Luke | How to Trust God Without Testing Him | Keith Bower | Spring Branch | February 8, 2025

·38 min·3 clips

Satan tempts a starving Jesus to turn stones into bread, testing whether he'll misuse his power as the Son of God.

This sermon from Bayou City Fellowship continues a series through the Gospel of Luke, focusing on chapter 4's temptation narrative. Keith Bower, a marketplace professional who occasionally preaches, introduces the theme of true sonship by tracing how Jesus' identity as God's Son is established in earlier chapters. He sets up the wilderness temptation as Jesus' first sustained appearance in Luke's gospel, occurring immediately after his baptism. Bower explains that Jesus' physical state was severely weakened after 40 days without food, making the temptations particularly potent. The first temptation involves Satan challenging Jesus to turn stones into bread, which Bower interprets as a temptation to misuse divine power for personal provision rather than God's purposes. He connects this to Deuteronomy 8:3, which Jesus quotes in response. The second temptation offers Jesus all worldly kingdoms in exchange for worship, which Bower describes as 'the crown without the cross'—an attempt to bypass suffering. The third temptation occurs at the temple pinnacle, where Satan quotes Psalm 91 to challenge Jesus to test God's protection. Bower distinguishes between testing God (demanding proof before acting) and trusting God (acting in faith). Throughout, he draws parallels to contemporary Christian experience, particularly in workplace settings, sharing personal stories from his oil and gas career about missing opportunities to view work as mission. He references the church's recent meal-packing event where 20,304 meals were prepared as an example of trust in action. The sermon concludes with three commitments for true sonship: pursuing God's purpose above provision, worshiping God alone, and believing and following God without testing him.

As heard by us

A sermon on sonship, with marketplace faith tied to daily calling.

Keith Bower's message on Luke treats sonship as something lived, not just believed. It follows Jesus from identity and childhood into the ordinary demands of work, family, calling, and prayer.

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Why you'd press play

You want Scripture to speak directly to your work, family, and trust.

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