- You ever seen those cartoons
00:00:00.83\00:00:02.30
where somebody's got
like a devil on one shoulder
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and an angel on another?
00:00:04.30\00:00:05.60
It's a cheesy way of describing
00:00:05.60\00:00:07.74
what it's like to be tempted.
00:00:07.74\00:00:10.07
So what does it
mean, temptation?
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And really what's so
wrong about just giving into it?
00:00:12.01\00:00:16.38
And what if
you're actually forced
00:00:16.38\00:00:17.61
to choose between
two really bad options?
00:00:17.61\00:00:20.92
I'll be right back to
start unpacking some of that
00:00:20.92\00:00:23.69
on today's episode of Authentic.
00:00:23.69\00:00:26.22
[country music]
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You probably remember this
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because it was so
incredibly controversial,
00:00:48.38\00:00:50.61
but back in the late 1980s,
00:00:50.61\00:00:52.71
the American director Martin
Scorsese released a film called
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"The Temptation of
Christ" based on a 1955 novel
00:00:55.78\00:00:59.85
by the same name.
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And as you might
expect, anytime you mess around
00:01:01.42\00:01:03.73
with the
biblical story of Jesus,
00:01:03.73\00:01:05.36
it really upset a lot of people.
00:01:05.36\00:01:07.10
In fact, one group of protestors
in France actually set fire
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to a theater with people inside,
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which if you ask me is a
really strange way to try
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and set the record straight
when it comes to promoting
00:01:16.87\00:01:19.47
the teachings of Christ.
00:01:19.47\00:01:21.24
Martin Scorsese
received multiple death threats,
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which again seems like an odd
way to try and make the truth
00:01:24.08\00:01:27.28
about Jesus seem more obvious.
00:01:27.28\00:01:29.82
Now, to be perfectly honest,
I've never seen the movie,
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even though I wasn't
a practicing Christian
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when it first hit theaters.
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And in hindsight, I'm guessing
that my Christian background
00:01:37.73\00:01:41.13
probably kept me
from wanting to see it,
00:01:41.13\00:01:43.63
the same way that my current
Christian practice has made
00:01:43.63\00:01:46.90
the premise of the film
seem, well distasteful to me.
00:01:46.90\00:01:50.94
Today the teachings
and the person of Christ
00:01:50.94\00:01:53.01
are so important to me
that I'm just not interested
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in waiting around in
the mud with somebody
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who was trying to
twist the life of Christ
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into something that it wasn't.
00:02:00.45\00:02:02.42
I mean, let's be honest,
the actual narrative you find
00:02:03.79\00:02:06.82
in the Bible is challenging
enough without having
00:02:06.82\00:02:09.52
to make stuff up.
00:02:09.52\00:02:10.99
And I've always felt
that altering the story
00:02:10.99\00:02:13.36
is kind of pointless
because if Jesus was real,
00:02:13.36\00:02:17.67
and He really
was the Son of God,
00:02:17.67\00:02:20.37
all you could possibly
hope to do by changing the story
00:02:20.37\00:02:24.17
is to cheat yourself of
something pretty incredible.
00:02:24.17\00:02:27.81
I mean, think of it like this.
00:02:27.81\00:02:29.71
Let's pretend you were
dying of a terminal disease,
00:02:29.71\00:02:32.78
and the doctors
have an actual cure,
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but you choose to believe
that drinking dandelion milk
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is a better solution.
00:02:38.52\00:02:40.32
In a case like
that, you're going to die
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because you wasted time on
a lie instead of investigating
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the life-giving truth.
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Of course, if
it's all just fiction,
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then what does a
little movie matter?
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Believe what you want
00:02:53.47\00:02:54.84
and waste your time
contemplating whatever you want.
00:02:54.84\00:02:58.01
But if this book
is telling the truth,
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I would think it
might be smarter to wrestle
00:03:02.34\00:03:04.25
with a deeply
challenging reality,
00:03:04.25\00:03:06.98
a reality that has the potential
00:03:06.98\00:03:08.82
to add meaning to your life.
00:03:08.82\00:03:11.29
Now that having been said, I
will give the original author,
00:03:12.65\00:03:16.22
and now I'm talking about
the book and not the movie.
00:03:16.22\00:03:18.83
I'll give the
author a few points
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for bringing one
important idea to the forefront.
00:03:20.96\00:03:24.43
And that's the idea that
sometimes we talk about Jesus
00:03:24.43\00:03:28.10
as if He's completely unlike us.
00:03:28.10\00:03:31.41
He got that part right.
00:03:31.41\00:03:33.17
Not much else,
but he got that right.
00:03:33.17\00:03:35.08
I mean, when Jesus
was tempted, it was real.
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It wasn't some
kind of show trial.
00:03:39.38\00:03:41.42
And that's really
important to understand
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because Christians sometimes
like to emphasize Christ's
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deity and talk about Him as
if He was completely different
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from every other human
being who's ever lived.
00:03:50.16\00:03:52.89
But the Bible is crystal clear
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that He lived an
authentic human life,
00:03:54.83\00:03:57.37
like it says in this
passage that I often quote
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from the book of Hebrews,
00:04:00.60\00:04:02.37
"Seeing then that we
have a great high priest
00:04:02.37\00:04:04.87
who has passed through the
heavens," the author tells us,
00:04:04.87\00:04:07.71
Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold fast our confession.
