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Luke 4:12—“And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Satan brought Jesus to a pinnacle of the temple and urged Him to cast Himself down. Having heard Christ appeal to Scripture, the tempter then quoted Psalm 91:11–12, claiming that God’s angels would preserve Him. Yet Satan distorted the promise by divorcing it from its proper meaning. Psalm 91 assures those who walk obediently in God’s appointed ways; it does not encourage reckless acts intended to force God to prove His faithfulness.

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16: “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” The verse recalls Israel’s sin at Massah, where the people questioned God’s presence and demanded evidence of His care: “Is the LORD among us, or not?” (Exodus 17:7). Rather than trusting what God had already revealed, they insisted that He prove Himself to their satisfaction.

Faith trusts God’s promises; presumption misuses them. Faith obeys God and leaves the outcome with Him; presumption acts foolishly and expects God to prevent the consequences. We tempt God whenever we knowingly disobey Him, neglect appointed means, or demand extraordinary signs before believing His Word.

Christ refused to manufacture a spectacular display of divine protection. He did not need to test His Father’s love, for He rested securely in it. His answer also shows that Scripture must interpret Scripture. A biblical quotation used contrary to God’s revealed will is still a misuse of the Bible.

Believers must not seek unnecessary danger and then expect miraculous deliverance. Neither should they demand signs when God has already spoken clearly. Our confidence rests not in dramatic experiences but in God’s unchanging character and trustworthy Word. Do not put God to the test. Trust Him, obey Him, and walk humbly in the path He has appointed.

Luke 4:8—“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Satan showed Jesus the kingdoms of the world and promised Him their power and glory on one condition: “If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine” (v. 7). The devil offered Christ a crown without the cross, even worldwide dominion without suffering, obedience, or death. Yet accepting that offer would have meant rejecting the Father’s will and bestowing divine honour on the creature rather than the Creator.

Jesus immediately dismissed the tempter: “Get thee behind me, Satan”. He then cited Deuteronomy 6:13, declaring that worship and service belong exclusively to God. Worship is not merely singing, praying, or attending religious services. It is the wholehearted reverence, love, trust, submission, and obedience that govern one’s life. Whoever receives our highest allegiance is, in practice, the object of our worship.

Christ refused Satan’s shortcut. He would receive the kingdoms of the world from His Father, but only through the appointed path of perfect obedience, suffering, death, and resurrection. While Israel repeatedly turned to idols, the obedient Son remained wholly devoted to God.

Satan still offers apparent advancement through sinful compromise. He suggests that success, influence, comfort, wealth, or recognition can be gained by silencing the conscience and setting aside God’s commands. Yet no earthly advantage can justify spiritual unfaithfulness.

The believer must therefore reject every rival to God. Money, ambition, pleasure, reputation, and even human relationships must never claim the devotion due to Him alone. Worship the Lord sincerely and serve Him faithfully, remembering that every crown gained through compromise is bought at the cost of the soul.

Luke 4:4—“And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

After fasting forty days in the wilderness, Jesus was hungry. Satan therefore tempted Him to use His divine power to turn a stone into bread. The temptation was not merely to satisfy hunger but to act independently of His Father’s will. Christ answered by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, recalling how God humbled Israel in the wilderness and taught them that life ultimately depended not on food but on His sustaining Word.

Bread is necessary but not sufficient. Physical life and all its provisions remain entirely under God’s command. Food cannot preserve us unless He blesses it, and deprivation cannot destroy us before His appointed time. True life is sustained by trusting and obeying whatever God has spoken.

Where Israel murmured and failed in the wilderness, Christ, the obedient Son, trusted His Father completely. He refused to end His suffering by straying from the path appointed for Him. His victory also teaches us how to resist temptation: not by human reasoning, determination, or compromise, but by faith in the written Word—“It is written”.

We are often tempted to make physical comfort, financial security, health, or immediate relief our highest priority. Yet no earthly provision can nourish the soul. We need the promises, commands, warnings, and consolations of Scripture. God’s Word reveals Christ, strengthens faith, corrects error, and guides us in righteousness.

