In God's Word by Mike Mills

June 28, 2016 - “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

Conceived, born and lived unto death without sin, that accurately describes the sinless Son of God.

Conceived by the Holy Spirit, He had no earthly father, and yet, He was born of the Virgin Mary. 

As the scripture for today says, He was tempted in all points or ways as we are, yet without committing any sin. He knows what it means to undergo temptation but unlike us, He overcame all temptations to remain sinless.

As a child of 12 years of age, He sat and taught the priests in the temple in Jerusalem. Yet, being sinless He then returned home to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and lived with and was subordinate to them until He reached maturity.

Following His baptism by John the Baptist the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness where he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. There Satan came and tempted Him, trying to cast doubt on His being the Son of God, trying to get Him to prove that he indeed was the Son of God by asking Him for signs and miracles; all of which he refused to do. When he tried to get Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus used the scriptures to overcome Satan's request. "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4) Jesus was actually repeating the words of Moses in (Deut. 8:3).

At one point in His temptation Satan took Him to the pinnacle of the temple; there he told Jesus to cast Himself down to prove that no harm would come to Him. Again, Jesus refused to display His power for Satan. 

In the final test Satan took Jesus up onto a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of this world. He promised Jesus that He could have all of what He could see if He would only bow down and worship Satan. 

Jesus could have shunned the cross, but He told Satan the he would worship only God and no other. Matthew 4:10 is one of my favorite scriptures where Jesus tells Satan to get away from Him or to get behind Him.

Though He had never sinned, Jesus put Himself upon the cross and was made sin for us that we might be made righteous through Him. When the Father laid the load of all of man's sins upon Jesus, He bore them without protest as the Lamb of God.

As our scripture says, we do not have a High Priest that cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, no, we have one who has been tested in all points. He knows everything that we feel, all of our weaknesses, yet through His strength we can come boldly before the throne of God where we find grace, mercy and peace in our times of need. If we simply ask Him for forgiveness and confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, amen...