we're talking today about uh discernment

from the story of yeshua's Jesus's

Temptations or testing it's really the

same word both in in Hebrew and Greek in

the wilderness after his baptism very

very important story and very very uh

Rich story in how we are tested just

like he was tested okay or he was tested

just like we're we're tested um and want

us just to think before before we dive

into Matthew chapter 4 about what was

happening uh in the

gospels uh right before this right

before this in Matthew and and Luke you

have the story of of yeshua's Life his

young life and you think about it 30

years is basically compacted into a few

verses all right um and we don't know a

lot about that life uh Luke 2:40 it

talks after Yeshua was dedicated at the

temple after his bar mitzvah there it

says the child continued to grow and

become strong increasing in wisdom and

the grace of God was upon him uh that's

about as much we know about his 30 years

if you can imagine that of his life

growing up there in Nazareth and it's

important to realize that you know this

is not Harry Potter okay Yeshua was not

some Supernatural kid growing up that he

would do all kinds of magic things and

had powers he didn't have that at all

okay all that begins in at the end of

chapter Matthew 3 and 4 with his baptism

but so what was his life he grew up as a

normal Jewish kid up there in Nazareth

what did that

mean he was a he just helped his parents

he went to school and he learned the

word of God the Torah okay and the

prophets remember they didn't have all

kinds of other lure and TV and movies

and blah blah blah and blah blah blah

like we have all right they basically

had the Scrolls of the Torah and the

prophets at the synagogue that's where

young men especially went to learn how

to read and write and they learned and

memorized huge amounts of scripture

that's that's what they that was their

TV their internet their L see fruit

their literature okay and he grew up and

he was a strong increasing in wisdom and

the grace of God was upon him no

magic no Supernatural we don't know what

his Consciousness was of his divinity or

anything like that we don't know it

doesn't tell us and then we come and do

we have the uh yeah um uh you can go

back to the first picture at the

beginning I just want you to see that

picture before we miss it you see that

picture okay this is how some a lot of

people imagine what happens in this

temptation like it's this battle between

Yeshua and and this creature uh who

looks like Satan right just I want to

keep that in your mind as we go forward

because what I'm want to tell you is

that's exactly what it's not like okay

because any 5-year-old can discern that

that's Satan all right you know that

right if if if some creature uh you know

with a red suit and a pitchfork and

horns shows up with smoke coming out of

his mouth and ears and starts get

telling you something that's not from

God that's Satan and my nine-year-old my

five-year-old when he was five could

figure that out all right it's like

Darth Vader you know uh in the movies

we're so accustomed to it you know

little music that for boing

music and then some black creature who

speaking in a dark voice is the oh

that's the you don't even have to think

about it that's the evil that's the evil

one the bad guys right we're going to

see what happens in in Yeshua in these

Temptations is much more complex and

much more similar to what we go through

with thoughts in our mind okay so I just

want you to keep that picture in mind

that's what it's not like so that's Luke

2 240 then he grows up and quickly the

story moves to this baptism God leads

him to John's Ministry to John's baptism

he goes out there to the Jordan River

and it says in Matthew 3:16-17

after being baptized Jesus came up

immediately from the water and behold

the heavens were open and he saw the

spirit of God descending as a dove and

Lighting on him and behold a voice out

of the heaven said this is my beloved

Son in whom I am well pleased wow okay

so he has just

now um experiened something which I I

think if there's any parallel in our

lives he's basically born again and

baptized in the holy spirit all at once

but actually Yeshua didn't need to be

born again because his Spirit was not

defiled like ours is okay but

everything's already just happens in

this moment and you see the Triune God

appearing right there for a few seconds

in the at the Jordan River there is

Yeshua the son the Holy Spirit

descending on him like a dove and the

audible voice of the father speaking

this is my beloved Son in whom I will

pleas he's heard the voice the audible

voice of the father about his sunship

okay that's the background to what's

happening and

uh we're uh this whole question of

discernment I said in the title of the

message is is is this it's kind of long

you know I like long title sometimes

discernment equals identity

