Lent I. Luke 4

 Deut 26:(1-4)5-11 Ps 91 or 91:9-16 Rom 10:4-13 Luke 4:1-13; The First Sunday in Lent

Too Tempting

The story is told of four high school boys who couldn't resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each had been smitten with a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, "Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper." Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions. Then she said, "First question--which tire was flat?" from sermons@sermons.com

King James Bible

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin"

The Hymn says it all so well for the Season by George Hunt Smyttan, 1856

" Forty Days and Forty Nights -Thou Wast Fasting in the Wild

Forty Days and Forty Nights-Tempted and Yet undefiled.

2-Shall We Not Thy Sorrow Share- And From Worldly Joys Abstain

Fasting With Unceasing Prayer-Strong With Thee to Suffer Pain?

3-Then If Satan On Us Press-Flesh or spirit to  assail

Victor In the Wilderness-Grant that We may not Faint nor fail!

4-So We shall Have Peace Divine-Holier Gladness Ours Shall Be

Round Us Too Shall Angels Shine- Such as Ministered to Thee

5-Keep O Keep Us, Saviour Dear-Ever Constant by Thy Side

That With Thee We May Appear- At the Eternal Eastertide"

--I came across this on a post from a friend of mine, and found it timely.

"CS Lewis Daily -

TO MARY NEYLAN, who had told Lewis she was going to resume the practice of her faith after years of alienation and theological struggle: On acting on the light one has; on the unreliability of religious emotion; on confession of sins to a spiritual director; and on daily spiritual and Bible reading.

4 January 1941

Congratulations . . . on your own decision. I don’t think this decision comes either too late or too soon. One can’t go on thinking it over for ever; and one can begin to try to be a disciple before one is a professed theologian. In fact they tell us, don’t they, that in these matters to act on the light one has is almost the only way to more light. Don’t be worried about feeling that, or about feeling at all. As to what to do, I suppose the normal next step, after self-examination repentance and restitution, is to make your Communion; and then to continue as well as you can, praying as well as you can . . . and fulfilling your daily duties as well as you can. And remember always that religious emotion is only a servant. . . This, I say, would be the obvious course. If you want anything more e.g. Confession and Absolution which our church enjoins on no-one but leaves free to all—let me know and I’ll find you a directeur. If you choose this way, remember it’s not the psychoanalyst over again: the confessor is the representative of Our Lord and declares His forgiveness—his advice or ‘understanding’ though of real, is of secondary importance.

For daily reading I suggest (in small doses) Thomas à Kempis’ ‘Imitation of Christ’ and the ‘Theologia Germanica’...and of course the Psalms and New Testament. Don’t worry if your heart won’t respond: do the best you can. You are certainly under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, or you wouldn’t have come where you now are: and the love that matters is His for you—yours for Him may at present exist only in the form of obedience. He will see to the rest.

This has been great news for me I need hardly say. You have all my prayers (not that mine are worth much).

From The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume II

Compiled in Yours, Jack"

Isaiah 53:3-5

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. / Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. / But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

1 Peter 2:22

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”

In our Gospel reading this morning in Luke 4 it is Jesus' first day on the job. Immediately he is confronted with three major temptations. And he is confronted with this basic question: Would he take the crown without the cross?"  sermons@sermons.com

The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, and one of the applicants - who was not known to be the brightest academically, was called in for an interview. "Okay," began the sheriff, "What is 1 and 1?" "Eleven," came the reply. The sheriff thought to himself, "That's not what I meant, but he's right."

Then the sheriff asked, "What two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?" "Today & tomorrow." Replied the applicant. The sheriff was again surprised over the answer, one that he had never thought of himself.

"Now, listen carefully, who killed Abraham Lincoln?", asked the sheriff. The job seeker seemed a little surprised, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, "I don't know." The sheriff replied, "Well, why don't you go home and work on that one for a while?" The applicant left and wandered over to his pals who were waiting to hear the results of the interview. He greeted them with a cheery smile, "The job is mine! The interview went great! First day on the job and I'm already working on a murder case!"

These are basic temptations in life. These three temptations form the foundation for all other temptations. And I would propose that when temptations come our way; if we will pause and classify the temptations, identify them with one of the three temptations Jesus faced; we will be equipped to answer Satan with the words and obedience of Christ.

Let's look at the three temptations:

1. Stone into Bread: The temptation to use power for the wrong purposes.

Or ?  Certainly that was a part of it.  He could have done it certainly as we was the Son of God.  But recognizing that the spiritual triumphs the physical was at the root of this temptation?

2. . Serve The Wrong Master: The temptation to idolatry.

An offer of unlimited power. Jesus replies that we should only worship the Lord thy God, and Him serve.

3. Jump on the Rocks: The Temptation to gain popularity by performance

Cast yourself down Satan says , and see what happens.  God will save you.

This is  not faith, but presumption.

The Devil asks us to compromise with evil in service to others and the world.  The means justify the ends in other words. 

Here as in all things living in this world we prepare for the next.  The Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and the 2 great commandments that Jesus gave in summary of the Ten should be our guide.

It is not as simple as we are led to believe.  Does violating a commandment that brings greater good make sense?  For example in Iraq, an Officer told the Soldiers to fire their weapon near the head of an Iraqi to threaten them to reveal the location of the extremists.  It worked, and the threat brought about the result of getting the enemy.  

I am sure we can think of other situations that call us to think of the results we wish for.  Is any means good to achieve the ends?  

Do we all shade the truth to make ourselves or our friends look better?  

The days before Easter are days of examination and spiritual cleansing.  How do we attempt to do that?  Is this something we should just do before Easter, or should it be a daily exercise?

We can be right about certain things of the Bible and its teaching but we can leave out their application in the world we live in which is not so cut and dry at times.  Truth matters , yes.  But how do we deliver it?