Sermon for February 21st

Today’s message is going to be about temptation, especially what we can and can’t do about the temptations in our lives. Now usually, during Lent, we spend a lot of time focusing on the stuff that comes after temptation . . . repentance. But God calls us not to enter into temptation in the first place! So, let’s take Him at His word and figure out how . . . how to deal with temptation in our lives.

The main text that we will be focusing on today is from the gospel of Luke, chapter 4: the story where Satan tempts Jesus three times in the wilderness. When you heard that story again this morning, did you question how you would have dealt with those same temptations? Would you have been strong enough to say no to the bread after 40 days of not eating? Would you have had enough willpower to say, “No” when offered the power to control the world? Jesus seems so much more powerful than we are to deal with temptation. But my hope is that, after today’s message, you will understand that dealing with temptation isn’t about you being stronger or more powerful than the sin in your life. Instead, victory over temptation will only take place for you when you admit that you are powerless, weak, incompetent and unqualified to deal with it. You cannot defeat the Satanic seductions of sin in your life on your own.

After Jesus was baptized and was filled with the Holy Spirit, he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

A couple of things to note in this passage. First, since we are reading the Bible today in English, we miss an interesting point that’s obvious in the original language of Greek when Satan makes the conditional statement, “If you are the Son of God.” There are three types of conditional clauses in Greek: one of fact, one of uncertainty, or one contrary to fact. Fact, uncertainty, or contrary to fact. This conditional clause, spoken by the devil, is one of fact. A better way to translate what is really being said is to read it like this, “If you are the Son of God (and of course you are!) command this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

Why is this important? Because Satan isn’t asking for Jesus to prove anything. Satan already knows the truth just like the other demons and evil spirits always know who Jesus really is even when the crowds or the disciples are clueless. Jesus isn’t being tempted to prove himself, but to use his power. And even more importantly, to show his power to benefit himself. There will be other times when Jesus is called upon to feed others with a few fish and several loaves of bread and he certainly uses his power to do that. But Jesus came to serve others, not to be served or to serve himself.

A second thing to notice in this passage is that,when Jesus responds to the Devil by saying, “One does not live by bread alone” he is referring to a passage in Deuteronomy where Moses explains that the bread from heaven, the manna, that the Israelites ate in their forty years in the wilderness wasn’t simply to feed their stomachs but to feed their faith. He wanted them understand that they were being sustained by God alone. Moses wanted them to remember that they needed to rely on God even when they were tempted to pride and self-sufficiency once they were out of the wilderness and in the Promised Land. The temptation for Jesus isn’t just that he use his power as the Son of God, but that he use his power rather than trusting in God’s power to sustain him.

In the second temptation, Jesus is offered power over all the kingdoms of the world if only he will only bow down to Satan. Jesus responds, “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” First, Jesus was asked to use his own power, but now Satan offers him other power. However, once again, Jesus trusts not in power, but in his weakness as a servant, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” When the Israelites were brought to the promised land, Moses warned them that they would become prosperous and feel very strong and powerful and at that very moment, at the height of their power, they would be most at risk to forget where their strength truly came from—they were not to worship themselves, or any other gods of this world, but they were to fear God and worship Him alone. When we feel powerless against temptation, isn’t it easy to think that we’ll find the strength to endure in the things of this world? So we try to escape depression with drugs and just exchange one temptation for another. And, in the middle of this shell game, we forget that God is our first love.

In the third temptation, the devil places Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple and says, “If you are the Son of God (and again, of course you are!) throw yourself down from here for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Jesus now refers to a story from Exodus when the Israelites tested God and demanded water in the wilderness. They questioned God’s continued presence by asking, “Is the Lord not among us?” They wanted God to prove his love for them by showing off His power. Now that Satan has tempted Jesus to use his own power and to attain new powers, Jesus is now being tempted to demand that God show His power. But for the third time, Jesus does not yield to the persuasion of power and, in his weakness, simply trusts God without any miraculous signs.

As I explained at the beginning of today’s sermon, my hope is that, after today, you will understand that fighting temptation for you, just as it was for Jesus, isn’t about you being stronger or more powerful than sin, death and Devil. Instead, victory over temptation will only take place when you admit that you are powerless, weak, incompetent and unqualified to deal with these seductions. Because you are unable to defeat sin by yourself.

