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[0:00] Let's read Matthew chapter 4 verses 1 to 11. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.! And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

[0:13] And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

[0:31] Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

[0:49] Jesus said to him, Again, it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

[1:02] And he said to him, All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. And Jesus said to him, Be gone, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.

[1:18] And the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. This is the word of the Lord. A few years ago there was an American TV show called The Moment of Truth.

[1:33] I don't know if any of you saw it. Sometimes I go on these YouTube, you know, wanderings. Basically, contestants would win half a million dollars if they answered 21 questions truthfully.

[1:47] In front of their family and friends and a live audience and on TV, of course. They had been given a polygraph test beforehand to test the veracity of their answers.

[2:01] Now, I remember one of the episodes. A woman, I think she got to about question 15, so she was on about $100,000 or something like that. She could have walked away with the money, but instead she lied, according to the polygraph test, she had already admitted to stealing from her employer, believing that she was married to the wrong man and was still in love with her ex-boyfriend, and that she had committed adultery.

[2:33] But the question she lied on was, Do you believe you are a good person? She said yes. The game show host made the comment that deep down inside herself, she must really believe that she's not a good person.

[2:53] I couldn't help but think of Romans chapter 1. And for those of us who were at the men's conference yesterday, you know, we've had a perfect introduction to all this. Paul says that we all suppress the truth.

[3:04] First and foremost, he's talking about the truth about God, but that goes hand in hand with the truth about ourselves, that it's so hard to admit that we're sinners. We all know that we are, he says, but we don't want to admit it.

[3:20] But of course, the Bible says that we will all face a great moment of truth one day, on the judgment day. In the meantime, there are lots of moments of truth in life, like the boxer who boasts of his sporting prowess before the big fight.

[3:35] And there will be a moment of truth when the boxing does the talking. Or the learner driver who faces their exam, and we'll find out if all of their practice has paid off.

[3:49] The passage before us, in a sense, was another one of these moments of truth. See, last week, you might remember, we looked at Jesus' baptism at the end of chapter 3, and remember, a voice came from heaven.

[4:01] I'll just cast your eye back there, verse 17. This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. So now, as we come into chapter 4, it's that statement that is going to be put to the test.

[4:16] And perhaps you notice the repeated refrain in verse 3 and verse 6. Satan keeps asking Jesus, if you are the Son of God, if you are the Son of God, see, that's what this test is really all about.

[4:27] Is Jesus really the Son of God, as the voice declared? Or perhaps even more to the point, is Jesus really the beloved Son of God, the well-pleasing Son of God?

[4:42] So now, this might actually sound strange to our ears, but there were lots of sons of God before Jesus. The Son of God is not just a title that means you're divine.

[4:56] It can mean that, it can refer to someone's divinity, but it doesn't always mean that. So let me just run you through this briefly, if you've never been introduced to this. In the Bible, the Son of God language starts with Adam.

[5:10] Remember, Adam was created in the image of God. That is sonship language. In Genesis chapter 5, Adam fathered Seth in his image, in his likeness, and so on.

[5:24] Of course, Adam wasn't divine, or semi-divine, or anything like that. He was just a creature. But he was made God's Son, in the sense that he was made to represent God, his Father on earth, to enjoy all the things that his Father had made, that belonged to his Father, and to live in a relationship with his Father, like a good son, honoring his Father, respecting him, obeying him, giving thanks to him, depending on him, and so on.

[5:55] This means, too, of course, that all human beings are actually sons of God, including the women. We were all made, in God's image, in Adam.

[6:08] But number two, when Adam failed to be the Son of God, he was meant to be, when Adam rebelled against God, he forfeited his right, to be God's representative, son and heir.

[6:21] So God chose a family, a nation, to set apart from all the other families of the earth, to be his son, to be his true son. So that in Exodus chapter 4, for instance, Israel is called God's son, or God's firstborn son.

