Gospel Translations - User contributions [en]

The Sovereignty of God and Prayer

2008-05-16T00:04:43Z

Kennethclayton4:

I am often asked, "If you believe God works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11) and that his knowledge of all things past, present, and future is infallible, then what is the point of praying that anything happen?" Usually this question is asked in relation to human decision: "If God has predestined some to be his sons and chosen them before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4,5), then what's the point in praying for anyone's conversion?"

The implicit argument here is that if prayer is to be possible at all man must have the power of self-determination. That is, all man's decisions must ultimately belong to himself, not God. For otherwise he is determined by God and all his decisions are really fixed in God's eternal counsel. Let's examine the reasonableness of this argument by reflecting on the example cited above.

1. "Why pray for anyone's conversion if God has chosen before the foundation of the world who will be his sons?" A person in need of conversion is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1); he is "enslaved to sin" (Romans 6:17; John 8:34); "the god of this world has blinded his mind that he might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (II Corinthians. 4:4); his heart is hardened against God (Ephesians 4:18) so that he is hostile to God and in rebellion against God's will (Romans 8:7).

Now I would like to turn the question back to my questioner: If you insist that this man must have the power of ultimate self-determination, what is the point of praying for him? What do you want God to do for Him? You can't ask that God overcome the man's rebellion, for rebellion is precisely what the man is now choosing, so that would mean God overcame his choice and took away his power of self-determination. But how can God save this man unless he act so as to change the man's heart from hard hostility to tender trust?

Will you pray that God enlighten his mind so that he truly see the beauty of Christ and believe? If you pray this, you are in effect asking God no longer to leave the determination of the man's will in his own power. You are asking God to do something within the man's mind (or heart) so that he will surely see and believe. That is, you are conceding that the ultimate determination of the man's decision to trust Christ is God's, not merely his.

What I am saying is that it is not the doctrine of God's sovereignty which thwarts prayer for the conversion of sinners. On the contrary, it is the unbiblical notion of self-determination which would consistently put an end to all prayers for the lost. Prayer is a request that God do something. But the only thing God can do to save a lost sinner is to overcome his resistance to God. If you insist that he retain his self-determination, then you are insisting that he remain without Christ. For "no one can come to Christ unless it is given him from the Father" (John 6:65,44).

Only the person who rejects human self-determination can consistently pray for God to save the lost. My prayer for unbelievers is that God will do for them what He did for Lydia: He opened her heart so that she gave heed to what Paul said (Acts 16:14). I will pray that God, who once said, "Let there be light!", will by that same creative power "shine in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (II Corinthians 4:6). I will pray that He will "take out their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). I will pray that they be born not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God (John 1:13). And with all my praying I will try to "be kind and to teach and correct with gentleness and patience, if perhaps God may grant them repentance and freedom from Satan's snare" (II Timothy 2:24-26).

In short, I do not ask God to sit back and wait for my neighbor to decide to change. I do not suggest to God that He keep his distance lest his beauty become irresistible and violate my neighbor's power of self-determination. No! I pray that he ravish my unbelieving neighbor with his beauty, that he unshackle the enslaved will, that he make the dead alive and that he suffer no resistance to stop him lest my neighbor perish.

2. If someone now says, "O.K., granted that a person's conversion is ultimately determined by God' I still don't see the point of your prayer. If God chose before the foundation of the world who would be converted, what function does your prayer have?" My answer is that it has a function like that of preaching: How shall the lost believe in whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent (Romans 10:14f.)? Belief in Christ is a gift of God (John 6:65; II Timothy 2:25; Ephesians 2:8), but God has ordained that the means by which men believe on Jesus is through the preaching of men. It is simply naive to say that if no one spread the gospel all those predestined to be sons of God (Ephesians 1:5) would be converted anyway. The reason this is naive is because it overlooks the fact that the preaching of the gospel is just as predestined as is the believing of the gospel: Paul was set apart for his preaching ministry before he was born (Galatians 1:15), as was Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). Therefore, to ask, "If we don't evangelize, will the elect be saved?" is like asking, "If there is no predestination, will the predestined be saved?" God knows those who are his and he will raise up messengers to win them. If someone refuses to be a part of that plan, because he dislikes the idea of being tampered with before he was born, then he will be the loser, not God and not the elect. "You will certainly carry out God's purpose however you act but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John." (Problem of Pain chapter 7, Anthology, p 910, cf. p 80)

Prayer is like preaching in that it is a human act also. It is a human act that God has ordained and which he delights in because it reflects the dependence of his creatures upon Him. He has promised to respond to prayer, and his response is just as contingent upon our prayer as our prayer is in accordance with his will. "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (I John 5:14). When we don't know how to pray according to God's will but desire it earnestly, "the Spirit of God intercedes for us according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27).

In other words, just as God will see to it that His Word is proclaimed as a means to saving the elect, so He will see to it that all those prayers are prayed which He has promised to respond to. I think Paul's words in Romans 15:18 would apply equally well to his preaching and his praying ministry: "I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles." Even our prayers are a gift from the one who "works in us that which is pleasing in his sight" (Hebrews 13:21). Oh, how grateful we should be that He has chosen us to be employed in this high service! How eager we should be to spend much time in prayer!

The Sovereignty of God and Prayer

2008-05-15T21:12:50Z

Kennethclayton4:

I am often asked, "If you believe God works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11) and that his knowledge of all things past, present, and future is infallible, then what is the point of praying that anything happen?" Usually this question is asked in relation to human decision: "If God has predestined some to be his sons and chosen them before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4,5), then what's the point in praying for anyone's conversion?"

The implicit argument here is that if prayer is to be possible at all man must have the power of self-determination. That is, all man's decisions must ultimately belong to himself, not God. For otherwise he is determined by God and all his decisions are really fixed in God's eternal counsel. Let's examine the reasonableness of this argument by reflecting on the example cited above.

1. "Why pray for anyone's conversion if God has chosen before the foundation of the world who will be his sons?" A person in need of conversion is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1); he is "enslaved to sin" (Romans 6:17; John 8:34); "the god of this world has blinded his mind that he might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (II Corinthians. 4:4); his heart is hardened against God (Ephesians 4:18) so that he is hostile to God and in rebellion against God's will (Romans 8:7).

Now I would like to turn the question back to my questioner: If you insist that this man must have the power of ultimate self-determination, what is the point of praying for him? What do you want God to do for Him? You can't ask that God overcome the man's rebellion, for rebellion is precisely what the man is now choosing, so that would mean God overcame his choice and took away his power of self-determination. But how can God save this man unless he act so as to change the man's heart from hard hostility to tender trust?

Will you pray that God enlighten his mind so that he truly see the beauty of Christ and believe? If you pray this, you are in effect asking God no longer to leave the determination of the man's will in his own power. You are asking God to do something within the man's mind (or heart) so that he will surely see and believe. That is, you are conceding that the ultimate determination of the man's decision to trust Christ is God's, not merely his.