The Voice slw word of God and the

supernatural okay that when we're

talking about Discerning the voice the

will of God in our lives it's those

three things come together our identity

who we

are the ability our knowledge to discern

what is God's word what he's really

saying and then third it has a lot to do

with the Supernatural and understanding

the spiritual realm Okay so let's fast

forward this is what this is the

background how yeshua's grown up he's

got the word of God especially the Torah

but a lot of the the Psalms and the

prophets it's all been he's studied it

he's done what a normal human being a

normal Jew at his time would have have

to do memorizing verses learning it

speaking it all the time and he's come

to this baptism he is now filled with

the Holy Spirit a new channel

into the spiritual realm has now been

opened okay and this is I want to just

mention this before we get into the

Temptation This is what I understand

happens to us when we are born again and

especially then when we experience a

baptism of the Holy Spirit we are there

there's a we have a spirit man in us who

is been transformed born again and now

there is this straight channel to God

like the radio has been turned on okay

but at the same time that channel

especially with if we're charismatics

and Pentecostals with the B baptism of

the Holy Spirit at the same time you're

open not just to the Holy Spirit you're

open to the whole spiritual realm in a

way that you weren't before unless you

were a real Satan worshipper which most

people aren't okay and that's what

happened now now Yeshua is open now the

spirit can lead him and guide him he can

hear the voice of God and the first

thing that that voice or the spirit does

is to lead him in the wilderness for 40

days of fasting and ultimately testing

okay and all this T you will see the

test is all about

identity the voice of God what is the

word of God and the supernatural you

with me all right and remember well

let's read actually let's go to the next

next uh scripture which is uh starting

in Matthew chapter

4 ma uh Matthew chapter 4 veres 1-4 then

Yeshua was led up by the spirit Into the

Wilderness to be tempted by the devil

and after he had fasted 40 days and 40

nights he then became hungry and the

tempter came and said to him if you are

the Son of God command that these Stones

become bread but he answered and said it

is written

man shall not live on bread alone but on

every word that proceeds out of the

mouth of God all right now a few things

before we get into

this we know Matthew tells the story and

he kind of reveals all the secrets he

says he was led by the spirit to be

tempted by the devil okay and then verse

three says and the tempter came to him

so we already know what's going on which

if Matthew I said Matthew why did you

write it that way you could have kept

the suspense you know and not let us

because this is really important I

believe that Yeshua didn't

know okay that's why it's a

test okay if he knows if he was oh I'm

going to be tempted by the devil oh

that's the devil that's pretty easy okay

uh let's just a few verses from Hebrews

all right to talk about this idea of how

Yeshua was

tested tempted in every way just like we

are Hebrews 2:17 and 18 therefore he had

to be made like his brethren in all

things so that he might become a

merciful and faithful high priest in

things pertaining to God to make

propitiation for the sins of the people

Verse 18 for since he himself was

tempted in that which he has suffered he

is able to come to the aid of those who

are tempted Hebrews 4:15 for we do not

have a high priest who cannot sympathize

with our weakness but one who has been

tempted in all all things just as we are

okay tempted and tested is the same

word you know brothers and sisters how

are we tempted and tested by the

devil does he show up in a voice in your

mind like

this like Darth

Vader no that's too

easy okay any 5-year-old can discern

that he shows up in your mind in the

exact same

thoughts that you get from the whole the

same way because it's your SP there's a

spirit your spirit man and everything

then from that Spirit comes through your

soul into your mind okay there's no I

don't know about you there's no

qualitative difference in the voice you

understand me it's not like God's voice

is you know and the devil

is no it's a

thought so there is Yeshua just the like

us he's done 40 days of fasting I heard

from Asher in the teaching a few weeks

ago of how everything in yeshua's life

has a parallel has a type from the from

the Torah from Moses and from the story

of the people of Israel 40 years in the

wilderness he's out in the wilderness

right 40 years 40 days okay and he's now

going to go through something and it's

he apparently knew that he had to fast

for 40 days okay now it's over the grace

is gone for that fast and he's

hungry okay now the question here the

test is not if to