But there is a difference between how Jesus experienced temptation and how we experience temptation. Jesus was alive and on his way to death while we are already dead. As Paul puts it, “For as many of you who were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death.” Or as he states it in Collosians, “You are dead and your life in hidden with Christ in God.” In other words, Jesus was alive and on his way to death while we, two thousand years later, have already died. We have already lost the battle to temptation, the battle that we hear Jesus is fighting in today’s reading. We have already died. Sin has already defeated us through the Law. When it comes to our own efforts, we are judged by the Law as condemned sinners. When you come up against temptation in your life, this is probably the most important fact to realize: you have already lost—you are dead.

Now, of course, that can seem quite upsetting even depressing. How can God expect you to fight against temptation when you’ve already lost before you’ve even begun? But believe it or not, it is not hopeless. Well, for you it is, but not for Jesus Christ your Savior. When you or I are tempted, we look for more power. The first place we tend to look for help is in ourselves. We look to our willpower or our previous experiences. Then we look elsewhere, maybe to a book or self-help expert to back us up. But, eventually, we succumb to the pressure of sin once more and find ourselves tasting the forbidden fruit whatever that fruit may be. Trusting in yourself to fight temptation will always be pointless because you have already lost and died, but there is one who you can look to that has already defeated sin, death and the devil as well as all the many and various temptations this life has to bring.

In Jesus Christ, the battle that appears to be hopeless is, actually, a cakewalk, by faith alone that is. In fact, according to the apostle Paul, now that you are out of the equation, dead I mean, now you actually have some hope! “Shall we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?” He asks? Impossible, he says! “By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” It’s not up to you anymore and God has already won the battle for you. “You are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

In place of power, there is trust. God has given us a different technique for dealing with temptation and that is to trust in one who has the power over life and death itself. Not by testing God to prove or show us his power, but by trusting him unconditionally. The Devil misinterpreted Psalm 91 in today’s dialogue with Jesus. That psalm is not about miracles, but about a relationship of trust, “You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty—you will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I put my trust.’ The power of temptation is that we put our trust in the wrong place. We trust that by lying on a test we will get into college or by cheating on our spouse we will find happiness or that by going to a psychic we won’t fear the future any longer. We put our trust in the power of these temptations to see us through rather than trusting in God who alone has the power over all things.

What does Jesus do to fight temptation? Nothing really. He simply trusts in God, his Father, and in his Word alone to do the fighting for him and to contend with those that contend with him. What does God expect you to do to fight temptation? Nothing. Simply put trust in the right place—in God alone. Not in yourself, not in others or other things, not even in God’s miracles. Don’t trust in power, but in God’s unconditional promise: “I will deliver those who cling to me; I will uphold them, because they know my name. They will call on me, and I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them. With long life will I satisfy them, and show them my salvation.” Amen.

Sermon for June 22nd

I once led a memorial service for a guy I had met only once or twice at church but never really knew at all. It really wasn’t until his funeral preparations that I got to know this man and his family. But once I got to know him, I just couldn’t believe all the things this guy had done! The family started telling stories and memories about him and they just got worse and worse and funnier and funnier. This man was a real sinner. Everybody there knew it. He pulled some of the most horrific pranks and freaked people out constantly in his life. I just kept looking over at his wife, with this look of amazement on my face, as family members recounted event after event—any of which could have led to a divorce just based on the sheer danger recounted, or selfishness exhibited, or stress involved. How had this nice lady ever been married so long to such a crazy guy like this?

Now, at most memorial services that I have attended, people don’t often mention the dead person’s favorite sins; instead, they often try to build up their good deeds, their positive traits and their Christian attributes. But this memorial service was very different in that regard. While most people miss loved ones because of how sweet and loving they could be; it seemed that many family members and friends at this memorial service might miss this guy partly because of what a jerk he could be at times. And by the end of the service, people were saying the same things. Well, but, he’s gone now, and won’t be able to do that crazy stunt any more. Or they might say, I wish that he would just get up and start yelling at me, but, he can’t.

“Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” These words, written by the apostle Paul in the book of Romans, reflect the same experience people had at this memorial service. Could this man, remembered at the service, a father, a husband, a friend, and a brother continue all the crazy and horrendous acts he had done in his life? “By no means!” Paul says. Put into more modern language, we might say, “Well no. Duh! He’s dead. He can’t do much of anything now can he?”

