Matthew 4:7………Ready

Matthew 4:7………Ready

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (To presume, assume, manipulate. To prove, or to make a trial of God’s love, power, and goodness.) (cf. Deut. 6:16)

 Continued From Book

“Teaches how were not to make a trial of God’s love & faithfulness by putting it to the test. (To test God displays unbelief)  ⇒ Whoever seeks to test God is really saying that they don’t trust God completely. If we really trust God, we don’t need to come up with little arbitrary demands for proof, we just trust Him.  God had already confirmed to Jesus that He was the Son of God at His baptism. Therefore Jesus felt no need to force God’s hand to prove it again by performing a miracle. So too for us, God already confirmed our Salvation at our conversion and baptism, we don’t need God to prove to us all over again by working some miracle.

“Warns against demanding something spectacular from God to prove His love for us. God already demonstrated His love for us at the cross, what more does He need to do for us!  ⇒ God has already demonstrated His faithfulness and goodness to us, He doesn’t need to prove Himself again to us. Look at His Son, look at the cross, look at what Jesus has done for you.  Asking God to prove Himself is really rooted in unbelief. To test God is to doubt Him, and to doubt God is a sin. To test God is to doubt Him, and to doubt God is a sin. Testing God would imply that we know better than God. Testing God would imply that we believe God is imperfect or that we have doubts about God’s sincerity and whether God is able to accomplish certain things on our behalf. Rather than testing or presuming upon God, have faith – trusting God, taking Him at His word and believing in Him, not needing to test Him or provoke Him to do something. Will you pray God increase my faith and trust in your Word.

“Warns how we can know all that God is, all that God has done. Yet we tempt God when we continue to sin.” ⇒ We make a trial of God’s mercy and patience when we sin. We tempt God when we continue to disobey Him, when we refuse to do what is right, when we refuse to forgive, when we refuse to love others, and when we refuse to live obedient lives.-( cf. Rom. 1:28-32, 2:1-9) We tempt God when we impose upon God’s people the religious observation and legal ceremonies abolished by Christ.-(Gal. 3:1-29, 5:1-12)

“Warns against living foolishly & recklessly and expect God to bail us out.” ⇒ Don’t presume you can put off being vaccinated and God will keep you from getting sick. Don’t presume you can put off wearing a facemask and God will protect you from COVID. Don’t expect to rack up huge amounts of debt and expect God to bail you out. Don’t presume you can speed down the Interstate at 100 miles an hour and God will keep you from getting a ticket. Don’t presume you can walk out into a busy highway and God will protect you and keep you safe”. If you do He is very likely to step back and let us experience the consequences of putting ourselves in those situations in the first place. God is certainly able to rescue His children from incredible danger, however, to act foolishly and then expect God to deliver you is to put God to the test. It’s one thing to trust God in the normal, everyday, providential situations of life. It is quite another thing to force God to intervene through a careless and foolish act. It’s even worse when you turn things into a public test, thereby bringing potential reproach on the name of the Lord.