Therefore, do not feed the body while starving the soul. Read the Scriptures prayerfully, receive them humbly, and obey them faithfully. Bread sustains earthly life for a season, but God’s Word leads us into life everlasting.

Mark 13:33—“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.”

Jesus spoke these words while teaching His disciples about His return. He had warned them of coming deception, persecution, tribulation, and cosmic disturbances. Yet He did not reveal the precise time when all these things would be fulfilled. Instead of encouraging speculation, Christ commanded spiritual vigilance: “Take ye heed, watch and pray”.

“Take ye heed” is a call to careful self-examination. Believers must guard against false teaching, spiritual carelessness, and worldly distraction. Prophecy is not given merely to satisfy curiosity about future events. It is intended to produce holy and watchful living. A person may understand many prophetic details and yet remain spiritually unprepared.

“Watch” means to remain awake and alert. In the following verses, Jesus compared Himself to a man travelling into a far country who assigned responsibilities to his servants and commanded the porter to watch. Christ has ascended into heaven, but He has entrusted His servants with work to do until He returns. Watching, therefore, is not passive waiting. It means faithfully fulfilling our duties, resisting sin, serving Christ, and expecting His appearing.

“Pray” reminds us that watchfulness cannot be maintained by human strength. Prayer keeps the heart dependent upon God. Through prayer, believers seek grace to withstand temptation, discern error, endure trials, and remain faithful.

The reason for Christ’s command is plain: “Ye know not when the time is”. The uncertainty of the time should not produce fear or speculation, but constant readiness. Christ may come when many are spiritually sleeping. Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds faithful at His return. Therefore, let us watch over our hearts, pray without ceasing, and diligently perform the work He has given us.

Mark 11:26—“But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Jesus spoke these words while teaching His disciples about believing prayer. Having commanded them to “Have faith in God” (v. 22), He also taught that effective prayer requires a forgiving heart: “When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any” (v. 25). Faith in God cannot be separated from a gracious disposition towards others.

Christ’s warning is solemn: “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” This does not mean that sinners earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. Scripture plainly teaches that forgiveness is granted by grace through Christ’s redeeming blood: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7). Our forgiveness of others is not the meritorious cause of God’s forgiveness but necessary evidence that we have truly experienced His mercy.

An unforgiving heart contradicts a profession of saving faith. The person who understands how much God has forgiven him cannot withhold forgiveness from a repentant brother. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the unforgiving servant, who received extraordinary mercy yet refused to show it to another (Matthew 18:23–35).

Christ also speaks here of the Father’s forgiveness within His relationship with His children. Cherished bitterness disrupts communion with God and hinders prayer. A believer cannot approach the Father sincerely for cleansing while stubbornly refusing to let go of personal vengeance.

Forgiveness does not excuse sin, remove lawful consequences, or immediately restore broken trust. It means renouncing personal revenge, refusing to nurture resentment, and remaining willing to pursue reconciliation biblically.

Is there someone against whom you are harbouring bitterness? Remember the immeasurable mercy shown to you in Christ. Forgive, not to purchase God’s grace, but because His forgiving grace has conquered your heart.

Mark 11:22—“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.”

Jesus spoke these words after the disciples noticed that the fig tree He had cursed had withered from its roots. Mark places the cleansing of the temple between the cursing and the withering of the tree (vv. 12–21), thereby linking the two events. The tree, full of leaves but without fruit, symbolised the outwardly impressive yet spiritually barren religion centred in Jerusalem. The withered tree demonstrated both the authority of Christ’s word and the certainty of divine judgement.

In this setting, Jesus commanded His disciples, “Have faith in God.” He emphasised that their faith ought to be directed towards God and to rest entirely upon Him. Christ did not teach, as some claim, faith in faith itself, nor did He promise that confident thoughts would bring every personal desire to pass. Biblical faith has God, His character, promises, wisdom, and power as its object.