[6:40] And from then on, the people of Israel were meant to be God's representatives on earth, enjoying all the things that God had made, and living in a special relationship to him. Unfortunately, as you may know, Israel failed, too, to be God's true son.

[6:59] And number three, within the nation of Israel, God appointed a line of kings, to be his special representatives. And so the kings of Israel, came to be known as, the sons of God.

[7:11] Representing the whole nation, and representing the whole world, to God. Roy took us to Psalm 2 last week, because it is alluded to at Jesus' baptism. In Psalm 2 verse 7, we hear the Lord declaring to the king of Israel, You are my son.

[7:28] Today, I have begotten you. See, he's not talking about divinity. It's not as if there was one day when, you know, today, when God fathered a divine being, as if you could do such a thing.

[7:42] It's talking about adoption, of a human being, to be God's representative and heir. The king of Israel, when he was crowned, was being adopted, as God's son.

[7:58] He wasn't becoming divine. He was simply being appointed, as God's representative on earth. So, slowly but surely, you see how the focus of this title narrows, throughout the Old Testament, from referring to the whole of humanity, in Adam, to the nation of Israel, and finally to David, and the kings of Israel in his line.

[8:23] So that by the time we arrive, at Jesus, what we ought to be wondering is, will there ever be, a son of God, who lives up to the name?

[8:34] Will there ever be, a son of God, who really does please God, and walk in his ways? What we're going to see, tested here this morning, is not Jesus' divinity, which actually I think, could not be tested really.

[8:50] What kind of strain, could you put divinity under? So that's not the issue here. The issue is whether, Jesus will be faithful, where Adam failed.

[9:02] Faithful, where Israel failed. And Israel actually, is really the particular focus, of this chapter, when we come to it. And faithful, where David failed, and all the kings in his line.

[9:15] Okay? So, let's take a look at it together. You'll see in verse 1, how the Holy Spirit, led Jesus out, into the wilderness, to be tempted by, the devil. At first, I think that might sound, rather strange, doesn't it?

[9:27] I mean, the Spirit betrayed Jesus here, by leading him into a trap? But no, of course, this is all part of the plan. Like a good father, disciplines his sons, so they can become stronger, so Jesus, needs to mature, and become stronger, before he will be ready, for his mission, his preaching mission, and then, his death.

[9:52] So this is like, the final boot camp. We're in the introductory section, of Matthew's Gospel. This is like, the final boot camp, before Jesus goes, to begin his mission, in earnest.

[10:03] And again, if you think back, to the Old Testament, this is exactly, what we would expect, a son of God, to have to go through, isn't it? Because this is precisely, the kind of test, that Adam faced, a confrontation with Satan, and that Israel faced, when they had to journey, through the wilderness.

[10:20] And in Isaiah 63, actually, it describes, Isaiah describes, how the Holy Spirit, was the one, who led the people, into the wilderness, and through the wilderness. So now, in the same way, Jesus has just been, called out of Egypt, well, some years have passed, but we just read that, back in chapter 2, verse 15, out of Egypt, I called my son.

[10:41] And now, he's just gone through, the baptismal waters, at the end of chapter 3, a little rerun, of the Red Sea crossing. Now it's time for him, to head into the wilderness. And of course, Matthew tells us, he spent 40 days, and 40 nights there, mirroring the 40 years, that Israel spent, in the wilderness, or perhaps the 40 days, that Moses spent, on Mount Sinai.

[11:06] Both. Now throughout that time, Jesus was fasting, so Matthew, gives the understatement, of the century, he was hungry. And again, you might recall, that Israel got very hungry, in the wilderness.

[11:18] And in response, Moses tells us about this, in Exodus chapter 16, in response, the whole congregation, of the people of Israel, grumbled against Moses, and Aaron, in the wilderness.

[11:31] And the people of Israel, said to them, would that we had died, by the hand of the Lord, in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, and ate bread to the full. For you have brought us out, into this wilderness, to kill us, to kill this whole assembly, with hunger.

