Author: Ron Moore

Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written. Worship the Lord your God , and serve only Him.” Matthew 4:8-10 HCSB

My wife and I have had the privilege of touring the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina. This 250 room house is still the largest house in the United States. The house was built by George Vanderbilt. There were 40 men and women servants who helped take care of the Vanderbilt’s, their guests, the home, and the grounds. The servants were treated much like family and had very nice quarters with indoor plumbing, a luxury at the time the house was built. At Christmas all of the servants and their children were given gifts. In many ways, George Vanderbilt had servants who served him, but he was also a servant to them and helped take care of their needs.

Jesus said that He came to serve and not to be served. He even took on the role of a lowly servant and washed the feet of His disciples. He set the example for all of us. We are to worship the Lord and serve only Him. One of the ways that we worship the Lord and serve Him is by being a servant to others. Jesus brought glory to God as He willfully gave His life as a ransom for others.

Challenge: We live in a “Me” culture where everything revolves around self and what an individual wants. Are you worshiping yourself? Does everything seem to revolve around what you want? Turn your focus to God and others. Seek to serve God by serving others. Be the hands and feet of Jesus by helping meet the needs (physical, material, and emotional) of those around you. God will bless you as you worship and serve Him.

Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” Matthew 4:7 HCSB

We live in a world where testing abounds. Children take tests at school to prove they have mastered the material they are studying. Adults take tests to earn certifications and licenses to perform their jobs with excellence. We are required to take a test to get a driver’s license. There are tests on new medical products to make sure they are safe. Test pilots test a new plane to make sure it operates properly.

The temptation that Satan put before Jesus was to test God. He even used Scripture to justify why Jesus should test God. But Jesus was smarter than Satan and again quoted Scripture to overcome the temptation. We are instructed to trust God and not to test Him. There is only one place in the Bible where God says to test Him – “Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test me in this way”, says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.”

Challenge: Do not test God except in this one area of giving. Give at least a tenth of your income to the Lord and His work and He has promised to bless you. His blessing may not be in the form of money or material possessions, but God will bless you and use you to bless others.

Then the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written,” He will give His angels orders concerning You and they will support You with their hands so that You will not strike your foot against a stone.” Matthew 4:5-6 HCSB

Have you ever doubted God? Have you waited years for something you have been praying for and wondered if there really is a God, why doesn’t He answer? Have you seen evil and pain in the world and wondered, if God exists, then why does He allow so much suffering? Those thoughts and feelings are only natural, but they come from the evil one – Satan.

He is the master of deception. In the garden he tempted Eve by causing her to doubt God’s Word and His goodness. In these Scriptures he is trying to get Jesus to doubt God and His mission on earth by again asking, “If You are the Son of God.” Jesus knew He was the Son of God and He knew His mission on earth. He did not have to throw Himself down to prove it. Satan also twisted the Scriptures to try to get Jesus to do something that was not in God ‘s perfect plan.

Challenge: Be aware of Satan’s deceptions. He will try to get you to doubt God and His goodness. Trust God and seek to constantly follow His plan for your life, even when it is hard. Ask God to help you resist the Devil and keep your eyes focused on Him.

After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry. Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:2-4 HCSB

It seems that in today’s culture it has become very acceptable and normal for couples to live together prior to getting married. Many couples share intimate relationships outside of the marriage relationship. This is one example of mankind fulfilling a natural God-given desire at the wrong time and in the wrong way.

Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and He was hungry. Desiring food is natural, and it is acceptable to satisfy our hunger. Jesus had given up His power so He could experience humanity fully. He would not use His power to turn the stones into bread even though He could. The tempter was tempting Jesus to prove He was the Son of God and satisfy His hunger. Jesus did not need to prove He was the Son of God and this was not the right time or place to satisfy His desire for food.

Challenge: We are all tempted to satisfy normal desires in wrong ways or at the wrong times. Many of our desires are good and are God-given, but there is always a right time and place to satisfy them. Ask God to help you resist the temptations of the tempter and to experience all of the joys of life as God intended.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. Matthew 4:1 HCSB

My favorite movie of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life”. George Bailey was tempted to take his own life because everything seemed to be falling apart around him and he thought he was worth more dead than alive. We are all tempted in various ways. Some are tempted to lie and cheat while others are tempted by alcohol and drugs. Some are tempted by fame and fortune while others are tempted by sex outside of marriage. The list is endless of the many ways men are tempted.

This verse in Matthew tells us that Jesus, the Son of God, was purposefully led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the Devil. This was immediately after His baptism when the voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” As in life there are ups and downs. Jesus went from the spiritual high of His baptism to His temptation in the wilderness. Note that both the Spirit and the Devil were present in the wilderness.

Jesus was human. He had to be tempted in every way that man is tempted. He never yielded to temptation; because He was perfect, He became the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross and shedding His blood.

Challenge: God may allow us to be tempted to test us, but He Himself does not tempt. It is the Devil that tempts people to go against God’s laws. To be tempted is not a sin. It is when we fall into the temptation that we sin. Ask God to give you the strength needed to defeat the Devil and his temptations.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. They then opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 HCSB

Each year in Southern Baptist Churches there is a special offering called the Lottie Moon Christmas offering for foreign missions. One hundred percent of this offering goes to help with special projects and needs on the foreign mission field. Some see their gift to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering as their “Christmas Gift” to Christ. I was convicted many years ago when a pastor asked our congregation, “Is your gift to Jesus at least equal if not greater than what you are giving to others on your Christmas list?”

