Matt4:1-3 – Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God,
What an amazing moment in the life and ministry of Jesus. After thirty years of obscurity and waiting suddenly everything changes. It changes as Jesus humbled Himself to be baptized by the prophet John. When Jesus came up out of the water two very important things happened. He was filled and immersed with the Holy Spirit. He also heard the Father’s voice from heaven calling Him His beloved Son. These were the two pillars under the foundation of the life of Jesus. He walked in the power of the Holy Spirit and He was the Son of God. These were the two things Jesus would be tempted in as He went into His time of fasting and preparation for ministry. He was asked if He really was the Son of God and He was asked to misuse His power. These are the very challenges we face as Christians today. Here is how F.F. Bruce describes this.
“THE TEMPTATION MUST be understood in the light of the baptism: the repeated “If you are the Son of God” harks back to “This is my beloved Son”. “God has called you his Son,” it is implied; “make him show that he means what he says; put him to the test.” The Spirit that descended on Jesus at his baptism leads him into the wilderness to be tempted; this is part of his appointed probation. Here too, the Messiah recapitulates the history of the messianic people. God’s purpose in leading Israel “these forty years in the wilderness” was “that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not”. That Jesus recognized this correspondence is indicated by his rebuffing the temptation three times from the context of Deuteronomy which includes these words. “You are the Son of God…”
These are two very important qualities in our lives. Are you a child of God and do you understand the purpose of the power of God. Get these two things settled in your heart and it will keep you in the evil day.