“Even today, we test God when we ask for a sign or an answer to prayer. God pay my bills, heal my sickness then I will know you are real. We test God when we think He’s not treating us fairly, that we deserve better. We test God when we question whether He can really set us free from addiction. We test God when we purchase something we cannot afford, expecting God to provide. ⇒  We test God when we question whether “God’s doing right by me.” Struggles and hardships seem to offer strong evidence that God is not on our side.  When we experience some difficulty, suffering or loss. We somehow forget all that God has done for us and we immediately doubt Him. We can even become angry with Him for not being there for us when we needed Him and blame Him for the evil we are suffering. Then we demand He prove His love and fidelity for us otherwise we won’t believe and be faithful to Him. We test God when we prescribe to Him what kind of miracle or evidence we will need. Saying things like; “If God wants me to believe in Him, maybe He had better start by changing my situation and improving the way He directs my life or I’ll just go look somewhere else.” And as a result we end up developing a “What have you done for me lately” theology. We test God when we think He’s not providing for us in the way we think we need. The Tempter knows if God does not come through the way you think He should, then there may be a good chance of you to start doubting God, rejecting God, or even hating God. Think about the things that make you anxious and you’ve probably often found yourself saying some version of “Is the Lord really in this”? “Is the Lord really in these difficult situations?”. We test God when we expect Him to be present in every situation. We test God when we know that all things happen by His sovereign hand, yet, we try to “fix” it ourself by what we think pleases God. Rather than seek His counsel and direction through His word. We test God when we find fault with His will, set up our own will instead, and thus insult God. Remember how the Children of Israel spoke against God at the Red Sea and the waters of Marah? God had a plan for them but their focus was always on what they wanted. We too sometimes get impatient following the will of God when we believe we know how something should be done – especially when it pertains to our personal lives. We test God when we provoke His patience. When God led the Children of Israel in the wilderness, He gave them plentiful supplies, but their gratitude was not commensurate with His goodness. We’re just like those Israelites. We’re quick to murmur, quick to complain. Lastly we test God by longing for things left behind. Israel tried God by longing for the things they left behind in Egypt and distrusted Him for the future. We too may tempt and offend God by hankering after pleasures which are forbidden, longing for that liberty in sin from which Christ has delivered us. [Note: Do you trust God or tempt God? Do you demand God keep His word according to your timing and your expectations? Or do you patiently wait for God to fulfill His promises according to His timing and His will?]

Additional Noes & Applications

Warns against testing God in order to prove Himself. Do you demand God keep His word according to your timing and your expectations? Or do you patiently wait for God to fulfill His promises according to His timing and His will? Will you respond like Jesus and say; “God doesn’t owe me a explanation for His actions or for anything He chooses to do or not to do”. Jesus’ response also reminds us that we have nothing to prove—not to Satan, the world, or ourself. Jesus didn’t need to prove His Sonship, and if your love, your faith, your care, whatever is at issue, has integrity, then you don’t need to prove it either.

Calls for being firm & direct when it comes to temptation. Notice the straight and direct response of Jesus to the temptation. No wavering. No “let’s think… uh.. oh… I believe… perhaps…”. Instead He knew exactly what the Word said, interpret it correctly and triumphed over the devil’s temptations a second time as He would also do in the next and final temptation. Many people say “Away with you Satan” and leave it at that when they feel his pressure, presence and temptation. But Jesus Christ did not stop there. He also added: “IT IS WRITTEN…….”, stating accurately what the Word of God said about the subject of temptation.

Teaches if Jesus, who was perfect, didn’t feel comfortable putting God to the test, why should we, who are so imperfect, feel like we have the right to test God? Also notice how, though Jesus is the Son of God, He believes the commands of Scripture apply to Him as much as to any other human being.

Teaches how by Jesus’ response to devil’s temptation, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” is something we can make on our own. Rather than dig a hole and expect God to get us out of it, Jesus says; “Don’t dig the hole at all”. Rather than risk physical or spiritual injury and expect God to prevent the harm, don’t take those reckless risks by digging yourself in a hole. As an example rather than saying; “God if you get me out of this mess I’ll know you love me”. Try saying; “Lord whatever comes of this mess , I know you  love me and still care about me.” Or it’s like asking God to bless us in winning the Lottery, then when it falls through we suffer the spiritual fallout in losing our faith and turning us farther away from God. Those who willingly put themselves in the way of danger/temptation often end up blaming God when harm comes from their foolishness. Don’t blame God for your stupid mistakes. Yes God’s Word says He will provide for us. But God didn’t tell you to take out a $10,000 loan from a loan shark! When God doesn’t seem to respond as we like, more often those things will harms us, but the devil uses it to divide us even further from God.

Warns how asking God to perform a miracle where ordinary standards of prudence are available is to test God. Where prudence and common sense is used a miracle from God is not needed or called for. To ask God to intervene when the ordinary course of divine providence has already provided is to test God. It is always better and easier to prevent what is preventable than to cure what could have been prevented. It is easier to be immunized against Polio and Chickenpox, than to treat it after contracting the disease.