What I am saying is that it is not the doctrine of God's sovereignty which thwarts prayer for the conversion of sinners. On the contrary, it is the unbiblical notion of self-determination which would consistently put an end to all prayers for the lost. Prayer is a request that God do something. But the only thing God can do to save a lost sinner is to overcome his resistance to God. If you insist that he retain his self-determination, then you are insisting that he remain without Christ. For "no one can come to Christ unless it is given him from the Father" (John 6:65,44).

Only the person who rejects human self-determination can consistently pray for God to save the lost. My prayer for unbelievers is that God will do for them what He did for Lydia: He opened her heart so that she gave heed to what Paul said (Acts 16:14). I will pray that God, who once said, "Let there be light!", will by that same creative power "shine in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (II Corinthians 4:6). I will pray that He will "take out their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). I will pray that they be born not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God (John 1:13). And with all my praying I will try to "be kind and to teach and correct with gentleness and patience, if perhaps God may grant them repentance and freedom from Satan's snare" (II Timothy 2:24-26).

In short, I do not ask God to sit back and wait for my neighbor to decide to change. I do not suggest to God that He keep his distance lest his beauty become irresistible and violate my neighbor's power of self-determination. No! I pray that he ravish my unbelieving neighbor with his beauty, that he unshackle the enslaved will, that he make the dead alive and that he suffer no resistance to stop him lest my neighbor perish.

2. If someone now says, "O.K., granted that a person's conversion is ultimately determined by God' I still don't see the point of your prayer. If God chose before the foundation of the world who would be converted, what function does your prayer have?" My answer is that it has a function like that of preaching: How shall the lost believe in whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent (Romans 10:14f.)? Belief in Christ is a gift of God (John 6:65; II Timothy 2:25; Ephesians 2:8), but God has ordained that the means by which men believe on Jesus is through the preaching of men. It is simply naive to say that if no one spread the gospel all those predestined to be sons of God (Ephesians 1:5) would be converted anyway. The reason this is naive is because it overlooks the fact that the preaching of the gospel is just as predestined as is the believing of the gospel: Paul was set apart for his preaching ministry before he was born (Galatians 1:15), as was Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). Therefore, to ask, "If we don't evangelize, will the elect be saved?" is like asking, "If there is no predestination, will the predestined be saved?" God knows those who are his and he will raise up messengers to win them. If someone refuses to be a part of that plan, because he dislikes the idea of being tampered with before he was born, then he will be the loser, not God and not the elect. "You will certainly carry out God's purpose however you act but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John." (Problem of Pain chapter 7, Anthology, p 910, cf. p 80)

Prayer is like preaching in that it is a human act also. It is a human act that God has ordained and which he delights in because it reflects the dependence of his creatures upon Him. He has promised to respond to prayer, and his response is just as contingent upon our prayer as our prayer is in accordance with his will. "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (I John 5:14). When we don't know how to pray according to God's will but desire it earnestly, "the Spirit of God intercedes for us according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27).

In other words, just as God will see to it that His Word is proclaimed as a means to saving the elect, so He will see to it that all those prayers are prayed which He has promised to respond to. I think Paul's words in Romans 15:18 would apply equally well to his preaching and his praying ministry: "I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles." Even our prayers are a gift from the one who "works in us that which is pleasing in his sight" (Hebrews 13:21). Oh, how grateful we should be that He has chosen us to be employed in this high service! How eager we should be to spend much time in prayer!

The Sovereignty of God and Prayer

2008-05-06T21:11:44Z

Kennethclayton4:

I am often asked, "If you believe God works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11) and that his knowledge of all things past, present, and future is infallible, then what is the point of praying that anything happen?" Usually this question is asked in relation to human decision: "If God has predestined some to be his sons and chosen them before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4,5), then what's the point in praying for anyone's conversion?"

The implicit argument here is that if prayer is to be possible at all man must have the power of self-determination. That is, all man's decisions must ultimately belong to himself, not God. For otherwise he is determined by God and all his decisions are really fixed in God's eternal counsel. Let's examine the reasonableness of this argument by reflecting on the example cited above.

1. "Why pray for anyone's conversion if God has chosen before the foundation of the world who will be his sons?" A person in need of conversion is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1); he is "enslaved to sin" (Romans 6:17; John 8:34); "the god of this world has blinded his mind that he might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (II Corinthians. 4:4); his heart is hardened against God (Ephesians 4:18) so that he is hostile to God and in rebellion against God's will (Romans 8:7).

Now I would like to turn the question back to my questioner: If you insist that this man must have the power of ultimate self-determination, what is the point of praying for him? What do you want God to do for Him? You can't ask that God overcome the man's rebellion, for rebellion is precisely what the man is now choosing, so that would mean God overcame his choice and took away his power of self-determination. But how can God save this man unless he act so as to change the man's heart from hard hostility to tender trust?

Will you pray that God enlighten his mind so that he truly see the beauty of Christ and believe? If you pray this, you are in effect asking God no longer to leave the determination of the man's will in his own power. You are asking God to do something within the man's mind (or heart) so that he will surely see and believe. That is, you are conceding that the ultimate determination of the man's decision to trust Christ is God's, not merely his.

What I am saying is that it is not the doctrine of God's sovereignty which thwarts prayer for the conversion of sinners. On the contrary, it is the unbiblical notion of self-determination which would consistently put an end to all prayers for the lost. Prayer is a request that God do something. But the only thing God can do to save a lost sinner is to overcome his resistance to God. If you insist that he retain his self-determination, then you are insisting that he remain without Christ. For "no one can come to Christ unless it is given him from the Father" (John 6:65,44).

Only the person who rejects human self-determination can consistently pray for God to save the lost. My prayer for unbelievers is that God will do for them what He did for Lydia: He opened her heart so that she gave heed to what Paul said (Acts 16:14). I will pray that God, who once said, "Let there be light!", will by that same creative power "shine in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (II Corinthians 4:6). I will pray that He will "take out their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). I will pray that they be born not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God (John 1:13). And with all my praying I will try to "be kind and to teach and correct with gentleness and patience, if perhaps God may grant them repentance and freedom from Satan's snare" (II Timothy 2:24-26).

In short, I do not ask God to sit back and wait for my neighbor to decide to change. I do not suggest to God that He keep his distance lest his beauty become irresistible and violate my neighbor's power of self-determination. No! I pray that he ravish my unbelieving neighbor with his beauty, that he unshackle the enslaved will, that he make the dead alive and that he suffer no resistance to stop him lest my neighbor perish.

