Lenten Meditation--Facing the Cross: Temptation

Facing the Cross:  Temptation                            

I Corinthians 10:12-14

        When you hear the Old Testament lesson for tonight about Adam and Eve being tempted in the Garden of Eden, you sometimes want to shake your head and say, “How could they?” “How could they disobey their Lord in this wonderful paradise where all their needs were being taken care of and they were living in harmony with God and each other?”  In our world today, it would be very common to analyze the situation to the point that you could understand and even excuse that first sin and call it a weakness. You might be tempted to say, “After all, they weren’t used to temptation.  They didn’t know how to handle it.  Their punishment should not have been so severe.”  But the fact remains that God had told them not to eat of that particular fruit.  The consequences for all mankind were catastrophic.  Knowing what you know now, you might wish you could have looked Eve straight in the face when she was about ready to take a bite out of that fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that they were forbidden to eat and say, “Stop it!” But the truth is that you find yourself in similar situations when you are tempted to do something that disobeys God and after considering all of the options, you went ahead and disobeyed him, just as Adam and Eve did. You have disobeyed God who has so lovingly given you everything you need on this beautiful earth.

         When you hear the other readings for tonight and you think about your own struggles you are reminded that temptation is not a thing of the past or something that you don’t need to worry about anymore. It is something that is still a part of your current sinful existence in the fallen world, and it is something you must face head-on.

          You, too, like Adam and Eve, are drawn to what looks pretty, what is pleasing to the eye, that promises something better than what you think you have now, but at the same time is something that is ultimately not good for you spiritually and is not in line with God’s will for your life.

          The devil knows just how to trip you up, too. He knows your weaknesses. For some it is passing on that juicy bit of information about someone that could ruin their reputation. For some of you it is eating something you know you shouldn’t, for others it is looking at something online you know is not healthy for you. You know that this is your weakness and you also know that in those situations where you are going to be tempted, you need to put your guard up extra high.

    Some things are easy for you to turn away from and say, ‘No!” But there are other things that keep your head turning back and keep your eyes distracted. And those are the things that you try your best to keep away from not only during this season of Lent but every day of your life.

     Specifically committing to giving up something these forty days of Lent is one very good way to fight temptation as long as it is something that is truly a temptation for you. Another way is to come up with a strategy for dealing with temptations when they come your way, no matter what they are. When you are drawn to look at something tempting, for example, have a Bible close at hand to look at and read instead of engaging in the temptation before you. Or when tempting thoughts start entering your head, you might also want to have a list of healthy, holy thoughts that you can ponder instead, like times you felt close to God, a favorite hymn, people who have helped you in your faith. A guiding principle in making a list like this is found in the words of Philippians 4:8-9: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

     Living with these thoughts in your mind and dwelling on the fact that the God of peace is with you always have the added benefit of helping you resist the urge to fall into temptation because your focus has shifted from you and your needs to God and what he desires and what you can do to bring glory to Him.  That is really the key difference when it comes to considering your attitudes and actions.  Is this going to glorify God or is it simply going to satisfy my curiosity or my sinful desires.  It is much like the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness that we heard in the gospel Lesson. The devil tried to tempt Jesus to use His divine power to satisfy His hunger.  If He gave in to that temptation it would only be for His own good.  It would not glorify God.  The good thoughts that Jesus employed in that situation were from Word of God.  He countered the devil’s temptations each time with the words, “It is written.”

     Sometimes you may feel like you are the only one who is being tempted.  You feel alone in your battle against the devil and you wonder if there really is hope for you.  The words of our text for this evening give us a warning and a word of comfort.  “Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.  Never get the idea that you are so spiritual and so strong in your faith that you will never be tempted.  Think about it.  Who do you think the devil works hardest against?  He’s got the unbeliever in his hand already.  The weak Christian is an easy target.  It’s the confident believer that the devil works hardest on.  If you think you are above temptation, be careful.  The next line then reminds us that we are not alone in facing temptation.  “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.”  Even Jesus was tempted with three common temptations, giving in to human desires regardless of the consequences, temptation to power and wealth, and the temptation to popularity and fame by putting God to the test.  You have all faced those temptations in your life.  They are common to all.  But there is hope for us in those times of temptation.  St. Paul adds, “But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

     For the times when temptations do creep into your life, even in your strongest periods of faith, you know you have your Savior, Jesus, who can provide you with the strength you need to emerge victorious from any battle you might have with Satan. You can take comfort from the words of Hebrews 4:15-16, which say, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” His triumph over the devil becomes your triumph today because of the cross. Christ’s death on the cross, even more than his resistance to temptation in the wilderness, strips Satan of the power of his tricky, tempting ways. Because of the cross, you have the confidence of knowing that the power of Jesus is within you to face temptation and you will come out as the winner.