Warns if not careful we can allow the present circumstance to determine if God is really on our side or not. All that God has done in the past doesn’t count, all that He had promised to do in the future doesn’t count, the only thing that counts is what we’re going through now. Or we allow our present circumstance to determine God’s love, power, and goodness. Will you trust God is there, or will you allow each new difficulty cause you to question God’s goodness? Will you look back on God’s kindness and goodness in the past, or will you test God by making Him prove His faithfulness all over again?

-to test God-Meaning: To test God means much more than trying to get God to work a miracle; to test God is to doubt the truth of God’s Word, God’s power, presence, and providence. To test God is to doubt God’s goodness, mercy, and love. The Hebrew word used for “test” means “To put to trial, to try or tempt”. The Bible gives us examples of acceptable and unacceptable ways of testing God. The acceptable way of testing God is to obey Him and do what is right and see if He won’t bless us as He promised. The more you proceed in faith and obedience, the more shall you find in God’s gracious promises-(Deut. 6:18, Mal. 3:10) The unacceptable way of testing God is to demand that He prove Himself. God is faithful to keep His word, but if we try to test God and make Him move on our behalf by manipulation, it becomes evil. There is a fine line of distinction between trusting God and testing God. Testing God may very well be founded on the premise (faith) that God is able to do what He has promised, but is sinful in resisting God’s time table for fulfilling His promise. Trusting God involves receiving what God has presently provided, but waiting for what is yet future. Testing God is trying to force God to provide now what He has promised for later. To test God is to demand that He prove He loves us and cares for us. To test God is to look at today’s difficulties and say, “If God truly loved me He would never let me suffer like this”. To test God is to complain and whine that He’s not treating us fairly, that we deserve better. To test God is to know what God has done in the past and promised for the future, yet distrust Him for the present. That it’s all about the here and now that counts. [Note: Isn’t funny every time some new difficulty comes along we get amnesia and forget about all the ways in which God has taken care of us in the past!]

Note: God does command His angels to keep His people safe. But this does not mean we can throw caution to the wind and live recklessly. Trusting God is one thing; presumption is another. To expect God to rescue us when we fail to use common sense and the ordinary means He has provided, either for body or soul, is to test God. Jesus understood this when tempted by Satan and thought; “I am now in a dangerous place, upon this pinnacle, yet there is an ordinary way to get down by stairs or ladder; and therefore I will not cast Myself down, and thereby seek for extraordinary preservation, as you persuade Me. Many people have refused to take medicine believing God will heal them. Or they refuse to take their sick child to the doctor, on the grounds that their faith in God will save them. Or they refuse to buy health insurance believing God will take care of their family. Others will not look for work, God knows I need  job. I’m just going to pray and study the bible, and when the times come He will provide. Others will go out and buy some new toy they can’t afford, then at the end of the month when the rent is due they’ll cry “Lord you said you will supply all my needs in Christ”. Others will not study for an exam, trusting that God will give them the wisdom to pass it. It reminds us of the old joke; A man was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was waiting for God to save him. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.” The man shouted back, “No, it’s OK, God’s going to save me.” Then a motorboat came by and shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.” The man shouted back, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and He is going to save me.” Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety.” Again the man replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and He is going to save me.  Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to ask God, “I had faith in you but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!” To this God replied, “I sent you a rowboat, a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?”