2. If someone now says, "O.K., granted that a person's conversion is ultimately determined by God' I still don't see the point of your prayer. If God chose before the foundation of the world who would be converted, what function does your prayer have?" My answer is that it has a function like that of preaching: How shall the lost believe in whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent (Romans 10:14f.)? Belief in Christ is a gift of God (John 6:65; II Timothy 2:25; Ephesians 2:8), but God has ordained that the means by which men believe on Jesus is through the preaching of men. It is simply naive to say that if no one spread the gospel all those predestined to be sons of God (Ephesians 1:5) would be converted anyway. The reason this is naive is because it overlooks the fact that the preaching of the gospel is just as predestined as is the believing of the gospel: Paul was set apart for his preaching ministry before he was born (Galatians 1:15), as was Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). Therefore, to ask, "If we don't evangelize, will the elect be saved?" is like asking, "If there is no predestination, will the predestined be saved?" God knows those who are his and he will raise up messengers to win them. If someone refuses to be a part of that plan, because he dislikes the idea of being tampered with before he was born, then he will be the loser, not God and not the elect. "You will certainly carry out God's purpose however you act but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John." (Problem of Pain chapter 7, Anthology, p 910, cf. p 80)

Prayer is like preaching in that it is a human act also. It is a human act that God has ordained and which he delights in because it reflects the dependence of his creatures upon Him. He has promised to respond to prayer, and his response is just as contingent upon our prayer as our prayer is in accordance with his will. "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (I John 5:14). When we don't know how to pray according to God's will but desire it earnestly, "the Spirit of God intercedes for us according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27).

In other words, just as God will see to it that His Word is proclaimed as a means to saving the elect, so He will see to it that all those prayers are prayed which He has promised to respond to. I think Paul's words in Romans 15:18 would apply equally well to his preaching and his praying ministry: "I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles." Even our prayers are a gift from the one who "works in us that which is pleasing in his sight" (Hebrews 13:21). Oh, how grateful we should be that He has chosen us to be employed in this high service! How eager we should be to spend much time in prayer!

Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone

2008-05-06T03:05:51Z

Kennethclayton4:

__NOTOC__{{MasterHeader
|author= John Piper
|partnerurl= http://www.desiringgod.org
|partner= Desiring God
|date= 15 January 1995
|other=
|categorytopic= Fasting
|mediatype= Article
|lang= English
|editor= n/a
|translator= Desiring God
|levels= 0
|reviewed=Not Reviewed
|newtitle= Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone}}
<blockquote>'''Matthew 3:16-4:4'''</blockquote><blockquote>And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" '' ''</blockquote>
So far this year we have seen the prophets and teachers of Antioch fasting in Acts 13 and we have heard Jesus teach us that when the bridegroom, namely, himself, is taken out of the world, then the attendants of the bridegroom, namely, we, his disciples, will fast. And today we get to see Jesus the Son of God himself fasting.

=== Two Hopes for This Message ===

I have two hopes for this message. One is that we know Jesus better. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1995/897_When_the_Bridegroom_is_Taken_Away_They_Will_Fast__With_New_Wineskins/ Last week] we heard him make the amazing claim that the bridegroom had come—God had called himself the bridegroom and husband of Israel in the Old Testament. Now here was Jesus saying—the bridegroom is here. Today in this text we see Jesus as the representative and head of a new Israel, as a kind of new Joshua preparing to take his people over into the promised land, but first tested in the wilderness.

My other hope, besides getting to know Jesus better, is that we understand fasting better and see more deeply into its spiritual value for us individually and as a church. It should give us pause, I think, to realize that the Son of God began his life's ministry with a 40 day fast. We should stop and think about this. We should ask, What about me, Lord? Can I face the incredible challenges to my Christian life without sharing in the fasting of Jesus?

Can we as a church experience the fullness of Christ's power and blessing without humbly seeking the Lord in fasting? These are pivotal days at Bethlehem. I feel a stirring in my heart for what God is preparing for us. When the staff fasted last Wednesday and prayed, the Lord wove some words together that are filled with hope. The last paragraph of my 1994 annual report goes like this:
<blockquote>And finally, thanks to you all for your prayer and your unfailing encouragements. I am happy in this work because you have prayed. What a privilege to be here! There are fresh breezes blowing. My sails are up. The sky is clearing. The Lord is aboard and tells me there is good man-fishing not far out to sea. </blockquote>
My heart is so hungry for a deeper work of God in our midst! A work that will see supernatural new birth taking place week in and week out through your anointed lives in these Cities. This is why fasting is on the front burner. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1469_Charles_Spurgeon_Preaching_Through_Adversity/ Charles Spurgeon], the London pastor from a century ago, said,
<blockquote>Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has Heaven's gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory. </blockquote>
My heart longs for us as a church to be nearer the Central Glory, to be so near the fire that we burn with the zeal of Jesus for his name and for this perishing world.

So let's look now at his fasting.

=== Jesus' Forty Day Fast ===

Matthew 3:16 says that after being baptized, Jesus came up out of the water and the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. Now the Holy Spirit had always been with Jesus. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. But this was a special anointing, or outpouring, or baptism that would rest on Jesus for his three-year public ministry. He was baptized to identify with us in his submission to God's rule and righteousness. And the Holy Spirit came on him, as he does on us, to empower him and guide him in the huge demands of his ministry.

===== The Father's Pleasure and the Spirit's Leading =====

As the Spirit comes upon Jesus, God the Father says (v. 17), "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." One of the wonderful effects of these words is to assure Jesus and us that the fire of misery and pain that Jesus was about to walk into was NOT owing to his Father's displeasure.

This is especially important to see when you notice in the next verse (Matthew 4:1) what the Spirit's first act is in Jesus' ministry. It says, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." The first act of the Spirit in Jesus' ministry is to lead him into the wilderness, and to expose him to Satan's testings.

===== Jesus Prepares for Combat with Fasting =====

Under the Spirit's leading Jesus prepared himself to meet the devil by fasting. The Spirit of God willed that the Son of God be tested on his way into the ministry, and he willed that Jesus triumph in this testing through fasting. Jesus triumphed over the great enemy of his soul through fasting.

It seems to me that this story should shake us. Here is Jesus standing on the threshold of the most important public ministry in the history of the world. On his obedience and righteousness hangs the salvation of the world. None will escape damnation without this ministry of obedient suffering and death and resurrection. And God wills that, at the very outset, the ministry be threatened with destruction—namely, the temptations of Satan to abandon the path of lowliness and suffering and obedience. And of all the hundreds of things Jesus might have done to fight off this tremendous threat to salvation, he is led to fast. To fast!

If Satan had succeeded in deterring Jesus from the path of humble, suffering obedience, there would be no salvation. We would still be in our sins and without hope. Therefore we owe our salvation to the faithful fasting of Jesus. This is a remarkable tribute to fasting. Don't ride over this quickly. Think on it. Jesus began his ministry with fasting. And he triumphed over his enemy through fasting.

=== Deuteronomy 8:2–3 Parallels Matthew 4:1–4 ===

Now to see the fuller meaning of this, turn with me to Deuteronomy 8. Every time Jesus responds to the three temptations of the devil in the wilderness he quotes from Deuteronomy. "Man shall not live by bread alone"—Deuteronomy 8:3; "You shall not tempt the Lord your God"—Deuteronomy 6:16; and "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve"—Deuteronomy 6:13.

===== Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness =====

This is very significant. Here is Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness—the wilderness—and to counter the temptations of Satan Jesus quotes passages from Deuteronomy, all of which are spoken by Moses to the people of Israel about their time of testing in the wilderness. In Matthew 4:3–4 it says,
<blockquote>The tempter came and said to Him, "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 on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." </blockquote>
===== Moses' Words About Israel's Time in the Wilderness =====

Now look at Deuteronomy 8:2–3 and mark the parallels that you see between that situation in the wilderness and Jesus' situation in the wilderness. Moses says to the people,
<blockquote>You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness [NOTE: as Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness] these forty years [NOTE: as Jesus was there forty days], that He might humble you, testing you [NOTE: as Jesus was "tested"], to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 And He humbled you and let you be hungry [NOTE: as Jesus was made hungry by his fasting], and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. </blockquote>
===== What Do These Parallels Mean? =====

There are too many similarities between what is happening to Jesus here in the wilderness and what was happening to the people of Israel to think it is an accident. What does this mean?

It means that God is now preparing to deliver his people—the new Israel—from the Egyptian bondage of sin into the promised land of forgiveness and righteousness and peace and joy and eternal life. To do this he has sent a new Joshua—Joshua and Jesus are exactly the same word in Greek (Acts 7:45). This new Joshua stands as the head and representative of the whole people. On their behalf he will now be led by God into the wilderness. It will be 40 days to represent 40 years. He will be tested as Israel was tested. And he will hunger as Israel hungered. And if he triumphs, he and all his people go safely into the promised land.

=== The Aim of Jesus' Fast (and Ours) ===

Now we can see the meaning of Jesus' fasting more clearly.

===== Voluntary Identification with the People of God =====

It wasn't an arbitrary choice of something to do in the face of satanic temptation. It was a voluntary act of identification with the people of God in their wilderness deprivation and trial. Jesus was saying in effect, "I have been sent to lead the people of God out of the Egypt of sin into the promised land of salvation. To do this I must be one of them. That is why I was born. Therefore I will take on the testing that they experienced. I will represent them in the wilderness and allow my heart to be probed with fasting to show where my allegiance is. And with the Spirit's help I will triumph through this fasting, overcome the devil, and lead all who trust me into the promised land of eternal glory."

===== A Means of Battling Satan =====

In other words Jesus' fasting is part of his testing the way hunger was for the people of Israel in the wilderness. But that doesn't mean fasting wasn't a means of battling Satan. Because fasting reveals where the heart is. And when the heart proves to love God more than bread, Satan does not have the foothold he would if our heart was in love with the earthly things like bread.

===== Proving Our Hearts =====

The people of God are often called to go without the ordinary means of life. Fasting is a brief, voluntary experience of this deprivation to prove our hearts. When we experience this "going without," the Lord reveals what is in our hearts. What are we controlled by? Richard Foster says in his chapter on fasting,
<blockquote>More than any other single Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David said, "I humbled my soul with fasting" (Ps. 69:10). Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ. </blockquote>
What are we slaves to? What are our bottom line passions? Fasting is God's testing ground—and healing ground. Will we murmur as the Israelites murmured when they had no bread? Will we leave the path of obedience and turn stones into bread? Or will we "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"? Fasting is a way of revealing to ourselves and confessing to God what is in our hearts.

===== The Aim of Fasting =====

And the aim of fasting is that we come to rely less on food and more on God himself. That's the meaning of the words in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Every time we fast, we are saying with Jesus, "Not bread alone. But you, Lord. Not bread alone, but you, Lord."

Let me show you quickly in closing why I think Jesus is saying that we should trust in God not bread.

===== Why We Should Trust God, Not Bread =====

It comes from the context of Deuteronomy 8:3 where Jesus gets this word in Matthew 4:4,
<blockquote>[God] fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that [NOTE!] He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. </blockquote>
He gave them manna—an utterly un-heard-of food falling from heaven—Why? "So that" they would learn to live on everything that comes from the mouth of God. How does miraculous manna teach that? Because manna is one of the incredible ways God can, with a mere word, reveal himself and meet your needs when all else looks hopeless.

But watch what Satan does with that. Satan says to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, turn this stone to bread." In other words, "Do the manna thing. Make manna like you did in the wilderness. If the point of manna in the wilderness was to teach the people to expect miracles in distress, then treat yourself to some miracle bread, and you will be obeying Scripture."

And Jesus responds, "You are so close and yet so far. You have always handled the Word of God that way, so subtle. You sound like you approve God's Word, but you turn every word against him. The point is this Satan: Don't trust in bread—not even miracle bread—trust in God. Don't get your deepest satisfactions in life from food—not even God-wrought miracle food—but from God. Every word that comes out of the mouth of God reveals God. And it is this self-revelation that we feed on. This will last forever. This is eternal life. Begone, Satan, God is my portion. I will not turn from his path and his fellowship, not even for miraculous manna."

I invite you to let God prove your heart with fasting this Wednesday. See if he does not reveal some deep things to you, and give himself to you for food.

Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone

2008-05-05T18:36:21Z

Kennethclayton4:

__NOTOC__{{MasterHeader
|author= John Piper
|partnerurl= http://www.desiringgod.org
|partner= Desiring God
|date= 15 January 1995
|other=
|categorytopic= Fasting
|mediatype= Article
|lang= English
|editor= n/a
|translator= Desiring God
|levels= 0
|reviewed=Not Reviewed
|newtitle= Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone}}
<blockquote>'''Matthew 3:16-4:4'''</blockquote><blockquote>And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" '' ''</blockquote>
So far this year we have seen the prophets and teachers of Antioch fasting in Acts 13 and we have heard Jesus teach us that when the bridegroom, namely, himself, is taken out of the world, then the attendants of the bridegroom, namely, we, his disciples, will fast. And today we get to see Jesus the Son of God himself fasting.

'''Two Hopes for This Message'''

I have two hopes for this message. One is that we know Jesus better. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1995/897_When_the_Bridegroom_is_Taken_Away_They_Will_Fast__With_New_Wineskins/ Last week] we heard him make the amazing claim that the bridegroom had come—God had called himself the bridegroom and husband of Israel in the Old Testament. Now here was Jesus saying—the bridegroom is here. Today in this text we see Jesus as the representative and head of a new Israel, as a kind of new Joshua preparing to take his people over into the promised land, but first tested in the wilderness.

My other hope, besides getting to know Jesus better, is that we understand fasting better and see more deeply into its spiritual value for us individually and as a church. It should give us pause, I think, to realize that the Son of God began his life's ministry with a 40 day fast. We should stop and think about this. We should ask, What about me, Lord? Can I face the incredible challenges to my Christian life without sharing in the fasting of Jesus?

