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The anthem today was a beautiful reminder, a declaration, of one of the wonderful promises of Scripture, one of the wonderful truths of Scripture. The prophet Jeremiah declares the promise of God: "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you."
Have any of you ever had a time when you really sensed God's call on your life to serve him, or God's intervention in your life calling you to go a new direction? Maybe you stepped out in response to God's call, remembering God's wonderful promises from Scripture. Maybe everything's good for awhile, and then something happens. God seems to wander off or something. He gets quiet, and things get hard. Have any of you ever had something like that happen?
The writer of the Book of Hebrews says that Jesus knows all about what it is like to be one of us, even this type of experience.
Last week we read about Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan River. The baptism of Jesus was his call to ministry. When he rose up out of the waters of the Jordan, and a voice from heaven declared "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well-pleased," it was clear that the time had come for Jesus to begin the work for which he had been born. When the Sprit descended upon him, even as the water was still dripping from his hair, the first step was taken in the direction of the cross.
Soon Jesus would begin to gather followers, and from them select twelve who would be with him always as witnesses and students and ministers-in-training.
Soon Jesus would speak with the authority to drive out demons and touch with the power to drive out disease.
Soon Jesus would be bringing good news to the poor and giving sight to the blind.
Soon Jesus would be confronting the injustices of rich exploiting poor and challenging religious hierarchy that was losing touch with God.
Jesus' baptism was the first step in the direction of the cross. It's worth slowing down enough to notice that Jesus' second step was a journey into the wilderness.
Before Jesus drew a follower, before he taught a lesson, before he preached a sermon, before he healed a suffering man or woman or child, he journeyed into the wilderness, where Satan went after him for forty days.
Scripture says that Jesus was tempted in every way as we are. He is qualified to be our Redeemer, not only because he is the divine Son of God-the Lamb without blemish-but also because he walked this earth as a human being, fully subject to the same hungers and temptations as the rest of us.
If baptism was Jesus' call to ministry, wilderness was Jesus' preparation for ministry. It's worth slowing down enough to notice that this wilderness experience was not exactly a pleasant walk through meadows of wildflowers, enjoying magnificent views of cliffs and canyons while basking in the warmth of a summer sun. This wilderness experience was about isolation and deprivation. This wilderness experience was about physical and emotional torment, as the ministering angels of God stepped away and the servants of the enemy were allowed to come at Jesus in waves-day after day after day.
Every lie the enemy has every whispered in your ear-something like it was whispered in Jesus' ear. Every doubt the enemy has every tried to plant in you-the enemy tried to plant something like it in Jesus. Every illusion that the enemy has dangled before you to turn your eyes from God-something like it was dangled before Jesus.
Being hungry and alone, buffeted on every side by the taunts and temptations of the enemy, is nobody's idea of a good time. When we're in that place and God seems silent and distant, it's easy to conclude that we have somehow fallen away from God, that somehow our journey with God has been interrupted by something that serves no purpose except to make us miserable and drain us of energy and squander our hope and stretch even the deepest roots of our faith almost to the breaking point.
In the midst of that place, our confidence that God is good and faithful begins to unravel. In the midst of that place, our own sense of identity as one chosen and loved by God begins to fade. In the midst of that place, we may start out crying out to God to rescue us, but somewhere along the line we just might begin to wonder if the God who is silent will ever speak again and we just might begin to wonder if maybe we should look elsewhere for rescue.
It's worth slowing down enough to notice that Jesus went into the wilderness, not because he set out in the wrong direction after coming out of the Jordan River, but because the Spirit led him.
It's worth slowing down enough to notice that Jesus went into the wilderness, not because he was abandoned by God, but because he was chosen by God.
It's worth slowing down enough to notice that Jesus went into the wilderness, not because God was disciplining him, but because God was well-pleased with him.
It's worth slowing down enough to notice that Jesus came through the wilderness prepared for his unique calling in the world not because he was the divine Son of God, Teflon-coated against temptation, but because he was a human being who countered every lie of the enemy with truth from Scripture.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all write about Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness, after his baptism, to be tempted by the devil for forty days. Matthew and Luke write about the big showdown at the end of that forty days between Jesus and Satan. None of the gospels give much detail about the forty days leading up to the showdown, other than that Jesus fasted and was tempted.
I don't pretend to know exactly how the devil went after Jesus during that forty days, but I have a pretty good idea how he goes after the rest of us when we are tired and hungry and alone and weak. He nudges here and there until he finds a tender spot, and then he starts whispering the lies.
