Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is Gospel Saturday, and our reading will be Matthew 3 and 4, After the reading, I have some comments. I’m calling today’s episode “How To Say No To Temptation.”

Comments on Matthew 3-4

Thoughts on Matthew 3

Let’s talk for a moment or two about John the Baptist. His appearance here in Matthew chapter three is significant because God has not had a prophet on the earth since Malachi, who lived roughly around 400 BC. 

God had been silent. He had left Israel to their own devices, and they had grown proud of themselves and their supposed observance of the Law, and they were insensitive to sin.

Then, all of a sudden, out of the wilderness, comes this crazy looking guy dressed in a robe of camel’s hair with a leather belt. This outfit, besides being unusual, would have signaled to the people that this was a prophet, because they were known to wear rough materials , not fine worldly things. 

His diet was as unusual as his dress. He ate locusts and wild honey. This also showed that he was not interested in earthly niceties, but ate only to maintain life.

After a silence of 400 years, God sent John the Baptist to wake up the people. They had truly fallen spiritually asleep. And John came as a voice crying in the wilderness. What happens when a baby cries? It commands everyone’s attention. John’s mission was to get the people’s attention. What was his message? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!”

Repent? Repent from what? John was telling them to wake up and change their way of thinking. To repent is to have a change of mind and heart. Once that happens, behavior changes. 

The people thought they were just fine. Remember, they had grown complacent during God’s silence. But they were far from Him. John was telling them that they were NOT fine. They needed to change and get ready for the soon coming of the kingdom of heaven. 

And many people heard John’s message, believed and were baptized. However, the religious establishment, those who relied most on their outward observance of the Law to feel self righteous and smug, came to see John but did not believe his message was for them. And he told them of the coming wrath.

Of course we know that many of them never did allow themselves to believe.

Just as there were smug, self righteous non believers in John the Baptist’s time, there are smug, self righteous non believers today who do not believe that Jesus is coming. Our job, my friend, is to be a voice to them. Not many believed then, and not many will believe now. But we are not responsible for the numbers. That is in God’s hand. We must simply do that which we are called to do. Be his voice.

Thoughts on Matthew 4

After Jesus was baptized by John in chapter three, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness. After 40 days and nights of fasting, the enemy came to tempt Him, with three different offers. Do you remember how Jesus responded to him? Right. Jesus said to Him, “It is written…”, and He quoted scriptures to him. The enemy tempted Him three times, and Jesus responded four times with “It is written…”

Jesus gives us the way we need to respond when we are tempted. Not by force of will, but by applying scripture. 

We are in a spiritual battle. Paul tells us this in Ephesians 6:11-17, and tells us how we can be properly prepared. Paul writes, “11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The items listed by Paul are belt, body armor, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword.

Notice that the first five items are more or less defensive. Belt, body armor, shoes, shield, and helmet. They are protective in nature. 

But the last item is offensive. The sword. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Jesus used this to defeat the enemy’s attacks of temptation.

So many believers handicap themselves by not being properly equipped. The way to win a battle is by having the right armament, both defensive and offensive.

How does a soldier who hopes to be effective with their armament ensure that they will be successful when they need it? First, they have to have it with them. It does no good at all if it’s back at the armory. But then, once they have it with them, they have to know how to use it, don’t they? They practice. And of course, no one wins a battle without knowing how to use their offensive weapon very, very well. 

So how are we going to use our sword, the word of God, if we don’t prepare? If we don’t have a very good familiarity with it? Most believers have a sword, but it’s rusting on the shelf. They rarely take it out of its sheath. They don’t train with it. They don’t know how to handle it.

I commend you for being here, making a commitment to listen to Lifespring Family Audio Bible. This is just one way that you can become more adept at handling God’s Word. More familiar with it. But listen very carefully. This is only part of your training. Listening is great, but it does not replace reading, studying, digging into it on your own. My prayer is that this podcast will give you a thirst for more. I want you to come away from each day’s show with a desire to dig deeper. 

I publish the newsletter each week so that you will have the week’s reading schedule ahead of time, so that maybe you will read ahead, and maybe study a bit. Maybe see if the points that impress you are the points I’ll talk about. If you’re not subscribed, news.lifespringmedia.com

My prayer is that when temptation comes to you, you’ll be well prepared.

Beloved, if Jesus used the Word of God to stand against temptation, shouldn’t we?

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 3-4 NET

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Transcript

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Matthew 3-4: How to Say No to Temptation (LSFAB S13E014)

[TEASER – 00:00]
He ate bugs.

[INTRO S13E14 – 00:09]
This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we’ll read the entire Bible in a year. It’s good to see you today. Thank you for being here, and thank you for inviting me into your day.

Today is Gospel Saturday and our reading will be Matthew 3 and 4. After the reading, I’ll have some comments and I’m calling today’s episode, “How to Say No to Temptation”. Before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER- 00:40]
Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so very much for your Word and for the forgiveness we have through Jesus whom we’re gonna read about today.

