March 1 2020 Genesis 2.15-17; 3.1-7
*Mathew 4. 1-11 “Spiritual Growth: The Wilderness” Pastor Jacqueline
Hines
Matthew tells us that
Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. [slide # 1 wilderness]
If we can wrap our minds around the idea that God allows tough times,
temptations, trials and tribulations, we know God allows certain things. We
wonder why and how, but we are not in charge. We are simply servants of the
most high. We can see, though, that God always has a way of escaping or
enduring the wilderness. God never leaves us and never leaves us empty-handed. We
can trust that God has ordered a purpose and a plan that is bigger than any evil,
bigger than our fears and frustrations. God is bigger than the inhumanity of
humankind.
Every
day comes with its own worries and troubles as well as its own joys and
blessings. It takes faith to endure the hard times. With an attitude of
gratitude and generosity and respect for God, we can happily enjoy our many
blessings that we would otherwise take for granted or live in fear of losing.
Jesus was led by the
Spirit to be tempted by the devil. He was really hungry after 40 days of
fasting. When you go that long without
eating, you may not be as physically hungry as one might expect. You may be more
hungry for change in life. You may be hungry for an answer to a certain problem.
You may be hungry for a miracle, but after going several weeks without food,
you are more likely to lose your physical appetite than to gain it.
The age old purpose of
fasting is to become stronger spiritually, physically, and emotionally in order
to endure whatever life brings our way. We empty ourselves in order to do, as
our Ash Wednesday preacher said, “…make room for the Holy Spirit to work in our
lives.” Mark 9 tells us that some demons
don’t leave until you pray as well as fast.…
Jesus had the same
temptations that all humans face. The devil took him to the highest point in
Jerusalem and he took him to a high mountain. The devil messes us when we
arrive in high places. He is there to make us feel high and mighty, to make us
feel that we are the one and only one, as if there is no one as important as
us; – that there is the temptation to believe that MC Hammer song – “Na, na, na, na…can’t touch
this.” [slide # 2 MC
Hammer] As if no one can get close to being as good, so one has to look
down the nose to see others. sometimes it’s the opposite. We are led to feel alone,
if not lonely and vulnerable, and far away from others Like Adam and Eve, we
are tempted to do what leaves us embarrassingly naked.
The high mountain where
Jesus was tempted may have been Mt. Hermon, the Mount of Transfiguration we
looked at last Sunday where the three disciples gathered between time and
eternity with Jesus, Moses and Elijah – pillars of faith. Being in the presence
of pillars of the faith is always a high place.
Bethel is a high place
because we are often in the presence of generations of the faithful who remind
us of the great things that God has done. The Holy Spirit is here and helps us
remember fondly the names and the faces that are present and some that are now
a part of the cloud of witnesses.
A high place is a good
place, a holy place where miracles happens. A high spiritual place is a place
where mighty winds of change shift a mess until miracles and marvelous things
occur. However, when Satan shows up in our high place, misery and mess can also
be found in high places.
In a high place, Jesus
was tempted in three ways. In the first temptation he was told “If you are the
son of God, command these stones to become bread. [slide # 3 Jesus with stone] Satan
knew Jesus was ready to eat, but Jesus knew that God’s eternal word was even
more important than his temporary need for food.
“If you are the son of
God…” Satan says… casting doubt on his character. Scriptures call Satan “the
accuser,” the one who blames, finds fault, and ridicules. Satan is trying to
distress Jesus into feeling insecure about his identity. “If you are the son of
God… From time to time people dare us saying “If you are really all that, if
you are really important, if you are really special, if anybody loves you, if
you deserve good things, then I dare you to take authority and act big and
bad.” From time to time people dare us to act out, prompt us to make fools of
ourselves…and if we take the dare, we allow others to push OUR buttons, to pull
our strings, to rule us so we will obey their commands and be in their complete
control. Before we know it, we have given in to the temptation. Satan has once
again deceived us into doing what he does best: kill, steal, and destroy.
We do not have to make
ourselves big. God makes us whatever we need to be. Jesus’ answer helps us is
to listen for every word that comes from God’s mouth. They are words of life
that lead to right living, peace and joy in the Spirit.
For the second
temptation Jesus was told if you are the son of God, throw yourself down so
angels can catch you. [slide
# 4
Jesus at a high place] Satan has so many glamorous ways for us to
self-destruct. We know that God is able to provide angels to protect us, but we
would be foolish to put ourselves in harm’s way on purpose in order to test
God.
In my home town of
Connecticut, an emotionally imbalanced young mad would dart into a busy street
near a local diner. Year after year, cars would come to a screeching halt.