If you have ever wondered how it is that God could really love you, then his questions needle you there. "Take a look at yourself," he says, "how could God really love someone like you?"
If you have ever felt unworthy or incompetent… "There's nothing special about you," he says, "how could God have a purpose for you?"
If you struggle with sin in your past that seems unforgivable… "You know what you did," he says, "you don't really think God would forgive something like that, do you?"
If you are enslaved to an addiction… "You're chemically dependent now," he says, "even if God wanted to use you, you're no good to him now."
The enemy is sneaky though. He doesn't always tear down with lies. Sometimes he brings destruction by building up with lies.
If you are really smart or beautiful or successful in worldly achievements… "You're really something," he says, "why isn't God giving you more high profile assignments? You're too good to waste your talents doing grunt-work. You need keep yourself ready for some special task where you can really make use of your unique talents."
You get the picture.
It's worth noticing that the enemy's lies often involve redirecting the focus of your vision from God to yourself… Take a look at yourself; see how bad you are or how good you are; but whatever you do, look at yourself, not at God.
Instead of basing decisions on God's goodness and power and mercy and compassion and purpose, the enemy wants us to base our decisions on our view of ourselves-whether that view is low or high.
I don't know exactly how the enemy went after Jesus during the forty days, but Luke does tell us something about how the enemy tempted Jesus at the end of the forty days, when he was indeed tired and hungry and alone and weak.
It's worth slowing down enough to notice that the Satan's lies contain partial truths. He does not tempt Jesus with out and out rebellion based on complete falsehoods, but with slight re-ordering of priorities based on subtle distortions of the truth.
First the enemy nudges at Jesus' sense of identity looking for any tender spot, while seeking to turn his attention to his own hunger.
"If you are the Son of God…" he says. (Have you ever heard that whisper in your ear? "If you are really a child of God…") It's as if to suggest that no Son that God truly loved should ever be in such a position of desperate hunger. "If you were really a beloved child of God, you wouldn't be hurting the way you are…"
"Tell this stone to become bread," he says.
The enemy points to a legitimate need. Jesus hasn't eaten anything for forty days. His hunger is real. We're not talking about the growling of a stomach that has missed an accustomed meal time. We're talking about near starvation conditions. If Jesus doesn't eat something soon, he will be in serious trouble. This is a legitimate need.
But the enemy offers an illegitimate solution. Elevate your immediate need (elevate your immediate survival concern) to your highest concern, he says, then focus your energy and talent on meeting that survival need.
A woman finally screws up the courage to leave an abusive relationship. She is determined this time not to go back. A few weeks or months go by, and the loneliness grows intense. The emotional hunger sets in. It's a legitimate hunger. We human beings are created for relationship and companionship is a real need. Satan sees his opportunity, and the whispered lies begin. "You aren't lovable; you can't make it on your own; you don't deserve anything better." Then the enemy suggests an illegitimate solution. Elevate your immediate need to your highest concern, he says, after all you can't make it another day on your own, and focus your energy and what little talent you have on meeting that need. The temptation is strong to enter a new relationship even more abusive than the first.
Jesus' answer to the temptation is truth. He says to Satan, "I'm not going to get into an argument with you about whether or not I'm the Son of God, or whether or not God loves me, or whether or not I need bread. I'm going to look back at God and remember the truth. Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
The immediate, legitimate need is not in fact, the highest need. The highest need is relationship with God. He knows your needs, and will not leave you hungry or alone forever, but will help you heal and grow so that you can be fed appropriately and so you can enter into relationships of all kinds that are life-giving instead of destructive.
I've been thinking about Calvary. The leadership has talked about how 2007 is a transition year and an opportunity to step out in new directions and try some new things, to answer God's calling with new energy and focus. Of course, there is also the reality that Calvary is small. We don't have a lot of people. We need more people. This is a legitimate need.
In 2007, I suspect the temptation will be high to turn our eyes from the God who is calling us to reach out in his name and to turn our eyes to ourselves. The temptation will be there to worry… Who's going to do it all? How are we going to do it? We're too small. What we really need is people, so let's focus on that immediate survival need and see if we can get some more bodies in these pews.
But the immediate survival need is not the highest need, and the solution does not lie within ourselves. The highest need is to cultivate our relationship with God, to trust that he is faithful, and to follow him out into the world to serve.
When things get hard, it is a really common tactic of the enemy to try to divert our attention from God and his promises and his truth and his purpose to ourselves and our needs and our limitations. Whenever he does that, he succeeds.
Think about it. What's the big deal if Jesus turns one stone into bread? He's out there in the middle of the desert. Nobody's going to see him. What's the big deal?
