which they may never recover.

The following are some steps or layers that a church can implement in order to keep predators away. Remember one of the main reasons police decorate their cars the way they do is to prevent crime by their presence. Simply having these “hoops” that predators have to jump through may keep them away.

A. Background Checks:

Reasons for Having Background Checks

  1. To prevent predators from infiltrating our ministries.
  2. To prevent false allegations and lawsuits from having grounds or weight.  We will never be able to prevent allegations.
  3. Protects the children, the workers, and the Church

The Church Law & Tax Report of May/June 1992 states “churches currently provide between one-third and one-half of all childcare,” and that parents of preschoolers “prefer church-provided child care” (p.2).

Benefits of Having a Screening

  1. Insurance rates are often lower;
  2. Workers feel chosen and trusted; there is a bar that is established.  “We don’t allow just anyone to work with our children.”
  3. Parents feel more confident about leaving their children with workers who have been screened.
  4. No screening process can guarantee that no accusations will occur or that no questionable person will be allowed to work with children.  Such a process can, however, reduce the risk.

How Do We Screen Volunteers?

The screening process should include four steps: 1) Worker Application, 2) Background check, 3) Checking References and 4) a Personal Interview.

Necessary paperwork:

  1. Worker Application Form, a document asking basic informationBackground Check Form,
  2. Criminal Release of Information Form, (if it is not included in the Worker Application Or Background Checks
  3. Worker Interview Form

All information obtained during the screening should be treated as confidential.  The only exception would be if disclosure is believed to be necessary to protect a child from potential harm.  Different levels of background checks can be done.  Your legal counsel and insurance agent should be able to help you determine the kind of background check that you need to conduct. You can also contact Background Check companies to see what they suggest.

Several local agencies and other service agencies around the country conduct background checks for a fee.  You will be able to find these services offered online over the internet. To locate them do a search for “background checks.”[1] This will also give you a good idea of the kinds of background checks that can be done and how much they cost.  Not all churches can afford or feel comfortable running background checks.  If this is the case, then every effort should b made to contact previous churches and employers.  A consent form should be signed to allow previous associations to release personal information about the worker.

Some questions to asks are, “Are you covered by their insurance if they make a mistake?”,  “What if someone gets by?” There have been instances where a company would accept the payment fee and send back a report showing that the person was cleared – when they really never checked.

Jim Wideman of Church On The Move, sends names he knows have criminal backgrounds to check the company to make sure they don’t make it through the system. State background checks are a waste of money because most predators move frequently.

What if I have a friend who works for the police department?  If they gather information and then give you this information it was gathered illegally and can not be used in court.

Check alias’ ,Check more than one Social security number.  (using dead people’s ss #)  How do they know that a person is not using another person’s social security number?

Has this person ever been accused?  If they have been they should not be allowed to work with children.  What if they were cleared of charges? If there is ever another incident, the judge will ask you, “What did you do to keep this from happening?” and “Did you have any prior knowledge?” You, at this point, would have known that there were concerns, but you let them continue to work with kids anyway.

What about the costs?

Which is cheaper? Lawsuit or background checks? What is a child’s innocence worth?  Run them on everyone, but if you can’t do all the men, then the ladies.

*this is part two of a three part article series.


[1] Accufax is an example of a company that does background checks.

"Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts." Rick Warren

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