          As a result, there is no longer a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness when it comes to dealing with temptation, because the death and resurrection of Christ has done away with the devil’s power over you. Because of Christ, it becomes easier and easier for you to turn away from temptation and move on. So move on and move away from the wiles of Satan, and be energized in your ability to live a life that constantly looks up to the cross.  A life focused on the cross is a life that is filled with trust in the power of the cross, a life that is focused on Jesus and not on yourself, a life that considers the desires of life on earth not worth comparing to the life yet to come in heaven, where the triumph over the devil will be complete and secure forever.       Amen.

Rev. Gerald Matzke

Lent 2013

      

It Is Written

It Is Written 

Luke 4:1-13

     A consideration of the account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is a good way to start the Lenten season.  Since Lent is a time of meditation on our sins, it is comforting for us to know that even Jesus faced temptation.  The big difference is that we so often give in to the temptations of the devil but Jesus never sinned.  But we can certainly learn something from Him.  It was our sin that caused Jesus to have to come into the world to be the sacrifice to pay the price for us.  Therefore, this is a time of solemn reflection on our sins that caused Jesus to die.  

     This is also a time of repentance. Repentance actually involves several steps.  You first have to acknowledge your sin.  That can be hard for many people because your sinful nature has become so skilled at making excuses and denying the serious nature of your sins.  If you are not willing to be honest with yourself you will never feel the need to take the next step and be sorry that you have sinned against God and against others.  This is more than just saying the words that you are sorry that you did something wrong.  True repentance realizes that you have disobeyed God and you have fallen far short of what God expects of you.  Having acknowledged and confessed your sins, a repentant heart then will have a desire to remove that kind of sinful behavior or sinful attitude from your life through the power of the Holy Spirit.  You are reminded of your Baptism which gives you the power to begin each day anew.

     Lent truly is a time of repentance and renewal.  We have no better example of how to resist temptation than Jesus Himself.  As you heard in the Gospel reading for today, Jesus was tempted three times by the devil and each time He was able to throw that temptation right back by using the power of God’s Word.  The devil simply cannot stand up against the truth of God’s Word.  As we look more closely at what Jesus did in the face of temptation, may you learn to make use of the power of the words, “It is written.”

     When we look at the three temptations that the devil set before Jesus, we can see that those temptations were really the three basic kinds of temptations that the devil uses on all of us.  They fit into three categories.  The first was to turn the stones into bread in order to satisfy His hunger after fasting in the desert for forty days.  To do so would be to use His divine power for His own benefit to satisfy His earthly desires at a point in His life when He was preparing Himself for His earthly ministry.  You are often tempted to satisfy your earthly urges without giving any concern for the consequences of your actions for yourself and for others.  Instant gratification has become a way of life in our world.  Advertising tells you that you deserve to have everything and you need to have it now.  But Jesus countered that temptation by telling the devil, “Man does not live by bread alone.” He drew from the Scriptures a passage that tells us that our priorities are not always about satisfying our earthly desires.

           The second temptation was one that you face at one time or another to some degree. The devil offered Jesus wealth and power.  All Jesus would have to do is bow down and worship the devil.  What a temptation!  You would probably think through the implications.  Writers have had a field day with this one.  Plays, movies and operas have all explored the possibility of selling your soul to the devil in order to get the one thing they always desired.  Jesus on the other hand commanded the devil leave with the worlds, “It is written, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
          The third temptation touches on a couple the basic sinful desires.  The devil tried to get Jesus to jump off the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem, telling Him that God would send His angels to catch Him.  Wouldn’t that create a buzz around Jerusalem!.  If Jesus could jump off the temple and land unharmed, He would be an instant celebrity.  He would attract all kinds of attention and be the biggest thing to hit Jerusalem since the days of David and Solomon.  Think of what that could do for His ministry.  He would have more followers than anyone else.  They would all think that He was something very special, maybe even the promised Messiah.  It could all happen if He simply would put God to the test and challenge Him to keep His promise to send angels to protect Him and see to it that He wouldn’t hurt Himself, even if it meant doing something foolish.  The devil even tried to use the Scriptures to make this temptation more attractive.  That tricky devil conveniently left out part of the passage.  From Psalm 91, he said, “He will command His angels concerning you to guard you, and they will lift you up in their hands.”  He left out the part that said,  “to guard you in all your ways.”  Jumping off the temple was not something that a person would normally do.  That would be foolish.  Once again you have to ask yourself, “Who would be helped by this miraculous event?”  No one would benefit except Jesus and we know that this was not have Jesus operated.

