Being led into the wilderness for Lent
1st Sunday in Lent Matthew 4:1-11
" Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble; they must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction, otherwise we shall not truly receive them...there are many things to be learned in the depths which we can never know in the heights." Daily Help by Charles H. Spurgeon. Every day I try and start out the day with a reading, and this was one. Somehow I think I had glossed over it----it fits the lesson for today.
We read that Jesus our Lord was led up the Spirit of God for the purpose of testing. It was a time of trial . Pierce is the origin of the word. Certainly He was the Son of God as shown in chapter 3 at His baptism where we hear, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." That baptism too was as Jesus said, " to fulfill all righteousness" 3:15 when John said he should be the one being baptized. The same thing is occuring in chapter 4. Jesus , the Son of God, could never sin, yet he like us was truly human, and it was for us that He endured these temptations.
This shows us the dual nature of who we are as well. We are tested and tempted . We are not divine, yet because of the Holy Spirit of God , we too have a new nature in us. Yet we too experience testing for a reason. It is for us to know this life shall pass away, and one day we shall be " in the likeness of his resurrection." Romans 6:5 Is it possible that Jesus could sin? Of course not, but He was Hebrews 4:15 tested in all " points like as we are, yet without sin."
"TESTING THE GENUINE
All sorts of things are tested to prove that they are genuine. When you go to a bank and give a $20 bill to the cashier, she holds it to a special light. Why would she do that? Because she is testing it to make sure it is genuine. During the time when the Philippines was not using a special light to determine the genuineness of the dollar bills. The bank tellers would just hold the dollars close to the light and then examine the pictures that were printed on the dollar bills. I was so curious what the teller was doing and I asked him how to know that the dollar is genuine by just looking at it. He told me that if the hair of the picture of a man on the dollar is not combed properly the dollar is fake.
We expect EVERYTHING that has value to be tested. The faith that is not tested is the faith that can not be trusted. "
sermoncentral.com
JI Packer in his book, Knowing God reminds us in quoting from the hymn by John Newton:
" Lord, why is this? I trembling cried, Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death? 'Tis in this way' , the Lord replied, ' I answer prayer for grace and faith'
These inward trials I employ, From self and pride to set thee free: And break thy schemes of earthly joy, That thou may' st see thy all in me."
" And Jesus was led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." 4:1
Each morning, a woman walked to her front gate and shouted, "Praise the Lord!" And each time the atheist next door would yell back, "There is no Lord!" One day she prayed, "Lord, I'm hungry. Please send me some food." The following morning, she discovered a big bag of groceries on her front porch. "Praise the Lord," she shouted. Suddenly, her neighbour jumped from behind a bush. "I told you there was no Lord," he said. "I bought those groceries for you." "Praise the Lord!" the woman said. "He not only sent me groceries, He made the devil pay for them." - : http://hotsermons.com/sermon-illustrations/sermon-illustrations
All of us have experienced the testing and temptations that God wishes us to go through. Through them we learn we wish to trust, pray and depend on His provision. What testing are we going through now? We pray that the time of testing will end , and that our faith as Peter says, " Wherein ye greatly rejoice though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I Peter 1:6
As we go through this Lent be encouraged that it is God who leads us as He led our Lord by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. If it is the case that He is leading, we can be assured of His Divine presence in our journey.
We should pray the prayer that we used the beginning of our Service today and look to Him for strength, love and endurance.
" O LORD , who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen."
" Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble; they must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction, otherwise we shall not truly receive them...there are many things to be learned in the depths which we can never know in the heights." Daily Help by Charles H. Spurgeon. Every day I try and start out the day with a reading, and this was one. Somehow I think I had glossed over it----it fits the lesson for today.
We read that Jesus our Lord was led up the Spirit of God for the purpose of testing. It was a time of trial . Pierce is the origin of the word. Certainly He was the Son of God as shown in chapter 3 at His baptism where we hear, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." That baptism too was as Jesus said, " to fulfill all righteousness" 3:15 when John said he should be the one being baptized. The same thing is occuring in chapter 4. Jesus , the Son of God, could never sin, yet he like us was truly human, and it was for us that He endured these temptations.
This shows us the dual nature of who we are as well. We are tested and tempted . We are not divine, yet because of the Holy Spirit of God , we too have a new nature in us. Yet we too experience testing for a reason. It is for us to know this life shall pass away, and one day we shall be " in the likeness of his resurrection." Romans 6:5 Is it possible that Jesus could sin? Of course not, but He was Hebrews 4:15 tested in all " points like as we are, yet without sin."
"TESTING THE GENUINE
All sorts of things are tested to prove that they are genuine. When you go to a bank and give a $20 bill to the cashier, she holds it to a special light. Why would she do that? Because she is testing it to make sure it is genuine. During the time when the Philippines was not using a special light to determine the genuineness of the dollar bills. The bank tellers would just hold the dollars close to the light and then examine the pictures that were printed on the dollar bills. I was so curious what the teller was doing and I asked him how to know that the dollar is genuine by just looking at it. He told me that if the hair of the picture of a man on the dollar is not combed properly the dollar is fake.
We expect EVERYTHING that has value to be tested. The faith that is not tested is the faith that can not be trusted. "
sermoncentral.com
JI Packer in his book, Knowing God reminds us in quoting from the hymn by John Newton:
" Lord, why is this? I trembling cried, Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death? 'Tis in this way' , the Lord replied, ' I answer prayer for grace and faith'
These inward trials I employ, From self and pride to set thee free: And break thy schemes of earthly joy, That thou may' st see thy all in me."
" And Jesus was led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." 4:1
Each morning, a woman walked to her front gate and shouted, "Praise the Lord!" And each time the atheist next door would yell back, "There is no Lord!" One day she prayed, "Lord, I'm hungry. Please send me some food." The following morning, she discovered a big bag of groceries on her front porch. "Praise the Lord," she shouted. Suddenly, her neighbour jumped from behind a bush. "I told you there was no Lord," he said. "I bought those groceries for you." "Praise the Lord!" the woman said. "He not only sent me groceries, He made the devil pay for them." - : http://hotsermons.com/sermon-illustrations/sermon-illustrations
All of us have experienced the testing and temptations that God wishes us to go through. Through them we learn we wish to trust, pray and depend on His provision. What testing are we going through now? We pray that the time of testing will end , and that our faith as Peter says, " Wherein ye greatly rejoice though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I Peter 1:6
As we go through this Lent be encouraged that it is God who leads us as He led our Lord by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. If it is the case that He is leading, we can be assured of His Divine presence in our journey.
We should pray the prayer that we used the beginning of our Service today and look to Him for strength, love and endurance.
" O LORD , who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen."
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