Even without being in retail, December is running full steam ahead! With my pastoral responsibilities and other things being on my plate, Father, I would ask for a portion of Your strength and wisdom to address each thing with the utmost importance they deserve. Amen.

Luke 4:1-13 (<<click to read the passage)

When I sat down Thursday and wrote “Wide and Deep”, my intent was to address Jesus’ temptation after He was led into the wilderness. We may ask, “Why in the world would Jesus need to be tempted?” And that is definitely a fair question.

Hebrews 4:15 gives a fair answer.

For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. (AMP)

Secondly, Jesus had to undo Adam’s work. My Life Application Study Bible states,

Adam though created perfect, gave in to temptation and passed sin on to the whole human race. Jesus, by contrast, resisted Satan. His victory offers salvation to all of Adam’s decedents.

Romans 5:12, 14-19 explains (it is a lengthy passage but so important that we understand what Jesus – Christ – did for us),

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned… Yet death ruled [over mankind] from Adam to Moses [the Lawgiver], even over those who had not sinned as Adam did. Adam is a type of Him (Christ) who was to come [but in reverse—Adam brought destruction, Christ brought salvation].

But the free gift [of God] is not like the trespass [because the gift of grace overwhelms the fall of man]. For if many died by one man’s trespass [Adam’s sin], much more [abundantly] did God’s grace and the gift [that comes] by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to [benefit] the many. Nor is the gift [of grace] like that which came through the one who sinned. For on the one hand the judgment [following the sin] resulted from one trespass and brought condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift resulted from many trespasses and brought justification [the release from sin’s penalty for those who believe]. For if by the trespass of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one (Adam), much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in [eternal] life through the One, Jesus Christ.

So then as through one trespass [Adam’s sin] there resulted condemnation for all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.* For just as through one man’s disobedience [his failure to hear, his carelessness] the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one Man the many will be made righteous and acceptable to God and brought into right standing with Him. (AMP)

*Salvation is available to all people who respond and place their personal trust in Christ.

Lord Jesus, we are most grateful for Your undoing what we in no way could undo. Only because of Your actions are we able to once again have that wall of separation torn down that stands between us. May we diligently seek to not re-erect what You have taken down. Amen.

Dec 8th, 2019, Sun, 7:50 pm