Note: Today, as so many often do, they’ll ask God for a sign or some miracle to prove Himself before they will have faith and start believing in Him. Saying things like, “God, if you exist, then show me, prove it, work a miracle.” Or they will try to manipulate God with bargains and deals, saying things like: “God if you heal my husband of cancer, then I’ll know You love me”.  Or “God if you heal me of this sickness, I’ll start living right and doing right”! Or “God if you get me this girl or job I’ve been praying for, I’ll never miss church again”! Or they’ll presume upon God by using His word to back Him into a corner. As an example, they’ll take off running with some foolish idea without thinking it through or praying on it, even having people tell them its a dumb idea and yet still expect God to bless it. Then when they get in trouble and it falls through they’ll say, “Well, I was just stepping out on faith” as the bible says, “Without faith its ‘impossible to please God”. -(Heb. 11:6) Or they’ll presume upon God, knowing they have an finals coming up and not study for it because their out having fun. Then on the day of the the test, they’ll pray “God, I really need to do well on this test”. Even reminding God of a verse that says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”-(Philp. 4:6) Or they presume upon God and lay around all day and not look for work and expect God will meet all their needs, as His Word says, “You will supply all my needs in Christ Jesus”.-(Philp. 4:19) Or they presume upon God and start dating an unbeliever expecting God will convert them if they keep praying about it. As His Word says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”.-(Matt. 7:7) Or they presume upon God by unnecessarily putting themselves in the way of temptation and expect God to protect them as His Word say, “God who has begun a good work in you will carry it to completion”-(Phlip. 1:6) Or they presume upon God and purposely rush into conflict and expect God to avenge them as His word says, “Vengeance is mine says the Lord, I will repay”-(Rom. 12:19) Or they presume upon God thinking their giving will obligate God to bless them, as His Word says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it”.-(Mal. 3:10)

Note: If not careful we can fall into the trap of spiritual presumption. We make assumptions based on good feelings or good outcomes or assuming that because you look righteous and feel well among nice Christian people at your church or at a revival, that you are right with God. We deceive ourselves by thinking that our “approval”, or our “peace” about something, means it’s automatically acceptable to the Almighty. Or because we were born in Christian home and baptized we’re right with God. But in reality we may be very far from God. This same type of presumption can also be seen In Matthew 3:9, where John the Baptist calls out the Pharisees and Sadducees for their superficial religiosity and misplaced hope in their ancestry. Christ Himself said in Matthew 7:21-23; “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you.” In order to avoid the trap of presuming upon God’s grace, Christians must live a life that shows Christ to be Lord as well as Savior. Through Scripture we can know God and His will for us. The examples above displays how were not going to be Saved based on feelings, proximity to God’s house, birthright or misguided understanding of God’s kindness. True Salvation comes from an accurate understanding of the cost required to Save and the cost required to be Saved. Those who are Saved will exhibit a changed heart that loves God, which in turn results in a holy life.

Note: When it comes to manipulation we see it not just with God but with people as well. We can’t get our spouse to do something we want? So we take an action that leaves them no other choice. You force her to bail you out, since the alternative is unimaginable. Or you force people to say nice things about you by your carefully chosen words of modesty and humility. Or you force people to see you as a humanitarian by your visible gifts and donations to charitable causes. Or you force people to do stuff for you by acting dumb and incompetent. The forms of manipulation are innumerable and often so subtle, that unless we are self-aware, we may almost fool ourselves.

Note: God doesn’t mind us planning for the future and being wise stewards of time, energy, and resources. But what He doesn’t take glory in is us imposing our will upon Him such that we don’t remain pliable to His plans as they unfold. What God is after is a heart attitude that does not presume which would otherwise cause us to boast in our own power and self-sufficiency. He wants hearts that acknowledge that He is over all things, including our lives and including our tomorrows. If God wills, we will get married, have kids, get that job, sell that house, seal that deal, get that contract, etc. We might be good at what we do, but we are not God. We might be skilled or visionary, but we are not sovereign. We might be good as making things happen, but we are not all-powerful. God’s plans cannot be thwarted, but ours can be and regularly are. God doesn’t want us to presume upon our ability to carry out our vision and plans, but He does want us yield to His plans and purposes for our lives, whether at home, at work, at school, or anywhere and anytime.

