DRAWING NEAR

September 24

Learning from Christ's Example

"Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"
(Eph. 6:17).

To wield the sword of the Spirit is to apply specific Biblical
principles to specific situations.

Jesus gave us the perfect example of skillful and precise use of the
sword of the Spirit. Following His baptism, "Jesus was led up by the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He
had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And
the tempter came and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command
that these stones become bread'" (Matt. 4:1-3).

Satan was challenging Christ's trust in His heavenly Father's power
and provisions. God had just announced that Jesus was His Son (Matt.
3:17). Would He now abandon Jesus to starve in the wilderness? Satan
urged Jesus to take matters into His own hands and supply for His own
needs. After all, Satan implied, doesn't the Son of God deserve
better than this?

Jesus might have acted on His own authority or demanded that God give
Him what He deserved. Instead, He demonstrated His trust in God and
rebuked Satan for his evil intents: "It is written, 'Man shall not
live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth
of God'" (v. 4). That's a specific verse applied to a specific
situation. Jesus responded the same way to Satan's other temptations
(vv. 7, 10).

Scripture gives many general principles for Christian living, but the
sword of the Spirit is a precise weapon. We must learn to apply the
appropriate biblical principles to any given situation. That's what
the psalmist meant when he wrote, "How can a young man keep his way
pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. . . . Thy word I have
treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee" (Ps. 119:9,
11).

Do you know where to go in the Bible to defend yourself against
sorrow, discouragement, apathy, lust, or pride? If not, you're
attempting to do spiritual battle unarmed.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Thank God for His precious Word and the study resources that are
available to Bible students today. Renew your commitment to
daily systematic Bible study.

For Further Study:

Read Psalm 119:97-105. Is that your attitude toward Scripture?

Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.

All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org

~~~


Matthew 3:17
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Matthew 4:1-11
4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He
was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of
God, command that these stones become bread."
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the
pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.
For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and,
'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot
against a stone.'"
7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the
LORD your God.'"
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and
showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will
fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written,
'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered
to Him.

Psalm 119:97-105
97 Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your
testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your
precepts.
101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep
Your word.
102 I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have
taught me.
103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my
mouth!
104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate
every false way.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.

In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.

If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.

You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:

http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/

and

http://www.gty.org.uk/

You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org



NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.

In Christ,



Peter

Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com

STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel

http://www.gty.org/
http://www.nwbible.org/

To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner
was you. -Alistair Begg