The reference to moving a mountain in the following verse (v.23) emphasises the mighty works God can accomplish in answer to believing prayer. Yet faith does not attempt to compel God to fulfil human wishes. True faith prays in submission to His will, seeks His glory, and trusts that He will accomplish all He has promised. “This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14).

Faith in God is especially necessary when difficulties seem immovable. We may not see how God will provide, deliver, guide, or sustain us, yet our confidence rests on Him rather than on visible circumstances. The God who caused the fig tree to wither by Christ’s word remains sovereign over every obstacle.

Therefore, do not measure God’s faithfulness by the size of your troubles or the weakness of your resources. Look away from yourself and rest in the almighty, wise, and unchanging God. Have faith, not in your plans, abilities, or feelings, but in God.

In Psalm 32:1–2, David sang, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile”.

Whether it be health, security, prosperity, companionship, or freedom from trouble, none compares with the blessing that David celebrates at the beginning of Psalm 32: the forgiveness of sin. A person may possess much in this world and yet remain miserable under the guilt and condemnation of sin. Conversely, one may suffer affliction, deprivation and sorrow, but be truly blessed because he knows that his sins are forgiven and he has peace with God.

Forgiveness is a matchless blessing because only God can forgive sin. Daniel confessed, “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses” (Daniel 9:9). Forgiveness belongs to God because every sin is ultimately committed against Him. Sin is far more than a small mistake or a human weakness. It is rebellion against the holy God, such as violating His righteous commandments and doing wrong against others. This is clear in David’s confession of sins to the Lord, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Psalm 51:4). In the story of the prodigal son who returned to his father, he said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight” (Luke 15:21), acknowledging that his rebellion was ultimately against God.

We cannot grasp the blessedness of forgiveness unless we first recognise the seriousness of sin. God is perfectly holy and He cannot be indifferent to iniquity. His righteous anger visits unrepentant sinners: “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). Every sinner is therefore exposed to divine judgment. No human effort can erase one’s own guilty conscience, appease God’s wrath, or restore fellowship with God. If the Lord were to deal with us according to our sins, none could stand before Him.

How wonderful, then, are David’s words: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven”. The word translated “forgiven” conveys the idea of something being lifted up and carried away. Sin places a crushing burden on the conscience that the sinner cannot remove. But when God forgives, He lifts that burden and takes it away. David had experienced the misery of concealing his sin. He testified that when he kept silence, his bones waxed old, and the Lord’s hand was heavy upon him day and night (Psalm 32:3-4). But when he acknowledged his sin and ceased hiding his iniquity, he received the Lord’s gracious pardon.

David also declares that the forgiven man’s sin is “covered”. Certainly, this does not mean that God pretends sin never occurred. Sin can be covered only because its guilt has been fully dealt with. In the Old Testament sacrifices, God pointed His people towards the perfect atonement that would be accomplished by Jesus Christ. On the cross, Christ bore the punishment for His people’s sins. He, the sinless One, suffered in the place of sinners, thereby satisfying the righteous demands of God’s law. Therefore, God is both perfectly just in punishing sinners, and merciful in forgiving repentant sinners.

Next, we read the astonishing words: “Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity”. The divine record against the believer has been cancelled! Scripture declares that Christ has forgiven us of all our trespasses, “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us”, and has taken it out of the way, “nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:13–14). The charges that condemned us have been settled by the blood of Christ which is the ransom/payment of our sins. The sins that testified against us cannot rise again to condemn us before God.

The apostle Paul quotes Psalm 32:1–2 in Romans 4:6–8 to describe the blessedness of justification which is received by faith. Those who believe in Jesus Christ are justified. Christ’s righteousness is reckoned to the believer. This forgiveness is not a reward earned by good works, or religious observances. It is God’s gracious gift, received through faith in Christ.

Perhaps someone may ask, “Can God forgive me after all that I have done? I have resisted His Word, taken His patience for granted, and repeatedly returned to the same sins. Am I not too guilty to be forgiven?” Hear the Lord’s gracious declaration: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:25). The ground of forgiveness is not our worthiness but God’s mercy in Christ. No sinner who truly repents and comes to Christ will be cast out.