[11:46] And Moses said to the Lord, sorry, then the Lord said to Moses, behold, I'm about to rain, bread from heaven for you. So the question, back in Matthew chapter 4, the question is, how will Jesus fare, in much the same situation?

[12:02] Hungry, starving, out in the wilderness. Is Jesus going to behave, just like the people of Israel, when God led them, out into the wilderness? Is he going to grumble, and complain?

[12:15] So in verse 3, the devil comes along, and Jesus faces his first test. The tempter came and said to him, if you are the son of God, command these stones, to become loaves of bread.

[12:26] But he answered, it is written, man shall not live, by bread alone, but by every word, that comes from the mouth, of God. So the essence, of the test here, is provision.

[12:38] Will Jesus trust God, to provide for him, just like a faithful son, of a good father, would? Or will Jesus give in, to his intense hunger, and take matters, into his own hands?

[12:53] Now in response, Jesus quotes, from the book of Deuteronomy. And already, if you think about it, that is a bit of an indication, that he is going, to be faithful, isn't he? His instinct, or his strategy, is to hold on, to the word of God.

[13:07] So he quotes, from the book of Deuteronomy. And this first quote, is from Deuteronomy, chapter 8, verse 3. So why don't we, just go back there, for a moment. I haven't put this one, up on the screen. But, because I just want to read, the whole chapter actually, to you.

[13:23] In Deuteronomy, the people of Israel, are on the edge, of the promised land. Moses is delivering, three sermons, to the people, as his parting words, to them. He's looking back, over the 40 years, wandering, through the wilderness.

[13:36] So I want you to notice, a bunch of things. I'm going to read, I'm going to read the whole chapter. The whole commandment, that I command you today, you shall be careful to do.

[13:47] That you may live, and multiply, and go in, and possess the land, that the Lord swore, to give to your fathers. And you shall remember, the whole way, that the Lord your God, has led you, these 40 years, in the wilderness.

[13:58] That he might humble you, testing you, to know, what was in your heart. Whether you would keep, his commandments, or not. And he humbled you, and let you hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know.

[14:13] That he might make you know, that man does not live, by bread alone, but man lives, by every word, that comes from the mouth, of the Lord. Of course, that's where Jesus quotes. Your clothing, did not wear out on you, and your foot, did not swell, these 40 years.

[14:28] Know then, in your heart, that as a man, disciplines his son, the Lord your God, disciplines you. So you shall keep, the commandments, of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by fearing him.

[14:43] For the Lord your God, is bringing you, into a good land, a land of brooks, of water, of fountains, and springs, flowing out in the valleys, and hills, a land of wheat, and barley, of vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees, and honey, a land in which you will eat bread, without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones, are iron, and out of whose hills, you can dig copper, and you shall eat, and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God, for the good land, he has given you.

[15:12] Take care, lest you forget, the Lord your God, by not keeping, his commandments, and his rules, and his statutes, which I command you today. Lest, when you have eaten, and are full, and have built good houses, and live in them, and when your herds, and flocks multiply, and your silver, and gold is multiplied, and all that you have, is multiplied, then your heart, be lifted up, and you forget, the Lord your God, who brought you, out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you, through the great, and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents, and scorpions, and thirsty ground, where there was no water, who brought you water, out of the flinty rock, who fed you, in the wilderness, with manna, that your fathers, did not know, that he might humble you, and test you, to do you good, in the end, beware, lest you say in your heart, my power, and the might of my hand, have gotten me this wealth, you shall remember, the Lord your God, for it is he, who gives you power, to get wealth, that he may confirm, his covenant, that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day, and if you forget, the Lord your God, and go after other gods, and serve them, and worship them,

