A Man Named Jesus
Part 5
A Natural Man With A
Supernatural Faith
Lesson
Text Luke 4:1-13
Jesus Christ
officially began his profound ministry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23). But one of
the things that the world and sometimes Christians forget is the fact that
Jesus Christ was God in the flesh (John 1:14). When the emphasis is taken off
of his Godship and placed on his earthly flesh it is clearly understood that
the anointed one of God walked this earth needing food, rest, water, air and
shelter. He was a man who also operated under the five senses: site, smell,
touch, taste, and hearing. Jesus Christ felt pain both physically and
emotionally. Jesus knew and experienced stress and anxiety (Matthew 26:38-44).
Although Christ was born of a miraculous birth he was born of a woman
nonetheless.
When the
average man and woman analyze their life they see that they too need food,
rest, water, air and shelter. They see that they too operate under the same
five senses. All of humanity experiences physical and emotional pain, stress
and anxiety. Every man and woman walking on the face of this earth as well as
those now in the grave, whether of a natural pregnancy or artificial
insemination, were born of a woman. When the similarities of Christ and the
human being are investigated and critically looked at we see that physically we
are made up of the same components as Christ. When Christ was pierced in the
side blood and water flowed from his body. If you are pierced in the side blood
will flow from your body and depending on the place of entry water may flow as
well.
Christ was
physically a natural man but he was so full of the Holy Ghost and set on
obeying his Father in relation to every matter it resulted in a supernatural
faith (Luke 3:22). It was not simply the miracles of Christ that made him
supernatural it was the fact that he was sanctified. He was a radical man that
was not out to follow the ways of traditional man. The Christian man and woman
must realize that when they begin to conduct themselves like Christ they too
become supernatural. Not only is the Christian similar to a physical Christ
phenotypically and genotypically the Christian is similar to Christ
supernaturally if they follow his lead. The disciples were able to perform the
supernatural as long as they had the proper faith but the minute their faith
failed they digressed to a state of naturalness. Peter was able to do the
supernatural and walk on water up until the point when he began to doubt and
then he fell back into a state of being natural and started to drown (Matthew
14:25-31).
Apart from
the miracles of Christ he was supernatural because he lived of a different
code. His walk was different. His speech was different. His outlook on the
sinful and guilty was different. What is the evidence that the faith of Christ
made him supernatural even in the flesh? Jesus said in Matthew 5:17
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfill." Jesus did not come to tear down the
Old Testament Law he came to complete it, put the icing on the cake, by adding
the spiritual components to a physical design.
Natural man
and woman might say through an intellect of vanity that it is all right to
look, imagine and even lust after another individual as long as they do not
touch. But a supernatural Christ said "But I say unto you, That
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). A natural Hollywood purports
that when a person is finished with their spouse they can simply obtain a new spouse. But a
supernatural Christ said, "What therefore God hath joined together, let
not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same
matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry
another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her
husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery (Mark 10:9-12).
Natural man and woman proclaim, “If you hit me I will hit you back.” But a
supernatural Christ said, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have
thy cloke also Matthew 5:39-40). The natural man and woman state, "If
you hate me I will hate you." But a supernatural Christ said, "But
I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
(Matthew 5:44). Natural man and woman say, ‘Gain all you can in this
world.” “Do what you must to acquire what you want.” But Christ said, "...Lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal (Matthew 6:20).
The natural man and woman say, “Let me talk about your faults without first
addressing my own.” But Christ said "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the
beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote
out of thy brother's eye” (Matthew 7:5).
When the Christian
upholds and follows the commands of Christ he is no longer natural but is
acting in the supernatural. Someone might have a problem or even want to debate
the use of the term "supernatural" in referring to the baptized
believer. But the question is asked: If the Christian is not natural or unnatural
what is s/he? The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 "But the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no
man."
Some may say
that the term “spiritual” should be used over “supernatural” since
it is clearly stated in scripture. The word spiritual is translated from the
Greek word Pneumatikos and is defined as ethereal (Otherworldly),
regenerate, religious and supernatural. We have been washed and translated by
the blood of Christ into a spiritual and supernaturally new condition.
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). Christians are different
after baptism. We follow a Christ that was supernatural (earthly) not only
because of his ability to perform miracles but because of his holy and
sanctified disposition.
In our
subject text Jesus was led by the Holy Ghost into the wilderness to be tempted
of the devil. He fasted for 40 days, eating nothing. And when his fast was
completed Satan appeared. Jesus was of course hungry therefore Satan approached
him using food as bate (Luke 4:3). What we have is an intense showdown in the
wilderness with the spiritually supreme and supernatural against the sinfully
diabolic.
The
Christian must be aware that Satan will attack where it hurts. He will pounce
on the vulnerable part of the Christian's life. But if we continue to follow a
supernatural Christ we will perform in a supernatural way. The natural thing to
do when Satan darkens your door is to give in to his seduction. The
supernatural thing to do is to respond to Satan as did Christ: Luke 4:3-4
And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that
it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
But Satan
was not finished so the Son of God allowed himself to be taken high up into a
mountain while the devil unleashed his second attack: Luke 4:5-7 And the
devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of
the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will
I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to
whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be
thine. In this same scenario what
would your response to Satan be? He went from tempting with physical food to
offering kingdoms of the world, their power and glory. If Satan made this offer
to you would you take it? Would you respond in natural or supernatural way?
Someone
might say how do we know Satan had the power to offer Christ anything. John the
revelator reported to us in Revelation 13:1-8
And I stood
upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name
of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet
were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the
dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one
of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and
all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which
gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like
unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto
him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him
to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy
against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in
heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to
overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and
nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the
earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
A supernatural
Christ responded the way all of his children should respond. He quoted some Bible and said "...Get thee
behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and
him only shalt thou serve” (Luke 4:8).
But a
diabolic Satan unleashed his third attack. He took Jesus to Jerusalem and set
him high on the top of the temple. He was attempted to assassinate the
character of Christ, wanting him to reveal his power at his request. We can
learn two things from this third attack:
1.
To teach some
people about the truth of God the teacher may have to let the student lead them
around for a brief moment.
2.
The child of
God does not have to reveal something simply because of a request.
Luke 4:9
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple,
and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10
For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep
thee: 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou
dash thy foot against a stone.
When Satan
hits the door of the Christian s/he better have an arsenal because he will
quote scripture just like the Christian can quote scripture. In this third
encounter Satan was attempting to go blow for blow with God. He was attempting
to convince Christ to manifest his power at a demonic request. Some requests
simply cannot be honored because of who is making the request. A natural man
would have accepted the challenge and leaped off the temple top to prove his
power to the devil. But a supernatural Christ said "...Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he
departed from him for a season" (Luke 4:12-13).
We serve a
God because of a supernatural Christ. There is a Man Named Jesus who is
supernatural and if you follow him he will make you supernatural, loosing your
mind from the natural cares of this world, transforming your thinking to be
like Him (Romans12:2). Act like the supernatural Christ and not like the
natural man and woman of the world.
We have
biblical evidence that the Christ who walked this earthy was supernatural and
because we are to follow and be like him we too can respond and react in a
Faith-Full and supernatural way. Jesus said to his disciples “…Follow me and
I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Jesus told the rich man to
follow him (Matthew 19:21). Jesus said, “…If any man will come after me, let
him take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
Jesus on
earth was supernatural because he was baptized in obedience to the will of his
heavenly Father (Mark 1:9-11). He was
supernatural because he resisted the devil in a mighty way after fasting for
forty days (Mark 1:12-13). He was supernatural because he dedicated his life to
training some men so they could go out and save other men (Mark 1:16-20). He
was supernatural because he said, “..No man putteth new wine into old
bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and
the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles” (Mark
2:22). He was supernatural because great numbers of people wanted to follow
him (Mark 3:7-12). He was supernatural because he knew a prophet was without
honor in his own country (Mark 6:4). He was supernatural not because he fed 5,000
people with fives loaves of bread and two fishes but because he simply had the
compassion to feed them at all. He was supernatural because he rebuked Peter
and said, “…Get the behind me, Satan: for thou savorest not the things that
be of God, but the things that be of men” (Mark 8:33). He was supernatural
because he said, “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of
all, and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). He was supernatural because he said, “But
many that are first shall be last; and the last first” (Mark 10:31). He was
supernatural because he said, “…The Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He
was supernatural because he refused to tolerate the defiling of the temple
(Mark 11:15-19). He was supernatural because he said, “And thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind, and with all thine strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30).
He was supernatural because he said “Watch” (Mark 13:37). He was
supernatural because he prayed to God three times over going to the cross but
was more concerned with God’s will than his own will (Mark 14:32-42). He was
supernatural because he was beat, spit upon, mocked and nailed to a cross and
replied with no negative words or resistance (Mark 15:21-41). He was
supernatural because after he was resurrected from the dead he proclaimed the
greatest commission ever (Mark 16:15-16).
All of the
elements mentioned of Christ are things we are capable of as Christians, which
also make us supernatural if we follow and obey him. This same Man Named Jesus
is not just supernatural but through his death He established the church that
all men and women who are to be saved must be added to.
He promised
to build His church and gave His men the keys to the kingdom (Matthew
16:18-19). In other words what the apostles taught is what Christians must live
by today. Jesus prayed that men and women would believe on Him through the
teachings of the apostles (John 17:20). If the apostles said it Christians do
it. If the apostles did not say it or authorize it then the Christians must not
do it. In the church that belongs to Christ communion is taken every Sunday
because it follows the apostolic pattern (Acts 20:7). There are no women
preachers and leaders in the church of Christ because that is against the
apostolic pattern (I Timothy 2:11-14). God informs us that there is one body,
Spirit, Lord, faith and baptism (Ephesians 4:4-5). In relation to faith, Christ only has one form/pattern (Tupos)
of doctrine that is to be obeyed and believed (Romans 6:17). This faith is not
how the Christian believes (Hebrews 11:1) it is what the Christian believes.
There are
many false movements and churches in the world today that the supernatural
Christ did not build. He only promised to build one (Matthew 16:18). He only
purchased one (Acts 20:7). In early New Testament times the same things were
taught in all of the congregations (I Corinthians 4:17; II Timothy 2:2). But
since that time men and women have approached the scene and are teaching
erroneous doctrines that are not of the biblical pattern (Tupos). God warned of
this heterodoxy in Acts 20:29-30 & I Timothy 4:1-4). This is why the
spirits and teachings of men must be tried and tested to see if they measure up
to the right form of doctrine (I John 4:1).
God says to
become a member of the church a person must believe the things of God from the
heart and obey them (Romans 6:4). We know from scripture that baptism adds a
person to the church and not just mere belief in God (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38’
Acts 8:37-38). The supernatural Son of man has purchased a church with his own
blood. God is pleading with you to “…Save yourself from this untoward
generation” (Acts 2:40).
Amen
Presented By Ammar Saheli