“The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an
instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all
their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to
anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered, ‘It
is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”’” (Luke 4:5-8)
Why must we worship God and serve Him only? The devil
tempted Jesus who fasted forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. The devil
was a fallen angel who left the place and rebelled against God. He is a
tempter, murderer, and liar. He led Jesus up to a high place and show Him in an
instant all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus calls the devil the prince of the
world (John 14:30). He is the mastermind of the deceitful and dubious world.
Since the fall of the race, he has been deceiving the people and holding them
into the gridlock and dungeon of darkness and the fear of death. Note that the
devil was able to display all the kingdoms of the world instantaneously. All the
pompous, glittering, sparkling, gleaming things of the world were displayed to
the eyes of Jesus.
The devil continued, saying “I will give you all their
authority and splendor. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I
want to.” The devil’s temptation is always promising something only in the future
tense. Read how he had said to the woman in the Garden. “’You will not
certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat
from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil.’” (Genesis 3:4-5) This is the devil’s lie. All authority is from God.
Jesus said so to Pontius Pilate who boasted his power either to free Him or to
crucify Him. “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from
above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
(John 19:11)
Satan is not the authority but a creature made by God. God
never gave the devil the authority which he could dispense to anyone he wanted
to. It is true that the devil is called the prince of the world but only to
those who are not regenerated because sin shall no longer be their master to
those who are regenerated in Christ (Romans 6:14). Satan has already been
judged and condemned (John 16:11). James urges the saints to resist the devil
then he will flee away (James 4:7).
How did Jesus respond to the devil? He quoted the scripture,
saying “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Charles
Spurgeon said pertinently how to defend lions. “Let loose lions, they will
defend themselves.” Jesus didn’t converse with the devil, trying to convince
him that he was absolutely wrong. Our Lord Jesus cut to the heart of the
temptation by letting the word of God defend itself. Jesus says that no one can
serve two masters. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one
and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) There is no middle ground or
gray area for humanity to stand ever.
Why shall we worship God and serve Him only? It’s because we
have been made to worship Him only. We are made to be His eternal dwelling
place. Paul says that we the temple of God. Jesus says that we are in Him and
He in us. That’s the relationship for the restored humanity with God, a perfect
communion. Worship is the expression of being possessed by God who purchased His
possessions at the price of the blood of the Son Jesus Christ the Lord. So, it
is not true that we have to come to church for worship. We worship God whenever
and wherever we are. God is spirit, so His worshipers must worship in spirit
and in truth (John 12:24).
Our God is a jealous God who cannot tolerate any form of idolatry.
The wrath of God is immediately poured out upon those who violate the law of
worship. Moses teaches his people, saying “Fear the Lord your God, serve him
only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the
peoples around you; for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God
and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of
the land.” (Deuteronomy 6:13-15)
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