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  TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL
  by F.B. Meyer
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Summary: Temptation is not inherently sin, but becomes so when we harbor
evil suggestions, and the path to true power and salvation is through
the cross.

Topics: "Temptation", "Spiritual Testing"
Scripture References: Matthew 4:1

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DESCRIPTION
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F.B. Meyer discusses the connection between Jesus' baptism and His
subsequent temptation in the wilderness, emphasizing that temptation
itself is not sin unless we entertain the evil suggestions. He
highlights that after significant spiritual revelations, one can expect
trials as a means of strengthening faith. Meyer explains the three
temptations Jesus faced: using His divine power for personal needs,
acting without God's guidance, and seeking authority through improper
means, ultimately illustrating that true power comes through sacrifice
and obedience to God.

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CONTENT
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Matthew 4:1-11

Then marks the close connection between the heavenly voice of the
baptism and the fiery ordeal of the forty days. Notice that temptation
is not in itself sin; only when the evil suggestions of the tempter are
harbored do they become sin. Notice also that all around us is a dark
region of evil, out of which temptations arise. Whenever you have
received a conspicuous revelation, you may expect a time of testing.
This is God’s way of rooting the trees in the soil, and burning in the
fair colors which He paints on the vessels that are being made meet for
His use.

The first temptation was that our Lord should use for His physical needs
the power which had been entrusted to Him, as Son of man, for the
service of men.

The second was an effort to incite Him to act presumptuously, at the
dictate of self-will and apart from the clear guidance of God’s
Spirit. The third was to attain the throne by a wrong method. It was
only by the cross that He could win power to rule and save. See Hebrews
4:15-16; Hebrews 5:8-9.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/fb-meyer/tempted-by-the-devil/
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