Perhaps I am stating the obvious here, but when you are dead, all your expectations and your plans, whether they are virtuous or not, come to an end. Even if you want to do something good. Even if you desire to do something bad. Tough luck. You are dead and it aint gonna happen.

There is a book called The Hammer of God. In it there is a story about a young pastor in Sweeden named Fridfeldt who goes to visit Frans, a man who is dying. The pastor, Fridfeldt knows that this man, Frans, is a godly man and a true believer. But on arrival Frans is only halfway conscious and begins relating sin after sin from his youth as well as his contemporary naughty thoughts and desires. All the while, Fran’s daughter cries beside the bed as her father relates one embarrassing detail after another. I’ll continue the story from the book:

“Friedfelt could not help thinking how alike we all are within, after all. The same jealousy, the same pride, the same unloving heart. He also thought about how it would now go for Frans. As long as he was conscious he had faith. That seemed quite evident. But beneath the thin shell of his conscious faith this evil still dwelt within the heart. ‘Just as it is with me’, mumbled Fridfeldt. The only difference was that he was still in possession of his full senses, and in the interest of his good reputation must cover tightly all the uncleanness within. As for the poor old man, his lid had fallen off, and everything lay bare.” The man later dies and his daughter asks, “Tell me Pastor, do you believe he died a blessed death?” What do you think?

“Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” Could this man, who had been baptized in Christ Jesus, have somehow separated himself from God’s love long ago? Could this man, who had been baptized in Christ Jesus, have sinned a little too much in later life? Could this man, who had been baptized in Christ Jesus, have let his lid fall off a little too soon and lost his faith? “By no means!” Paul says. Again, using more modern language. “Well no. Duh! He died. He was buried into with Jesus at his baptism! He couldn’t do anything about that. He died!

Perhaps I am stating the obvious here again, but when you are dead, all your expectations and your plans, whether they are virtuous or not, come to an end. Even if you want to do something good. Even if you desire to do something bad. Tough luck. You are dead and it aint gonna work. This is true the day you die as well as sixty years after you have died. This is true when you have died with Christ at your baptism.

This last week was a week full of graduations. I feel rather knowledgable about graduations because I have done it four times if you include high school and college. This is what I know. You have to go to school until you graduate and, while you are at school, you have to go to classes and do the work and do it well or else you won’t get your diploma. That’s just how school works. But what if, on your first day of elementary school, or high school, or college, or medical school, or seminary, the president, or superintendent told you that you didn’t need to worry about graduating anymore. It was all taken care of and he, or she, handed you your diploma saying, “Congratulations!”

It didn’t matter how hard you worked in school, how many classes you went to, how much you sucked up to the teachers, you were going to fail this school miserably. This president, or superintendent, expected no more than a 0.0 grade point average from you. But, the superintendent loved you. They loved you and gives you your diploma, free of charge, as a gift, before you could ever succeed or fail. How would you feel about this? Cheated? Offended? Guilty? Unbelieving? Thankful? Free?

“Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” Your baptism was your graduation. You received your diploma, your promise of eternal life, free of charge from God who loves you. Jesus understands that in this life, you will sin against him again and again. Jesus understands that in this life, you will sin against one another again and again. In the school for the salvation, you will all be given a 0.0 grade point average. He knows all this, but he loves you and he forgives you. Therefore, you may consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

When this passage from Romans, that you heard today, is read, we often think that Paul is trying to guilt trip us into becoming better people. We like to believe that the jury is still out on us and God is watching for us to succeed or fail in this Christian thing. That way, if you really wanted to, you could sin enough and thwart God’s decision that has already been made for you. We want that choice! We want that freedom! Not to choose God, no, we know what would happen then. But how far would we have to go to reject him! “Shall we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?”

The apostle Paul says, “By now means! Well no. Duh! How can you, who have already died, go on living in sin? It doesn’t work that way. Jesus Christ has already made his decision about you. When you were baptized in Christ Jesus you were baptized into his death. You didn’t just die, you were buried! Buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

Your lid has already popped off and everything was laid bare. You died. Your memorial service is over. Jesus has already handed you over a promise of eternal life. “We know that our old self was crucified with Jesus so that the body of sin might be destroyed and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin.” You have died and your life now hidden with Christ in God.

Does this mean that you’ll still make bad decisions and sin against God and one another. Yes. In this life on earth you can count on it. But. In God’s eyes you have already died. Just like his son Jesus. Everything is accomplished already. “And since we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So, you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”