[16:23] I solemnly warn you today, that you shall surely, perish, like the nations, that the Lord makes, to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not, obey the voice, of the Lord your God, so, see the essence, of this chapter, Deuteronomy chapter 8, is the problem, of consistent, abundance, okay, the problem, of consistent abundance, when the people of Israel, were in the wilderness, they had nothing, no provisions, no, no, no, nothing stored up in barns, they had no crops, growing in the fields, no bushes, or berries to glean, they had nothing, so every single day, they just had, to trust God, that there would be, manna, outside the tent, in the morning, bread, that literally, rained down from heaven, but what Moses, is saying, is that from now on, that's not, how they're going, to be living, because they're about, to move across the Jordan, into the lucky country, you see, the land flowing, with milk and honey, the land of plenty, and initially, did you notice verse 10, initially, they will bless the Lord, for the good land, he has given them, right, they will be so thankful, they'll be stoked, but verse 11, take care, lest you forget, see the problem, with consistent, abundance, which we all want, is that it makes us forget,

[17:56] I said that God, brought them into the lucky country, but of course, that is the great lie, it's not luck, that's going to keep them, alive and prospering, in this country, and it's not their hard work, actually, that is going to make, the difference ultimately, or their intelligence, or their team spirit, or their prudence, or their entrepreneurship, or their trading partners, or whatever it is, no, it's still going to be God, see that's the wilderness lesson, God wanted to teach his people, God was training his people, like a father trains his son, he was teaching them a lesson, and it's verse 3, the verse that Jesus quotes, that man does not live, by bread alone, but by every word, that comes from the mouth of God, you see how in the wilderness, it was obvious, we need God, to send the miraculous bread, from heaven down upon us, every single day, our survival, depends on the will, and the word of God, obviously, every single day, see how that would train people, to take God, and his word seriously, to fear God, you wouldn't want to get, on God's bad side, to be prayerful, thankful, and obedient, and thankful, every day, like your life depended on it, because you know, that your life does depend, on him, but the really crucial thing, that the people need to realize, is that in the land of abundance, although it would be harder to see, their survival, every single day, would still depend, on the will, and word of God, consistent abundance, can sometimes obscure this, good grades, can mask this, good strong bones, and muscles, a good economic system, good governance, good fertile land, technology, can make us, tempted to think, that it's our hard work, that feeds us, our intelligence, all we need, is a good global economy, all we need, is good politicians, or maybe it's just dumb luck, or maybe you think, that you are, the bread winner, remember the wilderness lesson, no,

[20:12] God is the bread giver, your mouth, is fed, by every word, that proceeds from his mouth, so in times of stress, when things are not looking great, remember God, can make bread, rain down, from heaven, God can make bread, rain down, in the wilderness, you'll be okay, or in times of plenty, actually we ought to remember, that God can make crops fail, and barns burn down, and economies crash, and bones, and muscles, and brains fail us, and he can do it, just like that, so we should always, fear God, and his word, and thank God, for everything we have, and ask God, to give us life, and look after us, both now, and forever, so back in Matthew chapter 4, this is the lesson, that Jesus knew well, and depended on, when the devil, put him to the test, he's absolutely starving, and he says, man does not live, by bread alone, but by every word, that proceeds from the mouth, of God, so I'll just patiently, wait here, thank you very much,

[21:34] I'm sure my father, will provide for me, isn't he beautiful, that brings us, to test number two, then the devil, took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle, of the temple, and said to him, if you are the son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, he will command, his angels concerning you, and on their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot, against a stone, the devil, is a cunning opponent, isn't he, he understands, that Jesus wants to live, by God's word, so he begins, to quote, the Bible himself, he quotes, from Psalm 91, verses 11, and 12, it is telling, I think, that he doesn't quote, from verse 13, which is all about, trampling serpents, underfoot, but anyway, basically, he gets the thrust, of the psalm right, that God promises, to protect those, who trust in him, there are, we are not going, to go back there now, but there are, lots of Exodus, slash Deuteronomy, allusions, in this part of the psalms, that he is no doubt, picking up on,