00:04:07.71\00:04:11.91
For we do not have a High
Priest who cannot sympathize
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with our weaknesses, but
was in all points tempted
00:04:14.62\00:04:17.62
as we are yet without sin."
00:04:17.62\00:04:21.26
So now we're about to tread
on some really dangerous ground
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because trying to figure out
exactly how divinity can blend
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with humanity so that
Jesus can be fully God
00:04:28.46\00:04:31.13
and fully man at
the very same time,
00:04:31.13\00:04:33.77
well, that's really beyond
even the brightest of minds.
00:04:33.77\00:04:36.50
And you quickly get into trouble
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if you're not being careful.
00:04:38.01\00:04:40.11
It seems like there are
two equal but opposite ditches
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that you can fall
into when you consider
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the nature of Christ.
00:04:44.61\00:04:46.38
One, you can talk about Jesus
like He's entirely like us,
00:04:46.38\00:04:50.09
completely the same
in every single detail,
00:04:50.09\00:04:53.56
which can lead to
ignoring His deity.
00:04:53.56\00:04:56.69
Or two, you can talk
about Jesus like He's completely
00:04:56.69\00:04:59.76
not like us, which
ignores the incarnation
00:04:59.76\00:05:03.10
and the humanity of Christ.
00:05:03.10\00:05:05.13
So anytime you touch on
the nature of Christ on the way
00:05:05.13\00:05:07.84
that Jesus was
fully God and fully human
00:05:07.84\00:05:10.51
at the very same
time, you run into the risk
00:05:10.51\00:05:13.31
of very probably
getting it wrong,
00:05:13.31\00:05:16.18
at least if you find yourself
trying to drill this down
00:05:16.18\00:05:19.18
to the very finest details.
00:05:19.18\00:05:21.82
And so I wanna move forward
00:05:21.82\00:05:24.49
with a great
deal of caution today
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because I don't wanna find
myself playing the part of a
00:05:26.12\00:05:29.19
fool who rushes into places
where angels fear to tread.
00:05:29.19\00:05:32.49
It's a responsibility
that I take very seriously
00:05:32.49\00:05:35.73
because while I'm
naturally gonna be wrong
00:05:35.73\00:05:37.60
about all kinds of
stuff all the time,
00:05:37.60\00:05:40.50
I still do my level best to talk
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about what I know to be true
and to stay away from things
00:05:42.54\00:05:46.24
that are way above my pay grade.
00:05:46.24\00:05:49.01
So with that
disclaimer firmly in place,
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I wanna talk about the
real story of the temptation
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of Christ, the way
it reads in the Bible,
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because I think it says a
lot about the way that you and I
00:05:57.22\00:06:00.06
are required to navigate life.
00:06:00.06\00:06:02.62
It's the story of a man
who was completely unlike us
00:06:02.62\00:06:06.46
because He was
sinless, God in human flesh.
00:06:06.46\00:06:10.10
But more importantly,
it's also the story of a man
00:06:10.10\00:06:13.10
who was like us the way
the book of Hebrews describes.
00:06:13.10\00:06:16.71
He came to live an authentic
human life and to show us
00:06:16.71\00:06:20.21
what it means to
live as the image of God.
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And we really have two choices
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when it comes to
examining this story
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because the Bible gives
us two different versions,
00:06:27.78\00:06:30.75
at least when it
comes to the details.
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Mark only mentions the
temptation of Christ in passing,
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but then you find one
detailed account in Matthew
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and another one in Luke.
00:06:40.43\00:06:42.23
Now the content is the same.
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It's the same list
of three temptations,
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but Matthew and
Luke actually list them
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in a different order.
00:06:49.14\00:06:50.71
Matthew arranges the temptation,
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so they kind of
build to a natural climax,
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and he ends with the
devil offering to give Jesus all
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the kingdoms of this world.
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But then Luke's order
is somewhat different.
00:06:59.71\00:07:02.32
He lists the
temptations differently,
00:07:02.32\00:07:04.69
beginning with the temptation
to turn stones into bread,
00:07:04.69\00:07:08.32
then the offer of the
kingdoms of this world,
00:07:08.32\00:07:10.89
and then finally
daring Jesus to leap
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from the pinnacle of the temple.
00:07:13.19\00:07:15.46
Luke is roughly approximating
00:07:15.46\00:07:17.43
the order of the temptations
you find in the Garden of Eden
00:07:17.43\00:07:20.47
where the serpent starts with
an appeal to human appetite.
00:07:20.47\00:07:23.91
And then leads to this idea
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that we can become something
more than human, God-like.
00:07:25.41\00:07:30.18
Of course, as I've
mentioned in other episodes,
00:07:30.18\00:07:32.51
Matthew is emphasizing
the kingship of Jesus,
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demonstrating that Jesus is
the lion of the tribe of Judah,
00:07:35.55\00:07:39.75
and Luke is underlining
the humanity of Christ
00:07:39.75\00:07:42.66
by showing Jesus
as the Son of man.