The wise men came prepared to give extravagant gifts to the Messiah. The gifts they brought were fitting for the Messiah. Just as it is today, gold was very valuable and a fitting gift for a king. Frankincense was an ingredient used in the tabernacle for incense as an act of worship to God. Myrrh was an ingredient used in the Old Testament as an anointing oil. It was mixed with wine and offered to Jesus on the cross, it was used as a perfume, and it was used in the embalming process for dead bodies. Jesus came as the King of kings. He came to bring honor and glory to God the Father. Jesus was required to die to accomplish the task that God the Father had given Him to do.

Challenge: How much are you giving to Jesus this Christmas as your gift? The greatest gift you can give to Jesus is yourself. Christ desires to have a personal relationship with you if you will only invite Him into your life and make Him the King of your life. Beyond your life, give to Him extravagantly like the wise men from the many blessings God has given you (your time, talents, and resources).

Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.” Matthew 2:7-8 HCSB

I have been in full-time ministry for almost 40 years now and have served several local churches, the denomination (Missouri Baptist Convention), and LifeWay Christian Resources. I have seen many people select a church based on size, the programs offered, the pastor, and social or professional standing. I have also seen people leave a church for the same reasons. Some leave because they do not get what they want or disagree with the leadership in some way. What is your reason for going to church?

Herod did not want to go and worship Jesus. He wanted to find Him so he could have him killed. Even though our manger scenes include the wise men visiting Jesus at birth, we know that it was about one to two years after the birth of Jesus that the wise men arrived. By this time Mary and Joseph had established a home and were living in Bethlehem. We know that when Herod discovered that he had been tricked by the wise men when they did not return to him, he ruthlessly had all of the baby boys under two years of age in Bethlehem killed in his unsuccessful attempt to kill the “King of the Jews” who had been born there.

Challenge: Why are you going to church? Are you seeking to really worship Jesus or are you there for other reasons? Are you seeking your own political or personal gain or are you there to worship the King of the universe – Jesus Christ?

So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea.” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.” Matthew 2:4-6 HCSB

It is Christmas time and many children make their requests for certain gifts. Most parents try to get their children what they want, but often because of funds they are unable to purchase what the child wants. They may purchase a different gift from what the child was hoping for and expecting.

The Jewish people had been hoping and looking forward to the promised Messiah as recorded in many different places in the Old Testament. Matthew is referring to the prophecy recorded in Micah 5:2 regarding the Messiah being born in Bethlehem. Most Jews were hoping for a great military and political deliverer from the Roman government. The religious leaders and the Jewish people did not get what they expected. Instead, they got a small baby boy born in a stable to a poor boy and girl, Joseph and Mary, in the obscure village of Bethlehem. This was not exactly what they had pictured as the coming Messiah to deliver them.

Challenge: Even though the religious leaders understood the Scriptures, they refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah because it was not what they were looking for. What are you looking for in life? What are you expecting from Jesus? Only Jesus can provide the peace and purpose in life that you are seeking. Peace and purpose does not come through more worldly possessions or even good health. Jesus knows what is best for you and will give you what you need rather than what you want. Trust Him. Read Proverbs 3:5-6.

When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2:3 HCSB

Appointed by the Roman government, King Herod or Herod the Great was the ruler over the Jewish nation. Jerusalem was the seat of government. He was a ruthless man who ordered his wife, two sons, and other family members killed out of fear that they would overthrow him as king. When he heard that a King of the Jews had been born, he was upset. He was the king of the Jews and was not willing to share his throne with anyone. It would be natural that the people of Jerusalem would be fearful of what King Herod would do if he felt his throne was threatened.

Herod was not a Jew and the Jews did not recognize him as their legitimate leader. They still looked to their religious leaders for leadership. The Jews did not like Herod nor the Roman government. Herod did not want the Jewish people to unite behind a new religious leader. The people would have welcomed a Jewish king who could stop the control of the Romans. The Jewish nation was a long way from Rome and certainly the people would have desired to gain control back from the Roman government through the promised Messiah, who they believed would be a political and powerful Messiah rather than a spiritual Messiah.

Challenge: It is ironic that Herod, one of the most powerful men in the world, was afraid of a small baby boy. Herod’s fears drove him to do things that were ruthless and cruel. Fear can cause a person to react in ways that are not normal. Many times throughout the Bible God’s people were instructed, “Do not be afraid.” What are your afraid of? Turn your fears over to the Lord and allow Him to show you how you can best conquer the fears in your life.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1-2 HCSB

I served a church in Houston, Texas, pastored by a compassionate servant of God, Paul Rutledge. He and his wife invited the church staff over to their house one night for dinner. I remember going into their den where each wall had rich brown shelves from floor to ceiling. Each shelf was filled with books. I jokingly asked Paul, “Have you read all of these?” His reply amazed me when he said, “Yes.” I came to find that Paul was a “wise man”. He was one of the most intelligent men I have ever known. He was very knowledgable and pursued his doctorate degree in Cultural Anthropology, then taught in several universities. He believed that if we as Christians were to reach the world with the message of Jesus Christ, we must understand the cultures of the many people around the world. I am sorry to say that Paul’s life was cut short by cancer.

The Scriptures refer to these men as “wise men” or “Magi”. They were likely astrologers and educated men. We do not know exactly their country of origin. Some speculate that they could have been from Babylon and would have had access to copies of the Old Testament from the time when the Jews were in exile in the country. They could have studied the Scriptures and known of the coming “Messiah” or “King of the Jews”. The special star could have been a conjunction of several planets coming together or the God who created the heavens and earth could have placed a special star in the heavens to celebrate the birth of His Son Jesus Christ.

Challenge: We have heard the phrase, “Wise Men Still Seek Him”. Hopefully, you are like the wise men of old and you are seeking Christ: seeking to make Him Lord of your life; seeking to become a better disciple of Jesus. Pray that God will guide your search as you seek Jesus each day.