[22:49] Psalm 90, for instance, the psalm just before, was the psalm of Moses, in other words, the devil, is a well informed, theologian, handling scripture, accurately, he is engaging, with Jesus, toe to toe, as it were, fighting back, with clear, and relevant, Bible verses, a great warning, to us, isn't it, at St. Lucia Bible Church, when we engage, in theological debates, the devil is very good, with the scriptures, but of course, Jesus, cuts through, Satan's deception, with ease, by calling out, not that he's wrong, about what the verses mean, but that he's wrong, about how the verses, should be applied, so he brings, a more pertinent quote, Jesus said to him, again it is written, you shall not put, the Lord your God, to the test, once again, he is quoting, from the book, of Deuteronomy, in fact, just a couple of chapters, before his last reference, so it's Deuteronomy, chapter 6 this time, verse 16, and Deuteronomy, chapter 6 verse 16, in turn, alludes back, to Exodus chapter 17, when the people of Israel, tested God, at Massa, and Meribah, on the surface, the presenting issue, was a lack of water, they were thirsty, but underneath, what the people, really doubted, was that God, was with them, or God was among them, so this is,

[24:20] I think I've got it up, on the screen, this is Exodus chapter 17, verse 7, maybe, thanks brother, just verse 7, we're told, Moses called the name, of the place, Massa, and Meribah, because of the quarreling, of the people of Israel, and because they tested, the Lord, by saying, is the Lord, among us, or not, see the presenting, issue was thirst, but the real issue, was God's presence, with them, or God's faithfulness, to them, in effect, what they wanted, to try and force, was a demonstration, or some sign, of God's presence, among them, now of course, the astonishing thing, is that Israel, has already had, mountains of evidence, that God was with them, the plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea crossing, the pillar of cloud, and fire, going with them, every single day, and of course, just in the previous chapter, the manna and quail, that came from heaven, so as per usual, the problem, was not really, a lack of evidence,

[25:28] God has not made himself clear, but a stubborn refusal, to trust, in the clear evidence, that God had already, given them, now this then, is the second, is the essence, of the second temptation, Jesus had to face, the devil, knows the Bible, that God promises, to protect him, to protect all those, who trust in him, but the devil, encourages Jesus, to put God's word, to the test, Jesus absolutely, refuses to do it, because he trusts God's word, he trusts Psalm 91, he doesn't need, to put God to the test, likewise, we ourselves, can and should, trust in God, lots of unbelievers, say things like, well if I were to trust in God, he would have to, show himself to me, you heard that one, and perhaps you've been tempted, to imagine such a thing yourself,

[26:32] I'm pretty sure I have, Lord, if you could just, make yourself clearer to me, my faith would be, a lot stronger, I would be a lot more courageous, but that's exactly, the kind of wicked lie, that Jesus is calling out, right here, God has already given us, countless reasons, to believe in him, countless demonstrations, of his saving power, what we really need, is not another sign, but a humble, contrite heart, that accepts the signs, already given, and trusts in God's word, God, so test number one, provision, test number two, protection, now test number three, power, again the devil, took him to a very high mountain, and showed him, all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory, and he said to him, all these I will give you, if you will fall down, and worship me, and Jesus said to him, be gone Satan, for it is written, you shall worship, the Lord your God, and him only, shall you serve, now the devil, is described in various places, as the ruler of the world, in John chapter 12, for instance, when Jesus is talking, about his death, and what it will achieve, he says, now is the judgment, of this world, now will the ruler, of this world, be cast out, oh sorry,

[27:57] Simon, can you show us, those verses, on the screen brother, thanks mate, now is the judgment, of this world, now will the ruler, of this world, be cast out, or in 1 John chapter 5, verse 19, John says, that the whole world, lies in the power, of the evil one, or again in 2 Corinthians, chapter 4 verse 4, Paul says, the God of this world, has blinded the minds, of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing, the light of the glory, of the gospel, of the glory of Christ, who is the image, of God, the devil is, the God of this world, the ruler of this world, the whole world, lies in the power, of the evil one, of course it's not, that the devil's power, over the world, you know, is really like God's power, absolute, it's not even, that the devil, is really a true rival, to the Lord, but in a limited sense, and for a limited time, God has allowed, the devil, to hijack, his world, to lead astray, individuals, and societies, with his lies, which is just to say, that Satan's offer, in this final test, is a real one, right, in a sense, right, like all good lies, it has a grain of truth, you might say, he shows Jesus,