Note: In context the quotation of Deuteronomy speaks how after God brought the people of Israel out of Slavery in Egypt, they began to quarrel with Moses and questioned God about their lack of water.–(Ex. 17:1-3, Deut. 6:16) Their grumbling displayed their lack of faith. That despite all the miraculous signs that God had done in bringing them out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Despite the ten plagues that never hurt them. Despite the parting of the Red Sea and how they got across on dry ground and the Egyptian army was drowned, never to chase them again! Despite God guiding them by a fire at night and a cloud at day. Yet they still refused to accept that God was among them until He wrought a sign for them. God would eventually perform a miracle and gave them water from the rock. Yet God was not pleased that His people had put Him to the test. The Israelite’s were obviously in a situation where they needed God to intervene. The point at which they tested God is when doubt and fear overtook them and when confronted with their dire situation they forgot about the faithfulness of God in the past, and came to the conclusion that God had abandoned them. They questioned God’s reliability because He was not meeting their expectations in the moment. Sometimes in those wilderness times of life, it’s easy to doubt God’s presence and plan. Even more so when we going through difficult times. It’s easy to ask if He’s among us or not. But instead of doing that, have faith and remember all that God has done in the past, and all that He has promised for the future. (See Deut. 6:16, Ex. 17:1-7, Ps. 95:8-11)

       HOW WE MANIPULATE GOD….

• Performance & Appearance- Making God feel He owes us a favor for all we’ve done

• Withdrawal & Neglect- Withholding affection, service, and giving until God gives what we want

• Nagging & Whining- Wearing God down to giving in if He wants us to be happy

• Debating & Reasoning- Using God’s Word to corner & box God in holding Him to His promises

• Blaming & Shaming- Accusing God for not giving what is needed, or shaming God into action

        HOW WE TEMPT GOD…..

• We tempt God when we demand a sign from Him, rather than faith

• We tempt God when we live a life of cheap grace and continue to sin

• We tempt God when we demand the time, place, or manner for His help

• We tempt God when we ask Him to cover the consequences of something were about to do

• We tempt God when He didn’t do what we wanted Him to do

• We tempt God by our impatience in wanting now what He will give us later.  Such impatience demands that God “hurry up” what He is doing

• We tempt God when we put conditions on what He must do for us to prove His presence and goodness

• We tempt God when we treat Him like we’re the one in charge

• We tempt God when we take His grace for granted and live as we want

• We tempt God when we think He won’t send us to hell for this one little sin

• We tempt God when we feel He owes us after all we’ve done, sacrificed, and been through

• We tempt God when we take off running with our own plans & ideas without consulting Him first

• We tempt God when we deny His wisdom, judgment, and dealings with us, that our ways are better

• We tempt God when we take Him out of the equation of our daily decisions

• We tempt God when we think that doing good works will curry blessings and favor with Him

• We tempt God when we focus on the present and forget all that He has done in the past and promises for the future

• We tempt God when we live recklessly and dangerously, then calling our actions “a leap of faith”

• We tempt God when we foolishly & unwisely rush into conflict anyway, expecting He will give us the victory

• We tempt God when we soften sin, thinking what’s so bad about this, no ones getting hurt

• We tempt God when we say; God I’m going to do this, but if you don’t want me too, I pray you give me a sign and stop me

• We tempt God when we justify sin by explanation or excuse rather than by repentance

• We tempt God when we say; Lord I know you love me and want me to have this because it will make me happy

• We tempt God when we deal with our sin as simply a procedural matter—repent, pray, and you’re all set!

• We tempt God in thinking were under a new system of grace, therefor we no longer worry about keeping the Commandments

• We tempt God when we turn His grace into legalism, that the works we do will Save us

• We tempt God when we put off serving the Lord until some later time or better time

• We tempt God when we spend time in prayer focused on ourselves, seeing to our own needs and wants

• We tempt God when we impose religious rules & rituals on people rather than grace

• We tempt God when we neglect the ordinary means of preservation

        HOW TO AVOID TEMPTING GOD….

• Always make it about what God wants not what you want

• Get to know God’s word, will, and voice by reading the bible

• Hold a high regard & respect for God’s wisdom, knowledge, foresight, that He knows what’s best

• Accept what God says is right & wrong without argument or debate

• Recognize that God is in charge & control and we are not

• See sin as a deeply devastating violation of a holy God’s will

• Don’t take God for granted, you have to do your part as well

• Always approach God with honesty & love, that your not there to manipulate but cooperate

• Don’t hide or excuse, be open & honest with God, lay it all on the line

• Don’t expect God to rescue you from every difficulty, some are for our good

• Commit to the difficult way that leads to life, avoid the easy and comfortable way

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