00:07:42.66\00:07:46.03
And I struggle a
little bit to decide
00:07:46.03\00:07:47.86
which version we
should look at today
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because there's a lot to
learn from both approaches.
00:07:49.56\00:07:53.30
But I think because Matthew
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is actually a bit
of a personal favorite,
00:07:54.80\00:07:57.11
I'm gonna look at it
from his perspective.
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Of course, what you should
probably do when the show is
00:08:00.04\00:08:02.31
over is go back and read both
accounts to see what you can
00:08:02.31\00:08:05.61
learn from these two
different approaches.
00:08:05.61\00:08:07.78
But now it's time to
get down to brass tacks,
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and do a little bit of reading.
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So here we go, beginning in
Matthew 4:1, the Bible says,
00:08:12.35\00:08:17.09
"Then Jesus was led up by
the Spirit into the wilderness
00:08:18.43\00:08:21.06
to be tempted by the devil.
00:08:21.06\00:08:23.10
And when He had
fasted 40 days and 40 nights,
00:08:23.10\00:08:25.77
afterward He was hungry."
00:08:25.77\00:08:28.60
So let's pause
there for a moment
00:08:28.60\00:08:31.14
and consider the
information we already have.
00:08:31.14\00:08:34.34
The temptation of
Christ according to the Bible
00:08:34.34\00:08:37.25
was something
that had to happen.
00:08:37.25\00:08:39.85
So in other
words, it was planned.
00:08:39.85\00:08:42.05
It tells us the Spirit
led Jesus into the wilderness,
00:08:42.05\00:08:45.05
specifically for the
purpose of being tempted.
00:08:45.05\00:08:48.66
You see, as you study
the ministry of Jesus,
00:08:48.66\00:08:51.43
what you're gonna find
is that there's just no end
00:08:51.43\00:08:53.46
to the breadth of it.
00:08:53.46\00:08:55.10
If you ask the question,
what did Jesus come to do,
00:08:55.10\00:08:59.37
you're not gonna
find an easy answer.
00:08:59.37\00:09:01.37
I mean, yes, the book of
Luke summarizes His ministry
00:09:01.37\00:09:03.94
beautifully by saying,
"The Son of Man has come to seek
00:09:03.94\00:09:06.94
and to save
that which was lost."
00:09:06.94\00:09:09.94
And that's really
what He did in a nutshell.
00:09:09.94\00:09:12.78
But unpacking that idea is gonna
take the rest of your life,
00:09:12.78\00:09:16.72
and even then you won't be done.
00:09:16.72\00:09:18.39
And right here at
the top of the story,
00:09:19.45\00:09:21.06
we discovered that
Jesus had to face the devil.
00:09:21.06\00:09:23.49
He had to be tempted,
00:09:23.49\00:09:25.33
and the Spirit of
God arranged Him, why?
00:09:25.33\00:09:28.53
Because you and I
failed, humanity failed.
00:09:28.53\00:09:31.20
We believed a lie,
00:09:31.20\00:09:32.43
and we caved in in
the face of temptation.
00:09:32.43\00:09:35.20
And if Jesus is
gonna stand as the new head
00:09:35.20\00:09:37.57
of the human race, as an
authentic human being made
00:09:37.57\00:09:40.81
in the image of God,
He's gonna have to face
00:09:40.81\00:09:43.35
the same challenges that we do.
00:09:43.35\00:09:45.55
And I'll be
right back after this
00:09:45.55\00:09:47.65
to explore that
just a little bit more.
00:09:47.65\00:09:50.42
[bright music]
00:09:50.42\00:09:53.32
- [Narrator] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:09:53.32\00:09:55.76
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:09:55.76\00:09:59.13
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:09:59.13\00:10:01.53
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:10:01.53\00:10:04.63
Here at The Voice of Prophecy,
00:10:04.63\00:10:06.17
we've created the Discover
Bible guides to be your guide
00:10:06.17\00:10:08.97
to the Bible.
00:10:08.97\00:10:10.21
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:10:10.21\00:10:12.44
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions,
00:10:12.44\00:10:15.44
and they're absolutely free.
00:10:15.44\00:10:17.48
So jump online
now or give us a call,
00:10:17.48\00:10:19.75
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:10:19.75\00:10:22.12
- The story of the real
temptation of Christ begins
00:10:23.45\00:10:25.65
by telling us that this was
something that had to happen.
00:10:25.65\00:10:29.42
And then it tells us that
by the time the devil shows up,
00:10:29.42\00:10:32.06
Jesus has already
been fasting for 40 days.
00:10:32.06\00:10:35.96
Now, it doesn't tell us
exactly why He's fasting,
00:10:35.96\00:10:38.57
but it's not too
hard to figure it out.
00:10:38.57\00:10:40.67
Right before this story, we
find the story of Jesus baptism
00:10:40.67\00:10:44.47
where a voice from
heaven suddenly says,
00:10:44.47\00:10:46.54
"This is my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased."
00:10:46.54\00:10:51.21
He's been publicly introduced
as Messiah, and the baptism
00:10:51.21\00:10:55.22
is the point at which
Jesus public ministry begins.
