The Danger of Taking Shortcuts
Series: Living through the Test
5. Then the devil took Him up and revealed to Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6. “I will give You the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please.”
7. “I will give it all to You if You will worship me.”
8. Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘you must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”
Luke 4:5-8
Power Takers
The sign said Easy-Pass, so I took it. It seemed to go so smoothly and I wasn’t charged a dime. In my naïve way, I thought the highway department was granting me an inexpensive way to reach my destination. Much to my surprise, three weeks later I received a toll fee that was ten times the cost of going through the regular toll booth. This was a stern reminder that what looks like a shortcut or an easy way out may be dangerous in the long run.
Such are the ways with power takers. They seek the easy way rather than the way of God. Their motto is “do anything to get ahead” or “by any means necessary.” But oh what a heavy cost one pays when we agree to the devil’s suggestion. The devil’s trickery has caused many to fall before him as victims because they accepted the shortcut rather than seeking God’s way out.
Those who take the shortcuts in life are also known as power takers for several good reasons. First, they choose the route of convenience over obedience. A power taker always wants what is easy to do. They want to do something, but they don’t want the challenges that come with doing what is right.
Second, some are motivated to take shortcuts in order to gain recognition over righteousness. As a matter of fact, it is called “Church competitiveness.” It is alright be recognized in doing something in the least amount of time because that demonstrates excellence in time management. So, the goal of the power taker is to save time in order to do other things of greater importance. The priests of the Old Testament had fallen into this trap so badly, that in the book of Malachi, God Almighty condemned them for polluting the offering and making the sacrifices to God as something “contemptable.” O they got it done, but they took the shortcut.
Perhaps the greatest reason for taking the shortcuts was the basis behind the devil’s temptation to Jesus. Why suffer for God’s Glory when you can take it for yourself? If you will notice, this is the same temptation that the serpent posed to Eve, “you shall be gods if you only do what I say.” Adam and Eve’s obedience to the devil cost mankind their position with God. So when the proposal came for Jesus, our redemption from the original curse was on the line. How would Jesus respond to this powerful suggestion? What would He do to get past the temptation to be a power taker?
Here is how it all went down. After fasting for forty days without food or water, Jesus body was very weak. Suffering from dehydration and malnutrition would have been enough reason for anyone to give in and take the bait – but not so with Jesus. He could have used His Divine Power to end the temptation. But rather than give in, Jesus followed the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Then the devil took Him up and revealed to Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time … “I will give You the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please” … “I will give it all to You if You will worship me” … Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘you must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’” Not only did Jesus defeat the devil, our Lord pledged His allegiance to honor the Father as a Servant. Jesus pledged His allegiance to us because He did not purchase our redemption as a discount. Jesus pledged His allegiance to worship the Father in the greatest way – by offering obedience even if it meant suffering to accomplish that goal.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is no cheap or easy way to serve God. There are no shortcuts to the Kingdom of Heaven. Walking and serving by faith not only gets hard at times, it becomes impossible without the aid of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus refusal to take the shortcuts to Kingdom Power, we see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy unfolding. Our Lord and Savior was going the way of suffering rather than the way of safety. Our Lord and Savior chose the route of meekness rather than the path of might. Our Lord and Savior was dedicated to the chastisement of our Peace even if it meant paying the price with pain. It was a Path that typified His carrying the Cross in order that you and I could share His Crown. Praise be to God! Our Savior did not take the devil’s shortcut.
Questions about the Devil’s Shortcut Proposal?
This passage raises some questions about the devil’s claims. First, the devil displayed all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. How could he do that? We must remember that Satan is not sovereign. Everything he does must first be done only after God Almighty approves such actions. (see Job 1). So, evidently, the devil had gotten the Father’s approval before tempting God the Son. Second, the devil claimed ownership of all the kingdoms of the world and also their authority. Did the devil have this? Let us turn to a familiar verse of Scripture, Psalm 24:1. It says, the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. So, not only was the devil lying, but he was also attempting to usurp God’s authority by promising something that did not belong to him.
