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