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Sermon for 21 February 2010 entitled The Transfiguration of Jesus!

Good Morning! I pray that you had another awesome week walking and talking with the Lord Jesus Christ. Wasn’t this week just absolutely beautiful? Just imagine for a moment what life will be like when we get to heaven. Oh the Joy We will experience standing in the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We have another powerful Text to examine this morning regarding Jesus Christ. But first, Our Old Testament reading which is found in Psalm 91:1-2 & 9-16. Psalm 91:1-2 & 9-16. Please listen very carefully to these words written by King David, The King of Israel. Psalm 91:1-2 & 9-16...

-1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
-2. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God in him will I trust.

-9. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation;
10. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.
16. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

What a Powerful Psalm by King David. Did you notice anything here? Please listen very carefully. King David says…He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Now, move to verse 9.

King David says…Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. Please listen very carefully here.

When You make the Lord your Secret Place and you dwell in and with the Lord Jesus Christ on a daily basis, according to the Holy Word of God, There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Questions: Are you sick many times? Solution: Change your dwelling place to the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you find yourself at times distracted by the World? Solution: Change your dwelling place to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some people may ask why? Why should I make the Lord Jesus Christ my dwelling place? The answer is very simple. The World cannot heal you. Only God can heal you. Only God can restore you.

The Devil will attack you. The Devil will tempt you. The Devil will attempt to steal your joy. Please listen very carefully. The Devil will play on your mind and cause you to say things and do things against other people that you would never say or do while walking in the Spirit.

Only God can make the devil flee from you 7 ways. Deuteronomy 28:7. The Benefits of making the Lord Jesus Christ your dwelling place are simply overwhelming.

The Title of my Message this morning is…The Temptation of Jesus. The Temptation of Jesus. Our New Testament reading is found in Luke 4:1-13. Luke 4:1-13. If you have your Bibles with you this morning, Please follow along as the Text is read. Luke 4:1-13...

-1. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
-2. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
-3. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
-4. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
-5. And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
-6. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
-7. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
-8. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
-9. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence.
10. For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11. And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord Thy God.
13. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

Here ends the reading of God’s Holy Word and may God add His Blessing on this reading this morning. Let us take a moment now to bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Father in Heaven, Thank you for loving us and giving to us your Holy Word. Father, Anoint our ears, our hearts and our minds to receive the Powerful Truths that we hear today. Today Father, I bind every work of the enemy that would hinder us in receiving your Holy Word today. We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

First of all, Let us get some background information on our Text this morning. John the Baptist has began his ministry preparing the way for the Lord Jesus Christ. John the Baptist preaches repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

What is this message by John the Baptist? This Message is simply the Gospel of Circumcision. Galatians 2:7. The very Same message preached by Jesus Christ, Matthew 4:17, and the Apostle Peter, Acts 2:14-36.

Question: Who is the specific audience that John the Baptist preaches to? Answer: The Seed of Jacob multiplied as the dust of the earth. Genesis 28:14. This information brings us up to our Text this morning beginning in verse 1.

-1. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
-2. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

I have a question here. Can You imagine going 40 days without food? As our Text shows us, Jesus did. And, Jesus went without food for 40 days and 40 nights in a human body just like ours. Our Text also shows us that Jesus Christ was tempted for 40 days by the devil. That had to be mentally exhausting.

-3. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
-4. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Did you notice what the devil did? The devil knows who Jesus Christ is. The devil has known Jesus since he, that is the devil, was created. But, Wait a minute. Who created the devil? Do you realize that some people will tell you that God created the devil? This teaching is simply not true.

Please listen very carefully. God did not create the devil. God created Lucifer which is the devils name before he was kicked out of heaven. Lucifer became the devil because of sin. Specifically, The Sin of pride.

Now, Notice what the devil said. The Devil said…If thou be the Son of God. As I have just said, I will say again. The Devil knew Jesus. But, The Devil says…If thou be the Son of God.

What the devil does here is he is attempting to create doubt in the mind of Jesus Christ. The devil attempts to get Jesus Christ to doubt who He truly is. And, The Devil is a master at the use of this procedure…creating doubt in the mind of a believer. He used this very same procedure on Adam and Eve and was successful in getting them kicked out of the Garden of Eden.

Why was the devil successful? Because, Doubt leads to disobedience to God’s Commandments. Doubt becomes a distraction which leads a believer to take their eyes off of the Lord and His Counsel. When doubt prevails, sin occurs in the life of a believer.

Question: Have you ever doubted the Truth? If you have, You are a victim of Doubt by choice. When someone chooses to doubt the Holy Word of God, They are rejecting Truth.

