Brian Maloy

Consider where we have been in the last year or so.

We studied Exodus, into Leviticus. Where God freed His people from bondage, and helped them understand what it meant to live in His Kingdom, as a holy and set apart people. 

Then we went to 1/2 Peter, where so poetically and directly, we see how we are set free spiritually, and then are taught how to live holy, set apart lives in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We think popped back to Deuteronomy and Numbers, which was such a treat. We were are constantly confronted with reminders that we can live the life we’ve longed for, full of abundant life, blessing, and joy in God’s Kingdom — or we can goad against the Lord and live in conflict and misery. We learn over and over, that Yahweh is our LIFE.

Now we are in Matthew.

• Matthew is regarded as the Gospel written most clearly for a Hebrew audience, for the people of God to understand how Jesus’ coming perfectly connects to the Old Testament. 
• As the first book in the NT, the Gospel of Matthew serves as a gateway between the two testaments. 
• Matthew gave us God’s entire plan from Genesis to Revelation. 
• Matthew looked back and referred to Hebrew prophecies about sixty times (“was fulfilled” and “so that what was spoken . . . might be fulfilled”).
• He also looked forward by dealing not only with Messiah’s coming and his ministry, but also his future plan for his church and kingdom.

There are so many neat connections in Matthew back to the Torah that we have spent so much time in over the last couple years. Matthew really beautifully helps us to see how this massive narrative arc connects, and is building God’s plan — it’s amazing when we slow down to see those connections. 

Before reading Matthew today, I want to reflect on an old favorite hymn of mine (perhaps many others too).

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus:

1 Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of ev’ry nation,
Joy of ev’ry longing heart.

2 Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

*story behind Hymn –> https://www.hymncharts.com/2023/11/03/the-story-behind-come-thou-long-expected-jesus/

Today’s story picks up a little into the story, we’ll go back to Chapter 1/2 for the Birth of Jesus in a few weeks for Christmas (naturally), so we start in Chapter 3 and go into 4 a bit today.

Chapter 1 thought begins with the Genealogy of Jesus, which every kid in Sunday School struggles with, and even adults skip over in their reading — but it serves a valuable purpose.

Matthew’s Begats (Mt. 1:1-17), walk though the connection from Abraham to Jesus, 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to Babylon, and 14 from Babylon’s to Christ. Jesus is of the line of Judah, and David, Ruth and Boaz share his family line, Kings followed. This is a cool moment, and if we pay attention, it weaves the Old Testament into this story artfully. 

BUT as we pivot now to Chapter 3 — we are going to see a couple themes.

1. Obedience
2. Trusting God’s Word
3. True Worship

Obeying God

Sadly we don’t get to spend time really in John the Baptist’s story very long (he’s been a favorite Bible character for me since I was a kid). But we do need to read Matt. 3:1-12, it’s important for setting up Jesus coming to get baptized. (go read it)

Our lesson enters in at Mt. 3:13, when Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to meet John the Baptist and be baptized. It’s a cool exchange we are privy to.

Noteworthy — John the Baptist is a voice crying in the wilderness. Think about wilderness, and where we just came from in Deuteronomy. I wish I could base the entire lesson around this idea — and I secretly (not a secret anymore) want to write a book about wilderness and God — there is something neat there to explore. But suffice it to say, we are watching Jesus go back to the wilderness, where John is teaching and baptizing. Think about the spiritual ramifications of the physical acts, AND how that connects back to our time in the Wilderness period of the Hebrews. AMAZING.

But… we have to focus on baptism here for our lesson.

I think it’s easy to see two different questions arise.

1. What is the purpose of baptism?
2. Why in the world would Jesus need to get baptized?

Well, in short — Baptism is identifying ourselves with Christ, and it is symbolic, meaning it is an outward reflection of the inward spiritual reality. As a Baptist, we practice Credobaptism versus Paedobaptism, put shortly (without debate), that believers are baptized when they made a credible profession of faith. This is a BIG topic, and not the most important part of this passage today. 

What is important is the heart and purpose behind it. Whether practiced as credo-baptism or paedo-baptism, it is a statement of faith and covenant — we are choosing to publicly declare our allegiance and love to the Father. To walk in His ways, to learn obedience.

So Why Get Baptized?

• Public Identification with Christ
  • Baptism is a visible sign of union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3–4). It marks the believer’s entrance into the visible church.
• Obedience to Christ’s Command
  • Jesus commanded baptism in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). It is an ordinance, a means of grace that strengthens faith, though not a sacrament that conveys saving grace.
• Symbol of Cleansing and New Life
  • Water signifies purification from sin (Acts 22:16). It points to the inward reality of regeneration by the Spirit.
• Covenant Marker
  • Just as circumcision marked covenant membership in the Old Testament, baptism marks covenant membership in the New Testament community of faith.

Why did Jesus need to get baptized by John the Baptist?

This is the heart of Matthew 3:13–17. Jesus’ baptism is unique because He had no sin to repent of. Those in the reformed tradition, including reformed Baptists emphasize several theological reasons:

• Fulfillment of All Righteousness
  • Jesus tells John, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). His baptism was part of His active obedience — perfectly identifying with God’s will and law.
• Identification with Sinners
  • Though sinless, Jesus stood in solidarity with those He came to save. His baptism foreshadows His substitutionary role, taking on the sins of His people.
• Inauguration of His Public Ministry
  • The Spirit descends and the Father speaks: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Baptism marks the beginning of His messianic mission, publicly affirmed by the Trinity.
• Typological Fulfillment
  • Just as Israel passed through the waters of the Jordan into the Promised Land, Jesus passes through baptism as the true Israel, the faithful Son who will succeed where Israel failed. (This type of talk will come up a lot more in the weeks to come. Understanding typology from OT to Matthew is amazingly cool and super important.)

For a Baptist (and many other denominations), baptism is both a sign of grace already received and a call to discipleship. Jesus’ baptism reminds us that He fully identified with us, so that we might be identified with Him. When we take hold of this amazing moment for what it is, beyond just narrative, it’s beautiful — thank the Lord!

Our following in this practice is meant as an act of obedience. Demonstrating what the Lord has done in our hearts — and humbly submitting ourselves — putting to death our sin, being buried with Him, and being raised in newness of life — learning to walk a life of obedience. But baptism is a beautiful public sign of obedience on that long obedience in the same direction (as Eugene Peterson called it). A life of discipleship.

And look at the word of Yahweh God here — He is well-pleased in Jesus’ modeling — and the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove. We have an amazing look of the veil pulled back, the trinity, together, right here near the Jordan River. It gives me chills to think about. 

Obeying God’s Word

Speaking of that “long obedience in the same direction”, after Jesus’ baptism, He is quickly led out deeper into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, flip to Matt. 4:1-4. He fasts for 40 days and 40 nights (remember that wilderness period for the Hebrews). 

I can’t help myself, we have to talk about this!

Look at this Wilderness Temptation narrative, and then consider the Wilderness Testing of Israel. Wow. 

Israel in the Wilderness: Forty Years of Testing  

Israel wandered forty years because of unbelief (Numbers 14:33–34). The wilderness was meant to prepare them to trust God’s provision, presence, and promises.

Three Core Failures

• Provision (bread/manna): Israel grumbled about food (Exodus 16).
• Testing God’s presence: They doubted whether He was with them (Exodus 17).
• Idolatry/power: They turned to false gods and alliances (Exodus 32, Numbers 25).

> Purpose of Preparation  
God was shaping them to depend wholly on Him, but they repeatedly failed. The wilderness exposed their hearts.

Jesus in the Wilderness: Forty Days of Fasting  

Matthew 4 deliberately mirrors Israel’s story:
Jesus embodies Israel’s forty years. Where Israel failed, He succeeds.

Temptations Parallel Israel’s Failures

• Bread (Matt. 4:3–4): Satan tempts Jesus to distrust God’s provision. Jesus quotes Deut. 8:3, the very lesson Israel missed.
• Testing God (Matt. 4:5–7): Satan urges Jesus to force God’s hand. Jesus cites Deut. 6:16, back to Israel’s failure at Massah.
• Idolatry/Power (Matt. 4:8–10): Satan offers kingdoms if Jesus worships him. Jesus answers with Deut. 6:13 — rejecting idolatry, unlike Israel with the golden calf (and all the idols of surrounding nations).

> Contrasts to True Israel, True Son  
Jesus is the faithful Son who passes the test. His obedience in the wilderness is the preparation Israel never completed — securing righteousness for His people.

Jesus is literally completing the task that the Hebrews failed to complete in the wilderness over 1000 years before. 

This isn’t just typology (which it is), it’s THE Gospel Jesus succeeded where we fail. His victory in the wilderness is imputed to us, so our preparation isn’t about proving ourselves but about resting in His obedience. Mind. Blown. 

We must learn to abide, rest, make out home, remain, live in God’s Word. We must know God’s Word (not only so we can see neat connections like this), but also so we can fight against the lies (remember all the metaphors of the Bible being a sword, or weapon, yep). We must listen to God through His Word. Without it, we are destined to wander. 

Trusting God NOT Culture

This moment in Matt. 4:5-7, where Satan takes Jesus to the highest point of the temple complex is strange to me at first. BUT back up…. Satan is trying to use scripture, Psalm 91:11-12 to be exact, and manipulate God’s Word, twisting the truth, so Jesus will be forced into abusing His power. 

Matthew 4:5–7 is one of the most crazy examples (among several) of how temptation often comes cloaked in half-truths. Half-truth. Should be scarier than it sounds. 

Let’s look close — 

• Location: The “pinnacle of the temple” (likely the southeast corner overlooking the Kidron Valley — BIG drop).
• Weapon: Scripture itself, Psalm 91:11–12, which promises angelic protection.
• Twist: Satan isolates the promise from its context, turning it into a dare: “Force God to prove Himself.”
• Underlying temptation: Distrust God’s timing and care, and manipulate His Word to justify self-serving action.

Theologically — 
Satan doesn’t quote a lie, he quotes truth selectively. The danger is not misquotation but misapplication.
He is taking scripture of out of context.

Jesus counters with Deuteronomy 6:16 — “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.” He interprets Scripture with Scripture, showing that promises must be read within covenantal obedience.

So for us, Trusting God means resting in His Word, not twisting it to serve our desires or force His hand. Which goodness, it’s hard not to see today the effects of people taking scripture out of context — everywhere. Yikes. 

How we see this for us more practically:

• Temptation often sounds biblical. It may use verses, slogans, or partial truths.
• It’s dangerous to isolate a verse. Pulling a verse out of its covenantal, Christ-centered context can lead to distortion.
• The antidote is whole-Bible reading. Jesus models how Scripture interprets Scripture. But it’s taken within the context, and the whole narrative arc of scripture. Whichis why it’s SO vital for believers who constantly be reading the Bible, all of it. 

Question for us:

“Are we using Scripture to justify what we already want, or are we submitting to Scripture to shape what we desire?” 

That’s the heart of the temptation — to bend God’s Word to our will instead of bending our will to His Word.

Did Someone Say Idolatry?

Well I guess it wouldn’t be a Brian lesson if it didn’t land on idolatry somehow (I thought this was funnier in my head, but my class didn’t find it as funny as me this morning — maybe I THINk about idolatry more than I talk about it, or I was talking too fast...). PLUS, we are connecting to the Old Testament wilderness narrative, so idolatry is guaranteed to come up. But, thank the Lord, we’re deal with Jesus this time. 

