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
So many quips and quotes...
So little time to preach
I wonder what Mary and Martha’s phones might look like:
* Martha = the open browser with 27 tabs
* Mary = the single window that matters
* Psalm 46 = God saying, “Close the tabs.”
Quotable Outtakes That Didn’t Make the Sermon This Week
“When you try to control everything, you don’t just exhaust yourself—you quietly replace trust in God with trust in you.” & more
There is a challenge when it comes to preaching the Word of God.
Preachers are called to open up and interpret the word—inspired and written down thousands of years ago—and make it relevant to a very different world. On top of that there’s a degree of persuasion that goes along with the process.
What Jessica Really Meant to Say in Her Sermon…
When Jessica or Rick or a guest preacher takes the pulpit it’s hard for me to write a One More Thing Blog. I can’t share with you what didn’t make it into the sermon because I have no idea, not having written or delivered it.
Jesus Keeps On Ruining Funerals!
I didn’t have anything this last week that didn’t end up in the sermon. No catchy illustrations that didn’t make the cut. No theological insights that slowed down the main point. No one can ruin a funeral like Jesus. Told as I saw it and that was it. So I did some quick research and I thought I’d share just a reminder of what Easter is all about.
When I Don’t Get To Give My Benediction
Yesterday’s sermon talked about how we are in the thrall of self-centeredness—caught in a system that rewards those who climb to the top, even when you have to climb on the back of others. I talked about a famous sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King, ....
Some Good Quotes that I Didn’t Get To Last Sunday
I have been working out of Adam Hamilton’s excellent book, Why Did Jesus Have to Die? And when I find something that says what I want to say more succinctly and expressively than I can, I like to quote it...