I know the common belief is that the fall of Adam gave the devil authority to rule the kingdoms of the earth but there is an important catch to that. The catch is the devil cannot do anything unless God approves of his temptations and actions. The other catch is that humans must agree to his trickery in order for the devil to claim anything. The bottom line is that the devil was lying about his claims of giving authority. You had better believe that the devil will not give anything without wanting more in return. To clarify what I am saying we need to reference the Apostle Paul’s passage in Ephesians 2:2. Even when Paul refers to Satan as the prince of the powers of the air, he never implied that the devil had complete authority over God’s earth. If you follow that passage it says, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. With that being said, the only way for the devil to claim control over you or me, is that we give him approval. He cannot and will not go beyond God’s complete authority.
So there is hope for us when we are tempted. There is also God’s Divine protection for you and me when we are put to the test. When we determine not to take shortcuts and try to maneuver out of the trial, God offers us complete protection during that test. There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to humans, but God is faithful Who will not allow you to be tempted above that which you are able to bear but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. 1 Cor. 10:13. The way people give the devil authority is through disobedience to God’s Will. Jesus resisted the devil by reminding him that worship was reserved for God alone and service was to be given to God alone. There are no shortcuts around surrendering to God’s Will. When we surrender, we discover God’s Faithfulness leads us beyond every test.
Avoiding Life’s Shortcuts
Make no mistake about it, you will be tempted to compromise. When that happens, God will always direct you to the right path. Psalm 23:3, He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. Please remember that threats are not your primary concern; your concern is knowing how to listen to God in order to receive His direction during those threatening moments. When it comes to the power taker’s approach, there are three basic mistakes that they fall victim to. First, is the pressure of time. Second is the presumption of gain. Lastly, is the premeditation of the outcome.
Using the pressure of time, the devil wanted Jesus to think that He didn’t have long to become ruler of the world. We hear the phrase “time is of the essence.” No its not. God’s Will is of the essence and under no circumstances should we rush to get things done until God’s Will is revealed. In the Old Testament, king Saul fell victim to rushing to make an animal sacrifice due to Samuel’s absence. Saul had only reigned for a year and was already showing signs of disobedience. 1 Samuel 13 tells us Saul rushed to sacrifice instead of waiting on the prophet Samuel. The prophet said to him, “you have acted foolishly and have not kept God’s Command … now your kingdom shall not continue, the Lord has sought for a man after His own heart.” Time must never be used as a shortcut if it means disobeying the Lord. Jesus did not fall for the time threat. Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘you must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.” Your service is not to time – it is to God.
Not only is the pressure of time a trap, but the presumption of gain also lures people into disobedience. Prior to Eve eating the forbidden fruit, we are told that “she saw.” She obviously was not seeing something that God had proposed. She was presuming. What gets most of us in trouble is that we too presume that having something other than what we have will make life better. In Genesis 3, Eve saw that the tree was good for food. She saw that it was lovely to the eyes. She saw that it could make one wise. What she was seeing was nothing more than a presumption. People fall into traps when they presume that things will make life better. Warning: that is a shortcut and it will end up in disaster. So, are we forbidden to presume certain things? It all depends on who is leading you to presume. If it is a thought from the Holy Spirit, then the presumption is totally true. Philippians 4:8 doesn’t call it presumption, but rather your focus. Focus your thoughts on what is true, focus on the noble, the righteous, the pure, the lovely, and the admirable, on some virtue, or something that is worthy of praise.” Then, like Jesus, you will be led to do the right thing in every temptation.
Refusing to take the shortcut will keep us from the premeditating the outcomes of life. Without question, both Adam and Eve sinned when they ate the forbidden fruit. But it was Adam who transgressed. Without grasping for theological straws, we simply need to refer to Genesis 3:12. Adam ate the same fruit as Eve, but then blamed Eve for disobeying God. Adam knew God’s command but did not follow it. Eve admitted that she was deceived. Adam replied to God, it was the woman You gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it. Adam knew he was doing wrong but tried to justify his decision by both blaming God and his wife. That was premeditation. How many times have we committed a sin and knew before hand that it was wrong? That is premeditation of the outcome. That was not the actions of our Lord. Having nothing more than the Word of God, Jesus overcame the temptation in the wilderness.
Here are the take-a-ways. Don’t get pushed by time and think that any action you take in a rush will satisfy God. Second, never see yourself with anything that God has not promised you. That’s called stealing and covetousness, even if it is only in your mind. Lastly, don’t premeditate to do wrong and then cover it by blaming others. Accept responsibility for your actions. If you sin – then admit it. There are no shortcuts when it comes to God’s Righteousness and God’s Blessings. Walk with the Lord and you will never have to worry about the shortcuts or shortcomings.