We ask that you speak to our hearts and our minds today. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Alright, let’s begin.

[MATTHEW 3 (NET) – 00:57]
Matthew, chapter 3.

(1) In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming, (2) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (3) For he is the one about whom Isaiah the prophet had spoken:

“The voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

(4) Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. (5) Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him, (6) and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

(7) But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? (8) Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, (9) and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! (10) Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

(11) “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am – I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (12) His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”

(13) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. (14) But John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?” (15) So Jesus replied to him, “Let it happen now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John yielded to him. (16) After Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming on him. (17) And a voice from heaven said, “This is my one dear Son; in him I take great delight.”

[MATTHEW 4 (NET) – 03:11]
Matthew, chapter 4.

(1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (2) After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. (3) The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” (4) But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (5) Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, (6) and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” (7) Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” (8) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. (9) And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.” (10) Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” (11) Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.

(12) Now when Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he went into Galilee. (13) While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, (14) so that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:

(15) “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles –

(16) the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.”

(17) From that time Jesus began to preach this message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

(18) As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). (19) He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” (20) They left their nets immediately and followed him. (21) Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then he called them. (22) They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

(23) Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. (24) So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them. (25) And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.

[COMMENTARY – 06:22]
Well, for Matthew chapter 3, let’s talk for a moment or two about John the Baptist. After that, I’ll have some comments on chapter 4. John the Baptist’s appearance here in Matthew chapter 3 is significant because God has not had a prophet on the earth since Malachi, who lived roughly around 400 BC. So we’re looking at about 400 years between the time of Malachi and the appearance of John the Baptist.

God had been silent. He had left Israel to their own devices and they had grown proud of themselves and their supposed observance of the Law, and they had become insensitive to sin.

Then all of a sudden out of the wilderness comes this crazy-looking guy dressed in a robe of camel’s hair with a leather belt. Now, this outfit, besides being unusual, would’ve signaled to the people that this was a prophet because they were known to wear rough materials, not fine fabrics and fancy clothes.

His diet was as unusual as his dress. He ate bugs and wild honey. He ate locusts, to be specific, and wild honey. And this also showed that he was not interested in earthly niceties, but he only ate to maintain life. I think I would’ve chosen something else.

But after a silence of 400 years, God sent John the Baptist to wake up the people. They had truly fallen spiritually asleep. And John came as a voice crying in the wilderness. What happens when a baby cries? Well, it commands everybody’s attention, doesn’t it? We’ll, John’s mission was to get the people’s attention. What was his message? “Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is near!”

Repent? Repent from what? John was telling them to wake up and change their way of thinking, change their way of life. To repent is to have a change of mind and heart, and once that happens, behavior changes.

The people thought they were just fine. Remember, they’d grown complacent during God’s silence, but they were far from him. John was telling them that they were not fine. They needed to change and get ready for the soon coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, then prepare for the Messiah.

And many people heard John’s message and they believed him and they were baptized. But the religious establishment, those who relied most on their outward observance of the Law to feel self-righteous and smug, came to see John, but they didn’t believe his message was for them, and he told them of the coming wrath.

Of course, we know that many of them never did allow themselves to believe.

And just as there were smug, self-righteous, non-believers in John the Baptist’s time, there are smug, self-righteous, non-believers today who don’t believe that Jesus is coming. Our job, Family, is to be a voice to them. Not many believed then, and not many will believe now. But we’re not responsible for the numbers. That’s in God’s hand. We just have to do that which we are called to do, which is be his voice.

And now for chapter 4, after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in chapter 3, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. And after forty days and nights of fasting, the enemy, the devil, Satan, came to tempt Jesus with three different offers. Do you remember how Jesus responded to him? Right. Jesus said to him, “It is written”, and then he quoted scriptures to him. The enemy tempted him three times and Jesus responded four times with “It is written”.

Jesus gives us the way we need to respond when we’re tempted, not by force of will, but by applying scripture.

You see, we are in a spiritual battle. Paul tells us this in Ephesians 6, 11 through 17, and he tells us how we can be properly prepared when the enemy attacks. Paul writes, “(11) Put on all of God’s armor so that you’ll be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (12) For, we’re not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

(13) “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm. (14) Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. (15) For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you’ll be fully prepared. (16) In addition to all these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (17) Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

The items listed there by Paul are belt, body armor, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword.

Notice that the first five items are more or less defensive: belt, body armor, shoes, shield, and helmet. They’re protective in nature.

But the last item is offensive: the sword, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Jesus used this to defeat the enemy’s attacks of temptation.

So many believers handicap themselves by not being properly equipped. The way to win a battle is by having the right armament, both defensive and offensive.

How does a soldier who hopes to be effective with their armament ensure that they’ll be successful when they need it? Well, first they have to have it with them, don’t they? It’s no good at all if it’s back at the armory. But then once they have it with them, they have to know how to use it, don’t they? How do they learn how to use it? They practice. And of course, no one wins a battle without knowing how to use their offensive weapon. And of course, no one wins a battle without knowing how to use their offensive weapon very, very well.