Now, Notice how Jesus responds to the devil. Jesus said which is a quote of Deuteronomy 8:3…It…is…written…That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. A very powerful point here. Jesus did not react in the flesh. Jesus Christ, instead, responded in the Spirit, and spoke the Holy Word of God to the devil‘s temptation.

-5. And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
-6. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
-7. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
-8. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.

Do you see this powerful picture here? What is the devil doing? Not only is the devil tempting Jesus, but the devil is doing something else here. Do you see what he is doing?

The devil is attempting to be like God. This was the sin of Lucifer in Heaven. He desired to be like God and to take God’s Throne away from Him. In other words, Take over heaven. Isaiah 14:12-14. The devil shows Jesus all of the kingdoms of this world in a moment of time.

The devil was desiring to give Jesus a gift. A gift that is imperfect and the ground of these Kingdoms cursed. God does not do this. God gives to each of us the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:4-10. Matter of fact, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, We must be sober, and be vigilant; because our Adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8. And, Many times, The devil will use the distractions of this world to take our eyes off of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Commandments. The devil will dangle something worldly before our very eyes just like he did Jesus Christ.

The devil will say…If you will worship me, all of these worldly possessions will be yours. All that I have has been delivered unto me and to whomsoever I will I give it. But, Jesus said Get thee behind me satan…It…is…written…Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Deuteronomy 6:13.

Question: Do you realize how many Christians have forsaken this commandment in the Christian Church as a whole today? More than you realize. And, Many do not even realize that they have done so. However, When they stand before Jesus Christ, They will have a very rude awakening. And for them, Change will be too late.

-9. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence.
10. For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11. And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord Thy God.
13. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

Question: Why did the devil bring Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem? Because The Temple in Jerusalem sits on Mount Zion which is a parallel of Mount Sinai in the Wilderness Journey’s of Israel when God gave to them the 10 Commandments.

The devil knew that if he could get Jesus to trip up here by sinning against God, God’s Holy Ground would be tainted by sin. You see, in the Old Testament and the New Testament to 70 AD, The Temple of God is God’s Holy ground here on this earth. Spiritually speaking, in the New Testament, The Body is the Temple of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 6:19.

Not only that, The devil misquoted Psalm 91:11-12. This is why it is very important for Disciples of Christ to know their Bibles because the devil will come against you and tempt you by misquoting scripture.

But once again, Take careful notice to how Jesus responded. Jesus did not say it is written. This time, Jesus said, It…is…said…Thou shalt not tempt the Lord Thy God. God himself spoke this Commandment to the Children of Israel. Jesus spoke the Holy Words of His Heavenly Father. Deuteronomy 6:16.

The devil was so full of pride about himself that he ignored this Commandment of God and tempted his Lord who is Jesus Christ in the flesh. Do you see this picture here? There is a great danger as a Disciple of Christ of being full of pride. Pride will hide the eyes to the Commandments of God and cause you to sin against God when you succumb to the temptations of the devil.

Finally the Bible says…And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. You see the devil will tempt you by a number of means. He will tempt you at your weakest point in your life. And, He will continue to tempt you until he succeeds or You tell him to get behind you because you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

But, even after you tell him to leave you, and he will, he will come again to tempt you during another season of time. The devil is relentless because the devil hates Christians. The Temptation of Jesus Christ is a very powerful example of how to respond to the devil and all of his deceptive ways.

When You follow the example of Jesus Christ, This will not stop the devil from tempting you, but, Following the example of Jesus Christ will give you the Power to overcome the devil’s deceptions and live a life of victory. Do you receive this message today, Say Amen! I say Blessed be the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us bow our heads for a word of prayer. Father in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Holy Name. Thank you Father, for Your Holy Word that is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Help us to live the example of Jesus Christ in our lives every day so that we can live a life of victory in Jesus.

Thank you Father for hearing and answering our prayer in the Name that is above all names, The Precious Name of Jesus Christ. And, Everybody said Amen and Amen.

Consider this today. Jesus Christ died for you and paid your sin debt that you could not pay by shedding His precious blood on the cross. He was buried and 3 days later rose up from the grave conquering death, hell, and the grave so that those who believe would receive everlasting life and live with Him forever.

If there is someone here today who reads this sermon and realizes that they need Jesus Christ, just pray this simple prayer. Father, I am a sinner. I realize now that Jesus Christ took my place and paid the debt of my sin.

Father, I repent and ask Jesus to come into my heart and I make Him Lord of My life. Teach me thy ways, Father, and walk with me every day. In Jesus Name, Amen.

If someone has prayed this prayer, I believe that you are born again. Find yourself a Bible teaching Church next Sunday. Let the Pastor know of your decision to accept Christ as your Savior and follow the Lord Jesus in water Baptism. And, Get a Bible and begin to study the Holy Word of God.

Dr. Michael Dickson, Th.D.

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