eat or not the test is how why okay now

in what would he do normally what would

you do normally at the end of a fast do

you go look for rocks to command them to

turn into bread or to spaghetti or

whatever you like or Mana no you would

walk into the next

Village buy food or and

say you'd say your prayer and you'd eat

like a normal human being that's what

Yeshua would do and should do

unless God has a different idea all

right

so he

is at that place it's time to eat and he

I don't want to say he hears a voice

because it's that's not the test by the

way if you're you're out there and

you're hearing voices like of different

quality like different radio signals in

your brain that is very serious that can

mean a very serious psychological

illness or demonic possession you need

really serious help that's not how God

speaks to you okay the holy spirit is is

not it's not a radio inside your head

okay he comes into our spirit it comes

through our soul and our thought life

into our conscience and we learn learn

over time as we grow to discern what is

that the thoughts of God okay um so this

is what happens to Yeshua now we have

the the the the scripture is very very

dense and short okay it doesn't say how

long it was between the time that this

thought came to him

if you're the Son of God speak to the

stones to turn them into bread and the

time that he spoke and said it is

written all right I believe that it was

probably at least several minutes maybe

even longer that Yeshua going through

this test he had to discern and think

and pray like we do and go through the

scriptures and go through the stories

and and and and and sort of you know

meditate on those words and and and gain

discernment okay it wasn't just like

that I that's what I think because he

went through he was tested just as we

are all right so I want us to think

about what he might have gone through uh

as he was discerned his process of

discernment I hope it will help all of

us uh as well um first thing is the

first words this if you are the Son of

God

then if you're the Son of God oh wait a

minute I just heard 40 days

ago the audible voice of the father say

this is my

son I know who I

am

okay um I believe Yeshua was very

confident in who he was as the Son of

God and here comes this these words that

kind of say well you got to do something

to prove it

in particular something

Supernatural

okay and I think he's PR wait a minute I

don't is that is that right I mean

humanly speaking you if this was Harry

Potter or this is me I'd be like he

knows from growing up and reading the

stories from Moses and Elijah and the

prophets and about the Messiah that he's

going to be doing signs and wonders he's

going to be raising the dead and Healing

The Sick and casting out demons but he's

never done any of that before if it were

me I'd say well Nobody's around this

good good time to practice you know

let's take the Rocks bread bread oh now

you got to do it 10 times I don't

know but no he did something said no no

I'm not I don't not sure I need to do

anything then I believe if I think if we

think what stories from the Bible that

he had memorized would speak into this

situation that would help him discern

because remember you see with all of the

Temptations his final answer is quote

quing a Bible verse okay and as we'll

see it's not just one it's the verse but

there's everything in that chapter and

so he's thinking about the scriptures

now what stories I'll put it this

way

Supernatural

provision okay you've got no food or

water and you're speaking to a

rock ring a bell ring a bell tell

me Moses where should be Moses remember

he's got to do everything that Moses did

in the people which story Numbers

Chapter 20 The Waters of miva okay what

happened in that story uh the people are

complaining again you brought us out of

Egypt that we would have to die here

weren't there enough graves in Egypt

blah blah blah Jewish people are amazing

at gifty gifted complaining very verbose

yeah and um we have the scripture up

there this is Mo uh numbers chap 20: 101

God says it's kind of tricky What God

Says to to Moses and Aaron as they fall

on their face in front of him and say

what again what are we supposed to do

and God says pick up your staff okay and

go out and then God says speak to the

Rock and The Rock will bring forth water

what happens Moses for basically it's

the only time that

Moses how should we say loses is cool

okay and he gets judged for it this this

is verse 10 and 11 Moses says they

gathered the assembly before the Rock

and he said to

them listen now you rebels shall we

bring forth water for you out of this

rock uhoh what do you hear in those

words what was happening in Moses's

Soul his ego suddenly these are you know

all the other times Moses goes before he

says God if you don't go before us God

Mo God says to him I don't I'm going to

I'm going to judge these people and kill