The big deal is that if Jesus did that it would have meant that he took his eyes of God and God's purpose for him and God's provision and started worrying about his own needs and how he could get those needs met. If Jesus would have done that, Satan would have won.
In the fourth century, after the Nicene Creed was written declaring the truth of the divinity of Christ, opposition remained. There was a lot of struggle within the church about truth and error. Basil the Great was one of the leading churchmen, battling for theological orthodoxy-battling for the truth that the Son is fully divine and co-eternal with the Father. The struggle went on for decades. In 370, the Emperor Valens, who had a different, heretical view of Christ, threatened Basil with plunder, exile, torture, and even death unless he changed his views. Basil's reply was, "None of these things hurts me. I have no property, the whole world is my home, my body is already dead in Christ, and death would be a great blessing."
I have no property-so you can't plunder me. The whole world is my home-so if you exile me, that's ok. My body is already dead in Christ-that was what my baptism was all about. Death would be a great blessing. None of these things hurt me.
Basil clung to the truth of Jesus Christ by countering the lies of the enemy with the truth of Scripture.
When Satan fails to get Jesus to focus on an immediate survival need, he tries to get him to look into the future. "I'll give you all the authority and splendor of all the kingdoms of the world. All you have to do is bow down and worship me."
Satan is sneaky. What he's offering Jesus is a legitimate goal of Jesus' ministry. Jesus came so that he might eventually be lifted up above all things so that his kingly authority will be recognized in heaven and on earth.
Again, Satan doesn't tempt Jesus with out and out rebellion based on complete falsehoods, but he dangles before him a legitimate goal…and tempts him with an illegitimate way of getting there. The means do matter.
"Forget about God. Worship me. I'll help you reach your goal. You can skip that whole cross thing. You don't really need that."
Satan really likes to use this type of temptation against leaders in the church-pastors and elders and deacons and other ministry leaders. We enter into ministry with lofty goals of serving Christ and making a difference in the world for God. Occasionally Satan tempts us with out and out rebellion, but more often he dangles a legitimate ministry goal before us and tempts us to go for that goal by illegitimate means.
"You can make a difference for God. Let's focus on getting you the proper authority, the proper power, the proper position, and then you can make a difference. You can skip that whole cross thing. You don't really need that."
I have to be aware as a pastor of ways that I might be tempted to elevate my own status-all for the greater good of course. I have to pick up my cross every day and remember my call to lead is a call to serve.
Next week when we ordain Bobbie Jo and Fred into new leadership positions, this is something for them to be aware of. As you step into these new opportunities to make a difference in Christ's name, pick up your cross every day and remember that your call to lead is a call to serve.
We can't skip that whole cross thing. It's important.
If Jesus had gone Satan's way and attained the legitimate goal for him of power and authority and splendor by setting aside faithfulness to God, obedience, compassion, suffering, and death, then the enemy would have won. And none of us would be redeemed.
Jesus responded to Satan's lie with truth. "I'm not going to argue with you about whether or not the goal of my ministry involves my elevation to power and authority and splendor. I'm going to remember the truth of how to get there. Scripture says, worship God alone; serve God alone. My focus is going to be on doing that. Where that takes me is in God's hands."
In the first two temptations, Satan attempts to divert Jesus' attention from God (and God's purposes and God's ways) to himself (and his own needs and goals).
When that doesn't work, when Satan fails to get Jesus to look away from God, he tempts Jesus to invert his relationship with God. "Throw yourself off the highest wall. God's angels will pick you up. Get God to serve you."
Satan tries that on the rest of us to. If he can't turn us away from God, he would be pleased to get us to focus on how God can serve us rather than on how we can serve God.
There's a subtle way this sometimes shows up in church, in ways we don't recognize or intend, whenever we ask God to bless our plans and our decisions and our works. "God, as we meet together, we pray that you would bless our decisions. … Lord, we're planning to do this great ministry for you. We ask you to bless our ministry. … Lord, I have another great idea of how to serve you. Please bless my work."
It's a subtle inversion. It's not wrong to ask for blessing. But are we asking him to bless our plans and our purposes, or are we asking him to bless us so that we might enter faithfully into his plans and purposes?
Jesus says, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
We have a great high priest who has come through the heavens and who also knows every temptation that we experience. Nothing comes to him as a surprise about what we deal with in life. He doesn't leave us alone, even in the wilderness, to face temptation. Even when he steps back and is quiet for awhile, he leaves us his Word, so that we can counter every lie of the enemy with the truth of God.
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