It Is Written

The past few weeks I have been reading a book by Max Lucado titled Jesus. It has been a refreshing read, a little journey through the gospels and the life of Christ. In one of the chapters, Max references the verses in Matthew 4 where Jesus is being tempted by Satan. The response of Jesus in those verses caught my attention. The three moments of temptation that we are given a glimpse of (remember, the event lasted 40 days), Jesus responds with the same opening each time, “It is written”–the words of God. Jesus is God. He could have made great arguments and dazzled Satan with his knowledge and intellectual ability. Instead, he said, “It is written” and quoted the scripture each time. Here is why I think he did that: first, because the Bible is the very Word of God; second, to show us how to resist temptation in our lives. Folks, the best defense is a great offense. An understanding and ability to use the Word of God is your offense. If you read the passage in Matthew 4 you will notice that Satan doesn’t argue when Jesus quotes the truth to him; he moves on. The same will be true for you.
“If you know the truth the truth will set you free.”

-Pastor Tim