Sermon Tone Analysis

*Intro* – Some of the most popular and dangerous religious fads of the past 20 years were called the Toronto Blessing (where "holy laughter" and other bizarre behavior was declared to be signs of the Holy Spirit), the Kansas City Prophets (whose predictions were usually false and whose morals were even worse) and the Pensacola Outpouring (which featured people being "slain in the spirit" and lying long periods on the ground, a phenomenon that has no biblical precedent).

This revival disbanded amid charges of fraud and embezzled funds.

Was God at work in any of these supposed outpourings, all of which fell apart on the basis of their own excess and lack of biblical content?

That is for God to judge.

But I mention them because they demonstrate an almost insatiable human desire for the spectacular.

And they illustrate the dangers that attach to getting spiritual priorities mixed up.

That brings us to the 3rd temptation of Christ in Luke 4. Each temptation puts to rest a false premise.

In the 1st temptation the false premise was man must live.

Must he really?

We found that spiritual health and growth is even more important than physical.

In the 2nd temptation the false premise was God's blessing can be obtained through shortcuts.

We found that in the spiritual realm there are no shortcuts.

We found that as followers of Christ, it is the cross that leads to the crown.

God's reward can’t be obtained by shortcuts.

Today the false principle we will examine is that faith results from the spectacular.

We love the sensational.

We think it builds faith.

But we will see that sensationalism actually breeds insecurity and God has a better way.

God has often worked in miraculous ways.

But miracles were never meant to be primary.

Faith based in sensationalism always demands more.

Let’s look.

*I.

The Seduction*

Vv. 9-11, “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.’

” Now, this is a bit bizarre.

No one knows for sure exactly where Satan took Jesus, but the great temple of Herod was surrounded by a high wall.

Herod’s royal portico was at the southeast corner of the wall overlooking the Kidron Valley from a height of about 450 feet.

There Satan says, “Okay, Jesus – you have been quoting Scripture.

You are obviously a man of the Book.

So, let me remind you of Psa 91 where God promises – promises, Jesus – to send His angels to guard you against a fall.

So claims it!

Come on, man, where’s your faith?”

Please note, Satan is not above using Scripture for his own ends.

Do not be taken in by Bible quotes out of context – as this one is.

Now, Satan may be urging Jesus that when the crowds below see His miraculous escape from danger they will recognize Him as Messiah and kick start His ministry.

Or – since no crowds are specifically mentioned, he may be suggesting that Jesus needs to prove for His own benefit that God is with Him.

Then He can base His coming ministry on the knowledge that the spectacular is available to Him.

In either case, he is urging Jesus to seek the spectacular as a means of encouraging faith.

Faith results from the spectacular!

That is the seduction.

The more miraculous, the better.

God won’t fail you.

“Let go, and let God!” It’s a dramatic seduction.

*II.

The Solution*

V. 12, “And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’

” So – how do we put God to the test?

Well, let’s look at the passage Jesus quotes from – Deut 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.”

Massah.

What is that about?

Turn to Exod 17.

The children of Israel, fresh out of miraculous deliverance from bondage in Egypt and having been miraculously saved at the Red Sea and having been miraculously given manna to eat arrive at Rephidim.

But there is not enough water and their reaction is found in v. 3, “But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

Now, we have to stop a second and ask, “What’s wrong with asking for water?

Don’t they have a legitimate gripe?

What is going on?”

Well, Moses later describes what God was doing at times like this in Deut 8:2.

He was “testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.”

God was testing them and they failed miserably precisely because at the first sign of difficulty, they began to test Him.

Having seen His miraculous provision time and again -- they immediately throw in the towel.

Moses defines the precise nature of their failure in v. 7, “And he called the name of the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling), because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

What is at the heart of testing God?

It is questioning His presence.

It is a What have you done for me lately mentality.

We test God when we demand that He prove His presence.

Ever been there?

Well, that is precisely what Satan was urging Jesus to do – demand the spectacular of God.

That would inspire faith.

But Jesus refuses.

He sees the seduction.

He will have nothing to do with demanding God prove Himself.

Question: Is there anything wrong with miracles – anything wrong with the spectacular in and of itself?

Of course not.

When God acts in spectacular and miraculous ways it is a wonderful thing.

But, Beloved, those happen in His time and in His way.

They are always supportive of and subordinate to the message.

They were never intended to be a lifestyle.

Miracles were not His mission.

They authenticated Him as Messiah.

But they were secondary to the message.

The apostles were similarly authenticated prior to the NT being finalized.

Paul says in II Cor 12:12, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.”

He is countering false apostles who followed him and negated his message.

He affirms his credibility by the miracles attached to his ministry.

But it was the message that was primary, not the miracles.

To demand God prove His presence by the spectacular is a fool’s errand.

It makes God the puppet on our strings.

To pray for miraculous intervention is perfectly legitimate and proper; to insist on it is insubordination.

It is not we who are the center of the universe; it is God.

It is not we who are all-knowing; it is God.

It is not we who are all-wise; it is God.

And it is not God who is on trial; it is us.

To test God is foolishness.

Six reasons.

*A.

Testing God Promotes insecurity over security*

Faith which begins with the spectacular becomes faith which must be sustained by the spectacular.

Remember that we saw in Exodus 17:7 that the people wanted a sign to test Is the LORD among us or not?

Remember?