them all and start over with you and

some others says no no no God he

intercedes no what will the Egyptians

say what will they say about here a

different Moses something happens he

lost his cool he got angry he called the

people Rebels and then he says what do

we need to do bring forth water shall we

do this bring forth water from the

rod you hear a bit of this ego now what

do I got to show you something something

again then Moses lifted up his hand and

struck the rock twice with his Rod God

had told him to take the rod God didn't

tell him to strike The Rock he told him

to speak to the rod and water came forth

abundantly the will of God was fulfilled

anyway because God is Sovereign and

that's what God wanted to

do and all the people and the animals

they all drank and we satisfied okay but

then the next verse says God judges

Moses said you did not sanctify me in in

the sight of the people of Israel and

because of this you and Aaron will not

enter the promised land all right now

I'm tell you again I'm Yeshua I'm not

Yeshua if I'm Yeshua I'm standing there

thinking all right speak to the Rock

food water the story of Moses ego do I

have to show something what else is

different Yeshua is

alone Moses wasn't alone

do you ever was there ever a time where

Moses was alone with God and something

Supernatural

happened yeah the beginning of his his

call The Burning Bush did he have to

make that happen no God spoke and it was

there okay every other time that Moses

did something Supernatural was a sign it

was for the people think about yeshua's

life and Ministry after this is there

any time that our Lord Yeshua

the one who had full command charge over

the supernatural world who could speak

and do anything whatever he said would

come to pass did he ever do anything

Supernatural for himself by himself

that's recorded in

scripture No provision he fed the 5,000

he fed the 4,000 and at the end he said

to pick up the crumbs that's tomorrow's

morning that's breakfast

tomorrow okay they were together for for

three years how many is that that's 900

a th000 days every day except two days

they ate they paved they did the normal

thing that human beings do there were

time two times with this 5,000 in the

fourth that it was a sign it was for the

people okay it wasn't Yeshua saying I

got to do something Supernatural so I

can feel like I'm the Son of

God okay never did that never did that

with the supernatural right and Moses

didn't do it either and this one time

when Moses got his ego

involved it was bad news for Moses and

for the people okay um the other Story

another story of miraculous provision

let's think of the most important people

the the Torah Moses and the prophets

Elijah that's why in the Mount of

transfiguration it's the two of them who

appear Moses represents the Torah and

Elijah the the prophets Elijah did he

was he ever fed supernaturally

what's the

story

Ravens right crows all right First Kings

17 we'll just focus on First Kings 17

veres 5 and 6 it's up there right this

is where at the beginning when he he is

he's uh announced that there will be no

no rain for three years and now he's on

the run and God leads him and he's he he

went to according to the word of the

Lord he went and lived by the Brook

which is east of the Jordan the Ravens

brought him bread and and meat in the

morning and bread and meat in the

evening takeaway W Vault whatever you

want to call it okay think about that

from the Crow's mouth where did they get

bread I mean meat I get they can pick up

some dead carcasses I don't know but

bread they don't make bread you

know and he's bringing it to them

amazing he's alone how did it happen God

spoke how did God

speak God said

to the Ravens do this right we didn't

hear that and Elijah didn't hear it what

did he hear the Ravens bringing me

food God has

spoken

circumstance okay when God speaks you

know when no one was around when he said

let there be light we didn't hear that

but God spoke and there's

light that's how God speaks

supernaturally most of the time is there

it is

okay so in another case here that Yeshua

is processing this and wait a minute

that but Moses and the prophets they

didn't there was never a situation like

this where they just by themselves for

themselves did something Supernatural

where God instead of God speaking and

providing they had to do it themselves

they had to command Okay so he takes

those things

together wait a minute I I don't need to

prove I've

heard 40 days ago that voice that voice

that one time that's

enough I don't need to keep on I don't

need some Supernatural high or power to

keep

myself confident in my sunship my

identity as a child of God you hear

me some of us we'll talk about this at

the end some of us and I'm I can tell

you my own story at the end sometimes we

get a little bit

addicted and we think we need something

Supernatural from God to to get me

