Davidson College Presbyterian Church Rev. Veronica Cannon Psalm 32; Matthew 4:1-11 The Temptation of God and Man First Sunday in Lent March 13, 2011

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1 Davidson College Presbyterian Church Rev. Veronica Cannon Psalm 32; Matthew 4:1-11 The Temptation of God and Man First Sunday in Lent March 13, 2011 Today is the first Sunday of Lent. It is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Like Advent it is a season of preparation. Originally, Lent was the time of preparation for those who were to be baptized, a time of concentrated study and prayer before their baptism at the Easter Vigil, the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord early on Easter Sunday. But since these new members were to be received into a living community of Faith, the entire community was called to preparation. It was also the time when those who had been separated from the Church would prepare to rejoin the community. Today, Lent is marked by a time of prayer and preparation to celebrate Easter for forty days. The number 40 is connected with many biblical events, but especially with the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry by facing the temptations that could lead him to abandon his mission and calling. As part of our liturgical calendar, which is purposed to relive the major events in the life of Jesus in real time, we should use these forty days to Easter to prepare ourselves for ministry as Jesus did. Preparation is the key to overcoming the temptations that we will surely face when we seek to live a life unto God. DCPC get ready! Prepare yourselves. Cause the time is fast approaching when the tempter comes a knocking. Listen carefully; you may hear Satan knocking now! Prepare yourselves! I have been here at Davidson College Presbyterian Church for nearly six and a half months. And in that time, I have observed some things. Some good, some great. And there have been some things that have brought me to my knees in prayer. Now I hope not to step on anybody s toes, but if I do, just say ouch. I have seen great ministry taking place in this church. The work that Madeline does with the youth and the connections she s made with them have been phenomenal. Today they are finishing a 30 hour famine exercise, meant to enlighten the youth to the ravages of hunger in the world, especially children. Soon, they are going to go a whole day without shoes in order to understand what it is like to not have shoes to wear. They are an active and vibrant part of this church community and they are to be applauded. But we must walk in prayer with them as they continue to do the work of God. For it is in those very moments, that Satanic attacks can and do happen. We must walk in preparation with them. I have heard of the good work being done with community missions. How they provide monies for those who need help. Did you know they provide baskets of supplies of cleaning goods to families that have that need? Yet, I understand that what they provide is still not enough, the need is so great! The harvest is great, the laborers are few. We have a wonderful day school here at DCPC, a strong Christian Education program, a masterful music ministry, good Sunday school programming for youth and adults, welcoming 1

2 arms to new and potential members, listening and caring ears from the ministerial staff, active college ministry, dynamic staff support, functional and functioning diaconate and session, and hardworking committees. Yet, there are some things my eyes have seen and my ears have heard, that break my heart and cast me to my knees in prayer. Life is short, y all. And each day that Good Lord sends is a blessing and an opportunity for thanksgiving and loving and sharing. But for the life of me, I have seen some of the most unhappy, non joy filled, complaining people I have ever seen in all my life. Now there is nothing wrong with being unhappy, non joy filled nor is there anything wrong with complaints; except when they steal the joy and happiness of others. It is not constructive at all and it gives the tempter a strong foothold. And all the tempter wants to do is kill and destroy. And he uses us, yes, you and me to gain a grasp and tear us away from the very hand of God. For example, we come to church to worship. According to Webster s New World Dictionary, worship means to show religious devotion or reverence for; adore or venerate as a Deity. To engage in worship, or perform an act of religious devotion; especially to offer prayers, attend church, worship services. When one is worshipful, he or she is feeling or offering great devotion or respect. When you and I come to worship, we come to give something, not receive. We come to offer our prayers, to revere God, to honor God. We come to do something. Yet, in the minds of many, we come to receive. We have heard the complaints from some who come to worship that sometimes our sermons don t connect with some of you. But the sermon is only one part of the service. There are prayers, there is music, and there is the offering of your gifts, money and talents. There is the message for the children. If you come to worship to simply receive, you my friend are coming for the wrong reason. Worship is not about us; it is about God. We should come prepared to worship. So what of you? How have you prepared to worship? If you have come looking to receive from God when God really wants you to give your heart, your praise and your honor; if you have come for any other reason, you have come for the wrong reason. You could be giving the tempter a stronghold. My Christian friends we have to be ready, we have to prepare, because God has a mighty work for us. We are on the verge of great ministry here at DCPC and trust me; temptation is poised and ready to strike. If Satan can attack Jesus Christ, Satan can and will attack us. The Bible says that Jesus was baptized. God proclaimed that this was God s Son in whom he loved and was well pleased. Immediately Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted and prayed for forty days and nights and then the tempter came to him. Isn t interesting? Jesus had just had a mountaintop experience being Baptized, then he spent forty days and nights fasting and praying in order to prepare for the intense ministry before him and Satan shows up and launches his first attack. It is important to understand that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Spirit of God does not tempt, but God does allow temptation to beset us in order to test us. Jesus was fully God, and devoted his life to serving God the Father. He had all power in his hands and the capability of tending to his own needs, but even he was allowed to be tempted. Jesus had not yet begun his ministry, 2

