The Real Superhero: Matthew 3-4 (Ep. 104)

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Hello. I'm Captain Memoryverse. The greatest bible remembrizer in the world. I've been practicing the memory verse we've been learning on bible in your brain. The podcast for everyone who's joined the super club.

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It goes like this. Titus two eleven and twelve. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say, hello. How are you today?

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And to live purple, green, and orange lives in this present age. Captain memory verse, that's not it at all. What do you mean? What is it then? Well, it's oh, hang on a second.

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You nearly tricked me. If people wanna find that out, they'll have to join the super club at faithfulgod.net. You not only get access to every episode of stories of a faithful god for kids, you also get access to bible in your brain and a monthly short encouragement podcast for parents. For now, though, Captain Memory Verse, you're gonna have to keep practicing that memory verse. Oh, okay.

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It teaches us to say, hello. Have you met my poodle? No. That's not it. It teaches us to say, I have a very funny shaped nose.

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No. It teaches us to say, watch out. There's a soft, cuddly, pussy cat coming to get you. Oh, I think I'm getting close. Good day, and welcome to stories of a faithful god for kids.

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Dave here. A big shout out to Gabriel. Gabriel's six, and he lives in North Carolina, USA. Hi, Gabriel. I hear your favorite bible story is when David fights Goliath.

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The thing I love most about that story is what David knows. He knows that he's not big and strong enough to defeat Goliath, but god is. And so David can be brave because god is so great. So keep getting to know god, Gabriel, just like David. Now on with the show.

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Why do you think people love superheroes? Is it because they can fly or run faster than a speeding bullet? Or because they're cool enough to wear their underpants on the outside, or because they're excellent at remembering memory verses. Well, hopefully better than Captain Memory Verse. I heard that.

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I think one of the reasons people love superheroes is because they can save people who can't save themselves. They can fly in and save the day or shoot spider webs to stop the powerful baddie or lift up entire buildings with their little finger. Most superheroes are pretend. They're a fun idea, but that's all they are, an idea in someone's head, someone who decided to write a fun superhero story. There is one superhero, though, who's real, who really lived on Earth as a human, who saves people who can't save themselves, who defeats the baddie so that people can be set free.

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We're gonna hear him do that in today's story. So get ready for our next episode of stories of a faithful god for kids. At the end of our last episode, John the Baptist was teaching people how to repent, how to turn away from sin and back to God, and he was baptizing people in the Jordan River as a sign that they wanted to repent. John also taught them that someone super special was coming. Now that super special person turns up, and John's really surprised by what they ask him.

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The super special person, of course, is Jesus. He comes to John and asks to be baptized. And John's like, what? He says to Jesus in Matthew chapter three verse 13, why do you come to me to be baptized? I should be baptized by you.

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John knows that it's his job to get people ready for Jesus' arrival. He knows that Jesus is more special than him, And so it's really weird that the more special one is asking to be baptised by the less special one. Jesus doesn't explain why he wants to be baptised yet. He only says it's the right thing to do. He says in verse 15, let it be this way for now.

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We should do all things that are right. I guess we'll have to keep thinking about why this is what Jesus needs to do. Well, John agrees to baptize Jesus. He takes Jesus down into the River Jordan and dunks him under the water. As Jesus is coming back out of the water, something happens that hasn't happened when anyone else has been baptized.

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Matthew tells us heaven opened, and he saw God's spirit coming down on him like a dove. Not as a dove, just like a dove. I guess it looks a bit like god's spirit is flying down, but that's remarkable. It's not what you normally see. Then something else amazing happens.

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A voice speaks from heaven. In verse 17, the voice says about Jesus, this is my son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him. Woah. Again, this hasn't happened to anyone else who's been baptized.

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In the Old Testament, God had said he would send a king who would be his son. This king will have a kingdom that will last forever. He'll rule the whole world. He'll punish people who don't treat God as God, and he'll save everyone who repents and trusts him. God's saying Jesus is that king, his son, and he's really happy with him.

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But if that's true, why is Jesus being baptized? It doesn't sound like Jesus has anything to repent from. Well, the Holy Spirit who's come into Jesus now gets Jesus to go out into the desert. He sends him there to be tempted by the devil. Say what now?

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He's actually sending him there to be tempted by the devil? Jesus is going into the desert so that the devil can try and get Jesus to do the wrong thing? That's so weird. No human has ever resisted temptation from the devil before. Every human who's ever lived has sinned.

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Every human who's ever lived has trusted the devil's lies more than they trust the truth that god says. So how's Jesus gonna go? Matthew tells us that Jesus goes for forty days eating either nothing or almost nothing, and that after that, he's hungry, which kinda makes sense. When Jesus is at his most hungry, that's when the devil comes to him. He tells Jesus to do something that doesn't sound so bad.