Last, Satan is tempting Jesus with idolatry, power, the whole world — anything He could truly desire. Horrifying. Not because Jesus was going to give in, but because we struggle greatly with this. And it’s super obvious. 

Jesus is quick to reply in Matt. 4:10 — quoting scripture again, Deut. 6:13, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’, reminding us too, that God alone is worthy of our worship. There is not a shortcut to get what we TRULY want.

So this passage, while important, is pretty easy to connect the dots. The Hebrews struggled enormously with this in the wilderness. Jesus defeated Satan swiftly and send him away. Jesus did what we (and the Hebrews) could not do, resist idols, the temptation for power, to have what we want, on our terms. 

Our failures are real, but Christ’s obedience is greater.
Idolatry is always lurking, but Jesus has already conquered it.
We resist idols not to earn righteousness, but because we are united to the One who already triumphed.

So how do we learn to resist idols? And how do we learn to live in Jesus’ victory?

We have to connect our doctrine (right thinking about God), to our lives and live it out day by day (discipleship).

So… how?

• By the Word
  • Saturating ourselves in Scripture, as Jesus did, so we discern truth from distortion/lies (Matthew 4:4; Psalm 119:11).
• By the Spirit
  • Depending on the Spirit’s power to expose idols and strengthen obedience (Galatians 5:16; Romans 8:13).
• By Community
  • Walking with the church, where accountability and encouragement help us resist false worship (Hebrews 10:24–25; Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).
• By Worship
  • Actively reordering our loves — resisting idols isn’t just saying “no,” it’s saying “yes” to God’s worthiness (Deuteronomy 6:13; Romans 12:1).

So back to those questions — but rephrased:

“What idols do we face today, and how does Jesus’ victory reshape our response?”
“How does living in union with Christ change the way we fight temptation?”

So Potential Idols Today:

• Success & Achievement — making career and achievement ultimate (Ecclesiastes 2:11).
• Money & Possessions — trusting wealth for security (Matthew 6:24).
• Approval of Others — craving reputation or likes more than God’s delight (Galatians 1:10).
• Comfort & Control — resisting surrender because we want life on our terms (Philippians 4:11–13).
• Technology & Entertainment — letting screens or hobbies dominate our time and affections (Psalm 115:4–8).
• Relationships — elevating family, friends, or romance above devotion to Christ (Luke 14:26).
• Power & Influence — seeking authority or recognition instead of humble service (Mark 10:42–45).
• Self — pride, autonomy, and self-reliance (Jeremiah 17:5).

How Does Our Union with Christ Reshape Those?

• Success: His obedience secures our worth; we don’t need to prove ourselves (Romans 5:19).
• Money: He is our treasure; we store riches in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21).
• Approval: The Father’s voice over Jesus at baptism reminds us we are beloved in Him (Matthew 3:17).
• Comfort: His wilderness suffering shows true life is found in God’s Word (Matthew 4:4).
• Technology/Entertainment: His lordship reorders our loves; we use tools for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).
• Relationships: In Christ, we love others rightly, not as idols but as gifts (Colossians 3:18–21).
• Power: His refusal of Satan’s kingdoms shows true greatness is serving God alone (Matthew 4:10).
• Self: His victory over temptation frees us from self-worship to Spirit-led dependence (Galatians 2:20).

Wrap Up (spoiler, read your Bible in 2026)

There is so much good in this lesson — I love typography, I love the connects from the Wilderness period with the Hebrews to the Wilderness with Jesus. What blessing it is to see Jesus have victory over the areas we humans failed — and even more beautifully, we get to live in His victory not our failure. Praise be to God. 

I hope you notice how deeply this short spot in Matthew shows us Jesus absolutely dependence on the Word of God, and His desire to live under the authority of the Word of God (which sidebar, is amazing — He IS the Word, He is the Word become flesh, yet He submits willingly to the Word of God, wow). 