3 and the tempter was allowed to test Jesus so that he could learn four things: 1) to be strong, 2) to depend solely on God, 3) to trust God, 4) to have a deep and abiding faith. God allows us to be tempted in order to strengthen and prepare us for heavier responsibility. Jesus was about to embark upon his mission which carried a great deal of responsibility. He had to teach and preach the presence of God to a people who were hard-hearted and stubborn. Many of them walked with Jesus daily. He was going to meet with religious leaders who would reject Him. People who would praise Him one week and by week s end call for his crucifixion. He had a great responsibility before him. But He was tempted in order to strengthen his resolve and prepare him for the work ahead. We too are tempted to test our resolve. God desires strong Christians to carry out his work. We are strengthened by spending time in the Word of God, by praying without ceasing. We are prepared by walking with God daily; by the way we meet and deal with difficulty when confronted with it. Do we turn tail and run out, or do we stay and work through issues with love? Do we criticize or do we bring healthy solutions? Do we condemn, condone or acknowledge and respond? Our reactions to life on the job, in our homes and in the church determine our health, strength and preparation. Can we handle greater responsibility? Will God entrust us with more if we cannot handle what we already have? This is something for DCPC to really consider truthfully. Are we really ready to take on more responsibility of staffing when we are struggling to stay afloat now? Are we ready to grow and expand ministry when getting people to step up to the plate for the ministries already in place are lacking? Are we prepared? Ask yourself how much time you spend in prayer, Bible study, and conversation with God? How much time do you give to the church? Is this body right now getting a fair share of your time? Are you using your gifts to help this body to grow and prosper? If the devil were to launch an attack on you or your family, your job or your health would you be ready to stand firm in your faith? Are you prepared? Get ready Davidson College Presbyterian Church. Because if what I understand of this passage is true, temptation is a sure thing for us. And the more we seek to serve God, the greater the temptation will be. Note how heavy and intense the temptation was against Christ. The more you seek to serve God, the more you will need to commune with God. If you don t commune with God, and you are not seeking to serve God, one thing is certain, you won t have to worry about the tempter tempting you. Satan has no need to attack what he already has. God desires our strength. Get prepared. Spend time with God. Second, we are to depend on God. The first temptation of Christ was to prove His deity by using His power for personal purposes. Satan tempted Jesus using the Deity of Christ as the incentive, but entering the temptation through the humanity of Christ. The devil tempted Christ to prove that He was the Son of God, by showing all of humanity his power to feed himself and the world by turning stone into bread. Jesus, you are hungry. You have not eaten for forty days and nights. Your body needs sustenance. Feed yourself. Turn this stone into bread. Jesus was tempted to use his power to meet his need, staunch his appetite. Satan knew what he was doing. When he suggested to Jesus to feed himself he would prove that he was also capable of feeding the world, that by this act he was truly the Son of God. If he could accomplish such a feat, think of how the throngs of people would hurry to worship Him. They would definitely serve a God man who meet not only their physical needs but their material needs as well. But Satan always 3

