
The Word at Work by Al Houghton, April 21, 2019
Scripture: Luke 4: 6-8.
We see this principal again in Luke 4:6-8. This passage says, “And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship (proskuneo) before me, all will be Yours.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve.’” Proskuneo means bow your knee, like a puppy, expecting to get food from the master’s hand and submitting to the master. There it is again, the same thing. Bow your knee and submit. If we as believers steadfastly refuse to bow our knee and submit to the devil and we only bow our knee to God, then we have the authority to cause others to bow their knee or flee. That is the only way we get it. Walking in power and authority is a product of Who we worship! Who do we yield to? Do we bring ourselves under God’s authority? That is the test! It can’t flow through us if we don’t welcome it to us. Over and over again Jesus makes this point! Yielding to the Spirit guarantees power! Moses, Samuel and the prophets all had to learn this Biblical truth! End of Al’s message.
In this scripture “led” implies submission and it illustrates how our submission to God’s authority, not only gives us authority but qualifies us to share in His glory. The glory Jesus prayed we’d share with Him in John 17. I find the following scriptures very appropriate on this Resurrection Sunday.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
So where does Holy Spirit lead us? The same place He led Jesus.
Philippians 3:10-14
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Luke 9:23-25
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?