ON THE EASTER ROAD (1) TEMPTATION

Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Psalm 91:1-16, Romans 10: 8-1, 3Luke 4:1-13
Preached at Baldwin Presbyterian Church on February 21st 2010

This being the first Sunday in Lent we are once more on the Easter Road. Along the Easter Road we will encounter many different experiences and learn many different lessons. That road leads us today into the realms of temptation.

We all know about temptation. We pray every time we say the Lord's prayer that we shall not be led into it. But our Easter road, just like our lives, leads us there time and time again.

Now there's nothing intrinsically wrong with temptation. It's how we handle it that makes the difference. We are given in Luke's gospel a picture of how Jesus dealt with the three challenges that the Devil threw in His path. Let's follow Jesus into the desert and think about how we face our challenges.

BREAD INTO STONE.

Jesus was in a desert feeling very hungry. I sense that the way both European and American cultures are right now, people are in a kind of spiritual desert, and many are hungry for some kind of spiritual nourishment. In such a situation, the thought of some kind of "Instant Supernatural Fix" can be most tempting.

The temptation the Devil throws at Jesus is along the lines of. "C'mon Holy One. You've got the power. Turn the stone into bread and be fed. An instant Supernatural Fix is the answer to your cravings". In reply Jesus answers that it is not for any man to be nourished only on bread. When Scripture elsewhere expands that verse, it tells us that we need also the Word of God.

The Word of God is not a narrow concept meaning only the written words of a few sacred books. Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Creation is one of God's Words to us. The love that flourishes within relationships can be another. And like any relationship our spiritual relationship with God can not be obtained in an instant. The blessings of God are not just something we can switch on or off. Discipleship is a life long commitment.

Being baptized, whether as an infant or an adult, does not mean we are today following the path of discipleship. Being confirmed doesn't make us a disciple. Joining a church some years ago doesn't mean we are being faithful today. Having a memory of a day when we went forward at a Revival meeting, asked Jesus into our heart, and resolved to follow Him, doesn't mean we are seeking to follow Him now. We are called to have an ongoing every day walk with Jesus Christ. There are no one time, instant supernatural fixes.

To be truly Christian, to be one of the disciples of Jesus Christ today, depends on where we are in our walk with God in the present tense. If we are living on the bread of past experiences, (however meaningful they may be), we are not living by the Word of God.

There was one disciple amongst the twelve who believed in quick fixes. He heard the call and followed. Like the others he had a marvelous testimony. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon his life as He worked alongside the other disciples in mission. He was admired and respected by his colleagues. They trusted him enough to take care of their money. His name? Judas Iscariot.

Somewhere along the Easter Road, Judas got the idea that turning stones into bread would be a good thing. He decided that he didn't need the Word of God, but a little bread could be useful. Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver.

Don't rush spiritual things. That seems to be one of the problems Judas had with Jesus. Things weren't moving along as quickly as he had hoped for. So he took matters into his own hands and paid a terrible personal price for doing so. Avoid the temptation to seek for quick supernatural fixes. Love God and love your neighbor. Just doing those two things will take the rest of your life.

IT'S ALL YOURS.

The Devil next offered Jesus power and dominion over all the Kingdoms of the world, if only Jesus would bow down and pay homage to him. Jesus again counteracts the Devil's lies with a Scriptural quotation. "You shall do homage to the Lord your God; Him alone shall you adore." For me this temptation talks of the danger of compromising upon what we believe in order to get what we want.

We are all people with needs and desires. There are things that we want and things we know probably wouldn't do us much good if we had them. It is as though we have an angel on one shoulder directing us the right path to follow and a little devil on the other telling us to take the opposite road.

Every one of us at every stage of life, in so many areas of life, are faced with the temptation to get what we want by compromising on what we believe. It's about the things we do and say. It is so easy to come out with negative things about people rather than offer words that might encourage or help them. It's about how we spend our time and spend our money. It's about every day decisions and the grounds we make those decisions upon.

Every time we compromise we are playing into the Devil's hands. We are saying, "Sure I'll do things your way if it gets me what I want right now." It is not enough to "Always let our conscience be our guide". Sometimes what feels so right can be so dreadfully wrong.

"So look here, Jesus" says the Devil, "All the kingdoms, all yours. All you've got to do is bend the knee… just this once and give me a bit of respect". "No Way" is the reply of Jesus. "Worship God and God alone. Pursue the things of God’s Kingdom. Don't set your heart on the things this world can offer. There are higher things and higher principles to chase after"

Let's see if God's really all God's made out to be.

Jesus is taken to a high tower. He has Scripture quoted at Him and then is challenged; "Why don't you throw yourself off and let's see if the angels really will come and rescue you like God promised. You know He can do it. Prove it to yourself". In reply Jesus says "Don't put the Lord your God to the test".

Why do we presume so much on the love of God? I think it is partly because we lose sight of the fact that our sins not only harm others but destroy ourselves. We are not immortal. We are not superhuman.

There is a saying that goes, "It's all right what you do in life as long as you don't hurt anybody else". That's not true. In Gods eyes it is not all right to do things that hurt yourself or that divorce your life from the influence of Christ’s love. We are all special to Him. It's presumptuous to think otherwise. It makes a nonsense of His love if we saddle ourselves with the thought that somehow our lives don't matter or that our sins don't count in the eternal order of things.

Habits and self destructive behavior become so ingrained in us that we don't even recognize them as sin. That's a dangerous way to be. The tragic thing about the disciple, Judas Iscariot, was that he failed to see the consequences of his betrayal. He ended his life a destroyed and broken man. He lost sight of the love of God

Presumption is dangerous. We are not to put God to the test. If we stubbornly pursue a course of life that God's Word tells us is not right then it will lead to trouble. It may even lead us to the point that we have so deceived ourselves that we see ourselves as beyond God's reach. It is not that God can't help us. It is not that His power is unable to change us. It's just that sin is capable of blinding us to that possibility. No wonder Jesus tells us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation".

Conclusions

Discipleship, walking the Easter Road, is a life long adventure. The tempter tells us otherwise. "Turn the Bread into Stones" he says, "Find something that can offer you an instant supernatural fix. That's all you need to get by." Don't listen. There are no quick fix options to being a Christian. It's an every day walk with Jesus that matters.

To be a disciple we face daily choices. One voice whispers "Do it this way" another tells us, "No, do it that way". Don't compromise on what you believe to get what you want. Let God's Word and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit be your guide.

To be a disciple we must not be presumptuous of God's Grace. The temptation is to see how far we can go with doing as we please and still stay within the love of God. Be careful. You can push to far. If you persistently refuse to learn, refuse to see, refuse to hear, then you create a person who has not learnt, nor can see, nor can hear anymore the loving call of Jesus saying, "Come to me, be forgiven, be made new".

Temptation. It touches us all. It's not something we should go out looking for. By the Grace of God may we make the right choices. May we know His Word well enough to counter the Devils lies. May God, by God’s Grace, lead us through the desert of our own temptations and towards the celebration, of His Risen life.