00:10:55.22\00:10:58.55
So what is He
doing in the wilderness?
00:10:58.55\00:11:00.52
He's probably contemplating
the nature of His work,
00:11:00.52\00:11:03.19
the task that lies before Him.
00:11:03.19\00:11:05.33
And He's probably
fasting to keep His mind clear,
00:11:05.33\00:11:08.50
which is a spiritual discipline
that Christians have largely
00:11:08.50\00:11:11.37
lost sight of here
in the 21st century.
00:11:11.37\00:11:14.60
And it's after 40
days of not eating
00:11:14.60\00:11:17.37
that the devil
suddenly shows up.
00:11:17.37\00:11:19.07
It says in verse three, "Now
when the tempter came to Him,
00:11:19.07\00:11:23.35
he said, if you
are the Son of God,
00:11:23.35\00:11:26.41
command that these
stones become bread."
00:11:26.41\00:11:29.32
There's an important
word in that statement,
00:11:29.32\00:11:31.89
and it's a really short word.
00:11:31.89\00:11:33.22
It's that tiny word, if.
00:11:33.22\00:11:36.42
God, the Father has just
publicly declared that Jesus
00:11:36.42\00:11:39.46
is His son, and now
the tempter is trying
00:11:39.46\00:11:42.13
to make Jesus doubt that.
00:11:42.13\00:11:44.27
And you'll notice he doesn't
do it when Jesus is strong,
00:11:44.27\00:11:47.04
and brimming with
confidence, the tempter hits Him
00:11:47.04\00:11:50.57
when he's fatigued.
00:11:50.57\00:11:52.14
Now, I've never fasted for 40
days, but I've done it for 10.
00:11:52.14\00:11:55.68
And I can tell you
that there comes a point
00:11:55.68\00:11:57.61
where you begin to
feel, well a little weak.
00:11:57.61\00:12:01.52
So what we have here
in essence is a person
00:12:01.52\00:12:03.79
who's getting
kicked while he's down.
00:12:03.79\00:12:06.05
And that tells us something
about the nature of temptation.
00:12:06.05\00:12:09.82
It doesn't really happen
when you're resolute and brave,
00:12:09.82\00:12:13.19
it happens during moments
of weakness when you're tired,
00:12:13.19\00:12:16.13
or you're angry, or
maybe you're even bored.
00:12:16.13\00:12:18.57
And it's at those moments
00:12:19.77\00:12:21.17
that bad ideas quickly
develop into temptation.
00:12:21.17\00:12:25.31
Let me give you an
example of what I'm getting at.
00:12:25.31\00:12:27.81
On a normal day when
you're making a purchase
00:12:27.81\00:12:29.98
at the Seven 11, you can
look at those lottery tickets
00:12:29.98\00:12:32.38
on the counter and know
that your odds of winning
00:12:32.38\00:12:35.08
are incredibly low.
00:12:35.08\00:12:37.02
You know, one out of millions.
00:12:37.02\00:12:40.19
So you have the presence of mind
00:12:40.19\00:12:41.66
to think about
your household budget.
00:12:41.66\00:12:43.32
And you realize that dropping
50 bucks on lottery tickets
00:12:43.32\00:12:46.86
is not the best
use of your money.
00:12:46.86\00:12:48.93
In fact, it's not much better
00:12:48.93\00:12:50.70
than actually burning the cash.
00:12:50.70\00:12:52.77
But now let's suppose
that you've been fired,
00:12:53.97\00:12:56.40
and your funds are low and you
don't have the money you need
00:12:56.40\00:12:59.07
to make your mortgage payment
on the first of the month.
00:12:59.07\00:13:01.71
This morning, you
saw that the jackpot
00:13:01.71\00:13:03.85
is now at $1.3 billion.
00:13:03.85\00:13:07.18
So your desperate need begins
to drive your appetite in ways
00:13:07.18\00:13:11.25
that it wouldn't otherwise.
00:13:11.25\00:13:13.05
And of course, you tell yourself
00:13:13.05\00:13:14.76
that if you had
that kind of money,
00:13:14.76\00:13:16.12
you'd be the most
benevolent person on Earth.
00:13:16.12\00:13:18.13
And you think about
all the good you would do,
00:13:18.13\00:13:20.36
you would build a new clinic,
00:13:20.36\00:13:21.56
you would open an
orphanage in India,
00:13:21.56\00:13:23.60
you would even give most
of that money to the church.
00:13:23.60\00:13:26.90
But of course, the
odds are exactly the same
00:13:26.90\00:13:29.60
as they were before,
which is as close to zero
00:13:29.60\00:13:31.91
as you can get without
it actually being zero.
00:13:31.91\00:13:35.24
But now for some reason,
00:13:35.24\00:13:36.51
when you don't
actually have 50 bucks to spare,
00:13:36.51\00:13:39.25
you're far more
tempted to buy the tickets
00:13:39.25\00:13:41.75
than when you do
have the 50 bucks
00:13:41.75\00:13:44.22
because now you're
being driven by desperation.
