An Instrument of Peace and Love

S.B.: Matthew 4: 1 – 11

“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.”

Please take notice of the chain of events coming up to this part of the text… God’s spirit leads Jesus from the Baptismal Waters of the Jordan River to a time of testing by the devil. In similar fashion, have you ever noticed that when you have had a victory, or even a new beginning, that suddenly things don’t go as well as they used to?

Now let’s take notice of what God does, and what God does NOT do… God does not protect or hide Jesus from a confrontation with the devil… but the truth is that God does not abandon him either… God tells us that WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US… His word says “Fear Not, for I am with you!”
During his time in the wilderness, Jesus practices the spiritual discipline of FASTING… abstaining from eating foods for a period of time, in order to focus on prayer… in order to focus on what the Spirit of God is saying to you…

The scriptures point out many times over that there is power in fasting and praying. Some fasts last only from sunrise until sunset, but in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ fast is described as lasting day and night… for forty days… and by the end of this time, Jesus is understandably FAMISHED. This is beyond hunger… this is reaching deep into a basic human need…

And so it is just like the devil to tempt Jesus with the basic human desires that we see in our text this morning… Food, Power and Prestige.

In this text we see that Jesus is being confronted by the limits of his own humanity. During the Christmas Season we celebrated the birth of Jesus, the God-Man, and here we see the very human side of his being… He was hungry… powerfully hungry…
When his hunger, loneliness and human weakness became overwhelming, Jesus returns to God’s word again and again… The scripture says that “The word of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it, and they are saved.” WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE RIGHTEOUS RUN TO GOD’S WORD FOR REFUGE AND STRENGTH.

Let’s also take a look at how Jesus answers the temptations of hunger and security… Jesus answers by pointing straight to the written word…
IT IS WRITTEN… Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God!

The second test is actually a test of God’s protection… Does God actually care? Jump off a cliff and see if God protects you… The devil actually has the unmitigated gall of attempting to use the Word of God to trip up the Son of God! This is actually very funny if you take a step back and think about it for a moment… “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “He shall give his angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone…” Jesus counters this with the Word of God again… “It is written, DO NOT PUT GOD TO THE TEST!”

The third test challenges Jesus’ relationship with God the Father… The devil brings Jesus to a high mountain and shows him all the Kingdoms, Nations, and all the wealth of the world, and says “You can have all these things, all the kingdoms of the world… here’s the catch… all you have to do is bow down and worship me…”

Jesus counters again with the Word of God… “IT IS WRITTEN… Worship the Lord your God and serve him only…”

The Spirit of God leads Jesus to the wilderness for 40 days, and during these 40 days of fasting and praying, God shapes Jesus into an instrument of God, focused on God’s word, and FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

A lot can happen in 40 days… and it is the Holy Spirit which leads us into Lent. From his 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus was launched into his ministry. These 40 days of Lent can be a wonderful gift for anyone seeking spiritual growth. Take your calendars and set aside time during Lent for prayer, worship, bible study, and serving others. Take the time to participate in one of the many Lenten Series programs that are being offered by different church groups (including our own) for your spiritual enrichment.

Some disciples of Jesus set aside Lent by fasting from certain kinds of foods or activities. Giving up something for Lent is something that most of us see as a sacrifice, but I would encourage us to see it more as an act of worship.

My invitation to us is to take time to identify those activities or vices which draw us away from a close relationship with Jesus Christ, and ask ourselves “How might we fast from these activities during Lent?”

Ask yourself one other question: What does it mean for you to be an instrument of God’s peace and Love.

P.S. Prayer:
Lord, make us instruments of your peace;
where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

Lord Jesus,
grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

I Bid You Peace,
Pastor Ken+