The Commands of Christ - Matthew 4:10

“Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”” –Matthew 4:10

Who is the command to?

Spoken to Satan, but it is a general command for all mankind, repeated from Deuteronomy 6:13

What does the command require?

Worship and serve God only. This means all other things are not to become objects of worship. It doesn’t mean that God just receives most of our worship—it means He receives all of our worship. Matthew 6:24. To worship is to express reverence to and give worth to God. Worship of God is the chief purpose of mankind. It is the highest achievement of mankind.

Following this command requires that every attention of our mind, every action of our hands, and every word spoken by our mouths be in worship and service of God.

What truths do we learn through this command?

God alone is worthy of our worship. All things, no matter what it is or how important it seems to be, pale in comparison to who God is. That means that jobs, money, possessions, human relationships, prestige, power, etc. all are of no value and do not deserve or require any worship.

What are the consequences for not following this command?

spiritual adultery, the pursuit of worldly ambitions, 

The Commands of Christ - Why Bother?

I've come up with a list of biblical reasons why we should follow Christ's commands:

1. We follow Christ’s commands because He is Lord – Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:9-12
2. We follow Christ’s commands because we are His slaves – Romans 6:15-23; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:22-23
3. We follow Christ’s commands because He lives in us and we live in Him – Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:3-14, 2:8-10; Romans 6:11
4. We follow Christ’s commands because it proves our love for Christ and our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ – John 14:21; 15:10; 1 John 4:21; 5:2-3; 2 John 1:6
5. We follow Christ’s commands because it proves our salvation – Luke 6:46-49; 1 John 2:3-4; 1 John 3:24; Revelation 22:14
6. We follow Christ’s commands because it is necessary for sanctification – Philippians 2:12-15;
7. We follow Christ’s commands because the disciples told us to – 1 Thessalonians 4:2; 1 Corinthians 14:37
8. We follow Christ's commands so that we can live without fear. Romans 8:15; 1 John 4:17-19
9. We follow Christ's commands because of all that He's done for us. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
10. We follow Christ's commands as a witness to others. 2 Corinthians 5:10
11. We follow Christ's commands to receive blessings and avoid consequences. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10
12. We follow Christ's commands to be led by Him. Romans 8:14
13. We follow Christ's commands to prove our friendship with Him. John 15:14

The Commands of Christ - Matthew 4:7

“Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”” –Matthew 4:7

Who is the command to?

Spoken to Satan, but it is a general command for all mankind, repeated from Deuteronomy 6:16

What does the command require?

Do not tempt the Lord. To tempt God means to try His power, goodness, or the will of God. It means don’t throw yourself into voluntary dangers and then appeal to God for protection.

“To claim a promise in an act of disobedience would be tempting God.” –The Believer’s Bible Commentary

“It is true, indeed, that God aids those of his people who are placed by him in trial or danger; but it is not true that the promise was meant to extend to those who wantonly provoke him and trifle with the promised help.” – Albert Barnes

So, by committing to obeying this command, we commit to not acting unless God leads us.

What truths do we learn through this command?

We learn that we can tempt God with our rash actions. It sounds very similar to Paul’s warning in Romans 6:1-4.

We learn an important truth about the character of Satan and the methods of Satan and how to combat both. Satan stands in direct opposition to God. He questions all that God has said. Satan twists God’s words and he manipulates the Bible to say whatever he wants it to. In these few verses, we see that Satan manipulates the promises of God to try to put Christ in an unnecessary danger. Satan is called the tempter for a reason. We must combat Satan through speaking the truth of Scripture and obeying Christ’s commands.

What are the consequences for not following this command?

Unnecessary risks and dangers. We provoke God. Disobedience to this is, in effect, living outside the will of God.

The Commands of Christ - Matthew 4:4

“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”” –Matthew 4:4

Who is the command to?

Spoken to Satan, but it is a general command for all mankind, repeated from Deuteronomy 8:3

What does the command require?

To live, not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Jesus, no doubt hungry, avoids the temptation from Satan to turn rocks into bread to eat by acknowledging that mankind has spiritual hunger as well as physical hunger.

What truths do we learn through this command?

Physical food is important, but it is not the most important nourishment. “Since Jesus had received no instructions from the Father to turn stones into bread, He would not act on His own and thus obey Satan, no matter how intense His hunger.” – The Believer’s Bible Commentary

We have a spiritual ‘appetite.’ 1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12-14; Psalm 119:103.

God is the source of our spiritual sustenance and His words are our spiritual sustenance. Job 23:12; Psalm 119:25, 40, 77, 81, 93, 116, 144, 175; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3;

God’s Words provide all that is necessary to live life. 

What are the consequences for not following this command?



And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? -1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Spiritual starvation; Spiritual immaturity; Death; no discernment in spiritual truths; wrong focus in life; no joy in life; damaged testimony; no spiritual power; no peace in life; we must struggle to meet our own needs; backsliding; no tools for ministry; lack of spiritual transformation; carnality; no defense in temptation; no transparency.

The Commands of Christ - Preliminaries

There are a couple things we must realize before we get started on this study in the commands of Christ.


First off, this is a bigger task than I anticipated. I figured that I would have enough verses to cover a couple of months at best. I'm nearly through reading Matthew and finding the commands of Christ and I've counted roughly 80 commands. It would take a lifetime to teach through all of these commands. Perhaps that is why no Christian every really 'arrives' until heaven. Christ has given us plenty to attain for, that's for certain!


Secondly, right now before we begin, each one of us must make a commitment to obeying whatever we find. If you wait to evaluate what we find before you commit to obeying it, you will never choose to obey it. Some of the commands that we find will seem too extreme to our American minds. And some of the commands that we find will go completely against our logic. Some of them just won’t make sense. But Christ has given us these commands to follow.


Third, we must understand that there are different kinds of commands given by Christ. Let me explain:

1. Direct commands – These are commands from Jesus to a specific person for a specific time. For example, “Rise up and walk.” Or “You give them something to eat.” We won’t be looking too deeply at many of these commands. There are a few, however, that teach us valuable principles about Christian living, such as: "go and sell all you have and give it to the poor. Then come and follow Me."
2. General commands – These are commands perhaps repeated from the Old Testament Law, and they are given as commands for all people for all time. For example, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength” and “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” We will take time to look at some of these commands.
3. Disciple commands – These are commands given specifically to Christ’s disciples. These are the commands that we are most interested in, for they are the commands that the disciples were to pass down and be faithful to teach their own disciples to observe. For example, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees" and "if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."

So in the days, weeks, and months to come, we'll dive into the commands of Christ. Be prepared to be confronted by these commands, and to evaluate whether or not your life matches up with them.