Thoughts from David on the Seed Broadcasts
Luke 4:1-13 (NIV) – Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’
Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone.’
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me… worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’
The devil then led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
Jesus answered, ‘It is said: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.”
Satan did all he could to stop Jesus from establishing His work for God’s kingdom on earth. From the standpoint of our Lord’s ministry and calling, His entire mission was based upon His victory over every temptation of Satan. His complete victory showed without doubt that He was the Son of God who had come to redeem all people who would accept Him in the power of God, our Father who is in heaven.
The temptations also allowed us to know the evilness of Satan. To know the mindset and the methods of our enemy, the Devil, we are forewarned and forearmed as to the temptations by which he will seek to destroy us:
“…in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2 Cor. 2:11)
It shows us how Satan attempts to destroy our spiritual walk with God through Jesus. This is why we must stay close to the Lord through His word and prayer so we will not let down our defenses, which will give Satan power.
Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Please Pray for Our Listeners
March–April: Passover, Palm Sunday, and Easter
Passover (April 22–29)
Passover is the yearly memorial of the liberation of Israel, the event that set them on the path toward Sinai and their incorporation as God’s chosen nation of priests. It is foundational to Judaism, but it is also foundational to Christianity, for if there had been no Passover, there would have been no nation of Israel to have produced Jesus, nor would there have been a nation of Israel into whom Gentile believers could be added as naturalized citizens.
Passover presents Christians and Jewish Messianic believers a wonderful opportunity to reach out to Jewish people and others who do not know that Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection took place at Passover. He is the central figure of this important historic and God-given feast.
Passover is a reminder of God’s control over earthly events and ultimate victory over sin and death. In Jerusalem many Jewish people go to the Western Wall to pray for the coming of their Messiah. They have no temple (it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD) and they have no living sacrifices (lambs) to bring to an altar—because Jesus was the final sacrifice.
Pray for the Jewish people around the world that they will know and accept Jesus as the Lamb of God who is the final sacrifice for all mankind. Pray that Messianic Jewish believers in Israel will be encouraged by God’s Word through our Seed Broadcasts and that Jewish listeners will come to accept God and His Word through our programs.
Palm Sunday (March 24) & Easter (March 31)
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, on what Christians commemorate as Palm Sunday, many people shouted:
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)
When He was on the cross Jesus said:
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
Later He said: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
To the last detail of His death, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies concerning the Messiah, verifying that He was, as John the Baptist claimed, the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Acts 1:3-9 tells us that for 40 days after His crucifixion and resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples, showing He was alive. Then He went to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem with them and said:
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (ethnic groups), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
After He had spoken, “He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9)
His mission on earth was completed. Yet in the world today millions are living and dying without knowing what Jesus’ death on the cross meant for them!
Scriptures on What Jesus Did on the Cross
- He laid His life down for us.
John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” - He died to sin.
Romans 6:10 – “For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” - He reconciled Jew and Gentile.
Ephesians 2:16 – “And might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.” - He redeemed us.
1 Peter 1:18-19 – “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
A Call to Prayer
Pray for our listeners, and pray for millions of people in the world today that through God’s servants they will hear and accept what God did through Jesus as the living sacrifice—so they will live by His commandments and enter into eternal life with Him.
God bless you for all you do and are doing for our Lord!
David and Pat and the Seed of Abraham Board
(Michael Milburn, Lori Gardner, Pastor Shane Beeson, and Linda Blakely)
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