Sunday School. I am certain I always learn so much more than I share. And I always have WAY more prepared than we will ever actually get to discuss. Today, we spent almost the entire lesson just on the temptations. I knew that would probably be the case. But I always prepare more just in case, but also so I have this record of what I studied/learned/wanted to share. And I always wish I could somehow teach and take notes at the same time, because often the comments are SO good.
What stood out to you this week as you studied CFM? What insights did you gain? What parts were especially meaningful to you?
Names of Christ in these chapters. Do any stand out to you or hold special meaning for you? Are there any that you would like to study in greater depth?
Son of God (Luke 4:9, Matt. 4:36), Lord thy God (Matt. 4:7), Physician (Luke 5:31, Luke 4:23), Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 4:34), Holy One of God (Luke 4:34), Christ the Son of God (Luke 4:41), Master (often translated Teacher) (Luke 5:5), O Lord (Luke 5:8), Son of Man (Luke 5:24), Joseph’s Son, Anointed One,
Matthew 4: 1-3 point out importance of JST
How can YOU commune with God? What do you do to strengthen your relationship with Him?
*Lilia shared taking time to prepare...to prepare for attending the temple, prepare her spirit before reading the scriptures, prepare for church...this preparation opens her heart and helps her to have a better experience/learn more.
What can we learn from this first temptation to turn stone into bread?
Elder Holland recently wrote a book entitled “Our Day Star Rising” and it has thoughts on many chapters in the New Testament. I love some of his thoughts on these temptations.
Quote #1 “Whatever else Satan may do, he will certainly appeal to our appetites. ...The temptation is NOT in the eating. He has eaten before, He will soon eat again, He must eat for the rest of His mortal life. The temptation, at least the part I wish to focus on, is to do it this way, to get His bread—His physical satisfaction, relief for His human appetite—the easy way, by abuse of power and without a willingness to wait for the right time and the right way. ...Why do things the hard way? ...But Christ will not selfishly ask for unearned bread. He will postpone gratification, indefinitely if necessary, rather than appease appetite—even ravenous appetite—with what is not His.”
*One thing Satan tries to tempt us to do is take the easy route. Get something for nothing. Cut corners.
How does Christ respond?
Matthew 4:4
He quotes scripture. Knowing scripture, singing hymns, doing things that invite the spirit can also help US to overcome temptation.
QUOTE #2 Elder Richard G. Scott, “"I suggest that you memorize scriptures that touch your heart and fill your soul with understanding. When scriptures are used as the Lord has caused them to be recorded, they have intrinsic power that is not communicated when paraphrased. Sometimes when there is a significant need in my life, I review mentally scriptures that have given me strength. There is great solace, direction, and power that flow from the scriptures, especially the words of the Lord." ("He Lives," Ensign, Nov. 1999, pp. 87-89)
Elder Scott also said: “"To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship." "It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort and be a source of motivation for needed change."
On Follow Him podcast, Dr. Jan Martin shared that she was bullied throughout junior high and high school. It really affected her and caused her to doubt her worth. When she heard Elder Scott say that memorize scriptures would bring solace, direction and power, she began to memorize scripture. Whenever doubrs or feelings of inadequacy would come, when she felt lonely and worthless, she would combat those feelings with the words of scripture. At first, she repeated them to herslef, telling herself this is what she wanted to believe, but eventually she came to know they were true.
How have scriptures helped you overcome temptation or helped you gain strength?
Matthew 4: 5-7
What can we learn from this temptation and Christ’s response?