Can we as a church experience the fullness of Christ's power and blessing without humbly seeking the Lord in fasting? These are pivotal days at Bethlehem. I feel a stirring in my heart for what God is preparing for us. When the staff fasted last Wednesday and prayed, the Lord wove some words together that are filled with hope. The last paragraph of my 1994 annual report goes like this:
<blockquote>And finally, thanks to you all for your prayer and your unfailing encouragements. I am happy in this work because you have prayed. What a privilege to be here! There are fresh breezes blowing. My sails are up. The sky is clearing. The Lord is aboard and tells me there is good man-fishing not far out to sea. </blockquote>
My heart is so hungry for a deeper work of God in our midst! A work that will see supernatural new birth taking place week in and week out through your anointed lives in these Cities. This is why fasting is on the front burner. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1469_Charles_Spurgeon_Preaching_Through_Adversity/ Charles Spurgeon], the London pastor from a century ago, said,
<blockquote>Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has Heaven's gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory. </blockquote>
My heart longs for us as a church to be nearer the Central Glory, to be so near the fire that we burn with the zeal of Jesus for his name and for this perishing world.

So let's look now at his fasting.

'''Jesus' Forty Day Fast''' 

Matthew 3:16 says that after being baptized, Jesus came up out of the water and the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. Now the Holy Spirit had always been with Jesus. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. But this was a special anointing, or outpouring, or baptism that would rest on Jesus for his three-year public ministry. He was baptized to identify with us in his submission to God's rule and righteousness. And the Holy Spirit came on him, as he does on us, to empower him and guide him in the huge demands of his ministry.

'''''The Father's Pleasure and the Spirit's Leading'''''

As the Spirit comes upon Jesus, God the Father says (v. 17), "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." One of the wonderful effects of these words is to assure Jesus and us that the fire of misery and pain that Jesus was about to walk into was NOT owing to his Father's displeasure.

This is especially important to see when you notice in the next verse (Matthew 4:1) what the Spirit's first act is in Jesus' ministry. It says, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." The first act of the Spirit in Jesus' ministry is to lead him into the wilderness, and to expose him to Satan's testings.

'''''Jesus Prepares for Combat with Fasting'''''

Under the Spirit's leading Jesus prepared himself to meet the devil by fasting. The Spirit of God willed that the Son of God be tested on his way into the ministry, and he willed that Jesus triumph in this testing through fasting. Jesus triumphed over the great enemy of his soul through fasting.

It seems to me that this story should shake us. Here is Jesus standing on the threshold of the most important public ministry in the history of the world. On his obedience and righteousness hangs the salvation of the world. None will escape damnation without this ministry of obedient suffering and death and resurrection. And God wills that, at the very outset, the ministry be threatened with destruction—namely, the temptations of Satan to abandon the path of lowliness and suffering and obedience. And of all the hundreds of things Jesus might have done to fight off this tremendous threat to salvation, he is led to fast. To fast!

If Satan had succeeded in deterring Jesus from the path of humble, suffering obedience, there would be no salvation. We would still be in our sins and without hope. Therefore we owe our salvation to the faithful fasting of Jesus. This is a remarkable tribute to fasting. Don't ride over this quickly. Think on it. Jesus began his ministry with fasting. And he triumphed over his enemy through fasting.

'''Deuteronomy 8:2–3 Parallels Matthew 4:1–4 '''Now to see the fuller meaning of this, turn with me to Deuteronomy 8. Every time Jesus responds to the three temptations of the devil in the wilderness he quotes from Deuteronomy. "Man shall not live by bread alone"—Deuteronomy 8:3; "You shall not tempt the Lord your God"—Deuteronomy 6:16; and "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve"—Deuteronomy 6:13.

'''''Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness'''''

This is very significant. Here is Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness—the wilderness—and to counter the temptations of Satan Jesus quotes passages from Deuteronomy, all of which are spoken by Moses to the people of Israel about their time of testing in the wilderness. In Matthew 4:3–4 it says,
<blockquote>The tempter came and said to Him, "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 on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." </blockquote>
'''''Moses' Words About Israel's Time in the Wilderness'''''

Now look at Deuteronomy 8:2–3 and mark the parallels that you see between that situation in the wilderness and Jesus' situation in the wilderness. Moses says to the people,
<blockquote>You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness [NOTE: as Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness] these forty years [NOTE: as Jesus was there forty days], that He might humble you, testing you [NOTE: as Jesus was "tested"], to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 And He humbled you and let you be hungry [NOTE: as Jesus was made hungry by his fasting], and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. </blockquote>
'''''What Do These Parallels Mean?'''''

There are too many similarities between what is happening to Jesus here in the wilderness and what was happening to the people of Israel to think it is an accident. What does this mean?

It means that God is now preparing to deliver his people—the new Israel—from the Egyptian bondage of sin into the promised land of forgiveness and righteousness and peace and joy and eternal life. To do this he has sent a new Joshua—Joshua and Jesus are exactly the same word in Greek (Acts 7:45). This new Joshua stands as the head and representative of the whole people. On their behalf he will now be led by God into the wilderness. It will be 40 days to represent 40 years. He will be tested as Israel was tested. And he will hunger as Israel hungered. And if he triumphs, he and all his people go safely into the promised land.

'''The Aim of Jesus' Fast (and Ours) '''Now we can see the meaning of Jesus' fasting more clearly.

'''''Voluntary Identification with the People of God'''''

It wasn't an arbitrary choice of something to do in the face of satanic temptation. It was a voluntary act of identification with the people of God in their wilderness deprivation and trial. Jesus was saying in effect, "I have been sent to lead the people of God out of the Egypt of sin into the promised land of salvation. To do this I must be one of them. That is why I was born. Therefore I will take on the testing that they experienced. I will represent them in the wilderness and allow my heart to be probed with fasting to show where my allegiance is. And with the Spirit's help I will triumph through this fasting, overcome the devil, and lead all who trust me into the promised land of eternal glory."

'''''A Means of Battling Satan'''''

In other words Jesus' fasting is part of his testing the way hunger was for the people of Israel in the wilderness. But that doesn't mean fasting wasn't a means of battling Satan. Because fasting reveals where the heart is. And when the heart proves to love God more than bread, Satan does not have the foothold he would if our heart was in love with the earthly things like bread.

'''''Proving Our Hearts'''''

The people of God are often called to go without the ordinary means of life. Fasting is a brief, voluntary experience of this deprivation to prove our hearts. When we experience this "going without," the Lord reveals what is in our hearts. What are we controlled by? Richard Foster says in his chapter on fasting,
<blockquote>More than any other single Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David said, "I humbled my soul with fasting" (Ps. 69:10). Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ. </blockquote>
What are we slaves to? What are our bottom line passions? Fasting is God's testing ground—and healing ground. Will we murmur as the Israelites murmured when they had no bread? Will we leave the path of obedience and turn stones into bread? Or will we "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"? Fasting is a way of revealing to ourselves and confessing to God what is in our hearts.

'''''The Aim of Fasting'''''

And the aim of fasting is that we come to rely less on food and more on God himself. That's the meaning of the words in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Every time we fast, we are saying with Jesus, "Not bread alone. But you, Lord. Not bread alone, but you, Lord."

Let me show you quickly in closing why I think Jesus is saying that we should trust in God not bread.

