Victory Over Shortcuts 090325 Bangsar LC.pptx

I shared from Luke 4:1-13 this morning on the temptations experienced by Jesus.
Summary:
1. Just before this event, Jesus Wes just baptised and God acknowledged Him as his Son
2. Jesus was tempted to do the things He was well capable to do, just that all the temptations are shortcuts to God’s plan
3. We too can learn to be alert to the deceiver’s role in our own lives when we are tempted to short cut our way to personal goals, celebrity, power, status, fame, ego, all in the name of success and raising ourselves on the pedestal.
4. When those times come, we need to be ready to say no, trust in God’s provision, stay faithful to His timing, and faithfully go through life without testing God.
5. To do that we pray through the closing song, Purify My Heart.
Only way to be able to withstand these temptations and overcome the deceiver.

1. 1 st Sunday in Lent : 9 th March 2025 Victory Over Shortcuts: Resisting Temptation Like Jesus All scripture references taken from https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/index.php All images and visuals taken from the Internet

2. Humanity today… Convenience Temptation Pressure to conform

3. What happened just before this?

4. Today … What does God’s Word have to say to us today? Luke 3: 15-22

5. 4  And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness  2  for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.  3  The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”  4  And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 

6. What is the message for TODAY? The First Temptation: Bread Over Obedience (Luke 4: 1-4) Then: After fasting for 40 days, Jesus was physically weak. The devil tempted Him to turn stones into bread—challenging Him to use divine power for personal gain.

7. What is the message for TODAY? The First Temptation: Bread Over Obedience (Luke 4: 1-4) Now: We, too, are tempted to prioritize our immediate needs over spiritual discipline— choosing comfort over faithfulness, material success over dependence on God . Action: Trust in God’s provision. Do not compromise faith for temporary relief.

8. 5  And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,  6  and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.  7  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”  8  And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God,     and him only shall you serve.’”

9. What is the message for TODAY? The Second Temptation: Authority Without the Cross (Luke 4:5-8) Then: The devil offered Jesus power over all kingdoms if He would worship him. This was an attempt to bypass the suffering of the cross for instant dominion.

10. What is the message for TODAY? The Second Temptation: Authority Without the Cross (Luke 4:5-8) Now: We are tempted to compromise our integrity for success —cheating, bribing, or manipulating to get ahead. Action: Stay faithful even when obedience is costly. True authority comes from God, not from compromising values.

11. 9  And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,  10  for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,     to guard you,’ 11  and “‘On their hands they will bear you up,     lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 12  And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  13  And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

12. What is the message for TODAY? The Third Temptation: Testing God (Luke 4:9-13) Then: The devil challenged Jesus to throw Himself off the temple to force God’s intervention—testing God’s faithfulness instead of trusting it.

13. What is the message for TODAY? The Third Temptation: Testing God (Luke 4:9-13) Now: We sometimes demand signs from God—expecting Him to prove Himself before we obey. We test God instead of trusting Him . Action : Faith means trusting God’s Word even when we don’t see immediate proof.

14. Trust in God’s Provision – Do not compromise faith for quick fixes. Reject Shortcuts to Success – Stay faithful even when obedience is costly. Do Not Test God – Live by faith, not by demands for proof. We respond…

15. Lord, give us the strength to resist the temptations of convenience, power, and self-importance. Teach us to trust in Your provision, walk in obedience, and rely on Your Word. May we follow Jesus’ example in standing firm against temptation. Amen.

16. Verse 1 Purify my heart Let me be as gold and precious silver Purify my heart Let me be as gold, pure gold, Purify My Heart

17. Chorus:- Refiner's fire, My heart's one desire Is to be holy, Set apart for You, Lord I choose to be, holy Set apart for You, my Master Ready to do Your will

18. Verse 2 Purify my heart Cleanse me from within And make me holy Purify my heart Cleanse me from my sin, deep within