Psalm 32:2b also says that the blessed man is one “in whose spirit there is no guile”. This does not describe a man who has never sinned, but one who no longer tries to conceal, excuse or minimise his sin. He comes honestly before God. True repentance rejects every deceitful attempt at self-justification. It accepts God’s verdict, confesses sin and seeks mercy. As long as we hide our sin, we remain restless and spiritually burdened. But when we confess it, we discover that “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Dear brethren, do not carry a burden which Christ is willing to remove. Do not allow shame to drive you away from the only One who can cleanse you. Let guilt drive you to Christ, not from Him. Come with a contrite heart, confessing your sin without guile and trusting wholly in His finished work: “There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:4).

Those who have received such mercy must never respond casually. Forgiveness should produce reverence, gratitude and renewed obedience. The pardoned sinner does not say, “Because grace abounds, I may continue in sin.” Rather, he asks, “How can I live for Him who loved me and gave Himself for me?” Forgiveness brings joy in worship and in service to God.

Let us rejoice, for the wrath we deserved has been turned away. Truly, blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered, and unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.

Sermon Text: Psalm 143:1–12
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 23rd August 2026

Amos 4:12—“Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.”

God had repeatedly chastened Israel through famine, drought, crop failure, pestilence, military defeat, and destruction (vv. 6–11). These judgments were not meaningless disasters; they were divine warnings intended to turn the people from sin. Yet after each chastisement came the solemn refrain: “Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.”

Amos 4:12 begins with the word, “Therefore”, which introduces the consequence of Israel’s persistent refusal to repent. Because the nation had disregarded God’s lesser judgments, it must now prepare for a direct and decisive encounter with Him. “Prepare to meet thy God” is not primarily a comforting invitation but a solemn summons to face the divine Judge.

The words “thy God” intensify the warning. Israel claimed the LORD as its covenant God while worshipping idols and practising injustice. Religious privilege could not shelter the unrepentant. Greater revelation brought greater accountability.

Every person must likewise meet God. Death and judgment cannot be avoided through wealth, education, good works, religious profession, or delay. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). God’s patience must not be mistaken for indifference. His warnings call sinners to immediate repentance.

How, then, can guilty sinners prepare to meet the holy God? Only through Jesus Christ, who bore divine wrath for all who trust in Him. Those justified by faith have peace with God and need not face condemnation (Romans 5:1; 8:1). Praise the Lord!

Do not harden your heart when God’s Word exposes your sin. Respond while mercy is proclaimed. Repent, flee to Christ, and live each day ready to meet your God.

Amos 3:3—“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

Amos addressed Israel, a nation specially chosen and favoured by God, yet persistently disobedient to His covenant. Their privileged relationship increased, rather than removed, their accountability. The Lord cautioned Israel in verse 2—“You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

Amos 3:3 introduces a series of rhetorical questions demonstrating that every effect arises from an identifiable cause. Two people do not journey together. Normally, when two people travel together, they would first agree to meet and proceed in the same direction. Likewise, Amos had not begun prophesying without cause. The LORD had spoken, and His servant was compelled to proclaim His warning (vv. 7–8).

The verse also exposes Israel’s spiritual contradiction. The people claimed a special relationship with God while walking in direct opposition to His commands. Fellowship with the holy God cannot be enjoyed while sin is knowingly cherished. The Lord had commanded Israel to walk in His statutes, but they pursued idolatry, injustice, luxury, and oppression.

Sinners are naturally alienated from God and cannot reconcile themselves to Him. Peace with God is granted only through Jesus Christ, who bore the judgment deserved by His people: “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Those reconciled to God are then called to walk in His light and obey His Word.

Do not mistake religious profession for fellowship with God. Church attendance, baptism, and Christian speech cannot compensate for persistent disobedience. Examine whether your thoughts, desires, and conduct agree with Scripture. Where God’s Word exposes sin, repent and submit. True communion with God is enjoyed by those who, through Christ, humbly walk in His truth.