Quote #3 Elder Holland: “The temptation here is even more subtle than the first. It is a temptation of the spirit, of a private hunger more real than the need for bread. Would God save Him? ...And shouldn’t Satan be silenced with his insidious “If”, “If”, “If”? Why not get spiritual confirmation, a loyal congregation, and answer this Imp who heckles—all at once, all with one stunning appeal to God’s power? Right now. The easy way....The Redeemer who would never bestow cheap grace on others was not likely to ask for any Himself. And so, I ask you to be patient with things of the Spirit....It seems no worthy accomplishment has ever come easily for me and maybe it won’t for you—but I am living long enough to be grateful for that. It is ordained that we come to know our worth as a child of God without something as dramatic as a leap from the pinnacle of the temple. All but a prophetic few must go about God’s work in quiet, very unspectacular ways. And as you labor to know Him, and to know that He knows you; as you invest your time—and inconvenience—in quiet, unassuming service, you will indeed find that His angels have “charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up” (Matthew 4:6). It may not come quickly. It probably won’t come quickly, but there is purpose in the time it takes. Cherish your spiritual burdens because God will converse with you through them and will use you to do His work if you carry them well.”
Quote #4 Elder Sterling W. Sill said, “We are all aware that there are powerful influences in the world inviting us to look down. It has been said that one may not always look where he is going, but he will always go where he is looking. If we merely look down long enough, many will be sure to fall.”
Quote #5 Similarly, President Monson once told Elder Carl B. Cook: “It is better to look up!” Elder Carl B. Cook taught: “President Monson’s encouragement to look up is a metaphor for remembering Christ. As we remember Him and trust in His power, we receive strength through His Atonement. It is the means whereby we can be relieved of our anxieties, our burdens, and our suffering. It is the means whereby we can be forgiven and healed from the pain of our sins. It is the means whereby we can receive the faith and strength to endure all things.7”
Our Heavenly Parents, the Savior, the Holy Ghost, our prophets and apostles invite us to look up. Satan invites us to look down. Looking up brings hope and peace, repentance and renewal. Looking down brings despair, worry, and discouragement and often leads us to sin.
Matthew 4: 8-11
Essentially Satan is asking Jesus to name His price. Most of us can be bought. Do you have a price? And Satan is offering grandeur and glory. Except none of what he is offering is actually his to offer. His promises are EMPTY (and yet they continue today and so many people fall for his empty promises.)
*Christ has power to cast out Satan. He can have no power over us unless we give it to him.
Quote #6 Elder Holland wrote, “Jesus will one day rule the world. He will govern every principality and power in it. He will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But not this way. Indeed, to arrive at this point at all He has to follow a most inconvenient course. Nothing so simple as worshipping Satan, or, for that matter, nothing so simple as worshipping God. At least not in the way some of us think worshipping is simple. His arrival at the throne of grace is to lead through travail and sorrow and sacrifice.”
Quote #7 Elder Maxwell said, “"Therefore, how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, 'Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art!"
Elder Bednar had a different perspective to offer on these temptations...and it’s beautiful and I can’t stop thinking about it so I’m going to share it. He gave this as part of a devotional to missionaries at the MTC. Start at minute 35 and go to 42.
Come Follow Me Daily (Facebook) wrote: the phrase “IF thou be the son of God..”
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To me, this is the most powerful temptation of all.
In that carefully crafted phrase, Satan is challenging Christ’s worth, role, and power.
If Satan is using that trick on Jesus, he is surely trying to use it on us too…tempting us with ideas like,
.
Maybe you weren’t cut out to be a mom.
You aren’t worthy of love.
You are past saving.
You aren’t qualified for that calling.
.
As Elder Uchtdorf said, “There will always be voices telling you that you are foolish to believe that you are swans, insisting you are but ugly ducklings and that you can't expect to become anything else. But you know better.”
You know better.
You are a child of God.
You are loved.
You are valued.
You have worth.
And through Christ, you can do all things.
Satan attacks worth first. Because if we doubt it, we are crippled. And when we realize it, we can do anything.
Matthew 4: 12-13, 16 I LOVE verse 16. I have questions about it that I don’t have answers, but I love that Christ brought light. He brings light. He IS light. I do wonder...why did they sit in darkness? Why didn’t they try to bring light into their lives. I recognize that they needed the Savior...but it has caused me to reflect...do we ever just sit in darkness rather than doing something to increase the light in our lives? Any thoughts on that?