4 has a catch with every temptation he launches. Had Jesus depended on himself to turn the stone to bread, he would not have been putting His trust in God. One commentary put it this way: God's way was the way of faith which included both time time to suffer the trials of life and the cross. Satan wanted Jesus to take a short cut. Feed yourself and the world and you will gain the loyalty of humankind immediately. Why wait and suffer the humiliation of the cross? But humanity cannot live by bread alone. Humankind needs more than having their physical needs met. Humanity needs to be spiritually fed as well. By using his supernatural power to feed people, he would have met a physical need, but failed to meet spiritual needs. The danger here is teaching that the physical is more important than the spiritual and what would be the need for God. When Satan tempts us my Christian brothers and sisters, he always makes a situation look better than it is and there is always a catch that causes more harm than good. Satan will always strike at our weakest point, when we have our greatest need. When suffering is at its peak. This is when depending on God becomes most important. With God, in our weakness we are made strong. When we don t depend on God, we can eat until we are full and we will never be satisfied. But when we feed upon the Word of God and give it life in words and actions, we can resist the devil s snare and send him fleeing. Third, trust God. The second temptation of Christ was to prove His deity by the spectacular. The devil tempted Christ to prove that He was the Son of God by jumping off of a towering pinnacle. Surely God will keep you safe, catch you in mid-air and carry you safely to the ground. God will not His only Son get hurt. This would have been a spectacular feat. And once again, the people would witness it and broadcast it far and wide that Jesus was the Son of God. But Jesus responded that God was not to be tested. God is to be trusted. The message for us is to trust God, not some spectacular event that our eyes behold. When we love someone and trust them implicitly, we don t have to try them out to see if they will be true to their word or promise to us. God has promised us eternal life, we can trust that, we don t have to test it. Had Jesus fallen to this temptation, he would have put his life at risk and not at the appointed time. It would have been a gross misuse and abuse of His power and it would have been a grave disobedience of God. When we take our focus off of God and put it things that will not save us, we too risk our lives and put ourselves in grave danger. When we put our trust in one another at the exclusion of God, we put ourselves in harm s way, because as much as I love Lib McGregor Simmons, I would never put my life in her hands, because she has not the power to save me; nor I her. Nor would I put my faith in things, like wealth or perceived power, because these things have no life and unable to keep protect me or provide for me spiritually. Believe it or not, sometimes people put their lives in the hands of others and they put their trust in wealth and power as though those things have the power to heal or bring provision or eternal life. And remember this, think on it and consider it carefully; The power that Satan has is a very limited power. Satan only has the power to tempt humankind. He cannot make us sin only tempt us, stir in us a desire that is already within, arouse in us a deep seated lust. But if we live a life devoted to God, the God in us is more powerful than the sin in us and we can overcome the desire to sin. 4

5 Fourth, have faith. The third temptation of Christ was to prove His deity by compromise. The devil tempted Christ to prove that He was the Son of God by taking him to a high mountain and showing Him all the kingdoms of the earth and promised them to Jesus if he would bow to him and worship him. Jesus was tempted to concede His ministry and His mission, His reason for taking on human flesh in order to gain the world without fulfilling the Law, without achieving the cross. Satan tempted Christ to gain sovereign rule by avoiding death, by not paying the price for sinful man. It would have been a grave incident for all of humanity had Jesus succumbed to pride. For humanity would have been left in sin unable to live a righteous life. We would have been left in our sin, corrupted and left to die with no hope of living eternally with God. Satan would have been free to continue his disruptive ways to frustrate the plans of God. Any compromise with the tempter, is not in God s plan. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. Hence Jesus says Worship the Lord your God and serve only him. Draw close to God and God will draw close to you. Study God s Word, develop a life of daily prayer, trust God, and don t test God. Don t compromise who you are in God for anyone or anything. Worship and serve God only. Follow these teachings and you will be able to avoid the tempter s snare. And remember when you begin to walk in God s favor; the devil will get really busy. We can never let up by letting down our guard. The tempter is always poised to pounce. Never rely on your own power to overcome temptation, only God has all power in his hands. Release your cares into the arms of a capable God. 5