endure

Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved. Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. (James 1:12-18, NRSV)

God does not tempt us, but can lead us to places where we can be tempted. He led Jesus to the wilderness, but He resisted and endured, by the strength God had given him.

We to can over come the temptation and not give into sin, through the power that He has given us.

And we might show forth to the world, not our own stature, but the love of God and the strength that He can give for an empowered life.

One that shows the fruit of the Spirit, and the Love of God to all the world!

So endure in the strength you have been given, knowing He is always with you!

a little help

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.” Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. (Hebrews 2:10-18, NRSV)

I read this passage and I heard the song, I get by with a little help from my friends…

You see Jesus was our friend. He is our brother, and He is not ashamed to call us sister and brother. To claim us in front of the throne as His!

He came to live among us as one of us. To know what we go through. To face the temptations and trials that we face. So He knows.

And we can know that we can get by, because He is always there to lend us a helping hand and to walk with us through what ever it is we are facing.

He has been there! He knows what you are going through!

And He will help you get by!

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…”