a way out

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:1-13, NRSV)

Have you ever felt like you were i a situation where there was no way out?

Well if you actually stopped and thought through it, there was several ways out, just none of them held to the way you wanted out. They probably included someone getting emotionally hurt, or lose of some kind. Sometimes in situations there is no way around things we want to avoid. And so we think there is no way out.

We start to wonder how we got into this place in the first place. How did we wind up here? What could I have done differently that would have not led to this place?

Sometimes it seems we get into things we should have avoided. But could we have avoided them?

Maybe, and this is a just maybe, we wind up in places so we have to rely on God to be there. We have to rely on God because we don’t always have the answers.

But God would never lead us into temptation! God would never lead us to trials!

But do you remember our reading from 2 days ago? God through the Holy Spirit, thrust Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.

And each week we pray, “And lead us not into temptation” We saw what God did to Jesus, and we ask Him, through the leading/teaching of Jesus to not lead us into temptation, but when you do, “deliver us from evil.” And in there is the promise, that God will always provide us a way out, so we may endure what we are going through. Not the easy way out, but His way out.

So remember that He is always with you, and will always give you a way out.

Sleeping…

He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” [Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.] When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” (Luke 22:39-46, NRSV)

Pray that you may not come into the time of trial…

What did Jesus mean by this? Most of us pray every week, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” or “Save us from the time of trial…”

We confess that we will face the trials and temptations of this world, because Jesus did so will we. So what did Jesus mean when He said, “pray so that you may not come into the time of trial?”

And how does this impact us today?

I like the question when He returns, “Why are you sleeping?” Have you ever been praying and all of sudden you wake up and wonder when you stopped praying and went to sleep?

I have. I have fallen asleep while praying many a time. Sometimes it is embarrassing. Why? Until now no one even knew! I was embarrassed because I was talking to God and I fell asleep. But I have done this to other friends before too. Sometimes I have been so into the conversation and it was so relaxing I felt like I was taken away.

But you see in this moment in the garden, Jesus is wanting them to pray that they will not be going with Him. They need to be alert, and ready.

Are you alert and ready?

Have you fallen asleep when Jesus has asked you to be at the guard?

Jesus will save us, and will be with us. No matter what the trial, or the temptation. He will always be there. Just listen to Him and heed what He asks of you.

What is the question?

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”  Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. (Matthew 4:1-11, NRSV)

Jesus is tempted. But before He is tempted He is driven out into the wilderness, the desert space, by…

The Holy Spirit! God took Him there!

And when Satan comes to Him after He has been there in the desert, we assume with nothing for 40 days and tempts Him…

And Satan asks Him a question, “If you are the Son of God…”

Does Satan not know who He is? Or is he trying to confuse Jesus? You know if you are really hungry, sometimes you don’t think straight.

Satan is wondering if Jesus is the Son of God, or is Jesus actually knows who He is. Or maybe there is something else here.

The Greek word Εἰ means if, and it also means since. So is Satan saying, “If you are the Son of God…” or “Since you are the Son of God…”

You see I think Satan knows who He is, and is trying to get Him to question the plan. It is not that He is not able to do everything Satan is asking Him to do, He can, but to do that would question the plan and not allow God to be in control.

So do you know who Jesus is, and do you trust Him?

It is as simple as, “God if I only knew for sure your plan…” Or “God, since I know who you are, you have the plan…”

smooth sailing

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:9-15, NRSV)

And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan for forty days.

God after proclaiming Jesus to be His beloved Son, drove Him into the deserted place and there He was tempted by Satan!

God’s own Son, given over to the hands od the devil! What makes us think this life of following Jesus is going to be smooth sailing for us?

Never does the Bible tell us that life with Christ will be a walk in a rose garden. We are never told it will be easy, yet we get that concept from society don’t we? That once you are a follower of Christ you won’t have any problems…

Well the example we have in the life of Jesus is our lives will be filled with misunderstanding and pain. But the key here is to know and believe why He was sent. So that we migth come near the kingdom of God, repent and believe in the good news that God will never leave us nor forsake us. We might wind up in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, but take heart, because Jesus has already been there and is there with you!

create in me

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:1-12, NRSV)

And I shall be whiter than snow…

For some of us this makes sense. We live where there is snow and we have seen it, and some of us wish we did not see as much of it. But can you imagine only seeing pictures of snow? Never actually experiencing it’s beauty first hand? And then you see it. and this line in Psalm 51 pops out and now you get it.

You see we are sinners. I am a sinner. You are a sinner. And because of that we are dirty and not able to stand in the presence of God. Yet God still loves us, with a love no sin will ever break. A steadfast love that will seek us from the darkest regions of the world. And because of that Love He will remove our sins from us, and wash us thoroughly, and clean all the dirt away. He will make us whiter than snow!

And when we are whiter than snow, He will create us anew from the inside out, filling our heart with His love and making His Spirit dwell within us. He will restore us to Him and give us a will to live the life He has called us to.

So give your life over to Him and let Him mold you and shape you. And you will be created anew!