     Acceptance and fame may not be at the top of your list of desires but you are often tempted to put God to the test.  You try to make deals with God.  “God, if you would do this for me, then I will do something for you.”  Or you might say, “God if you really love me, then prove it by giving me what I want.” You are putting God to the test.  Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6, “It is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

      That was it.  The temptations were over at that point.  The devil was forced to leave but we know that he didn’t give up.  He continued to try and put roadblocks in Jesus’ way to try and prevent Him from carrying out His purpose of giving His life for us.

     What is most interesting is that Jesus resisted the temptations of the devil with the power of God’s Word,  In each case, Jesus drew from the well of God’s wisdom that had been revealed through the prophets down through the ages.  God had spoken to His people and addressed every aspect of life.  Jesus now was demonstrating for us the power of that Word.  You can use that same power to resist the temptations that come your way.  The Word of God has power because the Holy Spirit works through that Word.  It is the Holy Spirit who makes a difference in people’s loves.  He gives you power through the Word to come to repentance.  He gives you power through the Word to change your sinful patterns.  He gives you power through that Word to resist temptation and do good works.   

     The Word is easily available to you.  God has directed His writers to put His will in human language.  God has also guided the scholars and translators down through the ages to put the Word in understandable language so that anyone can hear or read His Word.  All you have to do is make use of that Word and you will be able to have that storehouse of wisdom that has the power of the Holy Spirit in it to help you through your life.  Think of what you hear in church.  You hear the Old Testament.  You have learned the Ten Commandments.  You have heard the writings of Paul and Peter and John in the Epistle lessons that tell you how to live your Christian life.  You then have heard the Gospel lessons that tell about the life and teachings of Jesus.  You have heard His Sermon on the Mount, for example, where He gave a commentary on the Ten Commandments.  He also spoke about various other aspects of Christian living like prayer and witnessing.  It’s all there in the Bible.  It is God’s Word.  When you are familiar with your Bible, you can also confront the devil by saying, “It is written.”

     You also know that there are times when you don’t use the power that God makes available to you and you fall into sin.  But God has blessed you by giving you not only His Law but also the Gospel in His Word.  He has assured you that all is not lost even though you have sinned and fallen short of what He expects.  He has sent Jesus to take your place under the Law and then also on the cross.  He died so that your sins could be forgiven.  He rose again to show you that you too can have new life now as well as life with Him forever in heaven.

     As a result, you can live with the sure faith that trusts in your Savior Jesus alone for  the forgiveness of your sins and that trusts in the power of the Holy Spirit, working through His Word, to guide and direct you throughout your life.  You can trust that His power is greater than the temptations of the devil.  You know that when the devil tempts you, you can follow Jesus’ example and confidently proclaim, “It is written…,” and then you can fill in the rest from your knowledge of God’s Word and through the power of the Spirit, the devil will have to back down until the next time.  What a great power God has given to you!  Amen.

Rev. Gerald Matzke

February 17, 2013 

Without Love I Am Nothing

Without Love I Am Nothing  

I Corinthians 12:31b-13:13

     What was the first thing you thought of when you heard the Epistle lesson for today?  I would guess that for many of you those verses brought to mind a wedding, either your own or one you have attended.  Those verses may have been read or may have been used as the text for the pastor’s message.  Many couples have asked for that passage to be read as a part of their wedding ceremony because of what it says about the nature of love.  It has such a wonderful application for a man and a woman who are about to become husband and wife.  When you get to the part about love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it speaks to your human nature.  It is actually a warning for you about letting your human nature take control of your relationships.  When that happens, you are headed for trouble and the statistics that you hear about failed marriages seem to back that up.  Most of the time when marriages end in divorce it is because there was not a willingness to be patient, kind, trusting and self-giving.  This is a great text for a wedding if it is understood properly.

     Having said that, it is also interesting to point out that the context of these words aren’t really speaking of a marriage.  Paul had been talking about life in the church in the verses that come before the love verses.  In the Epistle lesson from last week from I Corinthians 12, we heard about the body of Christ.  “You are the body of Christ and each of you is a part of it,” Paul wrote.  He talked about the importance of each part of the body.  In comparing the church to a body, he mentioned that no one part can exist on its own.  The various parts of the body need each other and each part plays an important function in the body.  Not all the parts have the same job.  Some are more out front that others.  Some are in the background.  Yet it is important for the whole body to realize that it is one body.  When one part suffers the rest of the body suffers with it.  When one part rejoices the other parts rejoice with it. 