Family, friends, and local authorities got involved, but finally one day he was
struck and killed, reminding us that it is not God’s will for us to purposely
put ourselves in harm’s way. It is a waste of energy and resources. It is a
distraction. It is a call for help. Instead of testing God, or watching others
test God, we need to find ways to help and at the very least pray that we may
avert a tragedy – if only for a season. And in helping, we begin to see those
in trouble as God sees them. We hear God’s voice to guide us to the many
spiritual and material resources that we see most clearly when God reveals them
as we pray.
In the third temptation
Jesus was asked to worship Satan in exchange for the
splendor of the world. [slide
# 5 overlooking the worldly kingdoms]
From the heights he could see all the kingdoms built by human hands, all those
things that leave a very strong impression on us. We may be tempted to hold on
to that which enchants us and woos us. We may want to stay in such a place and
make it a part of our lifestyle. We may be tempted to buy whatever it takes to make
ourselves impressive. And if we cannot buy our way to becoming impressive, we
may be consumed with envy and feelings of worthlessness.
A report this week says
that there is a trend among Millennials and Genz’s those between 25 and 39 who
are going into debt to keep up with the Jones’. They fear being left behind and
seem to want to be somebody
at any cost. (It is our job to help them feel they are somebody. That is a good
prayer, “Lord send me to a young person under 29 today and show me how to let
them know that they are somebody important.” Some young people are spending
more money on food, fitness, entertainment, shopping, and technological gadgets
than baby Boomers and the generation of seniors, known as the Quiet Generation
who spend much less. There is a trend for those under 25 years old seem to spend
less on college education which is a bit scary.
One radio commentator
suggested that the younger generation sees the glamor and glitz of friends on
Facebook and Instagram, but what they are seeing is not the ordinary life of
their peers but the highest moments. Some even make up moments, pretending just
to look better than they really are. When
they see that others are impressed, they work to live life at that same high
lever, at the top of the line, not realizing that every day cannot be a top of
the line day.
One chart suggests that
less than 10% of Genz’s, the 25 year olds have full time jobs and about 60
percent live off of an allowance that is given to them. Less than 25% have part
time jobs [slide # 6 Gen Z
chart] Again, the trend has
changed, and we do well to watch as well as pray.
Those of you who have
been to Disney World have come back having enjoyed the magical kingdoms of
princesses and princes, lovable creatures and singable songs. [slide # 7 Disney World ] The world of Disney is
very impressive. But that is a kingdom to visit and enjoy, not one to live in.
While hearing all about
the lifestyles of the rich and famous we are often impressed. The richest zip
code in America is 33109 in Fisher Island, Florida. [slide # 8 Fisher
Island] The average annual income is 2.2 million dollars. The island has
less than 500 people on it. It was originally owned by Carl Fisher who made his
money manufacturing headlamps for cars in the 30’s. Such a life is impressive,
but if there are any Christians living on that island, I hope they are tithing
and I hope they are using their impressiveness to help build the kingdom of God
which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
It is good for us to
pray for our daily bread at the very least. [slide # 9 prayer]
It is also good to pray daily that the Lord deliver us from ENVY and feeling
worthless, from being tempted to do bad things in order to have what someone
else has, in order to be important, in order to feel special…
What a sad day it is
for our heavenly father and mothering God to bless us and care for us so
tenderly only to have us run away from such wonderful love, chasing after
things or people that do not and cannot satisfy. [slide # 10 Are
you running from God]
Jesus endured those
three terrible temptations, after which verse 11 says “suddenly” angels appeared and ministered to
Jesus, waited on him, served him. [slide # 11 angels with Jesus]
Last week, I mentioned
that in a Yale Divinity class a woman suddenly ran in screaming for help while
a man chased her. The class was stunned and frozen, not knowing whether the
incident was real or part of the class. It was effective because it happened
suddenly.
The fact that the
angels came to Jesus suddenly is Matthew’s way of teaching us that important things
can happen without a moment’s notice. God may need our attention immediately
and urgently. Lessons may come to us out of nowhere. Decisions are laid at our
feet and we are instantly called to action. Angels descend abruptly to minister
to us just when we thought we couldn’t take it anymore.
Sudden interruptions
happen all the time, [slide
# 12
chick emerging from shell ] and everywhere. Isn’t the Coronavirus a perfect example? When
we prepare our hearts through prayer and fasting, we grow to expect sudden
calls to action as well as sudden blessings. Then we find strength to resist
falling into temptation. [slide
# 13 at a cliff] Instead we have
the strength to cling [slide
# 14
clinging to the cross] to
the God who love us, cares for us, saves us and waits on us. May you know that
God today and always. [slide
# 15
clinging to Jesus] Amen. [slide # 16 follow
Jesus…]
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