'''''Why We Should Trust God, Not Bread'''''

It comes from the context of Deuteronomy 8:3 where Jesus gets this word in Matthew 4:4,
<blockquote>[God] fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that [NOTE!] He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. </blockquote>
He gave them manna—an utterly un-heard-of food falling from heaven—Why? "So that" they would learn to live on everything that comes from the mouth of God. How does miraculous manna teach that? Because manna is one of the incredible ways God can, with a mere word, reveal himself and meet your needs when all else looks hopeless.

But watch what Satan does with that. Satan says to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, turn this stone to bread." In other words, "Do the manna thing. Make manna like you did in the wilderness. If the point of manna in the wilderness was to teach the people to expect miracles in distress, then treat yourself to some miracle bread, and you will be obeying Scripture."

And Jesus responds, "You are so close and yet so far. You have always handled the Word of God that way, so subtle. You sound like you approve God's Word, but you turn every word against him. The point is this Satan: Don't trust in bread—not even miracle bread—trust in God. Don't get your deepest satisfactions in life from food—not even God-wrought miracle food—but from God. Every word that comes out of the mouth of God reveals God. And it is this self-revelation that we feed on. This will last forever. This is eternal life. Begone, Satan, God is my portion. I will not turn from his path and his fellowship, not even for miraculous manna."

I invite you to let God prove your heart with fasting this Wednesday. See if he does not reveal some deep things to you, and give himself to you for food.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© Desiring God

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone

2008-05-05T13:13:00Z

Kennethclayton4:

January 15, 1995                                      By John Piper

 

----

'''Matthew 3:16-4:4'''

''And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" ''

So far this year we have seen the prophets and teachers of Antioch fasting in Acts 13 and we have heard Jesus teach us that when the bridegroom, namely, himself, is taken out of the world, then the attendants of the bridegroom, namely, we, his disciples, will fast. And today we get to see Jesus the Son of God himself fasting.

'''Two Hopes for This Message'''

I have two hopes for this message. One is that we know Jesus better. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1995/897_When_the_Bridegroom_is_Taken_Away_They_Will_Fast__With_New_Wineskins/ Last week] we heard him make the amazing claim that the bridegroom had come—God had called himself the bridegroom and husband of Israel in the Old Testament. Now here was Jesus saying—the bridegroom is here. Today in this text we see Jesus as the representative and head of a new Israel, as a kind of new Joshua preparing to take his people over into the promised land, but first tested in the wilderness.

My other hope, besides getting to know Jesus better, is that we understand fasting better and see more deeply into its spiritual value for us individually and as a church. It should give us pause, I think, to realize that the Son of God began his life's ministry with a 40 day fast. We should stop and think about this. We should ask, What about me, Lord? Can I face the incredible challenges to my Christian life without sharing in the fasting of Jesus?

Can we as a church experience the fullness of Christ's power and blessing without humbly seeking the Lord in fasting? These are pivotal days at Bethlehem. I feel a stirring in my heart for what God is preparing for us. When the staff fasted last Wednesday and prayed, the Lord wove some words together that are filled with hope. The last paragraph of my 1994 annual report goes like this:

''And finally, thanks to you all for your prayer and your unfailing encouragements. I am happy in this work because you have prayed. What a privilege to be here! There are fresh breezes blowing. My sails are up. The sky is clearing. The Lord is aboard and tells me there is good man-fishing not far out to sea.''

My heart is so hungry for a deeper work of God in our midst! A work that will see supernatural new birth taking place week in and week out through your anointed lives in these Cities. This is why fasting is on the front burner. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1469_Charles_Spurgeon_Preaching_Through_Adversity/ Charles Spurgeon], the London pastor from a century ago, said,

''Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has Heaven's gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory.''

My heart longs for us as a church to be nearer the Central Glory, to be so near the fire that we burn with the zeal of Jesus for his name and for this perishing world.

So let's look now at his fasting.

'''Jesus' Forty Day Fast''' 

Matthew 3:16 says that after being baptized, Jesus came up out of the water and the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. Now the Holy Spirit had always been with Jesus. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. But this was a special anointing, or outpouring, or baptism that would rest on Jesus for his three-year public ministry. He was baptized to identify with us in his submission to God's rule and righteousness. And the Holy Spirit came on him, as he does on us, to empower him and guide him in the huge demands of his ministry.

'''''The Father's Pleasure and the Spirit's Leading'''''

As the Spirit comes upon Jesus, God the Father says (v. 17), "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." One of the wonderful effects of these words is to assure Jesus and us that the fire of misery and pain that Jesus was about to walk into was NOT owing to his Father's displeasure.

This is especially important to see when you notice in the next verse (Matthew 4:1) what the Spirit's first act is in Jesus' ministry. It says, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." The first act of the Spirit in Jesus' ministry is to lead him into the wilderness, and to expose him to Satan's testings.

'''''Jesus Prepares for Combat with Fasting'''''

Under the Spirit's leading Jesus prepared himself to meet the devil by fasting. The Spirit of God willed that the Son of God be tested on his way into the ministry, and he willed that Jesus triumph in this testing through fasting. Jesus triumphed over the great enemy of his soul through fasting.

It seems to me that this story should shake us. Here is Jesus standing on the threshold of the most important public ministry in the history of the world. On his obedience and righteousness hangs the salvation of the world. None will escape damnation without this ministry of obedient suffering and death and resurrection. And God wills that, at the very outset, the ministry be threatened with destruction—namely, the temptations of Satan to abandon the path of lowliness and suffering and obedience. And of all the hundreds of things Jesus might have done to fight off this tremendous threat to salvation, he is led to fast. To fast!

If Satan had succeeded in deterring Jesus from the path of humble, suffering obedience, there would be no salvation. We would still be in our sins and without hope. Therefore we owe our salvation to the faithful fasting of Jesus. This is a remarkable tribute to fasting. Don't ride over this quickly. Think on it. Jesus began his ministry with fasting. And he triumphed over his enemy through fasting.

'''Deuteronomy 8:2–3 Parallels Matthew 4:1–4 '''Now to see the fuller meaning of this, turn with me to Deuteronomy 8. Every time Jesus responds to the three temptations of the devil in the wilderness he quotes from Deuteronomy. "Man shall not live by bread alone"—Deuteronomy 8:3; "You shall not tempt the Lord your God"—Deuteronomy 6:16; and "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve"—Deuteronomy 6:13.

'''''Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness'''''

This is very significant. Here is Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness—the wilderness—and to counter the temptations of Satan Jesus quotes passages from Deuteronomy, all of which are spoken by Moses to the people of Israel about their time of testing in the wilderness. In Matthew 4:3–4 it says,

''The tempter came and said to Him, "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 on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."''

'''''Moses' Words About Israel's Time in the Wilderness'''''

Now look at Deuteronomy 8:2–3 and mark the parallels that you see between that situation in the wilderness and Jesus' situation in the wilderness. Moses says to the people,

''You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness [NOTE: as Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness] these forty years [NOTE: as Jesus was there forty days], that He might humble you, testing you [NOTE: as Jesus was "tested"], to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 And He humbled you and let you be hungry [NOTE: as Jesus was made hungry by his fasting], and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.''

