Sunday
03/10/19 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Tempted and Tried”
(“The
road to the cross” Series – Part 1 of 7)
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
New Testament
Scripture: Romans 10:8b-13
Gospel Lesson:
Luke 4:1-13
Once again,
happy Lent, as we are, as of this past Wednesday, in the season of Lent. This
is the 40-day season that starts every year on Ash Wednesday, and ends right
before Easter. We then have Easter Sunday, where we celebrate the glorious
risen Christ, our Lord and Savior.
I read an invitation to the observance of the Lenten
discipline to introduce this the season of Lent this past Wednesday, at our Ash
Wednesday service. Let me read this to you once again:
“Dear
brothers and sisters in Christ: the early Christians observed with great
devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the
custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration there should be a
forty-day session of spiritual preparation. During the season converts to the
faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when persons who had
committed serious sins were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and
restored to participation in the life of the Church. In this way the whole
congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel
of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our faith. I invite you,
therefore, in the name of the Christ, to observe Holy Lent: by self-examination
and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God’s Holy Word. To make a right beginning of repentance, and as
a mark of our moral nature, let us now bow before our Creator and Redeemer and
ask for forgiveness”.
So
we are not going to pray right now, as this invitation that I just read invites
us to. We are given this season of Lent though, so that we can spiritually
prepare ourselves for the coming crucifixion and death of Christ, leading to Easter
Sunday.
As
I stated on Ash Wednesday, the Bible is full of many 40-day periods, or periods
of 40’s. Noah was on the water in the Ark for 40-days, the Jews wandered the
wilderness for 40-days, this morning in our gospel reading, Jesus is in the
wilderness for 40-days, and this season of Lent, we are given 40-days. The
season of Lent also developed out of the tradition of the Christian Church, as
Lent is not a Biblical season.
Forty
is very a Biblical concept though, and this 40-day season of Lent (minus
Sundays, as Sunday is the day of Christ’s resurrection), is the time that we
are given to grow closer to Christ in this season. It is amazing to me that for
hundreds of years that billions and billions of Christians have engaged in a
time of spiritual preparation to prepare for the crucifixion, death, and then
resurrection of Jesus Christ. All of us are called to seek after Christ, to be
like him, and to move closer into what he has called us all to be. This season
then, is all about God, all about Jesus.
Some
of us have a tradition of “giving up” something for Lent, as this year I am
giving up pride. Some of you might not
think that I have a lot of pride, but I want to continue to grow closer to
Jesus Christ. There are times where maybe I have been judgmental, not as loving
as I could be, or maybe I have failed to be all that God has called me to be.
Instead of getting defensive though, I am repenting and growing closer to
Jesus.
As I said in our Ash Wednesday service, I grew up in a
largely Roman Catholic family. I remember every year listening to my aunts and
other family members discuss what they were giving up for Lent. One gave up
chocolate, one gave up deserts, and so on and so forth. Yet, many years my
family members seemed to be grieved and troubled at what they were giving up. It
was almost an act of futility and an admission that we must suffer, as Christ
suffered for us.
Lent though, is about Jesus. If we chose to give up
something in this period of Holy Lent, let it be because that thing that we are
giving up draw us closer to Jesus. If we give up something, may we give it up
to draw us closer to God, so that we become more holy and righteous.
As I also said on Ash Wednesday, I pray that we may give
away, not just give up, a variety of things. May we give away things we don’t
need, be generous, loving, caring, so that we might draw closer to Christ and
to each other.
So since this 40-day season of Lent, minus Sundays of
course, is all about growing closer to Christ, I wanted to start a sermon
series this morning about Christ. This sermon series looks at who Jesus was and
is, as we are all on a journey on “The road to the cross”. In this period of
Lent, we are preparing for the crucifixion, death, and the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. We are, as I just said, (which is the title of my seven part sermon
series) on “The road to the cross” together.
The historic teaching of the Christian Church, is that
Christ on that first Good Friday died on a cross for the sins of the world.
Outside of this, who was Jesus, and what was he like? This sermon series, “The
road to the cross,” will hopefully shed some light on this.
