April 20 at sundown - Day 21
Today is day 21 of counting the Omer
Today is day 21 out of Egypt
Today is day 21 of Messiah Resurrected
Punk’d, Part 1 (Luke 4:1-10)
Temptation in the Wilderness
1 Yeshua, now filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh, returned from the Jordan. He was led by the Ruach in the wilderness
2 for forty days, being tested by the devil. Now He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 The devil said to Him, “If You are Ben-Elohim, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Yeshua answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
5 And leading Him up, the devil showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant.
6 And the devil said to Him, “I’ll give to You all this authority along with its glory, because it has been handed over to me and I can give it to anyone I wish.
7 Therefore, if you will worship before me, all this shall be Yours.”
8 But answering, Yeshua told him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship Adonai your God, and Him only shall you serve.’”
9 Then he brought Yeshua to Jerusalem and placed Him on the highest point of the Temple. He said to Him, “If You are Ben-Elohim, throw Yourself down from here.
10 For it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning you,
to guard you,’ 11 and ‘upon their hands they will lift you up, so that you may not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 But answering, Yeshua said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put Adonai your God to the test.’”
13 And when the devil had completed every test, he departed from Him until another occasion.
Reflect:
The devil is real. Many may find this statement controversial while still others might believe that the idea of an angelic bad guy that wages war against God and humanity is a fairy tale. Nothing could be further from the truth; Satan is as real as God is. Mythology wants to paint him as a spiritual equal to Yeshua, but this is a flat out lie! We see here in this chapter that Yeshua has a prophetic calling that once fulfilled would bring redemption and healing to mankind. In Satan’s attempt to undermine that calling, he took a physically weakened Yeshua to Jericho, up on the Mount of Temptation. The spiritual warfare being waged there wasn’t just an attempt to derail Yeshua; it was a desperate attempt to keep you and I eternally enslaved to the power of sin and death. The scriptures are clear who won that battle—Yeshua! The Urban Dictionary defines the word “punk’d” as: A way to describe someone ripping you off, tricking you, teasing you. Friends, this is exactly what Yeshua did; He punk’d the devil! Our Lord took the very scripture that Satan was trying to distort and used its true meaning to utterly defeat him. The Father had given Yeshua authority over all forms of darkness, and with that authority Yeshua embarked on an earthly ministry that would bring many adopted sons and daughters to God.
Today is day 21 of Messiah Resurrected
Punk’d, Part 1 (Luke 4:1-10)
Temptation in the Wilderness
1 Yeshua, now filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh, returned from the Jordan. He was led by the Ruach in the wilderness
2 for forty days, being tested by the devil. Now He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 The devil said to Him, “If You are Ben-Elohim, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Yeshua answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
5 And leading Him up, the devil showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant.
6 And the devil said to Him, “I’ll give to You all this authority along with its glory, because it has been handed over to me and I can give it to anyone I wish.
7 Therefore, if you will worship before me, all this shall be Yours.”
8 But answering, Yeshua told him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship Adonai your God, and Him only shall you serve.’”
9 Then he brought Yeshua to Jerusalem and placed Him on the highest point of the Temple. He said to Him, “If You are Ben-Elohim, throw Yourself down from here.
10 For it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning you,
to guard you,’ 11 and ‘upon their hands they will lift you up, so that you may not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 But answering, Yeshua said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put Adonai your God to the test.’”
13 And when the devil had completed every test, he departed from Him until another occasion.
Reflect:
The devil is real. Many may find this statement controversial while still others might believe that the idea of an angelic bad guy that wages war against God and humanity is a fairy tale. Nothing could be further from the truth; Satan is as real as God is. Mythology wants to paint him as a spiritual equal to Yeshua, but this is a flat out lie! We see here in this chapter that Yeshua has a prophetic calling that once fulfilled would bring redemption and healing to mankind. In Satan’s attempt to undermine that calling, he took a physically weakened Yeshua to Jericho, up on the Mount of Temptation. The spiritual warfare being waged there wasn’t just an attempt to derail Yeshua; it was a desperate attempt to keep you and I eternally enslaved to the power of sin and death. The scriptures are clear who won that battle—Yeshua! The Urban Dictionary defines the word “punk’d” as: A way to describe someone ripping you off, tricking you, teasing you. Friends, this is exactly what Yeshua did; He punk’d the devil! Our Lord took the very scripture that Satan was trying to distort and used its true meaning to utterly defeat him. The Father had given Yeshua authority over all forms of darkness, and with that authority Yeshua embarked on an earthly ministry that would bring many adopted sons and daughters to God.
Prayer: We want to walk in Your power and authority over darkness, Lord. Help us to have the faith we need to move forward in that authority, and the understanding to know that You have already conquered Satan. We want to see families set free and lives changed here at Restoration during this time of prayer and fasting! Amen.
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At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.
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