Christ's Mission Fulfilled Only Through Suffering

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Christ's Mission Fulfilled Only Through Suffering

Today's Text: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Matthew 4:6

The Message:      The second temptation was on the point of presumption.... Satan now supposes that he has met Jesus on His own ground. The wily foe himself presents words that proceeded from the mouth of God. He makes it evident that he is acquainted with the Scriptures. But when he quoted the promise "He shall give his angels charge over thee," he omitted the words "to keep thee in all thy ways," that is, in all the ways of God's choosing. Jesus refused to go outside the path of obedience. He would not force Providence to come to His rescue, and thus fail of giving us an example of trust and submission. Never did He work a miracle in His own behalf. His wonderful works were all for the good of others. Jesus declared to Satan, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." God will preserve all who walk in the path of obedience, but to depart from it is to venture on Satan's ground. There we are sure to fall....      Jesus was victor in the second temptation, and now Satan manifests himself in his true character, claiming to be the god of this world. Placing Jesus upon a high mountain, Satan caused the kingdoms of the world, in all their glory, to pass in panoramic view before Him. The eyes of Jesus, so lately greeted by gloom and desolation, now gazed upon a scene of unsurpassed loveliness and prosperity. Then the tempter's voice was heard, "All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine."      Christ's mission could be fulfilled only through suffering. Before Him was a life of sorrow, hardship, and conflict, and an ignominious death. But now Christ might deliver Himself from the dreadful future by acknowledging the supremacy of Satan. But to do this was to yield the victory in the great controversy. Christ declared to the tempter, "Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Christ's divinity flashed through suffering humanity. Satan had no power to resist the command to depart. Humiliated and enraged, he was forced to withdraw from the presence of the world's Redeemer.-Manuscript 155, 1902 (Sermons and Talks, 2:218, 219).

Commentary: My friend, in Satan's last temptation is revealed his ultimate goal: to receive worship as God.  Though he was utterly defeated by the worlds Redeemer, he has been more successful with the Christian world.  By the introduction of the doctrine of the trinity, the whole of the Christian world now renders worship unto him.  The people may think that they are worshiping God, but they are worshiping Him in vain.  Jesus said in Matthew 15:9 "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."  Who you worship will determine how you worship, therefore we must know who it is that we are worshiping. The God of the Bible is not a triune god, but the One true God and His Son Jesus Christ (John 17:3), and it is by Him that everything was created.  1 Corinthians 8:6 tells us "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."  All things were created by the Father through the Son.  Therefore, when it says in Revelation 14:7 "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." it is calling us to the worship of the Only true God which is the Father. This is consistent with the testimony of Jesus Himself when He said "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I." (John 14:28).  The only true God is the Father and it was Jesus' mission to reveal Him to the world.  Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me." (John 14:6), yet the trinity introduces another being as mediator called God the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is not another being unto itself, but is the Spirit of God Himself.  By introducing the Holy Spirit as another being he has artfully insinuated himself as God. By the deception of the trinity, Satan has gained the victory with those who believe in it.  Through he was not able to get Jesus to worship him, he has been able to get the professed followers of Jesus to worship him in place of the One true God. My friend, it is high time that we stop rendering service unto Satan through the false god of the trinity, and render true service unto the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ.  Unless we do this we will be weighted in the balances and be found wanting of a Redeemer. God bless,

Video of the Week Jeroboam and the Historian - Daniel Mesa Daniel Mesa shows how the Seventh-day Adventist church has been corrupted by the trinity in the story of Jeroboam when the nation of Israel was split into two nations.