Preaching Being Wonderful
Satan wanted Jesus to be wonderful on his own terms...and claim God did it. Preach so people can see this as a real temptation in their own life.
And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Luke 4:12
When you’re preaching about the temptation of wonder, you are working against the background desire we have to be wonderful.
No one sets out in life to be mediocre. We are beaten down into mediocrity.
Beaten down by failure, nay-sayers, difficulty, suffering. All the hard things of life.
Then those who are crushing it, at their core are crushing it because they desire to be wonderful.
God put this desire in our soul. This is why it is a real temptation.
God wanted Jesus to be wonderful. Otherwise, no one would pay attention to him. No one would follow him. No one would care if he died and resurrected.
Satan wanted Jesus to be wonderful on his own terms…and claim God did it.
People sitting before you could be…
Wonderful in God’s sight because they have Heard & Followed him into difficulty, suffering and failure.
Wonderful in God’s sight because they have Heard & Followed him into building an incredible business to be extravagantly generous.
Wonderful in Satan’s sight because they have trusted in him to live a life of miserable suffering.
Wonderful in Satan’s sight because they have trusted in him to live a life of beautiful success.
And this beautiful success could be trusting in their religion and not Jesus himself.
You cannot see with your physical eyes if someone is wonderful in God’s sight or not.
Preach to their heart and soul. Who do they Hear & Follow? What are they trusting to provide them Life in their soul? If they lost everything tomorrow, would they still find their Hope in Christ alone?
Preach so they will not test God by being wonderful on their own and calling it God’s will.