Matthew 4: 17 The Savior taught the people to repent. Emily Freeman says, “The Savior will meet you where you are, as you are, but He doesn’t intend to leave you there.” Always He invites, calls to us and asks us to be better. To turn again...and again...and again...to Him. To experience a change of heart and mind.
Bible Dictionary: The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God
I saw a video recently on social media about how a family teaches their children to pray and thought it was great. They use the acronym pray and teach their children to first praise/express gratitude, second repent...say sorry for any mistakes or wrongdoing, third ask for help or blessings, and fourth yield...express their willingness to accept God’s will. I wish I’d heard that years ago for myself and my children. I am still working on making repentance a DAILY part of my prayers.
Matthew 4: 18-22
Straightway left their nets.
What are our nets? Are we willing to leave them? How can we be more like these disciples?
Matthew 4: 23 -24
Quote #8 Elder Holland said, “Now the teaching and preaching we know and would expect. But I remember the first time I realized that from this earliest beginning, healing is mentioned as if it were a synonym for teaching and preaching. In fact, the passage being cited goes on to say more about the healing than the teaching....We know that Jesus’s life was filled with the performance of many kinds of miracles, but in light of what I have just said it will not be surprising to learn that of all the miracles of Jesus recorded in the New Testament, three-fourths of them are healings of one kind or another. Over and over again His heart is drawn out to those who pled for health and wholeness. He who would become the great example of human suffering sought to ease the pains of others when they suffered.”
**As someone who LOVES teaching and preaching and feels they are SO important, this really struck me. I need to consider more carefully in my teaching, how I can incorporate healing. I don’t have power to cause the blind to see or the deaf to hear...but perhaps I can be a little better at easing heartache, listening to the lonely, or caring for the sick. Perhaps I can heal my student’s/children’s/neighbor’s hearts through my words, my gentle touch, my love, my concern.
In my MOST favorite talk of all time, given by Elder Holland and called The First Great Commandment, Elder Holland said, ““If ye love me, keep my commandments,”14 Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before.”
Luke 4: 16-19 (Watch video)
I love this prophecy and I love this promise. Who among us hasn’t felt poor or brokenhearted or captive to bad habits or to sin? Who among us wouldn’t like to be able to see better (these days I mean that physically! But also spiritually!) I am SO grateful that we have a Savior that can do all these things and more for us!
Luke 5: 1-4
Quote #9: Elder Holland writes, “Launch out into the deep. Peter could not have known the ever-widening circles that single command would make in the stream of his plain and simple life. He was launching out into the expanse of godliness, into the eternal possibilities of redeemed and celestial life. He would be learning the mysteries of the kingdom. He would be hearing unspeakable things. To launch out into that limitless sea of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Peter brought his craft to shore, turned his back on the most spectacular single catch ever taken from the Galiilee, “forsook all, and followed him.”
Luke 5: 5-11
This story (and so many others)...and Elder Holland’s words make me think...am I forsaking all and following Him. Am I launching out into the deep or staying near the shore? And if I would more fully follow Him, what possibilities might open up to me? What might I learn, hear and experience? What blessings might I receive...what spectacular catch might I receive? And perhaps even more importantly, how might my relationship with Christ be strengthened?
**At the end of what I was able to teach, I shared Elder Holland's insights about Jesus teaching, preaching and healing and said that I hoped that I could be a little better at healing...I don't have the power to heal illness, but I can listen when others are sorrowful, I can use kind words, I can care for the sick or needy. I can try to be one that lifts and helps others rather than hurts or demeans or ignores. It's made me ponder my teaching..at school and church. I aspire to be the kind of teacher that Christ was and is. Brother Jensen came up after class and gave me the nicest compliment saying that I have a gift for teaching and that I am one who heals as I teach. That I helped open his eyes to a couple of things as I taught and that is healing. That teaching is healing. I am paraphrasing his words...but it was such a wonderful and kind compliment and meant a lot to me.
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