     He continues with a summary of this line of thinking and then makes a direct application to the church.  He mentions a number of functions in the church and makes the point that we don’t all have the same task.  Not all are prophets, not all are teachers, not all are miracle workers and so on.  We are not to become jealous of the gifts that others have and ignore the gifts that we have.  Instead we are to use the gifts that the Lord gives us in His church in love.  It is in that context then that he speaks about the importance of love.  Paul summarizes his point by saying, “Without love I am nothing.”  As we think about that statement today, may you come to realize the importance of God’s love in your life and may you be moved to put God’s love into action as you serve your Lord by serving His church and your community.

     “Without love I am nothing.”  What a powerful statement that is!  First before we consider anything else, we have to understand what this love is.  That word gets used and abused all the time in our world today.  We talk about loving everything from our spouse to our pets to a new outfit to a large pizza with the works.  Of course we mean different things as we use that word in different contexts.  Greek does the same thing only it uses different Greek words for different kinds of love.  The love that is mentioned here is a special kind of love that has its source in God.  It is a love that is completely familiar with the object of love and loves with a giving kind of love that expects nothing in return.  It is unconditional.  It is not a love that has all kinds of “ifs” or “whens” attached to it.  It is not “I will love you if you do what I tell you.” Or “I will love you when you start showing me some respect.”  It is a love that simply loves you because you are God’s special creation.  It is the love that Jesus spoke about when He said, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.”

     It is a love that caused Him to sacrifice His only Son as the punishment for your sins.  It was not deserved.  It did not require complete obedience on our part.  Without that love of God, you would be nothing. You would still be a lost and condemned sinner.  Without that love you would not be able to be called a child of God through your Baptism.  Without that love you would not be a part of the Body of Christ, the church.  Without that love from God you would not be able to show that kind of love to others and especially to those in need.  Your service to the church and to other people would mean nothing without the love of God in your heart.

     It is that love then that empowers and gives value to your service to the church.  There you see the context of these words coming in to play.  Paul mentions a number of things that happen in the church that would be of no value at all without the love of God in your heart.  He starts with the preacher.  “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am only a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.”  In other words, I could be the greatest speaker in the world but if I am not speaking out of love for my hearers, I am just a lot of noise.  It may be an impressive sound but it doesn’t really convey a message, much less the message of God’s love.  I could be the greatest intellectual mind in the church but if I am not operating out of love for God and for the rest of the body of Christ, I am nothing.  Even if I am generous to the poor and even sacrifice everything I have, even my life, but do not have love, I gain nothing.  If all I am concerned with is personal gain, a good reputation, making a name for myself, in other words, just concerned with myself, I really don’t have that love of God alive in my life.  I am nothing.

     Paul then continues with the description of love as it is demonstrated in your relationships with others.  It is patient.  It is kind.  It does not envy or boast.  It is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way.  It is not irritable or resentful.  It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Loves bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends.  Once again, remember the context in which these words were written.  He is talking about your life together in the church.  How many churches down through the ages have been torn apart by people who did not allow this love to rule their hearts?  The fact that we have so many different denominations just might be traced to the fact that personalities did not show the kind of patient love that is not proud and self-seeking.

     That points out an important fact here. You are not perfect.  You sin. You let your human nature rule your life when you know better.  You are tempted and you have given in.  Yet the beauty of God’s love is still there for you.  Even when you rebel against God, He continues to love you with that never-ending love that knows all about you and loves you anyway.  With that in mind, when you receive forgiveness, you are empowered to take that same love into your life and demonstrate it in your relationships with those around you in the church and in the other areas of your life. You show it to those in the church because you are fellow members of the body of Christ.  You need them and they need you.  When the body is not working together, you can imagine all of the painful things that can happen.  Yet to show love to all the members of the body means that you are not resentful.  You are not irritable.  You do not insist on your own way.  You can bear all things, believe all things, hope for the best and endure all things no matter what happens. 

     Paul closes this section of his letter with some additional comments about our life together in the church.  First he says, “Love never ends.”  God’s love for you never ends and you will always have it to share with others.  Then he mentions that you need to keep in mind that your purpose here as a child of God is not just to satisfy yourself here on earth.  He said, “Now I see a poor reflection in a mirror; then I will see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully even as I have been fully known.”  The “then” that he is talking about is in heaven.  Your time here is short.  This is not your final destination.  You are looking forward to the completion of all things in heaven.  Your goal is heaven.  The goal of the church is to make disciples of all nations so that all people may know fully and see God face to face.  As you wait for all things to be completed, these three remain the key components of life in the church: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.   Amen.

    

Rev. Gerald Matzke
February 3, 2013