through this

well what that means what that

Supernatural is going to look

like let him

decide amen and be confident in who you

are let's finish all right as again he's

going through this process of

discernment of

figuring out of of not fig he's praying

he's he's he's meditating on this this

thought that had come to him if you're

the Son of God speak to the stones and

turn them into bread and he's going

through scriptures in his mind he's

going through the stories of the

prophets and and Moses and then he comes

to this the third one which is the one

he he finishes with and speaks which is

Deuteronomy

8 he speaks part of verse three um but

you remember um you know as was teaching

Romans 91011 how and encouraging people

all the time when there's a quote that

it may just be the tip of the iceberg

from that section in the Old Testament

and to stop and to go back and read not

just read around it okay and you'll find

oh he's referencing not just that that

one little phrase he's referencing the

whole thing of what's written in Isaiah

or what's written in in Moses and this

is the same thing uh in um

in Deuteronomy okay I'm going to read

from Deuteronomy 8 1-3 by the way all

three of yeshua's answers to the

Temptations and we'll talk about the

next Temptations in the next time um he

quotes his his trump card uh is a verse

from Deuteronomy either chapter 6 or

chapter 8 okay we'll talk about that at

the end why why those chapters

Deuteronomy 8 1-3 all the command ments

that I am commanding you today you shall

be careful to do that you may live and

multiply and go in and possess the land

which the Lord swore to give your

fathers you shall remember all the way

which the Lord your God has led you in

the wilderness these 40 years that he

might humble

you testing you to know what was in your

heart whether you would keep his

Commandments or not not just whether but

why you would keep his Commandments What

is the motivation of your heart of your

ego he humbled you and let you be hungry

and fed you with Mana which you did not

know nor did your fathers know and I

would add and nor did Moses command the

Heavens to rain down how did the mana

come to the people of

Israel God spoke how did God speak he

said let there be Mana every day and on

the sixth day on Friday let there be a

double portion okay we didn't hear

nobody heard that voice what did you see

what did you get the Mana God spoke the

physical Universe testify here it is

this is what God is saying all

right that he might make you understand

that

man the man does not live by bread alone

but man lives by everything that

proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord

so when Yeshua when he answers and says

now it's not man does not live by bread

alone what he and but by every word that

comes out of out of the mouth of God he

said God hasn't spoken

here because if God according to the

Torah and according to Moses and

according to Elijah and according to my

confidence as the Son of God if God

wanted me to eat miraculously

God would send the Ravens with some meat

and bread God would just the rock would

start you know leaking water and and and

bringing me food and and drink that

would be God speaking I don't have to

make it up I don't have to do something

Supernatural out here for myself to

practice I don't need it for my ego and

I know that when God there is going to

be some Supernatural things that's going

that I'm going to do feeding people but

it's it's going to be for them it's

going to be for the people it's going to

be a sign it's going to be a Ministry

not for my ego okay that's what Yeshua

said just in that one phrase he's he's

all right here these verses are in his

mind about the Mana about Moses and

about Elijah and he's he's he's just

Discerning wait a that thought that's

not a that's not a god

thought that's not a god thought

so I promised I'd tell just a little bit

of my story where our time is almost up

um I came to the Lord you know in Tokyo

Japan in

1992 and I came uh to the Lord in a very

dramatic and Supernatural way uh I heard

the voice of God he spoke into my my I

was born again and that that channel was

open into the spiritual realm and I was

given Isaiah 536 or 5 and 6

by his stripes you were healed verses I

had never read I hadn't read that much

of the Bible and I was totally

transformed and for really for months

even about a year to a year and a half

afterwards I was like hearing like these

thoughts God was leading me in very

Supernatural ways okay and it was

wonderful and by the after you I'm back

in my my home where I grew up in West

Harford Connecticut uh in 1993 1994 was

starting doing different things in

Ministry and over I don't think maybe

over the course of a month or so that

sort of

Supernatural leading of God and of

hearing this sort of these go here do

this do that sort of just kind of went

quiet okay and I was really confused I

