God In A Box ??? - Matthew 4:1-11

"For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God"; Acts 20:27. There are many questionable practices or doctrines moving throughout the church these days; and a lot of them are being justified by saying; "We will not put God in a box"; or, "God is bigger than His word". First off, God can not be placed in a box to begin with; for in Jeremiah 23:24 He says, "Do not I fill heaven and earth?". Secondly, His word declares in Psalms 138:2; "For thou hast magnified thy word above thy name". With that being said, let me state with all certainly, that there is a box, but it is not for God; it is for man; and the box is the Word of God. In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus was in the wilderness and had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights; and it says he hungered. Then came Satan to tempt him in three different areas of temptation; very similar to the areas in which Eve was tempted in the Garden, just magnified a bit, because of who Jesus was, (another topic). The first temptation was one that would satisfy the his flesh by turning stones into bread; remember that Jesus was hungry. In fact, Satan made the temptation into the form of a challenge; "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread". To which Jesus responded, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God". This kind of flies in the face of the "Name It And Claim It" doctrine. In fact, I can not recall a single instance in the Word where Jesus performed a miracle to satisfy his own flesh; unless you want to count that fig tree he cursed for not having fruit on it when he came to it hungry; I would rather think that was a illustration of how worthless a tree was that does not bear fruit; not because he was mad at the tree for not satisfying his hunger. The second temptation was one would challenge the Father to protect him; this one was kind of a double dare; "If thou be the Son of God, cast yourself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee:". To which Jesus responded, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God". There are some really strange doctrines or practices being taught in the church; where people will actually drink poison, or subject themselves to be bitten by poisonous snakes, to try and prove that God will keep them from harm; strange to say the least. How about this one; someone who would withhold medical treatment from a child, so as to prove that God will heal that child; does that qualify as tempting the Lord. Finally, the third temptation, which is quite a bit more complex; Satan took Jesus to the top of a high mountain, showing him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory, saying, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me"; this one just flies in the face of who Jesus was, and the relationship he had with the Father. To which Jesus answered, "Get thee hence, Satan: For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve". There are many practices, doctrines and movements within the church today the would cause people to take their focus off of God and place it somewhere else; be it a man, a statue, an image, an emotion or feeling, a ritual, or even worship itself. The devil used truths and scriptures in his tempting of Jesus; much the same way he did with Eve in the Garden; for he is a deceiver, and a really good one. Matthew 24:24 warns us, in the last days; "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch, that if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect". Even though Satan had scripture to back up his temptations, in the context of the action, they did not stand up to the whole counsel of God. Oh yes, there is a box that has been established, but it is not for God to be placed in; it is for us; and that box is the very Word of God. Anytime you see a movement, hear a doctrine, or experience a new craze that is stirring the church; you must ask yourself, "does this stand up to the whole counsel of God"; and if it does not stay within the box; then you must conclude that it is not of God.