Jesus’ Program for Life’s Problems

Matthew 4:1-4; 6:31-34; Luke 4:16-21

GOLDEN TEXT: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”—Matthew 4:4

THE three Scripture passages constituting the basis of this lesson bear a close relationship to each other in setting forth principles which should guide a Christian in his walk with God. They are the teachings of Jesus to His footstep followers and were not intended by Him as guides in meeting the problems of life which confront the masses who make up the non-Christian world. These instructions of the Master deal with Christian problems, and must be viewed in this light if their depth of meaning is to be understood and appreciated.

Jesus had come into the world to be the Savior of mankind. To fulfill this mission He must first die as man’s Redeemer and then, later, establish a worldwide governmental authority capable of ruling the people with a rod of iron during a thousand-year period of probation and education. During this time all will gain knowledge and experience to enable them to make a free-will and intelligent choice of obedience to divine law, or of disobedience thereto, with the full understanding that a choice of obedience will result in everlasting life, and a choice of disobedience in an everlasting cutting off from life.

Satan, the great adversary of God, was the prince, the ruler, of the world when Jesus began the first or sacrificial phase of His ministry. He thought to thwart the divine plan by offering the Master the opportunity of sustaining His life miraculously, and thus avoid the necessity of sacrifice. Forty days previous to this Jesus had been endowed by the Holy Spirit, but it was not given to Him to use for Himself. He was free to use this God-given power for the feeding and healing of others, but not for His own benefit. The influence of the Holy Spirit in the Master’s life was that of leading Him in the way of sacrifice and death. The Spirit led Him “as a lamb to the slaughter” because the divine plan for the blessing of mankind necessitated the sacrifice of Him who was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.”—Isaiah 53:7; Heb. 7:26

Jesus’ reply to the Tempter (see Golden Text) sets forth the principle of obedience to God as essential to life. No one will ever enjoy everlasting life apart from obedience to the will of God. From this standpoint, the lesson may be applied properly to all in any age who profess to be servants of God. But only with Jesus, and with those who have been called of God to follow in His steps, has obedience led to sacrifice unto death. That has been, and still is, the rule of life for all Christians.

Jesus set the example of how self-denial is to govern in the lives of His followers by His refusal to use His God-given power to supply the bread for which He hungered. In the second section of our Scripture lesson the Master indicates that His followers were to take the same viewpoint of their temporal needs as He took. Food and raiment were to be given but little consideration. They were to seek chiefly the Kingdom of God, and the “Kingdom of God,” writes Paul, “is not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”—Rom. 14:17

Yes, Jesus’ chief joy, and the chief joy for all of His faithful followers, results from yielding their lives fully to the influence of the Holy Spirit. There can be no “joy” in the Holy Spirit except by obedience to its dictates. In Luke 4:16-21 (the last portion of today’s lesson) Jesus reveals the mission of His own Spirit-endowed life; and the Scriptures make it plain that the Spirit of God in the lives of His followers is their divine commission to continue the work which He initiated. In. this lesson Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1-3—a prophecy which tells of the “Spirit of the Lord God,” and its anointing influence in His life. A careful study of the details of this prophecy should clarify for all of us exactly what God wants us to do for Him.

A part of that prophetic commission is to declare “the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.” Jesus did not apply this part of the commission to Himself, because the day of God’s vengeance was not then upon the world. It is here now, hence reference to the fulfillment of the prophecies relating thereto is an appropriate part of our message at the present time. But our fellowship with one another, is not based on our knowledge that God’s vengeance is being executed upon the nations, but rather let us enjoy it on the basis of our mutual love for God and His Plan.

We are not commissioned to execute vengeance. We are merely to proclaim it. “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Rom. 12:19) Our commission is merely to identify the vengeance of God that is manifested in the time of trouble with which the present age is closing, to tell the people its meaning; and, in view of the worldwide distress accompanying it, to comfort those who mourn as a result. It is our blessed privilege to “say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you.” (Isa. 35:4) What a blessed privilege! What “joy in the Holy Spirit” is ours when we obey this commission of the Spirit!

QUESTIONS:

Are Jesus’ instructions to His church intended to guide the lives of non-Christians?

Why would it have been wrong for Jesus to turn stones into bread?

What is one outward manifestation of the indwelling Spirit of God in the life of a Christian?

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