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In chapter four verse three, the devil says to Jesus, if you are the son of god, tell these rocks to become bread. You know what? If I was that hungry and I could make rocks into bread, I'd probably do it. But Jesus says no. He says no for a very good reason.

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He knows that God said that he'll look after him. God's going to provide for him. Back when the Israelites were in the desert after leaving Egypt, God had said he'd look after them. Unfortunately, they didn't believe God's word. They thought he was lying.

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Jesus is not like that. He knows that God never lies. He trusts God's word, and he's ready to wait for God to do what he said he'll do rather than try and fix things himself. So Jesus answers in verse four, it is written in the scriptures, a person does not live only by eating bread, but a person lives by everything the Lord says. That gives the devil an idea.

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He thinks he can use God's word to trick Jesus into disobeying God. What a sneak. He takes Jesus to the top of the temple in Jerusalem. It's a really tall building. And he tells Jesus to throw himself off.

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He says Jesus should do it because God said he'll look after him. Jesus should trust God to look after him. So in verse six, the devil says, if you are the son of God, jump off. It is written in the scriptures, he has put his angels in charge of you. They will catch you with their hands, and you will not hit your foot on a rock.

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It almost sounds like if Jesus doesn't throw himself off the temple, it must mean he doesn't really trust God. But that's just another lie from the devil. Jesus knows that God will look after him. He trusts God to look after him. He also knows that he shouldn't make God prove how faithful and trustworthy he is.

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That's what the Israelites had made God do in the desert. Time and time again, he showed them how much he cared for them. But time and time again, they didn't believe him, and so he had to prove it again and again and again. Jesus has more trust than that. His trust in God is perfect.

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His obedience to God is perfect. And he replies to the devil in verse seven. It also says in the scriptures, do not test the Lord your God. Now the devil gives it one last shot, one last try to get Jesus to turn away from God. Verse eight says, then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain.

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He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all the great things that are in those kingdoms. The devil said, if you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things. You've gotta wonder, why would Jesus bow down and worship the devil even if it means that he gets to rule the whole world? That's kinda weird. Right?

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Especially if you know what God said about Jesus in the Old Testament. God said that he's going to give his son, Jesus, the whole world. So Jesus can either get the whole world from the devil, or he can get it from God. If he gets it from God, though, there's something that will need to happen before he gets the whole world, and that something is the cross. It's God's plan for Jesus to die on the cross and take the punishment for his people's sins and then be raised to life and become king of the world.

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If Jesus goes with the devil, he won't have to die on the cross. But that means he'll be turning his back on God, the father. It means he won't die for our sins. It means we'll all have to pay for our own sin, and it'll mean that Jesus will have to pay for his own sin as well. The devil's way looks easier and more exciting, but, actually, it's horrible.

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Thankfully, Jesus isn't interested at all. He loves God and will never turn his back on God. He says to the devil, whose name is Satan, he says in verse 10, go away from me, Satan. It is written in the scriptures, you must worship the Lord your God. Serve only him.

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Satan does go away. And just like God promised, he sends his angels to take care of Jesus. You know, Jesus has just done what no one else in the world has ever done. He's refused to listen to the lies of the devil. He's refused to sin.

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He's trusted God no matter what. He's believed and obeyed God's word perfectly. So why then did Jesus get baptized? Baptism is all about repenting, turning away from sin, and back to God. But Jesus is the only person who's never sinned.

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He's done better than the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. He's done better than the Israelites. He's done better than you and me. Surely, he doesn't need to repent and be baptized. Well, actually, because Jesus has done everything perfectly, that's what makes him the perfect superhero.

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That's what makes him able to save us when we can't save ourselves. When Jesus was baptized, he was saying, even though he isn't sinful, he was becoming like one of the sinful people who were baptized. It's like he was stepping into our place. He does that at the start of his work on earth to get us ready for what he'll do near the end of his work. Near the end, he'll die on the cross, not for his own sin because he doesn't have any.

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No. He'll die to take the punishment for our sin and the sin of everyone who trusts him. He'll save us when we can't save ourselves. He can defeat the lies of the devil and teach us the truth about how to trust and follow God. After Jesus returns from the desert, he begins an amazing ministry.

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It'll be like shining a wonderful, warm light into a dark and sad world. He'll start to help and save people like the true superhero he is. But that's a story for next time. Thanks everyone for listening. Don't forget, become a club member to get access to every episode of stories of a faithful god for kids, or join the super club and also get bible in your brain and parent encouragement.

[00:16:32] - [Speaker 0]
You can sign up to the club at faithfulgod.net. If you'd like me to come and speak at your church or event to kids or teachers of kids or adults, just get in contact at faithfulgod.net. I'd love to come and share god's word or help train other people to share it as well. Keep trusting Jesus. Bye for now.