So how are we going to use our sword, the word of God if we don’t prepare, if we don’t have a very good familiarity with it? Most believers have a sword, but it’s resting on the shelf. They rarely take it out of its sheath. They don’t train with it. They don’t know how to handle it.

I commend you, Beloved, for being here, making a commitment to listen to the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. This is just one way that you can become more adept at handling God’s word more familiar with it. But listen very carefully. This is only part of your training. Listening is great, but it does not replace reading, studying, digging into it on your own. My prayer is that this podcast will give you a thirst for more. I want you to come away from each day’s show with a desire to dig deeper.

I publish a newsletter each week so that you’ll have the week’s reading schedule ahead of time so that maybe you’ll read ahead and maybe study a bit, maybe see if the points that impress you are the points I’ll talk about. If you’re not subscribed, go to news.lifespringmedia.com and take care of that right now.

My prayer is that when temptation comes to you, you’ll be very well prepared.

Beloved, if Jesus used the word of God to stand against temptation. How much more do we need to.

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 14:09]
If you’d like to comment on today’s scriptures or on my commentary, call the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511. If you’re outside the us, put a +1 in front of that. You can also comment on the show notes page for this episode at lifespringmedia.com/s13e014. Or you can email me at st***@*************ia.com.

I’ll probably play your audio comment or read your comment on the show.

Tomorrow is Epistles Sunday and our reading will be Romans 5 and 6. I love the book of Romans because it is so rich with foundational truths. Don’t miss tomorrow’s show.

[SUPPORT THE SHOW – 14:55]
Lifespring Family Berean, thanks Brother Paul of Seattle came in with his weekly $22.22 row-of-ducks donation today. Thank you Brother Paul. God bless you.

So what’s this about a Lifespring Family Berean? What is that? Well, first we read of the Bereans in Acts 17, 10 through 15, and the key verse for our purpose here is verse 11b, which says, “The Bereans were eager to hear what Paul and Silas said and studied the scripture every day to find out if these things were true”. So to me, to be known as a Berean is an honorable thing. Well supporters who make donations totalling a thousand dollars or more will receive the honored title of Lifespring Family Berean. A Lifespring Family Berean’s financial support has been a significant blessing helping me to continue the work of proclaiming God’s name, so that title is my way of acknowledging them. You can find out more at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And dollars are how most of us think when we consider value, when we think about what something is worth. Your car is worth so many dollars. If you work for an employer, your time is worth so many dollars per hour usually. But sometimes it’s not quite as easy to quantify the value of something in dollars. What is your health worth? What about a night out with your spouse or a significant other? It’s hard to put a dollar figure on that, right? Is it $5, $20, a hundred, a thousand? Well, that depends on you and your circumstances. For some people, $5 might be all they can afford. For someone else, a thousand dollars wouldn’t even dent the budget.

Does the Lifespring Family Audio Bible have value, for you? You’re listening, so I guess it has some value for you. How much value it has is something that only you can decide. Do you think that helping people read through the Bible in a year is a good thing? Is helping you read through the Bible a good thing? Do the thoughts I share at the end of each day’s reading help you to understand or help you to think more about what we’ve read. All I’m asking is that you think and pray about what it’s worth to you, and then help keep the show going by donating that amount to the show. There are some suggestions and some rewards over at lifespringmedia.com/support. Every donation, no matter the size is appreciated.

Beloved, if you like what you’re hearing, please help to keep it going. Support the show with time, talent, or treasure. I’m depending on you to decide which of those or how much value you feel is right.

I’m still having problems with my Bitcoin node, so for now I can’t receive any sats and that is frustrating. Listen, if you are an expert with Raspiblitz and you’re willing to donate some time and talent, I would be very grateful. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com and let’s see if we can get my node working again.

However you support the show as members of the Lifespring family, you are very much a part of producing this show, and when you support it, you’re helping to spread the good news. I’ll thank you and I believe God will bless you.

[OUTRO S13E014 – 18:01]
I just realized something today. I have been sorely neglectful in not referring to the members of the team that helps to make this show possible by their proper names. I want to rectify that now. Sister Kirsty does the newsletter, Brother Sean of San Pedro does the chapters. and Sister Denise corrects the transcripts. You see at the end of last season in recognition of the great help that they’ve all been to me by offering their time and talent, I bestowed on them the title of Lifespring Family Bereans. So Brother Sean of San Pedro and Sisters Kirsty and Denise, I beg your forgiveness for, forgetting to address you properly. Thanks guys for your gifts of time and talent. And also I want to thank Brother Paul of Seattle for your donation today. God bless each of you.

Comment on the show by calling the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511 or going to comment.lifespringmedia.com or by emailing me at st***@*************ia.com or going to the show notes page. You see, I try to make it as easy for you as possible to get in touch with me so I have all these ways. Go to the show notes page at lifespringmedia.com/s13e014. Yes, I want to hear what you have to say.

And now, until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thank you for inviting me into your day today. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

Transcript corrected by Denise