Lust of the Eyes (The Devil Tempts Jesus – Part 3)
Luke 4:5-8 NKJV Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
Let’s admit it – when the devil tries to tempt you, he’s not going to tempt you with something that appears ugly, horrible, distasteful or hideous. When the devil tempts you he is going to show you (in your mind) an outcome or an appearance that looks attractive.
The problem with what the devil offers is that it is TEMPORARY; it is COUNTERFEIT; it requires that you align your values with the devil; and it therefore leads you away from God.
The devil thought that if he “SHOWED” Jesus the “KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD”, he would be able to lure or appeal to the lust of the eyes in order to get Jesus to worship him in return for worldly power, worldly money and worldly territory. However Jesus knew that ONLY God can offer the best and ONLY God must be served and worshipped.
Genesis 3:6-7 NKJV So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
When the devil tempted Eve, the devil again appealed to the lust of the eyes. The scripture says that Eve “SAW that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the EYES”. Such deception eventually caused her and Adam to give in to temptation. Soon after eating the fruit, they discovered that they were actually tricked, because what the devil promised is not exactly what happened.
Today, the devil still uses the same tricks to tempt people and appeal to the lust of the eyes.
For example, the devil will make you imagine and “see” how rich you would be if you stole that money; how satisfied you would be if you watched that pornographic movie; how you would get your promotion if you slandered your co-worker, etc.
Mark 8:36-38 NKJV For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Whatever the world and the devil has to offer is TEMPORARY and it is of no benefit to God or the things of God. When we put the world and the things of the world above God, our actions and thoughts will end up submitting to the devil’s ideals.
Therefore there is NO PROFIT if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul. Because when you die, you take NOTHING from the world with you.
However, when the devil tempts us we must respond with scripture just like Jesus
Luke 4:8 NKJV And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
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