[29:16] I'm not quite sure how, right, perhaps in a vision, or something like that, you know, going up onto a very high mountain, is often a way of describing a vision, so somehow, he shows Jesus, all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory, perhaps you can imagine, the gold of Fort Knox, and the Sydney Opera House, or the skyscrapers of Singapore, or the Red Army, or the bakeries of France, right, these are all the glories, of the kingdoms of this world, may have missed a few, you know, big banana, these are the way, different kingdoms, display their splendor, and power, their beauty, and majesty, and Satan is saying to Jesus, they are all, under my control, and I will give them to you, to use, and enjoy, and manipulate, as you see fit, the only little caveat, the only little formality really, is that you must fall down, and worship me, and Jesus said to him, be gone Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only, shall you serve, now of course,

[30:29] Jesus really did come, to be the king of the world, the problem is not that, is not power, in and of itself, Jesus is not afraid, of wielding power, he did come, to wield great power, and now he does, the issue rather, is about who he will rule, under, see Jesus came to be, a two IC, and a second in charge, the son, of his father, Satan, wanting to, supplant his father, in a sense, is offering Jesus, the chance to be, his image bearer, why don't you be, my representative ruler, exercising dominion, over the world, why not rule, on my behalf, and you know what, I will give you the keys, to the kingdom, right now, people have often, pointed out, that this, would allow Jesus, to bypass, all the terrible, terrible stuff, that his true father, is going to ask him to do, to drink the cup, of his wrath, on the cross, what kind of father, would put their son, through that, why not just take, the easy road, the devil says,

[31:43] I would never, make you do anything, so tortuous, but this audacious, blasphemy, provokes Jesus, fiercest resistance, so far, and he drives, Satan away, his third, and final quote, is from, Deuteronomy, of course, and again, actually, it's from chapter 6, just a few verses, before the previous quote, this time, it's verse 13, in the wilderness, Israel grumbled, and complained, and they worshipped, other gods, beginning with the golden calf, on the night, the covenant was struck, eventually, they got kicked out, of the promised land, for worshipping, all sorts, of other gods, but Jesus, remains steadfast, and resolute, he powerfully, asserts, the very core, of the covenant, exclusive allegiance, to God, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, and he alone, will we worship, he orders the devil, to depart, and the result, is in verse 11, the devil left him, and behold, angels came, and were ministering, to him, it reminds me, of the book of James, this little section, we looked at this last year,

[32:54] James says, submit yourselves, therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you, and that's exactly, what we're seeing here, isn't it, Jesus submitted himself, to God, he resisted the devil, and the devil, fled from him, and then, God sent his angels, to draw near to him, to minister to him, the word is the deacon word there, they served him, they assisted him, they helped him, so Jesus passed the test, he has conquered victoriously, he has won the day, we are going to see him next week, beginning his mission, ready to preach, now that his sonship, has been declared, his sonship, has been tested, and actually confirmed, and strengthened, he's been well trained, by this fierce combat, now he's ready, to begin his public ministry, but before we wrap up, this morning, let me just close, by reflecting on the application, of this passage to us, there are a bunch of things,

