02/20/2024
Temptation Isn’t A One Time Thing
Not Even For Jesus
In Luke’s version of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness it says, “when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Jesus until an opportune time.” Yes, Jesus faced down the tempter and was able to ward off his weaker impulses in favor of the path God had laid out for him. But it doesn’t mean that Jesus never faced serious temptation again. Old Satan decided to wait it out for a more opportune time to try again.
Commentator Tom Wright wrote: “Jesus would meet the tempter again in various guises: protesting to him, through his closest associate, that he should change his mind about going to the cross (Peter’s correction of his Master); mocking him, through the priests and bystanders, as he hung on the cross (again with the words ‘if you are God’s son’). Indeed, the last and most compelling temptation that faced Jesus was to reject a violent death on a cross and continue his ministry of healing and preaching indefinitely. The temptation to “be one of us in every way” would have included falling in love, raising a family, being a model citizen who could show by daily example what it means to love God completely, and share that love with his neighbors.
Our willingness to learn key scriptures by heart,
in order to keep them easily accessible;
Our ability to keep our eyes on God, trusting God
for both our daily needs and our unique purpose in life;
Our openness to remembering our calling to bring God’s light into the world
—these are the things that will give us the same
strength of resistance that Jesus showed.
Temptation seems to have a mind of its own and it often chooses to come at just those moments when our defenses are down, when we are exhausted and weary, when we are the most vulnerable. That is why staying close to God through prayer, scripture, and worship are so important if we are sincere about our desire to be men and women of God.
Archived Posts
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism:
Listening Heart
It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Wisdom in the Bible is all about listening. Of course it makes sense that wisdom would start with listening to God, to God’s law and commandments, as well as the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)
Such A Rich Passage (Luke 19:1-10)
I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.
The Power of Presence
This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples...
What’s In A Benediction?
Last Sunday I used one of my favorite benedictions.
It was inspired by a saying from about ten years ago: