Luke 4-6

This passage begins with the temptation of Jesus. Notice that Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit." He was also full of the Word of God, which is evident from the way Jesus handled each temptation. Likewise, you and I are able to face opposition from the enemy only when we are filled with God's Holy Spirit and with God's Holy Word.

"When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time." (v. 13) We are wrong to think that the wilderness temptation was the only time satan attacked Jesus. Evidently, every day of Jesus' earthly life presented "opportune" times for confrontation. Take a look at each of these examples in Luke 4-6.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth--Do you remember what it was like to come home from college? You left town as a top-dog senior, and you drove home with expectations that everyone would be thrilled to see you. When you arrived, everyone had moved on with their lives, and their focus was on the new senior class. They had already forgotten you, and since you were a lowly college freshman, all they focused on was your incompetence.

Jesus had just won a major victory over the enemy in the desert. He had fasted and prayed for 40 days, and He was ready to conquer the world. The first obstacle he faced was his home town. Do you see how that was an opportune time for an enemy attack? You and I face it any time we come home from a spiritual retreat. The people we encounter at home have not been on the spiritual high, and it only takes one or two negative words to shoot us down. Jesus chose to move on and to stay focused on His mission.

Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit--Jesus was amazing the people with His teaching! Then right in the middle of his sermon, the demons tried to expose His deity. The time was not right, and Jesus told them to zip it! The enemy will always try to spoil our godly works by distracting our listeners.

Jesus Heals Many--What a temptation! The people were hanging on His every word, and they tried to convince Jesus to stay with them. However, He knew that God had called Him to spread the gospel to all people, not just one village. Flattery and ego-boosting are very effective tools for ruining the mission of Christians who are called to spread the good news.

The Calling of the First Disciples--"Don't be afraid!" I wonder if Jesus ever grew weary of telling His disciples to have more faith?

The Man with Leprosy--"Don't tell anyone." Jesus wanted this to be the man's own private miracle, yet the tale was told anyway. "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." I wonder if He ever vented His frustration to the Father? I know I would be tempted to ask God if I could just smack somebody!

Jesus Heals a Paralytic--First of all, do you know how discouraging it is to have your Bible teaching interrupted? The enemy uses this tactic quite often. Just when the preacher is getting to the invitation, somebody's cell phone goes off, a baby cries, or someone sneezes. Secondly, do you know how tempting it is to fire back when someone questions your authority? "Forgive sins? You don't think I have the authority? Well, just watch this . . . ." I stand amazed at the emotional control Jesus possessed.

The Calling of Levi--The Pharisees continually questioned Jesus, trying to frustrate His plans. In this case, they questioned His choice of followers. Why did they care? Were they jealous that Jesus did not choose them instead? I am certain they were not worried about protecting Jesus' reputation.

Jesus Questioned about Fasting--Legalism. The enemy is very convincing when it comes to making people feel guilty for not following all the rules. Let's be very careful when we are tempted to cling to old traditions and rules rather than yielding to what we hear the Spirit calling us to do.

Lord of the Sabbath--More rule following issues. . . . People, not laws, were priority for Jesus. Love God. Love people. Do those two things, and you will lead a God-pleasing life.

Hebrews 4:15--"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin."

The remainder of Luke 6 gives a list of the 12 Apostles as well as several teachings of Jesus. While I would love to write more, all of these teachings speak for themselves. Please take time to read them, and then feel free to post a comment about which ones speak to you the most today.