00:13:44.22\00:13:47.66
Or maybe it's
something far more serious
00:13:48.66\00:13:50.19
than you're spending a couple
of bucks on a lottery ticket,
00:13:50.19\00:13:52.83
which for most people
is neither here nor there.
00:13:52.83\00:13:56.10
Maybe you're tempted
to go and rob a bank.
00:13:56.10\00:13:58.47
It's something
you would never do
00:13:58.47\00:14:00.30
under any other circumstance.
00:14:00.30\00:14:02.47
But now you are at risk of
being thrown on the street,
00:14:02.47\00:14:05.34
and your perception of
reality is being skewed
00:14:05.34\00:14:08.01
by your sense of desperation.
00:14:08.01\00:14:10.11
I mean, don't most people
judge criminals differently
00:14:10.11\00:14:13.55
if we know they
stole a loaf of bread
00:14:13.55\00:14:15.28
because they were hungry?
00:14:15.28\00:14:17.09
Everybody instinctively
knows there's a difference
00:14:17.09\00:14:19.79
between stealing
because you're needy
00:14:19.79\00:14:22.19
and stealing
because you are greedy.
00:14:22.19\00:14:24.93
The world's not gonna
judge you quite as harshly,
00:14:24.93\00:14:27.03
and really don't you need
the money more than most people?
00:14:27.03\00:14:30.57
Nevermind it, stealing
actually transfers your problems
00:14:31.83\00:14:34.37
to somebody else.
00:14:34.37\00:14:35.57
And nevermind the fact
00:14:35.57\00:14:37.04
that people usually get
hurt during a bank robbery,
00:14:37.04\00:14:39.41
or at least traumatized.
00:14:39.41\00:14:41.48
In this case, we
just tell ourselves
00:14:41.48\00:14:43.51
the ends really
do justify the means
00:14:43.51\00:14:45.31
because we're in trouble.
00:14:45.31\00:14:47.92
Now, what I'm not suggesting
00:14:47.92\00:14:49.42
is that we
shouldn't pay attention
00:14:49.42\00:14:50.89
to someone's motives when
we're considering punishment.
00:14:50.89\00:14:54.12
I'm simply pointing out
that desperation has a way
00:14:54.12\00:14:56.73
of shifting our values,
of making us consider things
00:14:56.73\00:14:59.86
we would never consider
under any other circumstance.
00:14:59.86\00:15:04.00
What isn't a temptation
00:15:04.00\00:15:05.50
when we're strong suddenly
becomes one when we're weak.
00:15:05.50\00:15:09.94
And that's what's
happening to Jesus.
00:15:09.94\00:15:11.94
He's been tempted
after 40 days of fasting.
00:15:11.94\00:15:15.64
Hey, the devil says, if
you really are the Son of God,
00:15:15.64\00:15:18.48
why don't you just turn
these stones into bread?
00:15:18.48\00:15:20.58
Easy peasy, no
need to go hungry.
00:15:20.58\00:15:23.08
It's the
temptation of exception.
00:15:24.19\00:15:27.29
Intellectually,
you know it's wrong,
00:15:27.29\00:15:29.02
but these are
special circumstances, right?
00:15:29.02\00:15:31.53
And most of us wouldn't
hesitate to find an easy fix
00:15:31.53\00:15:35.10
for hunger and that's the
way it always seems to go.
00:15:35.10\00:15:38.93
We know that something is wrong,
00:15:38.93\00:15:40.77
and of course we
would never do it,
00:15:40.77\00:15:42.87
but then we tell ourselves
this is a special occasion.
00:15:42.87\00:15:46.61
Just think about the number
of times you've told somebody,
00:15:46.61\00:15:48.68
look, I'm sorry
I did that to you,
00:15:48.68\00:15:50.71
but here's what
you've got to understand.
00:15:50.71\00:15:53.31
Understand what?
00:15:53.31\00:15:54.98
That you actually had a
good reason for behaving badly.
00:15:54.98\00:15:57.72
Is that supposed to
make the way you hurt
00:15:57.72\00:15:59.62
somebody else now acceptable?
00:15:59.62\00:16:02.39
Look, I understand
there are special cases
00:16:03.43\00:16:05.96
where you had to choose
from the least among evils,
00:16:05.96\00:16:08.30
like the famous conundrum
that came from World War II.
00:16:08.30\00:16:11.90
The Nazis are knocking at
your door and they're demanding
00:16:11.90\00:16:14.37
to know if you're hiding
Jews, if you tell the truth,
00:16:14.37\00:16:17.91
there's a good chance that
innocent people are going to
00:16:17.91\00:16:20.71
die. So you've
gotta make up your mind.
00:16:20.71\00:16:22.24
Do you lie to save human
lives or do you tell the truth,
00:16:22.24\00:16:26.45
and watch your house guests
get herded into a cattle car
00:16:26.45\00:16:29.65
and sent to a death camp?
00:16:29.65\00:16:31.25
So yeah, in the real
world we often find ourselves
00:16:32.62\00:16:35.42
up against some
really hard choices.
00:16:35.42\00:16:37.96
And sometimes we try to figure
out not how to save the day,
00:16:37.96\00:16:41.30
but how to cause the least harm.