So Jesus resisted Satan with Scripture. This shows us that Godly discipleship is rooted in God’s Word — not clever arguments, not sheer willpower, but truth rightly applied to life (Ephesians 6:17).

The psalmist said, ‘I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You’ (Psalm 119:11). We’ve seen how Jesus resisted temptation by holding fast to God’s Word in the wilderness. 

> So the question for us is: how can we apply this verse daily in our lives? 
> How do we treasure God’s Word so deeply that it shapes our desires, guards us from idols, and strengthens us to live in Christ’s victory rather than our failure?

HERE — I will give my annual month-long plug. READ THE BIBLE NEXT YEAR!

• There are dozens of plans for reading the Bible all year.
• Also Bible plans for shorter, or even spreading it over 2 or 3 years. 
• There are Bible apps!
• There are Bibles literally printed for daily reading so you just read one day organized at a time, I am close to finishing one now– LOVED it.
• There are Audio Bibles — some even free.
• There are even apps to track your reading in a paper Bible!

Do I need to keep going? There really isn’t a valid excuse for Christians today to be Biblically illiterate. We have every opportunity to truly abide in (make our home) Scripture. We may be busy, we may be tired — we can do this. 

It’s the Word of God. It’s our daily bread (Mt. 4:4, Deut. 8:3), our lamp in the dark (Ps. 119:105), more precious that gold, sweeter than honey (Ps. 19:10). It’s living and active (Heb. 4:12). It is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), the very weapon Jesus wielded in the wilderness (Mt. 4:1-11), it is breathed out by God and profitable for us (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

There is so much good in this lesson — I love typography, I love the connects from the Wilderness period with the Hebrews to the Wilderness with Jesus. What blessing it is to see Jesus have victory over the areas we humans failed — and even more beautifully, we get to live in His victory not our failure. Praise be to God. 

I hope you notice how deeply this short spot in Matthew shows us Jesus absolutely dependence on the Word of God, and His desire to live under the authority of the Word of God (which sidebar, is amazing — He IS the Word, He is the Word become flesh, yet He submits willingly to the Word of God, wow). 

So Jesus resisted Satan with Scripture. This shows us that Godly discipleship is rooted in God’s Word — not clever arguments, not sheer willpower, but truth rightly applied to life (Ephesians 6:17).

The psalmist said, ‘I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You’ (Psalm 119:11). We’ve seen how Jesus resisted temptation by holding fast to God’s Word in the wilderness. 

> So the question for us is: how can we apply this verse daily in our lives? 

> How do we treasure God’s Word so deeply that it shapes our desires, guards us from idols, and strengthens us to live in Christ’s victory rather than our failure?

HERE — I will give my annual month-long plug. READ THE BIBLE NEXT YEAR!

• There are dozens of plans for reading the Bible all year.
• Also Bible plans for shorter, or even spreading it over 2 or 3 years. 
• There are Bible apps!
• There are Bibles literally printed for daily reading so you just read one day organized at a time, I am close to finishing one now– LOVED it.
• There are Audio Bibles — some even free.
• There are even apps to track your reading in a paper Bible!

Do I need to keep going? There really isn’t a valid excuse for Christians today to be Biblically illiterate. We have every opportunity to truly abide in (make our home) Scripture. We may be busy, we may be tired — we can do this. 

It’s the Word of God. It’s our daily bread (Mt. 4:4, Deut. 8:3), our lamp in the dark (Ps. 119:105), more precious that gold, sweeter than honey (Ps. 19:10). It’s living and active (Heb. 4:12). It is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), the very weapon Jesus wielded in the wilderness (Mt. 4:1-11), it is breathed out by God and profitable for us (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

So read it, treasure it, live in it. The are not just pages filled with words, they are Christ Himself, the Word made flesh (Jn. 1:14). 

>> Colossians 3:16 — “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”