'''''What Do These Parallels Mean?'''''

There are too many similarities between what is happening to Jesus here in the wilderness and what was happening to the people of Israel to think it is an accident. What does this mean?

It means that God is now preparing to deliver his people—the new Israel—from the Egyptian bondage of sin into the promised land of forgiveness and righteousness and peace and joy and eternal life. To do this he has sent a new Joshua—Joshua and Jesus are exactly the same word in Greek (Acts 7:45). This new Joshua stands as the head and representative of the whole people. On their behalf he will now be led by God into the wilderness. It will be 40 days to represent 40 years. He will be tested as Israel was tested. And he will hunger as Israel hungered. And if he triumphs, he and all his people go safely into the promised land.

'''The Aim of Jesus' Fast (and Ours) '''Now we can see the meaning of Jesus' fasting more clearly.

'''''Voluntary Identification with the People of God'''''

It wasn't an arbitrary choice of something to do in the face of satanic temptation. It was a voluntary act of identification with the people of God in their wilderness deprivation and trial. Jesus was saying in effect, "I have been sent to lead the people of God out of the Egypt of sin into the promised land of salvation. To do this I must be one of them. That is why I was born. Therefore I will take on the testing that they experienced. I will represent them in the wilderness and allow my heart to be probed with fasting to show where my allegiance is. And with the Spirit's help I will triumph through this fasting, overcome the devil, and lead all who trust me into the promised land of eternal glory."

'''''A Means of Battling Satan'''''

In other words Jesus' fasting is part of his testing the way hunger was for the people of Israel in the wilderness. But that doesn't mean fasting wasn't a means of battling Satan. Because fasting reveals where the heart is. And when the heart proves to love God more than bread, Satan does not have the foothold he would if our heart was in love with the earthly things like bread.

'''''Proving Our Hearts'''''

The people of God are often called to go without the ordinary means of life. Fasting is a brief, voluntary experience of this deprivation to prove our hearts. When we experience this "going without," the Lord reveals what is in our hearts. What are we controlled by? Richard Foster says in his chapter on fasting,

''More than any other single Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David said, "I humbled my soul with fasting" (Ps. 69:10). Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.''

What are we slaves to? What are our bottom line passions? Fasting is God's testing ground—and healing ground. Will we murmur as the Israelites murmured when they had no bread? Will we leave the path of obedience and turn stones into bread? Or will we "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"? Fasting is a way of revealing to ourselves and confessing to God what is in our hearts.

'''''The Aim of Fasting'''''

And the aim of fasting is that we come to rely less on food and more on God himself. That's the meaning of the words in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Every time we fast, we are saying with Jesus, "Not bread alone. But you, Lord. Not bread alone, but you, Lord."

Let me show you quickly in closing why I think Jesus is saying that we should trust in God not bread.

'''''Why We Should Trust God, Not Bread'''''

It comes from the context of Deuteronomy 8:3 where Jesus gets this word in Matthew 4:4,

''[God] fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that [NOTE!] He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.''

He gave them manna—an utterly un-heard-of food falling from heaven—Why? "So that" they would learn to live on everything that comes from the mouth of God. How does miraculous manna teach that? Because manna is one of the incredible ways God can, with a mere word, reveal himself and meet your needs when all else looks hopeless.

But watch what Satan does with that. Satan says to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, turn this stone to bread." In other words, "Do the manna thing. Make manna like you did in the wilderness. If the point of manna in the wilderness was to teach the people to expect miracles in distress, then treat yourself to some miracle bread, and you will be obeying Scripture."

And Jesus responds, "You are so close and yet so far. You have always handled the Word of God that way, so subtle. You sound like you approve God's Word, but you turn every word against him. The point is this Satan: Don't trust in bread—not even miracle bread—trust in God. Don't get your deepest satisfactions in life from food—not even God-wrought miracle food—but from God. Every word that comes out of the mouth of God reveals God. And it is this self-revelation that we feed on. This will last forever. This is eternal life. Begone, Satan, God is my portion. I will not turn from his path and his fellowship, not even for miraculous manna."

I invite you to let God prove your heart with fasting this Wednesday. See if he does not reveal some deep things to you, and give himself to you for food.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© Desiring God

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone

2008-05-05T04:33:18Z

Kennethclayton4:

January 15, 1995                                      By John Piper

 

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'''Matthew 3:16-4:4'''

''And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" ''

So far this year we have seen the prophets and teachers of Antioch fasting in Acts 13 and we have heard Jesus teach us that when the bridegroom, namely, himself, is taken out of the world, then the attendants of the bridegroom, namely, we, his disciples, will fast. And today we get to see Jesus the Son of God himself fasting.

'''Two Hopes for This Message'''

I have two hopes for this message. One is that we know Jesus better. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1995/897_When_the_Bridegroom_is_Taken_Away_They_Will_Fast__With_New_Wineskins/ Last week] we heard him make the amazing claim that the bridegroom had come—God had called himself the bridegroom and husband of Israel in the Old Testament. Now here was Jesus saying—the bridegroom is here. Today in this text we see Jesus as the representative and head of a new Israel, as a kind of new Joshua preparing to take his people over into the promised land, but first tested in the wilderness.

My other hope, besides getting to know Jesus better, is that we understand fasting better and see more deeply into its spiritual value for us individually and as a church. It should give us pause, I think, to realize that the Son of God began his life's ministry with a 40 day fast. We should stop and think about this. We should ask, What about me, Lord? Can I face the incredible challenges to my Christian life without sharing in the fasting of Jesus?

Can we as a church experience the fullness of Christ's power and blessing without humbly seeking the Lord in fasting? These are pivotal days at Bethlehem. I feel a stirring in my heart for what God is preparing for us. When the staff fasted last Wednesday and prayed, the Lord wove some words together that are filled with hope. The last paragraph of my 1994 annual report goes like this:

''And finally, thanks to you all for your prayer and your unfailing encouragements. I am happy in this work because you have prayed. What a privilege to be here! There are fresh breezes blowing. My sails are up. The sky is clearing. The Lord is aboard and tells me there is good man-fishing not far out to sea.''

My heart is so hungry for a deeper work of God in our midst! A work that will see supernatural new birth taking place week in and week out through your anointed lives in these Cities. This is why fasting is on the front burner. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1469_Charles_Spurgeon_Preaching_Through_Adversity/ Charles Spurgeon], the London pastor from a century ago, said,

''Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has Heaven's gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory.''

My heart longs for us as a church to be nearer the Central Glory, to be so near the fire that we burn with the zeal of Jesus for his name and for this perishing world.

So let's look now at his fasting.

'''Jesus' Forty Day Fast''' 

Matthew 3:16 says that after being baptized, Jesus came up out of the water and the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. Now the Holy Spirit had always been with Jesus. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. But this was a special anointing, or outpouring, or baptism that would rest on Jesus for his three-year public ministry. He was baptized to identify with us in his submission to God's rule and righteousness. And the Holy Spirit came on him, as he does on us, to empower him and guide him in the huge demands of his ministry.