00:16:41.30\00:16:44.23
And I do think it
might be a good idea
00:16:44.23\00:16:45.90
to come back someday and
reexamine that exact scenario
00:16:45.90\00:16:49.10
because I actually
think there are good answers
00:16:49.10\00:16:51.81
about how to navigate
those kinds of ethics.
00:16:51.81\00:16:54.98
But for right
now, I just wanna focus
00:16:54.98\00:16:56.88
on the temptation
we all experience.
00:16:56.88\00:16:59.85
We like to convince ourselves
00:16:59.85\00:17:01.38
that something might be
wrong under most circumstances,
00:17:01.38\00:17:04.69
but this
circumstance is an exception.
00:17:04.69\00:17:07.29
What we find the
devil doing in this story
00:17:08.39\00:17:10.09
is trying to convince
Jesus to use His divine power
00:17:10.09\00:17:12.89
to solve a human problem.
00:17:12.89\00:17:15.60
But what Jesus came to do,
at least in part is to succeed
00:17:15.60\00:17:19.83
where the first Adam failed.
00:17:19.83\00:17:21.94
When the tempter first appealed
00:17:21.94\00:17:23.27
to our appetite
in Eden, it worked.
00:17:23.27\00:17:26.14
We chose personal satisfaction
over obedience to God.
00:17:26.14\00:17:29.91
And in this story,
precisely the opposite happens.
00:17:29.91\00:17:33.52
Adam and Eve were
not dying of hunger
00:17:33.52\00:17:35.68
the day they were tempted.
00:17:35.68\00:17:36.92
In fact, they lived
in a world of plenty,
00:17:36.92\00:17:40.02
but still the tempter appealed
to their appetite and said,
00:17:40.02\00:17:42.59
listen, maybe God said you
couldn't eat from every tree,
00:17:42.59\00:17:45.66
but have you
actually looked at this one?
00:17:45.66\00:17:48.83
"So when the woman saw that
the tree was good for food,"
00:17:48.83\00:17:51.33
it says in Genesis, "that
it was pleasant to the eyes
00:17:51.33\00:17:54.37
and a tree
desirable to make one wise,
00:17:54.37\00:17:57.37
she took its fruit and ate."
00:17:57.37\00:17:59.47
Way back then it
wasn't a case of need,
00:18:00.58\00:18:03.01
but most people would've no
problem suggesting that Jesus
00:18:03.01\00:18:05.98
might be perfectly
justified in doing this
00:18:05.98\00:18:09.18
because He's just
been fasting for 40 days.
00:18:09.18\00:18:11.72
And we all know that 41
days starts to get dangerous.
00:18:11.72\00:18:16.79
I'll be right back after this.
00:18:17.59\00:18:19.26
- [Narrator] There
is a place so still,
00:18:25.27\00:18:27.70
you can almost
hear your imagination.
00:18:32.01\00:18:34.48
[gentle music]
00:18:38.91\00:18:41.55
So free, your spirits can soar.
00:18:42.58\00:18:47.66
So vast, it
needs to be explored.
00:18:52.13\00:18:57.17
[soft music]
00:19:01.14\00:19:03.61
So high, you can
touch the clouds.
00:19:06.17\00:19:11.25
A place called
Discovery Mountain.
00:19:14.18\00:19:19.25
[soft music]
00:19:22.69\00:19:25.16
- Back in the 1960's
when Joseph Fletcher released
00:19:31.50\00:19:34.80
his now famous book, "Situation
Ethics" he argued that right
00:19:34.80\00:19:38.54
and wrong are not necessarily
clear cut ethical categories,
00:19:38.54\00:19:42.08
that the real world
might be more a matter
00:19:42.08\00:19:44.71
of shades of gray.
00:19:44.71\00:19:46.72
Something might be wrong under
most circumstances, he said,
00:19:46.72\00:19:49.45
but sometimes it's
perfectly justified
00:19:49.45\00:19:52.15
because the
situation demands it.
00:19:52.15\00:19:54.56
"There are times"
Joseph Fletcher wrote,
00:19:54.56\00:19:56.26
"when a man has to
push his principles aside
00:19:56.26\00:19:58.66
and do the right thing."
00:19:58.66\00:20:00.50
Now, I wanna be careful
because in a broken world,
00:20:00.50\00:20:03.13
there actually are some
gray areas and not everything
00:20:03.13\00:20:06.94
is always easy to
figure out, ethically speaking.
00:20:06.94\00:20:09.70
And I also wanna be careful
00:20:09.70\00:20:11.14
that I don't make a
caricature out of this book
00:20:11.14\00:20:13.31
because while I disagree
with this basic premise,
00:20:13.31\00:20:16.51
the book is far more nuanced
00:20:16.51\00:20:18.35
than I'm about to lead
some of you to believe.
00:20:18.35\00:20:21.35
I guess I just felt
the need to mention him
00:20:21.35\00:20:23.62
because he had such a
profound influence on the way
00:20:23.62\00:20:26.15
that our generation thinks.
00:20:26.15\00:20:29.06
But now let's get
back to the matter at hand,
00:20:29.06\00:20:31.19
and that's the
first temptation of Christ
00:20:31.19\00:20:33.60
the way it reads in
Matthew chapter four.
