Putting God To The Test; Luke 4:9-13

Delivered during the Sunday morning worship service, 10/03/2021. In this message we wrap up our study of the temptations of Jesus by turning to His third and final confrontation with the devil in the wilderness (according to Luke's ordering). Dramatically set at the Temple in Jerusalem, satan tempts Jesus to manipulate His Father by forcing His hand and once again accomplishing His mission and purpose without going to the Cross. Amazingly, the devil sets the standard for all heretics to follow by arrogantly quoting God's Word (to the Living Word!), while taking it out of context to suit his nefarious scheme. After watching this epic confrontation and Jesus' pristine response, we will explore some of the many and subtle ways we as Christians are also tempted to force God's hand. Ultimately we will learn from Jesus that true faith does not need proof of what it all ready knows to be true, and avoid the egregious sin of putting God to the test.