Now before I begin this sermon series, I want to remind you
all that on Sunday March 24th, I won’t be preaching, as we will be
celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Methodist Women, as an
organizational entity. I will fill you all in on that missed sermon briefly the
next Sunday though.
Today, my first sermon in this sermon series is called,
“Tempted and tried”. So often we hear about, we think about, and we believe in the
gentle and loving Jesus Christ. These are certainly accurate understandings of
Jesus. It is the historical belief that Jesus was fully God and fully human on
earth, but was there more to Christ than these things? Was Jesus tough? Did
Jesus show courage? Was Jesus brave? How much was the human part of Christ like
us as humans? Further, was Jesus truly more than just meek and mild? The answer
is yes!
Jesus was tough! Jesus was tougher than any of us here this
morning. How tough? Well according to our gospel reading for this morning once
again, Jesus spent 40-days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil (Lk.
4:1-2, NRSV). Now you might think you’re tough, but going 40-days toe to toe
with the devil, well that’s tough! Let’s look again at what the scripture for
this morning has to say: It says:
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit in 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’” (Lk.
4:1-4, NRSV).
So
after Jesus is baptized, and comes out of the water full of glory and grace,
Jesus then goes into the wilderness for 40-days, to be tempted by the devil.
Just like when Jesus was up on the mountain and was “Transfigured” last Sunday,
we must come down from the mountains in our own lives. Sometimes glory can quickly
turn into grief. Jesus goes from his glorious baptism to this Sunday being in
the wilderness for 40-days, as we are now in the 40-day season of Lent.
In
this gospel reading, which I like to call “Jesus’ basic training”, is Jesus’
40-day period where he is “Tempted and tried” by the devil.
The
gospel says that Jesus ate nothing for 40-days, and after this he was famished
or really hungry. So the first way that Jesus is “tempted and tried” is with
food. The devil tells Jesus to prove who he is and his power, by turning a
stone into a loaf of bread. I don’t know about you, but I probably would have
caved right then! Forty-days, are you kidding me! Fresh hot bread! Yeah, I
don’t know if I would have made it!
While
Jesus is “tempted and tried” though, he responds to the devil by quoting
scripture, as the devil was quoting scripture. Jesus says at this time of being
“tempted and tried,” quoting Deuteronomy 8:3:
“One does not live by bread alone”
The
gospel continues by saying:
“Then the
devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of
the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their
glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it
to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus
answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him’” (Lk. 5-8, NRSV).
The
fascinating reality of this gospel reading, is that the devil knows scripture
just as good as Jesus. The devil just misuses the scripture. The devil then leads
Jesus up to cliff, an overlook if you will, and offers him all the kingdom and
wealth in the world. The devil then quotes scripture, and Jesus responds with
scripture. Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20 says:
“Worship the Lord your God, and
serve only him”
So
the devil knows and uses scripture, but interprets it wrong, and Jesus fires
right back with a correct usage of scripture. Jesus turns down hot bread after
not eating for days, turns down fame, riches, and power, and will be tempted
once more before his time in the wilderness is over.
The
gospel then concludes by once again saying:
“Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed
him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God,
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.’” When the devil had finished
every test, he departed from him until an opportune time” (Lk. 4:9-13, NRSV).
In
this last time of being “tempted and tried” in this gospel lesson, the devil
takes Jesus to the very top of the temple in Jerusalem. The devil then “temps
and tries” Jesus to jump off the top of the temple, knowing that angels will
rescue him. Jesus again, quoting scripture says from Deuteronomy 6:16:
“Do
not put the Lord your God to the test”
So meek and mild Jesus, goes days
without food, and is tempted by the devil. Tempted with food when hungry,
riches, fame, and fortune, and to save his own life from falling of the temple
in Jerusalem. Yet Jesus emerges victorious after being “tried and tempted” in
this gospel lesson.
As we walk
the road to the cross together then, let us remember that only is Jesus going
to die for us soon on Good Friday. Not only did Jesus come to teach us to love,
to heal, and to forgive, but Jesus also is many things. Today’s gospel reading
shows us just how tough Jesus is. It shows us that Jesus can be meek and mild,
but he can also trade scripture for scripture, look the devil right in the eye
and overcome him. This is the savior that we are journeying with together on
“The road to the cross”. Amen.
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