'''''The Father's Pleasure and the Spirit's Leading'''''

As the Spirit comes upon Jesus, God the Father says (v. 17), "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." One of the wonderful effects of these words is to assure Jesus and us that the fire of misery and pain that Jesus was about to walk into was NOT owing to his Father's displeasure.

This is especially important to see when you notice in the next verse (Matthew 4:1) what the Spirit's first act is in Jesus' ministry. It says, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." The first act of the Spirit in Jesus' ministry is to lead him into the wilderness, and to expose him to Satan's testings.

'''''Jesus Prepares for Combat with Fasting'''''

Under the Spirit's leading Jesus prepared himself to meet the devil by fasting. The Spirit of God willed that the Son of God be tested on his way into the ministry, and he willed that Jesus triumph in this testing through fasting. Jesus triumphed over the great enemy of his soul through fasting.

It seems to me that this story should shake us. Here is Jesus standing on the threshold of the most important public ministry in the history of the world. On his obedience and righteousness hangs the salvation of the world. None will escape damnation without this ministry of obedient suffering and death and resurrection. And God wills that, at the very outset, the ministry be threatened with destruction—namely, the temptations of Satan to abandon the path of lowliness and suffering and obedience. And of all the hundreds of things Jesus might have done to fight off this tremendous threat to salvation, he is led to fast. To fast!

If Satan had succeeded in deterring Jesus from the path of humble, suffering obedience, there would be no salvation. We would still be in our sins and without hope. Therefore we owe our salvation to the faithful fasting of Jesus. This is a remarkable tribute to fasting. Don't ride over this quickly. Think on it. Jesus began his ministry with fasting. And he triumphed over his enemy through fasting.

'''Deuteronomy 8:2–3 Parallels Matthew 4:1–4 '''Now to see the fuller meaning of this, turn with me to Deuteronomy 8. Every time Jesus responds to the three temptations of the devil in the wilderness he quotes from Deuteronomy. "Man shall not live by bread alone"—Deuteronomy 8:3; "You shall not tempt the Lord your God"—Deuteronomy 6:16; and "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve"—Deuteronomy 6:13.

'''''Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness'''''

This is very significant. Here is Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness—the wilderness—and to counter the temptations of Satan Jesus quotes passages from Deuteronomy, all of which are spoken by Moses to the people of Israel about their time of testing in the wilderness. In Matthew 4:3–4 it says,

''The tempter came and said to Him, "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 on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."''

'''''Moses' Words About Israel's Time in the Wilderness'''''

Now look at Deuteronomy 8:2–3 and mark the parallels that you see between that situation in the wilderness and Jesus' situation in the wilderness. Moses says to the people,

''You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness [NOTE: as Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness] these forty years [NOTE: as Jesus was there forty days], that He might humble you, testing you [NOTE: as Jesus was "tested"], to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 And He humbled you and let you be hungry [NOTE: as Jesus was made hungry by his fasting], and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.''

'''''What Do These Parallels Mean?'''''

There are too many similarities between what is happening to Jesus here in the wilderness and what was happening to the people of Israel to think it is an accident. What does this mean?

It means that God is now preparing to deliver his people—the new Israel—from the Egyptian bondage of sin into the promised land of forgiveness and righteousness and peace and joy and eternal life. To do this he has sent a new Joshua—Joshua and Jesus are exactly the same word in Greek (Acts 7:45). This new Joshua stands as the head and representative of the whole people. On their behalf he will now be led by God into the wilderness. It will be 40 days to represent 40 years. He will be tested as Israel was tested. And he will hunger as Israel hungered. And if he triumphs, he and all his people go safely into the promised land.

'''The Aim of Jesus' Fast (and Ours) '''Now we can see the meaning of Jesus' fasting more clearly.

Voluntary Identification with the People of God

It wasn't an arbitrary choice of something to do in the face of satanic temptation. It was a voluntary act of identification with the people of God in their wilderness deprivation and trial. Jesus was saying in effect, "I have been sent to lead the people of God out of the Egypt of sin into the promised land of salvation. To do this I must be one of them. That is why I was born. Therefore I will take on the testing that they experienced. I will represent them in the wilderness and allow my heart to be probed with fasting to show where my allegiance is. And with the Spirit's help I will triumph through this fasting, overcome the devil, and lead all who trust me into the promised land of eternal glory."

A Means of Battling Satan

In other words Jesus' fasting is part of his testing the way hunger was for the people of Israel in the wilderness. But that doesn't mean fasting wasn't a means of battling Satan. Because fasting reveals where the heart is. And when the heart proves to love God more than bread, Satan does not have the foothold he would if our heart was in love with the earthly things like bread.

Proving Our Hearts

The people of God are often called to go without the ordinary means of life. Fasting is a brief, voluntary experience of this deprivation to prove our hearts. When we experience this "going without," the Lord reveals what is in our hearts. What are we controlled by? Richard Foster says in his chapter on fasting,

More than any other single Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David said, "I humbled my soul with fasting" (Ps. 69:10). Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.

What are we slaves to? What are our bottom line passions? Fasting is God's testing ground—and healing ground. Will we murmur as the Israelites murmured when they had no bread? Will we leave the path of obedience and turn stones into bread? Or will we "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"? Fasting is a way of revealing to ourselves and confessing to God what is in our hearts.

The Aim of Fasting

And the aim of fasting is that we come to rely less on food and more on God himself. That's the meaning of the words in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Every time we fast, we are saying with Jesus, "Not bread alone. But you, Lord. Not bread alone, but you, Lord."

Let me show you quickly in closing why I think Jesus is saying that we should trust in God not bread.

Why We Should Trust God, Not Bread

It comes from the context of Deuteronomy 8:3 where Jesus gets this word in Matthew 4:4,

[God] fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that [NOTE!] He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

He gave them manna—an utterly un-heard-of food falling from heaven—Why? "So that" they would learn to live on everything that comes from the mouth of God. How does miraculous manna teach that? Because manna is one of the incredible ways God can, with a mere word, reveal himself and meet your needs when all else looks hopeless.

But watch what Satan does with that. Satan says to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, turn this stone to bread." In other words, "Do the manna thing. Make manna like you did in the wilderness. If the point of manna in the wilderness was to teach the people to expect miracles in distress, then treat yourself to some miracle bread, and you will be obeying Scripture."

And Jesus responds, "You are so close and yet so far. You have always handled the Word of God that way, so subtle. You sound like you approve God's Word, but you turn every word against him. The point is this Satan: Don't trust in bread—not even miracle bread—trust in God. Don't get your deepest satisfactions in life from food—not even God-wrought miracle food—but from God. Every word that comes out of the mouth of God reveals God. And it is this self-revelation that we feed on. This will last forever. This is eternal life. Begone, Satan, God is my portion. I will not turn from his path and his fellowship, not even for miraculous manna."

I invite you to let God prove your heart with fasting this Wednesday. See if he does not reveal some deep things to you, and give himself to you for food.

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