thought I've sinned I've done something

terrible what's happened God has left me

and I took some I took a few days of

fasting and prayer to seek the Lord and

He one day just kind of as I was reading

and he led me very clearly to the

scripture the story in John of

Thomas who you know after the

resurrection he Yeshua appears to the

other disciples and Thomas says I I I

won't believe it until I see it and then

a week later or eight days later I think

boom there's Yeshua in the room and he

goes straight to Thomas and says here

touch my hands you know and in other

words he Yeshua knew exactly what he

needed and he says my God my savior

something like that right and then

Yeshua says to

him it's it's great that you believe

because you've seen But blessed are

those who having not seen

believe and I went ah and I this thought

very came to my mind which said if I if

you never have any more Supernatural

experience will you still follow me will

you still

believe and I said yes and I can tell

you since that time I've had some

Supernatural experiences but not like it

was in that first year and I can also

tell you that most of the time that I

have strongly heard the voice of God or

even seen signs and wonders has been

when I've ministered to others or when

I've been sharing the gospel or helping

people

not for

myself okay and that's one of the the

big lessons we need to learn from

this when when when our ego is involved

when our ego is there when our heart our

desires are there we've got to be

careful about how we hear the voice of

God I was talking to young lady a few

weeks ago who would love to get married

she's single and she's praying and

praying she thinks he's hearing about

this guy or

maybe and I said wow I have experienced

for that cuz I came to the Lord at age

25 and had to wait 18 years until God

gave me my bride um and really had to

give up that thought but but how

much when our desire our heart our ego

wants

something we can tend to

manipulate the word of God or the voice

of God or the spirit or to use it for

our own I want

it uh and we got to be really really

careful of that we've got to walk like

you

Yeshua we've got to be all so confident

and we can be now in that same voice

because of because of Yeshua because of

his death and resurrection and the new

birth you are my beloved son or daughter

in whom I Delight I hope you all that's

that's scripture that's you if you

believe in him in Christ Jesus we have

that and we that peace that

righteousness peace and joy that we have

have that's it that's the kingdom of God

and we need to be so confident in that

that we don't need anything Supernatural

we don't need the the the high or the

low doesn't matter what happens we're

confident we don't need to prove

anything about who we are right because

if you need to prove something then

there's something faulty

with that new birth and that adoption

it's not enough we don't need to prove

anything number one number two we are

people of the word of God of the Holy

scriptures we've got to be learning it

memorizing it putting it deep into our

hearts so that when we are tested the

Holy Spirit can help and go through that

Library like it did with Yeshua and help

us process and discern and we don't need

to do that alone he's he's the son of

God he had to do it alone in the desert

after 40 days we have past we have

friends we have leaders we can go to and

say you know I've been hearing something

can you help me discern is this from God

or not right and we do that with the

scriptures we check our hearts it's

about our identity it's about learning

the the word of God and learning to wait

for him to speak in through the

circumstances it takes time but when the

circumstances change after we pray he

has spoken right and then that's how we

can then begin to operate more and more

in the Supernatural in Ministry to

others as God uses us to bring the

gospel to this world Amen let's pray

father we thank you for this example of

Yeshua and what he went through and

thank you God that you sent him and he

did this just as a man just like

us and through him Lord we can we in him

we can learn to have the same level of

discernment of

confidence L thank you that we that the

essence of the gospel of grace is that

we don't do anything to deserve it we

don't do anything to prove our Worth or

who we are as children of God we just

receive it believe it and stay in

it thank you Lord that you are we do

believe in the

Supernatural but Lord we want to be like

Yeshua like like Paul like the others

like Moses who walked in it as they as

they brought the gospel brought the good

news of God to the

world so Lord use our friends use

everybody here help us to walk in these

things and to stand in these things so

that we might be fully able to discern

what is the real voice the real bading

of the Holy Spirit and what isn't thank

you Lord bashem Yeshua amen