Mat 4:1-11; Worshiping God Is Performing Without a Net.

Class Outline:

Sunday February 25, 2024

Idea: Only in worshiping God can man’s needs be met. 

1. Intro in four parts. 

1. 1. Man was made to live with God in fellowship and depend upon Him. 

 

1. 1. 1. Fellowship means to know and understand someone, and then cooperate with them in the attainment of a goal. 

 

1. 2. The fall of man broke that fellowship. 

 

1. 1. 1. Results:
         1. Infection of sin and evil making us afraid, lost, and unable to have pure relationships with others. 

 

1. 1. 1. 2. Independence, making us alone, isolated, and protecting things that have no value. 

 

1. 1. 1. 3. Pursuing (chasing and seeking) joy, fulfillment, love, security, companionship. 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. These came from God worship, now they are pursued. 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. 2. The problem of pursuit causes frustration, disappointment, discouragement, anger, animosity, wrath, slander, lying (COL 3:5-9). 

Man cannot find joy. Period. 

 

1. 1. 2. If you lack joy, are unfulfilled, depressed, addicted, even homeless, the problem is not that you are worthless. Your fellowship with your Father has been broken. (2PE 1:8.)

 

1. 3. Man has needs and seeks to fulfill them. He cannot. 

 

1. 1. 1. Leads to frustration, which leads to anger, hopelessness, addiction, depression, etc. 

 

1. 1. 2. His only hope is to return to worship of God, however there is no way back to Eden (GEN 3:24; ECC 1:12-15). 

 

[PSA 10:4 - fallen man does not seek God anyway, God seeks him, and for various reasons often rejects God’s call.]

 

1. 1. 1. 1. Find God, find joy. Search for joy and find neither. 

 

1. 1. 1. 2. All forms of false worship and false gods, which make lots of promises, cannot deliver. 

 

1. 1. 3. The love of God, through the cross, has brought the believer “in Christ” (ROM 6:11; COL 2:9-10). 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. “I in you and you in Me” (JOH 14:20). 

 

1. 1. 1. 2. Much more than a return to Eden (EPH 2:6; Php 3:20).

 

1. 4. The new man can now seek the Lord, know the Lord (set your mind), and be like the Lord (revealed with Him) (Col  3:1-4). 

 

1. 1. 1. Beware of old pursuits, which still linger and can take hold. 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. Believers pursue joy etc. while failing to pursue God which results in antinomianism or licentiousness. 

 

1. 1. 1. 2. Believers can pursue God but not humbly, resulting in passivity (let go and let God; all God), or perfectionism (all you). 

 

2. Main - Christ’s temptations teach us how to seek and know God and get back to the source of our needs. 

 

1. 1. God allows obstacles to remain and they show their fruit. 

 

1. 2. The temptations: doubt is the lever of temptation.

 

1. 1. 1. God’s plan is not exactly right - make bread. 
         1. To us: give yourself that _____. God wouldn’t really want you to suffer and go without. 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Answer: man lives on every word (pursue Him); Deu 8. (COL 3:1-2).

 

1. 1. 2. God’s plan should be tested to confirm it. 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. To us: Wait and see Christianity.

 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Answer: Deu 6, trust the word (know Him). Once you’ve come to the place of worship (you pursued Him) you have to know the one you are worshiping (COL 3:2). 

 

1. 1. 3. There is a shortcut to the goal of the plan. 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. To us: Joy, fulfillment, love, should be ours quickly, or at least in our preconceived timing. We become like the seed in the thorns. 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Answer, worship God only. Find God and find everything else. 

 

3. Summary: live on every word from God, believe all of it, and worship Him. 

 

1. 1. The first two get us back to the altar of worship and then the third, we worship. 

 

1. 2. We return to the original fulfillment of our needs. 

 

1. 3. Hunger and thirst for righteousness - He is the bread and living water. 

 

1. 1. 1. God has allowed obstacles to remain. 

 

1. 1. 2. In the obstacles, God reveals His love. (JOH 13:35; 17:23). 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. Love of Christ in JOH 17:19. 

 

1. 4. We need love and acceptance; significance and identity; competence and fulfillment. 

 

1. 1. 1. We had to be supernaturally changed so that we could return to the throne of God to worship Him. 
      2. 1. God is propitiated, we are redeemed and justified; imputed with righteousness, reconciled to God and each other, crucified and resurrected.

 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. These truths should set your heart on fire. If they don’t, your only checking off doctrinal boxes and not comprehending at a deeper, personal level. 

 

1. 5. In the University of Life, the best courses are not electives. 

 

1. 1. 1. The worship of God must be reinforced every day or it will slip away. “It is easier to unlearn spiritual truth than to learn it.” 

 

1. 6. Christ made you new and came to live in you. You worship with Him, in Him. 

 

1. 1. 1. “Ought” becomes “want to.” You want to do what you have to do - that is what true worship really is; all the time, every day.