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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Lord. He was absolutely “without sin” (more literally “apart from sin.” Heb. 4:15). Thursday, January 7. Matthew 4:12-25. Fulfillment of prophecy marked every step of Christ’s way. The more one studies prophecy and compares the details of Christ’s life with it, the more one is amazed at the fullness with which the Spirit pointed out in the ancient men of God the things which were to be fulfilled long after they had been gathered to their fathers. One scarcely knows whether to be more amused at the pretentious ignorance or amazed at at the stupendous effrontery of those who blandly inform us that “the best scholar ship has decided that there is no predictive element in Old Testament prophecy.” Our Lord began His ministry with the same message as John the Baptist, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Every man is a sinner so there must be re pentance before there can be entrance into the kingdom. God’s call now to “ail men everywhere” is to “repent” (Acts 17:30), This was Paul’s message to both Jew and Gentile (Acts 20:21). The preaching that omits God’s call to repentance is neither scriptural nor adapted to the needs of men. Our Lord did not go to the colleges but to the common people to find those whom He would train to carry on His work after He had gone. They were patiently attend ing to their proper business when Jesus called them. Faithfulness in that which is little had prepared them for the call to that which is great. “Follow me, and 1 will make you fishers of men,” said Jesus. This teaches us two things: (1) That anyone who will follow Jesus will become a fisher of men, and if, therefore, one is not a fisher of men (that is, is not catching men out of the sea of sin and pulling them into the kingdom of God) he 4s not a follower of Jesus, And (2) the one essential condi tion of success in catching men is that we follow Jesus. The word translated “fishers” is a peculiar word. It signifies one whose
Wednesday, January 6. Matthew 4:H1.
The temptation of Jesus followed imme diately upon His baptism with the Holy Spirit and upon God’s audible testimony from Heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Satan is likely to visit with his fiercest assaults those who have been led into the deepest experiences of God’s love and power, and just at the time of special blessing. Satan will not per mit us to go forward without his fiercest resistance. However, the one who has ex perienced the fullness of thè Spirit’s gov erning power is just the one who can most victoriously meet the devil’s attacks and conquer just as Jesus did here. This temp tation was just as necessary for Christ's preparation for His work, upon which He was about to enter, as was the baptism with the Spirit. Whenever we are in the fire of temptation we may know that God is tempering us for better work. Jesus was a real and complete man as truly as he was completely God (cf. Col. 2 :9). The third chapter of Matthew closes with a remark able testimony to His Deity, and the fourth opens with a remarkable sétting forth of His true manhood. The temptation cov ered the entire forty days. The three temp tations here recorded are simply the climax. The three temptations appeal to “the lust of the flesh,” “the vainglory of life” and “the lust of the eyes” (cf. 1 John 2:16 R. V.). Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are. He met each temptation with the Word of God, “it is written.” He had God’s Word hidden in His heart that He might not sin against Him (Ps. 119:11), and so He was perfectly safeguarded at every point of attack. On the other hand, our ignorance of the Word leaves us more vulnerable. Temptation found no response in our Lord Jesus. Not for a moment, even in thought, did He yield to sin. He could not sin; because His whole will was set on pleasing God, and His whole delight was in doing it (cf. Ps. 40:7,8). This is not to say the temptation was not real, but not for one moment did it find any response in our
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