00:20:33.60\00:20:36.36
Somebody might be asking
why it would be wrong for Jesus
00:20:36.36\00:20:39.93
to feed Himself.
00:20:39.93\00:20:41.17
And the answer is,
well, it wouldn't be.
00:20:41.17\00:20:43.97
And that's kind of the point.
00:20:43.97\00:20:45.74
The road to darkness never
starts with an obvious evil.
00:20:45.74\00:20:50.11
Of course, Jesus is hungry.
00:20:50.11\00:20:51.55
And of course, it's
not a sin to take care
00:20:51.55\00:20:53.88
of your basic physical needs.
00:20:53.88\00:20:55.38
That's not the
point of the story.
00:20:55.38\00:20:58.05
What the devil is suggesting
is that Jesus should use His
00:20:58.05\00:21:00.86
divine power
for His own benefit,
00:21:00.86\00:21:03.86
and he's also
tempting Him to defend himself.
00:21:03.86\00:21:06.80
The heavens had parted,
00:21:06.80\00:21:07.96
the voice of his
Father had told the world
00:21:07.96\00:21:09.83
that he was
Messiah, the Son of God.
00:21:09.83\00:21:12.80
And now in a moment
of physical weakness,
00:21:12.80\00:21:15.54
another voice is saying,
if you are the Son of God,
00:21:15.54\00:21:20.61
in other words he's
tempting Jesus, the man
00:21:21.68\00:21:23.81
to doubt something
that God has plainly said,
00:21:23.81\00:21:26.65
which is exactly
what happened in Eden.
00:21:26.65\00:21:29.32
"Do not eat from
that tree," God said,
00:21:29.32\00:21:31.69
but then the serpent whispered,
00:21:31.69\00:21:33.52
"Did God really
say" that for real?
00:21:33.52\00:21:36.19
Which brings us
to Jesus' answer,
00:21:36.19\00:21:38.43
which you find in verse four.
00:21:38.43\00:21:40.66
"But He answered and said,
00:21:40.66\00:21:42.13
it is written, man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:21:42.13\00:21:45.80
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God."
00:21:45.80\00:21:50.04
Here's what's
going on in this story.
00:21:50.04\00:21:52.04
A balancing of two essential
requirements are physical needs
00:21:52.04\00:21:56.91
and our need to be in
harmony with our maker.
00:21:56.91\00:21:59.78
And if you have to
prioritize one of those,
00:21:59.78\00:22:02.12
if it comes down to
choosing between those two,
00:22:02.12\00:22:05.29
we need to choose our
relationship with God.
00:22:05.29\00:22:08.06
The human brain
is remarkably good
00:22:08.06\00:22:09.82
at finding reasons to disobey.
00:22:09.82\00:22:12.03
We have this talent for
manufacturing a reason that God
00:22:12.03\00:22:15.76
must be wrong in
this particular case,
00:22:15.76\00:22:18.20
that He would change His mind
00:22:18.20\00:22:19.50
if He only
understood our circumstances.
00:22:19.50\00:22:22.04
You and I are remarkably gifted
00:22:22.04\00:22:24.41
when it comes to the
art of justification.
00:22:24.41\00:22:27.28
And the fallen heart
almost always chooses self.
00:22:27.28\00:22:31.55
Just a few chapters
later, Jesus makes it obvious
00:22:32.88\00:22:35.58
why He made the decision He did.
00:22:35.58\00:22:37.89
Listen to what He says
in the Sermon on the Mount,
00:22:37.89\00:22:40.79
"Therefore do not worry,
saying what shall we eat,
00:22:40.79\00:22:44.03
or what shall we
drink, or what shall we wear?
00:22:44.03\00:22:47.03
For after all these
things the Gentiles seek.
00:22:47.03\00:22:49.93
For your heavenly Father knows
00:22:49.93\00:22:51.43
that you need all these things,
00:22:51.43\00:22:53.34
but seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness
00:22:53.34\00:22:56.57
and all these things
shall be added to you."
00:22:56.57\00:22:59.24
Have a look at what we
already know from this story.
00:23:00.58\00:23:03.18
The temptations were something
Jesus had to go through.
00:23:03.18\00:23:06.18
And it says that
the Spirit was the one
00:23:06.18\00:23:07.92
who led Him into the wilderness.
00:23:07.92\00:23:10.12
This was an exercise in trust,
00:23:10.12\00:23:12.42
which is one of the biggest
things the human race lost
00:23:12.42\00:23:15.29
when we turned our backs on God.
00:23:15.29\00:23:17.59
We used to trust what He said.
00:23:17.59\00:23:19.36
We used to believe
00:23:19.36\00:23:20.60
that He always had our
best interests at heart.
00:23:20.60\00:23:22.10
We used to trust
that He actually knew
00:23:22.10\00:23:24.50
what He was talking about.
00:23:24.50\00:23:26.23
And then we
listened to a serpent
00:23:26.23\00:23:27.74
and foolishly tossed
our trust out the window.
00:23:27.74\00:23:31.07
So as a real human
being, Jesus the man
00:23:31.07\00:23:34.11
was going to have to restore
that trust between the creator
00:23:34.11\00:23:37.01
and His creation.
