基督受试探
马太福音四章1至11节
1当时，耶稣被圣灵引到旷野，受魔鬼的试探。
2他禁食四十昼夜，后来就饿了。
3那试探人的进前来，对他说：你若是神的儿子，可以吩咐这些石头变成食物。
4耶稣却回答说：经上记着说：人活着，不是单靠食物，乃是靠神口里所出的一切话。
5魔鬼就带他进了圣城，叫他站在殿顶（顶：原文是翅）上，
6对他说：你若是神的儿子，可以跳下去，因为经上记着说：主要为你吩咐他的使者用手托着你，免得你的脚碰在石头上。
7耶稣对他说：经上又记着说：不可试探主─你的神。
8魔鬼又带他上了一座最高的山，将世上的万国与万国的荣华都指给他看，
9对他说：你若俯伏拜我，我就把这一切都赐给你。
10耶稣说：撒但（撒但就是抵挡的意思，乃魔鬼的别名），退去罢！因为经上记着说：当拜主你的神，单要事奉他。
11于是，魔鬼离了耶稣，有天使来伺候他。
信息分享
耶稣面对三个试探，每次祂都引用申命记的一节经文来胜过它。神的话语乃圣灵的宝剑，是我们抵挡撒但的最重要武器之一。
时移世易，但人类所面对的试探却始终不变。撒但首先想引导基督质疑父神的爱，以致做出违背神心意的事情。耶稣在受洗之后，父神岂不是对祂说：「你是我的爱子」吗？撒但此刻对祂所说的话，无疑是想促使祂质疑父神的爱：「神如果爱我，为何要我在旷野挨饿呢？为何不把石头变成饼让我充饥呢？」
接着，撒但又说：「你快要开展你的事奉，你一定希望有一大班人来跟随你的。只要你做出一些惊人之举，就会吸引很多人来听你了。」然而，神是按照祂的时间来施行计划，祂会用祂的方式来吸引万人来归向基督；神不需要我们用自己的方法来成就祂的计划。
最后，撒但带耶稣来到一座最高的山上，对祂说：「只要你俯伏拜我，我就会把这世界的一切给你。」撒但为祂提供了一条赢取世界的捷径，但祂却知道只能走十字架的道路。祂是神的儿子，又岂能向撒但下拜？
撒但最终败退；但他显然会回来，伺机再试探主，虽然他最后都不成功。
希伯来书的作者告诉我们，基督凡事受过试探，因此，祂知道我们落入试探的感受。这岂不是很难能可贵！我们这位在天上的大祭司清楚知道我们受试探的感受！当我们遇见试探时，只要祈求祂的帮助，祂必使我们得胜。
反思：
基督借着神的话语来击退撒但，我能够像祂一样吗？我熟悉神的话语吗？
CHRIST'S TEMPTATION
Matthew 4:1-11
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.
Message
There were three temptations and each time Christ used a part of a verse from the book of Deuteronomy. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. It is still one of our great weapons to defeat Satan.
Temptation hasn't changed through the years. Satan tried to make Christ think harshly of his Father and to act out of God's will. The Father's words were 'This is my beloved Son'. Satan's suggestion was 'If you are God's Son why are you starving in a wilderness? Why not make bread out of these stones?'
Then Satan said 'You are beginning your ministry. You want to get a crowd to follow you. Do something spectacular and people will come to hear you.' But God never wants us to go ahead of his plan. In God's own time, and in his own way Christ would draw all men to himself.
Finally Satan came out in the open and said 'I want you to worship me'. He offered Christ an easy way to win the world, but Christ knew that the only way was by his death on the cross. As God's Son, he could never allow himself to bow to Satan.
Satan left the scene defeated. No doubt he tried again and again to tempt Christ but always without success.
The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Christ was tempted in every possible way. Therefore he knows how we feel when we are tempted. Isn't it wonderful? Our heavenly High Priest knows what it is like to be tempted! He can give us victory over any temptation if we ask him.
A THOUGHT:
Christ defeated Satan by using God's Word.
How much of God's Word do we know?