Pastor Carmen Shullo Sr.
February 12, 2023
Matthew 4:1-11
Paradise in the Wilderness
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Takeaway passages: 1 Cor 15:45-48, Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:15-16, James 1:13-15, 16-18
Jesus comes not only to give us a glimpse of the Father’s heart and His love for us, but also to fill the
spiritual gap that sin causes.
45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The
spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust
of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the
earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 1 Cor 15:45-48
Even though Jesus is led by the Spirit the deceiver still comes at Him. The same is true for us. So if
Jesus is Spirit led, then so should we be.
That is why we are able to call on Him when we are burdened or tempted
17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might
become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for
the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those
who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:17-18
Because we are tempted we are not evil, we are tempted because the deceiver is evil.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor
does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil
desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-
grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15
We are tempted because we are chosen by God to be holy and blameless in His sight.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one
who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s
throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of
need. Hebrews 4:15-16
If God loves me why am I tempted? Because you have the ability to choose rightly and He wants
you to experience that as His beloved.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting
shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of
all he created. James 1:16-18
The last Adam is the One that shows us the way, the truth, and the life.