[33:58] I'm going to work, through three of them, first of all, the truth about ourselves, it shocks me, I have to say, whenever I hear people, say that they are good, perhaps it ought not to by now, I've heard it enough times, but I just can't believe, that people would think that, about themselves, and it seems, no amount of evidence, will shake this fundamental belief, in some people, you can be a thief, an adulterer, no worries, I'm a good person, on the inside, you see, but of course, that's precisely the problem, with sin, that it blinds us, to its own presence, very often, we can see, everybody else's sins, clearly enough, but we can't see our own, Jesus goes on, to talk about, precisely this problem, in the next chapter, in the Sermon on the Mount, doesn't he, but the truth is friends, that we are actually, not good people, by nature anyway, we are failed sons, we don't even deserve, to be called God's sons, you remember, how the prodigal puts it, of course we don't, we fail, every day, to represent our glorious, holy, righteous and good, heavenly father, whenever we grumble, and complain, and we all do that, don't we, whenever we lie, and cheat, whenever we lust, lose our temper, we have to be clear, and honest with ourselves, that we are really, no better than Adam, when he ate the fruit, no better than Israel, grumbling in the wilderness, and going after idols, no better than David, and his famous adultery, and murder, now that is exactly, what we all have in us, but for the grace of God, we would all descend, deeper and deeper, into a spiral of wickedness, and express this poisonous, grotesque character, in a multitude of ways, and then number two, the most important thing, in the world, is knowing who Jesus is, and this passage, shows us very clearly, that Jesus is, the true son of God, the true and better Adam, the true and better David, particularly the true, and better Israel,

[36:29] Jesus is the beloved, faithful son of God, who finally succeeded, where all the other, failed, where all the other, sons of God had failed, but thirdly, once we've understood, those first two points, there is a last, and glorious twist, at the end, which I hope will not, come as a surprise, to any of you, but you see, it's not that we, we all failed, and Jesus succeeded, and now, it's kind of like, a running race, you know, we all lost, Jesus won, and now we just have to, sit back and watch him, and bask in his glory, while we're all losers, no, the glorious twist, at the end, is that Jesus shares, his victory with us, how did we all win this thing, but his faithfulness, and his righteousness, becomes ours, in a sense, his story, and the events of his life, become our events, our story, see Jesus here, is reliving, the events of Israel's past, he's going through, them again, coming out of Egypt, going through the Red Sea, going through, the wilderness, because he is rewriting, their history for them, he's rewriting, our history for us, he is reconstituting, the nation, in himself, so that now, the people of God, can be proud, of what we've done, in Jesus, see all those, who trust in Jesus, get grafted, into him, you know, as the vine, and branches analogy goes, we get grafted, into him, so that we are, a new nation, of God's people, his faithful wilderness, journey, is now our faithful, wilderness journey, his death, is our death, his resurrection, is our resurrection, because we are joined, to him by the Holy Spirit, we are in union, with him, the Apostle Paul, goes on and on, and on about this, doesn't he, why wouldn't you, we are in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, and because we are, in Christ, his faithfulness, has become our faithfulness, his righteousness, has become our righteousness, he is our wisdom, our sanctification, his victory, over the devil, has become our victory, over the devil, that's the only reason, now, that we can resist the devil, and he will flee, from us, each day, we can fight, in the armor of God, in his strength, one day, we will enjoy, complete victory, over the devil, and we will inherit, the true and better, promised land, the whole of the new creation, not that we earned it, or because we deserve it, because we are failed sons, by nature, but because he, deserves it, so brothers, this is, this is why, brothers and sisters, this is why, we can glory, in Jesus faithfulness, not just be miserable, about it, in a sense, but glory in it, because it is ours, too, so let me pray, loving heavenly father, thank you for Jesus, magnificent faithfulness, in this chapter, this was an awesome, test, that we all, would have failed, and do fail each day, to live up to your standards, to be, your true sons, but thank you, that Jesus was always, perfectly obedient, and that through his death, and resurrection, and the pouring out, of the Holy Spirit, he has grafted us, into himself, so that we now, can share in his victory, help us father, each day, to glory, and Jesus faithfulness, to enjoy, it as our own, to boast in it, and to, fight, in Jesus strength, against the devil, looking forward,

[40:30] to the great victory, that will be ours, one day, the great, perfect, complete victory, and our entrance, into the promised land, that Jesus deserves, pray all these things, in Jesus name, Amen, Thank you.