00:23:37.01\00:23:38.48
He was gonna have to endure
real privation, real discomfort
00:23:38.48\00:23:42.05
and trust that
obedience was still important.
00:23:42.05\00:23:45.52
And so, no, there's
nothing wrong with eating
00:23:45.52\00:23:47.89
when you're hungry, but
there is something wrong
00:23:47.89\00:23:50.23
with taking moral shortcuts
when you know full well
00:23:50.23\00:23:53.96
what you should be doing.
00:23:53.96\00:23:55.26
Jesus had to conquer
appetite in pursuit of obedience
00:23:56.67\00:23:59.17
because you and I
rejected obedience
00:23:59.17\00:24:01.10
for the sake of appetite.
00:24:01.10\00:24:02.97
And if He was going
to become the new head
00:24:02.97\00:24:05.07
of the human race, He
had to do this as one of us.
00:24:05.07\00:24:09.31
If He caved into temptation,
you and I would be lost.
00:24:09.31\00:24:12.45
Our corporate rebellion,
00:24:12.45\00:24:13.95
our corporate disobedience
would stand on the books
00:24:13.95\00:24:15.92
for all eternity and there
would be no justifiable way
00:24:15.92\00:24:19.49
to restore us to
the kingdom of God.
00:24:19.49\00:24:22.66
What we have in the
Bible is the story of a man
00:24:22.66\00:24:25.16
who would not take shortcuts,
00:24:25.16\00:24:27.20
who wouldn't take the easy road,
not if it meant losing you.
00:24:27.20\00:24:31.83
The final path to victory in
this case included the cross.
00:24:31.83\00:24:35.27
And if there was
ever a reason to say,
00:24:35.27\00:24:37.11
you know in this case
I'm just not going to do it,
00:24:37.11\00:24:40.04
and that would've been it,
00:24:40.04\00:24:41.64
but that also would've
been game over for all of us.
00:24:41.64\00:24:44.71
I'll be right back after this.
00:24:44.71\00:24:47.92
[bright music]
00:24:47.92\00:24:50.92
- [Narrator] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:24:50.92\00:24:55.22
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:24:55.22\00:24:59.83
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:24:59.83\00:25:01.96
and come away scratching
your head, you are not alone.
00:25:01.96\00:25:05.00
Our free "Focus on
Prophecy" guides are designed
00:25:05.00\00:25:07.94
to help you unlock the
mysteries of the Bible,
00:25:07.94\00:25:10.17
and deepen your understanding
of God's plan for you
00:25:10.17\00:25:13.17
and our world.
00:25:13.17\00:25:14.38
Study online or
request them by mail
00:25:14.38\00:25:16.71
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:25:16.71\00:25:19.68
- So far, we've only explored
00:25:21.12\00:25:22.95
one out of the
three temptations,
00:25:22.95\00:25:24.62
that means we're gonna have
to come back some other day.
00:25:24.62\00:25:27.22
So maybe let's review
some of the highlights so far.
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This is the story of a real man.
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He was God in human
flesh, that divine Son of God,
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but he was also
a real human being.
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And sometimes we forget that.
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I mean, yes, Jesus
is larger than life
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and He's very much
unlike us in a lot of ways.
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But the point of
this story is to show us
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that God understands what
it's like to live in this place.
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When the Spirit led
Jesus out into the wilderness,
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it wasn't a matter of
just going through the motions.
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When the Bible says
that Jesus was tempted,
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it means He was really tempted.
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And that's about the only
part of the last temptation
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of Christ that the
original author got right,
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the fact that Jesus
was actually tempted.
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I've met a lot of Christians
who tell me that Jesus
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couldn't have
sinned in this story,
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and that doesn't
really make sense
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because then it's
not a real temptation
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and He's not a real human being.
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And let's be honest
about this, Jesus was tempted
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to do things that you and
I will never be tempted to do
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because changing stones
into bread isn't exactly a part
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of our skillset.
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So in that sense,
you might say that Jesus
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was tempted beyond
what you and I go through.
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So yes, He could have sinned,
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or there wouldn't be
a point to the story,
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but at the same time I think
it's important to point out
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that Jesus wouldn't have
sinned because of His character.
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And there's no doubt
that this story is designed
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to build your
confidence in who He is.
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This is a God you can trust.
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You and me, we
would've failed, but He didn't.
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Which only goes to show
that you really can trust Him
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with your future.
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Look, I know some people say
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that none of this
ever actually happened,
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but that's an impression
that quickly fades away
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if you make the effort to
sit down and actually read this.
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And I mean really pay
attention to what's happening.
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This is the story of a world
full of people you can't trust,
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and a God who goes to
great lengths to prove
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that He's trustworthy.
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So maybe it's time to
give this story one more look.
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Maybe it's time to examine
God as He comes to this world
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in human flesh to live
among us, really as one of us,
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and succeed in
every area that we failed
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and then gave His life for us.
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Look, I've run
out of time today,
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so I'm gonna have to
leave the other two temptations
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for another time.
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Thanks for joining me today.
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I'm Shawn Boonstra,
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and this has been
another episode of Authentic.
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